US 6,149,262 AGranted

Ink-jet printer having a head supporting member rotatable around a spindle and having a posture regulator

AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsSakae Shiida, Yoshihide Akuzawa, Akira Nuita

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Abstract

An ink jet printer includes a rotary drum having a peripheral surface for holding a paper sheet, a print head for printing an image on the paper sheet held on the peripheral surface by jetting ink to the paper sheet, and an elevator mechanism for setting the print head to a printing position close to the peripheral surfice at a time of printing and to a non-printing position farther from the peripheral surface than the printing position along a normal line of the peripheral surface at a time of maintenance. Particularly, the elevator mechanism includes a pair of guide rails set parallel to the normal line of the peripheral surface, a slider unit rotatably holding the print head and slidably attached to the guide rails, and a driving section for moving the slider unit up and down. The slider unit includes a spindle, a head support member rotatable about the spindle by a rotational force applied due to a weight of the printhead, and a posture regulator for regulating a posture of the print head with respect to the guide rails against the rotational force.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An ink-jet printer comprising:

a holding member having a holding surface for holding a print medium;
a print head for printing an image on the print medium held on said holding surface by jetting ink from an end thereof to the print medium;
and
a head moving mechanism for setting said print head to a printing position close to said holding surface at a time of printing and to a non-printing position farther from said holding surface than the printing position at a time of maintenance;
wherein said head moving mechanism includes a pair of guide members disposed vertically with respect to said holding surface, a slider unit rotatably holding said print head and slidably attached to said guide members, and a slider unit driving section for moving said slider unit up and down;
and
wherein said slider unit includes a spindle extending horizontally between said guide members, a head support member supporting said print head and rotatable about said spindle by a rotational force applied due to a weight of said print head, and a posture regulator for regulating a posture of said print head against the rotational force such that the end of said print head faces said holding surface.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.