Patent ID: 8770728
Filing Date: 2014-07-08
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image forming device comprising: a carriage configured to be moved in a main scanning direction, the carriage including plural recording heads configured to discharge liquid droplets and sub-tanks configured to store corresponding liquids to be supplied; a platen disposed at a position facing nozzle surfaces of the recording heads of the carriage and having a conveyance surface for conveying a recording medium, wherein an image is formed on the recording medium by discharging the liquid droplets onto the recording medium; flexible tubes including first and second end portions that extend along the main scanning direction above the platen and including middle portions that are parallel with a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, wherein the first end portions are connected to the corresponding sub-tanks, and the second end portions are connected to corresponding main tanks configured to store the corresponding liquids to be supplied to the corresponding sub-tanks; first and second tube guides configured to support portions of the flexible tubes at a first side of the first end portions and to support portions of the flexible tubes at a second side of the second end portions, respectively, wherein the flexible tubes are arranged, one above another, in a height direction that is perpendicular to the main scanning direction and perpendicular to the direction of the middle portions; wherein the first tube guide is disposed at a first position and the second tube guide is disposed at a second position, the first position being higher than the second position in the height direction and the first position being closer to a portion of the image forming device from which in use the recording medium is discharged, wherein the tubes are supported by a thin plate-like sheet member formed of an elastic material, the thin plate-like sheet member being disposed between the tubes and the first and second tube guides, wherein the tubes are fixed to the thin plate-like sheet member in a direction in which the tubes extend by clamp members disposed at plural positions in the first vicinity of the first end portions and in the second vicinity of the second end portions, wherein the first tube guide is disposed downstream of the second tube guide in the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, and the first and second tube guides face each other, wherein the first tube guide comprises a metal component including an upright portion arranged along the height direction and a lateral portion arranged so that an angle between the upright portion and the lateral portion is an obtuse angle, and the second tube guide comprises a metal component including an upright portion arranged along the height direction and a lateral portion arranged so that an angle between the upright portion and the lateral portion is an obtuse angle, and the first and second tube guides face respective portions of the thin plate-like sheet member, and wherein the tubes are slanted such that a lower end in the height direction of the thin plate-like sheet member, which is slanted due to holding the slanted tubes, contacts the lateral portions of the corresponding first and second tube guides and an upper end in the height direction of the slanted thin plate-like sheet member contacts the upright portions of the corresponding first and second tube guides.