JP3005092B2 - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus using cut paper as recording paper and employing serial ink jet recording means as a recording method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, facsimile machines are often used unattended, such as at night, and are required to be easy to maintain in addition to good recording quality due to the large amount of recording and to have low recording cost. Is done.

For this reason, in facsimile apparatuses, roll paper is used as recording paper, and thermal recording is often used as a recording method.

However, recently, remarkable progress has been made in ink jet recording technology, and the recording quality has been extremely improved. Therefore, a serial ink jet recording method has been adopted for a facsimile apparatus.

A conventional facsimile apparatus having a serial recording type ink jet recording means is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, an operation panel 51 is provided on the front edge of the upper surface of the main body 50, and a document E from a document table 52 is moved below the operation panel 51 in the direction of arrow A to Opening 53 provided on the side
And a document reading section for reading the document E while discharging the document E and sending the document E to the tray 54. The configuration of the document reading section includes a contact sensor 55 for reading the document E in direct contact with the document surface, a feed roller 56, and the like.

A serial recording type ink jet recording apparatus is incorporated below and behind the document reading section. The ink jet recording apparatus is a carriage 57 which is reciprocally driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) in the front and back directions of the page.
And an ink cartridge 58 (shown by a broken line) that can be exchanged with respect to the carriage 57.
The recording on the recording sheet S sent in the direction of arrow B is performed.

[0007] A plurality of recording sheets S are accommodated in a sheet holder 59 in a stacked manner, and are conveyed one by one between the main roller 60 and the sheet guide 61 by a sheet separating mechanism (not shown). In this configuration, one row of predetermined dots is printed while the sheet is conveyed stepwise in the direction of arrow B, and after one sheet is printed, the sheet is discharged onto the tray 62.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional ink jet recording apparatus, the recording sheet S is wound around substantially a half of the outer peripheral surface of the main roller 60 and then directed toward the tray 62. When the recording sheet S is transported with a strong stiffness, the load on the paper driving mechanism is increased, so that a predetermined step transport cannot be performed and a regular recording result is obtained. On the other hand, there is a problem that warpage (curl) occurs at the time of changing the direction of the sheet and a problem that one recording sheet cannot be arbitrarily sent to the ink jet recording apparatus.

Further, since the sheet cartridge accommodating the recording sheets is arranged parallel to the installation floor, there is a problem that the installation area becomes large. As described above, the conventional facsimile apparatus using cut paper as recording paper and adopting a serial ink jet recording means as a recording method cannot be said to have an optimum configuration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks. A facsimile machine having an optimum configuration by making it possible to convey a recording paper and a document using gravity and to reduce the installation area. It is intended to provide a device.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus having a serial recording type ink jet recording means, wherein a reading section is provided above a recording section having the above ink jet recording means. A document insertion port and a recording paper insertion port are provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and a document discharge port and a recording paper discharge port are provided on the front of the apparatus main body. A document transport path for transporting the document to the document exit is formed, and a recording paper transport path for transporting the recording paper from the recording paper insertion port to the recording paper exit through the recording unit is formed. A recording paper loading tray is provided above the recording paper transport path, and a recording paper loading tray is provided at the recording paper insertion opening. The recording paper loading tray also serves as a document table.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of the facsimile apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, a main body 1 of the facsimile apparatus is a facsimile apparatus including a serial recording type ink jet recording unit described later.

This facsimile apparatus is placed vertically on a desk or the like, and as shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 2 is provided at a front edge of an upper surface 1b of a main body 1 to secure operability. E and recording sheet S as cut paper
Is inserted from above the apparatus and discharged from the front side of the apparatus. A key 2a and a display 2b are provided on the operation panel 2, and a document table 4 having a lid 4b which can be opened and closed is provided below and behind the operation panel 2.
Documents are stored on the document table 4 for a plurality of sheets. At this time, the area required for accommodating the original is usually the original table 4 and the lid 4.
b is not sufficient, and the recording sheet placing tray 5 is also used. That is, the recording sheet placing tray 5 also has the function of a document table. After the width of the document is adjusted by the guide 4a, the document is read while moving the document one by one in the direction of arrow A and discharging the document to the opening 3 provided in the front side surface 1a of the main body 1. An original reading section described later is provided.

