The present invention relates to a recording apparatus in which a recording head performs recording on an optical disk as a recording medium which is transported while being mounted on a tray. The present invention also relates to a liquid ejection apparatus in which a liquid ejection head ejects a liquid droplet toward an optical disk as a target medium which is transported while being mounted on a tray.
The term “liquid ejection apparatus” as used herein means that it includes not only a recording apparatus such as a printer in which an ink jet recording head is used to eject ink from the recording head and thus perform recording on the recording medium, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine, but an apparatus in which liquid corresponding to its application, instead of the ink, is ejected from a liquid ejection head corresponding to the aforesaid ink jet recording head toward a target medium corresponding to the recording medium. For example, the liquid ejection head includes a color material ejection head used in color filter manufacture for a liquid crystal display, etc., an electrode material (conductive paste) ejection head used in electrode formation for an organic EL display, a field emission display (FED), etc., and a specimen ejection head serving as a precision pipette.
As an ink jet printer (referred to hereinafter as a “printer”) given as an example of the recording apparatus, there is one capable of recording directly on a label surface of an optical disk such as a compact disk. That is, the printer is configured such that a plate-shaped tray, on which the optical disk as a recording medium is mounted, is transported on a paper transporting path to be subjected to the recording operation.
In such a printer, an attachment for guiding the tray is detachably attached to the front side of the printer. The attachment is attached when the recording onto the optical disk is performed. The tray is fed to the recording section by a transporting roller while being supported by the attachment (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-211757A).
In such a printer, when the attachment is not in use, it must be detached from the printed and managed separately. Further, it must be attached to the printer again when it is used. Such operations sometimes would be troublesome for a user.
Besides, such a printer comprises an ejection roller which ejects a transported medium (i.e., paper or the tray) to the outside of the printer. The ejection roller includes a drive roller and a follower roller. Since the follower roller is disposed at a side facing a recording surface of the medium, a toothed roller which is brought into point contact with the recording surface is adopted as the follower roller to avoid the ink transfer from the recording surface. However, in a case where the toothed roller comes in press contact with the label surface of the optical disk, there is anxiety that the recorded data placed immediately below the label surface is broken.
Accordingly, there is provided a releaser which moves the follower roller away from the drive roller in order to prevent the follower roller (toothed roller) from being brought into contact with the label surface of the optical disk. Such a releaser is operated by actuating a dedicated lever provided in the printer (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-192782A). The follower roller and the lever is generally interlocked by way of a link.
In a case where the follower roller is configured to be interlocked with the movement of another component of the printer without providing the above dedicated lever, the number of components of the printer can be reduced and the downsizing of the printer can be attained. Further, careless actuation of the lever can be prevented. On the other hand, however, since a link for performing such an interlocking must be provided with high accuracy, thereby increasing the costs.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds