IP Library Granted Patent US 12,415,375
Granted Patent B2
US 12,415,375 · App. 18/366,412 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Liquid discharge apparatus

Inventor: Daiki Eto (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
B41J29/13B41J2/01B41J2/06B41J2/145B41J3/28B41J11/04B41J13/0018B41J13/0027B41J29/02B65H5/04B65H5/36B65H2402/30B65H2402/32B65H2402/44B65H2402/45B65H2402/46
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,415,375
App. No.
18/366,412
Granted
Sep 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a stage, a guide rail, and an opening-and-closing cover. The liquid discharge head discharges a liquid to a recording medium. The stage moves in a vertical direction to move the recording medium on the stage. The guide rail holds the stage. The stage is movable in a conveyance direction intersecting the vertical direction. The opening-and-closing cover is slidable in one of the conveyance direction and a main scanning direction intersecting both the conveyance direction and the vertical direction. The opening-and-closing cover includes a retraction portion retractable above the stage.

Claims (31)

1. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:

a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid to a recording medium;

a stage configured to move in a vertical direction to move the recording medium on the stage;

a guide rail configured to hold the stage, the stage being movable in a conveyance direction intersecting the vertical direction; and

an opening-and-closing cover configured to slide in one of the conveyance direction and a main scanning direction intersecting both the conveyance direction and the vertical direction and including a retraction portion that is configured to retract above the stage, wherein

the retraction portion includes a door including a rotation shaft extending in the main scanning direction, and

the door is configured to swing around the rotation shaft to move in the vertical direction.

2. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the rotation shaft is configured to shift from a position directly above a lower end of the retraction portion in the conveyance direction in a closed state of the opening-and-closing cover.

3. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the retraction portion includes a bent portion between a lower end of the retraction portion and the rotation shaft, and

the bent portion is bent toward an outside of the liquid discharge apparatus in the conveyance direction.

4. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the door is configured to swing toward an outside of the liquid discharge apparatus to be retracted upward.

5. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the door is configured to swing toward an inside of the liquid discharge apparatus to be retracted upward.

6. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the opening-and-closing cover has a front face extending in the vertical direction.

7. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a contact roller between the retraction portion and the liquid discharge head in the conveyance direction and configured to contact a surface of the recording medium.

8. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the opening-and-closing cover includes:

a front cover configured to slide in a front direction in the conveyance direction; and

a rear cover configured to slide in a rear direction opposite to the front direction to separate from the front cover, to open the opening-and-closing cover.

9. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the retraction portion includes an elastic deformation portion that is configured to elastically deform in an upward direction in the vertical direction.

10. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:

a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid to a recording medium;

a stage configured to move in a vertical direction to move the recording medium on the stage;

a guide rail configured to hold the stage, the stage being movable in a conveyance direction intersecting the vertical direction; and

an opening-and-closing cover configured to slide in one of the conveyance direction and a main scanning direction intersecting both the conveyance direction and the vertical direction and including a retraction portion that is configured to retract above the stage,

wherein the retraction portion includes a slide portion that is configured to slide in the vertical direction.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2023
From: ETO, DAIKI
To: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 064540/0561 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-155224 · Sep 28, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240100831A1 · Mar 28, 2024
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