Patent ID: 7308216

Claim:
A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material in an image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member disposed on a recording material conveyance path and configured to fix by heat an image formed on the recording material; a heating part configured to heat the fixing member; a storage unit configured to be charged by an external power source and to supply power to the heating part; and a control unit configured to control the supply of power to the heating part, to determine whether to start to supply power to the heating part from the storage unit, to control the storage unit so as not to supply power to the heating part during a warming-up period from when a power switch of the image forming apparatus switches on to when the image forming apparatus becomes ready to start an image forming operation, and to control the external power source and the storage unit so as to supply power to the heating part during a returning period from when an off-mode is completed to when the image forming apparatus becomes ready to start the image forming operation, and the control unit is configured to control the storage unit so as to supply power to the heating part when a plurality of recording materials consecutively pass through the recording material conveyance path, wherein in the off-mode, the heating part is not supplied with power when the power switch is turned on.