U.S. patent application number 13/044341 was filed with the patent office on 2011-09-15 for sheet member transporting apparatus and recording apparatus having sheet member transporting apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Yuji KAMICHIKA.
Application Number | 20110221118 13/044341 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44559199 |
Filed Date | 2011-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110221118 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KAMICHIKA; Yuji |
September 15, 2011 |
SHEET MEMBER TRANSPORTING APPARATUS AND RECORDING APPARATUS HAVING
SHEET MEMBER TRANSPORTING APPARATUS
Abstract
A sheet member transporting apparatus in which increase in
number of components is restrained to reduce time and effort for
assembly even when a curved route portion having a level difference
in the direction of gravitational force is provided in a midsection
of a transporting route, and a recording apparatus having the sheet
member transporting apparatus are provided. A pivotable member
configured to be capable of supporting a printing surface of a
sheet fed by a sheet feed roller toward the downstream side pivots
about a pivot shaft extending along the width direction of the
sheet intersecting the direction of transport of the sheet so as to
draw a curved trajectory having the level difference in the
direction of gravitational force to receive the sheet pivoted
together with the pivoting member and transport the sheet toward
the downstream side in the direction of transport.
Inventors: |
KAMICHIKA; Yuji; (Chino-shi,
JP) |
Assignee: |
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
44559199 |
Appl. No.: |
13/044341 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/4.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 5/36 20130101; B65H
3/66 20130101; B65H 2404/63 20130101; B65H 2301/3122 20130101; B41J
11/0045 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/4.12 |
International
Class: |
B65H 5/06 20060101
B65H005/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 10, 2010 |
JP |
2010-053370 |
Claims
1. A sheet member transporting apparatus configured to transport a
flexible sheet member, comprising: a feeding device configured to
feed the sheet member toward the downstream side in the direction
of transport; a supporting device having a supporting member which
is capable of supporting one of the surfaces of the sheet member
fed by the feeding device, the supporting member being pivotable
about a pivoting shaft that extends along the width direction of
the sheet member that intersect the direction of transport of the
sheet member, and a transporting device configured to receive the
sheet member that is pivoted together with the supporting member in
a state of being supported by the supporting member of the
supporting device from the supporting device and transport the
sheet member toward the downstream side in the direction of
transport.
2. The sheet member transporting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the supporting member includes an abutting portion which is
capable of coming into abutment with the sheet member fed by the
feeding device at a downstream side end thereof in the direction of
transport from an upstream side in the direction of transport.
3. The sheet member transporting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the supporting member includes a curved surface portion
which is capable of coming into surface contact with one of the
surfaces of the sheet member.
4. The sheet member transporting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the transporting device includes a transporting roller
extending along the width direction, and a rotating device
configured to rotate the transporting roller, the supporting member
is formed with a depression at a downstream side end in the
direction of transport, and the depression opposes the transporting
roller when the supporting member is pivoted toward the
transporting device.
5. A recording apparatus comprising: a recording device configured
to perform recording by causing a recording material to adhere to a
sheet member; and the sheet member transporting apparatus according
to claim 1.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No.
2010-053370, filed Mar. 10, 2010 is expressly incorporated herein
by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to a sheet member transporting
apparatus configured to transport a sheet member subjected to
printing along a transporting route including a curved route
portion having a level difference in the direction of gravitational
force, and a recording apparatus having the sheet member
transporting apparatus.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] In the related art, an ink-jet printer is widely known as a
recording apparatus configured to perform recording by causing a
recording material to adhere to a sheet member. Such a printer is
configured to perform printing (image formation) on a sheet as the
sheet member by ejecting ink (recording material) supplied to a
recording head from nozzles formed in the recording head.
[0006] Recently, as one of the printers configured as described
above, there is a type of printer having a curved U-turn
transporting path having a level difference in the direction of
gravitational force in a midsection of the transporting route as
described in JP-A-2006-197179. In other words, in the printer
described in JP-A-2006-197179, space saving is achieved by causing
sheets supplied from a sheet feed tray to be inverted in a portion
of the U-turn transporting path and the sheets transported through
the U-turn transporting path to be discharged onto a sheet
discharge tray provided at a position above the sheet feed
tray.
