Ink jet printer

• US 5,646,668 A
• Filed: 06/01/1995
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Hiromu, Komuro, Kiyoto, Fujioka, Satoshi, Takabayashi, Nobuhisa, Nishizawa, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartary, Joseph W.
• Application Number:
  US08/456,318
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 347/104, 400/636.1, 400/618, 400/708
• US Class Current: 347/104
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0022 using convection means, e.g. by using a fan for blowing or sucking air

Abstract

An ink jet printer including a recording device for jetting ink droplets from a printer head while moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of a recording medium in the form of a sheet, to form a dot image on the recording medium according to an input time. The ink jet printer further includes a conveying mechanism, including a gate roller that performs an intermittent feed operation at a speed corresponding to the pixel density of a character or pattern recorded on the recording medium; and a roller provided downstream of the recording device, the roller being operated after the rear edge of the recording medium passes through the conveying mechanism located upstream of the recording device, to convey the recording medium while in contact with the dot image forming surface of the recording medium, the roller being movable into and out of engagement with the recording medium.

Claims

1. An ink jet printer comprising:

recording means including a printer head for jetting ink droplets while moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of a recording medium having a dot image forming surface and a rear edge, thereby to form a dot image on said recording medium according to an input time;

further comprising a conveying mechanism, including a gate roller that performs an intermittent feed operation at a speed corresponding to a pixel density of a character or pattern recorded on the recording medium; and

a roller provided downstream of said recording means, said roller being operated after the rear edge of said recording medium passes through said conveying mechanism located upstream of said recording means, to convey said recording medium while in contact with the dot image forming surface of said recording medium, said roller being movable into and out of engagement with said recording medium.

2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said conveying mechanism further comprises a driven roller provided behind a platen;

a sheet conveying belt laid over the driven roller and the gate roller, said driven roller being rotated by the gate roller through the sheet conveying belt at a common peripheral speed;

an idler located directly below the platen and contacted by said sheet conveying belt;

an idler lever, provided to support said idler on one end portion of said idler lever; and

a tension spring connected to said idler lever so as to apply a predetermined tension to said sheet conveying belt.

3. The ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein said roller is located above the driven roller and further comprises a shaft and a plurality of plate-shaped rollers with peripheral teeth, said plate-shaped rollers disposed to be fixedly mounted on said shaft;

a roller lever which supports said roller on one end portion of said roller lever; and

a supporting shaft provided downstream of the driven roller, said roller lever being secured to said supporting shaft.