Sony Corporation

Tomohiro Maekawa

Atsushi Shiraishi

Teruyasu Hanagami

Shogo Fujito

Yasuji Yui

Hitoshi Kamoda

Shin Iima

Takashi Bunya

Kiyosuke Suzuki

Hideki Wanami

Masahide Maruyama

Mitsuyoshi Shindo

Masatoshi Mikuriya

The printer can improve the workability of storing and ejecting printing sheets in or from a storage tray. The printer includes a storage tray comprising a sheet storage case for storing a stack of a plurality of printing sheets with at least one of the sides of the storage case being opened and a cover for covering the sheet storage case, wherein the cover comprises a cover body and an moveable member supported by the cover body for freely opening and closing the opening of the sheet storage case. When the entire storage tray is disposed in the slot of the chassis, a pick-up block ejects one printing sheet at a time, and when a part of the storage tray is pulled out of the slot of the chassis, the moveable member can be opened or closed and the printing sheet can be stored in or discharged from the sheet storage case.

Printer

A printer includes a transporting block, a printing block, a positioning block, and an intermediate picking-up device. The positioning block is disposed between the transporting block and the printing block, and positions printing sheets transported by the transporting block at a predetermined location one at a time, so that they are positioned one at a time at a printing location of the printing block where printing is performed on the printing sheets. The intermediate picking-up means picks up the printing sheets positioned at the predetermined location in the positioning block one at a time in order to transport the printing sheets to the printing block.

In a picture reading apparatus, in the pre-scan, an approach is employed to control a CCD line sensor 5 and a film carrying roller 103 so that plural pictures recorded on an optical film 1 are read at a predetermined sampling rate in order from the latest frame to generate frame position data indicating position of left and right ends of frame, etc. Further, in the main scan, an approach is employed such that, in controlling the CCD line sensor 5 and a film carrier 100 so that plural pictures recorded on the optical film are read at a sampling rate higher than the predetermined sampling rate in order from the oldest frame, the reading start and end timings of the CCD line sensor 5 are controlled on the basis of frame position data obtained by the pre-scan. As a result, in this picture reading apparatus, it is possible to precisely obtain picture data of picture of frame in the state where no positional shift takes place. In addition, since the pre-scan is carried out at a low sampling rate, frame position data can be obtained in a short time.

Picture reading apparatus

Film scanning apparatus using plural film feed speeds and sampling rates

A color video printer can identify the length of a print sheet inserted therein for ejecting any print sheets other than a standard print sheet. The printer has a sheet feed sensor and another sensor disposed downstream of the sheet feed sensor with respect to the direction in which a print sheet is fed in the printer. After the leading end of an inserted print sheet is detected by the sheet feed sensor, the print sheet is fed until the leading end thereof is detected by the other downstream sensor. At this time, the length of the print sheet which is fed is equal to the distance, typically of 128 mm, between the sensors. The true length of the print sheet is calculated by adding, to 128 mm, the length of the print sheet which is further fed until the trailing end of the print sheet is detected by the sheet feed sensor.

A video printing apparatus and method in which, without interlocking the movement of the printing head with the capstan for carrying the printing paper and the paper feeding mechanism by a cam and linkage mechanism, they are respectively operated by three independent motors. The printer includes a first normally and reversely rotatable DC motor for searching the head of the ink ribbon of the ribbon cassette housed in the printer and for taking up the ink ribbon by the take-up reel base during the printing operation. A second normally and reversely rotatable stepping motor is provided for carrying the printing paper housed in the tray by the capstan and the pinch roller to the printing position and the paper delivering position. A third normally and reversely rotatable DC motor is provided for moving the printing head which subjects the printing paper to the printing processing by pressing the ink ribbon of the ribbon cassette thereon in cooperation with the platen. A control mechanism for locking the tray in position, pressing the printing paper in the tray into engagement with a first feeding roller and moving the pinch roller into engagement with the capstan includes a plurality of cams disposed on a common axis which are driven by the first motor.

Apparatus and method for video printing

A printer in which an ink ribbon is not wound when a ribbon code ring is read, a dedicated motor for rotating the ribbon code ring is not required, and it is possible to rotate the ribbon code ring with the same motor used for moving a printing head. When an information code of an ink ribbon is to be read, a print head is held in an initial position HO, and a pendulum gear, which can be rotated only when a cam is reversed, is brought into mesh with a ink ribbon code ring which rotates irrespective of a supply spool of a ribbon cassette. The information code on the ribbon code ring is detected by a sensor as the code ring is rotated. A locking system is provided for preventing accidental opening of a ribbon door of the printer during printing operations.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tomohiro Maekawa