Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt; a rotatable member configured to cooperate with the endless belt to form the nip; a back-up member including a heater and an electrode portion connected with the heater; an electric energy supply member mounted to the back-up member; a regulating member mounted to the back-up member to regulate movement of the endless belt in a longitudinal direction thereof; and a covering member for covering the electrode portion when the endless belt is inserted and removed in a longitudinal direction in the state that the electric energy supply member and the regulating member are dismounted from the back-up member.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes: a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a sheet at a nip; and a guiding member for guiding the sheet toward the nip. The guiding member includes: an electroconductive metal plate which is electrically grounded; and an insulating resin member, provided to cover a part of the metal plate, slidable with the sheet. The resin member includes: a plurality of openings, provided at different positions with respect to a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction, for permitting exposure of the metal plate along the sheet conveyance direction; and a downstream portion, substantially free from a stepped portion, which is provided at a downstreammost portion with respect to the sheet conveyance direction and which is extended flat in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction in a sheet conveyance region.

Abstract: A relationship X<Y?Z is satisfied, where X is a width of a roughening roller in a longitudinal direction, Y is a width, in the longitudinal direction, of an area where an image is able to be formed on a sheet having a maximum width usable in an apparatus, and Z is a width, in the longitudinal direction, of an area where a fixing belt is able to be rubbed by the roughening roller.

Abstract: An image forming system includes a color image forming apparatus including: a color image forming portion for forming a color toner image on a surface of a recording material; a first fixing device including a first fixing portion; a second fixing device including a second fixing portion; image forming and a third fixing device for fixing a transparent toner image at a third fixing portion; and a controller for controlling a switching mechanism so that the conveyance direction of the recording material is switched to the bypass direction of the second fixing portion, or to the direction toward the second fixing portion based on whether or not the color image forming portion is subjectd to formation of the transparent toner image by the transparent image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming system includes a color image forming apparatus including: a color image forming portion for forming a color toner image on a surface of a recording material; a first fixing device including a first fixing member for fixing the color toner image on the surface of the recording material by heating, at a first fixing portion, the surface of the recording material on which the color toner image is formed immediately before by the color image forming portion; a second fixing device including a second fixing member for heating, at a second fixing portion, the surface of the recording material heated immediately before by the first fixing member; and a switching mechanism for switching a conveyance direction of the recording material passing through the first fixing portion to a direction toward the second fixing portion and to a bypass direction of the second fixing portion; a transparent image forming apparatus including: a transparent image forming portion capable of forming a transparent toner

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes an aligning member configured to align an end of a bundle of sheets including a folded sheet by engaging with the edge of the bundle of sheets, and a sheet processing unit configured to process the bundle of sheets having the end aligned by the aligning member. The end of the bundle of sheets engaged with the aligning member is opposite to a folded portion of the folded sheet.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus which can easily attach and detach an external heating unit and easily perform a maintenance operation. The image heating apparatus has a fixing apparatus frame 62 which rotatably supports a fixing roller 40, a unit including a pressure spring 35 which urges an external heating roller 53 toward the fixing roller 40, a pressure guide shaft 37 which holds the pressure spring 35, and a pressure stay 38 which slidably supports the pressure guide shaft 37, a screw 61 which detachably fixes the unit to the fixing apparatus frame 62 via the pressure stay 38, and a pressure releasing arm 39 which releases the force of the pressure spring 35 acting on the screw 61 via the pressure stay 38 by sliding the pressure guide shaft 37 relative to the pressure stay 38.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus capable of holding an open/close unit at a normal position and capable of inexpensively avoiding conveyance failure and deterioration in image quality. An image heating apparatus includes a fixing an roller 71 and a pressing belt 731, a pressing mechanism 75 which rotates a pressing belt unit 73 having a pressing belt 731 to retract the pressing belt 731 from a pressing contact position, a separation projection 800 which separates the sheet S from the pressing belt 731, and an open/close unit 81 which rotates a separating unit (separation projection 800, division plate 817) to retract the separation projection 800 from a separating position. The pressing belt unit 73 includes a push-up member 840 which locks the separating unit located in the separating position when the pressing belt unit 73 is in the pressing contact position.

