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:
Jan. 01, 2019
Filed:
Mar. 23, 2018
Ryohei Matsuda, Kanagawa, JP;
Ippei Fujimoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Takayuki Seki, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing device includes a fixing sleeve, a pair of holders, a heater, a nip formation pad, a pressing member, a pressing mechanism, and a controller. The nip formation pad has a regular crown-shaped surface abutted against an inner surface of the fixing sleeve. The pressing member forms a nip with the nip formation pad in a state of abutting against the fixing sleeve. The controller controls the pressing mechanism in a first mode in which the pressing mechanism presses the pressing member toward the nip formation pad with a first pressing force to equalize a width of the nip and a second mode in which the pressing mechanism presses the pressing member with a second pressing force greater than the first pressing force so that the width of the nip is smaller at both ends than at a center of the nip.