Abstract: A liquid supply unit includes a main tank, a sub-tank, a pressure supply mechanism, an air communication hole, an air-permeable film and an excess pressure dispersion unit. The main tank stores liquid. The sub-tank is provided in a jet device, which ejects liquid droplets, and connected to the main tank. The pressure supply mechanism applies predetermined pressured to liquid in the main tank for supplying the liquid to the sub-tank. The air communication hole is provided on an upper surface of the sub-tank) and communicates inside of the sub-tank with atmospheric air. The air-permeable film is provided for closing the air communication hole. The air-permeable film passes air, but not liquid. The excess pressure dispersion unit disperses excess pressure from the liquid supply unit when the liquid in the sub-tank becomes in contact with the air-permeable film and the pressure inside the sub-tank becomes higher than the predetermined pressure.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided in which mixing of different colors of ink in ink supply openings is inhibited. A recording head has a plurality of sub-tanks, each of which stores a different color of ink. The recording head records an image onto a recording medium by selectively ejecting a different color of ink in each of the sub-tanks from ejection nozzles. Main tanks store ink to refill the corresponding sub-tanks, and an ink supply member supplies the ink in the main tanks to the sub-tanks. An ink supply opening for receiving ink to be supplied is provided in each sub-tank. The ink supply member supplies the ink in the main tank to the ink supply opening. The supply openings are arranged to form a zigzag. Accordingly, reduction in size of the recording head can be achieved.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, a movable body, a moving mechanism, and a relative position controller. The recording head is provided with a sub-tank and an ejection nozzle. The sub-tank includes an air discharging unit having a communication hole that allows communication of the interior of the sub-tank with atmospheric air. The movable body includes an open-close switching member so as to switch a state of the communication hole corresponding to a change of the relative position of a nozzle surface with respect to the movable body. The relative position controller controls the moving mechanism for moving the movable body and switches the state of the inkjet recording apparatus into a recording mode, a discharge performance recovery mode and an air discharge mode.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided which can be composed of fewer number of parts and easily controlled. In the ink-jet recording apparatus, one pressurized unit such as a pressurized pump for ink supply is used. An open/close state switching member which opens/closes an air communication hole of a sub-tank is integrally formed with an ink supply member which supplies ink within a main tank to the sub-tank. Accordingly, depending on a relative position between the ink supply member and the sub-tank, the operation mode is easily switched to at least following three modes: recording mode, ink supply mode (standby mode), and discharge performance recovery mode.

Abstract: There is disclosed a liquid droplet ejecting apparatus including: a tank storing a liquid; a nozzle from which the liquid is ejected in the form of a droplet; a first pressure-feed portion which is disposed between the tank and the nozzle, and pressure-feeds the liquid as supplied from the tank, to eject the liquid droplet from the nozzle; a second pressure-feed portion which has an inner volume larger than that of the first pressure-feed portion, and is disposed between the tank and the first pressure-feed portion, the second pressure-feed portion pressure-feeding the liquid as supplied from the tank to the nozzle via the first pressure-feed portion, to eject the liquid from the nozzle in an amount larger than an amount of the liquid ejected by the first pressure-feed portion as the liquid droplet; and the second pressure-feed portion including: a pressure chamber; a pressurizing member that pressurizes the liquid in the pressure chamber by decreasing an inner volume of the pressure chamber; and a liquid com

