US5177549A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Image forming apparatus supplied with controllable bias voltage
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1991-05-15
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Granted: 1993-01-05
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Expires: 2011-05-15
Abstract
Abstract An image fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material includes a pair of rotatable members for forming a nip through which the recording material is passed; and bias voltage applying source for applying a bias voltage to at least one of the rotatable members, wherein the bias voltage is automatically changed in accordance with change of an ambient condition.
Inventors
- 👤 Yasumasa Ohtsuka
- 👤 Koichi Tanigawa
- 👤 Akihiko Takeuchi
- 👤 Hideo Nanataki
- 👤 Hideyuki Yano
- 👤 Takayasu Yuminamochi
- 👤 Hiroshi Sasame
- 👤 Hiroto Hasegawa
- 👤 Tetsuo Saito
- 👤 Kenji Nagata
- 👤 Fumitaka Aoki
- 👤 Hirokazu Ikenoue
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 10:08
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/20; G03G15/2003; G03G15/2014; G03G15/2064
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
An image fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material, comprising: a rotatable fixing member for forming with a back-up rotatable member a nip through which a recording material carrying a toner image is passed to fix the toner image on the recording material; a bias voltage source for applying a bias voltage to said rotatable member; and impedance means for dividing the bias voltage and applying the divided voltage to said rotatably fixing member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
An image fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material, comprising: a rotatable fixing member for forming with a back-up rotatable member a nip through which a recording material carrying a toner image is passed to fix the toner image on the recording material; a bias voltage source for applying a bias voltage to said rotatable member; and impedance means for dividing the bias voltage and applying the divided voltage to said rotatably fixing member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotatable member is contactable with the toner image, and has the same polarity as that of the bias voltage.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotatable image fixing member includes an electrically conductive base and a surface parting layer thereon, and the bias voltage is applied to the conductive base.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the surface parting layer has a volume resistivity of not less than 10 11 ohm.cm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said impedance means includes a plurality of electric resistance elements.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bias voltage is relatively low under a high temperature and high humidity condition, and is relatively high under a low temperature and low humidity condition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
82 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is used with an image forming apparatus comprising an image bearing member for carrying the toner image and image transfer means for electrostatically transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto the recording material, and wherein a distance between an image transfer station where said image transfer means is disposed and said image fixing apparatus is shorter than a maximum length of the recording material usable in said image forming apparatus.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said transfer means includes a transfer rotatable member in contact with the image bearing member.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-01-05 | 1996-07-06 | 1997-01-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-01-05 | 2000-07-06 | 2001-01-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-01-05 | 2004-07-06 | 2005-01-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |