Abstract: A fixing device includes a pressure roll having elasticity or flexibility which is a driving roller, a heat-resistant endless belt being in contact with the pressure roll to form a nip zone through which a recording medium passes, the heat-resistant endless belt rotating as driven by the pressure roll, a pressing supporting body disposed inside the heat-resistant endless belt and having a flat segment to press the heat-resistant endless belt for making the nip zone nearly flat, a heat source disposed inside the heat-resistant endless belt, the pressing supporting body being arranged between the heat source and the nip zone. Preferably, the heat-resistant endless belt is directly heated by radiant heat from the heat source and heated by thermal conduction through the pressing supporting body.

Abstract: To provide a fixing device which can suppress the occurrence of a temperature droop phenomenon, and to stably peel off a recording sheet from a fixing roll side. There are provided a fixing belt module and a pressure belt module, and the fixing belt module and the pressure belt module are in contact with each other through a fixing belt and a pressure belt in a first nip portion formed on a fixing roll around which the fixing belt is wound and a second nip portion formed on a pressure roll around which the pressure belt is wound.

Abstract: An overheat protection device for a movable body surface includes a thermal fuse having a fuse element which melts at a predetermined temperature, bridges electrodes in a pair and melts at a temperature equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature to break an electrical connection between the pair of electrodes, and a pair of long elastic bodies, to each of which one of the electrodes is electrically connected at an end or its periphery of the elastic body through a lead. At least one of pairs of upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the elastic bodies are spatially on a same plane.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device and a fixing method, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device, wherein at least heat is applied to an unfixed toner image formed on a recording material to soften or melt toner of the unfixed toner image into a state of being able to be deformed by an external force, and, while the toner is maintained in the state of being able to be deformed by an external force, the toner is pressed to be flowed with a pressing surface having a temperature adjusted to be lower than a temperature at which the toner can be deformed by an external force to be flowed, whereby it is possible to obtain an image which is free from wasteful energy consumption, and has image quality excellent in transparency of a toner image and in OHP permeability, and has a high glossiness and free from gloss nonuniformity, and with which curl is hardly caused in a recording material.

Abstract: A fixing device including a fixing belt module is formed of a fixing roller having a heat source, one or more tension rollers at a fixing side and an endless fixing belt looped and stretched around the rollers to thereby rotate and a pressure belt module including an endless pressure belt that comes in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt only within a range of a section where the fixing belt is wrapped around a surface of the fixing roller, thereby forming a nip section for fixation between itself and the fixing belt. The fixing belt module includes a fixing belt heating unit that heats an inner peripheral surface and/or the outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt at any sections other than the section where the fixing belt is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roller.

Abstract: In order to enable a stable peeling operation, there are provided: one of (1) a peeling device including: a peeling guide plate one side of which is provided close to a surface of the rotating member; and an air jetting unit that jets a pulsed compressed air toward a gap between the rotating member and the peeling guide plate from a region interposed between the surface of the rotating member and the surface of the peeling guide plate that faces the surface of the rotating member, and (2) a peeling device including a peeling guide plate one side of which is provided close to a surface of the rotating member and which has at least one portion that projects toward the surface of the rotating member; and a fixing device and an image forming apparatus using at least one of the peeling devices.

Abstract: A heat-resistant resin film having a metallic thin film accumulated thereon or an endless belt having a metallic thin film accumulated thereon having good mechanical characteristics is produced in a simple process. A metallic thin film is formed on an inner surface of a cylindrical substrate, and a layer of a heat-resistant resin is formed thereon. An accumulated body of the heat-resistant resin and the metallic thin film is peeled off from the substrate. The metallic thin film may be formed by electroplating, electroless plating or vapor deposition, or may also be formed by attaching a metallic foil having been prepared on an inner surface of the substrate. The heat-resistant resin layer is formed by injecting a polyamide acid solution in a rotational drum, and then formed by centrifugal forming by rotating the rotational drum on rollers under heating. After forming, imidization is conducted by heating and baking to form a film member of a thermosetting polyimide.

Abstract: Provided is a fixing device and a fixing method, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device, in which at least heat is applied to an unfixed toner image formed on a recording material to soften or melt toner of the unfixed toner image into a state of being able to be deformed by an external force, and while maintained in the state of being able to be deformed by the external force, the toner is pressed in a nonheating manner to be flowed. Accordingly, device structure can be simplified to be free of wasteful energy consumption, an image of image quality excellent in transparency of a toner image and in OHP permeability as well as of high glossiness which is free from gloss nonuniformity can be obtained while preventing curling of a recording material.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming on a recording medium an image whose resistance to water and light is improved and whose image quality is enhanced, with printing speed being increased due to drying of ink being accelerated. The methods include the steps of: forming a layer including resin particles on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium or on a surface of a recording medium; recording the image by jetting ink from an inkjet recording head onto the resin particle layer so that the ink is retained in cavities of the resin particle layer; and either transferring the resin particle layer from the surface of the intermediate transfer medium to a recording medium to fix the resin particle layer thereto or fixing the recording medium having the resin particle layer retaining the ink.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device and a fixing method, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device, wherein at least heat is applied to an unfixed toner image formed on a recording material to soften or melt toner of the unfixed toner image into a state of being able to be deformed by an external force, and, while the toner is maintained in the state of being able to be deformed by an external force, the toner is pressed to be flowed with a pressing surface having a temperature adjusted to be lower than a temperature at which the toner can be deformed by an external force to be flowed, whereby it is possible to obtain an image which is free from wasteful energy consumption, and has image quality excellent in transparency of a toner image and in OHP permeability, and has a high glossiness and free from gloss nonuniformity, and with which curl is hardly caused in a recording material.

Abstract: A magnetic core as a magnetic material that acts on an electromagnetic characteristic of the generated magnetic field and a magnetic field shield member that shields the magnetic field generated by magnetic field generation unit are structured such that magnetic particles are arranged in a base material under a dispersed state. As a result, a magnetic core in which an inductance can be set and a magnetic field shield member in which magnetic field leakage can be suppressed effectively, as well as an excitation coil, a transformer, electric equipment and an electrophotographic apparatus using them are easily provided at low costs.

Abstract: There are provided (1) a magnetic coil in which magnetic particles 14 form an aggregate and the aggregate of the magnetic particles is disposed in a vessel 12 while the magnetic particles are keeping a particle state, (2) a magnetic field shield member for shielding magnetic field generated from a magnetic field generation member, the magnetic field shield member in which magnetic particles form an aggregate and the aggregate of the magnetic particles is disposed in a vessel 12 while the magnetic particles are keeping a particle state, and an electrophotographic apparatus using them.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming on a recording medium an image whose resistance to water and light is improved and whose image quality is enhanced, with printing speed being increased due to drying of ink being accelerated. The methods include the steps of: forming a layer including resin particles on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium or on a surface of a recording medium; recording the image by jetting ink from an inkjet recording head onto the resin particle layer so that the ink is retained in cavities of the resin particle layer; and either transferring the resin particle layer from the surface of the intermediate transfer medium to a recording medium to fix the resin particle layer thereto or fixing the recording medium having the resin particle layer retaining the ink.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an image carrier, a circularly driven intermediate transfer member and a transfer fixation device. The transfer fixation device includes a fixed pad, a pressure roll, a heating device and a corrugation suppression member. The fixed pad is brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member. The pressure roll is pressed against the fixed pad through the intermediate transfer member being interposed therebetween. The heating device for heating and melting the toner on the intermediate transfer member is located at an upstream side of a contact position of the fixed pad in a movement direction of the intermediate transfer member. The corrugation suppressing member provided along the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member in its circumferential direction is located between a position where the heating device is provided and a position where the fixed pad is provided.

Abstract: There are provided (1) a magnetic coil in which magnetic particles 14 form an aggregate and the aggregate of the magnetic particles is disposed in a vessel 12 while the magnetic particles are keeping a particle state, (2) a magnetic field shield member for shielding magnetic field generated from a magnetic field generation member, the magnetic field shield member in which magnetic particles form an aggregate and the aggregate of the magnetic particles is disposed in a vessel 12 while the magnetic particles are keeping a particle state, and an electrophotographic apparatus using them.

Abstract: By freely adjusting the heat generation distribution of an object to be heated, the heat generation distribution which matches a purpose can be easily obtained. In an electromagnetic induction heating device including an object to be heated having at least an electromagnetic induction heat generating layer and a magnetic field generating unit which is arranged toward the electromagnetic induction heat generating layer of the object to be heated in an opposed manner and includes an exciting coil which generates a magnetic flux penetrating the electromagnetic induction generating layer, a magnetic flux adjusting member which is made to be interlinked with a portion of the magnetic flux of the exciting coil to generate an electromagnetic induction action so that the magnetic flux acting on the electromagnetic induction heat generating layer is changed is disposed in the vicinity of the exciting coil.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an image carrier, a circularly driven intermediate transfer member and a transfer fixation device. The transfer fixation device includes a fixed pad, a pressure roll, a heating device and a corrugation suppression member. The fixed pad is brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member. The pressure roll is pressed against the fixed pad through the intermediate transfer member being interposed therebetween. The heating device for heating and melting the toner on the intermediate transfer member is located at an upstream side of a contact position of the fixed pad in a movement direction of the intermediate transfer member. The corrugation suppressing member provided along the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member in its circumferential direction is located between a position where the heating device is provided and a position where the fixed pad is provided.

Abstract: By freely adjusting the heat generation distribution of an object to be heated, the heat generation distribution which matches a purpose can be easily obtained. In an electromagnetic induction heating device including an object to be heated having at least an electromagnetic induction heat generating layer and a magnetic field generating unit which is arranged toward the electromagnetic induction heat generating layer of the object to be heated in an opposed manner and includes an exciting coil which generates a magnetic flux penetrating the electromagnetic induction generating layer, a magnetic flux adjusting member which is made to be interlinked with a portion of the magnetic flux of the exciting coil to generate an electromagnetic induction action so that the magnetic flux acting on the electromagnetic induction heat generating layer is changed is disposed in the vicinity of the exciting coil.

Abstract: A heat-resistant resin film having a metallic thin film accumulated thereon or an endless belt having a metallic thin film accumulated thereon having good mechanical characteristics is produced in a simple process. A metallic thin film is formed on an inner surface of a cylindrical substrate, and a layer of a heat-resistant resin is formed thereon. An accumulated body of the heat-resistant resin and the metallic thin film is peeled off from the substrate. The metallic thin film may be formed by electroplating, electroless plating or vapor deposition, or may also be formed by attaching a metallic foil having been prepared on an inner surface of the substrate. The heat-resistant resin layer is formed by injecting a polyamide acid solution in a rotational drum, and then formed by centrifugal forming by rotating the rotational drum on rollers under heating. After forming, imidization is conducted by heating and baking to form a film member of a thermosetting polyimide.

Abstract: A heat generating medium for image fixing includes a conductive support layer of good electrical and thermal conductivity, a low surface energy layer formed on one of the surfaces of the conductive support layer, and a heat generating layer formed on the other surface of the conductive support layer. A fixing apparatus is also disclosed, which includes the heat generating medium as described above, and a power supplying device for feeding current to the heat generating layer, wherein a recording sheet bearing a non-fixed toner image thereon is brought into press contact with the heat generating layer which generates heat when it receives current from the power supply device.