Abstract: A toner container includes a substantially tetrahedral toner-containing portion having an openable edge to discharge toner contained in the toner-containing portion, and a reference fold along which the toner container is foldable after the openable edge is opened. The reference fold extends from the openable edge and is provided on medians of two triangular faces of the toner-containing portion adjoining each other along the openable edge.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form a toner image on a recording medium and a fixing device. The fixing device includes a fixing belt to fix a toner image onto a recording medium transported to a fixing nip, a pressing member pressed against the fixing belt to form the fixing nip therebetween, a heating roller accommodating a heater to heat the fixing belt. A holder is provided to hold the heater at one end of the heater. An inner diameter of the heating roller and an outer diameter of the holder are substantially the same, and the heating roller and the holder partially overlap with each other in an axial direction of the heating roller. The interior and the exterior of the heating roller are preferably insulated by the heating roller and the holder by a prescribed degree not to change air pressure in the heating roller.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a first member. The first member extends along a first longitudinal axis, and has an external surface whose thickness varies along the first longitudinal axis to define at least one first convex portion and at least one first concave portion. A thickness of the first convex portion is larger than a thickness of the first concave portion. A heating source is disposed in the first member. The heating temperature of an inner circumference side of the first convex portion is higher than the heating temperature of the inner circumference side of the first concave portion.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body and a pressing member each of which includes a waveform elastic layer having at least one wave crest and at least one wave trough to form a waveform face between the fixing rotary body and the pressing member pressed against each other. A controller identifies a temperature differential between a first temperature of the wave crest of the fixing rotary body detected by a first temperature detector and a second temperature of the wave trough of the fixing rotary body detected by a second temperature detector and adjusts an amount of heat stored from a heater into the fixing rotary body based on the identified temperature differential.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a first member and a second member. The first member extends along a first longitudinal axis, and has a first elastic layer whose thickness varies along the first longitudinal axis to define at least one first convex portion and at least one first concave portion. The second member extends along a second longitudinal axis parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and has a second elastic layer whose thickness varies along the second longitudinal axis to define at least one second convex portion and at least one second concave portion. At least one of the first and second members is heated, and at least one of the first and second members is pressed against the other, with the first convex portion engaging the second concave portion and the first concave portion engaging the second convex portion, to define a fixing nip therebetween.

Abstract: An image forming method for fixing a toner image on a recording medium by passing the recording medium through a fixing nip defined between a first member and a second member under heat and pressure. The toner has a specific loss elastic modulus. The first and second members extend along respective first and second longitudinal axes, and have respective first and second elastic layers whose thickness vary along the respective first and second longitudinal axes to define at least one convex portion curving outward and at least one concave portion curving inward with respect to each of the respective first and second longitudinal axes. The first convex portion engages the second concave portion and the first concave portion engages the second convex portion, to define the fixing nip therebetween.

Abstract: A fusing apparatus for fusing a toner image onto a recording medium using heat and pressure includes a fusing roller; an endless pressing belt disposed opposite the fusing roller; and a pressing member for pressing the endless pressing belt onto the fusing roller. A recording medium with a transferred toner image is passed through a fusing nip between the fusing roller and the pressing belt. The fusing roller includes positive and negative crown portions along the axial direction. The pressing member includes convex and concave surface portions along the longitudinal direction. When the pressing member is pressed onto the fusing roller, the positive and negative crown portions of the fusing roller are engaged with the concave and convex surface portions, respectively, of the pressing member. The pressing member exerts a greater pressing force on the fusing roller at a central portion than at an end portion.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body and a pressing member each of which includes a waveform elastic layer having at least one wave crest and at least one wave trough to form a waveform face between the fixing rotary body and the pressing member pressed against each other. A controller identifies a temperature differential between a first temperature of the wave crest of the fixing rotary body detected by a first temperature detector and a second temperature of the wave trough of the fixing rotary body detected by a second temperature detector and adjusts an amount of heat stored from a heater into the fixing rotary body based on the identified temperature differential.

Abstract: A fixing device to fix a toner image on a recording medium, including a pressure roller to press the toner image on the recording medium; an elastically-deformable cylindrical fixing roller to contact the pressure roller to form a nip and transfer the recording medium to the nip to fix the toner image; and a holder to rotatably hold both ends of the fixing roller, wherein the holder is located at least two positions at both sides on an outer circumference of the fixing roller across the longest diameter thereof, and the nip is formed between the two holders at the side of the pressure roller.

Abstract: The fixing device includes a fixing unit, a pressure unit that comes into pressure-contact with the fixing unit to form a nip, and control guides. The fixing unit includes a heat roller. The pressure unit includes a pressure belt, and a pressure pad. The pressure pad is attached to a holder and pressed by a spring through a stay, thereby bringing the pressure belt into pressure-contact with the heat roller. The control guides on both sides of the pressure pad control deformation of the pressure pad in an axial direction of the heat roller to make a nip shape uniform.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a first member. The first member extends along a first longitudinal axis, and has an external surface whose thickness varies along the first longitudinal axis to define at least one first convex portion and at least one first concave portion. A thickness of the first convex portion is larger than a thickness of the first concave portion. A heating source is disposed in the first member. The heating temperature of an inner circumference side of the first convex portion is higher than the heating temperature of the inner circumference side of the first concave portion.

Abstract: A low-heat loss, belt nip-type fixing device achieves good recording medium separation performance without increasing the size of the device, prevents image misalignment, and achieves a high-quality image without placing a major burden on the recording medium. This fixing device comprises a heat-fixing roller having an elastic layer and a heat source; and a pressurizing unit having an elastic member with a flat surface for pressing an endless member. The endless member conveys a recording medium, against the elastic layer. A pressurizing spring biases the elastic member toward the side of the recording medium. Biasing is carried out using the pressurizing spring such that the amount of deformation of the elastic member approaches the saturation region (maximum amount of deformation) inside a region of a nip portion, which is formed between the elastic layer of the heat-fixing roller and the endless member of pressurizing unit, and through which is passed a recording medium carrying an unfixed toner image.

Abstract: A pressurizing member includes an elastic member having a uniform elastic modulus of K=EA/t, where E is a Young's modulus, A is an area of the nip portion, and t is a thickness of the elastic member in the direction of application of load. A supporting member that supports the pressurizing member has an entering portion, an exit portion, and a center portion between the entering portion and the exit portion. The thickness of the center portion in a direction of application of load is larger than thicknesses of the entering portion and the exit portion in the direction of application of load so that the supporting unit has a convex portion.

Abstract: An image forming method for fixing a toner image on a recording medium by passing the recording medium through a fixing nip defined between a first member and a second member under heat and pressure. The toner has a specific loss elastic modulus. The first and second members extend along respective first and second longitudinal axes, and have respective first and second elastic layers whose thickness vary along the respective first and second longitudinal axes to define at least one convex portion curving outward and at least one concave portion curving inward with respect to each of the respective first and second longitudinal axes. The first convex portion engages the second concave portion and the first concave portion engages the second convex portion, to define the fixing nip therebetween.

Abstract: A fusing apparatus for fusing a toner image onto a recording medium using heat and pressure includes a fusing roller; an endless pressing belt disposed opposite the fusing roller; and a pressing member for pressing the endless pressing belt onto the fusing roller. A recording medium with a transferred toner image is passed through a fusing nip between the fusing roller and the pressing belt. The fusing roller includes positive and negative crown portions along the axial direction. The pressing member includes convex and concave surface portions along the longitudinal direction. When the pressing member is pressed onto the fusing roller, the positive and negative crown portions of the fusing roller are engaged with the concave and convex surface portions, respectively, of the pressing member. The pressing member exerts a greater pressing force on the fusing roller at a central portion than at an end portion.

Abstract: A roller member includes a cylindrical core bar. The roller member is rotatably supported at both ends, and forms a nip, to which a recording medium is conveyed, by making a contact with another member. The core bar satisfies 1.0??D/D1×100?3.0, where D1 is an outer diameter of the core bar in millimeters and ?D is an outer diameter deformation value of a convey direction in millimeters.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a first member and a second member. The first member extends along a first longitudinal axis, and has a first elastic layer whose thickness varies along the first longitudinal axis to define at least one first convex portion and at least one first concave portion. The second member extends along a second longitudinal axis parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and has a second elastic layer whose thickness varies along the second longitudinal axis to define at least one second convex portion and at least one second concave portion. At least one of the first and second members is heated, and at least one of the first and second members is pressed against the other, with the first convex portion engaging the second concave portion and the first concave portion engaging the second convex portion, to define a fixing nip therebetween.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member of which surface is deformable, a heating unit that heats the fixing member, a pressurizing unit having an endless member and a pressurizing member. The pressurizing member includes an elastic layer and presses the endless member against the fixing member to bring the endless member into pressure contact with the fixing member. The elastic layer has an apparent hardness (ASKER-C) which is larger than that at a point where an apparent hardness starts to change rapidly with respect to a rubber thickness in a load application direction.

Abstract: The fixing device includes a fixing unit, a pressure unit that comes into pressure-contact with the fixing unit to form a nip, and control guides. The fixing unit includes a heat roller. The pressure unit includes a pressure belt, and a pressure pad. The pressure pad is attached to a holder and pressed by a spring through a stay, thereby bringing the pressure belt into pressure-contact with the heat roller. The control guides on both sides of the pressure pad control deformation of the pressure pad in an axial direction of the heat roller to make a nip shape uniform.

Abstract: A roller member includes a cylindrical core bar. The roller member is rotatably supported at both ends, and forms a nip, to which a recording medium is conveyed, by making a contact with another member. The core bar satisfies 1.0??D/D1×100?3.0, where D1 is an outer diameter of the core bar in millimeters and ?D is an outer diameter deformation volume of a convey direction in millimeters.