Patent ID: 8205983
Filing Date: 2012-06-26
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a recording head that records an image on a record medium; a spur roller having a plurality of radially extending protrusions arranged, at even intervals, in a circumferential direction of the spur roller; a first and second rollers whose respective rotation shafts are parallel to each other; and an endless conveyor belt looped around the first and second rollers, and has an external surface for conveying thereon a record medium in a conveyance direction from the first roller toward the second roller while supporting the record medium, wherein the record medium conveyed by the conveyor belt is given a conveyance force when interposed between the spur roller and the second roller, wherein the second roller has, on a circumferential surface thereof, an abutting region abutting an internal surface of the conveyor belt, and a larger diameter region which does not abut the internal surface of the conveyor belt and has a radius surpassing a sum of a thickness of the conveyor belt and a radius of the abutting region; and wherein the spur roller is positioned, so that a most upstream portion of the spur roller in the conveyance direction is positioned upstream from a point in the conveyance direction where the external surface of the conveyor belt and the larger diameter region intersect, when viewed from the side in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction; so that the most upstream portion of the spur roller is downstream of the most upstream portion of the second roller; and so that the spur roller is positioned at a level higher than the external surface of the conveyor belt.