Abstract: At the lower end of a sheet-supporting surface, there is provided a fixed separation plate from and into the upper surface of which a separating device elongated in the sheet feed direction can protrude and retract. On either side thereof, there are provided first movable separation plates that can be inclined below the fixed separation plate. Stopper members are urged by an urging spring so as to pivot to a position below the supper surfaces of the first movable separation plates. When a pivoting operation lever is rotated, an operation arm is pressed by a cam mounted to an operation shaft through an operating portion, a second link, and a first link to upwardly rotate the stopper members, raising the lower edges of the stacked sheets above the upper surfaces of the separation plates to maintain the stacked set state.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus including: a sheet-supply cassette which accommodates a stack of recording sheets and which is insertable into and removable from a main body of the apparatus; an end wall which is disposed at a downstream end of the cassette in a sheet-supply direction in which the sheets are supplied, so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the sheet-supply direction and which has a height larger than that of a maximum number of the sheets that can be accommodated in the cassette; an image recording unit disposed in the main body for recording an image on the sheets; an arm disposed in the main body and pivotable about a shaft which extends in the direction perpendicular to the sheet-supply direction; a sheet-feed roller which is disposed at a free end of the arm and which is, in a state in which the cassette is inserted into the main body, in contact with an uppermost one of the sheets accommodated in the cassette and which feeds the uppermost one of the sheets toward the image recordin

Abstract: In a sheet-supply device, a substantially T-shaped cutaway portion is provided in a projected portion, which is provided to an inclined wall and at a position corresponding to a sheet-supply roller near a lower end of the inclined wall that holds a stack of sheets loaded to a hopper portion. A first friction member is slidably supported in the cutaway portion so as to slide along the inclined wall from a downstream, normal position to an upstream position in a sheet feed direction. The first friction member includes a base portion and a pad portion, the pad portion is made of corkrubber and adhered to a surface of the base portion. A frictional coefficient ? of the pad portion is relatively high, i.e., frictional coefficient between adjacent sheets (approximately 0.6)???1.0.

Abstract: A sheet-supply device includes a pair of stopper members provided to a bottom plate of a hopper portion so as to move between a protruding position where upper surfaces of the stopper members protrude from a surface of the bottom plate and a retracted position where upper surfaces of the stopper members retract from the surface of the bottom plate, and a position change mechanism moving the stopper members between the protruding and retracted positions. By changing a timing of ascending the stopper members to the protruding position according to a type of the sheets to be fed, an appropriate resistance is applied to all of the sheets in the hopper portion except a topmost sheet during a sheet feed operation, thereby preventing a multi-feed problem.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: a feeding tray; a side end guide provided on the feeding tray along a recording medium feeding direction and being capable of shifting in a direction orthogonal to the recording medium feeding direction; an arm member capable of swinging about a support shaft extending in an apparatus body in the direction orthogonal to the recording medium feeding direction; a feeding roller disposed on a swinging end side of the arm member; a cam portion provided on the side end guide and having a height from a bottom surface of the feeding tray which varies along the recording medium feeding direction; and a driven portion provided on the arm member which is brought into slide contact with the cam portion and displaced when the feeding tray is pulled out from or inserted into the apparatus body to cause a swing movement of the arm member.

Abstract: A flat platen is provided in an image forming apparatus having a side edge detector that detects a side edge of a recording medium to be fed in a predetermined direction. The flat platen has a surface on which the recording medium to be fed is supported and is disposed facing the side edge detector. The side edge detector has a light emitting device and a light receiving device, which are disposed such as to face the recording medium. The side edge detector detects a side edge of the recording sheet while moving in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction to emit light from the light emitting device. In such a flat platen, an anti-reflective treatment, which reduces or prevents light led to the light receiving device from the light emitting device through the reflection on the surface, is applied to the surface of which corresponds to at least a vicinity of a side edge of a standard-size recording medium.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a sheet mounting plate, pick-up roller, drive motor and transmission device to prevent an excessive load from being applied to a pick-up roller when no sheets are mounted on a sheet mounting plate. When the sheets on the sheet mounting plate run out, a sheet detecting actuator of the sheet feeder fits into an opening formed on the sheet mounting plate. Accordingly, a protrusion of a drive actuator slides along a groove formed on the sheet detecting actuator, which causes the drive actuator and a drive interrupting boss to move. With this structure, transmission of drive force to the pick-up roller is interrupted.