A serial recording type ink jet recording apparatus is provided below the document reading section. A sheet holder 6 for supplying a recording sheet S is oblique to the main body 1 with respect to the ink jet recording apparatus. The recording sheet mounting tray 5 is provided at one upper end of the sheet holder 6. The recording sheet S sent out one by one from the sheet holder 6 in the direction of arrow B1 is sent to the ink jet recording apparatus, and after recording by the ink jet recording apparatus, the recording sheet S passes through the discharge port 7 provided on the front surface 1a of the main body 1. It is discharged in the B2 direction. Further, recording is performed on a sheet fed in the direction of arrow C in the figure.

Next, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 1, and shows main components of the respective built-in components. In this figure, an operation panel 2 is provided at the front edge of the upper surface 1b of the main body 1 indicated by a chain line in the figure.
The keys 2a and the display 2b mounted on the board 2c are provided to be exposed to the outside through holes formed integrally with the operation panel 2.

On the other hand, at the upper left of the operation panel 2, the original E shown in the figure is moved in the direction of arrow A by a dashed line to discharge the original E to the opening 3 provided in the front side surface 1 a of the main body 1. A document reading unit for reading a document is provided.

The document reading section comprises a contact sensor 8 for reading the document E in direct contact with the document surface, and a feed roller 9 which is rotated while being pressed against the reading section of the contact sensor 8. Have been. Further, in order to send out a plurality of originals placed on the original table 4 one by one to the close contact sensor 8 side, a separating piece 10 and a separate feed roller 11 are provided further upstream of the close contact sensor 8.

On the other hand, as shown in the drawing, the serial recording type ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a carriage 13 which is arranged substantially vertically, and the ink jet recording section is directed downward, and an arrow is provided one by one from the sheet holder 6. The recording sheet S fed in the B1 direction is configured so as not to be deformed unreasonably. Here, in the case where a sheet cartridge is provided in place of the sheet holder 6, by providing the sheet cartridge so that it can be inserted and removed in the direction of arrow C in the drawing, the deformation at the time of conveying the sheet is further reduced.

As the ink jet recording apparatus, a bubble ink jet, which is a technique unique to the applicant of the present invention, is suitably applied, but other known ink jet recording apparatuses may be used. Next, the configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage 13 slidable by guide shafts 14a and 14b to be reciprocally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) in the front and back directions on the paper surface. An ink cartridge 12 which can be exchanged by a printer, and a platen 15 which is fixed to the main body 1 and serves as a fixed base for a recording sheet at the time of recording.

On the other hand, there is no effect even if the rubber roller 17, the pressure contact piece 16, the sheet guide 18, which is driven by a drive unit (not shown) provided in the main body, and the recording surface which is not sufficiently dried after ink jet recording. Roller 2
2 and a sheet feeding section composed of a drive roller 23. The sheet is fed in the direction of arrow B2 after recording on the recording sheet S fed in the direction of arrow B1.

Here, the roller 22 is rotatably provided at an edge of a lid 26 which is rotatable to be opened and closed with respect to the main body 1. After the lid 26 is opened, the ink cartridge 12 is opened.
Can be easily replaced, and, for example, a jammed recording sheet can be easily removed.

A follower roller 19 is further provided in a pressed state on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber roller 17 described above, and one sheet fed in the direction of arrow D in the drawing is inserted through the opening 29. After that, the sheet is guided along the sheet guide 18 and sent to the platen 15 to enable recording.

Next, a plurality of recording sheets S are accommodated in the sheet holder 6 in a stacked manner, and each sheet is separated by a separation feed roller 20 as a sheet separation mechanism and a feed roller 21 provided with a pressure roller. And is sent out between the pressure contact piece 16 and the rubber roller 17.

