Back to results
US 9,004,676 B2Granted
Recording apparatus
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsShinya Yamamoto, Tomoyasu Yabuki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A recording apparatus includes: a first housing; a second housing pivotable about a shaft relative to the first housing between a close position and a distant position; and a tank mount portion provided in the second housing such that a mounting direction of a tank with respect to the tank mount portion in a state in which the second housing is at the distant position has a downward component in a vertical direction. The tank mount portion includes a resistance applying mechanism which applies a resistance force to the tank in a state in which at least a part of the tank is inserted into the tank mount portion when the second housing is at the distant position.
Claims17
A recording apparatus comprising:
- a supporting portion configured to support a recording medium;
- a first housing configured to support the supporting portion;
- a recording portion configured to record an image on the recording medium supported by the supporting portion, the recording portion configured to record the image using a recording agent;
- a second housing configured to connect with the first housing via a shaft and configured to support the recording portion, the second housing being further configured to be pivotable about the shaft, relative to the first housing, between a close position at which the image is recorded on the recording medium by the recording portion and a distant position at which the second housing is distant farther from the first housing than at the close position;
- and
- a tank mount portion supported by the second housing such that a mounting direction of a tank with respect to the tank mount portion in a state in which the second housing is at the distant position has a downward component in a vertical direction, the tank mount portion being configured to pivot together with the second housing, and the tank configured to store the recording agent,
- wherein the tank mount portion comprises a resistance applying mechanism configured to apply a resistance force, when the second housing is at the distant position, to the tank in a state in which at least a part of the tank is inserted into the tank mount portion in the mounting direction, the resistance applying mechanism configured to apply the resistance force to the tank in addition to a kinetic friction force that is applied from an inner surface of the tank mount portion to the tank, and the resistance applying mechanism configured to apply the resistance force to act in a direction opposite to the mounting direction,
- wherein a lower inner surface of the inner surface is configured to face a lower surface of the tank in a state in which the tank is inserted into the tank mount portion,
- wherein the tank mount portion comprises a contact portion configured to detect contact with the tank, the contact portion being provided on a bottom surface, which is a downstream surface of the tank mount portion in the mounting direction,
- wherein the resistance applying mechanism is disposed nearer to a center position of the tank mounting portion than the contact portion in a first direction, which is a direction parallel to the lower inner surface and perpendicular to the mounting direction,
- wherein the resistance applying mechanism comprises a moving body configured to move from a retracted position to a projecting position in response to movement of the second housing from the close position toward the distant position and configured to move from the projecting position to the retracted position in response to movement of the second housing from the distant position toward the close position, and
- wherein the projecting position is a position at which the moving body applies the resistance force to the tank and the retracted position is a position at which the moving body does not apply the resistance force to the tank.
9 more elements
A recording apparatus comprising:
- a first housing;
- a second housing configured to connect with the first housing via a shaft and to be pivotable about the shaft, relative to the first housing, between a close position at which an image is recorded on a recording medium and a distant position at which the second housing is distant farther from the first housing than at the close position;
- and
- a tank mount portion provided in the second housing such that a mounting direction of a tank with respect to the tank mount portion in a state in which the second housing is at the distant position has a downward component in a vertical direction, the tank configured to store a recording agent for recording an image on the recording medium,
- wherein the tank mount portion comprises a resistance applying mechanism configured to apply a resistance force, when the second housing is at the distant position, to the tank in a state in which at least a part of the tank is inserted into the tank mount portion in the mounting direction, the resistance applying mechanism configured to apply the resistance force to the tank in addition to a kinetic friction force that is applied from an inner surface of the tank mount portion to the tank, and the resistance applying mechanism configured to apply the resistance force to act in a direction opposite to the mounting direction,
- wherein the resistance applying mechanism comprises a moving body configured to move from a retracted position to a projecting position in response to movement of the second housing from the close position toward the distant position and configured to move from the projecting position to the retracted position in response to movement of the second housing from the distant position toward the close position,
- wherein the projecting position is a position at which the moving body applies the resistance force to the tank and the retracted position is a position at which the moving body does not apply the resistance force to the tank, and
- wherein the moving body comprises a contact surface, which is configured to contact with the tank being inserted in the tank mounting portion in a state in which the moving body is in the projecting position, and which is configured to be spaced apart from the tank in a state in which the moving body is in the retracted position.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.