Seiko Epson Corporation

Yoji Sasai

Yoichi Kobayashi

Kazuhisa Kawakami

Norihiro Yamashita

Hirotomo Tanaka

Masahiro Isono

Masafumi Furuyama

Toru Fukushima

Atsushi Kobayashi

Seiji Mochizuki

Masaki Shimomura

Kiyoto Komuro

Kazuo Otsuka

Kazuhisa Takeda

Tsuyoshi Tomii

Etsuo Tsuji

Hiroshi Asawa

Mamoru Ukita

Hiroyuki Tajima

Minoru Tanaka

Kenjiro Ishihara

Nobutoshi Ohtsuka

Takayuki Okuda

Koji Hashiuchi

A paper feed unit includes a hopper on which sheets are stacked and which is turned around a rotation shaft. The hopper is turned to move apart from or move to a paper feed roller. The paper feed unit has three modes: a large release mode in which the hopper is turned to be most apart from the paper feed roller, a non-release mode in which the printing sheet is abutted against the paper feed roller, and a small release mode in which the printing sheet is slightly separated from the paper feed roller, and is at a medium level between the above two modes. When a paper feeding job is still present, a state that the uppermost printing sheet is slightly separated from the paper feed roller is retained by the small release mode, whereby a swing range of the hopper is minimized.

Paper feeder, recording apparatus, and method of detecting a position of a terminal edge of a recording material in the recording apparatus

A paper feed unit includes a hopper on which sheets are stacked and which is turned around a rotation shaft. The hopper is turned to move apart from or move to a paper feed roller. The paper feed unit has three modes: a large release mode in which the hopper is turned to be most apart from the paper feed roller, a non-release mode in which the printing sheet is abutted against the paper feed roller, and a small release mode in which the printing sheet, is slightly separated from the paper feed roller, and is at a medium level between the above two modes. When a paper feeding job is still present, a state that the uppermost printing sheet is slightly separated from the paper feed roller is retained by the small release mode, whereby a swing range of the hopper is minimized.

A transferring tray for a printing apparatus for printing on one major surface of a recording media having disc shape, wherein the printing apparatus includes, a carriage having a printing head, reciprocating in a main scanning direction, a transferring unit transferring the recording media in a sub scanning direction, a detecting unit detecting the recording media being transferred by the transferring unit, and a recording unit printing on the one major surface of the recording media, the transferring tray including: a tray body having a rectangular plate shape made of a material which is not detected by the detecting unit; a detected portion formed on either one of two major surfaces of the tray body, being detectable by the detecting unit; and a mounting portion having a mounting recess such that the one major surface of the recording media comes up to substantially same level as one of the major surfaces of the tray body when the recording media is mounted on the transferring tray.

Tray for transferring recording media, and recording apparatus

An ink jet recording apparatus having a sheet forward roller,and a pump unit,connected to a single drive motor,, and a drive force is transmitted to the pump unit,through time lag mechanisms,that cause a time lag at the time of switching rotational directions. Sheet feeding/discharging operation and ink sucking operation are performed with the single drive motor by taking advantage of a timing at which there are no load fluctuations accompanied by the switching operation, without requiring any switching mechanism.

Ink jet recording apparatus

An ink jet printer having a pair of supporting portion for supporting from below both side portions of a sheet to be discharged after characters are printed on the surface of a sheet. At least one of the pair of supporting portion includes a roller, which may be either a driving roller, which conveys discharging sheets from the sheet discharge section, or a driven roller, which rotates upon contacting a discharging sheet to convey the sheet from the sheet discharge section. As a consequence, the sheet is discharged smoothly, without reducing sheet feeding accuracy even when stiff sheets are printed upon by the printer.

Sheet discharge section for a printer

A printer is provided having a guide shaft positioned substantially parallel with a printing surface. A print head of the printer is supported by the guide shaft, which is in turn supported by at least a first frame. The first frame is formed with an interior wall forming a through hole in the frame. A bearing member is fitted within the through hole. Upon rotation of the bearing member, the guide shaft is moved in a direction orthogonal to the printing surface.

Guide shaft assembly for a printer

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Yoji Sasai