Patent ID: 7684744

Claim:
A fixing device that fixes a toner image transferred onto a recording sheet on the recording sheet by heating, comprising: a fixing roller that heats the toner image; a pressure roller that forms a nip portion together with the fixing roller by coming into contact with the fixing roller with pressing and fixes the toner image on the recording sheet in the nip portion; plural separation claws that are disposed side by side along a shaft center of the fixing roller within a sheet passing region of the fixing roller on a downstream side from the nip portion in a carrying direction of the recording sheet and separate the recording sheet from the fixing roller, and supporting members that support the separation claws in a posture that allows the separation claws to come into contact with the fixing roller, wherein: each of the plural separation claws includes a tip end claw portion that comes into contact with a circumferential surface of the fixing roller; the plural separation claws are disposed in such a manner that an interval from the tip end claw portion of a separation claw at a position in close proximity to at least one end portion of the sheet passing region to the nip portion becomes smaller than an interval from the tip end claw portion of a separation claw at a position other than the position in close proximity to the end portion to the nip portion, and intervals from the tip end claw portions of the separation claws to the nip portion and angles of contact between the tip end claw portions of the separation claws and the circumferential surface of the fixing roller are determined by positions of arrangement of the supporting members with respect to the nip portion.