Ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing a duplex print operation

• US 6,719,469 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2002
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Horike, Masanori, Sato, Masumi, Yasui, Motokazu, Sato, Tsumori, Yokoyama, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Anthony H.
• Application Number:
  US10/218,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20020192000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 400/603, 400/603.1, 400/602, 400/624, 400/625, 400/636, 400/635, 400/634, 399/364, 399/361, 271/186, 271/185, 271/184, 271/902, 271/225
• US Class Current: 400/603
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/0045 concerning sheet refeed sections of automatic paper handling systems, e.g. intermediate stackers printing on both faces B41J3/60
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material

Abstract

An ink jet recording apparatus performs a print operation by controlling an ink jet recording head to eject ink drops therefrom against front and back surfaces of a recording sheet at a print position. The apparatus includes a transporting mechanism for transporting a portion of the recording sheet to a location outside of the apparatus after a completion of the print operation on the front surface of the recording sheet and just before printing of the back surface of the recording sheet.

Claims

1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

a housing;

an ink jet recording head within the housing, the ink jet recording head arranged to eject ink drops therefrom onto front and back surfaces of a recording sheet;

at least one paper source, for storing recording sheets, each sheet having a first surface and a second surface;

a sheet transportation path comprising sheet transport rollers, configured and adapted for transporting recording sheets from the at least one paper source to the ink jet recording head for printing on the first surface or the second surface of the recording sheet;

a first sheet ejection path, comprising sheet ejection rollers, configured and adapted for transporting printed sheets out of the housing;

a second sheet ejection path, comprising a switchback mechanism configured and adapted for transporting at least a portion of a recording sheet printed on the first surface to a location outside the housing to expedite drying of the print on the first surface and for returning the recording sheet printed on the first surface into the housing and to the sheet transportation path for printing on the recording sheet second surface;

a first sheet diverting mechanism, positioned in the sheet transportation path, the first sheet ejection path, having a first position for diverting the printed recording sheet to the first sheet ejection path and a second position for diverting the printed recording sheet to the second sheet ejection path; and

a second sheet diverting mechanism, positioned in the second sheet ejection path, having a first position for directing a recording sheet in the second sheet ejection path to the switchback mechanism and a second position for directing the recording sheet from the switchback mechanism to the transportation path for printing on the second surface of the recording sheet;

wherein

the sheet transport rollers, the sheet ejection rollers, the switchback mechanism, and the first and second sheet diverting mechanisms are each positioned within the housing.

2. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said portion of the recording sheet transported to said location outside the apparatus includes a surface that has the ink drops.

3. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said location outside of said apparatus is positioned below a print position.

4. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising an input sheet cassette, wherein said location outside said apparatus is an upper surface of the input sheet cassette.

5. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sheet transport path includes a transport belt and said recording sheet is transported to a print position via the transport belt.

6. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said recording sheet is moved at a speed which is substantially the same as a moving speed of said transport belt when said recording sheet is reversely transported and fed back into the apparatus for printing on the second side of the recording sheet.

7. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said apparatus has a single print mechanism that includes said ink jet recording head.

8. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

a single housing;

an ink jet recording head arranged to eject ink drops therefrom onto front and back surfaces of a recording sheet;

a sheet output tray for receiving sheets after being printed by the ink jet recording head; and

a sheet feeding mechanism located within said single housing and adjacent the sheet output tray for feeding the recording sheet in a first direction at least partially outside said single housing into said sheet output tray to expedite drying of the ink drops after one side of the sheet has been printed and before a second side of the sheet is printed for a period of time sufficient to allow ink drops on the sheet to dry, and in a second direction for feeding the dried one-side-printed sheet back into the apparatus for printing on the second side of the sheet, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism includes a transport belt and said recording sheet is transported to a print position via the transport belt.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the ink jet recording head is the only ink jet recording head in the apparatus.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism comprises a pair of rollers forming a nip therebetween, the pair of rollers being arranged to be rotated in forward and reverse directions.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism feeds a portion of the one-side-printed sheet onto a surface of the sheet output tray before feeding the sheet back into the apparatus for printing on the second side of the sheet.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a sheet input tray, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism feeds a portion of the one-side-printed sheet onto a surface of the sheet input tray before feeding the sheet back into the apparatus for printing on the second side of the sheet.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a sheet diverting mechanism for diverting a sheet away from the sheet output tray after the sheet has been printed on one side thereof and before the sheet is printed on the second side thereof.

14. The ink jet recording apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said portion of the recording sheet transported to said location outside the apparatus includes a surface that has the ink drops.

15. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

a single housing;

an ink jet recording head arranged to eject ink drops therefrom onto a first side and a second side of a recording sheet; and

a sheet feeding mechanism configured and adapted for feeding at least a portion if the recording sheet to a location outside of the apparatus to expedite drying of the ink drops after the first side of the sheet has been printed for a period of time sufficient to allow ink drops on the first side of the sheet to dry, and for feeding the dried printed sheet back into the single housing for printing on the second side, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism includes a transport belt and said recording sheet is transported to a print position via the transport belt.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the ink jet recording head is the only ink jet recording head in the apparatus.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism comprises a pair of rollers forming a nip therebetween, the pair of rollers being arranged to be rotated in forward and reverse directions.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism feeds a portion of the one-side-printed sheet onto a surface of the sheet output tray before feeding the sheet back into the apparatus for printing on the second side of the sheet.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a sheet input tray, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism feeds a portion of the one-side-printed sheet onto a surface of the sheet input tray before feeding the sheet back into the apparatus for printing on the second side of the sheet.