Heater configured to maintain adequate contact pressure with a contact terminal, heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsYuusuke Furuichi, Tomoya Adachi, Yukimichi Someya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heater includes an electrode, a heat generator, and a plurality of layers including a first layer and at least one additional layer disposed in an opposite side with respect to a surface on which the electrode is disposed. The at least one additional layer includes at least one of a plurality of portions, a gap at a location corresponding to the electrode, existing between the plurality of portions and a single portion, at least a part of the single portion corresponding to the electrode, being relatively thinner than a part of the single portion corresponding to the heat generator.
Claims28
A heater configured to contact a contact portion of a contact member, the heater comprising:
- an electrode;
- a heat generator;
- and
- a plurality of layers including,
- a first layer, and
- at least one layer disposed in an opposite side with respect to a surface on which the electrode is disposed, the at least one layer including at least one of:
- a plurality of portions with a gap therebetween at a position at which the contact portion of the contact member contacts the heater, and
- a single portion, a thickness of at least a part of the single portion at the position at which the contact portion of the contact member contacts the heater, being relatively thinner than a thickness of at least a part of the single portion at which the contact portion does not contact the heater.
A heater configured to contact a contact portion of a contact member, the heater comprising:
- an electrode;
- a heat generator;
- and
- a plurality of layers including a first layer and a second layer, the second layer disposed in an opposite side with respect to a surface on which the electrode is disposed, the second layer including at least one of,
- (i) a plurality of portions separated from one another at a position at which the contact portion of the contact member contacts the heater with the plurality of portions not contacting the contact portion of the contact member, and
- (ii) a single portion, a thickness of a first part of the single portion at the position at which the contact portion of the contact member contacts the heater, being relatively thinner than a thickness of a second part of the single portion at which the contact portion does not contact the heater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.