Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a driving force transmitting member includes a protruding portion that can be removably attached to a concave portion of a toner bottle in a shaft line direction of a rotation shaft. The concave portion and the protruding portion can transmit a rotation driving force of the rotation shaft to the toner bottle by being connected with each other such that the concave portion and the protruding portion cannot be rotated relative to each other. A phase detection member includes a pin inserting hole that can select an attachment phase relative to the rotation shaft and can be fixed such that the phase detection member cannot be rotated relative to the rotation shaft.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a driving force transmitting member includes a protruding portion that can be removably attached to a concave portion of a toner bottle in a shaft line direction of a rotation shaft. The concave portion and the protruding portion can transmit a rotation driving force of the rotation shaft to the toner bottle by being connected with each other such that the concave portion and the protruding portion cannot be rotated relative to each other. A phase detection member includes a pin inserting hole that can select an attachment phase relative to the rotation shaft and can be fixed such that the phase detection member cannot be rotated relative to the rotation shaft. When attaching the protruding portion to the concave portion and removing the protruding portion from the concave portion, a control unit controls a motor to stop a rotation phase of the phase detection member at a prescribed phase.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a process unit, a toner containing portion, and a trapping member. The toner containing portion is arranged in relation to the process unit and connected to the process unit so as to define a toner transporting mechanism. The toner transporting mechanism includes a toner receiving/supplying portion having a toner receiving port and a toner supplying port such that the toner receiving port and the toner supplying port can be removably connected to each other. The trapping member is attached to a surface of a portion adjacent to the toner receiving/supplying portion and traps leaked toner.

Abstract: A carriage mechanism for carrying a recording head includes a carriage for carrying the recording head; a flexible cable for supplying a recording signal to the recording head; a head contact for establishing electric connection between the recording head and the carriage; a flexible cable pad on the flexible cable for contact with the head contact; and a common positioning portion engageable with the recording head, the flexible cable, the head contact and the flexible cable pad to simultaneously positioning them.

Abstract: A carriage mechanism for carrying a recording head includes a carriage for carrying the recording head; a flexible cable for supplying a recording signal to the recording head; a head contact for establishing electric connection between the recording head and the carriage; a flexible cable pad on the flexible cable for contact with the head contact; and a common positioning portion engageable with the recording head, the flexible cable, the head contact and the flexible cable pad to simultaneously positioning them.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink tank containing ink; a recording head for performing recording by selectively ejecting ink; a mounting portion for mounting the ink tank and the recording head; a liquid passage coupling portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and the recording head for separating or connecting the ink passages in the ink tank and the recording head; a holding portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and recording head for guiding the ink tank to the recording head in order to hold them separably; and an electrically or mechanically connecting portion provided on either or both of the recording head and mounting portion for electrically or mechanically connecting the recording head to or separating it from the mounting portion.

Abstract: To eliminate sticking problems caused by ink thickening inside a pump while the pump is on standby, a driving force and/or a drive sequence by which, in a case in which the pump for expelling ink from the discharge port of an ink jet head is not driven for a predetermined time, the pump is driven differently from its normal operation.

Abstract: A carriage mechanism for carrying a recording head includes a carriage for carrying the recording head; a flexible cable for supplying a recording signal to the recording head; a head contact for establishing electric connection between the recording head and the carriage; a flexible cable pad on the flexible cable for contact with the head contact; and a common positioning portion engageable with the recording head, the flexible cable, the head contact and the flexible cable pad to simultaneously positioning them.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage for carrying a recording head cartridge for effecting recording, and for conveying the recording head cartridge; and a guide for guiding the carriage within a range in which the carriage is conveyed. The carriage includes a slider slidable along the guide, and a contacting device for supporting the carriage by contact with the guide when a large force is imparted on the carriage, while remaining away from the guide during a normal conveying operation.

Abstract: Ink jet recording apparatus including a carriage having a mounting portion for an ink jet recording head for performing recording on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the ink discharging ports to allow the ink jet recording head to travel in given directions, and a recovery mechanism for preventing disabled ejection of the ink jet recording head, which is provided with a driving force transmission mechanism capable of performing positional displacement to a first position for transmitting a driving force from a driving power source to the carriage and to a second position for transmitting the driving force from the driving power source to the recovery mechanism. The recovery mechanism includes a pump mechanism having a piston shaft within a cylinder with a pistion and a sealing member slidably fitted on the piston, where the cylinder, pistion and sealing member define a space for generating a pressure change in a cap.

