Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fujifilm Corporation

Japan Gore-tex Inc.

Yoshio Kanesawa

Yasuhiro Uehara

Yasuhiro Kusumoto

Yutaka Nogami

Motoi Noya

Makoto Omata

Shinichi Utsumi

Yoshisada Nakamura

Michiaki Yasuno

Sadao Okano

Kiyotaka Ishikawa

Fumio Daishi

Kazuhisa Masuko

Hideaki Seikiguchi

Toru Inoue

Yoshio Tani

Ashita Murai

Masataka Murata

Tadakazu Edure

Yasushi Ohki

Hiroshi Kato

Hirotaka Matsuoka

Tohru Inoue

Shinichi Kobayashi

Yoshiharu Hibi

Yu Tsuda

Yasutomo Goto

Masaru Okutsu

Hiroyasu Kikukawa

Shigeki Washino

Koji Aikawa

Kohei Genda

Taketoshi Yamashita

Erika Tani

Katsuhiko Sugawara

There are provided a first section for acquiring image data; a second section for storing the acquired image data; a third section for acquiring accessory information; a fourth section for storing the accessory information; a fifth section for generating an image ID and an accessory information ID; a sixth section for embedding the image ID and the accessory information ID in the image data; a seventh section for extracting an image ID and an accessory information ID from a result of scanning of the index sheet; an eighth section for reading accessory information on the basis of the accessory information ID; a ninth section for selecting image data through use of accessory information; a tenth section for reading selected image data; an eleventh section for arranging the image data; and a twelfth section for sending index sheet images having the information embedded therein and the arranged album images.

Image forming apparatus, apparatus for creating electronic album, image forming method, method for creating electronic album, program and index sheet

An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet which includes a support, a toner-receiving layer which contains thermoplastic resin. The fixing belt electrophotographic sheet has an optimized separation force at a surface of the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet from the toner-receiving layer. Having a highly improved long-run properties, the fixing belt electrophotographic sheet realizes a stable paper feed without offset, and provides a good quality image with rich photographic features.

Electrophotographic image-receiving sheet and image-forming process using the same

Provided is an image forming apparatus, in which liable to produce remaining curl, highly effective curl correction is performed. The image forming apparatus includes: a roll receiving portion for receiving a continuous recording sheet wound into a roll shape; a sheet transporting portion for transporting the continuous recording sheet from the roll receiving portion; a cutting portion for cutting the continuous recording sheet sent out into a desired size; an image forming portion for forming a toner image on the recording sheet (which has been cut); a fixing portion for fixing the toner image to the recording sheet by heating the recording sheet on which the toner image is formed; a cooling portion for cooling the recording sheet to which the toner image has been fixed; and a curl correcting portion for correcting a curl of the recording sheet when the recording sheet is cooled.

Image forming apparatus

To produce an electrophotographic print with high image quality and good texture and with minimized curling, a method produces an electrophotographic print by fixing a toner image on an image bearing surface of an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet using a belt fixing and smoothing apparatus including a hot-pressing device, a belt member, a cooling device, and a cooling-releasing section, smoothing the toner image, and releasing the sheet, in which an amount of curling C (mm) of the electrophotographic print is controlled to be more than &#x2212;0.10 L and less than +0.05 L, wherein L is a length (mm) of a short side of the electrophotographic print; a negative value (&#x2212;) of the amount of curling C means that the electrophotographic print curls toward its back side not bearing the image; and a positive value (+) of the amount of curling C means that the electrophotographic print curls toward its image-bearing surface.

Image fixing and smoothing process, belt fixing and smoothing apparatus and electrophotographic print

To provide an relief smoothing apparatus that smoothes an image on a recording sheet which is obtained by forming a polyolefin resin coating layer on a base sheet and forming a receiving layer, in which a toner image is infiltrated, on the base sheet, including: plural tension rolls including a first roll; an endless; a second roll; and a heating source, the recording sheet, in which provided that a surface temperature of the first roll is represented by Tn [&#xb0; C.], a Vicat softening temperature of the polyolefin resin is represented by Tv [&#xb0; C.], and a time required for the recording sheet to pass through the nip portion is represented by t [sec], the following relationship is established: (Tv+55)&#xd7;(1+{fraction (1/100)} t)&#x2267;Tn&#x2267;(Tv+20)/(1+{fraction (1/100)} t) [&#xb0; C.].

