Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Qifeng Cui

Yuji Arai

Yutaka Ikebuchi

Arinobu Yoshiura

Kohichi Utsunomiya

Motoyoshi Yamano

Hideo Nagafuji

Shohei Saito

Kenji Ishii

Hiromasa Takagi

Keitaro Shoji

Takayuki Seki

Shingo Kuboki

Daisuke Sawada

Yuuki Nobuoka

Takahiro Kikuchi

Yuichi Harashima

Satoshi Endoh

Yohichi Tsukamoto

A fixing device includes: a fixing member that is rotatable and in an endless shape; a heat source that heats the fixing member; a nip forming member that is arranged inside the fixing member; and a pressurizing member that is pressurized to be in contact with the nip forming member through the fixing member, to form a fixing nip. The fixing device fixes an unfixed image on a recording medium by passing the recording medium that carries the unfixed image through the fixing nip. The nip forming member includes a base layer, and a high thermal-conductive layer that is arranged on a surface layer of the base layer on a fixing nip side, and that has higher thermal conductivity than the base layer, and in the high thermal-conductive layer, a low thermal-conductive portion is arranged near an end portion in an axial direction of the fixing member.

Fixing device with nip forming member having a high thermal-conductive layer with a low thermal conductive portion

A device includes a fixing belt, a holder that holds the fixing belt, a pressing member that comes in contact with the fixing belt, a nip-forming-member arranged inside the fixing belt, that forms a nip by coming in contact with the pressing member, a supporting member that supports the nip-forming-member, a side plate to which the nip-forming-member and the supporting member are fixed, and a pressing mechanism that presses a pressing roller to the nip-forming-member via the fixing belt. The supporting member includes at least two plates. The two plates are separated from each other near a contact portion where the plates come in contact with the nip-forming-member. At least a part of each of the plates is a flat surface parallel to a direction of a load applied by the pressing mechanism. Portions of the two plates on a side distant from the contact portion are joined together.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus including a nip-forming-member supported by at least two plates joined together

A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt, fixing-belt holding members which hold the fixing belt at opposite ends, a pressure member to be brought into contact with the fixing belt, a nip forming member arranged inside the fixing belt to form a nip area by contacting the pressure member with the fixing belt, a nip supporting member, side plates where the fixing-belt holding members and the nip supporting member are fixed, and a pressing mechanism which presses the pressure member against the nip forming member. The nip forming member includes at least three layers including a heat absorbing layer contacting the nip supporting member. With no load applied, the nip supporting member assumes a shape protruding at longitudinal center toward the pressure member and is in contact with the nip forming member while having the shape protruding at the center portion.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A paper conveyance device comprises: a conveyance member having a conveyance surface for conveying a recording medium, the conveyance member extending in a first direction along a front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus that has an opening member for exposing inside of the apparatus, and including a handle disposed on an exposure surface of the opening member, and a swing pivot point that is used to swing the conveyance member around the first direction to expose the conveyance surface when the handle is operated in the open state. The handle is disposed in at least one position in a range between positions near a center of the conveyance member in the first direction. The positions are a certain distance away from the center of the conveyance member along the first direction.

Paper conveyance device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes: a rotatable fixing member formed as an endless belt; a heat source to heat the fixing member; a nip-forming member being not rotatable and arranged inside the fixing member; and a pressure member arranged outside the fixing member and forming a nip between the pressure member and the fixing member. The nip-forming member is formed of a first heat transmission unit and a sliding sheet. The first heat transmission unit includes an abutting part abutting the fixing member with the sliding sheet therebetween, and a bent part or bent parts extending inside the fixing member at upstream or upstream and downstream of the nip in a transport direction of a recording medium. A retaining part to catch and retain the sliding sheet is provided at a tip of at least the bent part at upstream of the nip in the transport direction.

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Tokyo, Japan

Qifeng Cui