Patent ID: 7711300
Filing Date: 2010-05-04
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image carrier configured to travel in an endless loop and including a surface configured to bear a visible image; an endless transfer-fixing belt stretchedly arranged between at least two spanning members, wherein the endless transfer-fixing belt has a substantially flat front surface formed between the at least two spanning members, the endless transfer-fixing belt being configured to contact the image carrier via the front surface to form a transfer nip while contacting another member other than the image carrier to form a transfer-fixing nip; a pressure member configured to press the front surface of the transfer-fixing belt to the image carrier while contacting a backside of the front surface of the transfer-fixing belt at the transfer nip, the pressure member being located between the at least two spanning members relative to the backside of the front surface of the transfer-fixing belt; and a heater configured to heat the visible image; the image carrier is further configured to transfer the visible image onto the front surface of the transfer-fixing belt at the transfer nip, and the transfer-fixing belt is further configured to transport the visible image to the transfer-fixing nip while heated by the heater, and to transfer and fix the visible image on a recording member; and the transfer-fixing belt is stretchedly arranged such that the transfer-fixing belt travels in a direction substantially perpendicular to a pressure direction of the pressure member in a proximity of the transfer nip, wherein the pressure member comprises a curved surface having a curvature and contacting the transfer-fixing belt, and the image forming apparatus is further configured to satisfy the following relationship: wherein θ