Patent ID: 7664452

Claim:
A fixing device comprising: a fixing roller; a support roller arranged apart from the fixing roller; an endless fixing belt wound around the fixing roller and the support roller; a pressing roller for applying a pressure force to the fixing roller while the fixing belt being sandwiched between the fixing roller and the pressing roller; a nip extending member arranged on an upstream of the fixing roller and on an inner side of the fixing belt and having a pressing surface for pressing the fixing belt, the nip extending member being long in a width direction of the fixing belt; and a variable mechanism for changing a state of a pressure applied to the fixing belt by the nip extending member, the variable mechanism including a swing mechanism for changing vertical positions of the pressing surface of the nip extending member to be relatively different at one side and the other side in the width direction of the fixing belt, the swing mechanism being adapted to support the nip extending member pivotally about a point of a portion corresponding to a substantially center portion in the longitudinal direction of the nip extending member.