Patent ID: 8270863

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a casing formed with an opening and including a cover configured to open and close the opening; an image forming unit configured to perform printing on a recording medium and an initializing process, wherein the image forming unit comprises: a belt configured to transport the recording medium; a cleaning unit configured to clean the belt, and wherein the initializing process comprises a cleaning of the belt by the cleaning unit; a detecting unit configured to detect whether the cover is in an open state or a closed state; a measuring unit configured to measure an opening degree of the cover; and a controller coupled to the detecting unit and the measuring unit, wherein, when the detecting unit detects that the state of the cover is changed from the closed state to the open state and returned to the closed state, the controller controls the image forming unit, based on the opening degree of the cover within a first open time period during which the detecting unit detects that the cover is in the open state, to perform the initializing process upon the detecting unit detecting the cover returned to the closed state, if the opening degree of the cover is equal to or greater than a threshold value within the first open time period, and not to perform the initializing process upon the detecting unit detecting the cover returned to the closed state, if the opening degree of the cover is less than the threshold value within the first open time period.