Patent ID: 9411283
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. A fixing device comprising: a base plate; a fixing unit supported by the base plate, including a first rotatable member, and a second rotatable member which form a nip to fix a toner image on a sheet, a side plate, and an engageable member attached to the side plate; a moving mechanism, supported by the base plate, configured to incrementally move said fixing unit in a widthwise direction of said fixing unit, said moving mechanism comprising a cam engaging the engageable member; and a control portion configured to control said moving mechanism so as to cause said fixing unit to repetitively make an incremental movement in one widthwise direction for each predetermined number of sheets to a predetermined limit and then to cause said fixing unit to repetitively make an incremental movement in an opposite widthwise direction opposite the one widthwise direction for each predetermined number of sheets to a predetermined limit, wherein said control portion causes the incremental movement whenever said fixing unit fixes the toner image on a predetermined width sheet having a width smaller than a width of a maximum width sheet usable in said device, and said control portion stops the incremental movement and places said fixing unit at a predetermined position whenever said fixing unit fixes the toner image on the maximum width sheet.