Electrophotography – Image formation – Fixing
Reexamination Certificate
1993-09-23
2001-04-24
Braun, Fred L (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Image formation
Fixing
C219S216000, C219S469000, C399S335000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223017
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a localized heating device for thermal fixing, which is employed in an image-fixing device used in a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine or the like and a localized heating apparatus using same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, as described in Japanese examined patent publications Sho 59-21557 (1984), Sho 58-36337 (1983), Sho 56-7236 (1981) and so forth, a thermal fixing device comprising a metal roller which is in the form of a pipe and having a coating of fluorine-based resin or silicon rubber on its surface and a heater lamp which is in the form of a bar approximately in the center of the hollow portion inside the metal roller, which form a heating roller, is well known as a general fixing device. If a current is supplied to the heater lamp, radiative heat from the heater lamp is absorbed by the internal wall of the metal roller, which heats the entire heating roller to the temperature required for fixing, and if a recording medium having an unfixed toner image is passed between the heating roller and a pressure roller which contacts the heating roller under pressure, the toner image is fixed by heat and pressure.
Such a thermal fixing device, however, has problems in power consumption for heating the entire metal heating roller to the temperature required for fixing and maintaining the temperature, the temperature rise inside the device because of the large amount of heat produced, the impossibility of heating the roller to the temperature required for fixing in a short time because of high amount of heat capacity of the heating roller and the difficulty of controlling the temperature of toner materials accurately when fixing, which leads to problems such as a decline in image quality.
As described in Japanese unexamined patent publication Hei 4-114184 (1992), the present inventors proposed an image-fixing device comprising a heating means which heats an unfixed image by contacting an image holding member having the unfixed image thereon under pressure according to the image information, a power supply means having contact electrode portions disposed in the direction along the width of the image holding member and supplying electrical energy to the heating means, a pressing means which is disposed facing the heating means across the image holding member having an unfixed image and presses the image holding member upwards, in which the heating means comprises an adhesion prevention layer preventing adhesion of the colored imaging material forming the unfixed image, a conductive layer which is laminated on the adhesion prevention layer and a heating layer which is laminated on the conductive layer and generates heat by being supplied electrical energy from the conductive layer. This image-fixing device made effects in reduction of energy consumption, realization of quick start of an apparatus, speeding up of fixing, reduction of temperature rise inside the apparatus or the like.
In the image-fixing device according to the above described proposal, however, image drive signals to fix an unfixed image are input to the heating means by means of a recording head which comprises a plurality of blocks disposed along the longituding direction of the heating means, and the recording head is supported to contact the heating means directly and frictionally. The heating means is heated selectively by the recording head by block thereof according to the image signals. With this device, if there is an insufficient friction with the recording head, stable heating in all the blocks of the heating means, which are disposed along the longituding direction of the heating means, may not be produced. Further, as the heating device is thin, the transporting quality of the image holding member is also liable to be reduced.
Studies have been carried out to develop the fixing device of the present invention, in which the problems of the conventional thermal fixing device, such as high power consumption, a tendency to temperature rise inside the device because of the large amount of generated heat and leakage thereof, a long preparation time for reaching the required temperature because of high heat capacity of the heating roller, and the difficulty of controlling the temperature accurately when fixing, which reduces the image quality, are solved more easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a localized heating device free of the defects found in the conventional art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a localized heating device which is simple, reduces power consumption and with fewer problems of the temperature rise inside the device when installed in various devices.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a localized heating device which requires a shorter preparation time to reach the specified temperature, whose temperature is capable of being controlled easily and which is used for thermal fixing in various image-fixing devices.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a localized heating apparatus comprising such a localized heating device and used as a practical image-fixing device in a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine or the like.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be apparent to a person with ordinary skill in the art from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The present invention relates to a localized heating device comprising a laminate structure of a heat insulating substrate, a heating region made by sandwiching a heating layer between a pattern electrode layer and a conductive layer and laminating same on the heat insulating substrate and a low surface energy layer laminated thereon.
The present invention also relates to a localized heating apparatus comprising such a localized heating device and a power supply system which supplies a current selectively and stably to the heating layer between the pattern electrode layer and the conductive layer from a current supply portion formed at one or both end portions of the heating region.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4395109 (1983-07-01), Nakajima et al.
patent: 4438321 (1984-03-01), Moraw
patent: 4628183 (1986-12-01), Satomura
patent: 4724303 (1988-02-01), Martin et al.
patent: 4813372 (1989-03-01), Kogure et al.
patent: 4883941 (1989-11-01), Martin et al.
patent: 5065193 (1991-11-01), Saitoh et al.
patent: 5087946 (1992-02-01), Dalal et al.
patent: 5182606 (1993-01-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 42-14119 (1942-08-01), None
patent: 56-7236 (1981-02-01), None
patent: 58-36337 (1983-08-01), None
patent: 59-21557 (1984-05-01), None
patent: 4-114184 (1992-04-01), None
“Soft Roll Fuser for Color Copiers” (IS&T's Eight International Congress on Advances in Non-Impact Printing Technologies) Japan, 1992.
“New ‘Surf’ Fixing System” (IS&T's Sixth International Congress on Advances in Non-Impact Printing Technologies) Japan, 1990.
“Teichaku sisutemu ni okeru shouene gijyutsu” (Energy-Saving Technology in The Fixing System Japan, 1992.
Akutsu Eiichi
Ando Shigehito
Soga Hiroh
Braun Fred L
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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