Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12515465-B2
Application number	US-202318366487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2023
Priority date	Aug 9, 2022
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes an insertion port that is provided in a transport path of a medium and through which the medium is to be inserted; a roller pair configured to nip and transport the medium inserted through the insertion port, in the transport path, the roller pair comprises rollers facing each other; a printing unit configured to perform printing on the medium transported in the transport path by the roller pair; and a lever configured to switch a position of at least one roller of the roller pair between a nipping position where the roller pair is configured to nip the medium and a separation position where the roller pair does not nip the medium. A first lever as the lever is arranged within a range in which the medium transported by the roller pair is present, in a width direction intersecting with a transport direction of the medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing apparatus, comprising:
an insertion port that is provided in a transport path of a medium and through which the medium is to be inserted; a roller pair configured to nip and transport the medium inserted through the insertion port, in the transport path, the roller pair comprises a drive roller and driven rollers; a first rotating shaft that is provided over a range in which the medium transported by the roller pair is present, in a width direction intersecting with a transport direction of the medium; a printing unit configured to perform printing on the medium transported in the transport path by the roller pair; and a lever configured to switch a position of the drive roller and the driven rollers of the roller pair all at once between a nipping position where the roller pair is configured to nip the medium and a separation position where the roller pair does not nip the medium, by moving the lever to rotate the rotating shaft, wherein a first lever as the lever is arranged within the range, the drive roller is provided over the range, the driven rollers are provided in a position opposite the drive roller and aligned over the range, the first rotating shaft is connected to the driven rollers via arm-shaped members, the printing unit has a carriage that moves in the width direction that intersects the transport direction of the medium, the transport path has an inclined transport path inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and the lever overlaps the inclined transport path when viewed horizontally from a direction orthogonal to the width direction.

2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first lever is provided extending in an advancing direction and a retreating direction of the medium with respect to the insertion port.

3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing apparatus includes a plurality of the first levers.

4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a foreign matter capturing unit configured to suppress entry of a foreign matter through the insertion port, wherein the foreign matter capturing unit is configured to be displaced between a foreign matter capturing position where the foreign matter capturing unit is configured to come into contact with the medium transported and a retracting position where the foreign matter capturing unit does not come into contact with the medium transported and the first lever is configured to switch the foreign matter capturing unit between the foreign matter capturing position and the retracting position.

5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first lever is configured to switch the foreign matter capturing unit between the foreign matter capturing position and the retracting position, in conjunction with the position of the roller pair.

6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the insertion port is arranged below the roller pair in a vertical direction.

7 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a height at which the insertion port is arranged is 1,000 mm or lower.

8 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first lever is arranged at a position within 22 inches from a center of the printing apparatus in the width direction.

9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing apparatus is configured to be used with the medium measuring 44 inches or larger in the width direction.

10 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lever overlaps the inclined transport path when viewed vertically.

11 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the lever is in a first position when the roller pair is in the separating position, the lever is in a second position when the roller pair is in the nipping position, and the distance between the position of the lever in the second position and the media in the inclined transport path is closer than the distance between the position of the lever in the first position and the media in the inclined transport path.

12 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second rotating shaft that is different from and along the first rotating shaft, wherein the first rotating shaft has first gears corresponding to the arm-shaped members, the second rotating shaft has second gears meshing in each of the first gears, and the lever is connected to the second rotating shaft.

13 . A printing apparatus, comprising:
an insertion port that is provided in a transport path of a medium and through which the medium is to be inserted; a roller pair configured to nip and transport the medium inserted through the insertion port, in the transport path, the roller pair comprises a drive roller and driven rollers; a first rotating shaft that is provided over a range in which the medium transported by the roller pair is present, in a width direction intersecting with a transport direction of the medium; a printing unit configured to perform printing on the medium transported in the transport path by the roller pair; and a lever configured to switch a position of the drive roller and the driven rollers of the roller pair all at once between a nipping position where the roller pair is configured to nip the medium and a separation position where the roller pair does not nip the medium, by moving the lever to rotate the rotating shaft, wherein a first lever as the lever is arranged within the range, the drive roller is provided over the range, the driven rollers are provided in a position opposite the drive roller and aligned over the range, the first rotating shaft is connected to the driven rollers via arm-shaped members, further comprising a second lever being arranged outside the range in which the medium transported by the roller pair is present, in the width direction.

14 . A printing apparatus, comprising:
an insertion port that is provided in a transport path of a medium and through which the medium is to be inserted; a roller pair configured to nip and transport the medium inserted through the insertion port, in the transport path, the roller pair comprises rollers facing each other; a printing unit configured to perform printing on the medium transported in the transport path by the roller pair; a lever configured to switch a position of at least one roller of the roller pair between a nipping position where the roller pair is configured to nip the medium and a separation position where the roller pair does not nip the medium; and a foreign matter capturing unit configured to suppress entry of a foreign matter through the insertion port, wherein a first lever as the lever is arranged within the range in which the medium transported by the roller pair is present, in a width direction intersecting with a transport direction of the medium, the foreign matter capturing unit is configured to be displaced between a foreign matter capturing position where the foreign matter capturing unit is configured to come into contact with the medium transported and a retracting position where foreign matter capturing unit does not come into contact with the medium transported, and the first lever is configured to switch the foreign matter capturing unit between the foreign matter capturing position and the retracting position.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Fukasawa Koki
• Kitahara Keisuke

Classifications

• B41J11/0025

  Handling copy materials differing in width · CPC title

• B41J15/08

  characterised by being applied to printers having transversely- moving carriages · CPC title

• B41J2/01

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B41J11/001

  Handling wide copy materials · CPC title

• B41J11/08

  Bar or like line-size platens · CPC title