Patent ID: 8086128

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming device that forms an image developed by a toner, and that transfers the image; an intermediate transfer member that is rotated while holding the toner image transferred from the image forming device; a secondary transferring device that secondary-transfers the toner image held by the intermediate transfer member, to a sheet; a fixing device that fixes the toner image transferred from the secondary transferring device, to a sheet; a release-agent applying device that applies a release agent to a fixing surface of the fixing device; a sheet conveying device that conveys the sheet to the secondary transfer device; a reversing and reconveying device that reconveys the sheet which has been passed through the fixing device, to a secondary transfer position between the intermediate transfer member and the secondary transferring device, in a state where front and rear faces of the sheet are reversed; a first cleaning member that cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer member which has been passed through the secondary transferring device, in a state where the first cleaning member is in contact with a surface of the intermediate transfer member; a second cleaning member that cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer member downstream of the first cleaning member in a rotation direction, in a state where the second cleaning member is in contact with a surface of the intermediate transfer member; a contacting/separating device that displaces the first cleaning member to a state where the first cleaning member is in contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer member, and a state where the first cleaning member is separated from the surface; and a controlling unit that controls the sheet conveying device and the reversing and reconveying device so that at least one sheet is passed through the fixing device and then reconveyed to the secondary transfer position, and that controls the contacting/separating device so that, after a timing immediately before the sheet is reconveyed to and reaches the secondary transfer position, or after the sheet is reconveyed to and reaches the secondary transfer position, the first cleaning member is displaced to the state where the first cleaning member is separated from the surface of the intermediate transfer member.