Abstract: To prevent reduction in printing quality, a printer includes an image formation section having a thermal head with a plurality of heating elements and transporting an ink ribbon and a transfer film at the same velocity to form an image on the transfer film, and a control section controlling the image formation section. The control section controls the image formation section to form a printing image on the transfer film according to input printing information and form a dummy image wider than the printing image on the width-direction opposite sides at the back thereof in the transport direction. On the ink ribbon, a wrinkle, which occurs in the rear end corner portion in the transport direction of a printing region corresponding to the printing image, is stopped by a sag caused by that the ink is removed in a dummy printing region Rd corresponding to the dummy image.

Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a plurality of first units and a second unit. The first units each include, as one unit, a pressing member that presses a folding loop, a frame that movably holds the pressing member in a sheet pressing direction, and an elastic member that is disposed between the frame and the pressing member to bias the pressing member in the sheet pressing direction. The second unit supports, as one unit, a plurality of rows of first units such that the first units of each row are arranged, as a pair, so as to be opposed to each other and that an interval between the pairs is reduced stepwise from a downstream side to an upstream side in a moving direction of the second unit.

Abstract: The printing apparatus includes a ribbon laid between spools, and DC motors for rotating these spools. A CPU drives the motor without tension, calculates the rotation velocity of the motor based on the rotation amount of the motor, applies the calculated rotation velocity and supplies current in driving the motor, by calculating a drive current for providing the DC motor with a same rotation velocity as a rotation velocity of a reference DC motor based on a difference between a rotation speed of the DC motor in driving the DC motor at a predetermined supply current in a state in which the ribbon is broken, or the ribbon is separated from the supply spool, and a rotational speed of the reference DC motor in driving the reference DC motor at the predetermined supply current, and controls the motor driver to supply the calculated drive current.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a sheet conveying device capable of reducing noise. The sheet conveying device includes an endless belt that gives a conveying force to a sheet and a rotating member engaged with an outer peripheral portion of the endless belt. The endless belt has, on its outer peripheral portion, a plurality of convex portions arranged in a peripheral direction thereof, the convex portions each extending in a width direction thereof. The rotating member has a contact portion that contacts the outer peripheral portion of the endless belt and deforms a plurality of points of each of the convex portions in the width direction.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing device includes a stacker section that temporarily stores paper sheets as a paper sheet bundle, a stopper that regulates a carrying-in direction leading end of the paper sheet carried into the stacker section, a binding section that binds the paper sheet bundle regulated in position by the stopper, and folding rollers and a folding blade that perform folding processing for the sheet bundle bound by the binding section at a predetermined folding position of the paper sheet bundle. The binding section binds the paper sheet bundle with a paper-made staple. The stopper sets a position of the paper sheet bundle such that a binding position of the paper-made staple straddles the predetermined folding position. With this configuration, there can be provided a sheet-post processing device capable of folding the staple together with the paper sheet bundle.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a brake mechanism that prevents a significant decrease in braking force, even after years of being used with a repeat of braking and cancellation by a brake portion and a to-be-braked portion. A brake device 122 includes brake pads 145a, 145b, 146a, and 146b, which engage with or depart from a side of a first brake rail, on tips of upper and lower pairs of brake arms 141a, 141b, 142a, and 142b, which are provided in a rotatable manner across the first brake rail 31. When the brake pads 145a, 145b, 146a, and 146b are pressed against the brake rail 31, the brake pads are disposed in such a way as to be inclined so that a gap 304 emerges on a base end portion 302's side that is close to a fulcrum 144a's side.

Abstract: A document reading device is capable of preventing distortion or twisting occurring in a document conveying device from being transmitted to a reading carriage incorporated in the document conveying device. A document reading device includes a second reading carriage provided in a document conveying unit and configured to read a surface of a document different from a surface read by a first reading carriage, a support frame having a support surface supporting the second reading carriage, a retaining member retaining the second reading carriage by sandwiching the same between itself and the support frame, and an elastic member provided between the second reading carriage and retaining member to press the second reading carriage against the support frame. One of the support surface of the support frame and a supported surface of the second reading carriage supported by the support surface is formed into a curved surface.

