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. 31, 2017
Filed:
Sep. 11, 2015
Takahiro Imada, Tokyo, JP;
Masaaki Yoshikawa, Tokyo, JP;
Kenji Ishii, Tokyo, JP;
Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Tokyo, JP;
Yuji Arai, Tokyo, JP;
Naoki Iwaya, Tokyo, JP;
Tetsuo Tokuda, Tokyo, JP;
Hiromasa Takagi, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Tokyo, JP;
Ippei Fujimoto, Tokyo, JP;
Takuya Seshita, Tokyo, JP;
Yutaka Ikebuchi, Tokyo, JP;
Arinobu Yoshiura, Tokyo, JP;
Toshihiko Shimokawa, Tokyo, JP;
Hajime Gotoh, Tokyo, JP;
Takahiro Imada, Tokyo, JP;
Masaaki Yoshikawa, Tokyo, JP;
Kenji Ishii, Tokyo, JP;
Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Tokyo, JP;
Yuji Arai, Tokyo, JP;
Naoki Iwaya, Tokyo, JP;
Tetsuo Tokuda, Tokyo, JP;
Hiromasa Takagi, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Tokyo, JP;
Ippei Fujimoto, Tokyo, JP;
Takuya Seshita, Tokyo, JP;
Yutaka Ikebuchi, Tokyo, JP;
Arinobu Yoshiura, Tokyo, JP;
Toshihiko Shimokawa, Tokyo, JP;
Hajime Gotoh, Tokyo, JP;
Ricoh Company, Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing device may include an endless fixing member; a heating unit that is provided inside an inner peripheral surface of the fixing member; and a nip forming unit that comes into press-contact with a rotationally driven pressing member with the fixing member interposed therebetween to form a nip. The nip forming unit has a shape in which a center of a contact surface protrudes toward the pressing member compared to both ends. The nip forming unit has a protruding amount at a center toward the pressing member compared to both ends of the nip forming unit in no-load state is set to be less than a bent amount of the nip forming unit when the nip forming unit comes into press-contact with the pressing member with the fixing member interposed therebetween.