Abstract: A fixing device is provided with a heat roller (18) and a pressure roller (19) having a shaft (24) and an elastic layer (25) formed on a periphery thereof and being in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18). A concave region (25b), formed in an approximate arc shape in cross-section, is arranged on an end face (25a) of the elastic layer (25) in a longitudinal direction (X) of the pressure roller (19). Accordingly, even when the pressure roller (19) is in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18), since the concave region (25b) deforms to an approximately plane shape only, and the end face (25a) does not protrude outwards, the occurrence of cracking in the elastic layer (25) of the pressure roller (19) can be avoided.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing roller; a support roller arranged apart from the fixing roller; an endless fixing belt wound around the fixing roller and the support roller; a pressing roller for applying a pressure force to the fixing roller while the fixing belt being sandwiched between the fixing roller and the pressing roller; a nip extending member arranged on an upstream of the fixing roller and on an inner side of the fixing belt and having a pressing surface for pressing the fixing belt; and a variable mechanism for changing a state of a pressure applied to the fixing belt by the nip extending member.

Abstract: A system for managing hardware resources includes a computer system and a management server, wherein the computer system includes a static authentication key generation unit that generates authentication keys for the detected hardware resources, a dynamic authentication key generation unit that requests arrangements of a hardware resource and an activation key to the management server by transmitting a dynamic installation authentication key generated from a system authentication key, a first additional hardware resource authentication unit that judges whether or not a new hardware resource is unauthorized by comparing the authentication key with the activation key, and a second additional hardware resource authentication unit that judges whether or not the new hardware resource fit the computer system by comparing the dynamic installation authentication key with the activation key, and wherein the management server includes an activation key generation unit that transmits the activation key to the computer s

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressure member pressed against the fixing member, a separating member disposed at a specific distance from the fixing member for separating a printing sheet therefrom after the printing sheet has passed through a nip portion formed between the fixing member and the pressure member, the separating member being made movable in directions toward and away from the fixing member, and a movement restricting member for limiting movement of the separating member in the direction away from the fixing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit and a fixing unit. The fixing unit includes a heating member; a coil arranged along an outer surface of the heating member for generating a magnetic field for induction heating the heating member; a core arranged to face the heating member with the coil located therebetween in order to form a magnetic path around the coil and made of a magnetic material; a shielding member arranged near the magnetic path generated by the coil, including a closed frame portion and made of a nonmagnetic metal; and a magnetic shielding portion for displacing the shielding member between a retracted position for permitting a magnetic flux to pass along a frame surface virtually formed inside the closed frame portion and a shielding position for shielding magnetism by the penetration of a magnetic flux inside the frame surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with an image forming station and a fixing unit including a heating member. The fixing unit includes a coil for generating a magnetic field for induction heating the heating member; a first core arranged to face the heating member with the coil located therebetween; a bar-shaped second core including a cut-off portion and arranged in a magnetic path between the first core and the heating member, when seen in a magnetic field generation direction by the coil, to form the magnetic path together with the first core; and a magnetic adjusting mechanism for changing the posture of the second core between a first posture for guiding a magnetic field by retracting the cut-off portion from the magnetic path and a second posture for increasing magnetic resistance by locating the cut-off portion in the magnetic path by rotating the second core about an axis thereof.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit fixing a toner image onto a sheet. The fixing unit includes a heating member having a sheet conveyed region that is set in accordance with the size of the sheet. The fixing unit further includes a coil generating magnetic field, a fixed core forming a magnetic path, movable cores forming a magnetic path together with the fixed core and arranged along the sheet conveyed region, a shielding member arranged on at least one movable core and shielding magnetism, and a magnetism adjustment unit rotating at least one movable core to switch the position of the shielding member between a shielding position where the shielding member is positioned inside the sheet conveyed region to shield the magnetism and a retracted position where the shielding member is positioned outside the sheet conveyed region to permit pass of the magnetism.

Abstract: A computer device that includes a plurality of processor boards each provided with a processor, a memory, and a chipset, includes a first processor board that makes data in a cache, which have become unfixed as a result of an uncorrectable failure, invalid when the uncorrectable failure occurs on the first processor board in operation, and switches from the first processor board to a second processor board for replacement, and the second processor board that re-executes an instruction that was being executed in the first processor board when the failure occurred.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming station and a fixing unit. The fixing unit includes a coil for generating a magnetic field for induction heating the heating member. A first core made of a magnetic material is arranged fixedly around the coil. A second core made of a magnetic material is between the first core and the heating member in a generation direction of the magnetic field to form a magnetic path in cooperation with the first core and capable of changing a posture thereof. A shield made of a nonmagnetic metal is arranged along the outer surface of the second core to shield magnetism in the magnetic field and a magnetic shielding portion for changing the posture of the second core between a first posture where the shield shields the magnetism and a second posture where the shield does not shield the magnetism.

