Abstract: An ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head to which the ink container is detachably mountable, inclues an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; a air vent for fluid communication with ambience; a claw-like projection provided on a first side of the ink container; a latching lever provided on a second side opposite from the ink container, the latching lever being resiliently supported on the ink container and having a latching claw.

Abstract: Precision of detecting existence/non-existence of a liquid container and a liquid level in the container is improved even if the detection is performed by a single sensor, or even if the S/N ratio of the detection is low, the detected results can be discriminated from one another. For this, a concave polyhedron is provided in the center of the bottom surface of an optical prism in order to reduce the amount of light reflected on the bottom surface of the optical prism and returned to a photoreceptor. Moreover, a reflection curved surface having a quadratic surface e.g. spherical surface or paraboloid, is provided on the bottom surface of an ink tank, for reflecting light emitted by an optical unit consisting of a light emission device and a photoreceptor.

Abstract: An ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head to which the ink container is detachably mountable, inclues an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; an air vent for fluid communication with ambience; a claw-like projection provided on a first side of the ink container; a latching lever provided on a second side opposite from the ink container, the latching lever being resiliently supported on the ink container and having a latching claw.

Abstract: A recording member feeding device feeds a recording member such as a sheet in an image recording apparatus such as a copying machine. The recording member feeding device has a feeding rotary unit, a driving unit for driving the feeding rotary unit, and a driving power transmitting unit for transmitting he power of the driving unit to the feeding rotary unit. The recording member feeding device further has a rotation detecting unit for detecting the number of rotations of a rotary part in the rotary driving unit or in the driving power transmitting unit. The feeding rotary unit feeds the recording member by a length which is determined by the number of complete rotations detected by the rotation detecting units.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a movable carriage capable of moving as designed while carrying, hereon, a plurality of different recording heads for discharging ink to record characters and/or images and a plurality of different ink tanks for storing ink to be supplied to the recording heads, the recording heads and the ink tanks being changeable; a restoring unit capable of restoring the recording heads; a detection unit for determining the type of the recording head or the ink tank; and a control unit for causing the restoring unit to restore the recording head in a case where the detection unit has detected change of the recording head or the ink tank to the recording head or the ink tank of the same type, and inhibiting the restoring unit from restoring the recording head in a case where the detection unit has detected change to the recording head or the ink tank of a different type.

Abstract: An ink cartridge, removably mountable on a fixed mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying discharged ink to a recording head carried on a movable carriage of the apparatus, comprises a flag member mounted for protrusion and retraction, an arrangement for protruding the flag member toward a path along which the carriage is moved when the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion, and a photosensor mounted on the carriage in a position where it will be shielded from light by the protruding flag member.

Abstract: A recording apparatus comprises a first gear, a second gear meshable with the first gear, a third gear meshable with the first gear and the second gear. The third gear has a peripheral surface on which a toothed portion meshable with the first gear and an untoothed portion not meshable with a toothed portion of the first gear are disposed opposable to the first gear, and a peripheral surface on which a toothed portion meshable with the second gear is disposed opposable to said second gear, a gear drive switching control unit controls switching such that when the toothed portion adjacent the untoothed portion of the third gear comes into contact with the first gear, the second gear and the third gear are meshed to rotate the third gear to oppose the untoothed portion of the third gear to the first gear, thereby releasing the contact between the first gear and the third gear.

Abstract: A recording apparatus is provided with a carriage capable of traveling with recording heads mounted thereon to record images on a recording medium. The recording apparatus contains a carriage driving system for enabling the carriage to travel at a traveling speed v in a constant speed condition and having a vibration frequency f inherent to the carriage driving system. The recording heads each has a pixel array of recording elements, each of the pixel arrays are arranged parallel to each other and adjacent arrays are arranged at an interval of an integer times v/f. Furthermore, the pixel arrays may be arranged to be at intervals of the integral times of the torque ripple of the carriage driving system.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium using an ink jet recording head which discharges ink, comprises a conveyor for conveying the recording medium, a head mount means for mounting an ink jet recording head, a fan for generating an air flow for transporting ink which is generated by ink discharged from the ink jet recording head, floating in the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus, and unused for recording, the fan being disposed in the downstream of the air flow, and an air guiding member for guiding the air flow in said ink jet recording apparatus to the fan, said air guiding member being provided with an aperture section for sucking the air flow into said air guiding member, and removably connected to the sucking the of said fan.

Abstract: A recovery device is described for use with a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus. The recording head is mounted on a carriage which can reciprocate. The recovery device includes a cap for capping an ink discharge portion of the recording head when not in use, and a wiper for wiping out the ink discharge portion with a movement of the carriage. The wiper is disposed outside the cap relative to the recording area. The recording head does not pass through an area occupied by the wiper when the recording head performs a predischarge with respect to the cap during recording.

