Charging member and image forming apparatus

Abstract

A blade-like charging member for charging a surface of an image bearing member by contacting thereto and by being supplied with a voltage, includes a charging portion for effecting electric discharge to the surface of the image bearing member; a non-charging portion not effecting the electric discharge to the surface of the image bearing member; non-charging portion capable of contacting the image bearing member with maintaining an electrically dischargeable gap between the charging portion and the image bearing member, wherein at least a part of the non-charging portion is made of a material having a higher resistance than that of the charging portion so as to prevent electric discharge between the non-charging portion and the surface of the image bearing member, and the non-charging portion is contacted to and slidable on the surface of the image bearing member over a range not less than a longitudinal dimension of the charge portion, and wherein when the surface of the image bearing member is charged, a closest distance between a discharging position of a surface of the charge portion and an electrode portion for applying a voltage to the charging member is longer in a longitudinal end portion of the charging member than in a longitudinally central portion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.