Conveyor roller cleaning device

A conveyor roller cleaning device to be mounted on the body of an image forming apparatus for cleaning a peripheral surface of a conveyor roller which is included in a transfer sheet conveyor unit for conveying a transfer sheet and which is rotatably mounted on the body of the image forming apparatus, said conveyor roller cleaning device comprising:

• an elastic member adapted to be pressed into contact with delete the conveyor roller for cleaning the peripheral surface thereof;
• an attaching member having a base end and a tip end, with said elastic member connected to said tip end, said base end adapted to be pivotably supported by the body of the image forming apparatus to permit pivoting of said attaching member around said base end between a setting position in which said elastic member is pressed into contact with the conveyor roller and a retreat position in which said elastic member is retracted away from the conveyor roller, said attaching member being maintained at said setting position by a reaction force corresponding to the pressing-contact force of said elastic member against the conveyor roller;
• drive means for driving the conveyor roller;
• drive control means for controlling said drive means such that, before paper to be conveyed by the transfer sheet conveyor unit reaches the conveyor roller, said drive means rotates the conveyor roller in a predetermined direction for a predetermined period of time, producing between the peripheral surface of the conveyor roller and said elastic member a frictional force by which said attaching member is biased to said setting position.