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:
Feb. 16, 2010
Filed:
Aug. 02, 2007
Applicants:
Masahiro Yagi, Ibaraki, JP;
Yoshihiro Fukuhata, Hyogo, JP;
Shigeru Obata, Osaka, JP;
Inventors:
Assignee:
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G03G 15/20 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
Abstract
A fixing device includes a fixing member of which surface is deformable, a heating unit that heats the fixing member, a pressurizing unit having an endless member and a pressurizing member. The pressurizing member includes an elastic layer and presses the endless member against the fixing member to bring the endless member into pressure contact with the fixing member. The elastic layer has an apparent hardness (ASKER-C) which is larger than that at a point where an apparent hardness starts to change rapidly with respect to a rubber thickness in a load application direction.