Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Osamu Kiuchi

Hidehiko Fujiwara

Masahiko Kamijo

Kohta Takenaka

Kota Takenaka

An image fixing apparatus includes a fixing roller, a sheet-like-shaped member, a sheet supporter, and a stopper. The fixing roller includes a heater and is rotated to forward a recording sheet having a toner image. The sheet-like-shaped member contacts the fixing roller to form a nip area with the fixing roller. The sheet supporter supports the sheet-like-shaped member at an upstream side of a bottom surface of the sheet-like-shaped member in a sheet transfer direction. The stopper stops a free side of the sheet-like-shaped member so that the free side of the sheet-like-shaped member is not lowered below a predetermined position.

Method and apparatus for image forming capable of effectively performing an image fixing process

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a transfer mechanism, a fixing mechanism, a sheet ejection mechanism, and a driving source. The transfer mechanism including a transfer roller that transfers a toner image carried on a photosensitive member onto a recording sheet. The fixing mechanism fixes the toner image onto the recording sheet with heat and pressure. The fixing mechanism includes a fixing roller and a pressure plate, and applies heat and pressure to the toner image on the recording sheet when the recording sheet is caused to pass through a fixing nip portion. The sheet ejection mechanism ejects the recording sheet and includes sheet ejection rollers. The driving source drives the photosensitive member, the transfer roller, the fixing roller, and the sheet ejection rollers to transfer the recording sheet at a linear speed in a substantially constant manner from the photosensitive member through to the sheet ejection mechanism.

Method and apparatus for image forming capable of effectively performing a fixing process

A fixing apparatus includes a fixing roller, a base, and a sheet-shaped pressing member. The fixing roller includes an inner heater. The base includes a mounting portion upstream from the fixing roller in a sheet transportation direction. The sheet-shaped pressing member includes a fixing side which is fixed to the mounting portion of the base and a free side downstream from the fixing side in the sheet transportation direction. The free side contacts the fixing roller with its upper surface under pressure to form a nip area. In the fixing apparatus, a recording sheet having a toner image passes through the nip area formed so as to receive heat and pressure.

Method and apparatus for toner image fixing using a sheet-shaped pressing member

A fixing device includes a housing, a heat roller configured to be rotatably supported by bearings and a pressure roller configured to be located downward relative to the heat roller. The heat roller includes a heater having lead wires extending from each end of the heater, heater terminals provided at each end of the lead wires wherein the heater terminals have a connecting portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the heater and an attachment portion extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the heater and fixedly attached to the housing at a fixing position. A flexible space formed on at least one of the fixing positions of the heater with the housing allows the heater terminal to bend along the longitudinal direction of the heater.

Fixing device and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device

A fixing device includes a heat roller rotatably supported by a bearing, a pressure roller, a heater for heating the heat roller, a thermal fuse connected to a power circuit to supply electricity to the heater and disposed adjacent to an outer circumference of the heat roller while keeping an insulation distance between the heat roller and the thermal fuse based on a safety standard, and a thermostable stopper which keeps the insulation distance between the heat roller and the fuse to a specific distance based on safety standards even if the bearing melts.

Fixing device having fuse and thermostable stopper

A fixing device includes a bearing including a C-shaped part; and a projection projected upwardly from a central part of an outer circumferential surface of the C-shaped part, in which the bearing is made of a synthetic resin having elasticity and conductivity, and a distance between both ends of the C-shaped part is elastically expanded. The fixing device further including a heat roller configured to be rotatably supported by the bearing at an upper part of an outer surface of each end of the heat roller in which the outer surface of each end of the heat roller which contacts the bearing, is made of an electroconductive material; a pressure roller configured to be located downward relative to the heat roller and that is driven by being in pressure contact with the heat roller; a housing configured to cover peripheries of the heat roller and the pressure roller and having an inserting part into which the projection of the bearing is detachably inserted from a pressure roller side; and a ground plate configured to attach to the housing and including an elastic piece that detachably hooks the C-shaped part of the bearing and a ground piece that is grounded.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Osamu Kiuchi