Patent ID: 7415237

Claim:
A cleaning unit comprising: a cleaning housing which is open toward an image carrier and has a waste toner accommodating part capable of accommodating waste toner; a cleaning member which is provided around an edge of an opening of the cleaning housing so as to form a part of a waste toner storage part or the entire waste toner storage part at a location close to the waste toner accommodating part of the cleaning housing and which scrapes and collects the waste toner on the image carrier, the waste toner storage part storing the waste toner temporarily; and a waste toner conveying member which conveys the waste toner scraped and collected by the cleaning member from the waste toner storage part toward the waste toner accommodating part of the cleaning housing, wherein: the waste toner conveying member moves in the advancing/retracting direction along the waste toner storage part; and when the waste toner conveying member moves in the retracting direction toward the waste toner accommodating part, the waste toner conveying member moves in contact with the waste toner along at least the part of the waste toner storage part, and when the waste toner conveying member moves in the advancing direction, the waste toner conveying member moves along at least the part of the waste toner storage part without contacting the waste toner.