[0007] In the curved route portion having a level difference in the
direction of gravitational force in a midsection of the
transporting route as the U-turn transporting path described above,
the sheet is transported while curving in the direction of
gravitational force. Therefore, for example, when transporting a
sheet having no elasticity, the sheet may fail to be transported
because the sheet collapses under its own weight. Accordingly, in
the case of the printer disclosed in JP-A-2006-197179, a plurality
of pairs of rollers are provided in the U-turn transporting path,
which is a curved route portion of the transporting route, to pinch
the sheet at a plurality of positions along the U-turn transporting
path and transport the sheet.
[0008] However, when the plurality of pairs of rollers are provided
in the curved route portion in the transporting route, there arise
problems such that the number of components is increased and
assembly is complicated because mounting of the rollers at a
plurality of positions is required.
SUMMARY
[0009] An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that a
sheet member transporting apparatus in which increase in number of
components is restrained to reduce time and effort for assembly
even when a curved route portion having a level difference in the
direction of gravitational force is provided in a midsection of a
transporting route, and a recording apparatus having the sheet
member transporting apparatus are provided.
[0010] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is
provided a sheet member transporting apparatus configured to
transport a flexible sheet member, including: a feeding device
configured to feed the sheet member toward the downstream side in
the direction of transport; a supporting device having a supporting
member which is capable of supporting one of the surfaces of the
sheet member fed by the feeding device, the supporting member being
pivotable about a pivoting shaft extending along the width
direction of the sheet member intersecting the direction of
transport of the sheet member, and a transporting device configured
to receive the sheet member pivoted together with the supporting
member in a state of being supported by the supporting member of
the supporting device from the supporting device and transport the
sheet member toward the downstream side in the direction of
transport.
[0011] In this configuration, by the pivotal movement of the
supporting member about the pivot shaft, the sheet member also
pivots together with the supporting member in a state in which one
of the surfaces thereof is supported by the supporting member, and
is transported so as to draw a curved trajectory having a level
difference in the direction of gravitational force. Therefore, even
when the sheet member is transported along the transporting route
including the curved route portion having a level difference in the
direction of gravitational force, the sheet member can be
transported irrespective of the elasticity thereof. Therefore, the
sheet member can be transported without providing a mechanism such
as a roller pair for pinching the sheet member in the transporting
route, and hence increase in number of components is restrained to
reduce time and effort for assembly.
[0012] It is preferable that the supporting member includes an
abutting portion which is capable of coming into abutment with the
sheet member fed by the feeding device at a downstream side end
thereof in the direction of transport from an upstream side end
thereof in the direction of transport.
[0013] In this configuration, when the sheet member is fed by the
feeding device, the downstream side end of the sheet member in the
direction of transport comes into abutment with the abutting
portion of the supporting member, so that a feeding force of the
feeding device is transmitted to the supporting member via the
sheet member. Therefore, the supporting member pivots as if it is
pushed by the sheet member. Accordingly, even though a pivoting
device for causing the supporting member to pivot is not provided
specifically, the supporting member can be pivoted using the
feeding force of the feeding device which feeds the sheet
member.
[0014] It is preferable that the supporting member includes a
curved surface portion which is capable of coming into surface
contact with one of the surfaces of the sheet member.
[0015] In this configuration, the sheet member can be transported
in a stable position in a state in which the curved surface portion
of the supporting member and one of the surfaces of the sheet
member in a state of being in surface contact with each other. In
other words, the probability of separation between the supporting
member and the sheet member can be reduced by increasing a
frictional force acting between the supporting member and the sheet
member by securing a large contact surface area between the
supporting member and the sheet member.
[0016] It is preferable that the transporting device includes a
transporting roller extending along the width direction, and a
rotating device configured to rotate the transporting roller, the
supporting member is formed with a depression at a downstream side
end in the direction of transport, and the depression opposes the
transporting roller when the supporting member is pivoted toward
the transporting device.
[0017] In this configuration, the supporting member is formed with
the depression which opposes the transporting device when the
supporting member is pivoted toward the transporting device.
Therefore, part of the sheet member supported by the supporting
member is positioned so as to oppose the depression and hence come
into abutment with the transporting roller in association with the
pivotal movement of the supporting member. Then, the sheet member
is transported further toward the downstream side in the direction
of transport so as to be entangled with the rotating transporting
roller. Since the supporting member supports the sheet member with
a portion where the depression is not formed at the downstream side
end in the direction of transport at this time, the supporting
member can transport the sheet member so as to push the sheet
member toward the transporting roller.
