Abstract: A friction material for dry brakes containing, as raw friction materials, a fiber substrate, a binder, an organic filler, and an inorganic filler, wherein porous silica including a plurality of pores with a central pore diameter of 1.0 nm or greater and 50.0 nm or smaller that absorbs liquid matter generated by thermal decomposition of an organic matter in the friction material at the time of brake braking is contained as the inorganic filler.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: an image reading portion which has a box-shaped first housing with a reading surface, and a scanning device displaceable along the reading surface in the first housing, and reads a first image on a document by relatively displacing the document and scanning device; and an image recording portion which includes a recording medium supply device accommodating a recording medium, a feeding mechanism feeding the recording medium fed out of the supply device, a recording device recording a second image on the recording medium, and a second housing incorporating at least the feeding mechanism and recording device. The apparatus is placed on a rest surface in a substantially upright position, and the reading portion is changeable in position between an upright position in which the reading surface is opposed to the recording portion, and a horizontal position in which the reading surface faces upward.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: an image reading portion which has a box-shaped first housing with a reading surface, and a scanning device displaceable along the reading surface in the first housing, and reads a first image on a document by relatively displacing the document and scanning device; and an image recording portion which includes a recording medium supply device accommodating a recording medium, a feeding mechanism feeding the recording medium fed out of the supply device, a recording device recording a second image on the recording medium, and a second housing incorporating at least the feeding mechanism and recording device. The apparatus is placed on a rest surface in a substantially upright position, and the reading portion is changeable in position between an upright position in which the reading surface is opposed to the recording portion, and a horizontal position in which the reading surface faces upward.

Abstract: A multifunction apparatus includes an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium; and an image reading unit that can read an image from an original placed on an original placement surface. The image reading unit is configured to move into a plurality of positions in relation to the image recording unit, and to read an image from the original placed on the original placement surface in the plurality of positions.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device is provided with a casing, a carriage, a discharge head, a sub tank, a supply nozzle, and a moving device. The casing has a space for housing a main tank. The carriage is capable of moving. The discharge head is arranged on the carriage. The sub tank is also arranged on the carriage. The sub tank is communicated with the discharge head. The supply nozzle is to be communicated with the main tank. The moving device is capable of moving the supply nozzle with respect to the carriage in a way that the supply nozzle pierces through a first position of the sub tank and is inserted into the sub tank. Furthermore, the moving device is capable of moving the supply nozzle with respect to the carriage in a way that the supply nozzle pierces through a second position of the sub tank and is inserted into the sub tank. The second position is a different position from the first position.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a casing, a carriage, a discharge head, a sub tank, an energy supply device, and a controller. The casing has a space for housing a main tank. The carriage is capable of moving. The discharge head is arranged on the carriage. The sub tank is arranged on the carriage. The sub tank communicates with the discharge head. The sub tank is connected with the main tank when the carriage is located at a predetermined position. The sub tank is disconnected with the main tank when the carriage is located at positions other than the predetermined position. The energy supply device supplies energy to liquid within the main tank such that the liquid within the main tank is discharged. The controller controls the energy supply device such that the ink within the main tank is supplied to the sub tank when the carriage is located at the predetermined position.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus that includes: a conductive cable and an ink supply tube each of which is fixed to a carriage at one end thereof and to an apparatus body at the other end thereof and is routed to form a curved portion; and a turn supporting member including an arm, a carrying portion provided on the arm, and a holding portion provided on the arm. The holding portion slidably holds a predetermined part of the ink tube. The flat cable is slidably supported on the carrying portion. The arm is supported on a turn supporting point on the apparatus body located at an inner part of the curved portion of each of the flat cable and the ink tube and is led from the turn supporting point in a substantially horizontal direction.

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: 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 air removal device for ink supply mechanism is provided which ensures separation of ink from an air permeable membrane after removal of air is completed. The air removal device includes an ink chamber, an air discharge passage, an air permeable membrane, a pump, and a movable member. The movable member is designed to be displaced between a first position and a second position. When the movable member is displaced to the second position to operate the pump, air collected in the ink chamber is discharged to the air discharge passage. When the pump is stopped and the movable member is displaced to the first position, one or both of air left in a portion of space in the ink chamber and air present downstream in an air discharge direction of the air permeable membrane flows in between the air permeable membrane and the ink inside the ink chamber.

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 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: 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: 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: 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: A liquid discharge device is provided with a casing, a carriage, a discharge head, a sub tank, a supply nozzle, and a moving device. The casing has a space for housing a main tank. The carriage is capable of moving. The discharge head is arranged on the carriage. The sub tank is also arranged on the carriage. The sub tank is communicated with the discharge head. The supply nozzle is to be communicated with the main tank. The moving device is capable of moving the supply nozzle with respect to the carriage in a way that the supply nozzle pierces through a first position of the sub tank and is inserted into the sub tank. Furthermore, the moving device is capable of moving the supply nozzle with respect to the carriage in a way that the supply nozzle pierces through a second position of the sub tank and is inserted into the sub tank. The second position is a different position from the first position.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a casing, a carriage, a discharge head, a sub tank, an energy supply device, and a controller. The casing has a space for housing a main tank. The carriage is capable of moving. The discharge head is arranged on the carriage. The sub tank is arranged on the carriage. The sub tank communicates with the discharge head. The sub tank is connected with the main tank when the carriage is located at a predetermined position. The sub tank is disconnected with the main tank when the carriage is located at positions other than the predetermined position. The energy supply device supplies energy to liquid within the main tank such that the liquid within the main tank is discharged. The controller controls the energy supply device such that the ink within the main tank is supplied to the sub tank when the carriage is located at the predetermined position.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus that includes: a conductive cable and an ink supply tube each of which is fixed to a carriage at one end thereof and to an apparatus body at the other end thereof and is routed to form a curved portion; and a turn supporting member including an arm, a carrying portion provided on the arm, and a holding portion provided on the arm. The holding portion slidably holds a predetermined part of the ink tube. The flat cable is slidably supported on the carrying portion. The arm is supported on a turn supporting point on the apparatus body located at an inner part of the curved portion of each of the flat cable and the ink tube and is led from the turn supporting point in a substantially horizontal direction.

Abstract: An air removal device for ink supply mechanism is provided which ensures separation of ink from an air permeable membrane after removal of air is completed. The air removal device includes an ink chamber, an air discharge passage, an air permeable membrane, a pump, and a movable member. The movable member is designed to be displaced between a first position and a second position. When the movable member is displaced to the second position to operate the pump, air collected in the ink chamber is discharged to the air discharge passage. When the pump is stopped and the movable member is displaced to the first position, one or both of air left in a portion of space in the ink chamber and air present downstream in an air discharge direction of the air permeable membrane flows in between the air permeable membrane and the ink inside the ink chamber.

Abstract: A multifunction apparatus includes an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium; and an image reading unit that can read an image from an original placed on an original placement surface. The image reading unit is configured to move into a plurality of positions in relation to the image recording unit, and to read an image from the original placed on the original placement surface in the plurality of positions.