Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable member; a web; a mechanism; a contact portion; a plurality of displacing portions; a detecting portion; a notifying portion; a first counting portion; a prohibiting portion; and a second counting portion. The prohibiting portion prohibits an image forming process when the detecting portion detects displacement of the contact portion when the number of times of the image forming process counted by the second counting portion is less than a predetermined number. The notifying portion prompts an exchange of the web when the detecting portion detects the displacement of the contact portion when the number of times is not less than the predetermined number.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: first and second rotatable members configured to form a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material; a rotatable rubbing member configured to rub the first rotatable member to substantially refresh a surface property of the first rotatable member; and a pipe member provided with an opening, formed at a peripheral surface thereof, for permitting air blowing toward the rotatable rubbing member, wherein said pipe member has an end portion hermetically sealed by collapse.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable member and an endless belt configured to form a nip portion cooperatively with the rotatable member. A pressing pad is provided in the inside of the endless belt and configured to press the endless belt toward the rotatable member to form the nip portion. The pressing pad includes a first portion extending from an entrance of the nip portion toward an exit of the nip portion in a sheet conveying direction and a second portion disposed at a region in which the sheet is separated from the rotatable member. The first and second portions are pressed toward the rotatable member independently by a pressing mechanism.

Abstract: An image hearing apparatus includes: a rotatable heating member; a rotatable collecting member; a cleaning unit including a cleaning web; a moving mechanism configured to move the cleaning unit between a first position where the cleaning web contacts the rotatable collecting member and a second position where the cleaning web contacts the rotatable collecting member at a contact pressure lower than a contact pressure at the first position; and an urging portion. The cleaning unit includes a first pressing potion configured to press the rotatable collecting member toward the rotatable heating member in contact with the rotatable collecting member when the cleaning unit is in the first position, and includes a second pressing portion configured to press the rotatable collecting member toward the rotatable heating member in contact with the urging portion without contacting the rotatable collecting member when the cleaning unit is in the second position.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: a heating member; a collecting member; a cleaning web; an urging roller; a moving mechanism configured to move the urging roller between a first position where the cleaning web contacts the collecting member, a second position where the cleaning web contacts the collecting member at a contact pressure lower than a contact pressure at the first position, and a third position where the cleaning web is spaced from the collecting member; an executing portion configured to execute a collecting member cleaning operation at the second position and the first position in this order; and a controller configured to control a temperature of the collecting roller so that the temperature when the urging roller is moved from the third position to the second position is higher than the temperature when the urging roller is moved from the second position to the first position.

Abstract: An urging roller for urging a cleaning web to a rotatable member of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a shaft; an elastic layer provided on a peripheral surface of the shaft; a wire wound on a peripheral surface of the elastic layer; and a toner parting layer coating a peripheral surface of the elastic layer with the wire.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable member; a web; a mechanism; a contact portion; a plurality of displacing portions; a detecting portion; a notifying portion; a first counting portion; a prohibiting portion; and a second counting portion. The prohibiting portion prohibits an image forming process when the detecting portion detects displacement of the contact portion when the number of times of the image forming process counted by the second counting portion is less than a predetermined number. The notifying portion prompts an exchange of the web when the detecting portion detects the displacement of the contact portion when the number of times is not less than the predetermined number.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: first and second rotatable members configured to form a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material; a rotatable rubbing member configured to rub the first rotatable member to substantially refresh a surface property of the first rotatable member; and an air blowing mechanism configured to blow air onto the rotatable rubbing member to clean the rotatable rubbing member.

Abstract: A sheet cooling device includes a fixing device for heat fixing an unfixed image formed on a sheet; and a cooling device for cooling the sheet heated by the fixing device, the cooling device including, a rotatable endless belt contactable with the sheet heated by the fixing device and traveling above the fixing device; and a cooling member for cooling the endless belt to condense water vapor produced by a fixing operation.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable member and an endless belt configured to form a nip portion cooperatively with the rotatable member. A pressing pad is provided in an inside of the endless belt and configured to press the endless belt toward the rotatable member to form the nip portion. The pressing pad includes a first portion extended from an entrance of the nip portion toward and exit of the nip portion in a sheet conveying direction and a second portion disposed at a region in which the sheet is separated from the rotatable member. The first and second portions are pressed toward the rotatable member independently by a pressing mechanism.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: first and second rotatable members configured to form a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material; rotatable rubbing member configured to rub the first rotatable member to substantially refresh a surface property of the first rotatable member; an air blowing mechanism, provided with a plurality of openings, configured to blow air toward different positions of the rotatable rubbing member with respect to an axial direction of the rotatable rubbing member; and a moving mechanism configured to reciprocate the air blowing mechanism with respect to the axial direction.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: first and second rotatable members configured to form a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material; a rotatable rubbing member configured to rub the first rotatable member to substantially refresh a surface property of the first rotatable member; and an air blowing mechanism configured to blow air onto the rotatable rubbing member to clean the rotatable rubbing member.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: first and second rotatable members configured to form a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material; a rotatable rubbing member configured to rub the first rotatable member to substantially refresh a surface property of the first rotatable member; and a pipe member provided with an opening, formed at a peripheral surface thereof, for permitting air blowing toward the rotatable rubbing member, wherein said pipe member has an end portion hermetically sealed by collapse.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which prevents evaporation of moisture applied to a sheet by virtue of an aqueous solution containing a deliquescent material, and maintains a state in which curling or wavelike distortions are reduced. The structure of the image forming apparatus is characterized by including an image forming parts that forms toner images on paper sheets, and a fixing device which thermally fixes a toner image onto a sheet, and an aqueous solution applying portion which applies an aqueous solution to the sheet, the aqueous solution applying portion applies the aqueous solution containing a deliquescent material which prevents moisture evaporation to a sheet having a toner image thermally fixed thereonto by a fixing device.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a ripple or curling of the sheet and stabilizing feedability or loadability of the sheet. The image forming apparatus includes an aqueous solution applying portion that applies the aqueous solution containing the deliquescent material for hindering evaporation of moisture to the sheet where the toner image has been thermally fixed by the fixing portion, and a controller that controls so that a concentration of the deliquescent material of the aqueous solution applied to the sheet using the aqueous solution applying portion is changed depending on the basis weight of the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet compression apparatus includes a pair of nipping members configured to be movable so as to contact and separate from each other and to compress a sheet while the sheet is nipped, and a contact/separation mechanism configured to perform a contact/separation operation of the pair of nipping members, and the contact/separation mechanism separates the nipping members from each other until a leading edge of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit passes between the nipping members, and then relatively moves the pair of nipping members closer to each other to start the nipping of the sheet so the sheet is compressed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which prevents evaporation of moisture applied to a sheet by virtue of an aqueous solution containing a deliquescent material, and maintains a state in which curling or wavelike distortions are reduced. The structure of the image forming apparatus is characterized by including an image forming parts that forms toner images on paper sheets, and a fixing device which thermally fixes a toner image onto a sheet, and an aqueous solution applying portion which applies an aqueous solution to the sheet, the aqueous solution applying portion applies the aqueous solution containing a deliquescent material which prevents moisture evaporation to a sheet having a toner image thermally fixed thereonto by a fixing device.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a ripple or curling of the sheet and stabilizing feedability or loadability of the sheet. The image forming apparatus includes an aqueous solution applying portion that applies the aqueous solution containing the deliquescent material for hindering evaporation of moisture to the sheet where the toner image has been thermally fixed by the fixing portion, and a controller that controls so that a concentration of the deliquescent material of the aqueous solution applied to the sheet using the aqueous solution applying portion is changed depending on the basis weight of the sheet.