Typewriting machines – Means auxiliary to typewriting function – Frame – casing – or support for typewriter
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-18
2003-10-21
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Means auxiliary to typewriting function
Frame, casing, or support for typewriter
C400S692000, C400S693000, C347S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634819
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording apparatuses for forming images on recording sheets, such as, for example, photocopiers, printers, facsimile apparatuses, and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
With regard to conventional recording apparatuses, ink-jet recording apparatuses, for example, have been configured based on a chassis that has integral side plates. The configuration of a conventional ink-jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
12
.
In
FIG. 12
, reference numeral
101
denotes a recording head, and
102
denotes a carriage for mounting the recording head
101
. Reference numeral
104
is a guide shaft which serves as a guiding member for guiding the motion of the carriage
102
in the directions indicated by the arrow A in the figure, which are the main scanning directions, and
105
denotes a guide rail which is another guiding member for guiding the movement of the carriage
102
. Reference numeral
106
denotes a timing belt wound around two pulleys (only one pulley
107
shown in the figure), with part of the timing belt
106
being fixed to the carriage
102
.
The pulley
107
is directly linked to a carriage motor M
1
, enabling the carriage
102
carrying the recording head
101
to be scanned in the directions indicated by the arrow A by driving the carriage motor M
1
. Reference numeral
108
denotes a scale for indicating the absolute position in the scanning direction of the carriage
102
, and
113
denotes a recovery unit for performing discharge recovery processing of the recording head
101
.
Reference numeral
114
denotes a transporting roller driven by a transporting motor M
2
to transport recording sheets. Reference numeral
115
denotes a pinch roller for abutting the recording sheet against the transporting roller
114
with a spring (not shown), and
116
denotes a pinch roller holder for rotatably supporting the pinch roller
115
. Reference numeral
117
denotes a transporting roller gear fixed to one end of the transporting roller
114
. The transporting roller
114
is driven by the motive force of the transporting motor M
2
being transmitted to the transmitting roller gear
117
via an intermediate gear
118
.
Reference numeral
119
denotes a discharging roller gear fixed to a discharging roller (not shown) for discharging recording sheets, upon which images have been formed by the recording head
101
, outside of the recording apparatus, wherein the motive force of the transporting motor M
2
is transmitted to the discharging roller gear
119
via the intermediate gear
118
. Reference numeral
120
denotes an automatic sheet feeding device for loading multiple recording sheets thereupon, and separating and feeding the sheets one at a time.
Next, description will be made regarding the configuration of the chassis.
A pulley (not shown) is rotatably fixed on a main face
109
A of the chassis
109
, on the side opposite from the carriage motor M
1
, and the pulley
107
. A left side face
109
C is configured to be bent from the main face
109
A, and the guide shaft
104
, scale
108
, and transporting motor M
2
are positioned and fixed thereto. Also, the transporting roller
114
and discharging roller (not shown) are rotatably positioned and fixed by bearings (not shown).
A right side face
109
B opposite to left side face
109
C, also is configured to be bent away from the main face
109
A, and the guide shaft
104
and scale
108
are positioned and fixed thereto. Also, a middle side face
109
D also is configured to be bent away from the main face
109
A, and the transporting roller
114
and the discharging roller (not shown) are rotatably positioned and fixed by bearings (not shown). The side faces
109
B,
109
C, and
109
D are linked and fixed by being screwed to a separate linking chassis
141
, thereby exhibiting precision and rigidity.
The recovery unit
113
is positioned and fixed to the main face
109
A, right side face
109
B, and middle side face
109
D. Also, a first sheet guide member (not shown) for guiding recording sheets fed from the automatic sheet feeding device
120
to the nipping portion between the transporting roller
114
and pinch roller
115
, a platen
128
which is a second sheet guiding member for holding recording sheets between the transporting roller
114
and the discharging roller (not shown), and a third sheet guiding member (not shown) for holding the recording sheets at the time of discharging the recording sheets from the discharging roller out from the main unit, are positioned and fixed to the left side plate
109
C and the middle side plate
109
D.
However, there have been the following problems with conventional recording apparatuses.
With conventional recording apparatuses, the sheet guide member becomes long in the width direction of the recording medium, which raises costs. Also, there has been a problem that the dimensions of the sheet guide member differ at positions close to the attachment parts of the side plates
109
C and
109
D as compared to that at the center part, due to bowing of the sheet guide member in the width direction. These are not currently problematic, but in the event that images are to be recorded with higher precision than what is currently being performed, there is the possibility that sheet transporting may be unstable, or the distance between the recording head and the recording face of the recording sheet may not be uniform, to a point of not being negligible.
As measures against these problems, increasing the precision of the dimensions for preventing bowing of the sheet guide member has been proposed, but there is a limit to how far precision can be improved, and also increased precision further increases costs. Another proposed arrangement involves forming another side plate by bending from the main face
109
A between the left side plate
109
C and middle side plate
109
D. This configuration has been effective against bowing by reducing the width-wise direction of the sheet guide member, but the effects of bowing of the sheet guide member between the side plates still remain, and the problem was not solved by this arrangement.
Also, another proposed arrangement involves positioning the sheet guide member relative to the transporting roller
114
and the discharging roller (not shown). This is a good configuration from the perspective of precisely positioning the sheet guide member in the width direction by configuring positioning parts at multiple positions in the width direction for the sheet guide member relative to a transporting roller and discharging roller with high rigidity and straightness, but in order to configure a positioning part at the transporting area of the recording sheet, there has been a need to form an outer circumference part smaller than the outer circumference of the transporting roller
114
(i.e., the recording sheet transporting face) and configure a positioning part there. In the event that the transporting roller
114
is a metal roller, this requires a grinding process for configuring the portion with a smaller outer circumference, which leads to great increases in costs for forming the roller. Also, the rigidity decreases, which leads to a problem in that the transporting roller
114
arches more readily.
Also, another problem is that, in shipping, the required space for the chassis
109
is great since the chassis
109
comprises side plates
109
B,
109
C, and
109
D, bent from the main face
109
A, so the packing efficiency is poor, leading to increased transporting and handling management costs. Also, the edges of the side plates
109
B,
109
C, and
109
D are long and unstable, so other members are necessary for protecting these parts, further increasing costs.
Also, the positions of the side plates
109
B,
109
C, and
109
D relative to the main face
109
A, and the relative positions of the side plates
109
B,
109
C, and
109
D amongst themselves are determined by precision in the bending process, so there has been the pr
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Ghatt Dave A.
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
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