Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

Takashi Kagami

Keisuke Kubota

Hiroyuki Shimada

Masami Okamoto

Jun Okamoto

Kenji Nozawa

Naoto Suzuki

Yoshihiro Sonohara

Kazuo Suno

Syoichi Kaneko

Atsushi Nagata

Masato Yoshida

Toshiharu Hachisuka

Yosei Chosa

Hideo Ishizawa

Mitsuru Shimizu

Akira Niwayama

Takeo Kawakami

A fixing device includes a rotary fuser member, a rotary pressure member, and a cleaning system. The rotary fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotary pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member. The cleaning system includes a cleaning web, a feeding mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and a controller. The cleaning web is disposed adjacent to the pressure member to wipe the pressure member. The feeding mechanism is operatively connected to the cleaning web to feed a new, unused portion of the cleaning web toward the pressure member. The positioning mechanism is operatively connected to at least one of the cleaning web and the pressure member to position the cleaning web and the pressure member with respect to each other. The controller is operatively connected with the feeding mechanism and the positioning mechanism to control feeding and positioning of the cleaning web.

Cleaning system control method, fixing device, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A fixing device includes a rotatable first nip formation member, a rotatable second nip formation member, a first heater, a second heater, and a controller. The second nip formation member is provided under the first nip formation member to contact the first nip formation member to form a fixing nip portion between the first nip formation member and the second nip formation member. The first heater heats the first nip formation member. The second heater heats the second nip formation member. The controller supplies a portion of power to the second heater and the remainder of power to the first heater when a plurality of sheets having a sheet weight not greater than about 100 g/mpasses through the fixing nip portion continuously.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus capable of suppressing variation image density

An image forming apparatus includes an imaging unit, a fixing unit, a first thermometer, and a controller. The imaging unit forms a toner image on a recording medium conveyed along a media conveyance path. The fixing device is disposed downstream from the imaging unit along the media conveyance path to fix the toner image in place on the recording medium. The fixing device includes a fuser roller, a heat roller, an endless, fuser belt, and a pressure roller. The fuser roller has a cylindrical core of metal. The pressure roller presses against the fuser roller via the fuser belt to form a fixing nip therebetween. The first thermometer detects a first temperature at the cylindrical core of the fuser roller. The controller controls conveyance of the recording medium through the fixing nip according to the first temperature.

Image forming apparatus

An electrophotographic printing device includes a fixing unit; and a temperature sensor. The fixing unit includes: a fixing member; a pressing member pressed against the fixing member; and a heater which heats at least the fixing member of the fixing member and the pressing member, the fixing unit fixing a toner image on a recording material to the recording material while carrying the recording material through a fixing nip formed between the fixing member and the pressing member. The temperature sensor is attached to a recording material supplying unit, and detects a temperature of a recording material stored in the recording material supplying unit, and a fixing temperature is controlled based on the detected temperature.

Electrophotographic printing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a rotatable first nip formation member, a rotatable second nip formation member, and an oil applier. The second nip formation member is provided under the first nip formation member to contact the first nip formation member. The oil applier includes an oil pan, an oil receiver, and an oil filter. The oil pan is provided under the second nip formation member to contain oil in which the second nip formation member is dipped. The oil receiver holds the oil pan. The oil filter is provided between the oil pan and the oil receiver to filter oil overflowing the oil pan.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus capable of effectively circulating and applying oil for fixing

A fixing device includes a rotatable fixing member, a pressing member, a motor, and an oil applier. The pressing member contacts the fixing member. The oil applier includes an application roller and an oil supply mechanism. The application roller applies oil to one of the fixing member and the pressing member. The oil supply mechanism supplies oil to the application roller. The motor is provided independent of other drivers, and supplies a driving force to the application roller to rotate the application roller at an arbitrary speed.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus capable of adjusting amount of oil applied for fixing

In a fixing device, a controller switches a pressing member between a pressure application state to contact the pressing member against a fixing member and a pressure release state to separate the pressing member from the fixing member. The controller starts rotation of the pressing member before the pressing member contacts the fixing member in the pressure application state, when the pressing member switches from the pressure release state to the pressure application state. An oil applier includes an oil pan and an oil regulating member. The oil pan is provided under the pressing member to contain oil in which the pressing member is dipped. The oil regulating member is provided downstream from the oil pan in a direction of rotation of the pressing member to contact the pressing member to regulate an amount of oil adhering to the pressing member.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and image fixing method capable of stably applying oil for fixing without adhering oil to sheet

A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressing member, and an oil applier. In the oil applier, an oil application member applies oil supplied from an oil supply mechanism to one of the fixing member and the pressing member. In the oil supply mechanism, an oil storage member is provided above and adjacent to one of an oil supply member and the oil application member to supply oil overflowing the oil storage member, when oil is put into the oil storage member through an oil inlet, to one of the oil supply member and the oil application member. The oil supply member provided adjacent to the oil storage member supplies oil sent from the oil storage member to the oil application member.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus with improved mechanism for stably applying oil for fixing

An image forming apparatus includes an oil input device and a fixing device including a fixing member, a pressing member, and an oil applier. In the oil applier, an oil application member applies oil supplied from an oil supply mechanism to one of the fixing member and the pressing member. In the oil supply mechanism, an oil supply member provided adjacent to an oil storage member supplies oil sent from the oil storage member to the oil application member. When the fixing device is reattached to the image forming apparatus after the fixing device is detached from the image forming apparatus, oil sent from the oil input device through an oil inlet overflows the oil storage member, and is supplied to one of the oil supply member and the oil application member provided adjacent to the oil storage member before an image forming operation starts.

Image forming apparatus capable of stably applying oil for fixing

A thermal transfer recording medium such as a color thermal transfer paper or ribbon which is used in combination with a thermal head or pen to print an image on an image forming body or sheet. The thermal transfer recording medium comprises a polyester supporting film, a first thermal transfer layer formed on the supporting film, which consists mainly of a saturated polyester copolymer having a molecular weight of 8,000 to 30,000 and containing a sublimation or hot-melt transfer dye. A second thermal transfer layer containing a dye as that of the first transfer layer may be formed on the first transfer layer. The thermal transfer image forming body comprises a supporting body, a dyeing image forming layer formed on the supporting body and made mainly of a thermoplastic resin having four or more OH group per molecule, a tensile break strength of 300 kg/cm.sup.2 or more and tensile break elongation of 20% or more, and a surface layer made of a silicone resin.

Thermal transfer recording medium and image forming body

A method of manufacturing a decorative panel having an embossed surface and different degrees of glass corresponding to a pattern, thereby producing a stereoscopic aspect, i.e., the impression of relief and solidity.

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Mito, Japan

Takashi Kagami