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:
Sep. 30, 2014
Filed:
Apr. 24, 2012
Hiroyuki Kunii, Kanagawa, JP;
Akiyasu Amita, Kanagawa, JP;
Kunihiko Tomita, Kanagawa, JP;
Satoshi Muramatsu, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroyuki Kunii, Kanagawa, JP;
Akiyasu Amita, Kanagawa, JP;
Kunihiko Tomita, Kanagawa, JP;
Satoshi Muramatsu, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing device includes a first roller, a second roller, an endless rotary belt, a third roller, a heater, a belt cooler, and an upstream guide member. The second roller is disposed parallel to the first roller. The endless rotary belt is looped for rotation around the first and second rollers. The third roller is disposed opposite the first roller via the belt. The heater is positioned adjacent to the belt to heat the belt. The first and third rollers press against each other via the belt to form a nip therebetween. The belt cooler is disposed inside the loop of the belt downstream from the first roller and upstream from the second roller for cooling the belt. The belt cooler has a convex contact surface. The upstream guide member is disposed inside the loop of the belt upstream from the contact surface to guide the belt.