Conveyor device and inkjet recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9370943-B2
Application number	US-201514679478-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 10, 2014
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

A conveyor device includes a conveyor belt and a suction section. The conveyor belt conveys a recording medium. The suction section sucks on the recording medium through the conveyor belt. The suction section has a plurality of through holes. The suction section includes an air flow chamber. The air flow chamber has an air outlet in a bottom thereof. The bottom has first regions and a second region. The first regions are each located at a position opposite to a corresponding one of the through holes. The first regions are each located adjacent to the second region. The air outlet is located within the second region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor device comprising:
a conveyor belt configured to convey a recording medium; and
a suction section configured to suck on the recording medium through the conveyor belt, the suction section including:
a guide member configured to support the recording medium via the conveyor belt; and
an air flow chamber disposed under the guide member and having a box-like shape with a top opening, wherein

the guide member covers the top opening of the air flow chamber,
the guide member is provided with a plurality of through holes penetrating the guide member in a thickness direction,
the air flow chamber has a bottom,
the bottom has an air outlet, and
the air outlet is located so as to avoid being right under any of the through holes.

2. The conveyor device according to claim 1 , wherein
the suction section further includes a sucking device that is in communication with the air flow chamber via the air outlet,
the air flow chamber has a connection section connected with the bottom at the air outlet, and
the connection section has a lower end connected with the sucking device.

3. The conveyor device according to claim 1 , wherein the air flow chamber has a projection along a peripheral edge of the air outlet, and
the projection is located so as to avoid being right under any of the through holes.

4. The conveyor device according to claim 3 , wherein a region defined by a top edge of the projection has a larger area than a region defined by the peripheral edge.

5. The conveyor device according to claim 3 , wherein the projection has a cross-section in an inverted L shape.

6. The conveyor device according to claim 3 , wherein the projection has a cross-section including a curved shape.

7. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:
the conveyor device according to claim 1 ; and
a recording head disposed opposite to the conveyor device.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hobo Jumpei
• Watanabe Takeshi
• Takenaka Hidenori
• Soda Tomohisa
• Fujihara Masami

Classifications

• B41J11/0085

  Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226) · CPC title

• B65H5/224

  by suction belts (B65H11/005 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J11/007 Primary

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B65H2406/31

  Suction box; Suction chambers · CPC title

• B65H2406/322

  Suction distributing means · CPC title