Image forming apparatus for preventing deformation of continuous forms
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorTetsuya MATSUMOTO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a fixing apparatus of an image forming apparatus, a heating member melts and fixes the unfixed toner. A heat controller controls temperatures of opposite end portion areas and a middle portion area of a surface of the heating member in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction on an individual area basis. A pressure member is pressed against and contact with the heating member to form a fixing part therebetween. The heat controller controls the temperatures of the surface of the heating member so that the temperature of at least one of the opposite end portion areas of the surface of the heating member is higher than the temperature of the middle portion area of the surface of the heating member.
Claims16
An image forming apparatus comprising a printing apparatus that includes a fixing apparatus, the fixing apparatus including:
- a pre-heating member configured to preheat an unfixed toner transferred to a continuous recording medium being conveyed;
- a heating member configured to melt and fix the unfixed toner;
- a heat controller configured to control temperatures of opposite end portion areas and a middle portion area of a surface of the heating member in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the continuous recording medium on an individual area basis;
- a pressure member configured to be pressed against and contact with the heating member;
- and
- a fixing part formed between the heating member and the pressure member, the unfixed toner being fixed in the fixing part,
- wherein the heat controller controls the temperatures of the surface of the heating member so that the temperature of at least one of the opposite end portion areas of the surface of the heating member is higher than the temperature of the middle portion area of the surface of the heating member.
An image forming apparatus comprising a printing apparatus that includes a first and second fixing apparatuses, each of the first and second fixing apparatuses including:
- a pre-heating member configured to preheat an unfixed toner transferred to a continuous recording medium being conveyed;
- a heating member configured to melt and fix the unfixed toner;
- a heat controller configured to control temperatures of a surface of the heating member;
- a pressure member configured to be pressed against and contact with the heating member;
- and
- a fixing part formed between the heating member and the pressure member, the unfixed toner being fixed in the fixing part,
- wherein the first fixing apparatus fixes the unfixed toner on one side of the continuous recording medium, and the second fixing apparatus is located on a downstream side of the first fixing apparatus in a conveyance direction of the continuous recording medium so as to fix the unfixed toner on the other side of the continuous recording medium, and
- wherein the heat controller of the second fixing apparatus controls the temperatures of opposite end portion areas of the surface of the heating member of the second fixing apparatus and the temperature of a middle portion area of the surface of the heating member of the second fixing apparatus in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the continuous recording medium on an individual area basis, and
- wherein, when a printing operation is stopped due to a failure and thereafter the printing operation is resumed, and when a portion of the continuous recording medium that has been located in the fixing part of the first fixing apparatus passes through the fixing part of the second fixing apparatus, the heat controller of the second fixing apparatus controls the temperatures of the surface of the heating member of the second fixing apparatus so that the temperature of at least one of the opposite end portion areas of the surface of the heating member of the second fixing apparatus is higher than the surface temperature of the middle portion area of the surface of the heating member of the second fixing apparatus.
An image forming method comprising:
- supplying and conveying a continuous recording medium;
- forming an unfixed toner on the continuous recording medium;
- preheating the unfixed toner together with the continuous recording medium;
- and
- fixing the unfixed toner on the continuous recording medium by
- applying heat from a heating member to the unfixed toner and the continuous recording medium while
- controlling a temperature of at least one of opposite end portion areas of a surface of the heating member in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the continuous recording medium to be higher than a temperature of a middle portion area of the surface of the heating member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.