Typewriting machines – Including interposed inking device for record-medium – Package for ribbon facilitating mounting of ribbon on...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-28
2001-09-04
Hilten, John S. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Including interposed inking device for record-medium
Package for ribbon facilitating mounting of ribbon on...
C400S224200, C400S242000, C400S246000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283652
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for transferring an image from a toner sheet onto an image-receiving sheet or a final sheet (hereinafter referred to as the recording sheet).
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional color-image recording apparatus based on the transfer process is arranged such that, in a case where, for example, color printing in four colors including yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (B) is effected, a recording sheet is wound around and fixed on a hollow drum, exposure is effected with a toner sheet of the first color (Y color) superposed thereon to transfer the Y color onto the recording sheet, and the toner sheet is released. A toner sheet of the second color (M color) is then superposed on the recording sheet to transfer the M color onto the recording sheet, and the toner sheet is released. Similarly, exposure and transfer of the C color and the B color are consecutively effected, thereby forming a four-color print.
With the above-described recording apparatus, however, there has been a problem in that since the transfer and releasing are repeated four times on the hollow drum in the case of color printing in the four colors of Y, M, C, and B, the apparatus becomes large, and it is therefore impossible to meet recent demands to make electronic equipment compact and other similar demands.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hollow drum-type recording apparatus whose overall size is made compact by accomodating the toner sheet inside the hollow drum and whose printing operation is made efficient.
To this end, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow drum-type recording apparatus comprising: a hollow drum which has an opening and whose hollow circular arc-shaped main body rotates; an internal holder for a feed roll and an internal holder for a take-up roll for respectively accommodating and disposing inside the hollow drum a feed roll for feeding a toner sheet and a take-up roll for taking up the toner sheet through the opening; and an external holder for a feed roll and an external holder for a take-up roll for respectively accommodating and disposing outside the hollow drum the feed roll for feeding the toner sheet and the take-up roll for taking up the toner sheet through the opening, wherein the winding, releasing, and discharging of the toner sheet are effected by appropriately moving the feed roll and the take-up roll between the internal holders and the external holders and by rotating the hollow drum.
In accordance with the above-described configuration, the apparatus is made compact by accommodating the toner sheet inside the hollow drum, and the winding, releasing, and discharging operations are made possible by the combined operation of the movement of the feed roll or the take-up roll for feeding or taking up the toner sheet between the position of the internal holder inside the hollow drum and the position of the external holder outside the hollow drum as well as the rotation of the hollow drum.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, the hollow drum-type recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention further comprises: toner-sheet loading means for transferring and loading the feed roll and the take-up roll between the internal holders and the external holders.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, since the feed roll and the take-up roll can be automatically transferred between the inner side and the outer side of the hollow drum without a manual operation, the automation of the apparatus becomes possible.
Further, in accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, in the hollow drum-type recording apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, the toner-sheet loading means effects a series of operations of transferring the feed roll to the external holder, bringing the feed roll into contact with the hollow drum at a position for winding the toner sheet, locking the rotation of the take-up roll, winding the toner sheet around a recording sheet on the hollow drum by rotating the hollow drum, and subsequently returning the feed roll back to the internal holder.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the toner sheet can be wound around and set on the recording sheet fixed on the surface of the hollow drum, by the movement of the feed roll to outside the hollow drum and the rotation of the hollow drum.
Further, in accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the hollow drum-type recording apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, the toner-sheet loading means effects a series of operations of transferring the feed roll to the external holder, locking the rotation of the take-up roll, releasing the toner sheet by rotating the hollow drum and bringing the feed roll into contact with the hollow drum, and subsequently returning the feed roll back to the internal holder.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the toner sheet can be released by transferring the feed roll to outside the hollow drum and by rotating the hollow drum.
Further, in accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the hollow drum-type recording apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, the toner-sheet loading means effects a series of operations of transferring the take-up roll to the external holder outside the hollow drum, bringing the take-up roll into contact with the hollow drum at a position for winding the toner sheet, locking the rotation of the feed roll, winding the toner sheet around a recording sheet on the follow drum by rotating the hollow drum, and subsequently returning the take-up roll back to the internal holder.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the toner sheet can be also wound around and set on the recording sheet fixed on the surface of the hollow drum, by moving the take-up roll to outside the hollow drum.
Further, in accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the hollow drum-type recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the toner-sheet loading means effects a series of operations of transferring the take-up roll to the external holder, locking the rotation of the feed roll, releasing the toner sheet by rotating the hollow drum and bringing the take-up roll into contact with the hollow drum, and subsequently returning the take-up roll back to the internal holder.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the toner sheet can be released by moving the take-up roll to outside the hollow drum.
Further, in accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the hollow drum-type recording apparatus according to any one of the third to sixth aspects of the invention, instead of causing the feed roll or the take-up roll to contact and press the hollow drum, a squeegeeing/releasing means is provided to effect pressing and releasing.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, since its own squeegeeing/releasing means is provided, creases are made difficult to occur.
In accordance with an eighth aspect of the invention, the squeegeeing/releasing means is a squeegeeing/releasing roller.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, since the squeegeeing/releasing means can be rotated with accompanied with a rotation of the hollow drum at the time when the recording media is rolled up on a surface of the hollow drum or the time when the recording media is rotated on a surface of the hollow drum, friction is prevented from being developed. Therefor recording media is not damaged and an image defect can be prevented from being caused by a scratch in the output image.
In accordance with a ninth aspect of the present invention, the squeegeeing/releasing means has a crown shape of surface.
In accordance with this aspect of the invention, since a force is applied to the roller uniformly in a whole width direction, a strain of the recordin
Sasaki Yoshiharu
Sawano Mitsuru
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Hilten John S.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Williams Kevin D.
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