Patent ID: 7894759

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an endless image carrier belt which carries a toner image on a surface and moves in a determined direction; a cleaning blade made of an elastic member having a sliding contact portion which comes into sliding contact with the surface of the image carrier belt for removing residual toner on the surface of the image carrier belt; a drive unit which selectively moves the image carrier belt in the determined direction and in a reverse direction thereof; and a control device for controlling the drive unit, wherein a step section having a predetermined height is provided on the surface of the image carrier belt, the step section being able to pass from a rear face side to a front face side of the cleaning blade sliding contact portion as seen from the determined direction while allowing the cleaning blade sliding contact portion to run thereon, when the image carrier belt moves in the reverse direction in a state that the cleaning blade sliding contact portion is in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrier belt, and wherein the control device controls the drive unit so that the image carrier belt is driven in the reverse direction with prescribed timing until the step section passes from the rear face side to the front face side of the sliding contact portion at least once in a state that the sliding contact portion of the cleaning blade is in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrier belt.