Printing apparatus with cleaning unit for cleaning transport belt and roller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9827795-B2
Application number	US-201615295479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2016
Priority date	Oct 22, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a printing section that performs printing by discharging an ink onto a sheet of paper, a plurality of transport members that are respectively disposed in a plurality of locations in a transport pathway of the sheet of paper, and that are capable of transporting the sheet of paper along the transport pathway by rotating in contact with the sheet of paper, and a single cleaning unit that is used commonly during cleaning of the respective plurality of transport members.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing section that performs printing by discharging a liquid onto a medium;
a plurality of transport members that are respectively disposed in a plurality of locations in a transport pathway of the medium, and that are configured to transport the medium along the transport pathway by rotating in contact with the medium, the plurality of transport members including at least an endless form belt and a roller member that separately transports the medium from the endless form belt; and
a single cleaning unit that is used commonly during cleaning of the respective plurality of transport members.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the roller member is configured to transport the medium by rotating causing a circumferential surface to come into contact with the medium, and the endless form belt member is disposed in a different position to that of the roller member, and that is capable of transporting the medium by rotating in a circuit form causing a belt surface to come into contact with the medium.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cleaning unit includes a first cleaning section that is configured to clean one transport member, and a second cleaning section that is configured to clean another transport member in a position that differs from that of the first cleaning section.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the cleaning unit includes a band-shaped member that is stretched between a plurality of wind-around portions, and, in the band-shaped member, a portion that is wound around one wind-around portion in a length direction configures the first cleaning section, and a portion that is wound around another wind-around portion configures the second cleaning section.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the cleaning unit is configured to be displaced between a first position at which cleaning of the one transport member is possible as a result of the first cleaning section of the band-shaped member coming into contact with the one transport member, and a second position at which cleaning of the other transport member is possible as a result of the second cleaning section of the band-shaped member coming into contact with the other transport member.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the wind-around portions extend along a direction that is parallel to an axis of rotation of the transport members, and have a configuration in which a biasing force, which biases the wind-around portions toward the transport members, is applied to both end portions and an intermediate portion in the length direction of the wind-around portions.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein, among the plurality of transport members, a transport member that is cleaned by the second cleaning section is a belt member, a belt surface of which rotates in a circuit form, the belt surface coming into contact with the medium in a position that faces the printing section, and a transport member that is cleaned by the first cleaning section is a roller member, a circumferential surface of which rotates, the circumferential surface coming into contact with the medium in a position that is either further on an upstream side or a downstream side than the belt member in the transport pathway of the medium.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the endless form belt is configured to displaced between a transport position at which transporting of the medium is performed, and a non-transport position at which no transporting of the medium is performed,
wherein the single cleaning unit is configured to be displaced between a first position at which cleaning of the roller member is performed, and a second position at which cleaning of the endless form belt is performed,
wherein when the single cleaning unit is displaced to the second position, the endless form belt is displaced to the non- transport position.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Hara Koji
• Mori Kazunori

Classifications

• B41J29/17 Primary

  Cleaning arrangements · CPC title

• B41J11/007

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B41J2/01 Primary

  Ink jet · CPC title