Abstract: A registration unit includes a skew correction roller pair configured to rotate a sheet conveyed from a conveyance roller pair and to correct skew of the sheet. The registration unit sheet further includes a projectable swinging guide arranged between the conveyance roller pair and the skew correction roller pair to deflect the sheet. The skew correction roller pair corrects the skew of the sheet deflected by the swinging guide.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus is operable to cut an edge portion of a sheet. The sheet processing apparatus is operable to calculate a sheet utilization efficiency based on an area of the sheet before cutting and an area of a sheet obtained by cutting the edge portion.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes conveying suction belts which have a function of rotating an adsorbed sheet and a function of conveying the sheet; a suction fan 112 which adsorbs the sheet to the belts; CCDs which detect a position and an skew in a direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction while the sheet is adsorbed to the belts; and a control device for driving the belts to rotate the sheet according to signals of CCDs in order to correct an attitude of the sheet adsorbed to the belts.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus for covering a sheet bundle with a cover sheet includes a creasing unit for making a crease along an end portion of the cover sheet adjacent the edge of the sheet bundle opposite the spine edge of the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus further includes a folding-back unit for folding-back the end portion of the cover sheet along the crease made by the creasing unit.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus is provided which includes a first rotary member; a second rotary member configured to convey a sheet with the first rotary member and which is separable from and in contact with the first rotary member; a sheet detecting member which is movable by being pressed by the sheet; and a detecting sensor configured to detect a presence or absence of the sheet based on a position of the member. The sheet detecting member is movable between a detecting position for detecting a presence or absence of the sheet by the detecting sensor in which the sheet detecting member can be pressed by the sheet and a retreat position in which the sheet detecting member is retreated from a sheet conveyed, and the sheet detecting member is moved to the detecting position from the retract position in association with a movement of the second rotary member away from the first rotary member.

Abstract: A sheet bundle stored in a sheet storage portion is pushed from a predetermined folded position with a first pushing plate, and the sheet bundle is normally conveyed along with the first pushing plate and plunged into a nip between first folding rollers to make a fold. The first folding rollers are reversely rotated while the first pushing plate is retreated, and the sheet bundle with the fold is reversely conveyed and returned to the sheet storage portion. Then, a second pushing plate pushes the sheet bundle, conveyed through a U-shape conveyance path, from a backside of the fold to reversely fold the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle is completely folded. Therefore, the sheet bundle having good appearance can be realized in good bundle folding processing.

Abstract: An air heating mechanism for heating the air which is blown from a loosening/separating nozzle toward the top sheet attracted to an attracting and conveying unit is provided. A control unit controls the air heating mechanism based on moisture content information from a sensor for detecting a moisture content of a sheet supported by the tray.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus capable of holding an open/close unit at a normal position and capable of inexpensively avoiding conveyance failure and deterioration in image quality. An image heating apparatus includes a fixing roller 71 and a pressing belt 731, a pressing mechanism 75 which rotates a pressing belt unit 73 having a pressing belt 731 to retract the pressing belt 731 from a pressing contact position, a separation projection 800 which separates the sheet S from the pressing belt 731, and an open/close unit 81 which rotates a separating unit (separation projection 800, division plate 817) to retract the separation projection 800 from a separating position. The pressing belt unit 73 includes a push-up member 840 which locks the separating unit located in the separating position when the pressing belt unit 73 is in the pressing contact position.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus which can easily attach and detach an external heating unit and easily perform a maintenance operation. The image heating apparatus has a fixing apparatus frame 62 which rotatably supports a fixing roller 40, a unit including a pressure spring 35 which urges an external heating roller 53 toward the fixing roller 40, a pressure guide shaft 37 which holds the pressure spring 35, and a pressure stay 38 which slidably supports the pressure guide shaft 37, a screw 61 which detachably fixes the unit to the fixing apparatus frame 62 via the pressure stay 38, and a pressure releasing arm 39 which releases the force of the pressure spring 35 acting on the screw 61 via the pressure stay 38 by sliding the pressure guide shaft 37 relative to the pressure stay 38.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a heating rotatable member for heating an image on a recording material at a nip; an endless belt cooperative with the heating rotatable member to form the nip; a pressing pad for pressing the belt at the nip; and a lubricant application member for applying a lubricant on an inner surface of the belt, wherein the lubricant application member is away from the belt when the belt is at a position retracted from a position where an image heating operation of the apparatus is capable.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable heating member configured to heat an image on a recording medium at a nip, driving means configured to drive the heating member, an endless belt configured to form the nip with the heating member, and a driving roller configured to drive the endless belt. In the image heating apparatus, the following expressions are satisfied: ?2<?1 0.005<?2<0.3 V1<V2 where ?2 is a friction coefficient between the endless belt and the driving roller, ?1 is a friction coefficient between the heating member and the endless belt, V1 is a peripheral speed of the heating member, and V2 is a peripheral speed of the driving roller.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes conveying suction belts which have a function of rotating an adsorbed sheet and a function of conveying the sheet; a suction fan 112 which adsorbs the sheet to the belts; CCDs which detect a position and an skew in a direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction while the sheet is adsorbed to the belts; and a control device for driving the belts to rotate the sheet according to signals of CCDs in order to correct an attitude of the sheet adsorbed to the belts.