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:
Dec. 04, 2018
Filed:
Aug. 24, 2017
Konica Minolta, Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Masahiro Yamaguchi, Toyokawa, JP;
Shoichi Yoshikawa, Okazaki, JP;
Koji Yamamoto, Toyokawa, JP;
Seiji Shibata, Toyokawa, JP;
Konica Minolta, Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device that forms a fixing nip by a pressure rotator and a fixing belt that rotates while contacting the pressure rotator, and includes: a nip former that is disposed inside the fixing belt and that forms the fixing nip between the pressure rotator and the fixing belt; and a lubricant supplier that forms a lubricant-retaining space at a position between an inner surface of the fixing belt and the nip former on an upstream side of the nip former in a rotation direction of the fixing belt, wherein the lubricant supplier varies a volume of the lubricant-retaining space.