Abstract: A transferring and fixing apparatus includes a transferring and fixing member and a pressure member in close and pressing contact with each other, forming a transferring and fixing region therebetween. A fused toner image held and heated by the transferring and fixing member is transferred and fixed into in the transferring and fixing region onto a recording paper fed to the transferring and fixing region, an end portion of the transferring and fixing region where the recording paper is fed is set to have a highest pressure in the transferring and fixing region. With this arrangement the present invention prevents micro offset phenomenon in a transferring and fixing process of toner into a recording paper in a simultaneous transferring and fixing mode, thereby achieving high picture quality.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, toner primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred at a first nip area formed by a secondary transfer roller and a transfuse roller, onto the transfuse roller, at pressure of 5.3 N/cm2 to 20 N/cm2 and at a driving speed ratio of the intermediate transfer belt and the transfuse roller of 1.02 to 1.04, and the toner sufficiently heated and melted in the process of conveyance from the first nip area to a second nip area formed by the transfuse roller and a pressure roller is thirdly transferred and fixed to a recording medium P at the second nip area, at pressure of 13.3 N/cm2 to 33.3 N/cm2.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus jointly using both a heat fixing method and a wet fixing method wherein bleeding and aggregation of a toner, curl and creases of a recording medium, and the like do not occur when a fixing fluid is applied to a toner image. Power consumption is significantly lower than that of a past heat fixing method. A high-quality image is stably formed. The image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming section, an intermediate transfer section, a secondary transfer section, a fixing fluid applying section, a fixing section having a driving roller in which a heating section is built, and a conveying section. There is provided a fixing fluid amount controlling section which controls a fixing fluid amount applied to a toner image on a recording medium by the fixing fluid applying section so as to increase as the recording medium approaches the fixing section.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided in which a toner is prevented from flowing and being agglomerated, at the time of application of a fixer fluid to a toner image so as to fix the toner image to a recording medium, and the recording medium is prevented from generating curl and wrinkle, and consumption of the fixer fluid and electricity can be reduced, and even a multicolored toner image can be fixed for a relatively short time. An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming section, an intermediate transfer section, a secondary transfer section, a heating section, a fixer fluid applying section, and a recording medium supplying section. A recording medium carrying the toner image on a surface thereof is heated by the heating section and then, a fixer fluid is applied to the toner image by the fixer fluid applying section so that the toner image is fixed.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus utilizing a concurrently transferring and fixing method which improves a transfer efficiency of a toner image from an intermediate transfer member to a transferring and fixing member, allows a stable forming of a high-definition image in a high-speed image forming, and ensures further reduction of power consumption, and prevention of heat deterioration of a photoreceptor, with no upsizing of the apparatus. In an image forming apparatus comprising a toner image baring section, a first intermediate transfer section, a transferring and fixing section, and an electrical field section, a second intermediate transfer section is disposed between the first intermediate transfer section and the transferring and fixing section.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus utilizing a concurrently transferring and fixing method which improves a transfer efficiency of a toner image from an intermediate transfer member to a transferring and fixing member, allows a stable forming of a high-definition image in a high-speed image forming, and ensures further reduction of power consumption, and prevention of heat deterioration of a photoreceptor, with no upsizing of the apparatus. In an image forming apparatus comprising a toner image baring section, a first intermediate transfer section, a transferring and fixing section, and an electrical field section, a second intermediate transfer section is disposed between the first intermediate transfer section and the transferring and fixing section.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus jointly using both a heat fixing method and a wet fixing method wherein bleeding and aggregation of a toner, curl and creases of a recording medium, and the like do not occur when a fixing fluid is applied to a toner image. Power consumption is significantly lower than that of a past heat fixing method. A high-quality image is stably formed. The image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming section, an intermediate transfer section, a secondary transfer section, a fixing fluid applying section, a fixing section having a driving roller in which a heating section is built, and a conveying section. There is provided a fixing fluid amount controlling section which controls a fixing fluid amount applied to a toner image on a recording medium by the fixing fluid applying section so as to increase as the recording medium approaches the fixing section.

Abstract: The subject invention provides a transferring and fixing apparatus in which a transferring and fixing member and a pressure member are in close and pressing contact with each other, forming a transferring and fixing region therebetween, and a fused toner image held and heated by the transferring and fixing member is transferred and fixed into in the transferring and fixing region onto a recording paper fed to the transferring and fixing region, either of an end portion of the transferring and fixing region where the recording paper is fed or an end portion of the transferring and fixing region where the recording paper is discharged is set to have a highest pressure in the transferring and fixing region. With this arrangement the present invention prevents micro offset phenomenon in a transferring and fixing process of toner into a recording paper in a simultaneous transferring and fixing mode, thereby achieving high picture quality.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, toner primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred at a first nip area formed by a secondary transfer roller and a transfuse roller, onto the transfuse roller, at pressure of 5.3 N/cm2 to 20 N/cm2 and at a driving speed ratio of the intermediate transfer belt and the transfuse roller of 1.02 to 1.04, and the toner sufficiently heated and melted in the process of conveyance from the first nip area to a second nip area formed by the transfuse roller and a pressure roller is thirdly transferred and fixed to a recording medium P at the second nip area, at pressure of 13.3 N/cm2 to 33.3 N/cm2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided in which a toner is prevented from flowing and being agglomerated, at the time of application of a fixer fluid to a toner image so as to fix the toner image to a recording medium, and the recording medium is prevented from generating curl and wrinkle, and consumption of the fixer fluid and electricity can be reduced, and even a multicolored toner image can be fixed for a relatively short time. An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming section, an intermediate transfer section, a secondary transfer section, a heating section, a fixer fluid applying section, and a recording medium supplying section. A recording medium carrying the toner image on a surface thereof is heated by the heating section and then, a fixer fluid is applied to the toner image by the fixer fluid applying section so that the toner image is fixed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus with a charging member which charges an image bearer with a photoconductive surface. Forming a layer containing ferroelectric as part on the charging member, and applying the electric field formed by dipoles of the ferroelectric, the photosensitive member surface is electrified, thereby downsizing a charger and reducing power consumption thereof are achieved for realizing low-cost and reducing the number of consumable parts sufficiently.

