MANUAL COPYING APPARATUS

Abstract: A manual or handy type copying apparatus including an image reading section (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17) for reading an image of an original document to be copied, and a printing section (21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) for printing the image read by the image reading section onto a transfer material, and arranged to subject the printing section to manual scanning during the printing work, with its printing portion (21) held in contact with the transfer material, and characterized in that there are provided spring members (22) adapted to support the printing section in a floating state so that its printing portion (21) contacts the transfer material under a constant pressure during the printing work.

Description: The present invention generally relates to a copying apparatus and more particularly, to a compact manual copying apparatus of a handy or portable type arranged to manually scan the surface of an original document by an image reading means during an original document reading work, and also to manually scan the surface of a transfer material, e.g., a copy paper by a printing means during a printing work. Commonly, in a copying apparatus to be installed at a predetermined position, including a compact desk-top type copying apparatus or the like, transfer material is transported by a transport means such as a belt or rollers, etc., and the minimum size of the transfer material or copy paper sheet to be transported is limited to the size of a name card and the like, while large members such as original document platform, a photoreceptor, etc. are essentially required, since electrophotography is generally adopted for the copying apparatus. Accordingly, in the copying apparatuses of the installation type, there are limitations to the reduction in size of the transfer paper, compact size of the apparatus, and cost reduction in the manufacture of the copying apparatus. In order to overcome the disadvantages as described above, JP-A-55 115 773 and JP-A-60 241 360 disclose a portable type manual copying apparatus which is so arranged that an image reading means and a printing means provided within the apparatus are subjected to manual scanning on the surfaces of an original document and a transfer material or copy paper sheet, whereby copying operation may be readily effected through employment of a small-sized original document or transfer material which can not be introduced in or copied by the installation type copying apparatus referred to earlier. In the conventional manual copying apparatus as described above, since no platform is provided for holding the original document or copy paper, the copying apparatus main body must be subjected to the manual scanning by one hand, while the original document or copy paper is being fixed by the other hand. Therefore, in the case where an image is to be printed on a transfer material of a particularly small size, it is difficult to move the copying apparatus for scanning in a correct direction with respect to the transfer material, thus also inviting deterioration in the state of image formation such as inclination of the copied image, missing of part of the image, etc. An important object of the present invention is to provide a manual copying apparatus of the above described type which is so arranged that the transfer material is adapted to be displaceable in a scanning direction with respect to a fixed printing portion, whereby even a transfer material of a size which can not be correctly held may be maintained in a proper scanning direction for achieving a favorable state of image formation. The manual copying apparatus of the invention is defined by claim 1. Owing to the construction of the present invention, for printing the image onto the transfer material of a small size, the transfer material transport means is mounted to confront the printing means, whereby the transfer material may be displaced in the scanning direction as it is held in contact with the printing portion. Accordingly, after leading the transfer material into the transfer material transport means by one hand, with the manual copying apparatus main body being held by the other hand, the image may be formed as it is correctly positioned in the scanning direction of the transfer material, without necessity for displacing either the copying apparatus or the transfer material. Therefore, there is no possibility that the image is printed in an inclined state or in a state partly missing, and thus, the printing image can be maintained in a favorable state at all times. By the construction of claim 2, in the case where it is required to form an image on a small-sized transfer material, the cover structure is mounted onto the copying apparatus, and the transfer material led out from the transfer material roll included in the cover structure may be displaced in the scanning direction, while being held in contact with the printing portion. In this case, by moving the transfer material from the roll with respect to the copying apparatus main body, with the apparatus main body fixed by one hand, the image may be formed on the transfer material. Since the roll-formed transfer material is held by the cover structure, it is not displaced in the direction perpendicular to the apparatus main body, and free from any inclination with respect to said apparatus main body, and consequently, the formed image may be maintained in a favorable state, without inclination or missing in part, etc. Furthermore, with the invention it is possible to read the image information by inserting a small-sized card, receipt or the like into the original document inserting gap, with the protective