Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is provided which primarily transfers a toner image onto an intermediate transfer member, and then secondarily transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer member onto a transfer material, wherein a controller controls the process so that when the image forming apparatus stops, a toner image pattern ? formed on a non-image area of a photoconductive member is prevented from causing image problems.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing roller, a fixing belt forming a nip between them, a heat source for heating at least one of the rollers, wherein a recording medium carrying an unfixed toner image passes through the nip to perform fixing operation, and a flattener having a conveyance roller and a pressure contact member which is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller, which is provided downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium of the nip. A convex shape of the nip formed by the fixing roller and the fixing belt, and a convex shape of a nip of the flattener formed by the conveyance roller and the pressure contact member are arranged to have opposite directions to each other, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a fixing device for fixing toner including wax on a transfer sheet comprising a fixing rotating member for fixing toner on the transfer sheet with a rotation thereof, and first cleaning member contacting to the fixing rotating member so as to remove melted wax on the fixing rotating member. A surface roughness Rz of the first cleaning member is not more than 1.6 ?m.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus capable of preventing transfer paper from sticking or jamming, and an image recording apparatus equipped with the same. This fixing apparatus is intended to fix polymerized toner on transfer material and has a) a heating roller having a cylindrical cored bar, and a elastic layer and releasing layer provided around said cylindrical cored bar, b) a pressure roller, in contact with the heating roller, having a cylindrical cored bar, and a elastic layer and releasing layer provided around the cylindrical cored bar, c) a first guide member provided opposite the pressure roller, and d) a second guide member. provided near the heating roller without contacting thereto. In this fixing apparatus, the difference in hardness between the heating roller and pressure roller is 5 through 10 degrees in AskerC, And the hardness of the pressure roller is higher than that of the heating roller.

Abstract: A fixing device for use in an image forming apparatus capable of forming both-side images on a sheet by using a sheet reversing and conveying device. The fixing device has a heat applying rotary body with an elastic layer made of rubber and a toner releasing layer on top thereof, for coming into contact with and heating a side bearing an unfixed toner image of a transfer sheet; a pressure applying rotary body with an elastic layer made of rubber and a toner releasing layer on top thereof, for fixing and conveying the transfer material by coming into pressure contact and rotating with the heat applying rotary body; a drive source for driving one of the rotary bodies; and a heat applying source for heating one of the rotary bodies. The pressure applying rotary body has a micro-hardness smaller than that of the heat applying rotary body.

Abstract: This invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit which includes a heat section having a resilient body and a release layer that covers the resilient body, and a press section having a resilient body and a release layer that covers the resilient body and pressed by the heat section, and which heats and fixes a transfer medium at a nip portion as a press contact portion of the two sections. This fixing unit satisfies at least one of the following three conditions: (a) the tensile strength of the resilient body of the heat section upon a lapse of an arbitrary use time is higher than its initial tensile strength or is not lower than the initial tensile strength by 0.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image formed on a transfer sheet comprised of rotatable heating member having a thermo-conductive base material, a heat-resistive resilient layer provided to cover the outer surface of the thermo-conductive base material, and a heat-resistive releasing layer provided to cover the heat resistive resilient layer; and a rotatable pressure member to nip and transport the transfer sheet cooperating with the rotatable heating member, for fusing the toner image on the transfer sheet; wherein, hardness of the surface of heat-resistive releasing member measure by a micro hardness meter is 55 to 75° and the surface roughness Rz is 0.5-2.0 &mgr;m.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is provided which primarily transfers a toner image onto an intermediate transfer member, and then secondarily transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer member onto a transfer material, wherein a controller controls the process so that when the image forming apparatus stops, a toner image &agr; formed on a non-image area of a photoconductive member is preventing from causing image problems.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing roller, a fixing belt forming a nip between them, a heat source for heating at least one of the rollers, wherein a recording medium carrying an unfixed toner image passes through the nip to perform fixing operation, and a flattener having a conveyance roller and a pressure contact member which is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller, which is provided downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium of the nip. A convex shape of the nip formed by the fixing roller and the fixing belt, and a convex shape of a nip of the flattener formed by the conveyance roller and the pressure contact member are arranged to have opposite directions to each other, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

Abstract: A fixing device includes; a heat roller having a cylindrical core with a heating source provided inside, an elastic body lined around the core, and a mold releasing layer covering the surface of the elastic body, and a pressure roller in pressure contact with the heat roller. A toner image is fixed by sandwiching, heating and pressurizing of the transfer material where the unfixed toner image fed to the pressed nip of the two aforementioned rollers is transferred. The hardness of the pressure roller is set higher than that of the heat roller, and the reference in Asker C hardness is set from 10 to 15°.

