Abstract: A blade for regulating the amount of a release oil to be supplied is placed so as to abut on a fixing member or on a member for controlling the amount of the release oil to be supplied to the fixing member. The abutting surface of the blade is composed of a silicone rubber layer. Alternatively, the blade includes a plate-shaped elastic body and a silicone rubber layer formed on the tip of the elastic body. A fixing device including the blade and an image-forming apparatus including the fixing device are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an elastic body having a small volume change caused by the change in temperature, a roller having a small change in outer diameter thereof caused by an increase in temperature of the roller during operation, a manufacturing method therefor, and a heating and fixing device which can maintain a constant processing speed. The roller has an elastic layer formed by curing a silicone rubber material containing at least expanded resin microballoons, wherein, when the roller is placed in a vacuum chamber in which atmospheric pressure is reduced to 0.001 MPa or less over 2 minutes, the roller has a gas permeability indicating the recovery characteristic where an increased amount of the thickness of the elastic layer after 10 minutes from the start of evacuation is two-thirds or less of the maximum increased amount of the thickness of the elastic layer during a 10 minutes period from the start of evacuation.

Abstract: A snap-on type earthing clip terminal clamps a mounting plate on opposite first and second faces thereof while engaging an engaging claw in a through hole of the mounting plate. The terminal possesses a terminal body to which an electric wire is connected. A primary pressure strip is formed by cutting and bending up a portion of the terminal body excluding an auxiliary pressure strip with the engaging claw. A pressing portion of the primary pressure strip resiliently presses the first face of the mounting plate in an insertion space. Consequently, the terminal body and the auxiliary pressure strip closely contact the second face of the mounting plate.

Abstract: A fixing-unit roller has a fixing roller and/or a pressure roller in which a composite material of an organopolysiloxane and a fluoroelastomer containing no fluorine resin or containing a fluorine resin is used as an elastic material of at least the outermost layer. The composite material has an island-in-sea structure wherein the organopolysiloxane stands as a sea phase and the fluoroelastomer containing no fluorine resin or containing a fluorine resin stands as an island phase. The particles of the island phase have a size ranging from 1 &mgr;m to 10 &mgr;m. The fixing-unit roller has superior toner releasability and superior scratch resistance and wear resistance.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a fluororesin-coating process, which comprises the steps of inserting a base having powder of the fluororesin on its surface in the interior of a cylindrical face transfer member, and heating both base and face transfer member by means of an infrared heater from the outside of the face transfer member, thereby heating them in a state that the fluororesin powder layer is pressed by the face transfer member making good use of a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the base and the face transfer member to form a fluororesin layer.

Abstract: A method for sheathing a substrate with a fluorine resin tube in accordance with the present invention includes placing a substrate sheathed with a heat-shrinkable fluorine resin tube into a cylindrical surface transfer member and heat-pressing the heat-shrinkable fluorine resin tube between the substrate and the cylindrical surface transfer member so that the heat-shrinkable fluorine resin tube is melt-bonded to the substrate. The fluorine resin tube after sheathing has excellent heat resistance and strength, and has a desired surface unevenness.

Abstract: A heat-pressure fixing device for fixing a toner image is composed of a fixing member, a pressure member and an oil applicator for applying dimethylsilicone oil as a release oil. The fixing member is surfaced with dimethylsilicone rubber having a storage modulus E' satisfying 1.0.times.10.sup.6 dyn/cm.sup.2 <E'<1.5.times.10.sup.7 dyn/cm.sup.2 and a loss modulus E" satisfying 1.0.times.10.sup.5 dyn/cm.sup.2 <E"<7.5.times.10.sup.5 dyn/cm.sup.2, and exhibits a good release performance at a low dimethylsilicone oil application rate of 1-20 mg/A4-size (621 cm.sup.2).

Abstract: A fixing member includes a plurality of elastic layers on a core member, at least one elastic layer L1 among these elastic layers being overlaid on an elastic layer L2 having a surface roughness Rz of 10 .mu.m or more. The fixing member has a high heat conductivity, and the temperature depression of a fixing roller is moderated in a continuous paper feeding process.

Abstract: A toner fixation film has an exothermic layer within which an eddy current is induced with application of a magnetic field and then heat is generated. The exothermic layer is a composite layer in which an exothermic part and resin part coexist. The toner fixation film can offer a sufficient heat generation necessary for toner fixation, and has enough flexiblity to permit curvature separation. A toner fixation apparatus comprises the toner fixation film and at least one coil for producing an alternating magnetic field for eddy current induction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, has a fixing device for fixing a developer image transferred to a transfer medium, such as paper, with a fixing roller whose surface is coated with a release agent, such as oil, and includes at least one feed passage member for conveying, while contacting, a transfer medium to a transfer region of the apparatus. The feed passage member has a release agent absorbing layer on the surface thereof, and is thus advantageous for preventing release agent from being transferred and adhered to a photo-sensitive drum of the apparatus. The release agent absorbing layer of the feed passage member may contain either porous particles or particles and a binder resin, and be formed on another layer for retaining release agent absorbed by the release agent absorbing layer. The feed passage member preferably constitutes a transfer medium carrying member, which may include a dielectric sheet, for supporting and carrying a transfer medium.