Abstract: To provide a printing apparatus capable of preventing the image quality from deteriorating, the printing apparatus is provided with a ribbon 41 laid between spools 43, 44, DC motors Mr3, Mr1 for rotating these spools, driver for supplying driving power to the motors, encoders for detecting rotation amounts of the motors, and controller that controls the driver. A CPU drives the motor without the tension due to the ribbon 41 being applied, calculates the rotation velocity of the motor based on the rotation amount of the motor detected in the encoder, applies the calculated rotation velocity and the supply current in driving the motor to the relationship between the rotation velocity and the supply current in a reference motor, and calculates the supply current for providing the same rotation velocity as the rotation velocity in driving the reference motor with the supply current of the time the motor is driven.

Abstract: To provide a printing apparatus for enabling cards high in wear resistance and security properties to be prepared, the printing apparatus is provided with an image formation section and a transfer section, the image formation forms a UV image in an ink reception layer 46d of a first region R1 of a transfer film 46, and forms a YMC image in the ink reception layer 46d of a second region R2 of the transfer film 46, and the transfer section transfers the ink reception layer 46d of the first region R1 with the UV image formed and a protective layer 46c of the first region R1 of the transfer film 46 integrally in this order to a card Ca, and transfers the ink reception layer 46d of the second region R2 with the YMC image formed and the protective layer 46c of the second region R2 integrally in this order thereonto.

Abstract: A sheet processing device performs saddle stitching binding a bundle of stacked paper sheets, and includes a stacker section temporarily stacking conveyed paper sheets substantially vertically; a stopper regulating the paper sheets stacked in the stacker section; a first binding section provided in the stacker and saddle-stitching, with a metallic staple, a paper sheet bundle regulated by the stopper at a binding position around a center of the paper sheet bundle in a sheet conveying direction; a second binding section saddle-stitching, without using the metallic staple, the paper sheet bundle being regulated by the stopper at the binding position around the center of the paper sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction; and a folding section folding in half the paper sheet bundle regulated by the stopper at a folding position at which the paper sheet bundle is bound by the first binding section or second binding section.

Abstract: A sheet processing device performs saddle stitching binding a bundle of stacked paper sheets, and includes a stacker section temporarily stacking conveyed paper sheets substantially vertically; a stopper regulating the paper sheets stacked in the stacker section; a first binding section provided in the stacker and saddle-stitching a paper sheet bundle regulated by the stopper at a binding position around a center of the paper sheet bundle in a sheet conveying direction; a folding section folding in half the paper sheet bundle regulated by the stopper; and a conveying section conveying the paper sheet bundle that has been folded in half by the folding section with a back side of the folded paper sheet bundle as a leading end in the conveying direction. The conveying section includes a second binding section binding the folded paper sheet bundle at the back side thereof.

Abstract: A rod lens array includes a plurality of columnar rod lenses each having a refractive index distribution in which a refractive index continuously decreases from a central axis thereof to an outer periphery, and arranged in at least one row to align the central axes in parallel to each other. Each of the plurality of columnar rod lenses includes an emission-side end portion region, an incident-side end portion region, and an intermediate region between the emission-side end portion region and the incident-side end portion region, each having a central refractive index. The central refractive index of the incident-side end portion is equal to that of the emission-side end portion region in an optical axis direction, and the central refractive index at the intermediate region is higher than those of the emission-side and incident-side end portion regions.

Abstract: A post-processing apparatus includes a sheet support device, a pair of side edge regulation members that engage in sheet opposite side edges on the sheet support device, and a shift device configured to shift a position of each of the side edge regulation members, and thereby causing the members to perform carry operation to shift the sheet on the sheet support device, wherein in executing the carry operation, the shift device sandwiches the sheet by the pair of side edge regulation members, and thereby makes a state in which pressure is applied to the sheet to execute.

