Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head, a conveying member, a platen, a supporting member, and a driving member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The recording medium has a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The supporting member is disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium. The driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction at a starting timing corresponding to a position of at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge.

Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head, a conveying member, a platen, a supporting member, and a driving member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The recording medium has a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The supporting member is disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium. The driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction at a starting timing corresponding to a position of at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge.

Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head, a conveying member, a platen, a supporting member, and a driving member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The recording medium has a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The supporting member is disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium. The driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction at a starting timing corresponding to a position of at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge.

Abstract: A medium supporting member, which is used in an image forming apparatus, includes: a plurality of ribs that support a recording medium; and an irradiation target portion that has a flat and smooth surface which is irradiated with a light by a light emitting unit of the image forming apparatus, wherein: a reflected light of the light emitted by the light emitting unit is detected by a light receiving unit of the image forming apparatus, and a presence or absence of the recording medium in the irradiation target portion is detected based on a quantity of the reflected light; and a distance between the irradiation target portion and the recording medium is increased in a direction from the light receiving unit to the light emitting unit.

Abstract: An inkjet-recording device includes a recording head, a platen, a conveying member, and a movable supporting member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The movable supporting member is linked to the conveying member to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided, which makes it possible to perform borderless recording at a high speed. A platen 42 has a groove 116 which covers an entire ink discharge area of a recording head. A plurality of movable ribs 104 are provided in the groove 116. The movable ribs 104 are allowed to slide from first positions to second positions in synchronization with the transport of a recording paper 146. The first positions are positioned between mutually adjoining first fixed ribs 102, and the second positions are positioned between mutually adjoining second fixed ribs 103. The movable ribs 104 protrude upwardly from an upper surface 109 of the platen 42. The movable ribs 104 reliably support the recording paper fed to the position over the groove 116.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided which can perform image recording on a recording medium being conveyed while restraining a curl at the front end of the recording medium. The ink-jet recording apparatus has an upstream curve forming portion that curves a recording medium being conveyed into a nearly U-shape when viewed in a cross selection orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium, and an upstream conveying direction change portion that shifts the conveying direction of the recording medium being conveyed from the feed tray to between a platen and a recording head such that the recording medium is curved to form a nearly U-shape when viewed in a cross section along the conveying direction.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium including: at least one recording head for unused-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects unused-ink; at least one recording head for recycled-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects recycled-ink of an equivalent color to the unused-ink ejected from the recording head for unused-ink; a collector that collects ink discharged from the recording head for unused-ink and the recording head for recycled-ink so as to restore an ejectable state of the recording heads; and a recycled-ink supplier that supplies ink, collected by the collector, to the recording head for recycled-ink as recycled-ink.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image recording apparatus having a lower body portion, an upper body portion, a guide, a first engager disposed in the upper body portion, and a second engager disposed in the guide. The lower body portion includes a curved feed pathway, an image recording device, and a recording medium feeder which feeds one by one a plurality of recording media as stacked, into the feed pathway and toward the image recording device. The upper body portion includes an image reading device which portion is disposed above the lower body portion and openable with respect to the lower body portion by being displaced upward. The guide which defines at least a part of the feed pathway, and is removably placed on the lower body portion. The first engager is engageable with the second engager so as to prevent the guide from coming off of the apparatus at least in a direction to an external side of the apparatus, while the upper body portion is closed with respect to the lower body portion.

Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus which includes: a platen on which an ejection target medium is conveyed; a head that ejects droplets toward the platen, the head being provided in a reciprocable manner along the platen; a light emitting device that emits a light in an oblique direction toward the platen within a plane including a straight line along a moving direction of the head and a normal line with respect to the platen; a light receiving device that receives the light emitted from the light emitting device and regularly reflected by one of the platen and the ejection target medium; and a calculation device that calculates a distance between the one of the platen and the ejection target medium, and the head, based on a position at which the light receiving device receives the light during a movement of the head. One of the light emitting device and the light receiving device reciprocably moves integrally with the head, and the other is provided separately from the head.

Abstract: A feeding device capable of feeding sheets one after another in a feed direction, including: (a) a sheet accommodator capable of accommodating the sheets piled therein; and (b) a dust remover including a contact portion which is held in contact with a surface of an uppermost one of the sheets piled in the sheet accommodator so as to remove dust from the surface of the uppermost sheet that is fed from the sheet accommodator in the feed direction. Also disclosed is a data processing apparatus including: (i) the above-described feeing device; and (ii) at least one of an image reader and a printer head, to which the sheets are fed to be subjected to respective operations achieved by the above-described at least one of the image reader and the printer head.

