Patent ID: 8523346

Claim:
A transport device comprising: a transport mechanism comprising a supporting member configured to support a placed medium and transport the medium along a transport path along with movement of the supporting member; a first charging device configured to alternately charge the supporting member with one polarity and an opposite polarity along the transport path to form a plurality of charged segments in the supporting member; a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the medium to the supporting member to place the medium on the supporting member; a second charging device configured to alternately charge the medium with one polarity and an opposite polarity along the transfer path for transferring the medium with the transfer mechanism before the transfer mechanism places the medium on the supporting member to form a plurality of charged segments in the medium; and a control unit configured to control at least one of the transport mechanism, the transfer mechanism, the first charging device, and the second charging device such that a charging pattern of the placed medium and a charging pattern of the supporting member have a predetermined relationship on the supporting member.