Abstract: A cartridge, detachably attached to a recording apparatus, includes a recording sheet container. The recording apparatus includes a sheet turning device. When a recording sheet is conveyed from the cartridge to an image forming section, the sheet turning device turns the recording sheet around an axis parallel to a normal line to the recording surface of the recording sheet. The longitudinal direction of the recording sheets contained in the recording sheet container is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recording sheet being subjected to recording in the image forming section.

Abstract: A cartridge that is detachable from a printing apparatus that includes a printing unit that prints onto a print medium and a cutter member that cuts the print medium, the cartridge comprises a print medium containment portion that contains print medium that are consumed along with printing operations performed by the printing unit, a cut piece collection portion that collects cut pieces of the print medium resulting from cutting operations performed by the cutter member are formed integrally in the cartridge and a partition member that separates the print medium containment portion from the cut piece collection portion, wherein the partition member is movable.

Abstract: In a recording apparatus, an ink ribbon is always placed under a tension by a stop torque of a torque limiter while a take-up bobbin is driven through the torque limiter when recording paper is conveyed near a stationary ink ribbon.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a skew amount detecting unit configured to detect an amount of skew of a sheet, two rollers configured to convey the sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction when rotating in a same direction and to rotate the sheet around a predetermined point when rotating in mutually different directions, and a control unit configured to control the two rollers such that the two rollers convey the sheet to a position where a distance from the predetermined point to a specific edge of the sheet becomes a predetermined value and then rotate the sheet based on the amount of skew detected by the skew amount detecting unit to change an orientation of the sheet.

Abstract: A driving apparatus has a correction value output unit for outputting correction values ?Ta and ?Tb to correct differences between signals which are output from an A sensor a B sensor when an A-phase coil and a B-phase coil are not energized and signals which are output from the A sensor and the B sensor when the A-phase coil and the B-phase coil are energized. An energization direction of the A-phase coil is switched on the basis of a time A which is measured by a time measurement unit and the correction value ?Ta which is output from the correction value output unit. An energization direction of the B-phase coil is switched on the basis of a time B which is measured by the time measurement unit and the correction value ?Tb which is output from the correction value output unit.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes first and second rollers, a power source, and first and second drive units. The first and second rollers can be independently rotated to apply a feeding force to a sheet. The sheet feeder can switch the first drive unit to a meshing state and the second drive unit to an escape state so as to input a rotational driving force from the power source to the first drive unit and can also switch the first drive unit to the escape state and the second drive unit to the meshing state so as to input the rotational driving force from the power source to the second drive unit.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus to which a cassette accommodating a sheet is detachably mountable includes supplying means for supplying the sheet from the cassette; a reference member having a reference surface for regulating a position of a lateral edge of the sheet being fed in a predetermined feeding direction by the supplying means; feeding means for feeding the sheet in a direction inclined relative to the feeding direction toward the reference surface to abut the lateral edge of the sheet to the reference surface; and moving means for selectively moving the reference member in response to mounting of the cassette such that reference member is placed at a position corresponding to a width of the sheet accommodated in the cassette.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a regulating member, provided along a feeding path of the sheet, for regulating a widthwise position of a sheet by being abutted by an edge of the sheet A sheet turning mechanism including a first pair of first driving roller and first follower roller for nipping and feeding the sheet is disposed at a position upstream of the regulating member, as is a second pair of second driving roller and second follower roller, where the first pair and the second pair are disposed in a line extending in a widthwise direction of the feeding path, and where the first and the second driving roller are rotatable in opposite directions to turn the sheet to abut the edge of the sheet to the regulating member.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes sheet accommodating means for accommodating a sheet, the sheet accommodating means being detachably mountable to the apparatus; feeding means for feeding the sheet from the sheet accommodating means; press-contact means for press-contacting the sheet in the sheet accommodating means to the feeding means; a guiding member for guiding the sheet accommodating means such that sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating means is not contacted to the feeding means when the sheet accommodating means is mounted to the apparatus; moving means for moving the guiding member to bring the sheet into contact to the feeding means after the sheet accommodating means is mounted to the apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention easily provides a compact recording apparatus including a paper chamber capable of containing paper and a ribbon chamber containing an ink ribbon in a manner such that the ink ribbon on a supply shaft can be taken up onto a take-up shaft, by utilizing the dead spaces in the paper chamber and the ribbon chamber. The distance between the paper chamber and the rotation center of the take-up shaft is larger than the radius of a ribbon take-up portion of the take-up shaft and is smaller than the radius of a fully taken up roll of the ink ribbon.

