Abstract: This invention is related to a feeder for transporting a print medium from a tray along a U-shaped transporting path. The feeder comprises a transporting guide. The transportation guide comprises an outer transporting guide and an inner transporting guide, the U-shaped transporting path is formed between the outer transporting guide and the inner transporting guide. The outer transporting guide extends from a position adjacent to one end of the first tray. The inner transporting guide extends from a position adjacent to one end of the second tray. The inner transporting guide comprises a concave portion facing the outer transporting guide. The concave portion has a length which extends from an upstream end to a predetermined position of the inner transporting guide along a transportation direction of the second print medium, and a width which is adjusted such that the second print medium is capable of passing within the concave portion.

Abstract: A supporting member is swingable about an imaginary swing axis that is parallel to an imaginary rotational axis of a feeding roller. The imaginary swing axis is located above a recording medium accommodated in a recording-medium accommodating section and is located upstream in a feeding direction of the recording medium with respect to the imaginary rotational axis. A first urging member is configured to apply an urging force to the support member in such a manner that the feeding roller contacts the recording medium accommodated in the recording-medium accommodating section. A second urging member is configured to urge an end of the supporting member in a direction that increases the urging force of the first urging member when an angle between a surface of the recording medium and a plane containing both the imaginary rotational axis and the imaginary swing axis is smaller than a predetermined angle.

Abstract: A feeding roller is configured to be driven to rotate both in a forward direction for conveying the recording medium to an image forming position along a conveying path and in a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction. A conveying roller is configured to driven to rotate both in a forward direction for allowing passage of the recording medium conveyed by the feeding roller and in a reverse direction for preventing the passage of the recording medium. A transmitting unit is capable of transmitting a rotational driving force to the feeding roller and the conveying roller, in such a manner that either one of the feeding roller and the conveying roller rotates in the forward direction and that the other one of the feeding roller and the conveying roller rotates in the reverse direction. The feeding roller has a predetermined play in a rotational direction.

Abstract: A feeding roller is rotatable about an imaginary rotational axis extending in an axial direction and is configured to be rotatingly driven in a rotational direction for feeding a recording medium to a conveying path. A supporting section rotatably supports the feeding roller at a position in confrontation with the recording medium accommodated in a recording-medium accommodating section. A driving unit is configured to generate a rotational driving force. A transmitting unit is configured to transmit the rotational driving force to a central part of the feeding roller with respect to the axial direction. A guiding section prevents the recording medium accommodated in the recording-medium accommodating section from displacing in the axial direction. The supporting section rotatably supports the feeding roller in such a manner that an angle of the imaginary rotational axis relative to a reference direction can be changed by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a medium storage portion, a supply roller, a conveyance roller, a drive device and a transmission device is provided. The supply roller is rotary driven in a forward direction as a rotating direction to convey the recording mediums to a position for image formation, thereby to supply the abutting uppermost recording medium to a conveyance path. The conveyance roller is rotary driven in a forward direction as a rotating direction to convey the recording mediums to a position for image formation, thereby to allow passage of the uppermost recording medium conveyed by the supply roller. In the image forming apparatus, a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the conveyance roller is adapted to be faster than a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the supply roller.

Abstract: A feeder for an object to be conveyed has an arm having a base end and a distal end and swingable about the base end; a pair of support shafts rotatably provided on both sides of the distal end of the arm; a pair of rotary feeding members for feeding the objects to be conveyed piled in a holder while abutting on the objects to be conveyed, the pair of rotary feeding members being fitted on outer surfaces of the pair of support shafts, respectively; and a regulating unit for regulating orientations of the pair of rotary feeding members uniformly with respect to a direction in which the pair of rotary feeding members rotate, the regulating unit being provided in interfaces between the support shafts and the rotary feeding members.

Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus, comprising a sheet accommodating portion which accommodates stacked recording sheets such that the recording sheets are supported by a support surface thereof; a sheet supplying arm which is supported by a frame such that the sheet supplying arm is pivotable about a first axis line, and which is biased toward the support surface of the sheet accommodating portion; a sheet supplying roller which is supported by an end portion of the sheet supplying arm such that the sheet supplying roller is rotatable about a second axis line parallel to the first axis line, and which is pressed on the uppermost recording sheet, so that when the sheet-supply roller is rotated, the uppermost recording sheet is supplied from the sheet accommodating portion; a receiving portion which is provided in the support surface and which is covered by the recording sheets and is opened when a trailing end of the last recording sheet passes over the receiving portion; and a moving device including a detecting po

Abstract: There is disclosed an image recording apparatus comprising 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 sheet-supply cassette including a main member which is open upward and which is adapted to store recording sheets that are stacked on each other; an auxiliary member which is open upward and which is adapted to support respective trailing end portions of the recording sheets as seen in a sheet-feed direction in which each of the recording sheets is fed, wherein the auxiliary member is attached to the main member such that the auxiliary member is movable relative to the main member, in each of opposite directions parallel to the sheet-feed direction, so that the auxiliary member is engaged with the main member at an arbitrary one of engagement positions; first engaging portions which are distant from each other in the sheet-feed direction; and an elastically deformable portion including, as an integral portion thereof, a second engaging portion which can engage an arbitrary one of the first engaging portions so as to define a corresponding one of the engagement positions.

Abstract: An image-recording apparatus including (a) a carriage carrying a recording head, (b) a maintenance unit disposed at a standby position located outside a recording area (L) of the recording head, (c) medium feeding devices to feed recording media from respective cassettes (d) first, second and third gears which are disposed outside the recording area and through which a drive force is selectively transmitted from a drive-force output gear to one of the medium feeding devices and the maintenance device, and (e) a power-transmission switching device having a shift gear which is moved for selective meshing engagement with the first, second and third gears according to a distance of movement of the carriage from the recording area toward the maintenance unit.

Abstract: A sheet-supply cassette including a main member which is open upward and which is adapted to store a plurality of recording sheets which are stacked on each other and each one of which is separated from the other recording sheets, and is fed in a sheet-feed direction, by a sheet feeder; an inclined sheet-separate plate which is provided in a downstream-side portion of the main member as seen in the sheet-feed direction, and which cooperates with the sheet feeder to separate the each recording sheet from the other recording sheets; and a plurality of back-surface support portions which are formed integrally with the downstream-side portion of the main member, such that the back-surface support portions are distant from each other in a perpendicular direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet-feed direction.

Abstract: A carriage driving apparatus that drives a carriage of a printer or the like by a motor and a motor control method for controlling the motor can substantially eliminate variation in control accuracy among individual apparatuses. Each set of various parameters are determined with respect to each ultimate target speed of the carriage and each moving direction, and contained in a table. Three kinds of tables, i.e. a table for heavy load, a table for light load and a table for standard load in accordance with the difference in load applied to individual drive systems of the carriage, as well as one kind of table for low temperature are prepared and stored on a ROM. It is determined which of the three kinds of tables should be selected at normal temperature by actually driving the carriage in the final step of the manufacturing process.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a recording apparatus body, a carriage having joint portions, a recording head mounted on the carriage, an ink storage disposed in the recording apparatus body in a stationary state, an intermediate fixing portion provided in the recording apparatus body between the ink storage and the carriage, and ink supply tubes for supplying ink from the ink storage to the recording head. The ink supply tubes are fixed to the intermediate fixing portion and independently disposed between the intermediate fixing portion and the carriage. Midsections of the ink supply tubes are bent between a route of the carriage and the intermediate fixing portion. A direction of arrangement of the tubes at the midsections thereof extending toward the intermediate fixing portion and a direction of arrangement of the tubes at the midsections thereof extending toward the joint portions of the carriage are differentiated.

Abstract: A carriage driving apparatus that drives a carriage of a printer or the like by a motor and a motor control method for controlling the motor can substantially eliminate variation in control accuracy among individual apparatuses. Each set of various parameters are determined with respect to each ultimate target speed of the carriage and each moving direction, and contained in a table. Three kinds of tables, i.e. a table for heavy load, a table for light load and a table for standard load in accordance with the difference in load applied to individual drive systems of the carriage, as well as one kind of table for low temperature are prepared and stored on a ROM. It is determined which of the three kinds of tables should be selected at normal temperature by actually driving the carriage in the final step of the manufacturing process.