Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Shogo Kamiya

Masakatsu Eda

Shingo Akiyama

Masataka Konishi

Satoshi Nakamura

Yasunori Fujimoto

Toshinori Sasaki

Keisuke Hidaka

Kouichi Kimura

Norio Ogawahara

Nobuyoshi Komatsu

Kenji Kanai

Junpei Amano

Norimasa Fujiwara

Seiji Taira

Koichi Kimura

Atsumi Kurita

Toyohiko Awano

Hiroaki Okuma

Takashi Ohashi

Yasuto Okabayashi

Satoshi Matsuzaka

Keita Yano

Takahito Chiba

Noriyuki Miyoshi

Masakazu Takahashi

Takanori Sasaki

Takuya Ogino

Akira Fukuchi

Hitoshi Hamasaki

A pressing device includes a first pressurization unit; a second pressurization unit that is provided to face the first pressurization unit, and sandwiches and pressurizes a medium moving in a contact region formed between the first pressurization unit and the second pressurization unit; and a contact region variable unit that changes a width dimension of the contact region along a moving direction of the medium in a state of maintaining a contact pressure on an outlet side of the contact region, in varying a contact state of the contact region.

Pressing device and pressing process apparatus using the same

A decurling device includes: a first transporter including a transport roller, the first transporter that sandwiches a transported sheet and transports the transported sheet further downstream; and a second transporter including an endless belt that is in contact with the transport roller. The transport roller has an elasticity that, when the belt is pressed against the transport roller, allows the belt to bite into the transport roller by a bite amount corresponding to a pressing force, the second transporter includes an abutting member disposed inside the belt, the abutting member includes an upstream protrusion, an downstream protrusion, the upstream protrusion and the downstream protrusion being provided at positions away from each other at an upstream portion and a downstream portion in a sheet transport direction.

Decurling device and image forming apparatus

A decurling device includes: a first transport unit including a transport roller, the first transport unit that sandwiches a transported sheet and transports the transported sheet further downstream; and a second transport unit including an endless belt that is in contact with the transport roller. The transport roller has an elasticity that, when the belt is pressed against the transport roller, allows the belt to bite into the transport roller by a bite amount corresponding to a pressing force, the second transport unit includes an abutting member disposed inside the belt, the abutting member pressing the belt from an inside of the belt and causing the belt to abut against the transport roller, and a guide member, the abutting member includes an upstream protrusion, an downstream protrusion, the upstream protrusion and the downstream protrusion being provided at positions away from each other at an upstream portion and a downstream portion in a sheet transport direction, each of the upstream protrusion and the downstream protrusion protruding toward an inner surface of the belt, and a recess provided in an intermediate portion between the upstream protrusion and the downstream protrusion in the sheet transport direction, the recess being recessed away from a straight line connecting a top portion of the upstream protrusion and a top portion of the downstream protrusion, the guide member includes a contact surface that is in contact with the inner surface of the belt, the contact surface defining a part of a circulation track of the belt, and the upstream protrusion protrudes beyond a virtual circle that is tangent to the contact surface.

A fixing device includes a device body, a fixing unit, a pair of decurling units, and an open/close unit. The fixing unit is disposed on the device body to perform a fixing operation on a recording medium, and includes a removal assistance unit to assist removal of the recording medium. The pair of decurling units are disposed on the device body to correct a curl of the recording medium by holding the recording medium therebetween. The open/close unit is openably and closeably disposed on the device body to separate, when opened, the removal assistance unit from the fixing unit and one of the decurling units from the other decurling unit.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A transport device includes a first transport member that orbits in a predetermined direction and transports a sheet-like medium; a second transport member that forms a first sandwiching region that is curved and a second sandwiching region that is curved in a direction opposite to the first sandwiching region between the first transport member and the second transport member, and sandwiches and transports the medium in the first sandwiching region and the second sandwiching region; and a changing unit that changes a positional relationship between the first transport member and the second transport member so as to increase a width of the other of the first sandwiching region and the second sandwiching region in a transport direction of the medium without increasing a width of one of the first sandwiching region and the second sandwiching region in the transport direction of the medium.

Transport device and image forming apparatus

An assembly removable structure includes an assembly including a connectable member and attached to and removed from a receiving member of an apparatus body in a first direction, a connection member disposed on the apparatus body to be movable forward and backward in a cross direction that crosses the first direction, a switch member operated independently of a lid member and switching the connection member between a first position and a second position, the lid member rendering the receiving member open and closed, a restricting member that moves with an operation from a restriction position, at which the restricting member restricts the assembly from being removed from the receiving member, to a release position, at which the restricting member releases the assembly, and a blocking device restricting an operation of moving the restricting member to the release position when the switch member is switched to the first position.

