Heating apparatus using endless film
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakeshi Setoriyama, Akira Kuroda, Shinichi Sasaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image heating apparatus includes a heater, an endless film contacting the heater and a back-up member cooperative with the heater to form a nip with the film sandwiched between it and the heater. A recording material having an image is passed between the back-up member and the film to heat the image by heat from the heater through the film. A guide is disposed for guiding the film and allowing the film to extend loosely around the guide. The film is under tension at least upstream of the nip and in the nip when the film is driven and is not guided by the guide between the upstream guide portion and the nip.
Claims14
An image heating apparatus, comprising:
- a heater;
- an endless film movable in contact with said heater;
- a back-up member cooperative to form a nip with said heater with said film therebetween, wherein said nip is effective to feed a recording material carrying an image and to heat the image by heat from said heater through said film;
- and
- a guiding member for guiding said film, said film being loosely extended around said guiding member, and said guiding member having a guiding portion at a position upstream of said heater with respect to a movement direction of said film,
- wherein said film is tensioned at the guiding portion and the nip as said film is being driven, and wherein said guiding member has a non-film-guiding portion, which does not guide said film, provided between said guiding portion and aid nip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.