Thermal recorder with ink sheet cassette removably mounted in openable housing

An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a record sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having:
• a record sheet mounting portion for mounting a record sheet thereon, and
• a platen disposed along a conveyance path for the record sheet mounted on said record sheet mounting portion;
• a second housing divisible from and openable relative to said first housing, said second housing having:
• an ink sheet cassette mounting portion for mounting thereon an ink sheet cassette removably mountable with respect to said apparatus, the ink sheet cassette having an ink sheet carrying ink thereon and a drive force receiving portion for receiving a drive force for conveying the ink sheet;
• means for maintaining the ink sheet cassette in a mounted state against weight of the ink sheet cassette itself and for engageably restraining the ink sheet cassette on said ink sheet cassette mounting portion in a removable condition;
• and
• a record head for effecting a record operation in accordance with image information in order to transfer ink carried by the ink sheet onto the record sheet so as to record the image on the record sheet;
• drive force transmitting means for transmitting the drive force to the drive force receiving portion of the ink sheet cassette mounted on said ink sheet cassette mounting portion so as to convey said ink sheet;
• conveying means for conveying the record sheet along said conveyance path;
• and
• load absorbing means provided on said drive force transmitting means for absorbing a load over a predetermined value so as to prevent such load over the predetermined value from being transmitted to the drive force receiving portion of the ink sheet cassette mounted on said ink sheet cassette mounting portion.

An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a record sheet, comprising:

• a record sheet mounting portion for mounting a record sheet thereon;
• conveying means for conveying the record sheet mounted on said record sheet mounting portion;
• an image reading portion for reading an image on an original and outputting image information obtained by reading the image;
• an ink sheet cassette mounting portion for mounting thereon an ink sheet cassette removably mountable with respect to said apparatus, the ink sheet cassette having an ink sheet carrying ink thereon, and a drive force receiving portion for receiving a drive force for conveying the ink sheet;
• means for releasably maintaining the ink sheet cassette in a mounted state against weight of the ink sheet cassette itself and for engageably restraining the ink sheet cassette on said ink sheet cassette mounting portion in a removable condition;
• a record head for effecting a record operation in accordance with image information output by said image reading portion in order to transfer the ink carried by the ink sheet onto the record sheet so as to record the image on the record sheet;
• drive force transmitting means for transmitting the drive force to the drive force receiving portion of the ink sheet cassette mounted on said ink sheet cassette mounting portion so as to convey the ink sheet;
• displacing means for relatively displacing the drive force receiving portion of the ink sheet cassette mounted on said ink sheet cassette mounting means and said drive force transmitting means;
• and
• an original loading portion disposed upstream in an original conveyance direction with respect to said image reading portion and openable with respect to a main body of said apparatus,
• wherein said original loading portion includes at least said ink sheet cassette mounting portion, said restraining means and said record head in union.

An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a record sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a record sheet mounting portion for removably mounting a record sheet thereon;
• a second housing divisible and openable relative to said first housing, said second housing having:
• an ink sheet mounting portion for removably mounting an ink sheet with ink, the ink sheet being integrally formed with a drive force receiving portion for receiving a drive force for conveying the ink sheet mounted on said ink sheet mounting portion,
• an engaging-restraining portion for engaging and restraining the ink sheet on said ink sheet mounting portion in a removable condition, and
• recording means for effecting a record operation in accordance with image information in order to transfer the ink carried by the ink sheet onto the record sheet so as to record the image on the record sheet;
• drive force transmitting means for transmitting the drive force to the drive force receiving portion to convey the ink sheet;
• conveying means for conveying the record sheet;
• and
• load absorbing means for absorbing a load over a predetermined value, so as to prevent the load from being transmitted to the drive force receiving portion.

