Fixing device and image forming apparatus
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsShintaroh Yamada, Hidehiko Fujiwara, Kazunori Bannai, Manabu Nonaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fixing device includes a flexible fixing member that heats a toner image to fuse, a contact member fixedly disposed internal to the fixing member and comes into contact with a pressure member via the fixing member to form a nip part, a plurality of heating devices that heats the contact member, wherein the contact member always maintains the contact state with the pressure member via the fixing member, the plurality of heating devices generally remain disposed in the fixing device under an operational state for heating and are freely removable for replacement under a non-operational state for heating.
Claims17
A fixing device, comprising:
- a flexible fixing member that heats a toner image for fusion;
- a holding member within the flexible fixing member that maintains a shape of the flexible fixing member;
- a contact member fixedly disposed inside the fixing member and configured to come into contact with a pressure member via the fixing member to form a nip part;
- a heating device that heats the contact member;
- and
- a removable holder, the heating device being held within the fixing device by the removable holder, wherein
- the heating device is fixed within the fixing device via the holding member,
- the contact member always maintains a contact state with the pressure member via the fixing member, and
- the heating device is disposed within the contact member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.