Image building apparatus

Claim 2

An image building apparatus for transferring an image onto a sheet-shaped recording medium, comprising: image transferring means including a recording head having a contact portion, a rotatable platen roller, holding means for applying a transporting frictional force between the recording medium and said platen roller to convey the recording medium between said platen roller and said recording head, and means for rotating said platen roller in a forward rotational direction and a reverse rotational direction to reciprocably convey the recording medium between said platen roller and said recording head in a forward conveying direction and a reverse conveying direction corresponding, respectively, to said forward and reverse rotational directions of said platen roller, said recording head being movable relative to said platen roller to cause said contact portion of said recording head to come into and out of pressure contact with said platen roller so that an image is built on the recording medium as the recording medium is reciprocably conveyed between said platen roller and said recording head; and braking means for retaining tension in the recording medium between said platen roller and said recording head by applying a braking frictional force to the recording medium upstream of said contact portion of said recording head with respect to both the forward and reverse conveying directions of the recording medium, said braking frictional force being less than said transporting frictional force.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said holding means includes a pair of rotatable pinch rollers positioned on opposite sides of said platen roller, each of said pinch rollers having a shaft portion and a surface adapted to clamp the recording medium against said platen roller so that said transporting frictional force is applied between the recording medium and said platen roller; and said braking means includes one-way means for preventing rotation of said pinch roller positioned upstream of said contact portion of said recording head with respect to the conveying direction of the recording medium and for applying said braking frictional force to the recording medium.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for positioning said pinch rollers against said platen roller, said pinch roller positioning means including two pairs of pivotable swing levers each having a pivot point and a first end, wherein each of said pinch rollers is rotatably mounted between said first ends of an individual pair of said swing levers.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said pinch roller positioning means further includes spring means connected to said swing levers for urging said pinch rollers toward said platen roller.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said one-way means includes a pair of one-way clutches mounted on the shaft portion of each of said pinch rollers.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of said one-way clutches is fixed to said first end of one of said swing levers.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said braking means further includes two pairs of clutch housings rotatable through a predetermined play angle, each of said clutch housings being fixed to one of said one-way clutches and being pivotable with respect to said swing arms.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of said clutch housings includes a free end having two pawls, and said braking means further includes stopper means disposed between said two pawls of each of said clutch housings for engaging said pawls to limit the rotation of said clutch housings to said predetermined play angle.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the axis of said platen roller, the axes of said one-way clutches, and said stopping means are substantially co-planar and substantially orthogonal to said swing arms when said pinch rollers are in pressure contact with said platen roller.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 wherein said surfaces of said pinch rollers adapted to clamp the recording medium between said pinch rollers and said platen roller are coated with a contact layer of non-adhesive material.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said non-adhesive material is a fluoride-based resin.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said non-adhesive material is silicon rubber.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said holding means includes first and second pinch roller means positioned on opposite sides of said platen roller, each of said first and second pinch roller means including at least one rotatable pinch roller in pressure contact with said platen roller, and wherein said braking means includes: first and second rotatable follower discs; first one-way means for rotatably connecting said first follower disc to said pinch roller of said first pinch roller means when said first pinch roller means is upstream of said contact portion of said recording head with respect to the conveying direction of the recording medium and for rotatably disconnecting said first follower disc from said pinch roller of said first pinch roller means when said first pinch roller means is downstream of said contact portion of said recording head; second one-way means for rotatably connecting said second follower disc to said pinch roller of said second pinch roller means when said second pinch roller means is upstream of said contact portion of said recording head with respect to the conveying direotion of the recording medium and for rotatably disconnecting said second follower disc from said pinch roller of said second pinch roller means when said second pinch roller means is downstream of said contact portion of said recording head; and first and second stationary discs in frictional contact with said first and second follower discs respectively, said first follower disc rotating relative to said first stationary disc and applying a braking torque to said pinch roller of said first pinch roller means when said first pinch roller means is upstream of said contact portion of said recording head, and said second follower disc rotating relative to said second stationary disc and applying a braking torque to said pinch roller of said second pinch roller means when said second pinch roller means is upstream of said contact portion of said recording head.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said first and second one-way means include one-way clutches.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the frictional force between said pinch roller and the recording medium applied by said braking torque is less than the maximum static frictional force said pinch roller and the recording medium.