Patent ID: 9201355
Filing Date: 2015-12-01
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image heating apparatus comprising: an endless belt configured to heat an image on a sheet; a heating mechanism configured to heat said endless belt; a fan configured to blow air toward a predetermined region of said endless belt, wherein the predetermined region is positioned in an end portion side of said apparatus, with respect to a widthwise direction of said endless belt, outside a region where first sheets narrower than maximum width sheets usable in said image heating apparatus are contactable to said endless belt, and is in an overlapping positional relationship with a region where second sheets narrower than the maximum width sheets and broader than the first sheets, are contactable to said endless belt; a controller configured to operate said fan to cool said endless belt, wherein said controller turns on blowing of the air by said fan when said endless belt is cooled during heating of the image on the first sheets, and turns off the blowing of the air by said fan during heating of the image on the maximum width sheets; and a heat pipe configured to move heat in a direction of uniformizing a temperature distribution of said endless belt with respect to a widthwise direction of said endless belt, wherein said heat pipe contacts said endless belt in a region broader than the region where the second sheets are contactable to said endless belt with respect to the widthwise direction of said endless belt; wherein said controller turns on the blowing of the air by said fan when said endless belt is cooled during the heating of the image on the second sheets.