Fusing apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same

A fusing apparatus comprising:

• a fusing belt;
• a pressing roller to press against the fusing belt to form a nib part and rotate the fusing belt;
• a bushing to guide an edge of the fusing belt;
• a ring member rotatably coupled to the bushing and in contact with the edge of the fusing belt to rotate together with the fusing belt;
• and
• a sliding guide member, formed of a solid lubricant and disposed on a sidewall of the bushing, on which one surface of the ring member is slidably supported,
• wherein a first frictional force generated between the edge of the fusing belt and the ring member is larger than a second frictional force generated between the bushing and the ring member.

A fusing apparatus comprising:

• a fusing belt;
• a pressing roller to press against the fusing belt to form a nib part and rotate the fusing belt;
• an elastic ring member having a first surface in contact with an edge of the fusing belt to rotate together with the fusing belt;
• a bushing disposed at one side of the fusing belt and having a flat sidewall that faces the fusing belt;
• and
• a sliding guide member, disposed above a central axis of the fusing belt and between the ring member and the sidewall of the bushing, to slidably support a second surface of the ring member facing the sidewall, disposed above a central axis of the fusing belt and between the ring member and the bushing, the sliding guide member protruding from the sidewall of the bushing such that a continuous gap is provided from a bottom of the sliding guide member to a bottom of the sidewall of the bushing to allow the ring member to be deformable toward the bushing at a point above a bottom of the fusing belt in the continuous gap provided from the bottom of the sliding guide member to the bottom of the sidewall.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a transport apparatus to transport a recording media;
• a developing apparatus to develop an electrostatic latent image;
• a transfer apparatus to transfer the electrostatic latent image to the recording media;
• a discharge apparatus to discharge the recording media;
• and
• a fusing apparatus including:
• a fusing belt;
• a pressing roller to press against the fusing belt to form a nib part and rotate the fusing belt;
• a bushing to guide a rotation-driving of the fusing belt and having a flat sidewall that faces the fusing belt;
• a ring member rotatably coupled to the bushing and in contact with the edge of the fusing belt to rotate together with the fusing belt;
• and
• a sliding guide member, disposed above a central axis of the fusing belt and between the ring member and the sidewall of the bushing, to slidably support a surface of the ring member facing the sidewall, the sliding guide member protruding from the sidewall of the bushing such that a continuous gap is provided from a bottom of the sliding guide member to a bottom of the sidewall of the bushing to allow the ring member to be deformable toward the bushing at a point above a bottom of the fusing belt,
• wherein a first frictional force generated between the edge of the fusing belt and the ring member is larger than a second frictional force generated between the bushing and the ring member.