US 7,890,002 B2 · Image forming apparatus with cooling device and controller permitting image heating during error occurrence

Abstract

There is provided an image forming apparatus that effectively suppresses an increase in temperature of a heating device by operating an air blowing device when image formation is performed to a small-size recording material, and which can continuously perform the image formation. The image forming apparatus includes a heating device to heat a recording material to be conveyed, a cooling fan that blows air from an air blowing port facing a part of the heating device, and a shutter that moves such that an opening width of the air blowing port is regulated depending on a width of the recording material. The image forming apparatus also includes an error detecting device that detects an error of the cooling fan. When the error detecting device detects an error of the cooling fan, the shutter moves to a position such that image formation is continued.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming device for forming a toner image to a recording material;
an image heating device for heating the toner image on the recording material;
a cooling device, which includes a fan for blowing air toward an opening and a shutter for opening and closing said opening, for cooling said image heating device by blowing the air;
and
a controller for permitting execution of an image heating process in a status that the shutter is closed when an error occurs in said fan during the image heating process.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Image forming apparatus with cooling device and controller permitting image heating during error occurrence

Life of this patent

Image forming apparatus with cooling device and controller permitting image heating during error occurrence

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18