Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shigeo Kurotaka

Hisashi Kikuchi

Atsushi Nakafuji

Katsuhiro Echigo

Toshihiko Baba

Takashi Fujita

Yukimichi Someya

Hiroyuki Kunii

Jun Yura

Hirokazu Ikenoue

Kohji Ue

Takashi Saitoh

Hideki Kosugi

Kiyoshi Ohshima

Yukio Sakano

Kyoji Omi

Michiyoshi Tachikawa

Hiromi Okubo

Kouji Ishigaki

Yoshio Kaneko

Takeshi Ukai

Toshiya Hikita

Kazumasa Hirai

Hiroshi Takahashi

Shinji Yamakawa

Kazuo Murai

Hiroyasu Sumida

Midori Aida

Echigo Katsuhiro

Tadato Hashiguchi

Haruhiko Fukuda

Masami Tomita

Masamichi Yamada

Nobuo Iwata

Kazuhito Kishi

Hiromitsu Takagaki

Takahiro Tamiya

Hirohmi Tamura

Tsuyoshi Deki

Takeshi Motohashi

Tomonori Yabuta

Eriko Konno

Shingo Katou

A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.

Sheet wrapping avoidable fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus

The fixing unit satisfies following three conditions. That is, (1) 2.4&#xd7;10&#xd7;d/(TC&#xd7;t)&#x3c;T, where d is a thickness of the unfixed toner layer in meters, TC is a thermal conductivity of toner in W/mK, and t is the fixing time in seconds; (2) a temperature Tof a topmost layer of the toner layer is not greater than the minimum temperature Tat which the hot offset of the surface of the first fixing member occurs when the fixing time is set to 1 seconds; and (3) a temperature Tof a bottommost layer of the toner layer that is in contact with the recording medium is not less than the lower limit temperature Tfor fixing of the surface of the first fixing member when the fixing time is set to 1 second.

Image forming apparatus with toner image fixing unit, and the fixing method thereof

An image forming apparatus, includes an image forming mechanism configured to form an image, and a fixing unit configured to fix a toner image formed on a recording medium. The fixing unit includes a fixing device having a first endless moving member configured to rotate, and a second endless moving member configured to rotate to form a nip area together with the first endless moving member to fix, at the nip area, a toner image disposed on the recording medium onto the recording medium with heat and pressure, the second endless moving member including a surface layer having a universal hardness HU and a maximum nip surface pressure P each within a predetermined range.

Image forming method and apparatus for fixing an image

A fixing member heat bonds a toner on a recording material. The fixing member includes a releasing layer, a layer of elastic material, below the releasing layer, and a layer of adiabatic and hygroscopic material, below the layer of elastic material. The layer of elastic material includes a layer of electrically conducting material to pass electric currents, an adiabatic, elastic, and hydrophobic material, and a porous material to the release of the moisture absorbed by the layer of adiabatic and hygroscopic material.

Fixing member, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device for fixing image information on a recording medium passing a nip of the present invention includes a rotatable member for transferring and conveying a non-fixed image, a first heating means for heating an image present on the rotatable member and a rotatable pressing member forming a nip in combination with the rotatable member. A heat pipe extends in parallel to the axis of the rotatable member. A radiating member is positioned at one end of the heat pipe while a heating member is positioned at the other end of the heat pipe.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus using the same

A fixing device including a magnetic field generating device to generate a magnetic field, a fixing member to heat a recording material by heat generated in a first recording material passing area having a first width on the fixing member by electromagnetic induction heat generation by the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generating device, a pressing member to form a nip portion where the pressing member and the fixing member press against each other to fix an unfixed image on the recording material, and at least one radiation heating device configured to heat a second recording material passing area having a second width.

Fixing device with temperature control

A fixing belt is heated by electromagnetic induction. The fixing belt has a heat generating layer that has a thickness not greater than 40 &#x3bc;m and a releasing layer that has a thickness not less than 10 &#x3bc;m. A toner that includes at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a mold releasing agent, and has a glass transition temperature in a range of 35&#xb0; C. to 50&#xb0; C. and an outflow-start temperature in a range of 80&#xb0; C. to 110&#xb0; C., is used.

Fixing unit and image forming apparatus providing a quick start-up and reduction in energy consumption

A transfer-fixing unit for use in an image forming apparatus having an intermediate transfer member and a transfer-fixing unit, which includes a pressure member and a transfer-fixing member. The intermediate transfer member receives a toner image thereon. The transfer-fixing member has a deformable surface layer thereon, and directly receives the toner image from the intermediate transfer member, and transfers and fixes the toner image to a recording medium while deforming the surface layer in response to surface irregularities of the recording medium. The transfer-fixing member forms a nip portion with the pressure member and presses the recording medium at the nip portion when the recording medium passes through the nip portion with a nip time.

Transfer-fixing unit with a surface layer of predefined hardness for use in an image forming apparatus

A fixing device containing at least one fixing member configured to fix a toner image on a transfer material, which includes a first substrate and a pressing member configured to form a nip with the at least one fixing member, which includes a second substrate, and a heater. At least one of the at least one fixing member and the pressing member further contains a heat insulating layer overlying the first or second substrate.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus using the fixing device, and heat insulating member

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a fixing device for fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium. A heat source is applied with power for generating heat to thereby heating the heating device. A drive circuit includes a storage capable of being selectively charged or discharged and a charger for charging the storage by being supplied with power from a commercial power supply. A discharging device discharges the storage in a non-use mode in which the apparatus is not used.

Image forming apparatus with an energy storage that can be discharged, and with a display of residual energy in the storage

An unfixed toner image on a transferring and fixing belt is passed through a pair of toner integrating rollers. A surface side of the toner integrated that is in contact with a paper, is heated by a halogen heater to impart a tackiness required for fixing. As a result of this, a temperature of a surface side of the toner that is in contact with the transferring and fixing belt is not as high as a temperature of the surface side of the toner that is in contact with the paper. Therefore, even if the toner is pressurized, and transferred and fixed at a fixing nip, a difference in an area of the toner is small. This enables to achieve a good image quality.

Method of uniformly fixing toner to recording medium in image forming apparatus

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Kanagawa, Japan

Shigeo Kurotaka