Recording apparatus

• US 9,352,550 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Zhang, Junhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Fidler, Shelby
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCMILLION, TRACEY M
• Application Number:
  US14/489,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20150138291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 21/00 Devices for conveying sheets through printing apparatus or machines through platen presses B41F1/28
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/304 Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/00 Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112

Abstract

By providing a rotating body which supports three-dimensional recording media on a support surface in a direction which intersects with a gravity direction and which has a rotating shaft in the direction which intersects with the support surface, and a recording head which carries out recording onto recording media by discharging ink in a direction which intersects with the rotating shaft, recording is carried out with high quality with respect to the recording media while firmly supporting the three-dimensional recording media.

Claims

1. A recording apparatus comprising:

a rotating body which supports a three-dimensional recording medium on a support surface in a direction which intersects with a gravity direction and has a rotating shaft in a direction which intersects with the support surface, wherein the rotating body is able to support a plurality of the recording medium concurrently on the support surface of the rotating body during recording; and

a recording head which carries out recording onto the recording medium by discharging ink in a direction which intersects with the rotating shaft,

the recording apparatus further comprising a plurality of the rotating bodies, wherein the recording head is common to the plurality of rotating bodies.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the recording medium is a container which is able to change shape.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the recording heads are provided, and

the recording medium which are supported on each of the rotating bodies and each of the recording heads are able to oppose each other.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a rotation support section which supports the plurality of recording heads,

wherein, by rotating the rotation support section, it is possible to change a combination of the rotating body on which the recording medium are supported and the recording head.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the rotating body rotates in one direction and it is possible to discharge ink a plurality of times with respect to the same recording medium.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a maintenance box that is disposed on the support surface, wherein the maintenance box is able to oppose the recording head by the rotating the rotating body.