Cleaner for rotary fixing member, image forming apparatus incorporating the cleaner, and image forming method executed by the image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016124357-A1
Application number	US-201514885334-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 16, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a rotary fixing member cleaner that includes a freely rotatable rotary unwinding member, around which a cleaning web winds, a rotary winding member to wind the cleaning web thereon from one end thereof, and a load applicator to apply a load to the cleaning web unwound from the rotary unwinding member. The rotary fixing member cleaner removes any unnecessary substance adhering to an outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member therefrom by unwinding and moving the cleaning web from the rotary unwinding member in an opposite direction to a direction of movement of the outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member at a contacting point at which the cleaning web contacts the outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member. The load applicator presses against the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member at a prescribed angular contact position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a toner image forming device to form multiple toner images on a recording medium by using multiple toner particles respectively having different optimum fixing conditions; a fixing device having a rotary fixing member and a pressing member to fix the toner image formed by the toner image forming device into the recording medium based on a given fixing condition while holding the recording medium bearing the toner image thereon therebetween; and a rotary fixing member cleaner including;
a freely rotatable rotary unwinding member, around which a cleaning web winds,
a rotary winding member to wind the cleaning web unwound from the freely rotatable rotary unwinding member thereon from one end thereof, and
a load applicator to apply a load to the cleaning web unwound from the rotary unwinding member,
the rotary fixing member cleaner removing any unnecessary substance adhering to an outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member therefrom by unwinding and moving the cleaning web from the rotary unwinding member in an opposite direction to a direction of movement of the outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member at a contacting point at which the cleaning web contacts the outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member, the load applicator applying the load to the cleaning web by pressing against the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member at a prescribed angular contact position, up to which the cleaning web winds around the rotary unwinding member at a prescribed angle from an unwinding angular position at which the cleaning web is unwound from the rotary unwinding member.

2 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the recording medium bearing the toner image on a front surface thereof is conveyed between the rotary fixing member and the pressing member with the front surface thereof facing the rotary fixing member,
wherein the unnecessary substance adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member is toner in the toner image borne on the front surface of the recording medium offset thereto during a fixing process.

3 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotary fixing member cleaner further includes a drive motor to drive and rotate the rotary winding member to wind the cleaning web thereon,
wherein the freely rotatable rotary unwinding member is rotated by the rotary winding member via the cleaning web to unwind the cleaning web therefrom when the drive motor drives and rotates the rotary winding member.

4 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotary fixing member cleaner further includes a cleaning web pressing roller biased by a biasing member to press the cleaning web stretched between the rotary winding member and the freely rotatable rotary unwinding member therebetween against an outer circumferential surface of the rotary fixing member.

5 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the prescribed angle is from about 90 degrees to about 330 degrees.

6 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the prescribed angle is about 90 degrees.

7 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the load applicator is a plate applying the load to the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member by contacting the cleaning web via a prescribed contact surface area of the plate.

8 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the plate has elasticity and applies pressure to the cleaning web by contacting the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member via the surface of the plate near a free end of the plate located downstream in a direction of rotation of the rotary unwinding member while securing a fixed end of the plate located upstream in the direction of rotation of the rotary unwinding member to a housing of the rotary fixing member cleaner.

9 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the load applicator is a plate applying the load to the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member by contacting the cleaning web via a free end edge of the plate, wherein the free end edge of the plate has a round shape.

10 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the plate has elasticity and applies pressure to the cleaning web by contacting the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member via the free end edge of the plate located upstream in a direction of rotation of the rotary unwinding member while securing a fixed end of the plate located downstream in the direction of rotation of the rotary unwinding member to a housing of the rotary fixing member cleaner.

11 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the multiple toner particles include a polymerized toner particle prepared by using a polymerization method and a grinded toner particle prepared by using a grinding method.

12 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the multiple toner particles include a special color toner particle to form a special color toner image and an ordinary color toner particle to form an ordinary color toner image.

13 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a special color of the special color toner particle is transparent or white in color,
wherein the ordinary color toner particle is at least one of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black colors.

14 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pressing member is a rotary pressing member driven by the rotary fixing member in a prescribed direction of rotation,
wherein the fixing member cleaner removes any unnecessary substance adhering to an outer circumferential surface of the rotary pressing member.

15 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the load applicator applies pressure to the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member by contacting the cleaning web via either a free end of a plate or a plate face near the free end of the plate while securing a fixed end of the plate to a housing of the rotary fixing member cleaner,
wherein the plate has a multi-layer including an elastic base material having elasticity and a contact section to contact the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member, wherein the elastic base material and the contact section are made of different materials, respectively.

16 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the elastic base material is made of elastic material and the contact section is made of material having a friction function.

17 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the load applicator applies pressure to the cleaning web winding around the rotary unwinding member by contacting the cleaning web via either a free end of a plate or a plate face near the free end of the plate while securing a fixed end of the plate to a housing of the rotary fixing member cleaner,
wherein the plate is an elastic blade made of heat resistant material.

18 . A cleaner for a rotary fixing member comprising:
a freely rotatable rotary unwinding member, around which a cleaning web winds; a rotary winding member to wind the cleaning web unwound from the freely rotatable rotary unwinding member thereon from one end of the cleaning web, the rotary winding member rotating the freely rotatable rotary unwinding member by winding the cleaning web thereon to unwind t

Assignees

• Ujiie Masateru
• Suzuki Naoto
• Watanabe Yohhei
• Sakamaki Takashi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ujiie Masateru
• Suzuki Naoto
• Watanabe Yohhei
• Sakamaki Takashi

Classifications

• G03G15/2025 Primary

  with special means for lubricating and/or cleaning the fixing unit, e.g. applying offset preventing fluid · CPC title