Abstract: A flat platen is provided in an image forming apparatus having a side edge detector that detects a side edge of a recording medium to be fed in a predetermined direction. The flat platen has a surface on which the recording medium to be fed is supported and is disposed facing the side edge detector. The side edge detector has a light emitting device and a light receiving device, which are disposed such as to face the recording medium. The side edge detector detects a side edge of the recording sheet while moving in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction to emit light from the light emitting device. In such a flat platen, an anti-reflective treatment, which reduces or prevents light led to the light receiving device from the light emitting device through the reflection on the surface, is applied to the surface of which corresponds to at least a vicinity of a side edge of a standard-size recording medium.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet feeding device, which is provided with a paper supply member which feeds a sheet of paper on the top of stack of paper, the paper supply member being actuated by an actuator. The sheet feeding device further provided with a control system which controls the paper supply member, the control system having a stable sheet feeding operation mode in which the control system drives the paper supply member for a first time period initially, then stops the paper supply member after the first time period terminates, and then drives the paper supply member for a second time period.

Abstract: A sheet-supply device includes a pair of stopper members provided to a bottom plate of a hopper portion so as to move between a protruding position where upper surfaces of the stopper members protrude from a surface of the bottom plate and a retracted position where upper surfaces of the stopper members retract from the surface of the bottom plate, and a position change mechanism moving the stopper members between the protruding and retracted positions. By changing a timing of ascending the stopper members to the protruding position according to a type of the sheets to be fed, an appropriate resistance is applied to all of the sheets in the hopper portion except a topmost sheet during a sheet feed operation, thereby preventing a multi-feed problem.

Abstract: In a sheet-supply device, a substantially T-shaped cutaway portion is provided in a projected portion, which is provided to an inclined wall and at a position corresponding to a sheet-supply roller near a lower end of the inclined wall that holds a stack of sheets loaded to a hopper portion. A first friction member is slidably supported in the cutaway portion so as to slide along the inclined wall from a downstream, normal position to an upstream position in a sheet feed direction. The first friction member includes a base portion and a pad portion, the pad portion is made of corkrubber and adhered to a surface of the base portion. A frictional coefficient &mgr; of the pad portion is relatively high, i.e., frictional coefficient between adjacent sheets (approximately 0.6)≦&mgr;≦1.0.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a sheet mounting plate, pick-up roller, drive motor and transmission device to prevent an excessive load from being applied to a pick-up roller when no sheets are mounted on a sheet mounting plate. When the sheets on the sheet mounting plate run out, a sheet detecting actuator of the sheet feeder fits into an opening formed on the sheet mounting plate. Accordingly, a protrusion of a drive actuator slides along a groove formed on the sheet detecting actuator, which causes the drive actuator and a drive interrupting boss to move. With this structure, transmission of drive force to the pick-up roller is interrupted.

Abstract: A cap device is for capping a head of an ink jet printer. The cap device includes a cap, an ink absorption member, and a lid. The cap is for developing a seal around the ink ejection surface of the head. The ink absorption member is disposed in the cap to absorb ink that was ejected or sucked from the head into the cap. The lid covers an ink-ejection-surface-confronting portion of the ink absorption member, except at least a nozzle-confronting portion of the ink absorption member. The lid is connected to an inner peripheral surface of the cap with a fluidly tight connection.

Abstract: At the lower end of a sheet-supporting surface, there is provided a fixed separation plate from and into the upper surface of which a separating device elongated in the sheet feed direction can protrude and retract. On either side thereof, there are provided first movable separation plates that can be inclined below the fixed separation plate. Stopper members are urged by an urging spring so as to pivot to a position below the supper surfaces of the first movable separation plates. When a pivoting operation lever is rotated, an operation arm is pressed by a cam mounted to an operation shaft through an operating portion, a second link, and a first link to upwardly rotate the stopper members, raising the lower edges of the stacked sheets above the upper surfaces of the separation plates to maintain the stacked set state.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for changing the stakes of a game machine. A radio receiver and storage medium are associated with each game machine. They may be located within the game machine. A transmitter sends, by radio wave, a change in the stakes for the game machine. The new stakes are stored in the storage medium. The stakes are adjusted based on the new stakes value stored in the storage medium.