Fixing exit guide plate, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9581945-B2
Application number	US-201615056061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2016
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A fixing exit guide plate for use in a fixing device, which supports the conveyance of a paper while being curved in a direction opposite to a curl direction of the paper in a paper conveyance path downstream of conveyance support rollers, includes a conveyance downstream portion having a paper conveyance plane and a conveyance upstream portion having a paper conveyance plane, wherein the fixing exit guide plate is retracted in a paper jam process to move such that the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance downstream portion rotates about a rotation axis of the conveyance support driving roller to be substantially parallel to the paper conveyance plane of a conveyance upstream portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixing exit guide plate for use in a fixing device, the fixing device including a flexible endless fixing member, a nip forming member that contacts the fixing member directly or through a sliding sheet, a pressure member that faces the nip forming member through the fixing member and forms a nip by pressing, and a pair of conveyance support rollers, the pair of conveyance support rollers including a conveyance support driving roller on a back side of an image to support conveyance of a paper which has passed through the nip, and a conveyance support driven roller on a front side of the image to support the conveyance of the paper which has passed through the nip, the fixing exit guide plate configured to support the conveyance of the paper while being curved in a direction opposite to a curl direction of the paper in a paper conveyance path downstream of the pair of conveyance support rollers, the fixing exit guide plate comprising:
a conveyance downstream portion having a paper conveyance plane; and
a conveyance upstream portion having a paper conveyance plane, wherein
the fixing exit guide plate is configured to be retracted in a paper jam process to move such that the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance downstream portion rotates about a rotation axis of the conveyance support driving roller to be substantially parallel to the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance upstream portion.

2. The fixing exit guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein,
θa is an angle between a tangential line of the paper conveyance direction relative to the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance upstream portion and a tangential line of the paper conveyance direction relative to the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance downstream portion, prior to a movement of the conveyance downstream portion; and
θb is an angle between the tangential line of the paper conveyance direction relative to the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance upstream portion and the tangential line of the paper conveyance direction relative to the paper conveyance plane of the conveyance downstream portion, subsequent to the movement of the conveyance downstream portion;
θa<θb; and
θb>160°.

3. The fixing exit guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein,
the conveyance downstream portion of the fixing exit guide plate is biased by a biasing force,
retraction of the fixing exit guide plate according to the biasing force is at least partially mitigated by a resisting force of paper fed by the conveyance support rollers, relative to the fixing exit guide plate.

4. The fixing exit guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance downstream portion has a comb shape.

5. A fixing device comprising the fixing exit guide plate according to claim 1 .

6. An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 5 .

Assignees

• Honda Haruyuki
• Mimbu Ryuuichi
• Hattori Yoshio
• Yamaguchi Yoshiki
• Shimokawa Toshihiko
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Honda Haruyuki
• Mimbu Ryuuichi
• Hattori Yoshio
• Yamaguchi Yoshiki
• Shimokawa Toshihiko

Classifications

• G03G15/2028 Primary

  with means for handling the copy material in the fixing nip, e.g. introduction guides, stripping means · CPC title

• G03G15/6576

  Decurling of sheet material · CPC title

• G03G15/6573 Primary

  Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing · CPC title

• B65H3/50

  Elements, e.g. fingers, plates, rollers, inserted or traversed between articles to be separated and remainder of the pile · CPC title

• B65H3/06

  Rollers or like rotary separators {(B65H3/42 takes precedence)} · CPC title