An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a record sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a record sheet mounting portion for removably mounting a record sheet thereon;
• a second housing divisible and operable relative to said first housing, said second housing having:
• an ink sheet mounting portion for removably mounting an ink sheet with ink, the ink sheet being integrally formed with a drive force receiving portion for receiving a drive force for conveying the ink sheet mounted on said ink sheet mounting portion,
• an engaging-restraining portion for engaging and restraining the ink sheet on said ink sheet mounting portion in a removable condition, and
• recording means for effecting a record operation in accordance with image information in order to transfer the ink carried by the ink sheet onto the record sheet so as to record the image on the record sheet;
• drive force transmitting means for transmitting the drive force to the drive force receiving portion to convey said ink sheet;
• displacing means for relatively displacing the drive force receiving portion and said drive force transmitting means in an opening direction of said first and second housings;
• and
• conveying means for conveying the record sheet.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first take-up portion capable of taking up an ink sheet having ink therein;
• a second take-up portion capable of taking up the ink sheet;
• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the recording sheet;
• a second housing openable relative to and separably from said first housing, said second housing having an ink sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the ink sheet and recording means for transferring ink in the ink sheet to the recording sheet and for performing a recording operation to record the image in response to image information;
• transmitting means having a first drive force transmitting system for transmitting a drive force to said second take-up portion so as to convey the ink sheet from said first take-up portion to said second take-up portion, and a second drive force transmitting system for transmitting a drive force to said first take-up portion so as to convey the ink sheet from said second take-up portion to said first take-up portion;
• first load absorbing means provided in said first transmitting system for absorbing a predetermined load applied to said second take-up portion;
• second load absorbing means provided in said second transmitting system for absorbing a predetermined load applied to said first take-up portion;
• and
• conveying means for conveying the recording sheet.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the recording sheet;
• a second housing operable relative to and separably from said first housing, having an ink sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the ink sheet and recording means for transferring ink in the ink sheet to the recording sheet and performing a recording operation to record the image in response to image information;
• transmitting means for transmitting a drive force to the ink sheet so as to convey the ink sheet;
• conveying means for conveying the recording sheet;
• and
• load absorbing means for absorbing a predetermined load so as to prevent application of the load to the ink sheet,
• wherein said recording sheet mounting portion and said ink sheet mounting portion are exposed when said first and second housings are opened.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the recording sheet;
• a second housing openable relative to and separably from said first housing, said second housing having an ink sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the ink sheet and recording means for transferring ink in the ink recording sheet to the recording sheet and performing a recording operation to record the image in response to image information;
• transmitting means for transmitting a drive force to the ink sheet so as to convey the ink sheet;
• conveying means for conveying the recording sheet;
• and
• load absorbing means for absorbing a predetermined load so as to prevent application of the load to the ink sheet,
• wherein said load absorbing means absorbs the predetermined load, so that the ink sheet is conveyed under a predetermined tension.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for mounting the recording sheet;
• a second housing openable relative to said first housing, said second housing having an ink sheet mounting portion for mounting an ink sheet containing ink thereon and recording means for recording the image onto the recording sheet by means of the ink sheet;
• transmitting means for transmitting a drive force to the ink sheet so as to convey the ink sheet under tension;
• and
• load absorption means for absorbing load so as to prevent the ink sheet from being subjected to tension in excess of a predetermined amount when the ink sheet is conveyed by the drive force transmitted by said transmitting means.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for removably mounting the recording sheet, and a rotatable platen roller;
• a second housing openable relative to said first housing, said second housing having an ink sheet mounting portion for removably mounting an ink sheet, and a thermal head for recording the image onto the recording sheet by heating the ink sheet mounted on said ink sheet mounting portion;
• transmitting means for transmitting drive force to the ink sheet in such a manner that a take-up speed with which the ink sheet is taken up is greater than a conveying speed with which the ink sheet and the recording sheet are conveyed by rotation of said platen roller in a state in which said thermal head presses said platen roller against the ink sheet and so presses the ink sheet against the recording sheet;
• and
• load absorption means for absorbing load so as to prevent the ink sheet from being subjected to tension greater than a predetermined amount when the ink sheet is conveyed by the drive force transmitted by said transmitting means.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for mounting the recording sheet;
• a second housing openable relative to said first housing, said second housing having an ink sheet mounting portion for mounting an ink sheet containing ink thereon and recording means for recording the image onto the recording sheet by means of the ink sheet;
• transmitting means for transmitting a drive force to the ink sheet so as to convey the ink sheet selectively in a forward direction and in a reverse direction opposed to said forward direction;
• first load absorption means for absorbing load so as to prevent the ink sheet from being subjected to tension greater than a predetermined amount when the ink sheet is conveyed in said forward direction by said drive force transmitted by said transmitting means;
• and
• second load absorption means for absorbing load so as to prevent the ink sheet from being subjected to tension greater than the predetermined amount when the ink sheet is conveyed in said reverse direction by said drive force transmitted by said transmitting means.

An image recording apparatus adapted to record an image onto a recording sheet, comprising:

• a first housing having a recording sheet mounting portion for mounting the recording sheet;
• a second housing openable relative to said first housing, said second housing having an ink sheet mounting portion for mounting an ink sheet containing ink thereon and recording means for recording the image onto the recording sheet using the ink sheet;
• and
• transmitting means for transmitting a first drive force to the ink sheet so as to convey the ink sheet and for transmitting a second drive force to the recording sheet so to convey the recording sheet;
• and
• load absorption means for absorbing load so as to prevent the ink sheet from being subjected to tension greater than a predetermined amount when the ink sheet is conveyed by said first drive force transmitted by said transmitting means.