Patent ID: 8204423

Claim:
A cleaning device for cleaning a surface of a rotatable image carrier, the cleaning device comprising: a cleaning blade disposed to contact the image carrier and configured to remove toner on the surface of the image carrier; a lubricant applicator unit disposed above the cleaning blade, downstream from the cleaning blade in a surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to apply lubricant onto the surface of the image carrier; an accumulation preventer configured to prevent the toner and excessive lubricant from the lubricant applicator unit from accumulating on the cleaning blade, wherein the accumulation preventer is a catcher disposed downstream from the cleaning blade and upstream from the lubricant applicator unit in the surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to prevent the toner and the excessive lubricant from dropping onto the cleaning blade; a storage portion in which the toner and the excessive lubricant dropped from the lubricant applicator unit is stored; and a transport member to discharge the toner and the excessive lubricant stored in the storage portion outside the cleaning device.