Patents Examined by Ruth N Labombaard
  • Patent number: 7742714
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, an image fixing apparatus, and an image fixing method that fix a toner image onto an recording medium in an electrophotographic process capable of effectively controlling an image fixing temperature. In one example, when a narrower recording medium, narrower than a maximum allowable size, is continuously fed at an image fixing temperature, a gap between the conveyed recording mediums is controlled to be longer than a default gap corresponding to a wider recording medium in a feeding direction to avoid an increase of the temperature of the ends of the fixing member in the longitudinal direction, to thereby maintain an allowable temperature limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Shinshi, Hiroshi Seo