Patent ID: 8478174

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member; a stretched rotatable belt member; a transfer member configured to form a transfer portion for transferring a toner image formed on the image bearing member onto a recording material conveyed by the belt member; a separation roller configured to stretch the belt member and enable separating the recording material borne by the belt member from the belt member; a raising unit configured to enable locally raising a belt surface on the upstream side of the separation roller and on the downstream side of the transfer portion in the rotational direction of the belt member in the width direction of the belt member to separate the recording material borne by the belt member from the belt member; and a pre-separation stretching member disposed on the downstream side of the transfer portion and on the upstream side of a contact portion between the raising unit and the belt member in the rotational direction, and configured to stretch the belt member at least when the raising unit raises the belt member.