The feed roller 21 causes the recording sheet S
Is subjected to bending deformation by the angle θ, but is considerably smaller than 180 degrees corresponding to a half circumference as in the related art, so that the influence on the recording sheet S is small.

In the facsimile apparatus described above, a plurality of recording sheets S are accommodated in the sheet holder 6, and the sheet holder 6 is mounted on the main body 1. Then, a plurality of documents E are stored on the document table 4. At this time, a part of the document E is used not only for the cover 4b but also for the tray 5 as a document tray. Then, at the time of transmission, the original E is sent out in the direction of arrow A and transmission is performed. Further, at the time of reception, the separation feed roller 20 and other components are driven to feed one sheet between the guide portion 18a of the sheet guide 18 and the feed roller 21. Subsequently, the sheet is sandwiched between the guide portion 18a and the feed roller 21 and then pressed. It is sent out between the piece 16 and the rubber roller 17.

After that, one row of predetermined dots is recorded while being step-conveyed in the direction of the arrow B2.
After the recording for the sheet is completed, the sheet is discharged from the discharge port 7 to the outside.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram incorporated in the main body, showing each functional part mounted on the control board 24 (FIG. 2). In the figure, a telephone 32 is connected to a network control unit NCU connected to a line 31, and automatic determination is made between a fax reception mode and a telephone reception mode. The network control unit NCU is further connected to a modem MOD, and transmits and receives a predetermined signal to and from the main control unit CPU. The close contact sensor CS (8) and the ink jet recording unit BJP are further connected to the main control unit CPU to read and record a document. The ink jet recording unit BJP is directly connected to the main board 101 of the personal computer 100 via the signal line 34, and is configured to be used independently as an output terminal of the personal computer. When used as an output terminal of this personal computer, it is convenient if various recording forms can be arbitrarily set if the recording sheets can be inserted one by one as described above.

On the other hand, as shown by a broken line in FIG.
5 may be directly connected to the contact sensor CS (8) and used for reading an image.

Here, in the above-described embodiment, since the space is conveniently formed at the bottom of the main body 1, the substrate 24 is provided along the bottom as shown in FIG. By disposing the power supply unit 27 below, the center of gravity can be reduced.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, a reading section is provided above a recording section having the above-mentioned ink jet recording means, and a document insertion port and a recording paper insertion port are provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body. A document discharge port and a recording paper discharge port are provided on a front surface of the apparatus main body, and a document conveyance path for conveying a document from the document insertion port to the document discharge port via the reading unit is formed. A recording paper transport path for transporting from the paper insertion port to the recording paper discharge port via the recording unit is formed, the document transport path is disposed above the recording paper transport path, and the recording paper is inserted into the recording paper insertion port. Since the mounting tray is provided and the recording paper mounting tray also serves as a document table, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size, and the recording paper and the document can be conveyed using gravity. As well as installation surface Those that can provide a facsimile apparatus of optimal configuration to be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the facsimile apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional facsimile machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Operation panel 3 Discharge port 4 Document table 5 Tray 6 Sheet table 7 Sheet discharge port 8 Adhesion sensor 9 Feed roller 12 Ink cartridge 13 Carriage 15 Platen 17 Rubber roller 18 Sheet guide 20 Separate feed roller 21 Feed roller 24 Substrate 26 Cover body

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Takano 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus comprising a serial recording type ink jet recording means, comprising a reading section above a recording section having said ink jet recording means,
A document insertion port and a recording paper insertion port are provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and a document discharge port and a recording paper discharge port are provided on the front side of the apparatus main body. The document is discharged from the document insertion port via the reading section through the reading section. A document transport path for transporting the document to the outlet is formed, and a recording paper transport path for transporting the recording paper from the recording paper insertion port to the recording paper discharge port via the recording unit is formed. A facsimile apparatus which is disposed above a paper transport path, has a recording paper loading tray at the recording paper insertion opening, and the recording paper loading tray also serves as a document table. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink jet recording means is provided between said document discharge port and said recording paper discharge port.