Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation and a nip formation assembly disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt. An opposed rotary body is pressed against the nip formation assembly via the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the opposed rotary body through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. A belt holder contacts and supports each lateral end of the endless belt in an axial direction thereof. The belt holder is isolated from the opposed rotary body with a first interval interposed therebetween in the axial direction of the endless belt.

Abstract: The fixing device includes a nip formation assembly partially pressing against an opposed rotary body via an endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the opposed rotary body. The nip formation assembly includes a base pad defining the fixing nip and including a pressure portion, an extension portion, and a curved portion. The pressure portion presses against the opposed rotary body via the endless belt. The extension portion is contiguous to and disposed upstream from the pressure portion in a recording medium conveyance direction. The extension portion does not press against the opposed rotary body via the endless belt. The curved portion is disposed upstream from the extension portion in the recording medium conveyance direction and smoothly blends into the extension portion. The curved portion does not press against the opposed rotary body.

Abstract: In an embodiment, provided is a fixing device that includes: a fixing belt rotatable and endless; a belt holding member holding the fixing belt at each end part in an axial direction; a heat source heating the fixing belt; a nip forming member provided inside the fixing belt; an opposing rotator forming a nip portion between the opposing rotator and the fixing belt via the fixing belt; and a separating member that extends near the nip portion and separates a recording medium from a surface of the fixing belt. A leading end of the separating member is provided with a receding portion and an approaching portion that is at a different position from a position of the receding portion different in the axial direction. The approaching portion is provided nearer to the nip portion than the receding portion is provided.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a support supporting a nip formation assembly that presses against an opposed rotary body via an endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the opposed rotary body. The support includes a base contacting the nip formation assembly. An upstream projection projects from the base in a pressurization direction of the opposed rotary body at a position on the base corresponding to or upstream from an upstream edge of the fixing nip in a recording medium conveyance direction. A downstream projection projects from the base in the pressurization direction of the opposed rotary body at a position on the base corresponding to or downstream from a downstream edge of the fixing nip in the recording medium conveyance direction. The downstream projection is spaced apart from the upstream projection in the recording medium conveyance direction.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image on a recording medium includes a rotatable endless fixing rotary member, a heating source which heats the fixing rotary member, an opposite rotary member in contact with the fixing rotary member, a nip forming member provided inside the fixing rotary member and in contact with the opposite rotary member via the fixing rotary member to form a nip portion to which the recording medium is fed, holding members rotatably holding end portions of the fixing rotary member, and protecting members provided between the holding members and end surfaces of the fixing rotary member to protect the end portions. Each of the protecting members has an opposite surface facing the corresponding end surface of the fixing rotary member, and including an inner diameter-side end edge having an inclined surface inclined in an inner diameter direction and away from the fixing rotary member.

Abstract: According to an embodiments, provided is a fixing device that includes: an endless fixing belt, heats and melts a toner image, and has flexibility; a stationary member that is set stationary on an inner peripheral surface side of the fixing belt and comes into contact under pressure to form a nip portion; and a reinforcement member that is set stationary on the inner peripheral surface side of the fixing belt and comes into abutment with the stationary member. If it is assumed that a length of the nip portion in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium is designated as A; and a length between an upstream-side abutment portion and a downstream-side abutment portion at which the stationary member and the reinforcement member come into abutment with each other is designated as B, following relation is established: A<B, and interval B includes interval A.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless flexible belt, a stationary pad, a rotary pressure member, and a reinforcing member. The endless flexible belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration extending in an axial direction thereof for rotation in a rotational, circumferential direction thereof. The stationary pad is stationarily disposed inside the loop of the belt. The rotary pressure member is disposed parallel to the belt. The rotary pressure member presses against the stationary pad via the belt to form a nip therebetween. The reinforcing member is stationarily disposed in contact with the stationary pad inside the loop of the belt for reinforcing the stationary pad. The stationary pad includes two or more contact portions spaced apart from each other in the conveyance direction, each generally extending in the axial direction of the looped belt and protruding toward the reinforcing member to contact the reinforcing member.

Abstract: An image forming device forms a toner image on a recording medium. The recording medium goes through a fixing nip N between a fixing member and a pressure member in a fixing unit where the toner image is fixed on the recording medium. A fixing temperature detector detects the temperature of the fixing member. A fixing temperature control unit controls a heater that heats the fixing member so that the detected temperature becomes a target temperature. A size control unit of white space sets a white space at a tip of the recording medium in a direction of the recording medium movement. When a paper counter counts more than a predetermined paper count, the size control unit increases the size of the white space. The fixing temperature control unit decreases the target fixing temperature when the white space goes through the fixing nip.

Abstract: A toner container and an image forming apparatus are disclosed. The toner container includes a guiding member formed at a part surrounding a toner outlet to be protruded from a circumferential surface of the toner container for guiding an opening or closing operation of a shutter member in a circumferential direction of the toner container. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus main body includes a main body side shutter for opening or closing a toner supplying opening to be connected to the toner outlet. When the shutter member is opened, an end surface of the guiding member pushes the main body side shutter together with the opening operation of the shutter member, and the toner supplying opening is opened and is connected to the toner outlet.

Abstract: A belt device includes a flange assembly including a tube inserted into a loop formed by an endless belt at each lateral end of the endless belt in an axial direction thereof and a slip ring slidably contacting a groove mounted on the tube. An inner diameter ID 51 of the slip ring through a rotation axis of the slip ring is smaller than a minimum outer diameter OD50a of the tube through the rotation axis of the slip ring. The minimum outer diameter OD50a is smaller than a maximum outer diameter OD21 of a track of the endless belt rotating in a predetermined direction of rotation through the rotation axis of the slip ring. The maximum outer diameter OD21 is smaller than an outer diameter OD51 of the slip ring through the rotation axis of the slip ring.

