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. 20, 2018
Filed:
Jun. 10, 2016
Applicant:
Konica Minolta, Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Inventor:
Koji Takahashi, Toyokawa, JP;
Assignee:
KONICA MINOLTA, INC., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G03G 15/20 (2006.01); G03G 15/00 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G03G 15/2053 (2013.01); G03G 15/206 (2013.01); G03G 15/2064 (2013.01); G03G 15/2067 (2013.01); G03G 15/5029 (2013.01); G03G 15/2017 (2013.01); G03G 2215/00447 (2013.01); G03G 2215/00514 (2013.01); G03G 2215/2032 (2013.01);
Abstract
A fixing device includes a hardness adjusting unit to adjust hardness of an outer circumferential surface of a fixing belt at a nip. When a sheet to be passed through the nip is an envelope, and the envelope is passed through the nip by side-flap sheet passing for feeding the sheet so that a fold line between an envelope body and a flap extends in a sheet passing direction through the nip, the hardness adjusting unit brings the outer circumferential surface of the fixing belt at the nip during passage of the sheet into a softer state than when the sheet is a plain sheet.