Abstract: A fixing device is provided. The fixing device includes a backup member that is disposed outside an endless belt that is flexible and rotates to rotate the endless belt, a nip forming member that is disposed inside the endless belt and faces the backup member to form a fixing nip, and a heater that includes a heating layer including an electroconductive filler dispersed in a base polymer to form an electroconductive network and that is interposed in a position corresponding to the fixing nip between the nip forming member and the endless belt.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus has a non-rotatable heater with a metallic substrate together with a film that moves in contact with the heater and is accompanied by a backup roller which defines a nip with the heater via the film. The metallic substrate has a cylindrical shape and the heater has a first insulating layer on an outer peripheral surface of the metallic substrate, a heat generating resistor on the first insulating layer and a second insulating layer on the heat generating resistor.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus, which has a roller-shaped image bearing member bearing a toner image thereon, and a transferring roller pressure-contacted with the image bearing member for transferring the toner image on the image bearing member to a transferring material, a radius of the transferring roller being 12 mm or less, wherein r/R<0.4 where r is the radius of the transferring roller, and R is the radius of the image bearing member.

Abstract: This specification discloses a heater comprising an electrically conductive substrate, a first electrically insulating layer formed on the electrically conductive substrate, a heat generating resistor formed on the first electrically insulating layer, and a second electrically insulating layer formed on the heat generating resistor, wherein when the glass transition temperature of the first electrically insulating layer is defined as T1 and the glass transition temperature of the heat generating resistor is defined as T2 and the glass transition temperature of the second electrically insulating layer is defined as T3, T1, T2 and T3 have the relation that T1>T3≧T2 or T1>T2≧T3. The specification also discloses an image heating apparatus using such heater.

Abstract: In a conductive board heater using metal as the board, since thermal expansion is large, and expansion and shrinkage are repeated in a heating apparatus, there is a defect that the electrode portion to which a power supply spring contact point on the power supply connecter side is pressurized and contacted is worn and contact inferior occurs and it is easy to break. Furthermore, since the position of the resistor pattern of the heating body varies, excessive heating, insufficient heating, uneven heating at an end portion, or uneven curl unevenness at a paper end is occurred. A heater in an image heating apparatus is provided so as to prevent a contact defect between an electrode and a connecter of image heating apparatus.

Abstract: The image heating apparatus for heating an image formed on a recording material has a heater, a film moving in contact with the heater, and a back-up roller for defining a nip with the heater via the film. In the image heating apparatus, the heater includes a metallic substrate, and the metallic substrate has a convex surface on a side of the nip and a concave surface on an opposite surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed in which a specific toner is used, and a transferring means has a transfer roller which is in contact with the surface of an electrostatic image bearing member and rotates when the electrostatic image bearing member rotates. The toner is comprised of particles which have a weight average particle diameter of 4 to 12 &mgr;m, and in a circularity distribution for particles 3 &mgr;m or more in circle-equivalent diameter which are included in the toner, particles having a circularity of 0.90 or more account for 90% by number or more.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus which has an image bearing member for bearing an image, a transferring member for forming a transfer nip portion between the image bearing member and the transferring member, wherein a recording material is pinched and conveyed and an image on the image bearing member is transferred onto the recording material in the transfer nip portion, a rotary member contacted with the image on the recording material, and a driving roller for forming a fixing nip portion between the rotary member and the driving roller and for driving the rotary member, wherein the recording material bearing the image is pinched and conveyed and the image is fixed to the recording material in the fixing nip portion, and wherein regarding at least a recording material having a maximum size, while the image is being transferred in the transfer nip portion, the image is fixed in the fixing nip portion, and wherein a peripheral speed of the driving roller is always greater than a conve

Abstract: This specification discloses a heater comprising an electrically conductive substrate, a first electrically insulating layer formed on the electrically conductive substrate, a heat generating resistor formed on the first electrically insulating layer, and a second electrically insulating layer formed on the heat generating resistor, wherein when the glass transition temperature of the first electrically insulating layer is defined as T1 and the glass transition temperature of the heat generating resistor is defined as T2 and the glass transition temperature of the second electrically insulating layer is defined as T3, T1, T2 and T3 have the relation that T1>T3≧T2 or T1>T2≧T3. The specification also discloses an image heating apparatus using such heater.