Abstract: A plurality of nip rollers are provided under a driving roller approximately in a direction of a drive shaft of the driving roller. Respective shafts of the nip rollers are arranged so that the rotary shafts are inclined toward a downstream side in a transport direction of a recording medium with respect to the drive shaft of the driving roller. Nip positions for the recording medium, formed by the nip rollers and the driving roller, are positioned on an upstream side in the transport direction above the lowermost end portion of the outer circumference of the driving roller. Therefore, the recording medium is transported at a satisfactory accuracy in an image-recording section, thereby avoiding the deterioration of the recording quality which would be otherwise caused by the positional deviation of the recording on the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head, a conveying member, a platen, a supporting member, and a driving member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The recording medium has a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The supporting member is disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium. The driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction at a starting timing corresponding to a position of at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge.

Abstract: An inkjet-recording device includes a recording head, a platen, a conveying member, and a movable supporting member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The movable supporting member is linked to the conveying member to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium.

Abstract: A medium supporting member, which is used in an image forming apparatus, includes: a plurality of ribs that support a recording medium; and an irradiation target portion that has a flat and smooth surface which is irradiated with a light by a light emitting unit of the image forming apparatus, wherein: a reflected light of the light emitted by the light emitting unit is detected by a light receiving unit of the image forming apparatus, and a presence or absence of the recording medium in the irradiation target portion is detected based on a quantity of the reflected light; and a distance between the irradiation target portion and the recording medium is increased in a direction from the light receiving unit to the light emitting unit.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided, which makes it possible to perform borderless recording at a high speed. A platen 42 has a groove 116 which covers an entire ink discharge area of a recording head. A plurality of movable ribs 104 are provided in the groove 116. The movable ribs 104 are allowed to slide from first positions to second positions in synchronization with the transport of a recording paper 146. The first positions are positioned between mutually adjoining first fixed ribs 102, and the second positions are positioned between mutually adjoining second fixed ribs 103. The movable ribs 104 protrude upwardly from an upper surface 109 of the platen 42. The movable ribs 104 reliably support the recording paper fed to the position over the groove 116.

Abstract: In a maintenance method of an inkjet printer comprising an air discharge device which discharges air accumulated in ink supply paths with pressurized air and an ink vacuum device which vacuums ink from an inkjet head, the pressurized air is in a high pressure mode when the air discharge device is used. The pressurized air is in a low pressure mode when the ink vacuum device is used. The driving time and the rotational speed of a drive motor which drives an air pump are controlled according to the capability and the ambient temperature of the air pump which generates the pressurized air.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium including: at least one recording head for unused-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects unused-ink; at least one recording head for recycled-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects recycled-ink of an equivalent color to the unused-ink ejected from the recording head for unused-ink; a collector that collects ink discharged from the recording head for unused-ink and the recording head for recycled-ink so as to restore an ejectable state of the recording heads; and a recycled-ink supplier that supplies ink, collected by the collector, to the recording head for recycled-ink as recycled-ink.

Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus which includes: a platen on which an ejection target medium is conveyed; a head that ejects droplets toward the platen, the head being provided in a reciprocable manner along the platen; a light emitting device that emits a light in an oblique direction toward the platen within a plane including a straight line along a moving direction of the head and a normal line with respect to the platen; a light receiving device that receives the light emitted from the light emitting device and regularly reflected by one of the platen and the ejection target medium; and a calculation device that calculates a distance between the one of the platen and the ejection target medium, and the head, based on a position at which the light receiving device receives the light during a movement of the head. One of the light emitting device and the light receiving device reciprocably moves integrally with the head, and the other is provided separately from the head.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided which can perform image recording on a recording medium being conveyed while restraining a curl at the front end of the recording medium. The ink-jet recording apparatus has an upstream curve forming portion that curves a recording medium being conveyed into a nearly U-shape when viewed in a cross selection orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium, and an upstream conveying direction change portion that shifts the conveying direction of the recording medium being conveyed from the feed tray to between a platen and a recording head such that the recording medium is curved to form a nearly U-shape when viewed in a cross section along the conveying direction.