Image forming apparatus including transfer belt having first and second image transfer surface planes arranged at an angle, and plural image bearing members facing same

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of image bearing members, each for bearing an image;
• a transfer belt onto which images borne on each of the image bearing members are transferred;
• and
• transfer means for transferring an image on said transfer belt onto a transfer material, wherein when images borne on said plurality of image bearing members are sequentially transferred onto said transfer belt to form superposed images, the superposed images simultaneously are transferred onto the transfer material, and wherein an angle made by a first surface plane of said transfer belt which at least one of said plurality of image bearing members face and a second surface plane of said transfer belt which image bearing members other than said at least one image bearing member face is substantially a right angle;
• and
• a belt stretching member contacting an image transfer surface of said transfer belt at a surface region other than the first surface plane and the second surface plane, that stretches said transfer belt so that a contact portion between said belt stretching member and said transfer belt approaches the first surface plane and the second surface plane.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of image bearing members, each for bearing an image;
• a transfer-material bearing belt for bearing and conveying a transfer material;
• and
• transfer means for sequentially transferring respective images borne on said plurality of image bearing members onto a transfer material borne and conveyed on said transfer-material bearing member, so as to form superposed images,
• wherein an angle made by a first surface plane of said transfer-material bearing belt which at least one of said plurality of image bearing members faces and a second surface plane of said transfer-material bearing member which image bearing members other than said at least one image bearing member face is substantially a right angle.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of image bearing members, each for bearing an image;
• a transfer-material bearing belt for bearing and conveying a transfer material;
• transfer means for sequentially transferring respective images borne on said plurality of image bearing members onto a transfer material borne and conveyed on said transfer-material bearing member so as to form superposed images, where an angle made by a first surface plane of said transfer-material bearing belt which at least one of said plurality of image bearing members faces and a second surface plane of said transfer-material bearing member which image bearing members other than said at least one image bearing member face is substantially a right angle;
• and
• a belt stretching member contacting a transfer-material bearing surface region of said transfer-material bearing belt other than the first surface plane and the second surface plane, that stretches said transfer-material bearing belt so that a contact portion between said belt stretching member and said transfer-material bearing belt approaches the first surface plane and the second surface plane.