Abstract: A fixing member suitable for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is formed by providing a silicone rubber surface layer containing a metal compound represented by M.sub.m X.sub.n, wherein M denotes a metal cation selected from Al, Sc, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Ga, X denotes an anion selected from halogens, inorganic acid ions and organic acid ions, and m and n are positive integers satisfying m.times.(valence of M)=n.times.(valence of X). The silicone rubber surface layer can exhibit improved wear resistance while retaining a good toner releasability.

Abstract: For the purpose of providing a gas circuit breaker with a structure of hydraulic pressure operation system capable of detecting the occurrence of an incomplete closed state of the valves therein to prevent their erroneous motion during the subsequent motion, and a liquid-pressure driving system to be used therefor, a check valve is arranged so as to suppress the flow into the space on the side of the downstream of a closed-circuit operation spool valve, wherein the space on the side of the downstream of the closed-circuit operation spool valve is connected through a second diaphragm to a low-pressure oil tank and the operation time or operation number of a liquid-pressure pump is measured.

Abstract: A heat fixing belt having an electrically conductive layer in which an eddy current is produced by an alternating magnetic field applied from outside the belt thereby generating heat. The belt further includes toner release layer disposed on the surface of the fixing belt, the fixing belt being characterized in that the electrically conductive layer is an aluminum layer with a thickness less than 35 .mu.m, and having a rubber elastic layer between the aluminum layer and the toner release layer. The rubber elastic layer is disposed between the aluminum layer and the toner release layer making it possible to greatly reduce the time required to heat the fixing belt up to a predetermined temperature necessary for the fixing operation after the electric power is turned on. Thus, the invention can provide a heat fixing apparatus capable of quickly starting the fixing operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fluororesin-coated member having a fluororubber layer containing a fluororesin, and a fluororesin layer formed on the fluororubber layer. The fluororesin layer is a uniform layer formed by coating an aqueous fluororesin dispersion coating and burning it, and exhibits excellent surface smoothness and durability of adhesion to the fluororubber layer. The present invention also provides a method of producing the fluororesin-coated member.

Abstract: A fixing roller for thermally fixing an unfixed toner image is comprised of a core cylinder and a fluororesin tube fused on the core cylinder. The core cylinder is provided on its periphery with a minute groove means. On fusing the fluororesin tube on the core cylinder, the minute groove means gives to the surface of the fluororesin tube convexities or concavities extending in parallel in the peripheral direction of the fixing roller.

Abstract: Occurrence of erroneous operation in which circuit closing operation unexpectedly happens after circuit opening operation even though an abnormality such that a circuit closing system is left in a circuit closing condition even after completion of the circuit closing operation. Accordingly, a circuit closing control valve has such an arrangement that its pilot chamber becomes a low pressure so that the circuit closing control valve is opened, and a lock valve having two pilot chambers connected to a circuit closing pilot valve and a circuit opening pilot valve, which are both become a low pressure, is located in a passage connecting between the pilot chamber of the circuit opening control valve and a return port.

Abstract: A circuit breaker includes a tank grounded and filled with an insulating gas, a first electrical series-connected section having a main conductor and a main breaking section, and a second electrical series-connected section having a resistor and an advance closing contact device. The first electrical series-connected section is coupled electrically in parallel to the second electrical series-connected section. The fixed contact side of the main breaking section is supported by an insulating cylinder and the fixed contact side of the advance closing contact device is supported by an insulating plate from the fixed contact side of the main breaking section. A breaking unit, chiefly composed of the main breaking section and the advance closing contact device, is supported by insulating cylinders. A resistor unit is supported by an insulating cylinder.

Abstract: A fixing rotatable member for use in an image forming apparatus such as a copying apparatus or a laser beam printer is disclosed. The fixing rotatable member includes a base member and an elastic layer provided on the surface thereof. The elastic layer is addition type silicone rubber in which resin-like polyorganosiloxane and 0.1 to 2 percent by weight of inorganic fine powder are mixed.

Abstract: A gas circuit breaker having a resistance circuit breaking portion connected in parallel with a main circuit breaking portion includes a main circuit breaking portion actuating mechanism and a resistance circuit breaking portion actuating mechanism. The resistance circuit breaking portion actuating mechanism is provided with a first delaying mechanism mechanically coupled to the main circuit breaking portion actuating mechanism, and a second delaying mechanism, independent from the first delaying mechanism, which is operated by an electrical command signal relating to either a making or an interrupting electrical signal to the main circuit breaking portion actuating mechanism. The otherwise possible thermal break-down of a resistor connected in series with the resistance circuit breaking portion is prevented.