The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 04, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 17, 1998
Hiroshi Tokuda, Anjou, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya, JP;
Abstract
A detector detects the presence of a roll of a strip-like material within a cassette in a maintenance unit used in an ink-jet printer. The detector has a first movable part to rotate and press a switch when the cassette is not positioned at the predetermined mounting position, and a second movable part to rotate and press the switch when less than a predetermined amount of the strip resides in the cassette. The detector, based on the pressed state of the switch, detects whether the maintenance operation can be started. The detector has a pair of pivot arms which each have a similar shaped portion to the other so as to fold into each other and which project into the interior of the cassette when no roll resides in the cassette. When there is a roll inside the cassette, one arm comes in contact with the roll so that the arms retract from the cassette by folding the similar shaped portions into each other.