Fixing device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8934825-B2
Application number	US-201213671947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2012
Priority date	Apr 12, 2012
Publication date	Jan 13, 2015
Grant date	Jan 13, 2015

Abstract

A fixing device includes a rotatable endless belt, a heating source that heats the belt, a pad member having a sliding surface abutting on an inner surface of the belt, and a pressure roller that presses an outer surface of the belt toward the sliding surface and rotates to rotate the belt. The pressure roller works together with the belt to fix an unfixed toner image onto a medium that bears the unfixed toner image by allowing the medium to enter between the roller and the belt. Assuming that the sliding surface is divided into upstream and downstream regions in a moving direction of the belt, the upstream and downstream regions both have recessed curved surfaces in the moving direction. A first curved surface corresponding to the upstream region has an average curvature that is larger than that of a second curved surface corresponding to the downstream region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixing device comprising:
an endless belt configured to rotate;
a heating source configured to heat the belt;
a pad member comprising a sliding surface abutting on an inner surface of the belt; and
a pressure roller configured to press an outer surface of the belt toward the sliding surface to form a nip portion that an unfixed toner image onto a medium is fixed,
wherein, the nip portion comprises an upstream region and a downstream region in a mov…

Assignees

• Fuji Xerox Co Ltd

Inventors

• Amano Junpei
• Fujiwara Norimasa
• Kimura Kouichi

Classifications

• G03G15/2053 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G03G2215/2041

  Physics · mapped topic