Abstract: In a conductive board heater using metal as the board, since thermal expansion is large, and expansion and shrinkage are repeated in a heating apparatus, there is a defect that the electrode portion to which a power supply spring contact point on the power supply connecter side is pressurized and contacted is worn and contact inferior occurs and it is easy to break. Furthermore, since the position of the resistor pattern of the heating body varies, excessive heating, insufficient heating, uneven heating at an end portion, or uneven curl unevenness at a paper end is occurred. A heater in an image heating apparatus is provided so as to prevent a contact defect between an electrode and a connecter of image heating apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed in which a specific toner is used, and a transferring means has a transfer roller which is in contact wit the surface of an electrostatic image bearing member and rotates when the electrostatic image bearing member rotates. The toner is comprised of particles which have a weight average particle diameter of 4 to 12 &mgr;m, and in a circularity distribution for particles 3 &mgr;m or more in circle-equivalent diameter which are included in the toner, particles having a circularity of 0.90 or more account for 90% by number or more.

Abstract: An image fixing apparatus has a heating member, a back-up roller cooperating with the heating member to form a nip therebetween for pinching and conveying a recording material bearing an image thereon, and a controlling device for controlling a temperature of the nip. The controlling device heats the nip after a fixing process is finished and after a rotation of the back-up roller is stopped.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing apparatus with a pair of fixing members at least one of which is rotatable, a nip being formed between the fixing members and a recording material which carries a non-fixed toner being conveyed through the nip and heated at the nip to fix the non-fixed toner onto the recording material. The apparatus has a cleaning mode for cleaning the fixing member, in which a sheet is pinched by the nip, and the sheet is conveyed in a direction by repeating rotation and stoppage of the rotatable fixing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a movable image bearing member on which an unfixed image is formed, transfer device for transferring the unfixed image on the image bearing member onto a recording medium, fixing device for heating and fixing the unfixed image transferred by the transfer means on the recording medium. The fixing device has a driving rotatable member for conveying the recording medium. The recording medium during the transfer by the transfer device is conveyed by the driving rotatable member. The apparatus is provided with detecting device for detecting information regarding the peripheral velocity of the driving rotatable member, and control device for controlling the movement speed of the image bearing member on the basis of the result of the detection by the detecting device.

Abstract: An image forming system for forming an image on a recording sheet, including a rotatable image bearing member, a cleaning member contacting the image bearing member to remove toner remaining on the image bearing member, and charger means contacting the image bearing member and disposed at a downstream side of the cleaning member in a direction of movement of the image bearing member. Lubricant having a low resistance is painted on a contacting portion of the cleaning member between the image bearing member and the cleaning member.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including a fixing device for heating and fixing a toner image on a recording material, a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the surface of a fixing roller is provided substantially outside a passing region of the recording material on the fixing roller. The temperature at a central portion of the surface of the fixing roller is always maintained at a fixing temperature which is most suitable, irrespective of the width size of the recording material to be fixed. Furthermore, when sheets of recording material are continuously fed and fixed, the temperature at an end portion of the fixing roller, provided with the temperature detector is changed in accordance with the number of sheets to maintain the central portion of the fixing roller always at a temperature which is most suitable. Thus, it is possible always to perform image formation having an excellent quality.

Abstract: An image forming system for forming an image on a recording sheet, including a rotatable image bearing member, a cleaning member contacting the image bearing member to remove toner remaining on the image bearing member, and charger means contacting the image bearing member and disposed at a downstream side of the cleaning member in a direction of movement of the image bearing member. Lubricant having a low resistance is painted on a contacting portion of the cleaning member between the image bearing member and the cleaning member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a charging device for charging a photosensitive member containing an organic photoconducter, an exposure device, a developing device including a developer, a transfer device and a cleaning device. The photosensitive member employs an organic photoconductor and a polycarbonate resin layer which forms the surface of the photosensitive member. The developer device has a sleeve with a thin layer of an electrical coating material containing dispersed carbon particles. The developer contains insulating magnetic toner particles of relatively small particle size formed from a styrene-acrylic type copolymer or a polyester resin and a magnetic powder.