Patent ID: 8606155

Claim:
A fixing device that is provided with a pair of fixing members, which press-contact with each other to form a fixing nip section, comprising: a fixing section to apply heat and pressure onto a toner image transferred onto a paper sheet by making the paper sheet pass through the fixing nip section, so as to fix the toner image onto the paper sheet; a heat source to generate the heat to be applied onto the toner image; and a separating section to blow a gas onto the paper sheet on a paper sheet ejection side of the fixing nip section so as to separate the paper sheet from the pair of fixing members; wherein the separating section comprises: a gas blasting section to blast the gas; and a duct coupled to the gas blasting section at a coupling section as to guide the gas blasted by the gas blasting section to the paper sheet on the paper sheet ejection side of the fixing nip section, the duct including a duct wall serving as a heat receiving surface to receive radiation heat irradiated from the fixing section; and wherein the coupling section is provided with a thermal insulating member that suppresses heat transferring action from the duct to the gas blasting section.