A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressure applying member, and a heater holding member. The fixing belt fixes toner to a sheet. The pressure applying member forms a nip portion together with an outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt and causes the fixing belt to peripherally rotate while applying pressure to the fixing belt at the nip portion. The heater holding member holds a heater that applies heat to the fixing belt. The heater holding member includes: a side portion that extends from the nip portion along an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt and guides the fixing belt; and a plurality of inclined ribs that are disposed on the side portion to face the inner peripheral surface and formed such that an interval between them is gradually narrowed as they proceed in a direction in which the fixing belt peripherally rotates.

An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member that heats toner born on a recording material, and a pressure rotary member that pressurizes the heating rotary member. These rotary members form a fixing nip portion and fix a toner image to the recording material at the fixing nip portion while nipping and conveying the recording material. The apparatus further includes a web that collects toner adhering to a surface of the heating rotary member, a winding roller that winds the web, a motor that rotates the winding roller, a contact member that makes contact with an outer surface of the wound web and moves based on a position of the outer surface, a variable resistor that is connected to change a resistance value depending on a position of the contact member, and a control unit that controls a rotation amount of the motor based on the resistance value.

According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a printer, a memory, a processor, and a display. The printer forms an image according to the operation of a person. The memory stores contact history information indicating the history of contact of a person. The processor acquires information on contact infection of a virus at a site contacted by a specific person from the contact history information stored in the memory. The display shows information on the contact infection of the virus.

A fixing device includes: a heater that heats an image transferred to a recording medium transported, in a contactless manner; a holding unit that holds the recording medium; and a transport unit that transports the recording medium held by the holding unit along a transport path for the recording medium so that the recording medium is opposed to the heater. The transport path extends in an inclination direction inclined with respect to a horizontal direction as viewed in a width direction of the recording medium transported, and the heater is disposed along the transport path.

A belt device includes a belt, a secured member, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The belt is rotatable and has an endless shape. The belt includes an inner portion having an inner circumferential surface. The inner portion has an elastic power of 55% or more. The inner circumferential surface of the belt slides on the secured member. The pressure rotator includes a porous elastic body and presses the secured member via the belt to form a nip between the belt and the pressure rotator. The lubricant is interposed between the inner circumferential surface of the belt and the secured member.

A fixing device for an image forming apparatus has a tubular fixing member that has a lubricant-coated inner surface. A rotating member contacts an outer surface of the fixing member. A heater is on an inner surface side of the fixing member at a first position. A pressing member presses against the inner surface of the fixing member at a second position. The pressing member extends beyond the outer edges of the fixing member and includes first grooves in an outward facing surface that contacts the inner surface of fixing member. At least one first groove has end portion that extends beyond an outer edge of the fixing member, an inner portion inside the outer edges of the fixing member, and connecting portion connecting the two other portions. The connector portion is angled inward toward a center of the fixing member and crosses the outer edge of the fixing member.

An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member and a pressing rotary member. The pressing rotary member and the heating rotary member form a fixing nip portion and are configured to apply heat and pressure to a toner image carried on a recording medium at the fixing nip portion, thereby fix the toner image onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a winding roller configured to wind up a web used to collect toner that is not fixed to the recording medium, a motor configured to rotate the winding roller, a contact member configured to contact an outside surface of the web wound around the winding roller, a variable resistor disposed so as to be able to change a resistance in accordance with a position of the contact member, and a control unit configured to control an amount of rotation of the motor.

A fixing device includes: a fixing belt with no ends configured to stretch rotatably; a heating unit configured to heat the fixing belt; a fixing member disposed outside the fixing belt and configured to be in contact with the fixing belt by pressurizing; a pressing member disposed inside the fixing belt and configured to press the fixing member with the fixing belt involved; and a lubricant supply unit configured to supply a lubricant to the inner periphery of the fixing belt so as to supply the lubricant between the pressing member and the fixing belt, wherein the lubricant supply unit is disposed inside the fixing belt, configured to hold the lubricant, and includes a holding unit provided with a lubricant ejection port having a longitudinal shape and extending along a width direction of the fixing belt.

According to the present invention, increase in a dynamic friction force can be suppressed and cleaning performance of a cleaning member can be improved under any operating environment without additionally providing a special mechanism. An intermediate transfer member includes a substrate layer and a surface layer, the surface layer contains a cured product of a polymerizable monomer, and the monomer contains a compound represented by the following formula (1):

A-[(L-B).sub.k-D].sub.m(D).sub.l  (1) wherein A represents a tetra- or higher-valent organic group, B independently represents an alkylene oxide group having 4 to 15 carbon atoms, D independently represents a (meth)acryloyl group, L independently represents —(CO)— or a single bond, k independently represents an integer of 1 or more, l represents an integer of 0 to 3, m represents an integer of 2 or more, and a sum of l and m represents an integer of 3 or more.

A toner cleaning sheet includes at least one type of fiber selected from among different thermoplastic fibers formed of thermoplastic resin with a melting point of 265° C. or more and at least one type of fiber selected from among different cellulose fibers, wherein at least part of the aforementioned thermoplastic fiber is fusion-bonded to neighboring thermoplastic fiber filaments. The toner cleaning sheet can be produced by a method that includes at least one type of fiber selected from among different thermoplastic fibers formed of thermoplastic resin with a melting point of 265° C. or more and at least one type of fiber selected from among different cellulose fibers, the method including a bonding step in which at least part of the aforementioned thermoplastic fiber is fusion-bonded to neighboring thermoplastic fiber filaments.