| (19) |
 |
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(11) |
EP 3 671 356 A3 |
| (12) |
EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| (88) |
Date of publication A3: |
|
04.11.2020 Bulletin 2020/45 |
| (43) |
Date of publication A2: |
|
24.06.2020 Bulletin 2020/26 |
| (22) |
Date of filing: 27.11.2019 |
|
| (51) |
International Patent Classification (IPC):
|
|
| (84) |
Designated Contracting States: |
|
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL
NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
Designated Extension States: |
|
BA ME |
|
Designated Validation States: |
|
KH MA MD TN |
| (30) |
Priority: |
29.11.2018 JP 2018223604
06.03.2019 JP 2019040204
|
| (71) |
Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd. |
|
Tokyo 143-8555 (JP) |
|
| (72) |
Inventors: |
|
- OKAMOTO, Jun
Tokyo, 143-8555 (JP)
- YOSHINAGA, Hiroshi
Tokyo, 143-8555 (JP)
- FURUICHI, Yuusuke
Tokyo, 143-8555 (JP)
|
| (74) |
Representative: J A Kemp LLP |
|
14 South Square
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5JJ
London WC1R 5JJ (GB) |
|
| |
|
| (54) |
FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME |
(57) A fixing device (7) includes an endless fixing belt (22), a pressing member (23)
configured to press an outer surface of the fixing belt (22), a heater (31) disposed
inside a loop of the fixing belt (22) and configured to heat the fixing belt (22),
and a nip formation pad (32) disposed inside the loop of the fixing belt (22). The
nip formation pad (32) has a nip formation surface (32c) configured to contact the
pressing member (23) to form a fixing nip and a projection (32c) at a position different
from an end portion of the nip formation pad (32) in a conveyance direction of a recording
medium. The projection (32c) is on a surface opposite the nip formation surface (32a1).