[0018] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is
provided a recording apparatus including a recording device
configured to perform recording by causing a recording material to
adhere to a sheet member; and the sheet member transporting
apparatus described above.
[0019] In this configuration, the same effects and advantages as
the invention according to the sheet member transporting apparatus
described above are achieved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The invention will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings wherein like numbers reference like
elements.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front view of a printer according
to an embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pivotable member
positioned at an upstream position.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pivotable member
positioned at a downstream position.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an operation when the pivotable
member in an inverting mechanism is positioned at the upstream
position.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing an operation in a state of
transporting a sheet in the inverting mechanism.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an operation of the pivotable
member in the inverting mechanism in a state of pivoting.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an operation when the pivotable
member in the inverting mechanism is positioned at the downstream
position.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, an embodiment in which an
aspect of the invention is applied to an ink-jet printer, which is
one of recording apparatuses will be described below. In the
following description, expressions "vertical direction" and
"lateral direction" indicate directions based on the directions
indicated by arrows in FIG. 1. An expression "fore-and-aft
direction" indicates a direction orthogonal to a sheet plane in
FIG. 1, and a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 11 as the recording apparatus
includes a sheet feed tray 13 configured to allow sheets 12 as
flexible sheet members to be stored in a stacked manner. The
printer 11 also has an inverting mechanism 14 as a supporting
device configured to invert the sheet 12 fed from the sheet feed
tray 13 at a position up and to the left of the sheet feed tray 13.
Above the sheet feed tray 13, a printing unit 15 configured to
perform printing (recording) on the sheet 12 inverted in the
inverting mechanism 14 by causing ink to adhere to the sheet 12 as
a recording material to adhere is disposed.
[0030] In other words, when the sheet 12 is fed from the sheet feed
tray 13 arranged on the upstream side in the direction of
transport, the sheet 12 passes through the inverting mechanism 14,
which constitutes a curved route portion having a level difference
in the direction of gravitational force, and is further transported
to the printing unit 15 positioned on the downstream side in the
direction of transport. The sheet 12 printed by the printing unit
15 is discharged into a sheet discharge tray, not shown, provided
further along on the downstream side of the printing unit 15 in the
direction of transport and upward of the sheet feed tray 13 in the
direction of gravitational force (vertical direction).
[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, provided at a position corresponding to
a sheet feed port of the sheet feed tray 13 (the position in the
upper left portion in FIG. 1) is a sheet feed roller 17 as a
feeding device which is integrally rotatable with a first rotating
shaft 16 (see FIG. 4) configured to rotate on the basis of a drive
force from a motor, not shown. The sheet feed roller 17 is disposed
in contact with a surface of the sheets 12 (specifically, a topmost
sheet) stored in the sheet feed tray 13. Therefore, the sheets 12
in the sheet feed tray 13 are fed toward the inverting mechanism 14
on the downstream side (left side) in the direction of transport
one by one by the rotation of the sheet feed roller 17 in a
clockwise direction when viewed from the front side (the direction
indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1).
[0032] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the inverting mechanism 14
includes a pivot shaft 18 fixed to a frame, not shown, so as to
extend along the direction of width (fore-and-aft direction)
orthogonal to the direction of transport of the sheet 12. A
pivotable member 19 (supporting member) is pivotably supported by
the pivot shaft 18. The pivotable member 19 is formed of resin and
is freely pivotable between an upstream position and a downstream
position (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 7) in the direction of transport of
the sheet 12 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) so as to draw a curved
trajectory having a level difference in the direction of
gravitational force about the pivot shaft 18.
[0033] The pivotable member 19 includes a peripheral wall portion
20 having a supporting surface 20a as a curved surface portion
curved into an arcuate shape in cross-section and have a
substantially quarter cylindrical shape and side wall portions 21
formed at both front and rear ends of the peripheral wall portion
20 so as to extend orthogonal to the peripheral wall portion 20.
The pivot shaft 18 is pivotably inserted into insertion holes 22
formed in the vicinity of the pivot points on the substantially
fan-shaped side wall portions 21.
