1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that is configured to fix an image by a developer onto a sheet-like recording medium to thereby form an image onto the recording medium. Further, the present invention relates to a fixing device that is mounted to a main body of the above-mentioned image forming apparatus and configured to fix the image by the developer onto the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of the image forming apparatus accommodates the fixing device, which is made into a unit, in a main body case of the image forming apparatus. This fixing device has a heat roller and a pressure roller (facing roller) arranged so as to face the heat roller. The one disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 08-6414 has been known as the configuration of the image forming apparatus and fixing device described above.
In the fixing device described above, the bearing sections of both the left and right edges of the cylindrical heat roller and pressure roller are supported by support side plates provided at the left and right of the lower case. Notably, the “left and right” directions here mean the widthwise direction of a sheet that is vertical to the sheet transporting direction and thickness direction of the sheet. A pair of left and right holders made of metallic spring plate is fixed to the lower face of the top plate of the upper case that covers the heat roller. These holders are arranged at the left and right edge sections of the upper case.
Connection sections are respectively formed at the lower edges of the pair of left and right holders. The above-mentioned holders are configured such that the connection sections support electrode terminals formed at both left and right sides of a bar-like heater inserted in the heat roller and electric power is supplied to these electrode terminals.
The aforesaid pair of left and right holders is fixed to the top plate of the upper case by screws. The screws constitute an electric power supply section for supplying electric power to the holders and electrode terminals. This electric power supply section is connected to a power circuit provided to a control substrate via a wiring.
Also, Those disclosed in the following patent documents are known as a device structure for supplying electric power to the fixing device in the image forming apparatus; Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 08-6416, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 08-63038, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 10-319756, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 11-133774, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-258715.
In manufacturing this type of the image forming apparatus, the fixing device is mounted to the main body section of the image forming apparatus. During this mounting process, it is necessary to establish an electrical connection between the main body section of the image forming apparatus and the fixing device. The operation for establishing the electrical connection has conventionally been very troublesome.
Accordingly, it is an important subject to provide a configuration of an image forming apparatus and a fixing device in which an operation for establishing an electrical connection for supplying electric power to the fixing device can easily and surely be carried out during the process for mounting the fixing device to the main body section of the image forming apparatus.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds