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:
Mar. 26, 2019
Filed:
Jan. 17, 2018
Konica Minolta, Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Masanori Murakami, Toyohashi, JP;
Toru Hayase, Toyokawa, JP;
Mamoru Fukaya, Nagoya, JP;
Hideaki Ikeda, Toyokawa, JP;
KONICA MINOLTA, INC., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing apparatus includes: an endless fixing belt; a pad member having a receiving surface and a supported surface; a pressing rotator pressing the fixing belt against the receiving surface and forming a nip portion between an outer circumferential surface of the fixing belt and the pressing rotator; a supporting member supporting the pad member; and a heating source to heat the fixing belt. The supporting member includes a base abutting on the supported surface of the pad member, and an erected wall erected from the base to partition a space inside the fixing belt into an upstream space and a downstream space. The erected wall is disposed upstream or downstream in a recording-material transport direction, from an intermediate position of the nip portion. The heating source is disposed in a larger one of the upstream space and the downstream space.