Abstract: A U-shaped transport path has a pair of transport rollers and a pair of rotating rollers which convey the sheet material at the maximum curvature along the U-shaped transport path so that an image recording apparatus can be miniaturized.

Abstract: A cartridge that is detachable from a printing apparatus that includes a printing unit that prints onto a print medium and a cutter member that cuts the print medium, the cartridge comprises a print medium containment portion that contains print medium that are consumed along with printing operations performed by the printing unit, a cut piece collection portion that collects cut pieces of the print medium resulting from cutting operations performed by the cutter member are formed integrally in the cartridge and a partition member that separates the print medium containment portion from the cut piece collection portion, wherein the partition member is movable.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes (a) a lever member which displaces at least one of a thermal head and a platen roller so that the head and the roller come close to each other or come away from each other, and (b) a driving unit which operates the lever member. The driving unit includes a rotary member having a rotary center shaft in a direction crossing a conveying direction of a recording medium and a roller shaft direction of the platen roller, and the rotary member is disposed in a conveying width region of the recording medium.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes sheet accommodating means for accommodating a sheet, the sheet accommodating means being detachably mountable to the apparatus; feeding means for feeding the sheet from the sheet accommodating means; press-contact means for press-contacting the sheet in the sheet accommodating means to the feeding means; a guiding member for guiding the sheet accommodating means such that sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating means is not contacted to the feeding means when the sheet accommodating means is mounted to the apparatus; moving means for moving the guiding member to bring the sheet into contact to the feeding means after the sheet accommodating means is mounted to the apparatus.

Abstract: An ink ribbon cassette is inserted into and removed from a thermal transfer printer in the longitudinal direction of the thermal head. The thermal head is provided with a lifting member, while the ink ribbon cassette is provided with a contact element. The lifting member and the contact element of the ink ribbon cassette are configured to be in contact with each other during insertion and removal of the ink ribbon cassette, and thereby lift the thermal head to widen the space for the ink sheet to pass through.

Abstract: A sheet-conveying device includes a sheet conveying path along which a sheet is conveyed, a conveying roller, an inclined roller, an inclined-roller-supporting member that supports the inclined roller such that the inclined roller can rotate around a rotational axis that is inclined with respect to a rotational axis of the conveying roller, and a sheet contact member having a contact surface with which an edge portion of the sheet comes into contact. The inclined-roller-supporting member moves between a position where the inclined roller comes into pressure contact with the conveying roller and a position where the inclined roller is separated from the conveying roller. The sheet contact member moves between a position where the edge portion of the sheet can come into contact with the contact surface and a position where the contact surface cannot restrict the position of the edge portion of the sheet.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a printer apparatus which can perform printing to the whole surface of a recording sheet with no margin while print quality is not lost. A configuration of the invention is a printer apparatus which has a printing unit comprising a pressing member which is provided in parallel with a heat generating unit of the thermal head while being opposite the heat generating unit of the thermal head; a first roller which is provided in parallel with the pressing member; and an endless belt which is extended with a tension so as to involve the pressing member and the first roller. In the printer apparatus, the thermal head is pressed against the pressing member through an ink sheet and the endless belt, the recording sheet is conveyed between the ink sheet and the endless belt, and the printing is performed by transferring ink in the ink sheet to the recording sheet with the thermal head.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes first and second developing apparatuses for developing electrostatic images on first and second image bearing members, a first developer container containing a developer, first supplying device for supplying the developer in the first developer container to the first developing apparatus, a second developer container containing a developer to be supplied to the second developing apparatus, second supplying device for supplying the developer in the second developer container to the second developing apparatus, driving device for driving the first and second supplying device, changeover device which changes over the driving force of the driving device during one image forming operation to first and second states in which the driving force is respectively transmitted to each of the first and second supplying device, and control device for changing the times of the first and second states according to a condition of an image to be formed.

Abstract: In a recording apparatus, an ink ribbon is always placed under a tension by a stop torque of a torque limiter while a take-up bobbin is driven through the torque limiter when recording paper is conveyed near a stationary ink ribbon.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes a skew amount detecting unit configured to detect an amount of skew of a sheet, two rollers configured to convey the sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction when rotating in a same direction and to rotate the sheet around a predetermined point when rotating in mutually different directions, and a control unit configured to control the two rollers such that the two rollers convey the sheet to a position where a distance from the predetermined point to a specific edge of the sheet becomes a predetermined value and then rotate the sheet based on the amount of skew detected by the skew amount detecting unit to change an orientation of the sheet.