Image heating apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShinichi Ueda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image heating apparatus includes a cylindrical film; a roller contacting the film; a nip forming member contacting an inner surface of the film and cooperating with the roller to form a nip for nipping a sheet carrying an image; an opposing member opposing an inner surface of an end portion of the film along generatrix direction the film. A lubricant is provided between the film and the nip forming member. The film is longer than the roller. At least a part of the curved surface portion is provided in a region outside a contact region of the film and the roller. A portion of the curved surface portion outside the contact region is provided with a groove extending in a rotational moving direction of the film, the groove having a wall effective to remove from the film the lubricant.
Claims16
-21. (canceled)
An image heating apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrical film;
- a rotatable member contacting an outer surface of said film;
- a nip forming member contacting an inner surface of said film and cooperating with said rotatable member to form a nip for nipping a recording material carrying an image;
- and
- an inner surface opposing member opposing an inner surface of an end portion of said film in a generatrix direction of said film, said inner surface opposing member including a film supporting surface on which the inner surface of the end portion of said film slides and provided with a groove;
- wherein said groove has an entrance which is provided immediately after a downstream side end portion of said nip forming member with respect to the rotational moving direction,
- wherein said groove has a wall having a surface crossing the rotational moving direction at the position downstream of the entrance of said groove with respect to the rotational moving direction, and
- wherein said wall is provided in an area between a center portion of said nip and 180° away therefrom with respect to the rotational moving direction.
An image heating apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrical film;
- a rotatable member contacting an outer surface of said film;
- a nip forming member contacting an inner surface of said film and cooperating with said rotatable member to form a nip for nipping a recording material carrying an image;
- and
- a regulating member including a regulating surface opposing an end surface of said film with respect to a generatrix direction of said film, said regulating surface limiting shifting of said film in the generatrix direction, said regulating member including an inner surface opposing portion opposing an inner surface of an end portion of said film in a generatrix direction,
- wherein said inner surface opposing portion includes a film supporting surface on which the inner surface of the end portion of said film slides,
- wherein the film supporting surface is provided with a groove extending in a rotational moving direction of said film,
- wherein said groove has an entrance which is provided immediately after a downstream side end portion of said nip forming member with respect to the rotational moving direction, and
- wherein said wall is provided in an area between a center portion of said nip and 180° away therefrom with respect to the rotational moving direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.