Toner fixing heater device having inclined heater electrode ends
AssigneesBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd.
InventorsMakoto Suzuki, Rikuzou Kouzuki
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Abstract
In a toner-fixing heater device, a heater strip in a meandering pattern and a pair of heater electrodes are formed on an insulator film which is in turn fixed to a cylindrical roller body. Each heater electrode which slidably contacts a brush electrode has a leading and trailing edges formed inclinedly at an inclination angle .theta., e.g., 50.degree.. The axial width Wd of the heater electrode 14, the circumferential width Wg of a spacing between the leading and the trailing edges, and the circumferential width Wb of the brush electrode are determined to satisfy (Wd/tan .theta.+Wd).gtoreq.Wg. This arrangement assures a continuous sliding contact between the heater electrode and the brush electrode.
Claims20
A toner-fixing heater device for fixing toner on a printing medium comprising:
- a cylindrical roller body;
- an insulator film attached to an inner circumferential surface of the roller body;
- and
- a resistor heater body shaped in a film and attached to an inner circumferential surface of the insulator film, the resistor heater body being constructed to generate heat for fixing the toner deposited on the printing medium,
- wherein the resistor heater body has a heater strip arranged in a meandering pattern and a plurality of ring-shaped heater electrodes formed integrally with the heater strip, each of the heater electrodes has at one circumferential location a connection part extending along an insulator film surface and inclined in a direction forming an inclination angle less than 90.degree. relative to a circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the roller body.
A toner-fixing heater device for fixing toner on a printing medium comprising:
- an insulator film;
- a heater strip fixedly arranged in a meandering pattern on the insulator film;
- and
- a heater electrode fixedly arranged on the insulator film so as to be electrically connected with the heater strip and extending along a side of the insulator film, the heater electrode having leading and trailing edges formed in parallel to each other and extending along the insulator film in a direction forming an angle of less than 90.degree. with the side of the insulator film.
A heater device for use with a brush, comprising:
- an insulator film formed into a cylindrical shape;
- a heater strip fixedly arranged in a meandering pattern on the insulator film for generating heat when supplied with electric power;
- a heater electrode fixedly arranged on the insulator film and electrically connected with the heater strip to supply the electric power to the heater strip while sliding on the brush, the heater electrode extending along a circumferential side of the insulator film and having a leading edge and a trailing edge formed substantially in parallel to each other, the edges being extending along a surface of the insulator film in a direction non-perpendicular to the circumferential side of the insulator film and having a distance therebetween in a circumferential direction, the distance being shorter than a circumferential width of the brush to enable the brush to contact the edges simultaneously.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.