cover member attached to the apparatus main body, and in such a case, since the original document inserting gap guides the original document, even a small-sized original document may be correctly read. These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing a general construction of a manual copying apparatus according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic front sectional view of the manual copying apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross section for explaining functions of a printing means in the manual copying apparatus of Fig. 1; Figs. 4(A) and 4(B) are side sectional views showing, on an enlarged scale, a general construction and functions of a cover structure employed in the copying apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, which particularly shows a modification thereof; Fig. 6 is a front sectional view showing a transfer material transport means to be mounted on the modified copying apparatus of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a schematic side sectional view showing a general construction of a compact copying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is a front sectional view of a protective cover member to be employed in the copying apparatus of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a front elevational view of the copying apparatus of Fig. 7 applied with the protective cover member. Before the description of the present invention proceeds, it is to be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the accompanying drawings. Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a manual copying apparatus M1 according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention which generally includes a copying apparatus main body 11, and an image reading means and a printing means incorporated in said copying apparatus main body in a manner as described in detail hereinafter. Within the manual copying apparatus main body 11, in the vicinity of its one end (i.e., lower end in Figs. 1 and 2) in a longitudinal direction thereof, there are provided a light source 12, a lens 13, and a photosensor 14 disposed above said lens 13. The lens 13 is composed, for example, of an image transmitter in a bundled configuration, while the photosensor 14 is composed, for example, of one-dimensional CCD sensor. During reading of the image, light from the light source 12 is projected outwardly through a slit 11a formed in a bottom wall of the apparatus main body 11, onto an original document DO, and the reflected light therefrom is led into the photosensor 14 through the lens 13. The image information thus read by the photo-sensor 14 is stored in a memory of a control section (not shown) as an image data. In a position adjacent to the slit 11a, rollers 15 are rotatably provided so as to be partly exposed out of the bottom wall of the apparatus main body 11, while a driven roller 16 provided with a photo-interrupter 17 as a speed sensor for detecting the rotational speed is held in contact with one of said rollers 15 as shown. The parts as described so far constitute the image reading means, and during the image reading work, the copying apparatus main body 11 is displaced in a direction indicated by an arrow F (Fig. 1) over an original document DO, whereby the image of the original document DO is scanned by the light from the light source 12, and the light reflected therefrom is stored in the memory of the control section (not shown) in the form of the image data as stated earlier. During the image reading, when the apparatus main body 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow F, the rollers 15 held in contact with the original document DO are rotated in a direction of an arrow na, whereby the driven roller 16 is rotated in a direction of an arrow nb. The photo-interrupter 17 reads the rotational speed of the driven roller 16 so as to input it into the control section as speed data. The control section (not shown) sets the region of memory for storing the image data based on the speed data inputted by the photo-interrupter 17. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the other end portion of the copying apparatus main body 11, a thermal head 21 is supported by a spring means 22 (including three springs 22 in this embodiment) in a state of floating, with an ink ribbon 25 movably supported by reels 23 and 24 being directed over the thermal head 21. By the above construction, an elastic force in the direction of an arrow A is applied to the thermal head 21, and thus, part of said thermal head 21 is exposed out of the copying apparatus main body 11 through a slit or opening 11b together with part of the ink ribbon 25. The reel 24 is held in contact with rollers 26 provided with a photo-interrupter 27 as a speed detecting sensor and partly exposed out of the copying apparatus main body 11, and rotated following rotation of the rollers 26. The printing means is constituted by the parts as described above, and for effecting the printing work, the copying apparatus main body 11 is manually displaced in a direction indicated by an arrow G on a transfer material T as shown in Fig. 3. When the main body 11 is set so that the printing means side thereof contacts the transfer material T, the thermal head 21 supported by the springs 22 in the state of floating is displaced in a direction of an arrow H by the contact thereof with the transfer material T until the forward end thereof generally becomes flush with the surface 11c of the copying apparatus main body 11. By the above function, the elastic force in the direction of the arrow A is produced so as to bring the thermal head 21 into contact with the transfer material T under a constant pressure through the ink ribbon 