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:
Oct. 27, 2009
Filed:
Mar. 06, 2008
Yoshinobu Tateishi, Nara, JP;
Toyoaki Nanba, Osaka, JP;
Tadasu Taniguchi, Nara, JP;
Toshiya Mikita, Osaka, JP;
Yoshinobu Tateishi, Nara, JP;
Toyoaki Nanba, Osaka, JP;
Tadasu Taniguchi, Nara, JP;
Toshiya Mikita, Osaka, JP;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A fixing apparatus is provided with a fixing roller that fixes a toner image that has been transferred onto a paper, a cleaning member that cleans a circumferential surface of the fixing roller using a metal roller that is idly rotated by contacting the circumferential surface of the fixing roller, a drive control means that, at a predetermined timing, sets a rotation velocity of the fixing roller to high-speed rotation that is faster by a predetermined velocity than a rotation velocity during print processing, a load torque detection means that detects a load torque of a drive source of the fixing roller, and a determination means that determines an extent of smearing of the cleaning member based on a load torque detected by the load torque detection means during high-speed rotation by the drive control means.