Abstract: Provided is a fixing apparatus that fixes an unfixed image on a sheet by causing the sheet to pass through a fixing nip formed by pressing a belt by a pressurizing roller, a lubricant being applied on an inner peripheral surface of the belt, the pressurizing roller being disposed on an outer peripheral side of the belt, and the fixing apparatus includes: a non-rotary pad including a pressed part disposed on an inner peripheral side of the belt and pressed by the pressurizing roller via the belt, and a guide that is disposed upstream of the pressed part in a belt circulating direction and guides the belt to the fixing nip; and a pressure application part that applies a pressure between an end of the belt in a belt width direction and the guide at a position upstream of and immediately before the fixing nip in the belt circulating direction.

Abstract: Provided is a fixing apparatus that fixes an unfixed image on a sheet by causing the sheet to pass through a fixing nip formed by pressing a belt by a pressurizing roller, a lubricant being applied on an inner peripheral surface of the belt, the pressurizing roller being disposed on an outer peripheral side of the belt, and the fixing apparatus includes: a non-rotary pad including a pressed part disposed on an inner peripheral side of the belt and pressed by the pressurizing roller via the belt, and a guide that is disposed upstream of the pressed part in a belt circulating direction and guides the belt to the fixing nip; and a pressure application part that applies a pressure between an end of the belt in a belt width direction and the guide at a position upstream of and immediately before the fixing nip in the belt circulating direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing apparatus including a heating member that is heated by a heater and a pressure member that forms a fixing nip between the pressure member and the heating member by pressing the heating member; and a supplier that, when toner images of a plurality of images including non-image regions overlapping each other are consecutively fixed by the fixing apparatus, supplies a cleaning sheet on which a cleaning image is formed on one surface, to the fixing nip in a state where the one surface faces the pressure member, wherein the non-image regions are regions extending along the conveyance direction from an upstream side end in the conveyance direction in an image to a downstream side end in the conveyance direction, and not including a toner image having a length of equal to or more than a first value in the conveyance direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing apparatus including a heating member that is heated by a heater and a pressure member that forms a fixing nip between the pressure member and the heating member by pressing the heating member; and a supplier that, when toner images of a plurality of images including non-image regions overlapping each other are consecutively fixed by the fixing apparatus, supplies a cleaning sheet on which a cleaning image is formed on one surface, to the fixing nip in a state where the one surface faces the pressure member, wherein the non-image regions are regions extending along the conveyance direction from an upstream side end in the conveyance direction in an image to a downstream side end in the conveyance direction, and not including a toner image having a length of equal to or more than a first value in the conveyance direction.

Abstract: A fuser for fixing an unfixed toner image on a recording material includes: an endless belt body heated by a heat source; a pressing body moved to be connected to and disconnected from an inner peripheral surface of the belt body; a pressure roller member making pressure-contact with the pressing body through the belt body; a tension body moved to be connected to and disconnected from the inner peripheral surface of the belt body, contrary to the connection and disconnection movement of the pressing body; and a rotation transmitting unit configured to transmit a rotational force of the pressure roller member to the belt body using the tension body, while the pressing body is separated from and the tension body makes contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt body.

Abstract: A fuser for fixing an unfixed toner image on a recording material includes: an endless belt body heated by a heat source; a pressing body moved to be connected to and disconnected from an inner peripheral surface of the belt body; a pressure roller member making pressure-contact with the pressing body through the belt body; a tension body moved to be connected to and disconnected from the inner peripheral surface of the belt body, contrary to the connection and disconnection movement of the pressing body; and a rotation transmitting unit configured to transmit a rotational force of the pressure roller member to the belt body using the tension body, while the pressing body is separated from and the tension body makes contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt body.

Abstract: A fixing device for thermally fixing image onto recording sheet by causing recording sheet to pass through fixing nip, while heating electromagnetic induction heating layer provided in heating rotation body by flux generated by flux generator including exciting coil located a distance away from circumferential surface of heating rotation body along width direction of heating rotation body. The flux generator includes: magnetic cores arranged to be separated from each other in width direction, to face heating rotation body via exciting coil; holder holding predetermined magnetic cores, arranged in correspondence with non-paper-pass area of heating rotation body, in displaceable state; displacement unit displacing predetermined magnetic cores in predetermined move unit, which is a unit of one magnetic core or a unit of a predetermined number of consecutively placed magnetic cores; and controller controlling displacement unit to displace predetermined magnetic cores in sequence in predetermined move unit.

Abstract: In a manufacturing method of a heat equalizing member for a fixing device of the invention, first, an elongated cylindrical pipe is prepared which is made of a metallic material and which has one end sealed while the other end opened. Next, a heat-resistant releasing layer is formed on the outer face of the pipe in close contact therewith. Then, operating fluid is injected into the pipe from an outside through the other end of the pipe, while the other end is sealed by welding.

Abstract: A fixing device including: an endless belt that is driven to perform a circulating motion; a pressing member and a fixing roller that face each other with the endless belt therebetween, the pressing member being caused to press the fixing roller, which is preliminarily heated, via the belt to form a fixing nip in which a toner image is thermally fixed onto a recording sheet S passing through therein; a cooler that cools at least a paper-contact range of the belt within which the recording sheet S passing through the fixing nip contacts; and a temperature-decrease controller that causes the cooler to cool at least the paper-contact range of the belt before the toner image is thermally fixed onto the recording sheet S.

Abstract: A portion 421 on each inner surface of both end sections 42c, 42d of an exciting coil 42, which is positioned on an outermost side in a width direction of a fixing roller 1, is positioned within an edge of a maximum paper feed area Z in the width direction of the fixing roller 1. A heat pipe 3 extends to farther outside of the maximum paper feed area Z in the width direction of the fixing roller 1.

Abstract: A fixing device for thermally fixing image onto recording sheet by causing recording sheet to pass through fixing nip, while heating electromagnetic induction heating layer provided in heating rotation body by flux generated by flux generator including exciting coil located a distance away from circumferential surface of heating rotation body along width direction of heating rotation body. The flux generator includes: magnetic cores arranged to be separated from each other in width direction, to face heating rotation body via exciting coil; holder holding predetermined magnetic cores, arranged in correspondence with non-paper-pass area of heating rotation body, in displaceable state; displacement unit displacing predetermined magnetic cores in predetermined move unit, which is a unit of one magnetic core or a unit of a predetermined number of consecutively placed magnetic cores; and controller controlling displacement unit to displace predetermined magnetic cores in sequence in predetermined move unit.

Abstract: A fixing roller for fixing a toner image onto a recording sheet by heat, the fixing roller has a cored bar; an open-cell foam sponge layer provided around the cored bar; and a closed-cell foam sponge layer provided around the open-cell foam sponge layer. A fixing device has the fixing roller, and an image forming apparatus has the fixing device.

Abstract: A fixing device has a fixing roller, a pressure roller, an electromagnetic-induction heating section, and a heat pipe. The pressure roller has a metal layer, so that heat transferred directly from the fixing roller to the pressure roller is thermally transported by the metal layer of the pressure roller, whereby temperature of the pressure roller in its axial direction can be equalized.

Abstract: A conveying device includes a cylindrical first roller, a cylindrical second roller that has a surface hardness higher than a surface hardness of the first roller, and a belt placed in a state surrounding either the first roller or the second roller. the conveying device moves an object to be conveyed by bringing the first roller and the second roller in pressure contact with each other via the belt and making the object pass through a nip portion formed of the belt and the first roller or the second roller facing the belt. A length in a lengthwise direction of an outer peripheral portion of the first roller is shorter than a length in a lengthwise direction of an outer peripheral portion of the second roller.

Abstract: A fixing device including: an endless belt that is driven to perform a circulating motion; a pressing member and a fixing roller that face each other with the endless belt therebetween, the pressing member being caused to press the fixing roller, which is preliminarily heated, via the belt to form a fixing nip in which a toner image is thermally fixed onto a recording sheet S passing through therein; a cooler that cools at least a paper-contact range of the belt within which the recording sheet S passing through the fixing nip contacts; and a temperature-decrease controller that causes the cooler to cool at least the paper-contact range of the belt before the toner image is thermally fixed onto the recording sheet S.

Abstract: A portion 421 on each inner surface of both end sections 42c, 42d of an exciting coil 42, which is positioned on an outermost side in a width direction of a fixing roller 1, is positioned within an edge of a maximum paper feed area Z in the width direction of the fixing roller 1. A heat pipe 3 extends to farther outside of the maximum paper feed area Z in the width direction of the fixing roller 1.

Abstract: A fixing device has a fixing roller, a pressure roller, an electromagnetic-induction heating section, and a heat pipe. The pressure roller has a metal layer, so that heat transferred directly from the fixing roller to the pressure roller is thermally transported by the metal layer of the pressure roller, whereby temperature of the pressure roller in its axial direction can be equalized.

Abstract: In a manufacturing method of a heat equalizing member for a fixing device of the invention, first, an elongated cylindrical pipe is prepared which is made of a metallic material and which has one end sealed while the other end opened. Next, a heat-resistant releasing layer is formed on the outer face of the pipe in close contact therewith. Then, operating fluid is injected into the pipe from an outside through the other end of the pipe, while the other end is sealed by welding.

Abstract: The conveying device of the present invention comprises a cylindrical first roller, a cylindrical second roller that has a surface hardness higher than a surface hardness of the first roller, and a belt placed in a state surrounding either the first roller or the second roller. The conveying device moves an object to be conveyed by bringing the first roller and the second roller in pressure contact with each other via the belt and making the object pass through a nip portion formed of the belt and the first roller or the second roller facing the belt. A length in a lengthwise direction of an outer peripheral portion of the first roller is shorter than a length in a lengthwise direction of an outer peripheral portion of the second roller.

Abstract: This invention relates to a carrier for developing electrostatic latent images comprising;carrier core particles having specified physical properties such as mean particle size, a bulk density, ratio of small particles, surface area index and the like, andresin-coating layers formed of specified components at specified content by a sintering process so that the layer resin may have specified physical properties such as ratio of integrated intensity and the like.