25. When the main body 11 is displaced in the direction of the arrow G, the rollers 26 are rotated in the direction of an arrow nc through contact thereof with the transfer material T, and the reel 24 following the rotation is rotated in the direction of an arrow nd. Accordingly, the ink ribbon 25 is moved from the reel 23 onto the reel 24, and thus, as the main body 11 is displaced in the direction of the arrow G, a fresh portion of the ink ribbon 25 comes into contact with the transfer material T. The photo-interruptor 27 detects the rotational speed of the rollers 26, and the result of rotation is applied to the control section (not shown) as the speed data. The control section reads out the image data from the memory according to the speed data thus applied so as to drive the thermal head 21, whereby the ink of the ink ribbon 25 is thermally transferred onto the transfer material T in the position corresponding to the image of the original document. More specifically, when the thermal head 21 moves in the direction of the arrow H, a switch (not shown) detects this movement, and the image data is read out from the control section. The thermal head 21 is driven according to the above image data, and the image is transferred onto the transfer material or copy paper T. The speed of displacement of the copying apparatus main body 11 in the direction of the arrow G is detected by the photo-interruptor, i.e., speed sensor 27. Since the speed for reading out the image data is determined based on the result of the above detection, it is possible to accurately reproduce the image of the original document for printing, irrespective of the speed of displacement in the direction of the arrow G. In the above printing work, the displacement of the thermal head 21 in the direction of the arrow H is limited up to the position where the forward end of said thermal head becomes generally flush with the bottom face 11c of the main body 11, and thus, variation in the effective length of the springs 22 is also constant at all times. Accordingly, the elastic force in the direction of the arrow A acting from the springs 22 to the thermal head 21 is of the same magnitude at all times, and thus, the contact force between the thermal head 21 and the transfer paper T can also be maintained at a constant degree in pressure. Moreover, even in the case where a force applied by the operator should become excessive during displacement of the copying apparatus main body 11 in the direction of the arrow G, such a force is not exerted upon the thermal head 21, which is thus free from any damage. It is to be noted here that a battery or cell E (Fig. 1) provided generally at a central portion of the main body 11 is adapted to supply power to the light source 12, thermal head 21 and microprocessor constituting the control section, etc. described earlier. Still referring to Fig. 1, a cover structure 1 is detachably mounted on the outer end face at the side of the printing means of the copying apparatus main body 11. Within this cover structure 1, there are provided a transport roller 3, a platen 4 and a paper guide 5. (Figs. 4(A) and 4(B).) The roller 3 is rotatably disposed in a position confronting the roller 26 within the copying apparatus main body 11, while the platen 4 is provided in a position confronting the thermal head 21 when the cover structure 1 is attached to the main body 11. Furthermore, in a position above the platen 4, a roll 2 of the transfer material or copy paper 2a is rotatably supported. The transfer material 2a paid out from the roll 2 is led in contact with the outer side of the paper guide 5, and is directed outside the cover structure 1 through an opening or slit 1a via the platen 4 and roller 3. In the above construction, the roll 2 of the transfer material is the roll-formed transfer material and the roller 3 is the transport means according to the present invention. Figs. 4(A) and 4(B) are cross sectional views of the cover structure shown on an enlarged scale for explaining detailed constructions and functions thereof. In the inner surface of the cover structure 1, a rotary shaft 3a for the transport roller 3 is rotatably supported so as to be extended through one end of a support member 6, whereby said support member 6 is pivotally mounted with respect to the cover structure 1. The support member 6 also rotatably supports the platen 4, and is formed at its other end with the paper guide 5 referred to earlier, and is further formed in the vicinity of its central portion with bearing portions 6a. As is seen from Fig. 4(B), each of the bearings 6a is formed at its distal end portion with a semi-circular stepped portion or notch in which a shaft 2c of the paper roll 2 is fitted. Moreover, on the inner surface of the cover structure 1 in position corresponding to the shaft 2c, there are fixed bearings 7 which are formed by a resilient resin material so as to be deformed to a certain extent by the action of an external stress. Each of the bearings 7 has a fitting portion 7a partly open outside. By the above construction, as the support member 6 is moved in the direction of an arrow K from the state as shown in Fig. 4(B), the shaft 2c of the paper roll 2 is fitted into the portions 7a of the bearings 7. In this case, the lower end of each bearing 7 is expanded outwardly by the depressing force in the direction of an arrow i by the shaft 2c, and when the shaft 2c has been fitted into the fitting portions 7a, the lower end of the bearing 7 is restored back to the original state by its resiliency, thereby to hold the shaft 2c positively, and thus, the support member 6 is also stopped at the state as shown in Fig. 4(A). In order to form the image on the transfer paper 2a of the