# US 2008/0187341 A1 · Image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 2008/0187341 A1
- Document ID: US20080187341A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/000,497
- Filed: 2007-12-13
- Published: 2008-08-07
- Earliest claimed: 2006-12-22
- Assignees: Oki Data Corporation
- Inventors: Shuichi Fujikura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080187341A1

## CPC

- G03G 15/2039: {with means for controlling the fixing temperature}
- G03G 2215/00738: of sheet thickness or rigidity
- G03G 2215/0141: the linear arrangement being horizontal
- G03G 2215/2074: colour
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device for thermally fixing the image on the recording medium; a medium type detection unit for detecting a type of recording medium; a temperature adjusting unit for adjusting a temperature of the fixing device according to the type of recording medium; and a storage unit for storing data indicating the type of recording medium. The temperature adjusting unit sets a target temperature according to the type of recording medium stored in the storage unit and starts heating the fixing device. After the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device, the temperature adjusting unit determines whether to change the target temperature according to a comparison result between a type of recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit and the type of recording medium indicated by the data stored in the storage unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising:
a fixing device for thermally fixing the image on the recording medium;
a medium type detection unit for detecting a type of the recording medium;
a temperature adjusting unit for adjusting a temperature of the fixing device according to the type of the recording medium; and
a storage unit for storing data indicating the type of the recording medium,
wherein said temperature adjusting unit sets a target temperature according to the type of the recording medium stored in the storage unit and starts heating the fixing device, and said temperature adjusting unit determines whether to change the target temperature according to a comparison result between a type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit and the type of the recording medium indicated by the data stored in the storage unit after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said temperature adjusting unit changes contents of the storage unit to data indicating the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection when the temperature adjusting unit determines that the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit is different from the type of the recording medium indicated by the data stored in the storage unit, said temperature adjusting unit resetting the target temperature according to the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection.

### Claim 3

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising:
a fixing device for thermally fixing the image on the recording medium;
a medium type detection unit for detecting a type of the recording medium; and
a temperature adjusting unit for adjusting a temperature of the fixing device according to the type of the recording medium,
wherein said temperature adjusting unit sets a target temperature according to a recording medium to be fixed at a lowest temperature among the recording media detectable with the medium type detection unit and starts heating the fixing device, said temperature adjusting unit determining whether to change the target temperature according to a type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said temperature adjusting unit resets the target temperature according to the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection when the medium type detection detects that the type of the recording medium is changed.

### Claim 5

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising:
a fixing device for thermally fixing the image on the recording medium;
a medium type detection unit for detecting a type of the recording medium;
a temperature adjusting unit for adjusting a temperature of the fixing device according to the type of recording medium;
a medium storage unit for storing the recording medium; and
a detachment detection unit for detecting whether the medium storage unit is detached,
wherein said temperature adjusting unit sets a target temperature and starts heating the fixing device, said temperature adjusting unit determining whether to change the target temperature according to a detection result of the detachment detection unit after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a storage unit for storing data indicating the type of the recording medium, said temperature adjusting unit setting the target temperature according to the type of the recording medium stored in the storage unit and starts heating the fixing device, said temperature adjusting unit not changing the target temperature when the detachment detection unit detects that the medium storage unit is not detached after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device, said temperature adjusting unit determining whether to change the target temperature according to a comparison result between a type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit and the type of the recording medium indicated by the data stored in the storage unit after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said temperature adjusting unit changes contents of the storage unit to data indicating the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection when the temperature adjusting unit determines that the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit is different from the type of the recording medium indicated by the data stored in the storage unit, said temperature adjusting unit resetting the target temperature according to the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature according to a recording medium to be fixed at a lowest temperature among the recording media detectable with the medium type detection unit and starts heating the fixing device, said temperature adjusting unit not changing the target temperature when the detachment detection unit detects that the medium storage unit is not detached after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device, said temperature adjusting unit determining whether to change the target temperature according to a comparison result between a type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection unit and the type of the recording medium indicated by the data stored in the storage unit after the temperature adjusting unit sets the target temperature and starts heating the fixing device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said temperature adjusting unit resets the target temperature according to the type of the recording medium newly detected by the medium type detection when the medium type detection detects that the type of the recording medium is changed.