Patents Represented by Attorney Remmer, Otto, Boisselle & Sklar, LLP
  • Patent number: 7609985
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus is provided with a fixing roller that fixes a toner image that has been transferred onto a paper, a cleaning member that cleans a circumferential surface of the fixing roller using a metal roller that is idly rotated by contacting the circumferential surface of the fixing roller, a drive control means that, at a predetermined timing, sets a rotation velocity of the fixing roller to high-speed rotation that is faster by a predetermined velocity than a rotation velocity during print processing, a load torque detection means that detects a load torque of a drive source of the fixing roller, and a determination means that determines an extent of smearing of the cleaning member based on a load torque detected by the load torque detection means during high-speed rotation by the drive control means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Tateishi, Toyoaki Nanba, Tadasu Taniguchi, Toshiya Mikita