Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt that fixes toner onto a recording medium by heat, a heating member in the form of substantially a sheet that has flexibility and that heats the belt from inside a space enclosed by the belt, and a stationary member including a curved surface that is in contact with the heating member, a fixed area in the curved surface in which the heating member is fixed to the stationary member, and a non-fixed area in the curved surface in which the heating member is not fixed to the stationary member, the stationary member having a coefficient of linear expansion different from that of the heating member. The belt is wound around the stationary member via a layer that includes the heating member, and rigidities of the belt and the heating member are lower than a rigidity of the stationary member.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt that fixes toner onto a recording medium by heat, a heating member in the form of substantially a sheet that has flexibility and that heats the belt from inside a space enclosed by the belt, and a stationary member including a curved surface that is in contact with the heating member, a fixed area in the curved surface in which the heating member is fixed to the stationary member, and a non-fixed area in the curved surface in which the heating member is not fixed to the stationary member, the stationary member having a coefficient of linear expansion different from that of the heating member. The belt is wound around the stationary member via a layer that includes the heating member, and rigidities of the belt and the heating member are lower than a rigidity of the stationary member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing member having a heat resistant resin layer, a metal layer having two or more layers, and a releasing layer, in this order from the inner peripheral side, wherein a specific resistance of the metal layer disposed at the outer peripheral side is larger than a specific resistance of the metal layer disposed at the inner peripheral side in the at least two metal layers, and a modulus of an internal stress of the metal layer disposed at the outer peripheral side is 5 kg/mm2 or less. Further, a fixing device includes the fixing member, an electromagnetic induction heating device in which an electric field is applied to the fixing member, and a press member which press-contact the surface of a releasing layer of the fixing member. Furthermore, an image forming device having this fixing device is provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing member having a heat resistant resin layer, a metal layer having two or more layers, and a releasing layer, in this order from the inner peripheral side, wherein a specific resistance of the metal layer disposed at the outer peripheral side is larger than a specific resistance of the metal layer disposed at the inner peripheral side in the at least two metal layers, and a modulus of an internal stress of the metal layer disposed at the outer peripheral side is 5 kg/mm2 or less. Further, a fixing device includes the fixing member, an electromagnetic induction heating device in which an electric field is applied to the fixing member, and a press member which press-contact the surface of a releasing layer of the fixing member. Furthermore, an image forming device having this fixing device is provided.

Abstract: A charge transporting block and an insulating block are block copolymerized or graft copolymerized to form a charge transporting copolymer. The charge transporting polymers may be used in an electrophotographic photoreceptor and an electrophotographic device.

Abstract: An improved electrophotographic photosensitive material having a photosensitive layer on a conductive support.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor and process for preparing the same, the photoreceptor comprising a conductive substrate having thereon a photoconductive layer and a surface layer in this order, the photoconductive layer comprising amorphous silicon containing at least one of hydrogen and a halogen, and the surface layer comprising a dried and/or cured product under a reduced pressure of an inorganic or organic high molecular weight material containing fine particles of a conductive metal oxide dispersed therein.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic system, an electrostatic latent image as formed on a photoreceptor is developed with a developing agent to form a toner image thereon, a transfer paper is laid over the toner image and pressure is applied to the photoreceptor and the transfer paper so as to transfer or simultaneously transfer and fix the toner image onto the transfer paper. The photoreceptor is one having a surface protecting layer and a light-sensitive layer made of a hydrogenated and/or fluorinated amorphous silicon. The light-sensitive layer and the surface protecting layer of the photoreceptor are uniformly heated to a constant temperature. A charging device or a discharging brush or blade is used as a device of discharging the charges of the photoreceptor after the transference.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising: an electrically conductive substrate, a charge injection blocking layer formed on said electrically conductive substrate, a photoconductive layer comprising a single layer formed on said charge injection blocking layer, said photoconductive layer comprising amorphous silicon containing boron, a positive hole capturing layer formed on said photoconductive layer, said positive hole capturing layer being selected from the group comprising amorphous silicon containing less than 50 ppm boron and amorphous silicon being substantially composed of hydrogen and silicon atoms, and a surface layer formed on said positive hole capturing layer. The boron concentration contained in said photoconductive layer is 0.01-1000 ppm. The surface layer is formed by amorphous silicon nitride, amorphous silicon oxide, amorphous silicon carbide or amorphous carbon as a main body. The charge injection blocking layer has amorphous silicon as a main body and contains a group V element.

Abstract: A negative-charging electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising an electrically conductive support having consecutively thereon (a) a charge injection prevention layer having a thickness of from 0.15 to 10 .mu.m, (b) a photoconductive layer, and (c) a surface layer, the charge injection prevention layer (a) comprising amorphous silicon containing at least one of a hydrogen atom and a halogen atom, and containing a nitrogen atom in an atomic ratio of from 0.01 to 0.65 to the silicon atom, the photoconductive layer (b) comprising amorphous silicon containing at least one of a hydrogen atom and a halogen atom.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor and process for preparing the same, the photoreceptor comprising a conductive substrate having thereon a photoconductive layer and a surface layer in this order, the photoconductive layer comprising amorphous silicon containing at least one of hydrogen and a halogen, and the surface layer comprising a dried and/or cured product under a reduced pressure of an inorganic or organic high molecular weight material containing fine particles of a conductive metal oxide dispersed therein.

Abstract: The improved dielectric member for carrying electrostatic latent image comprises a support and an overlying dielectric layer, with a thickness of from 3 to 70 .mu.m, that is formed of an polysiloxane/amic acid copolymer. The dielectric member has a relative dielectric constant of 2.0 to 6.0, a surface hardness of 300 to 1,500 on the Vickers scale, and exhibits high reliability in operating characteristics. It can be produced by a process in which the dielectric layer is formed on the support by applying an inorganic polymer compound film-forming material onto the support, and heating the coated layer in vacuum to cure.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor is disclosed, comprising an electrically conductive substrate having provided thereon at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer, wherein the photoconductive layer comprises (a) a charge transporting layer mainly composed of amorphous silicon containing at least one of hydrogen and a halogen and at least one selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen and (b) a charge generating layer composed of amorphous silicon containing at least one of hydrogen and a halogen or amorphous silicon containing at least one of hydrogen and a halogen and at least one selected from germanium and tin, and the surface layer is composed of at least one of an organic polymer material and an inorganic polymer material having dispersed therein an electrically conductive fine powder.

Abstract: An electorphotographic photoreceptor comprises an electroconductive support at least whose indentation hardness of surface is 100 and over on the Vickers hardness scale; a photoconductive layer comprising amorphous silicon containing at least one of hydrogen and halogen; and a surface layer comprising at least one of an amorphous silicon layer containing at least one of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon, and an amorphous carbon layer containing at least one of not exceeding 50 atm. % of hydrogen and halogen. This photoreceptor is long-lived and causing no image defects that would otherwise develop in connection with the support, and it can be applied to an energy-saving, low-cost and highly reliable electrophotographic process and apparatus.

Abstract: An electrophotographic process, which comprises the steps of: forming an electrostatic latent image on an amorphous silicon photoreceptor; developing the electrostatic latent image with a capsule toner; superimposing transfer paper on the capsule toner image thus formed; and simultaneously transferring and fixing the image on the paper by applying pressure.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a conductive substrate, a photoconductive layer formed on the substrate, and a surface layer formed on the photoconductive layer, wherein the surface layer comprises a polymer mainly composed of a siloxane bond and an imide bond. The photoreceptor has small dark decay and excellent mechanical strength and causes no image blurring under high humidity conditions and therefore can be used in a general electrophotographic process. When used in a laser printer using a coherent light source, the photoreceptor produces high quality images free from a Moire fringe.

Abstract: An electrophotographic light-sensitive material is disclosed, comprising an elecrically conductive substrate having thereon at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer in this order, wherein the photoconductive layer is made mainly of amorphous silicon containing hydrogen, the surface layer is made of a high molecular weight material as a binder with an electrically conductive metal oxide powder dispersed therein, and at least one layer made mainly of amorphous silicon carbide, amorphous silicon nitride, amorphous silicon oxide or amorphous carbon each containing hydrogen is provided as an intermediate layer between the surface layer and the photoconductive layers.