Typewriting machines – Means auxiliary to typewriting function – Frame – casing – or support for typewriter
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-13
2001-06-26
Hilten, John S. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Means auxiliary to typewriting function
Frame, casing, or support for typewriter
C400S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250827
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording device for effecting recording on a recording object material of a sheet shape and a sheet material conveying device for conveying a sheet material and, particularly, to the structure of an exterior cover for protecting a drive mechanism portion of these devices.
2. Related Background Art
There are recording devices having the functions of a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and the like or recording devices used as output devices of composite electronic devices including computers, word processors, and so on, and workstations, which are constructed in such structure that an image is formed on a recording object material (a recording medium) such as paper, plastic thin film, or the like, based on image information. These recording devices can be classified under the ink jet type, the wire dot type, the thermal type, the laser beam type, and so on, depending upon their recording methods.
With the recent tendency to downsize the computers, portable computers like notebook type computers are becoming widespread. In connection therewith, compact recording devices with the principal object on portability have been proposed heretofore.
FIG. 47
is an exterior view of a conventional recording device.
As illustrated in
FIG. 47
, the exterior for protecting the drive mechanism portion of the recording device is generally partitioned into a lower case
1001
and an upper case
1002
. During assembling or during disassembling, these cases are attached or detached at this partition part. The upper case
1002
and the lower case
1001
are secured to each other with four screws
1003
.
In the conventional exterior structure as described above, however, the screws penetrate the cases vertically, so that the drive mechanism portion cannot be placed in the screw-penetrating areas. Therefore, the size of the exterior had to be designed with consideration to the screw-penetrating areas, which was hindrance to the scale reduction of the entire device. Use of the many screws also caused increase in the number of assembling steps and in the number of parts and in turn caused increase in the cost.
A snap fit fastening method is one of methods for coupling the upper case with the lower case without use of screws. The coupling by the snap fit method, however, is less rugged than that by fastening with screws and the coupling by the snap fit method cannot be resistant to use if consideration is given to impact on the recording devices with the principal object on portability while being carried and to cases in which another device, a book, or the like can be mounted on the recording device because of its compactness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
For solving the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording device and a sheet material conveying device that are constructed so as to permit case members composing the exterior to be coupled to each other with strength resistant to portable use, in simple structure, and the decreased number of parts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording device comprising:
a drive mechanism section for effecting recording on a recording object material; and
an exterior cover for covering the drive mechanism section, said exterior cover having a plurality of cover members separated by at least one partition surface;
wherein for two cover members to be combined with each other out of said cover members, a partition surface of one cover member is provided with a projection which functions as a fulcrum when the other cover member pivots on an axis parallel to said partition surface, and partition surfaces of said two cover members are coupled to each other by an engagement structure which engages when said two cover members move away from each other, on one side with respect to said axis, while being coupled by fastening with a screw on the other side.
In the recording device of the present invention constructed as described above, the exterior cover is partitioned into the plurality of cover members and, as to two cover members to be combined with each other out of them, they are assembled in such a manner that they are first coupled on one side by the engagement structure and then they are fastened with the screw on the other side. Since there is the projection provided between the engagement structure and the fastening portion with the screw, the fastening with the screw makes the two cover members pivot about the projection, so as to make the coupling by the engagement structure firmer. In addition, the number of screws necessary for the fastening of the cover members can be minimum.
The above engagement structure can be one comprising a claw portion provided in either the one cover member or the other cover member, and a hook portion provided in the counterpart cover member to the cover member provided with the claw portion and arranged to engage with said claw portion.
In this case, the claw portion and the hook portion are arranged to go into close fit to each other when the cover members are fastened with the screw, whereby there becomes no backlash between the cover members, so as to increase rigidity, and whereby there occurs no “chatter sound” due to vibration of the drive mechanism section, either.
When the exterior-cover has the overall thickness not more than 60 mm, the device becomes superior in portability. The exterior cover may be constructed so as to accommodate a battery as a power supply for the drive mechanism section in a detachable state.
Further, the drive mechanism section may comprise conveying means for conveying the recording object material, and head holding means for holding a recording head arranged to discharge ink to effect the recording on said recording object material. In this case, the recording head is preferably one comprising an electro-thermal transducer for generating thermal energy for discharge of the ink.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording device comprising a recording area in which recording is effected on a recording object material, and a first casing and a second casing for covering the recording area, said recording device comprising:
an engagement portion between said first casing and said second casing, said engagement portion having a first engagement structure for engaging said first casing and said second casing with each other by moving said first casing and said second casing in such a direction as to make said two casings closer to each other and a second engagement structure for engaging the casings with each other by moving said first casing and said second casing in such a direction as to make said two casings apart from each other.
In this case, preferably, between said first engagement structure and said second engagement structure there is a fulcrum for converting the movement in the direction to make said first casing and said second casing closer to each other in said first engagement structure, to the movement in the direction to make said first casing and said second casing apart from each other in said second engagement structure.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material conveying device comprising:
a conveying mechanism for conveying a sheet material; and
an exterior cover for covering the conveying mechanism, said exterior cover having a plurality of cover members separated by at least one partition surface;
wherein for two cover members to be combined with each other out of said cover members, a partition surface of one cover member is provided with a projection which functions as a fulcrum when the other cover member pivots on an axis parallel to said partition surface, and partition surfaces of said two cover members are coupled to each other by an engagement structure on one side with respect to said axis, while being coupled by fastening with a screw on the other side.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material conveyin
Asano Shinya
Hasegawa Koh
Inoue Hiroyuki
Iwasaki Takeshi
Kawasaki Noriko
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Hilten John S.
Nolan, Jr. Charles H.
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