IP Library Granted Patent US 12668072
Granted Patent B2
US 12668072 · App. 18/316,316 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Transport path, recording device, recording system, and transport device

Inventor: Yuto Suzuki (Shiojiri, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
B41J13/0009B65H5/062B65H2404/14B65H2404/19B65H2801/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12668072
App. No.
18/316,316
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The transport path TR is a transport path TR for transporting the medium P in the transport direction, the transport path TR including path members XP that guide the medium P and that are arranged in the X-axis direction, which intersects the transport direction, wherein the path members XP are configured so that positions where the path members XP are provided are mutually switchable.

Claims (39)

1 . A transport path for transporting a medium in a transport direction, the transport path comprising:

path members that guide the medium and that are arranged in a path width direction of the transport path, which intersects the transport direction, each path member being configured to selectively interlock within an adjacent path member of the path members with positions of the path members being interchangeable in the path width direction.

2 . The transport path according to claim 1 , wherein the path members have a same shape.

3 . The transport path according to claim 1 , wherein

the path members include an assembling section and an assembled section and

two of the path members are defined as a first path member and a second path member, and the assembling section of the second path member is assembled with the assembled section of the first path member when the second path member is arranged at an adjacent position that is adjacent to the first path member arranged at a predetermined position.

4 . The transport path according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an adjacent section that is adjacent to a predetermined position where the path members are arranged in the path width direction and that includes an assembled section, wherein

the path member includes an assembling section and

when one of the path members is defined as a first path member and the first path member is arranged at the predetermined position,

the assembling section of the first path member is assembled to the assembled section of the adjacent section.

5 . The transport path according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an attachment section to which the path members are configured to attach and detach,

wherein the path members are configured to slide in the path width direction with respect to the attachment section.

6 . The transport path according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an attachment section to which the path members are configured to attach and detach,

wherein the path members are configured to attach and detach in a direction intersecting the path width direction with respect to the attachment section.

7 . The transport path according to claim 1 , wherein the path member includes a transport section for trans-porting the medium.

8 . A recording device comprising:

the transport path according to claim 1 ;

a recording section for performing recording on the medium transported along the transport path; and

a control section, wherein

the control section calculates a deterioration degree of performance of guiding the medium for each of the path members on the basis of recording information related to a specification of the recording and

in a case where the path members include a set-value-exceeded path member, in which the deterioration degree exceeds a set value, and a set-value-not-exceeded path member, in which the deterioration degree does not exceed the set value, then the control section performs a notification to prompt switching of the set-value-exceeded path member and the set-value-not-exceeded path member.

9 . The recording device according to claim 8 , wherein in the notification, the control section prompts switching of the set-value-exceeded path member with a set-value-not-exceeded path member having a smallest deterioration degree among the path members.

10 . The recording device according to claim 8 , wherein the recording information includes at least one of a type of the medium, a recording speed, which is a time required for the recording on the medium, a recording density, which is a degree of an amount of a color material adhering to the medium in the recording on the medium, and environmental information related to a use environment when the recording is performed.

11 . The recording device according to claim 8 , wherein the recording information includes information on the medium on which a transport failure has occurred in the transport path.

12 . The recording device according to claim 8 , wherein

the path members are each provided with a mark to identify the path members and

the control section uses the marks to perform the notification for the set-value-exceeded path member and the set-value-not-exceeded path member to be switched.

13 . The recording device according to claim 8 , further comprising:

a notification section which performs the notification.

14 . A recording system comprising:

a recording device for recording on a medium;

a transport device that transports the medium recorded by the recording device and that includes the transport path according to claim 1 ; and

a control section for controlling the recording device and the transport device.

15 . A transport device for transporting a medium recorded by a recording device, the transport device comprising:

a transport path, the transport path comprising:

path members that guide the medium and that are arranged in a path width direction of the transport path, which intersects the transport direction, each path member being configured to selectively interlock within an adjacent path member of the path members with positions of the path members being interchangeable in the path width direction.