# US 2020/0401070 A1 · Image heating apparatus and image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401070 A1 - Document ID: US20200401070A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/902,548 - Filed: 2020-06-16 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-19 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Koichi Sekimizu; Koichi Yamada; Seiji Obata; Teruhiko Namiki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401070A1 ## CPC - G03G 15/2053: {Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating} - G03G 2215/2035: the fixing nip having a stationary belt support member opposing a pressure member - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract Provided is an image heating apparatus comprising: a first rotating member; a second rotating member that forms a nip with the first rotating member so as to nip the recording material therebetween; a heater that heats the nip; a conductive sheet member that is disposed so as to overlap with a part of the heater; and a restricting member that restricts relative positions between the sheet member and the heater. The restricting member is configured so as to restrict a relative movement between the sheet member and the heater in a first direction, which is a direction where the sheet member overlaps with a part of the heater, and to allow the relative movement in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. A reinforcing land, that joins the heater and the sheet member, is disposed in a position that is electrically isolated. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image heating apparatus that heats an image formed on a recording material, comprising: a first rotating member; a second rotating member that comes into contact with the first rotating member and forms a nip with the first rotating member so as to nip the recording material therebetween; a heater that heats the nip; a conductive sheet member that is electrically connected with the heater by being disposed so as to overlap with a part of the heater; and a restricting member that restricts relative positions between the sheet member and the heater while maintaining the electrically connected state between the sheet member and the heater; wherein the restricting member is configured so as to restrict a relative movement between the sheet member and the heater in a first direction which is a direction where the sheet member overlaps with a part of the heater, and to allow the relative movement in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image heating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a holding member that holds the heater; wherein the restricting member includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the sheet member in one direction of the first direction and a contact portion that comes into contact with the holding member in an opposite direction of the one direction, and is configured so as to hold the sheet member, the heater and the holding member by the pair of contact portions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image heating apparatus includes a spacer member that is disposed between the restricting member and the sheet member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image heating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a holding member that holds the heater; wherein the restricting member includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the spacer member in one direction of the first direction and a contact portion that comes into contact with the holding member in an opposite direction of the one direction, and is configured so as to hold the spacer member, the sheet member, the heater and the holding member by the pair of contact portions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image heating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the spacer member and the restricting member includes a restricting portion that restricts the relative movement from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of installing an assembly integrating the sheet member, the heater, the holding member and the spacer member. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heater includes: a substrate; and a plurality of heating resistors which are disposed in a row along the longitudinal direction of the substrate, wherein the heating resistors generate heat by power supplied from a power supply via the restricting member. ### Claim 7 An image heating apparatus that heats an image formed on a recording material, comprising: a first rotating member; a second rotating member that comes into contact with the first rotating member and forms a nip with the first rotating member so as to nip the recording material therebetween; a heater that heats the nip; and a conductive sheet member that is electrically connected with the heater by being disposed so as to overlap with a part of the heater; wherein the sheet member includes a sheet side reinforcing land which is disposed in a joining portion with the heater on the inner side of an electric connection portion with the heater disposed on the edge side of the sheet member, wherein the heater includes a heater side reinforcing land which is disposed in the joining portion at a position facing the sheet side reinforcing land, wherein the sheet side reinforcing land and the heater side reinforcing land that face each other are joined. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image heating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sheet member includes a first sheet member connected with one edge of the heater and a second sheet member connected with the other edge of the heater, wherein the heater includes a first heater side reinforcing land which is joined with a first sheet side reinforcing land disposed in the first sheet member, and a second heater side reinforcing land that is joined with a second sheet side reinforcing land disposed in the second sheet member. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotating member is a tubular film, and wherein the heater is disposed on the inner side of the film. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image heating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a roller that comes in contact with an outer surface of the film and forms the nip in cooperation with the heater through the tubular film. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The image heating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first rotating member is a tubular film, wherein the heater is disposed on the inner side of the film. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image heating apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a roller that comes into contact with an outer surface of the film and forms the nip in cooperation with the heater through the tubular film. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material; and a fixing unit that fixes an image formed by the image forming unit on a recording material; wherein the fixing unit is the image heating apparatus according to claim 1.