[0034] The pivotable member 19 is arranged in such a manner that a
supporting surface 20a of the pivotable member 19 at an upstream
side end 19a (an end on the upstream side in the direction of
transport), which is an end of the peripheral wall portion 20 in a
counterclockwise direction, is aligned flush with a printing
surface 12a, which is a lower surface of the sheet 12 fed by the
sheet feed roller 17. In other words, the supporting surface 20a is
configured to support an surface (the printing surface 12a) of the
sheet 12 fed from the sheet feed tray 13 so as to be capable of
coming into surface contact with the sheet 12 with rotation of the
sheet feed roller 17.
[0035] Furthermore, in the interior of the pivotal trajectory of
the pivotable member 19 (the curved trajectory having a level
difference in the direction of gravitational force), a
shock-absorbing member 23a is provided between the pivotable member
19 and the sheet feed tray 13 and, furthermore, a stopper 23b is
provided between the pivotable member 19 and the printing unit 15.
A position upstream of the pivotable member 19 is a position at
which the counterclockwise pivotal movement (that is, toward the
upstream side direction of transport) of the pivotable member 19 is
restricted by the sheet feed tray 13 via the shock-absorbing member
23a. In contrast, a position downstream of the pivotable member 19
is a position where the clockwise pivotal movement (that is, toward
the downstream side in the direction of transport) of the pivotable
member 19 is restricted by abutment of an end of the side wall
portion 21 in the clockwise direction with the stopper 23b.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the pivotable member 19 is
formed with at least one (four in this embodiment) depression 24
formed by being notched along the vertical direction on a
downstream side end 19b (a downstream end in the direction of
transport), which is the end of the peripheral wall portion 20 in
the clockwise direction, along the fore-and-aft direction. In other
words, the downstream side end 19b of the pivotable member 19,
which corresponds to the end of the peripheral wall portion 20 in
the clockwise direction, is formed with at least one (five in this
embodiment) projection 25 along the fore-and-aft direction. Formed
on each of the projections 25 at a distal end (the downstream side
end in the direction of transport) thereof is a hook-shaped
abutting portion 26 projecting from the supporting surface 20a
toward the pivot shaft 18. In other words, the abutting portion 26
is configured to be capable of coming into abutment with a leading
end 12b of the sheet 12 (a downstream side end in the direction of
transport, see FIG. 4) from the upstream side in the direction of
transport when the sheet 12 is fed from the sheet feed tray 13 and
transported on the downstream side along the peripheral wall
portion 20.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing unit 15 includes a
transporting unit 28 configured to transport the sheet 12 and a
recording head 29 as a recording device configured to perform
printing (recording) by ejecting ink toward the sheet 12 in the
course of being transported by the transporting unit 28.
[0038] The transporting unit 28 includes rectangular-shaped platens
30, and also includes a drive shaft 31 (see FIG. 4) configured to
rotate in association with driving of the motor (not shown) and a
drive roller 32 configured to be capable of rotating integrally
with the drive shaft 31 arranged on the left side of the platens
30. In contrast, a driven roller 33 extending in the fore-and-aft
direction is rotatably arranged on the right side of the platens
30. A tension roller 34 extending in the fore-and-aft direction is
arranged on the lower side of the respective platens 30. An endless
transporting belt 35 (illustration is omitted with the sheet 12 in
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) formed with a number of air-ventilating holes
(not shown) is entrained about the drive roller 32, the driven
roller 33, and the tension roller 34 so as to surround the platen
30.
[0039] Then, by driving the drive roller 32 to rotate in the
clockwise direction when viewed from the front, the transporting
belt 35 is configured to run in the clockwise direction when viewed
from the front on the outer side of the drive roller 32, the driven
roller 33, and the tension roller 34. Each of the platens 30 is
provided with a sucking device (not shown) configured to be capable
of sucking the sheet 12 via the air-ventilating holes formed on the
transporting belt 35. Therefore, when the sheet 12 is at a position
opposing upper surfaces of the platens 30, the sheet 12 is
transported from the left side as the upstream side in the
direction of transport toward the right as the downstream side in a
state of being adhered to the transporting belt 35.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a transporting roller 36 as a
transporting device extending in the fore-and-aft direction is
provided upward of the drive roller 32. The transporting roller 36
includes a second rotating shaft 37 configured to rotate on the
basis of driving of a transporting motor 39 as a rotating device
and divided rollers 38 provided so as to be rotatable integrally
with the second rotating shaft 37. The divided rollers 38 oppose
the depressions 24 formed in the peripheral wall portion 20 when
the pivotable member 19 is rotated, and provided in the same number
as the depressions 24 so as to allow the projections 25 to enter
between the divided rollers 38. rotating in the counterclockwise
direction on the basis of the drive force of the transporting motor
39, the sheet 12 transported by the inverting mechanism 14 is
transported toward the platens 30. In this embodiment, the sheet
feed roller 17, the inverting mechanism 14, and the transporting
roller 36 described above constitute the sheet transporting
apparatus as the sheet member transporting apparatus.
