The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 25, 2018
Filed:
Nov. 06, 2017
Takashi Seto, Kanagawa, JP;
Kenji Ishii, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Chiba, JP;
Takayuki Seki, Kanagawa, JP;
Ippei Fujimoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroyuki Shimada, Tokyo, JP;
Kazunari Sawada, Shizuoka, JP;
Ryohei Matsuda, Kanagawa, JP;
Takashi Seto, Kanagawa, JP;
Kenji Ishii, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Chiba, JP;
Takayuki Seki, Kanagawa, JP;
Ippei Fujimoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroyuki Shimada, Tokyo, JP;
Kazunari Sawada, Shizuoka, JP;
Ryohei Matsuda, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing device includes a belt, a pressure rotator disposed opposite the belt, and a nip formation unit that forms a fixing nip between the belt and the pressure rotator. The nip formation unit includes a guide face disposed upstream from the fixing nip in a rotation direction of the belt and contoured to separate from the pressure rotator in a direction opposite the rotation direction of the belt. The guide face is adhered with a lubricant moved from an inner circumferential surface of the belt. The belt rotates in the rotation direction when an outer circumferential surface of the belt has a temperature lower than a fixing temperature at which the belt fixes a toner image on a recording medium. The belt rotating in the rotation direction brings the lubricant adhered to the guide face into contact with the belt.