Patent · US Expired

Image forming apparatus with variable speed transferring and fixing devices

US6823149B2 · kind B2 · utility

23Cited by
20References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 26, 2003
Grant dateNov 23, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 26, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03G2215/2045
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an intermediate image transfer belt to which a toner image is to be transferred from an image carrier, an image transferring device for transferring the toner image from the intermediate image transfer belt to a sheet, and a fixing device for fixing the toner image on the sheet. When the length of the sheet in the direction of conveyance is smaller than a distance between the image transferring device and the fixing device, a matching circuit varies only the speeds of the image transferring device and fixing device, but does not vary the speed of a device that executes a step preceding the image transfer step. The matching device then sets an interval between consecutive sheets matching with the varied speeds of the image transferring device and fixing device, thereby matching opposite sides with respect to the image transfer step to each other as to the number of sheets to be conveyed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.