Abstract: In the sheet conveying apparatus, convey force of a convey device is changed according to the load applied to a recording sheet in order to constantly convey the recording sheet reliably. A rotary sheet discharge body has convex and concave portions in order to reliably discharge the recording sheet regardless of resistance applied to the recording sheet. Highly frictional material is provided only around the end portions of the rotary sheet discharge body in order to reduce the manufacturing cost and improve the facility of assembly.

Abstract: A wiping mechanism for wiping an ink ejection side surface of an ink jet head for effecting recording by ejection of ink through ejection outlets includes a wiper for wiping the ejection side surface; and control mechanism for controlling operation of the wiper member in accordance with arrival of a carriage carrying the ink jet head and moving in a predetermined direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus comprising a sheet stacking means for stacking a plurality of sheets, a sheet supply means for feeding out the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means, a separation means for separating the sheets one by one by abutting the sheets against the separation means to cause elastic angular change in the sheet thereby to ride the sheet over the separation means, and a guide means having a guide surface for guiding the sheet separated by the separation means toward a downstream side, and wherein the sheet stacking means is provided at its downstream end with a projection which protrudes toward downstream sides of the separation means and of the guide surface of the guide means.

Abstract: In a serial recording apparatus having three recording modes, i.e., normal, high-quality, and high-speed recording modes, sheet feed control satisfying requirements in these modes is performed. More specifically, high-speed sheet feed control is performed in the normal or high-speed recording mode, and low-noise sheet feed control with improved precision is performed in the high-quality recording mode, although the speed is low. The apparatus can include a sheet feeder, a designator, a selector and a controller. The sheet feeder feeds a recording sheet relative to a recording head. The designator designates one of the recording modes. The selector selects one of a plurality of patterns for driving the sheet feeder in accordance with the designated recording mode. The controller controls a moving speed of the sheet feeder in accordance with the selected pattern for driving the sheet feeder.

Abstract: An ink cartridge, removably mountable on a fixed mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying discharged ink to a recording head carried on a movable carriage of the apparatus, comprises a flag member mounted for protrusion and retraction, an arrangement for protruding the flag member toward a path along which the carriage is moved when the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion, and a photosensor mounted on the carriage in a position where it will be shielded from light by the protruding flag member.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus has a sheet supporting unit for supporting a plurality of sheets, a sheet supply device for feeding out the sheets supported by the sheet supporting unit, and a separator which can be elastically flexed to change an inclination angle thereof when the separator is urged by a sheet fed out by the sheet supply device for separating the sheet which rides over the separator from the other sheets. The separator is disposed in an inclined condition so that a tip end of an abutment surface, against which the sheets are to be urged and over which the sheet rides, of the separator before flexed is inclined with respect to a normal plane perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction by a predetermined angle toward the sheet supporting unit.

Abstract: In a recording apparatus or more specifically an ink-jet printer, a plurality of gears are disposed in parallel with the direction of movement of a carriage and a slide gear is connected with the carriage outside of the recording space and is made to engage with one of a plurality of the gears corresponding the moving position of the carriage. The control sequences each for causing a gear being shifted from one gear engagement position to the adjacent position, are so combined that the gear can be shifted past the adjacent gear engagement position to a desired gear engagement position and the overlapped operations in each of the gear shift control sequence combinations can be skipped.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus has a separation member which is elastically flexible to change an angle thereof when the separation member is urged by a sheet fed out by a sheet supply unit, thereby separating the sheet which rides over the separation member from the other sheets, and a load releasing device for removing a load from the separation member to permit the separation member to return to its original state after the sheet is separated by the separation member and a guide for guiding the sheet separated by the separation member in the state where the separated sheet is not contacted with the separation member.

Abstract: A recording apparatus comprises a head for forming an image on a recording medium or for reading an image formed on a recording medium; a supporting member for holding the head; a first unit for electrical connection provided for the head; a second unit for electrical connection provided for the supporting member, which can be electrically connected to the first unit for electrical connection; and a member for deelectrifying static electricity, which is provided for the supporting member in the vicinity of the second unit for electrical connection. This deelectrifying member prevents static electricity from flowing into the signal lines provided for the second unit for electrical connection when the supporting member is actuated to hold the head.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus is provided having a pressure plate for supporting sheets on a sheet supporting surface, a pick-up roller for feeding out the sheets supported by the pressure plate, a plate member for separating the sheets fed out by the pick-up roller one by one, and a separation pad provided on the sheet supporting surface of the pressure plate opposite the pick-up roller. The separation pad protrudes from the sheet supporting surface toward the sheets to contact frictionally the lower surface of the bottom-most sheet supported by the pressure plate. The separation pad has an upper surface which is higher at a portion opposing the pick-up roller than a portion downstream thereof, in a sheet feeding direction, relative to the sheet supporting surface of the pressure plate, to urge an end of a sheet fed out by the pick-up roller toward the pressure plate.