Patent ID: 7085523

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a belt member, seamed to form an endless belt which is stretched by a plurality of roller members and circulated in a first direction, the belt member provided with an electrode portion at a first end portion thereof in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a cleaning member, abutted against the belt member, wherein: a seam of the belt member has a first end and a second end, the seam extending obliquely relative to the first direction such that the first end of the seam confronts the electrode portion and is situated upstream from the second end of the seam, the belt member comprises a substrate, a conductive layer laminated on the substrate, and a semiconductive layer laminated on the conductive layer so as to have a smaller dimension than the conductive layer in the second direction; and the electrode portion is formed on both of the conductive layer and the semiconductive layer.