Hitachi, Ltd.

Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.

Tetsuji Takegoshi

Kazuo Kikuchi

Toru Hanashima

Kazuhiro Wakamatsu

Toshio Ogiso

Chikara Hiraoka

Taisuke Kashima

Noriyoshi Ogura

Minoru Ikeda

Akira Nakajima

Atsuhiko Urushihara

Takashi Yamamoto

Tadashi Okano

Shigeru Obata

Yukio Nakata

Shogo Matsumoto

Kenji Asuwa

Kenji Nakamura

Yukio Kuroiwa

Kouichi Saito

Shingo Hirose

Shoji Ukei

Ryuichi Nemoto

Kenichi Hironaka

Yuuji Aoyagi

Takeo Honma

Tomohiko Yanagita

Tomio Sato

Katsumi Imaizumi

Syoji Yokoyama

Junichi Matsumoto

Nobuyuki Tottori

Goro Sato

Seiji Nogami

Minoru Funahashi

Takayuki Sutou

Tuyoshi Koyama

Hidetika Kigoshi

Shunjchi Oohara

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device having a pressure roller. The surface of the pressure roller is coated with a PFA resin and has an average surface roughness Ra of 0.05 to 0.13 &#x3bc;m. A thermister is provided to detect the surface temperature of the pressure roller. The thermister includes a metal plate, a resister element attached to the metal plate, and a pair of fluorocarbon-resin films sandwiching the metal plate and the resister element. The fluorocarbon-resin film has a thickness of 15 &#x3bc;m to 80 &#x3bc;m.

Image forming apparatus having a fixing device with improved temperature detection features

A fixing device includes a roller; an endless belt which is in contact with the roller and rotates with a circulation of the roller in a follower manner; a heating source in at lease one of an inside of the roller and an inside of the endless belt; and a pressure-applying member which is inside the endless belt and presses the endless belt against the roller. A sliding layer is provided on a side on which the pressure-applying member is in contact with the endless belt, and the sliding layer comprises at least two layers and holds a lubricant.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing unit that is provided in an image forming device and fixes a toner image transferred to paper is constructed of two belts, belt guides each of which guides the inner periphery of each of the belts, a heating member arranged in one of the belts or heating members arranged in both of the belts, a drive roller for driving the inner periphery of the belt, wherein the belts pinch paper on both surfaces thereof by the belt guides and carry the paper. This construction can realize a fixing unit reduced in size and capable of printing images at high speeds and shortening a rise time that elapses until the fixing unit reaches a fixable temperature.

Heat fixing unit with improved belt handling

Two pairs of legs are fitted under two side plates of an electrophotography apparatus, respectively. The two legs in one pair fitted under one of the side plates are disposed on either side of and are spaced from a point which is a cross point of a line joining these two legs, and a line perpendicular to this line, which perpendicular line passes through a projected point obtained by projecting the center of gravity of the electrophotography apparatus onto a horizontal plane on which the apparatus is set up. The two legs in the pair fitted under the other one of the side plates are disposed on either side of and are spaced from a point which is a cross point of a line passing these two legs and a line perpendicular to this line, which perpendicular line passes through the projected point of the center of gravity. The ratio of a shorter distance to a longer distance, of two distances: one between the two legs in a pair and the other between the two legs in the other pair is set to a value of 1/5 to 1/3. With such a arrangement, a defect in an image caused by a distortion in said side plates, due to a position change in the center of gravity of the electrophotography apparatus can be prevented.

Electrophotography apparatus

Printer

The top surface of the exterior case of a printing apparatus is formed of a first top surface portion which lies substantially above a fixation unit and a paper ejector, a second top surface portion which lies substantially above a control unit, and a third top surface portion which lies substantially above development units, a photosensitive belt and a transfer drum. The levels of the respective top surface portions are higher in the order of the first top surface portion, the second top surface portion and the third top surface portion. Top surface portions of higher levels are located from the front of the upper surface of the exterior case toward the back.

Laser beam printer

Printer for electronic computer

An information processing apparatus includes a main case body having installed thereon a key group at a key installation region thereof, a track ball and a selection switch (including a right switch and a left switch) are separately provided, respectively, at a right side region and a left side region of an operator side of the key installation region. The track ball, the right switch and the left switch are provided in such a manner so as an installation region of a wiring substrate. The track ball, the right switch, and the left switch can be easily operated under a key operation feeling by using both hands in a manner similar to operation of the key group. By the foregoing configuration, an increase in an occupied area of a keyboard can be reduced, and increase in a thickness of the keyboard can be restrained, thereby allowing the information processing apparatus to have superior operation characteristics, insofar as its pointing device is concerned.

Information processing apparatus having a keyboard with a pointing device

A thermal transfer printer has a platen and a thermal head between which are pinched a transfer paper sheet and an ink film, so that the ink is transferred from the ink film to the transfer paper sheet as heat is applied to the transfer paper sheet by the thermal head. The film is supplied by a supply roll and is taken-up by a take-up roll. The thermal head is swingable between a position where it contracts the platen and a position away from the platen. When the thermal head is in the position away from the platen, the distance therebetween is greater than the maximum diameter of the supply roll. A film drum can hold a plurality of films each being constituted by the supply roll and the take-up roll. Swing arms are provided for demounting the supply roll of a selected film from the film drum and for bringing the same to a position away from the film drum, and also for returning the same from this position to the film drum. During the movement of the supply roll between the position in the film drum and the position away from this position, the thermal head is moved away from the platen so as not to hinder the movement of the supply roll.

Thermal transfer printer

Growing community of inventors

Hitachi, Japan

Tetsuji Takegoshi