Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hiroyuki Kunil

Toshihiro Sugiyama

Kazuaki Kamihara

Masayoshi Nakayama

Kohei Matsumoto

Masaki Sukesako

Masakazu Terao

Takuma Higa

Yuichi Aizawa

Masahiro Katoh

An image forming apparatus includes a first electric charging unit having an electric discharge wire to uniformly electrify a surface of the electrostatic latent image bearer, a second electric charging unit having a second electric discharge wire to execute a pre-electric charge removal electric charging process by electrifying the surface of the electrostatic latent image bearer subsequent to a transfer process to transfer a toner image, and a first electric charge removing device to diselectrify the surface of the electrostatic latent image bearer by irradiating it with electric charge removing light subsequent to the pre-electric charge removal electric charging process. The first electric charge removing device is disposed within an electric discharge region of the second electric discharge wire on a downstream side of an extreme upstream edge of the electric discharge region of the second electric discharge wire in a rotational direction of the electrostatic latent image bearer.

Image forming apparatus including electric charge removing device and method of forming image

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Hiroyuki Kunil