Abstract: A fixing unit (14) of an image forming apparatus (1) includes a heating member (48) having a first area where a sheet does not come into contact with the heating member (48) and a second area where the sheet comes into contact with the heating member (48). The fixing unit (14) further includes a coil (52) forming a magnetic field, cores (54,56) forming a magnetic path near the coil (52), a nonmagnetic magnetism adjusting member (90) arranged on the magnetic path and having a closed frame, and a switcher (58,60) capable of switching the magnetism adjusting member (90) between a first state where the magnetism adjusting member (90) generates an induction current resulting from the magnetic field to shield the magnetism in the first area, and a second state where the magnetism adjusting member (90) generates no induction current and the magnetism is not shielded in the first area.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus has a fixing member for fixing toner on paper and a pressure member making contact therewith to form in between a nip through which paper is passed. The fixing member has a support member formed of a ferromagnetic material and a heating layer formed adjacent thereto in the form of a thin layer of a non-magnetic, electrically conductive material. When a high-frequency electric current is passed through an exciting coil that is combined with the fixing member, the fixing member produces a high-frequency magnetic field, thereby produces induced eddy currents in the heating layer of the fixing member, thereby produces Joule's heat in the heating layer, and thereby heats the fixing member. A leaking magnetic flux is absorbed by the support member of the ferromagnetic member, and thus has reduced influence on metal parts located around the fixing apparatus.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing roller; a support roller arranged apart from the fixing roller; an endless fixing belt wound around the fixing roller and the support roller; a pressing roller for applying a pressure force to the fixing roller while the fixing belt being sandwiched between the fixing roller and the pressing roller; a nip extending member arranged on an upstream of the fixing roller and on an inner side of the fixing belt and having a pressing surface for pressing the fixing belt; and a variable mechanism for changing a state of a pressure applied to the fixing belt by the nip extending member.

Abstract: A fixing device is provided with a heat roller (18) and a pressure roller (19) having a shaft (24) and an elastic layer (25) formed on a periphery thereof and being in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18). A concave region (25b), formed in an approximate arc shape in cross-section, is arranged on an end face (25a) of the elastic layer (25) in a longitudinal direction (X) of the pressure roller (19). Accordingly, even when the pressure roller (19) is in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18), since the concave region (25b) deforms to an approximately plane shape only, and the end face (25a) does not protrude outwards, the occurrence of cracking in the elastic layer (25) of the pressure roller (19) can be avoided.

Abstract: A distributed computer system is composed of a plurality of cells, a service processor, and first and second modules. Each of the cells includes a CPU, a memory, and range registers used for resource routing. At least one cell is used as a spare cell, and the remainder(s) of the cells is activated to provide an online system. The first module is programmed to provide a memory region of the online system with initial values to be set into the range registers of the spare cell in response to booting the online system. The service processor provides a copy of the initial values onto the memory of the spare cell in response to a request for activating the spare cell. The second module is programmed to put the initial values obtained from the copy into the range registers of the chipset on the spare cell.

Abstract: A fixing device is provided with a heat roller (18) and a pressure roller (19) having a shaft (24) and an elastic layer (25) formed on a periphery thereof and being in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18). A concave region (25b), formed in an approximate arc shape in cross-section, is arranged on an end face (25a) of the elastic layer (25) in a longitudinal direction (X) of the pressure roller (19). Accordingly, even when the pressure roller (19) is in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18), since the concave region (25b) deforms to an approximately plane shape only, and the end face (25a) does not protrude outwards, the occurrence of cracking in the elastic layer (25) of the pressure roller (19) can be avoided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image former for performing an image formation by transferring a toner image onto a sheet; a fixing unit for performing a fixing operation with respect to the sheet having the transferred toner image by heating; a discharge tray for successively stacking the sheet to be discharged after the fixing operation; and a curl correcting mechanism for correcting a curl of the sheet to be discharged onto the discharge tray after the fixing operation.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus has a fixing member for fixing toner on paper and a pressure member making contact therewith to form in between a nip through which paper is passed. The fixing member has a support member formed of a ferromagnetic material and a heating layer formed adjacent thereto in the form of a thin layer of a non-magnetic, electrically conductive material. When a high-frequency electric current is passed through an exciting coil that is combined with the fixing member, the fixing member produces a high-frequency magnetic field, thereby produces induced eddy currents in the heating layer of the fixing member, thereby produces Joule's heat in the heating layer, and thereby heats the fixing member. A leaking magnetic flux is absorbed by the support member of the ferromagnetic member, and thus has reduced influence on metal parts located around the fixing apparatus.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus has a fixing member for fixing toner on paper and a pressure member making contact therewith to form in between a nip through which paper is passed. The fixing member has a support member formed of a ferromagnetic material and a heating layer formed adjacent thereto in the form of a thin layer of a non-magnetic, electrically conductive material. When a high-frequency electric current is passed through an exciting coil that is combined with the fixing member, the fixing member produces a high-frequency magnetic field, thereby produces induced eddy currents in the heating layer of the fixing member, thereby produces Joule's heat in the heating layer, and thereby heats the fixing member. A leaking magnetic flux is absorbed by the support member of the ferromagnetic member, and thus has reduced influence on metal parts located around the fixing apparatus.

Abstract: A fixing device is provided with a heat roller (18) and a pressure roller (19) having a shaft (24) and an elastic layer (25) formed on a periphery thereof and being in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18). A concave region (25b), formed in an approximate arc shape in cross-section, is arranged on an end face (25a) of the elastic layer (25) in a longitudinal direction (X) of the pressure roller (19). Accordingly, even when the pressure roller (19) is in pressurized contact with the heat roller (18), since the concave region (25b) deforms to an approximately plane shape only, and the end face (25a) does not protrude outwards, the occurrence of cracking in the elastic layer (25) of the pressure roller (19) can be avoided.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus has a fixing member for fixing toner on paper and a pressure member making contact therewith to form in between a nip through which paper is passed. The fixing member has a support member formed of a ferromagnetic material and a heating layer formed adjacent thereto in the form of a thin layer of a non-magnetic, electrically conductive material. When a high-frequency electric current is passed through an exciting coil that is combined with the fixing member, the fixing member produces a high-frequency magnetic field, thereby produces induced eddy currents in the heating layer of the fixing member, thereby produces Joule's heat in the heating layer, and thereby heats the fixing member. A leaking magnetic flux is absorbed by the support member of the ferromagnetic member, and thus has reduced influence on metal parts located around the fixing apparatus.