Abstract: This invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit which includes a heat section having a resilient body and a release layer that covers the resilient body, and a press section having a resilient body and a release layer that covers the resilient body and pressed by the heat section, and which heats and fixes a transfer medium at a nip portion as a press contact portion of the two sections.

Abstract: A fixing device for use in an image forming apparatus capable of forming both-side images on a sheet which by using a sheet reversing and conveying device. The fixing device has a heat applying rotary body with an elastic layer made of rubber and a toner releasing layer on top thereof, for coming into contact with and heating a side bearing an unfixed toner image of a transfer sheet; a pressure applying rotary body with an elastic layer made of rubber and a toner releasing layer on top thereof, for fixing and conveying the transfer material by coming into pressure contact and rotating with the heat applying rotary body; and a heat applying source for heating at least one of said rotary bodies. The pressure applying rotary body has a micro-hardness smaller than that of the heat applying rotary body.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is provided which primarily transfers a toner image onto an intermediate transfer member, and then secondarily transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer member onto a transfer material, wherein a controller controls the process so that when the image forming apparatus stops, a toner image pattern &agr; formed on a non-image area of a photoconductive member is preventing from causing image problems.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus equipped with a heat fixing device includes a heating roll as a heating member incorporating a heater as a heating source and having at least one elastic layer, and a pressure roll as a pressure member having at least one elastic layer whose surface is in contact with an external heating roll incorporating a heater therein. The thermal conductivity of the elastic layer of the pressure roll is smaller than that of the elastic layer of the heating roll.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which includes photoreceptors, around which are a charging section, an exposing section and a developing section, for forming a toner image. The image forming apparatus also includes a rotatable intermediate transfer member, first transfer sections, a second transfer section, having a transfer roller, for transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material, and a controller to control the image forming condition based on a detected density of an image pattern a formed on a non-image area of the photoreceptor. The controller releases a pressure contact of the transfer roller of the second transfer section, before the image pattern &agr; arrives at the second transfer section and starts a next print cycle after again making the pressure contact.

Abstract: A fixing device for use in an image forming apparatus capable of forming both-side images on a sheet by using a sheet reversing and conveying device, comprises: a heat applying rotary body having an elastic layer made of rubber and a toner releasing layer on top thereof, for coming into contact with and heating a side bearing an unfixed toner image of a transfer sheet; a pressure applying rotary body having an elastic layer made of rubber and a toner releasing layer on top thereof, for fixing and conveying the transfer material by coming into pressure contact and rotating with the heat applying rotary body; a drive source for driving one of the rotary bodies; and a heat applying source for heating one of the rotary bodies, wherein micro-hardness of the pressure applying rotary body is smaller than that of the heat applying rotary body.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image formed on a transfer sheet comprised of rotatable heating member having a thermo-conductive base material, a heat-resistive resilient layer provided to cover the outer surface of the thermo-conductive base material, and a heat-resistive releasing layer provided to cover the heat resistive resilient layer; and a rotatable pressure member to nip and transport the transfer sheet cooperating with the rotatable heating member, for fusing the toner image on the transfer sheet; wherein, hardness of the surface of heat-resistive releasing member measure by a micro hardness meter is 55 to 750°.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises; photoreceptors, around which is a charging section, an exposing section and a developing section, for forming a toner image; a rotatable intermediate transfer member; first transfer sections; a second transfer section, having a transfer roller, for transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material; and a controller to control the image forming condition based on the detected density of an image pattern &agr; formed on a non-image area of the photoreceptor; wherein the controller releases a pressure contact of the transfer roller of the second transfer section, before the image pattern &agr; arrives the second transfer section, and starts a next print cycle after again making the pressure contact.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a photoreceptor having charging, exposing and developing means in its periphery, primarily transferring said toner image onto an intermediate transfer member, and then secondarily transferring said toner image from said intermediate transfer member onto transfer material, wherein the controller controls the process so that when the image forming apparatus stops, a toner image &agr; formed on a non-image area of the photoconductive member is not kept nipped at the transferring sections.