(19)
(11) EP 1 154 338 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
03.09.2003 Bulletin 2003/36

(43) Date of publication A2:
14.11.2001 Bulletin 2001/46

(21) Application number: 01304001.9

(22) Date of filing: 01.05.2001
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: G03G 21/00
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30) Priority: 10.05.2000 JP 2000137091
10.05.2000 JP 2000137094
05.06.2000 JP 2000167440
12.07.2000 JP 2000211274
29.08.2000 JP 2000259080
12.12.2000 JP 2000377269

(71) Applicant: KONICA CORPORATION
Tokyo (JP)

(72) Inventors:
  • Endo, Isao
    Hachioji-shi, Tokyo, 192-0032 (JP)
  • Morimoto, Hiroshi
    Hachioji-shi, Tokyo, 192-0032 (JP)

(74) Representative: Rees, Alexander Ellison et al
Urquhart-Dykes & Lord, 30 Welbeck Street
London W1G 8ER
London W1G 8ER (GB)

   


(54) Cleaning system and image forming method


(57) The present invention concerns a cleaning apparatus (8) to clean an image bearing member (1) used in electrophotographic process and an image forming system equipped with the cleaning system. The cleaning apparatus (8) includes a cleaning roller (82) being either conductive or semi-conductive and in contact with an image bearing member carrying charged toner; a constant current source (84) to apply a bias voltage, having a polarity opposite to that of toner utilized for a developing operation performed on the image bearing member, onto the cleaning roller and a cleaning blade (81) contacting the image bearing member and located at a downstream side of the cleaning roller in a moving direction of the image bearing member.






Search report