Abstract: This sheet punching device includes a placement table 53 on which the sheet is placed, a hollow punching member 60 that punches the sheet placed on the placement table 53, a punching moving member 66 that moves the punching member between a punching position where the sheet is punched and a retreat position retreated from the punching position, a punching drive section 70 that drives the punching moving member 66, a waste pushing member 80 that is disposed in the hollow portion of the punching member 60 and pushes punching waste remaining in the hollow portion, a pushing moving member 85 that moves the waste pushing member 80 between a pushing position protruding from the hollow portion of the punching member and a housing position in the hollow portion, and a pushing drive section 70 that drives the pushing moving member 85.

Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a carry-in path, and a retreat path that branches off from the carry-in path. A bonding device is disposed at a merging point between the carry-in path and retreat path. An adhesive-applied position of a preceding sheet is retreated to the retreat path when a next sheet is carried in to the stacker section, and then the next sheet is moved to a bonding position. The above operations are sequentially repeated to form a sheet bundle. Thus, the sheet bundle can be formed by bonding the sheets using an adhesive. It is possible to reduce stress to be applied to the sheet, and to comparatively reduce movement of the sheet applied with the adhesive, thereby preventing the sheets from being bonded to each other at a position other than a predetermined position.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus capable of providing relatively strong bonding when a plurality of sheets are bound by corrugation-shaped pressurizing faces with nip-pressure deformation and causing less frictional damage on a sheet face when a sheet bundle is introduced to and discharged from the binding unit. The present invention comprises a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus including a processing tray which includes a sheet placement face on which sheets are stacked, a press binding device which bonds mutually overlapped sheets stacked on the processing tray with pressure-bonding deformation, a taking-off device which applies a taking-off force to sheets bound by the press binding device along the sheet placement face for taking off the sheets from the press binding device, and a sheet bundle discharging device by which the sheets taken off from the press binding device by the taking-off device is discharged from the processing tray.

Abstract: A sheet processing device can prevent a folded sheet bundle from being opened upon accumulation to prevent a reduction in accumulation amount thereof. The sheet processing device includes a pair of pressing rollers pressing a folding loop of a folded sheet bundle in a thickness direction, a support unit mounted to a device frame and supporting a plurality of rows of the pressing roller pairs such that intervals therebetween in the row direction are reduced stepwise, and a gripper member that makes the folding loop of the folded sheet bundle pass through the support unit in a direction that the intervals of the plurality of rows of pressing roller pairs in the row direction are reduced stepwise. The folded sheet bundle passes through the support unit by the gripper member to cause the folding loop to be sequentially pressed by the plurality of rows of pressing roller pairs.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus capable of performing a binding process in high productivity as selecting a binding processing unit from a staple binding device arranged in a sheet introducing area of a processing tray and a press binding device arranged outside the introducing area.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a processing unit which can move smoothly to accurate position in a proper posture. The processing unit is provided with a support mechanism that supports a processing unit 26 so as to allow the processing unit 26 to be moved to a sheet processing position (processing tray) 24. The support mechanism includes the processing unit 26 and first and second support portions 50 and 55 that support the processing unit 26. The first and second support portions 50 and 55 apply, to different positions (j and k) of the processing unit 26 which are spaced from each other, a support force Fa acting from below to above (in a direction opposite to a gravity acting direction) and a support force Fb acting from above to below (in a direction same as the gravity acting direction), respectively.

Abstract: The present invention is to eliminate loosening of a transfer film on a rear end side of a card caused due to collision of a front end of the card against a conveying roller pair provided downstream of a transfer roller to prevent wrinkles from occurring in a transferred image. A rotation amount of a card conveying motor SMr and a wind amount of a transfer film 46 (conveying amount of the transfer film) are compared after a front end of a card K rushes into a conveying roller pair 37 during transfer processing for the card K to thereby detect a slip amount of the card K. A card conveying speed and a transfer film feed speed are controlled in accordance with the detected slip amount so as to eliminate loosening of the transfer film 46.