# US 10,310,423 B2 · Heating roller having three heaters of three different heating sections and image forming apparatus using such heating roller > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,310,423 B2 - Document ID: US10310423B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/004,160 - Filed: 2018-06-08 - Published: 2019-01-10 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-07 - Assignees: Avision Inc. - Applicants: Avision Inc. - Inventors: Yen-Cheng Chen; Ming Chung Li - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310423B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/205: {specially for the mode of operation, e.g. standby, warming-up, error (G03G15/2046 takes precedence)} - G03G 15/2042: {specially for the axial heat partition} - G03G 15/2053: {Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract A heating roller includes: a roller cylinder rotatably disposed; a base rotatably disposed in the roller cylinder; first to third heaters, which are mounted on the base and respectively have a first heating section, a second heating section and a third heating section extending respectively in directions substantially parallel to an axial direction of the roller cylinder; and a driving mechanism, which is connected to the base and rotates the base to multiple position states. An image forming apparatus using the heating roller is also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A heating roller, comprising: a roller cylinder rotatably disposed; a base rotatably disposed in the roller cylinder; first to third heaters, which are mounted on the base, and respectively have a first heating section, a second heating section and a third heating section extending in directions substantially parallel to an axial direction of the roller cylinder; and a driving mechanism, which is connected to the base and rotates the base to multiple position states, wherein first to third heating conditions different from one another are provided according to the position states in conjunction with power-on and power-off states of the first heating section, the second heating section and the third heating section, wherein in the axial direction, a second range of the second heating section covers and is larger than a first range of the first heating section, the second range ranges between two third ranges of the third heating section, and the second range is complementary to the two third ranges. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The heating roller according to claim 1, wherein the roller cylinder provides the first to third heating conditions to cooperate with a pressure roller to fix toner onto first to third sheets having different widths. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The heating roller according to claim 2, wherein in a first position state of the position states, the first heating section is powered on to make the roller cylinder provide the first heating condition; in a second position state of the position states, the second heating section is powered on to make the roller cylinder provide the second heating condition; and in the second position state, the second heating section and the third heating section are powered on to make the roller cylinder provide the third heating condition. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The heating roller according to claim 3, wherein: in the first position state, the first heater is closer to the pressure roller than the second and third heaters; and in the second position state, the first heater is further from the pressure roller than the second and third heaters; and in the second position state, a distance between the second heater and the pressure roller is equal to a distance between the third heater and the pressure roller. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The heating roller according to claim 2, wherein the first, second and third sheets respectively have A5, A4 and A3 dimensions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) An image forming apparatus, comprising: the heating roller and the pressure roller according to claim 2; and a control processor, which receives a printing signal so that the toner is fixed onto one of the first to third sheets, wherein the control processor controls the driving mechanism to rotate the base to the position states according to width information of the printing signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) An image forming apparatus, comprising: the heating roller and the pressure roller according to claim 2; a width detector detecting a width of one of the first to third sheets to obtain a width signal; and a control processor, which receives a printing signal and the width signal so that the toner is fixed onto one of the first to third sheets, wherein the control processor controls the driving mechanism to rotate the base to the position states according to width information of the width signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The heating roller according to claim 1, wherein the first to third heaters have the same axial length. ### Claim 9 A heating roller, comprising: a roller cylinder rotatably disposed; a base rotatably disposed in the roller cylinder; first to third heaters, which are mounted on the base, and respectively have a first heating section, a second heating section and a third heating section extending in directions substantially parallel to an axial direction of the roller cylinder; and a driving mechanism, which is connected to the base and rotates the base to multiple position states, wherein first to third heating conditions different from one another are provided according to the position states in conjunction with power-on and power-off states of the first heating section, the second heating section and the third heating section, wherein in the axial direction, a first range of the first heating section is located between two second ranges of the second heating section, the two second ranges are respectively located between three third ranges of the third heating section, the two second ranges are complementary to the three third ranges, and a middle one of the three third ranges is overlapped with the first range. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The heating roller according to claim 9, wherein the roller cylinder provides the first to third heating conditions to cooperate with a pressure roller to fix toner onto first to third sheets having different widths. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The heating roller according to claim 10, wherein in a first position state of the position states, the first heating section is powered on to make the roller cylinder provide the first heating condition; in a second position state of the position states, the first heating section and the second heating section are powered on to make the roller cylinder provide the second heating condition; and in the second position state, the second heating section and the third heating section are powered on to make the roller cylinder provide the third heating condition. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The heating roller according to claim 10, wherein: in a first position state of the position states, the first heater is closer to the pressure roller than the second and third heaters; and in a second position state of the position states, the first heater is further from the pressure roller than the second and third heaters, and a distance between the second heater and the pressure roller is equal to a distance between the third heater and the pressure roller. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The heating roller according to claim 10, wherein the first, second and third sheets respectively have A5, A4 and A3 dimensions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) An image forming apparatus, comprising: the heating roller and the pressure roller according to claim 10; and a control processor, which receives a printing signal so that the toner is fixed onto one of the first to third sheets, wherein the control processor controls the driving mechanism to rotate the base to the position states according to width information of the printing signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) An image forming apparatus, comprising: the heating roller and the pressure roller according to claim 10; a width detector detecting a width of one of the first to third sheets to obtain a width signal; and a control processor, which receives a printing signal and the width signal so that the toner is fixed onto one of the first to third sheets, wherein the control processor controls the driving mechanism to rotate the base to the position states according to width information of the width signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The heating roller according to claim 9, wherein the first to third heaters have the same axial length.