Abstract: A pump is arranged to prevent adhesion between pump members caused by an increase in the viscosity of ink in the pump during a standby state of the pump. The pump has a cylinder, a piston which forms an internal space in the cylinder by being closely fitted in the cylinder and which causes a change in pressure in the internal space to expel ink through the ejection outlet of the ink jet head, and a seal member provided between a shaft of the piston and the cylinder so as to closely contact the shaft and the cylinder. The piston and the cylinder are released from a state of closely contacting each other when the piston is in a standby position. In another embodiment the shaft of the piston and the seal member are released from a state of closely contacting each other when the piston is in a standby position.

Abstract: A suction recovery device of ink jet recording apparatus comprises a cap which can contact with or separate from a face formed with discharge ports for recording by discharging the ink, the cap communicating to a suction system for performing the suction recovery through the discharge ports via the cap, said cap having a groove portion for guiding ink, and formed of an elastic material integrally with an ink communication member for communicating to the suction system via a suction port provided on an inner wall of the cap, and said suction system having a cylinder and a piston reciprocating within the cylinder, and having disposed ink absorbing member in an ink exhaust portion within the cylinder.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head mountable in a recording apparatus, provided with a cleaning member capable of cleaning the ink discharging port formation surface of the recording head for discharging ink, in which there is provided for the ink jet recording head a concavity or a plurality of concavities in the traveling path of the cleaning member on the discharging port formation surface cleaned by the cleaning member at the upstream side in the traveling direction from the discharging port formation area for discharging ink; thus removing the foreign particle on the discharging port surface reliably to perform a stable recording.

Abstract: In an ink jet apparatus of the type which includes an ink jet head having a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink and adapted to print by ejecting ink from the ejection openings onto a print material, a carrying device carrying the ink jet head and provided such that it is movable in main scanning directions for the print material, and a cleaning device for cleaning that surface of the ink jet head on which the ejection openings are provided by abutting against this surface as the carrying device moves along, the cleaning device is a cleaning blade adapted to generate different abutting forces with respect to that surface of the ink jet head on which the ejection openings are provided. With this ink jet apparatus, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink left unwiped on the ejection surfaces of various types of ink jet heads, thereby realizing a high-quality-printing ink jet apparatus that is free from defective ink ejection, color mixing or the like.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink tank containing ink; a recording head for performing recording by selectively ejecting ink; a mounting portion for mounting the ink tank and the recording head; a liquid passage coupling portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and the recording head for separating or connecting the ink passages in the ink tank and the recording head; a holding portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and recording head for guiding the ink tank to the recording head in order to hold them separably; and an electrically or mechanically connecting portion provided on either or both of the recording head and mounting portion for electrically or mechanically connecting the recording head to or separating it from the mounting portion.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink tank containing ink; a recording head for performing recording by selectively ejecting ink; a mounting portion for mounting the ink tank and the recording head; a liquid passage coupling portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and the recording head for separating or connecting the ink passages in the ink tank and the recording head; a holding portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and recording head for guiding the ink tank to the recording head in order to hold them separably; and an electrically or mechanically connecting portion provided on either or both of the recording head and mounting portion for electrically or mechanically connecting the recording head to or separating it from the mounting portion.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic sheet feeding apparatus comprising sheet supporting means for supporting a plurality of sheets, sheet supply means for feeding out the sheets supported by the sheet supporting means, separation means for separating the sheets one by one by abutting the sheet against the separation means and by riding one of the sheets over the separation means, and flexion permitting means for causing the sheet supply means not to apply the load to the flexion of the sheet produced when the sheet is riding over the separation means.

Abstract: A pump mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus comprises a pump having a suction portion for sucking from a sucked member, said pump switching between the suction and non-suction operation of the suction portion by a reciprocating motion of a piston within a cylinder, without having a valve, a carrying member connected to said pump for carrying waste ink from said pump said carrying member opening to the atmosphere and a prevention mechanism for preventing a backflow of ink within said pump from the suction portion of said pump, to the outside of said pump which is caused by the reciprocating motion of the piston said prevention mechanism being an internal pump mechanism.