Relief smoothing apparatus, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

To produce images at high speed, to conserve energy, and to be satisfactorily operated over the long run, a method fixes a toner onto an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet with the use of a belt fixing and smoothing apparatus and thereby forms an electrophotographic image. The belt fixing and smoothing apparatus includes a hot-pressing member, a belt member, a cooling device, and a cooling-releasing section. In the method, the total heat capacity per unit area in portions where the belt member, the toner, and the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet are in contact with one another is 840 J/K/mor less.

Image forming process and image forming apparatus

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus having dimensions comparable to or smaller than those of conventional color image forming apparatus and adapted to produce a hard copy of photographic image quality. The image forming apparatus of the present invention has a first fixing device that fixes a toner image transferred to a recording medium, a second fixing device that re-fixes the toner image fixed on the recording medium by the first fixing device, and a switch section that selects the first route or the second route for the recording medium to be discharged. The first route passes through the first fixing device and allows the recording medium to be discharged immediately thereafter without passing through the second fixing device. The second route passes through the first fixing device and subsequently the second fixing device, and then allows the recording medium to be discharged.

Compact image forming apparatus

An image-forming apparatus is provided which includes: an image forming part that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording sheet; a first fixing part that performs primary fixation to the recording sheet that bears the unfixed toner image; and a second fixing part that performs secondary fixation to the recording sheet fixed by the first fixing part. In the image-forming apparatus, the second fixing part exists above the image forming part.

Image-forming apparatus with standard and gloss fixing devices

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an unfixed toner image on a recording sheet, a first fixing unit for fixing the unfixed toner image on the recording sheet, a second fixing unit for further fixing the toner image on the recording sheet fixed by the first fixing unit, and a control unit for selecting a first fixing mode in which only the first fixing unit is used for fixing the toner image on the recording sheet or a second fixing mode in which the first and second fixing unit are used for the fixing. The width of the recording sheet, which the second fixing unit can fix is narrower than of the recording sheet , which the first fixing unit can fix.

In a fuser, a cooling structure ( ) is disposed so that a bend angle (&agr;) of a part bent during the time between an endless belt ( ) coming in contact with a press cooling face ( ) of the cooling structure ( ) and exiting from the press cooling face ( ) is placed in the range of 0&deg; C.<&agr;&lE;7&deg; C. A fixing belt has a minute hardness of 0.1 to 5 at least on the belt surface coming in contact with toner T and preferably has a gloss degree of 75 or more on the belt surface.

Fixing belt and fuser

In a fuser, a cooling structure ( ) is disposed so that a bend angle (&agr;) of apart bent during the time between an endless belt ( ) coming in contact with a press cooling face ( ) of the cooling structure ( ) and exiting from the press cooling face ( ) is placed in the range of 0&deg; C.<&agr;&lE;7&deg; C. A fixing belt has a minute hardness of 0.1 to 5 at least on the belt surface coming in contact with toner T and preferably has a gloss degree of 75 or more on the belt surface.

A fixing device having a peeling sheet capable of performing stable peeling without causing any damage to the image, the sheet, and the fixing roller. A fixing device, including: a fixing roller having an elastic layer formed on the surface thereof which rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow A; a compression roller which rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow B while being in contact with the fixing roller; and a plastic peeling sheet, whose end edge comes into contact with the surface of the fixing roller to peel the sheet P, which has passed through the nip portion N, away from the surface of the fixing roller, provided downstream of the nip portion N of the fixing roller in the direction of rotation A thereof.

Fixing device

In an image recording apparatus in which a toner image on a toner image holding and conveying member is transferred onto a recording member and is fixed at the same time, the change of charging characteristics or the like by accumulation of heat in the apparatus is prevented, the toner image is certainly transferred and fixed onto the recording member with small consumed energy, and high speed print can be made. An intermediate transfer material on which a toner image is primarily transferred is disposed at a position facing a photosensitive drum, and a pressing roller for pressing the toner image against the recording member is disposed at the downstream side in the conveying direction of the transferred toner image. At the upstream side of the secondary transfer portion where the pressing roller is pressed, an electromagnetic induction heating unit for melting the toner image on the intermediate transfer material is disposed. The intermediate transfer material includes a conductive layer therein, and when the electromagnetic induction heating unit generates fluctuating magnetic field, the conductive layer is heated by eddy current. The toner is heated up to a temperature not less than the softening point temperature by this heat, and is instantly transferred by press contact with the recording member. The toner is cooled while it passes through the secondary transfer portion.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yoshio Kanesawa