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. 08, 2005
Filed:
Mar. 28, 2003
Hidetoshi Katayanagi, Tokyo, JP;
Hajime Tanaka, Hachioji, JP;
Toshiki Hayami, Hachioji, JP;
Konica Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing apparatus includes a fixing roller, a fixing belt forming a nip between them, a heat source for heating at least one of the rollers, wherein a recording medium carrying an unfixed toner image passes through the nip to perform fixing operation, and a flattener having a conveyance roller and a pressure contact member which is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller, which is provided downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium of the nip. A convex shape of the nip formed by the fixing roller and the fixing belt, and a convex shape of a nip of the flattener formed by the conveyance roller and the pressure contact member are arranged to have opposite directions to each other, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium.