Patent ID: 8886090

Claim:
A fixing device comprising: a rotatable fixing member to heat a side of a recording medium, the side bearing an unfixed image; a heat source to heat the rotatable fixing member; a rotatable pressing member disposed opposite the fixing member to press against the fixing member and form a nip on the fixing member; a housing to accommodate at least the fixing member and the pressing member; a conveyance path defined internally within the fixing device to convey a recording medium therethrough and between the fixing member and the pressing member; at least one shutter disposed on one of upstream and downstream sides of the nip; a shutter actuator to move the at least one shutter to open and close the conveyance path; and an engagement-disengagement unit to contact and separate the fixing member to and from the pressing member to form and cancel the nip, wherein the shutter actuator is linked with the engagement-disengagement unit and wherein the housing holds the at least one shutter and the shutter actuator.