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:
Jan. 13, 2015
Filed:
Sep. 20, 2012
Kaoru Suzuki, Ichinomiya, JP;
Kaoru Suzuki, Ichinomiya, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, JP;
Abstract
A fixing device which may include a flexible cylindrical member which has an inner peripheral surface and is configured to rotate about an axis, a heater arranged inside the cylindrical member and extends in an axial direction of the cylindrical member, and a nip member. The nip member may include a contact surface configured to contact the cylindrical member, and has a predetermined length in a sheet conveying direction. Further, the nip member may have an axial length which includes a predetermined range, wherein the predetermined range along the axial length represents a maximum width of a recording sheet upon which a developer image is fixed. The fixing device may also include a guide member. The guide member and the nip member may be at least partially separated along the predetermined range of the nip member within the predetermined length of the contact surface in the sheet conveying direction.