Abstract: A toner container and an image forming apparatus are disclosed. The toner container includes a guiding member formed at a part surrounding a toner outlet to be protruded from a circumferential surface of the toner container for guiding an opening or closing operation of a shutter member in a circumferential direction of the toner container. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus main body includes a main body side shutter for opening or closing a toner supplying opening to be connected to the toner outlet. When the shutter member is opened, an end surface of the guiding member pushes the main body side shutter together with the opening operation of the shutter member, and the toner supplying opening is opened and is connected to the toner outlet.

Abstract: A development device to develop a latent image with two-component developer includes a developer carrier disposed facing the image carrier, to carry the developer, a magnetic field generator disposed inside the developer carrier, to form multiple magnetic poles around the developer carrier, an interior wall dividing the interior of the development device into a first transport chamber and a second transport chamber parallel to the first transport chamber, a first transport member disposed in the first transport chamber, facing the developer carrier, to supply the developer to the developer carrier while transporting the developer longitudinally, a second transport member disposed in the second transport chamber, facing the developer carrier, to transport the developer separated from the developer carrier longitudinally, a partition disposed between the developer carrier and the second transport member to prevent resupply of the used developer in the second transport chamber from to the developer carrier.

Abstract: In a fixing device, a heating element is extended along a fixing member at a location other than a nip on an inner circumferential surface side of the fixing member to generate heat. The fixing member contacts the heating element either indirectly via a gap of a prescribed size or directly contacts the heating element by with a prescribed pressure when the fixing member is rotating, and continuously separates from the heating element by a prescribed distance greater than the size of the gap when the fixing member stops rotating.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fuser member, a heater, a thermometer, and a power supply controller. The fuser member is subjected to heating. The heater is adjacent to the fuser member to heat the fuser member. The thermometer is adjacent to the fuser member to detect an operational temperature of the fuser member. The power supply controller controls power supply to the heater by adjusting a duty cycle. The controller includes a duty cycle calculator, a driver circuit, and a duty cycle modifier. The duty cycle calculator is operatively connected to the thermometer to calculate a primary value of the duty cycle based on the operational temperature. The driver circuit is operatively connected to the duty cycle calculator to supply power to the heater according to the duty cycle. The duty cycle modifier is connected between the duty cycle calculator and the driver circuit to modify the duty cycle.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer that carries a toner image, and a lubricant supplying device that supplies lubricant to the surface of the image bearer. A lubricant supplying device is provided in the image forming apparatus and includes a lubricant block and a brush roller. The brush roller shaves and supplies the lubricant from the lubricant block to the image bearer via the brush roller. The lubricant is made by molding under pressure.

Abstract: A developing device, process cartridge method, and image forming apparatus for developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier, the developing device including a first carrying member that supplies a developer to a developer carrier at the position of a developer attracting fourth magnetic pole while longitudinally carrying the developer, and a second carrying member that carries the developer released from the developer carrier at the position of a developer releasing third magnetic pole. The developer carrier has two magnetic poles (second and fourth magnetic poles) of the same polarity sandwiching the developer releasing third magnetic pole. Moreover, the developer releasing third magnetic pole is formed by the two magnetic poles (second and fourth magnetic poles) so that the polarity of the developer releasing third magnetic pole differs from the polarity of the two magnetic poles (second and fourth magnetic poles).

Abstract: According to an embodiments, a fixing device includes: an endless fixing member; a heating unit that is provided inside an inner peripheral surface of the fixing member; and a nip forming unit that comes into press-contact with a rotationally driven pressing member with the fixing member interposed therebetween to form a nip. The nip forming unit has a shape in which a center of a contact surface protrudes toward the pressing member compared to both ends. The nip forming unit has a protruding amount at a center toward the pressing member compared to both ends of the nip forming unit in no-load state is set to be less than a bent amount of the nip forming unit when the nip forming unit comes into press-contact with the pressing member with the fixing member interposed therebetween.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater to generate heat based on soft-start control. The heater is supplied with power using different power-turn-on-duty control patterns in accordance with power requirements and an operation mode of the fixing device.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a rotatable endless flexible belt, a drive roller opposed to the rotatable endless flexible belt to contact and drive an outer circumferential surface of the rotatable endless flexible belt, and a nip formation device receiving pressure from the drive roller via the rotatable endless flexible belt to form a nip thereon to sandwich and convey a recording sheet. A heat source is provided to generate heat and heat the nip. Each of the end roller portions of the drive roller has a higher friction coefficient surface than a central roller portion of the drive roller sandwiching the recording sheet. These end roller portions are composed of separate bodies from the central roller portion and detachably attachable from and to the central roller portion.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a thermal conductor disposed inside a flexible endless fixing belt formed into a loop and configured to conduct heat from a heater to the fixing belt. The thermal conductor includes a center heating portion heated by the heater and disposed at a center of the thermal conductor in a longitudinal direction thereof orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a recording medium conveyed to the fixing belt and lateral end non-heating portions disposed at lateral ends of the thermal conductor in the longitudinal direction thereof and contiguous to the center heating portion. The center heating portion having a first diameter conducts heat from the heater to the fixing belt. The lateral end non-heating portions having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter of the center heating portion minimize conduction of heat from the heater to the fixing belt.