Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
Sheet wrapping avoidable fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus
A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.
Ricoh Company, LTD
G
G03G
inventional
Takashi Toshihiko Jun Atsushi Echigo Hisashi Shigeo Kiyoshi Hideki Hirokazu
Fujita Baba Yura Nakafuji Katsuhiro Kikuchi Kurotaka Ohshima Kosugi Ikenoue