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:
Nov. 14, 2017
Filed:
Nov. 16, 2016
Motoyoshi Yamano, Kanagawa, JP;
Tetsuo Tokuda, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshikuni Sasaki, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Ono, Tokyo, JP;
Hironori Yamaoka, Kanagawa, JP;
Ryohhei Sugiyama, Kanagawa, JP;
Kohichi Utsunomiya, Kanagawa, JP;
Arinobu Yoshiura, Miyagi, JP;
Hideo Nagafuji, Kanagawa, JP;
Motoyoshi Yamano, Kanagawa, JP;
Tetsuo Tokuda, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshikuni Sasaki, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Ono, Tokyo, JP;
Hironori Yamaoka, Kanagawa, JP;
Ryohhei Sugiyama, Kanagawa, JP;
Kohichi Utsunomiya, Kanagawa, JP;
Arinobu Yoshiura, Miyagi, JP;
Hideo Nagafuji, Kanagawa, JP;
RICOH COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fixing device includes a heater, a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator to press against the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed, a moving device to move the pressure rotator in directions in which the pressure rotator comes into contact with and separates from the fixing rotator, a thermal expansion amount predictor to predict an amount of thermal expansion of the fixing rotator while the recording medium is conveyed, and a nip width adjuster to control a moving distance of the pressure rotator moved by the moving device toward the fixing rotator, depending on the amount of thermal expansion of the fixing rotator predicted by the thermal expansion amount predictor, so as to adjust a width of the fixing nip to maintain a substantially constant width of the fixing nip.