Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Toru Obuchi

Koichi Sato

Kazuo Kishino

Hideo Kawamoto

Jiro Ishizuka

Takeshi Menjo

Masahiro Itoh

Yasuo Nami

Takeo Tsunemi

An image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, has a fixing device for fixing a developer image transferred to a transfer medium, such as paper, with a fixing roller whose surface is coated with a release agent, such as oil, and includes at least one feed passage member for conveying, while contacting, a transfer medium to a transfer region of the apparatus. The feed passage member has a release agent absorbing layer on the surface thereof, and is thus advantageous for preventing release agent from being transferred and adhered to a photo-sensitive drum of the apparatus. The release agent absorbing layer of the feed passage member may contain either porous particles or particles and a binder resin, and be formed on another layer for retaining release agent absorbed by the release agent absorbing layer. The feed passage member preferably constitutes a transfer medium carrying member, which may include a dielectric sheet, for supporting and carrying a transfer medium. The member may alternatively constitute a pick-up roller, a feed guide, and/or a resist roller of the apparatus.

Method for forming an image by absorbing a release agent using a release

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Toru Obuchi