Patent ID: 10303094

Abstract:
A fixing device includes an elastic roller and a back-up unit cooperative with the elastic roller to form a fixing nip therebetween, the back-up unit including a cylindrical film contacting the elastic roller, and a heat leveling member contacting an inner surface of the film to cooperate with the elastic roller to form a nip nipping the film. An unfixed toner image is heat-fixed on a recording material at the fixing nip while feeding the recording material carrying the unfixed toner image at the fixing nip. The apparatus feeds the recording material such that the unfixed toner image contacts the elastic roller. The film includes a layer of thermoplastic resin material, and, when the device fixes the unfixed toner image on a small size sheet, a temperature of a non-sheet-passage-part of the film rises to a temperature that is greater than a glass transition point of the thermoplastic resin material.