A flexible belt is disclosed for use in a printing system. The belt comprises an endless strip which, in use, travels along a continuous path. Formations are provided along the sides of the strip which are capable of engaging with lateral tracks to place the belt under lateral tension, the lateral tracks further serving to constrain the belt to follow the continuous path.

A fusing apparatus for an image forming apparatus includes a fusing belt which rotates, a bushing guiding the fusing belt, a ring member rotatably coupled to the bushing and in contact with the fusing belt so as to rotate together with the fusing belt, and a sliding guide member, provided between the ring member and the sidewall of the bushing and at least partially disposed above a central axis of the fusing belt. The sliding guide member slidably supports the ring member and protrudes from the sidewall of the bushing such that a continuous gap is provided from a bottom of the sliding guide member to a bottom of the sidewall of the bushing.

A fuser device for fusing a developer image on a medium by applying heat includes an endless fuser belt, a belt supporting part that has a contact face shaped in an arc centering on a first central axis and contacts with the inner circumferential face of the fuser belt on the contact face, a driven ring that is disposed on at least one side of the fuser belt in the width direction of the fuser belt, and a ring supporting part that has a contact face shaped in an arc centering on a second central axis and contacts with an inner circumferential face of the driven ring on the contact face, wherein the first central axis is shifted from the second central axis.

A fixing device includes a belt having a tubular shape and extending in a longitudinal direction, and having a longitudinal end, a drive roller to rotate the belt to convey a print medium between the drive roller and the belt, a bushing located at the longitudinal end of the belt, and a guide wall adjacent to the bushing. The belt is displaceable in the longitudinal direction relative to the bushing. The bushing includes a shoulder adjacent to the longitudinal end of the belt and a stem extending from the shoulder to an inside of the belt to support the belt. The guide guides the bushing to move in a direction opposite to a conveyance direction of the print medium when the belt moves toward the bushing. The stem of the bushing includes a convex portion that is in contact with an inner surface of the belt when the belt is displaced in the longitudinal direction.

A fixing device includes a cylindrical film a pressing member, and a preventing member including a preventing surface configured to prevent movement of the film in a longitudinal direction, and a film rotation guiding surface. As viewed in the longitudinal direction of the film, the preventing surface includes first and second regions positioned downstream and upstream, respectively, of a nip center line with respect to a recording material feeding direction. The first region retracts from a longitudinal film end surface relative to the second region. The second region continuously extends in the recording material feeding direction from a portion upstream of the nip center line to a portion downstream of the nip center line, and has a length, with respect to a rotational direction of the film, that is greater at the portion upstream of the nip center line than at the portion downstream of the nip center line.

A flexible belt is disclosed for use in a printing system. The belt comprises an endless strip which, in use, travels along a continuous path. Formations are provided along the sides of the strip which are capable of engaging with lateral tracks to place the belt under lateral tension, the lateral tracks further serving to constrain the belt to follow the continuous path.

A flexible belt is disclosed for use in a printing system. The belt comprises an endless strip which, in use, travels along a continuous path. Formations are provided along the sides of the strip which are capable of engaging with lateral tracks to place the belt under lateral tension, the lateral tracks further serving to constrain the belt to follow the continuous path.

A fusing apparatus for an image forming apparatus includes a fusing belt which rotates, a bushing guiding the fusing belt, a ring member rotatably coupled to the bushing and in contact with the fusing belt so as to rotate together with the fusing belt, and a sliding guide member, provided between the ring member and the sidewall of the bushing and at least partially disposed above a central axis of the fusing belt. The sliding guide member slidably supports the ring member and protrudes from the sidewall of the bushing such that a continuous gap is provided from a bottom of the sliding guide member to a bottom of the sidewall of the bushing.

A fusing apparatus and an image forming apparatus includes: a fusing belt; a pressing roller pressed to the fusing belt to form a nib part and rotating the fusing belt; a bushing guiding an edge of the fusing belt; and a ring member rotatably coupled to the bushing and in contact with the edge of the fusing belt that rotates to rotate together with the fusing belt, wherein a first frictional force generated between the edge of the fusing belt and the ring member is larger than a second frictional force generated between the bushing and the ring member.

A fusing apparatus and an image forming apparatus includes: a fusing belt; a pressing roller pressed to the fusing belt to form a nib part and rotating the fusing belt; a bushing guiding an edge of the fusing belt; and a ring member rotatably coupled to the bushing and in contact with the edge of the fusing belt that rotates to rotate together with the fusing belt, wherein a first frictional force generated between the edge of the fusing belt and the ring member is larger than a second frictional force generated between the bushing and the ring member.