Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Image forming apparatus and fixing device with lubricant retaining space having a variable volume
-
Application No.: US15685779Application Date: 2017-08-24
-
Publication No.: US10146158B2Publication Date: 2018-12-04
- Inventor: Masahiro Yamaguchi , Shoichi Yoshikawa , Koji Yamamoto , Seiji Shibata
- Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
- Applicant Address: JP Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
- Current Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: JP Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Agency: Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
- Priority: JP2016-171666 20160902
- Main IPC: G03G15/20
- IPC: G03G15/20

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device that forms a fixing nip by a pressure rotator and a fixing belt that rotates while contacting the pressure rotator, and includes: a nip former that is disposed inside the fixing belt and that forms the fixing nip between the pressure rotator and the fixing belt; and a lubricant supplier that forms a lubricant-retaining space at a position between an inner surface of the fixing belt and the nip former on an upstream side of the nip former in a rotation direction of the fixing belt, wherein the lubricant supplier varies a volume of the lubricant-retaining space.
Public/Granted literature
- US20180067432A1 IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS Public/Granted day:2018-03-08
Information query