Fixing Device Having Nip Member Provided with Protruding Portion
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKenji Takeuchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fixing device may include: an endless belt circularly movable about a first axis extending in an axial direction; a nip member and a heater extending in an internal space defined by an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt; and a rotary body disposed to be opposite to the heater with respect to the nip member. The nip member may slidingly contact the inner peripheral surface. The rotary body and the nip member may nip the endless belt therebetween. The nip member may include a main portion extending in the axial direction and having a first axial end portion; and a protruding portion protruding from the first axial end portion toward the heater, the protruding portion having a first surface configured to receive radiant heat from the heater.
Claims21
A fixing device comprising:
- an endless belt having an inner peripheral surface defining an internal space, the endless belt being configured to circularly move about a first axis extending in an axial direction;
- a nip member extending through the internal space;
- a heater extending through the internal space;
- and
- a rotary body disposed to be opposite to the heater with respect to the nip member, the rotary body and the nip member being configured to nip the endless belt therebetween,
- wherein the nip member comprises:
- a main portion extending in the axial direction and having a first axial end portion;
- and
- a protruding portion protruding from the first axial end portion of the main portion toward the heater, the protruding portion having a first surface configured to receive radiant heat from the heater.
A fixing device comprising:
- an endless belt;
- a nip plate extending inside the endless belt, the nip plate having an end in an axial direction of the endless belt;
- a heater extending inside the endless belt, the heater facing the nip plate;
- and
- a roller, the roller and the nip plate being configured to nip the endless belt therebetween,
- wherein the nip plate comprises a protrusion protruding from the end of the nip plate in the axial direction toward the heater.
A fixing device comprising:
- an endless belt having one end and another end opposite to the one end in an axial direction of the endless belt, a first imaginary plane being defined as a plane passing through the another end and perpendicular to the axial direction and a second imaginary plane being defined as a plane passing through the one end and perpendicular to the axial direction;
- a nip plate extending inside the endless belt;
- a heater extending inside the endless belt;
- and
- a rotary body, the rotary body and the nip plate being configured to nip the endless belt therebetween,
- wherein the nip plate comprises a main portion and a protrusion protruding from the main portion toward an imaginary straight line that passes through the heater and is parallel to an axis of the endless belt, the protrusion being positioned opposite to the first imaginary plane with respect to the second imaginary plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.