Assembly removable structure and image forming apparatus

An assembly removable structure includes an assembly that includes a connectable member and that is attached to and removed from a receiving member of an apparatus body in a first direction, a connection member disposed on the apparatus body to be movable forward and backward in a cross direction that crosses the first direction, the connection member being connected to the connectable member while being in a projecting state, a switch member operated independently of a lid member and capable of switching the connection member between a first position, in which the connection member is connected to the connectable member, and a second position, in which the connection member is removed from the connectable member, the lid member rendering the receiving member open and closed, and a holding device that holds the switch member in the second position when the assembly is removed from the receiving member.

An assembly removable structure includes an assembly including a connectable member and attached to and removed from a receiving member of an apparatus body in a first direction, a connection member disposed on the apparatus body to be movable forward and backward in a cross direction that crosses the first direction, the connection member being connected to the connectable member while being in a projecting state, a switch member operated independently of a lid member and capable of switching the connection member between a first position, in which the connection member is connected to the connectable member, and a second position, in which the connection member is removed from the connectable member, and a restricting device that restricts removal of the assembly attached to the receiving member, the restricting device switching the switch member from the second position to the first position with an operation of the restriction.

An attachment structure for an attachable body includes an attachable body, a connecting unit, a first regulating device, and a second regulating device. The attachable body is attachable to an apparatus body and has a leading end and a trailing end in an attachment direction in which the attachable body is attached to the apparatus body. The connecting unit is provided on a leading end side of the attachable body in the attachment direction. The connecting unit is connected to the apparatus body. The first regulating device regulates a movement of the attachable body in the attachment direction from a trailing end side. The second regulating device is provided at a position closer to the connecting unit than to the first regulating device in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the attachment direction. The second regulating device regulates the movement of the attachable body.

Attachment structure for attachable body and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a first support portion that supports an endless belt, and relatively moves with respect to a rotating body to press the endless belt against the rotating body, a second support portion that supports the first support portion to be relatively movable, a first member that is supported in the endless belt by the second support portion, a second member that is supported in the endless belt to be capable of approaching and being separated from the first support portion, a first biasing member that is provided in the first support portion, and biases the second member to a rotating body side, a second biasing member that is provided in the second support portion, and biases the first support portion to the rotating body side, and a switching portion that switches between a first state and a second state.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus having a switching portion

A fixing device includes first to third support portions, first and second members, first and second biasing members, and a switching portion. The first support portion presses an endless belt against a rotating body. The second member is supported in the endless belt so as to be separable from the first support portion. The first biasing member biases the second member to a rotating body side. The second support portion supports the first support portion. The third support portion supports the second support portion, rotates the first support portion in a direction of approaching the rotating body by pressing the first support portion to the rotating body side at a first position, and is separated from the first support portion at a second position. The second biasing member biases the second support portion to the rotating body side. The switching portion switches between first and second states.

A transport device includes: a first rotational member; a second rotational member that forms a nip with the first rotational member; a guide member that guides the medium in a predetermined direction; a changing part that supports the second rotational member so as to be rotatable and that moves the second rotational member to change a nip state between the second rotational member and the first rotational member; and an interposed member supported by the changing part and nipped between the first rotational member and the guide member, the interposed member including, in an intersecting direction intersecting a direction in which the interposed member is nipped, multiple portions having different thicknesses, the interposed member being nipped at any one of the multiple portions, while being moved in the intersecting direction in accordance with the movement of the second rotational member.

Transport device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A roller support device includes a roller including a cylindrical portion having a through hole, a support member attached to a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the roller adjacent to the through hole to support the roller so that the roller is rotatable, and a restricting member including a bent hook and a contact portion. The restricting member restrains the support member from moving in a first direction of a rotation axis of the roller by contacting the support member at the contact portion. The bent hook is bent so as to extend to an inside of the cylindrical portion through the through hole and oppose a portion of the inner peripheral surface surrounding the through hole. The contact portion is disposed so as to extend in a circumferential direction of an outer peripheral surface of the roller and being capable of contacting the support member.

Roller support device, transport device including the support device, fixing device including the support device, and image forming apparatus including the support device

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a detachable component attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body, a secured part that is provided in the detachable component and that is secured to a predetermined securing position on an apparatus body side, and a regulating part that is provided on the apparatus body side and that regulates a movement of the secured part secured to the securing position. During attachment of the detachable component to the apparatus body, the secured part is brought into contact with the regulating part so as to be displaced or set in a state changed from a state before the contact of the secured part with the regulating part, and the secured part that is displaced or set in the changed state becomes able to pass the regulating part so as to reach the securing position.

Image forming apparatus and detachable component

A fixing device includes a light source that emits laser light; a condensing member including a lens having a first surface from which the laser light enters and a second surface from which the laser light emerges, the lens condensing the laser light that has entered from the first surface and emitting the laser light from the second surface; and a roller provided in contact with the condensing member and that transports a recording medium advanced into a position between the roller and the condensing member. A portion of the second surface is made of a material that blocks the laser light. In a section perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the roller, a plane of contact between the roller and the condensing member includes at least a part of the portion made of the material that blocks the laser light.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Shogo Kamiya