[0041] Subsequently, an operation when printing is performed in the
printer 11 provided with the inverting mechanism 14 as described
above will be described.
[0042] When the sheet feed roller 17 rotates in a state in which
the sheets 12 are stored in a stacked manner on the sheet feed tray
13 as shown in FIG. 1, the sheets 12 are fed from the sheet feed
tray 13 one by one and are transported toward the inverting
mechanism 14 beyond the shock-absorbing member 23a as shown in FIG.
4. Then, the sheet 12 is fed so that the printing surface 12a
slides over the supporting surface 20a of the pivotable member 19
at a downstream position on the basis of a feeding force in
association with the rotation of the sheet feed roller 17, and is
deformed along the curved shape of the supporting surface 20a (see
FIG. 5). Then, when the sheet feed roller 17 is rotated and the
sheet 12 is fed further toward the downstream side in the direction
of transport, the leading end 12b of the sheet 12 comes into
abutment with the abutting portion 26 of the pivotable member
19.
[0043] The pivotable member 19 is rotatably supported with respect
to the pivot shaft 18. Therefore, when the sheet feed roller 17
further rotates and feeds the sheet 12 toward the downstream side
in the direction of transport in the state in which the leading end
12b is in abutment with the abutting portion 26, the feeding force
of the sheet feed roller 17 is transmitted to the pivotable member
19 via the sheet 12. Then, the pivotable member 19 positioned on
the downstream side as shown in FIG. 5 pivots in the clockwise
direction (toward the downstream side in the direction of
transport) about the pivot shaft 18 together with the sheet 12 as
shown in FIG. 6.
[0044] The sheet 12 is supported by the peripheral wall portion 20
in a state in which the printing surface 12a as one of the surfaces
thereof is in surface contact with the peripheral wall portion 20,
and moves toward the downstream side in the direction of transport
in a state of being integrated with the peripheral wall portion 20
by a frictional force generated between the printing surface 12a
and the supporting surface 20a and hence is reinforced thereby.
Therefore, the sheet 12 can be transported through the curved route
portion having a level difference in the direction of gravitational
force as long as the sheet 12 has elasticity such extent that the
feeding force of the sheet feed roller 17 can be transmitted to the
pivotable member 19 between the sheet feed roller 17 and the
pivotable member 19.
[0045] Then, since the distance of movement in the vertical
direction is shorter from the sheet feed roller 17 to the pivotable
member 19 than from the sheet feed roller 17 to the transporting
roller 36, sheets having less elasticity can be transported.
[0046] Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when the pivotable member 19 is
moved to the downstream position, the respective projections 25 of
the pivotable member 19 enter between the divided rollers 38 at a
position lower than an axial line of the second rotating shaft 37.
At this time, the leading end 12b of the sheet 12 is in abutment
with the abutting portion 26. Therefore, portions of the leading
end 12b at the positions of the depressions 24 come into abutment
with the transporting roller 36.
[0047] The transporting roller 36 rotates in the counterclockwise
direction when viewed from the front. Therefore, the sheet 12
coming into abutment with the transporting roller 36 is received so
that the leading end 12b contacts with the transporting roller 36
and is transported further toward the downstream side in the
direction of transport. When the sheet 12 is transported to a
position over the platens 30, the sheet 12 is transported in a
state of being adhered to the transporting belt 35. Then, ink is
ejected from the recording head 29, whereby printing onto the sheet
12 is achieved.
[0048] When the end of the sheet 12 on the upstream side in the
direction of transport (the end on the opposite side from the
leading end 12b) passes through the position of the sheet feed
roller 17 toward the downstream side in the direction of transport,
a pressing force of the sheet 12 against the peripheral wall
portion 20 which has been generated on the basis of a restoration
force of the sheet 12 deformed thus far is reduced, and the contact
surface area between the printing surface 12a and the supporting
surface 20a is reduced. Therefore, the frictional force between the
printing surface 12a and the supporting surface 20a is lowered, and
the pivotable member 19 pivots again toward the upstream side in
the direction of transport under its own weight, and is moved to
the upstream position where the pivotable member 19 comes into
abutment with the shock-absorbing member 23a.
[0049] According to the embodiment described above, the following
effects are achieved.
(1) Due to the pivotal movement of the pivotable member 19 about
the pivot shaft 18, the sheet 12 also pivots together with the
pivotable member 19 in a state in which the printing surface 12a
being one of the surfaces of the sheet 12 is supported by the
pivotable member 19, and is transported so as to draw the curved
trajectory having a level difference in the direction of
gravitational force. Therefore, even when the sheet 12 is
transported along the transporting route including the curved route
portion having a level difference in the direction of gravitational
force, the sheet 12 can be transported irrespective of the
elasticity thereof. Therefore, the sheet 12 can be transported
without providing a mechanism such as a roller pair for pinching
the sheet 12 along the transporting route, and hence an increase in
number of components is restrained to reduce time and effort for
assembly.
[0050] (2) When the sheet 12 is fed by the sheet feed roller 17,
the leading end 12b of the sheet 12 on the downstream side in the
direction of transport comes into abutment with the abutting
portion 26 of the pivotable member 19, whereby the feeding force of
the sheet feed roller 17 is transmitted to the pivotable member 19
via the sheet 12. Therefore, the pivotable member 19 is pivoted as
if it were pushed by the sheet 12. Therefore, even though a
pivoting device for causing the pivotable member 19 to pivot is not
provided specifically, the pivotable member 19 can be pivoted using
the feeding force of the sheet feed roller 17 which feeds the sheet
12.
[0051] (3) The sheet 12 can be transported in a stable posture in a
state in which the curved peripheral wall portion 20 of the
pivotable member 19 and the printing surface 12a, which is one of
the surfaces of the sheet 12, are in surface contact with each
other. In other words, the probability of separation between the
pivotable member 19 and the sheet 12 can be reduced by securing a
large contact surface area between the pivotable member 19 and the
sheet 12 and increasing a frictional force acting between the
pivotable member 19 and the sheet 12.
[0052] (4) The pivotable member 19 is formed with the depressions
24 which oppose the transporting roller 36 when the pivotable
member 19 is pivoted toward the transporting roller 36. Therefore,
part of the sheet 12 supported by the pivotable member 19 is
positioned so as to oppose the depressions 24 and hence come into
abutment with the transporting roller 36 in association with the
pivotal movement of the pivotable member 19. Then, the sheet 12 is
transported further toward the downstream side in the direction of
transport so as to contact with the rotating transporting roller
36. Since the pivotable member 19 supports the sheet 12 with the
projections 25 at this time, the pivotable member 19 can transport
the sheet 12 so as to push the sheet 12 toward the transporting
roller 36.
[0053] (5) With the provision of the shock-absorbing member 23a
between the sheet feed tray 13 and the pivotable member 19, an
impact sound of the pivotable member 19 generated when the
pivotable member 19 makes the pivotal movement can be reduced.
[0054] The embodiment described above may be modified as
follows.
[0055] In the embodiment described above, a configuration in which
the depressions 24 are not provided on the pivotable member 19 and
a mechanism which sends the sheet 12 transported by being supported
by the supporting surface 20a toward the transporting roller 36
while keeping away from the supporting surface 20a is provided may
also be employed. Alternatively, a configuration in which the side
wall portion 21 is not provided in the vicinity of the downstream
side end 19b of the pivotable member 19, and the pivotable member
19 is pivoted so as to cause the surface of the sheet 12 opposite
from the printing surface 12a to come into abutment with the
transporting belt 35 to send the sheet 12 onto the transporting
belt 35 may also be employed. When a configuration without the
transporting belt 35 is employed, the sheet 12 may be brought into
abutment with the drive roller 32. Therefore, by causing the
transporting unit 28 or the drive roller 32 to function as the
transporting device, a configuration without the transporting
roller 36 may also be employed.
[0056] In the embodiment described above, a configuration in which
the pivotable member 19 is not provided with the abutting portion
26 may also be employed. In other words, when the sheet 12 having
elasticity to an extent which generates the sufficient frictional
force between the supporting surface 20a of the peripheral wall
portion 20 and the printing surface 12a of the sheet 12 is
transported, the pivotable member 19 can be pivoted without causing
the abutting portion 26 and the leading end 12b of the sheet 12
into abutment with each other.
[0057] In the embodiment described above, the easier the pivotal
movement of the pivotable member 19, the less elastic sheet 12 can
be transported. Therefore, a weight may be provided on the opposite
side of the pivotable member 19 with respect to the pivot shaft 18
to aid the pivotal movement of the pivotable member 19.
Alternatively, weight reduction of the pivotable member 19 may be
achieved by forming holes or depressions on the pivotable member 19
or forming the pivotable member 19 by extending or knitting wire or
string. Even when the printing surface 12a of the sheet 12 and the
supporting surface 20a are in partly contact with each other, it is
considered to be in surface contact when the sheet 12 is supported
to an extent which can restrain the deformation in the direction
other than the direction of gravitational force.
[0058] In the embodiment described above, a configuration in which
the pivoting device (for example, motor) for causing the pivot
shaft 18 to pivot is provided and the pivotable member 19 is
provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the pivot shaft 18
may be employed. When providing the pivoting device, the shape of
the peripheral wall portion 20 can be modified arbitrarily such as
forming the supporting surface 20a into a flat shape.
[0059] In the embodiment described above, the inverting mechanism
14 may be used arbitrarily as long as it is a curved transporting
route portion. In other words, the inverting mechanism 14 may be
provided in a reading apparatus such as a scanner or between the
printing unit 15 and the sheet discharge tray. The transporting
route does not necessarily have to be a route which inverts the
sheet 12 as long as it is curved. For example, the inverting
mechanism 14 may be provided in a printer which is configured to
feed the sheet 12 from a sheet feed tray provided obliquely and
transport the sheet 12 in the curved routes so that the sheet 12 is
positioned horizontally and perform printing thereon.
[0060] In the embodiment described above, the recording apparatus
is applied to the ink-jet printer 11. However, a recording
apparatus which ejects or discharges liquid other than ink may also
be employed. The liquid ejecting apparatus in this embodiment may
be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a
liquid ejecting head for discharging a minute amount of liquid
drop. The term "liquid drop" indicates a state of liquid discharged
from the liquid ejecting apparatus, and includes particle state,
tear drop state, and thready state. The term "liquid" used here may
be any material as long as it can be ejected by the liquid ejecting
apparatus. For example, it may be a substance in the state of
liquid phase, and includes not only liquid-state substances having
a high or low viscosity, fluid state substances such as inorganic
solvent such as sol and gel water, organic solvent, solution,
liquid state resins, liquid state metals (melted metal), or liquids
as a state of the substance, but also those obtained by dissolving,
dispersing, or mixing particles of functional material formed of
solid state substance such as pigment or metal particles in
solvent. Representative examples of the liquid include ink as
described in the embodiment and liquid crystal. The term "ink" here
includes various liquid compositions such as general water-based
ink, oil-based ink, gel ink, or hot-melt ink. Detailed examples of
the liquid ejecting apparatus include liquid ejecting apparatuses
which eject liquid containing materials such as electrode material
or colorant in the form of dispersion or dissolution used for
manufacturing, for example, liquid crystal displays, EL
(electroluminescence) displays, surface emission-type displays, or
color filters, liquid ejecting apparatuses which eject biological
organic substance used for manufacturing biochips, liquid ejecting
apparatuses which are used as accurate pipettes and eject liquid as
a sample, text printing apparatuses, or microdispensers.
Furthermore, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting lubricant for
pinpoint lubrication for precise machines such as watches or
cameras, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting transparent resin
liquid such as UV-cured resin on a substrate for forming a
micro-semispherical lens (optical lens) used for optical
communication elements or the like, and a liquid ejecting apparatus
for ejecting etching liquid such as acid or alkali for etching the
substrate or the like may be employed. The invention may be applied
to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.
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