Abstract: In an image forming portion, a grounded, drum-shaped photosensitive member rotating in a predetermined direction is provided. Arranged around the photosensitive member are a charger, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, an erasing unit and a transfer roller with a ferroelectric layer formed on the surface thereof. The ferroelectric laminated transfer roller includes a grounded, metal core of aluminum, a conductive rubber layer of an elastomer having a volume resistivity of 105′&OHgr;•cm or below with a thickness of about 3 mm, molded in a roller shape formed on the metal core and a ferroelectric element having a film thickness of some &mgr;m to some tens of micrometers, coating the surface of the conductive rubber layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus with a charging member which charges an image bearer with a photoconductive surface. Forming a layer containing ferroelectric as part on the charging member, and applying the electric field formed by dipoles of the ferroelectric, the photosensitive member surface is electrified, thereby downsizing a charger and reducing power consumption thereof are achieved for realizing low-cost and reducing the number of consumable parts sufficiently.

Abstract: In an image forming portion, a grounded, drum-shaped photosensitive member rotating in the direction of the arrow is provided. Arranged around the photosensitive member are a charger, exposure unit, developing unit, cleaning unit, erasing unit and transfer roller with a ferroelectric layer of the present invention formed on the surface thereof. This ferroelectric laminated transfer roller is comprised of a grounded, metal core of aluminum, a conductive rubber layer (of an elastomer having a volume resistivity of 105 &OHgr;.cm or below with a thickness of 3 mm, molded in a roller-shape) formed on the metal core and a ferroelectric element (film) having a film thickness of some pm to some tens of micrometers, coating over the surface of the conductive rubber layer.

Abstract: A transfer apparatus having a photoconductor drum for holding thereon an image formed by toner charged with a negative polarity and a transfer roller disposed opposite the photoconductor drum, in which paper is fed to an area where the photoconductor drum and the transfer roller face each other and the toner image on the photoconductor drum is transferred to the paper by using a unidirectional transfer electric field formed by the transfer roller. The transfer roller also serves as charge supply control device for supplying a charge to the toner held on the photoconductor drum to thereby substantially neutralize the charge of the toner while retaining the negative polarity of the toner.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a transfer apparatus including a transfer drum which carries a transfer material by electrostatic attraction with reliability, and can prevent the transfer nonuniformity of the image. The transfer drum is so formed that on the surface of a dielectric layer made of cylinder-shaped aluminium, are formed side by side two semiconductor layers each formed by a foamed elastic member, and on the surface of the semiconductor layers are stacked a conductive layer formed by PVDF. The first semiconductor layer is formed under the transfer region within the surface of the transfer drum, and the diameter of cell is set to be in a range of over 0 .mu.m to 50 .mu.m. Also, the second semiconductor layer is formed under the non-transfer region within the surface of the transfer drum, and the diameter of cell is set to a size of 500 .mu.m or more.

Abstract: Enabling to perform the pressurization release and the fixture release simultaneously by one action when taking out the fixing device from the image forming device for removing the jammed paper and the like. In a fixing device comprising a pressurization roll being pressurized by the act of a pressurization lever and a spring against a heat roll, a release lever is further mounted rotatably which comprises a cam for rotating the pressurization lever against the direction of force from the spring. On the release lever is mounted a connecting pin, and the connecting pin is linked to and rotates the fixing lever which is also mounted rotatably. The fixing lever is forced toward the fixing direction by a spring, wherein a fixing piece is inserted to a fixing slit of a mounting stage formed on the image forming device body for positioning thereto.

Abstract: A toner image fixing device realizes a stabilized fixing process by smoothly controlling a surface temperature of its heating roller, preventing peeling-off of a layer of the roller core. The toner image fixing device comprises a heating roller consisting of a core covered with a layer of, e.g., a silicon rubber, a heat lamp mounted in the heating roller and a pressure roller for pressing a sheet of paper against the heating roller. The toner image fixing device is provided with a temperature sensor for sensing a surface temperature of the heat roller and for operating the heater lamp at a preset ON-OFF ratio (e.g., 1:3) to elevate the heating roller surface temperature from a first preset value to a second preset value and thereafter to maintain it at the second preset temperature.