US 7,583,922 B2Granted

Image forming apparatus with a pressing member and transfer fixing member

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorsFujita Takashi, Kikuchi Hisashi, Kurotaka Shigeo, Baba Toshihiko, Echigo Katsuhiro, Nakafuji Atsushi, Ikenoue Hirokazu, Someya Yukimichi, Kunii Hiroyuki

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Abstract

For an image forming apparatus, a transfer fixing apparatus and a transfer fixing method fix a toner image onto a record medium. The fixing apparatus and the image forming apparatus have a structure to reduce adverse heat influences impacting on an intermediate transfer member, and can further reduce vibrations generated to the intermediate transfer member and to a recording medium onto which a visualized image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member. Further, a heating value and a heat distribution in the fixing apparatus can be controlled to be optimized.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a transfer fixing member having an outer surface onto which a toner image is transferred;
an image heating member configured to heat said toner image on the outer surface of said transfer fixing member;
an opposite member formed opposite said transfer fixing member, wherein a nip is formed between said transfer fixing member and said opposite member, and wherein said toner image is fixed onto a record medium when passing through said nip;
a medium heating member configured to heat said record medium before reaching said nip, wherein said medium heating member includes a radiation source;
and
a movement restraining member configured to transmit heat radiation from said record medium heating member, and to prevent said record medium from contacting said medium heating member before reaching said nip.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/033,155Filed 19 Feb 2008 · continuation
Priority: JP 2002-1960404 Jul 2002
Published: US 2008/0219716 A111 Sep 2008
Granted: 1 Sep 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G03G 15/167
By introducing the second base in the nip formed by the recording member and at least one transfer member, e.g. in combination with bias or heat:…
G03G 15/24
Involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20: whereby at least two steps are performed simultaneously
G03G 2215/0119
Plural electrographic recording members: linear arrangement adjacent plural transfer points
G03G 2215/1695
Simultaneous toner image transfer and fixing: at the second or higher order transfer point

Family

Application10/612,926Parent of this division · filed 7 Jul 2003
Application11/339,485Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Jan 2006
US 2008/0219716 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Sep 2008
US 7,359,666 B2Parent of this continuation
US 7,031,648 B2Parent of this division
Application11/339,485Parent of this division
US 2004/0037595 A1Published application
US 2006/0120776 A1Published application
US 7,583,922 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.