Patent ID: 8027628

Claim:
A cleaning device that cleans a toner on an image carrier, the cleaning device comprising: a blade; and a support member that supports the blade, wherein the blade includes: a top surface; a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface; a tip surface disposed perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces and connected to the bottom surface; and a cut surface having two ends that connect the top surface and the tip surface, the cut surface provided by obliquely cutting a part of the top surface and the tip surface to set an angle forming a tip ridge portion of the blade as an obtuse angle relative to the top surface, the tip ridge portion being formed at one end of the cut surface at an intersection with the top surface, the cut surface being less than an entirety of the tip surface, and wherein the support member is configured to support the blade such that only the tip ridge portion of the cut surface presses a surface of the image carrier.