Patent ID: 8335463

Claim:
A cleaning device, comprising: a first blade contacting a surface of an image carrier rotatable to carry a toner image to be transferred onto a transfer body; and a second blade separate from the first blade to contact the surface of the image carrier at a position downstream from the first blade in a direction of rotation of the image carrier relative to a transfer position on the surface of the image carrier where the toner image is transferred onto the transfer body, a leading end of the second blade positioned upstream from a trailing end of the second blade relative to the direction of rotation of the image carrier and facing up, and a first edge of the leading end of the second blade contacting the surface of the image carrier at a point on the surface of the image carrier below a second edge of the leading end of the second blade, wherein a face of the leading end of the second blade, provided between the first edge and the second edge, is perpendicular to each of the first and second edges of the second blade.