Patent ID: 7809322

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a first developer including toner particles and carrier particles; an image carrying member configured to form an electrostatic latent image thereon; a developing unit configured to contain the first developer and to develop the electrostatic latent image as a toner image with the toner particles; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image; a cleaning unit containing a second developer in a storing space thereof, the second developer including unused toner particles and unused carrier particles, in advance and to mix the second developer with the toner particles collected from the image carrying member after transferring the toner image, the cleaning unit including a conveyor disposed in the storing space which includes the second developer; a conveying unit provided between the cleaning unit and the developing unit, the conveying unit being configured to convey a mixture of the collected toner particles and the second developer to the developing unit; and a second conveyor in the cleaning unit which conveys the second developer which was stored in the storing space to the conveying unit.