# US 2023/0266705 A1 · Image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0266705 A1 - Document ID: US20230266705A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/166,937 - Filed: 2023-02-09 - Published: 2023-08-24 - Earliest claimed: 2022-02-22 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: SHOHEI ISHIO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230266705A1 ## CPC - G03G 15/161: {with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent} - G03G 21/0011: {using a blade; Details of cleaning blades, e.g. blade shape, layer forming} - G03G 15/0889: {for agitation or stirring} - G03G 2215/1661: of transfer belt - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image bearing member includes an agitation member and a sheet member. A sheet portion of an agitation member comes into contact with a second side surface of the blade member. When viewed from a rotation axis direction of a shaft portion of the agitation member, an imaginary line A connects a position of an end portion on a most upstream side of the second side surface in the rotation direction and an axial center position of the shaft portion, and an imaginary line B is orthogonal to the imaginary line A and passes through the position of the end portion on the most upstream side of the second side surface, and the free end of the sheet member is disposed at a position closer to the blade member than a position where a second line intersects with an outer circumferential surface of the image bearing member. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a rotatable image bearing member configured to bear a toner image; a blade member configured to collect a developer on the image bearing member, the blade member including a first side surface in contact with the image bearing member and a second side surface which is on a side opposite to the first side surface in a thickness direction of the blade member intersecting with a rotation direction of the image bearing member, wherein, in a state where the blade member is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the image bearing member, a contact portion where the first side surface is in contact with the image bearing member is disposed upstream from a position where the blade member is fixed to a supporting member in the rotation direction; a sheet member configured to be in contact with the image bearing member at a position, in the rotation direction, upstream from a position where the blade member is in contact with the image bearing member, wherein, in a state where the sheet member is viewed from the direction orthogonal to the rotation direction, the sheet member is fixed at one end and is in contact with the image bearing member at another end serving as a free end; and an agitation member including a shaft portion disposed rotatably and a sheet portion that is mounted on the shaft portion and rotated with rotation of the shaft portion, the sheet portion being elastically deformable and being configured to come into contact with the second side surface, wherein, in a state where the sheet member is viewed from a rotation axis direction of the shaft portion which is orthogonal to the rotation direction, and when an imaginary line which connects a position of an end portion on a most upstream side of the second side surface in the rotation direction and an axial center position of the shaft portion is a first line, and an imaginary line which is orthogonal to the first line and passes through the position of the end portion on the most upstream side of the second side surface is a second line, the free end of the sheet member is disposed at a position closer to the blade member than a position where the second line intersects with an outer circumferential surface of the image bearing member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relationship W1≥W2 is satisfied, where a thickness between the first side surface and the second side surface in the thickness direction is W1 and a distance from the free end to a position where the first side surface abuts on the image bearing member is W2. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a relationship W2≥50×K1 is satisfied, when an average grain size of the developer is K1. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in an in-use posture of the image forming apparatus, the axial center position is disposed on an upper side of the end portion on the most upstream side of the second side surface in a gravity direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in the in-use posture, in a state where the agitation member is viewed from the rotation axis direction, the axial center position is on a same side of the sheet member with respect to a vertical line which passes through a position of an end portion on a most upstream side of the first side surface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in the in-use posture, in a state where the agitation member is viewed from the rotation axis direction, a relationship W4>W3>W5 is satisfied, when a shortest distance between the axial center position and the free end of the sheet member is W3, a distance between the axial center position and the position of the end portion on the most upstream side of the first side surface is W4, and a distance between the axial center position and the position of the end portion on the most upstream side of the second side surface is W5. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a state viewed from the rotation axis direction, and when a position where an end portion on a most upstream side of the first side surface is in contact with the image bearing member is specified as a contact point, an angle formed between a tangential line of the image bearing member and a horizontal line at the contact point is 45 degrees or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a photosensitive member configured to bear the toner image, wherein the image bearing member is an intermediate transfer belt on which the toner image borne on the photosensitive body is transferred. ### Claim 9 An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member configured to rotate and bear a toner image developed with a developer; a blade member configured to collect the developer on the image bearing member, the blade member including a first side surface in contact with the image bearing member and a second side surface which is on a side opposite to the first side surface in a thickness direction of the blade member intersecting with a rotation direction of the image bearing member, wherein, in a state where the blade member is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the image bearing member, a contact portion where the first side surface is in contact with the image bearing member is disposed upstream from a position where the blade member is fixed to a supporting member in the rotation direction; a sheet member configured to be in contact with the image bearing member at a position, in the rotation direction, upstream from a position where the blade member is in contact with the image bearing member, wherein, in a state where the sheet member is viewed from the direction orthogonal to the rotation direction, the sheet member is fixed at one end and is in contact with the image bearing member at another end serving as a free end; and an agitation member including a shaft portion disposed rotatably and a sheet portion that is mounted on the shaft portion and rotated with rotation of the shaft portion, the sheet portion being elastically deformable and being configured to come into contact with the second side surface, wherein a relationship W1≥W2 is satisfied, when a thickness between the first side surface and the second side surface in the thickness direction is specified as W1 and a distance from the free end to a position where the first side surface is in contact with the image bearing member is specified as W2. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a relationship W2≥50×K1 is satisfied, when an average grain size of the developer is K1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, in an in-use posture of the image forming apparatus, the axial center position is disposed on an upper side of an end portion on a most upstream side of the second side surface in a gravity direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, in the in-use posture, in a state where the agitation member is viewed from the rotation axis direction, the axial center position is disposed on a same side of the sheet member with respect to a vertical line which passes through a position of an end portion on a most upstream side of the first side surface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, in the in-use posture, in a state where the agitation member is viewed from the rotation axis direction, a relationship W4>W3>W5 is satisfied, when a shortest distance between the axial center position and the free end of the sheet member is W3, a distance between the axial center position and the position of the end portion on the most upstream side of the first side surface is W4, and a distance between the axial center position and the position of the end portion on the most upstream side of the second side surface is W5. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, in a state viewed from the rotation axis direction, and when a position where an end portion on a most upstream side of the first side surface is in contact with the image bearing member is specified as a contact point, an angle formed between a tangential line of the image bearing member and a horizontal line at the contact point is 45 degrees or less. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising: a photosensitive member configured to bear the toner image, wherein the image bearing member is an intermediate transfer belt on which the toner image borne on the photosensitive body is transferred.