paper roll 2 through employment of the cover structure 1 having the construction as described above, said cover structure 1 is mounted at the side of the printing means of the copying apparatus main body 11 as shown in Fig. 1 after exposing outside, the end portion 2b of the transfer paper 2a through the opening 1a. By the attachment of the cover structure 1 as described so far, the thermal head 21 as depressed by the platen 4 is displaced in the direction of the arrow H, and driving data is applied to the thermal head 21 from the control section. In the above state, when the end portion 2b of the transfer paper 2a is drawn out in the direction of an arrow P, the roller 26 depressed by the transport roller 3 is rotated in the direction of the arrow nc. The photo-interruptor 27 detects rotation of the roller 26, and the result of the detection is applied to the control section as the speed data. The control section reads out the image data from the memory based on the above speed data so as to drive the thermal head 21. Meanwhile, the reel 24 rotates in the direction of an arrow nd following rotation of the roller 26 in the direction of the arrow nc. Accordingly, the ink ribbon 25 is wound onto the reel 24 from the reel 23, and thus, the portion of the ink ribbon 25 contacting the transfer paper 2a of the paper roll 2 is renewed at all times as the transfer paper 2a is displaced in the direction of the arrow P (Fig. 1). In the case where the end portion 2b of the transfer paper 2a is to be pulled out in the direction of the arrow P, since the transfer paper 2a is held in contact with the paper guide 5 over its entire width in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the arrow P, there is no possibility that the direction of displacement of the transfer paper 2a is inclined toward the direction perpendicular to the direction of the arrow P, thus maintaining the favorable state of image formation. Moreover, for drawing out the transfer paper 2a, it can be pulled out by one hand, with the copying apparatus main body 11 being grasped by the other hand for efficient operation. Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown a modification of the manual copying apparatus of Fig. 1, with like parts in Fig. 1 being designated by like reference numerals for brevity of description. In the modified copying apparatus M1B of Fig. 5, during the printing, the copying apparatus main body 11 is manually moved in the direction of the arrow G, with the rollers 26 held in contact with the transfer paper (not particularly shown) generally in the similar manner as in the copying apparatus of Fig. 1. In this case, part of the ink ribbon 25 and that of the thermal head 21 exposed outside are moved in the direction of the arrow H owing to the contact thereof with the transfer paper. When the thermal head 21 is brought into contact with a switch 31 provided thereunder by the above movement, control data for the thermal head 21 corresponding to the image data is outputted from the control section. Thus, portions of the thermal head 21 corresponding to the control data are heated, and the ink of the ink ribbon 25 is thermally transferred onto the transfer paper. Upon further displacement of the copying apparatus main body 11 in the direction of the arrow G, the rollers 26 are rotated in the direction of the arrow nc through contact thereof with the transfer paper, and the above rotation is transmitted to the reel 24, which is rotated in the direction of the arrow nd. By the above function, the ink ribbon 25 is taken up from the reel 23 onto the reel 24. Therefore, a fresh portion of the ink ribbon 25 is adapted to contact the transfer paper at all times. Meanwhile, the number of revolutions of the rollers 26 is detected by the photo-interrupter 27. The revolution data as detected by the photo-interrupter 27 is applied to the control section so as to calculate the moving speed in the direction of the arrow G. The control section outputs the image data stored in the memory as the control data according to the moving speed obtained by the calculation. In the copying apparatus M1B of Fig. 5, the light source 12, lens 13, photosensor 14, rollers 15 and 16 and photo-interrupter 17 constitute the image reading means, while the thermal head 21 forms the printing portion, and the reels 23 and 24, and roller 26, ink ribbon 25 and switch 31 including the above thermal head 21 constitute the printing means in the similar manner as in the copying apparatus of Fig. 1. Referring also to Fig. 6, on the outer side face at the side of the printing means of the copying apparatus main body 11, a transport unit structure 1B is detachably mounted. In the interior of this structure 1B, a transport belt 33 in an endless form is movably directed around the transport rollers 32 and 35. At a position within the inner periphery of the belt 33 confronting the thermal head 21, a platen 38 is provided. The transport roller 35 is transmitted with rotation of a motor 34 through a belt 37. To the motor 34, a lead wire 34a connected to a terminal 34b and another lead wire 39b connected to one pole of a battery 39, are connected. With the other pole of the battery 39, a lead wire 39a connected to a terminal 39c is held in contact. The terminals 39c and 34b are respectively held in contact with terminals (not shown) provided on the copying apparatus main body 11. By the above connections, upon turning on of a switch (not shown) of the copying apparatus main body 11, power is supplied to the motor 34 from the battery 39 to rotate said motor for driving the transport rollers 35. The transport unit structure 1B has an inlet opening 1Ba formed at a position confronting a passage between the transport belt 33 and the thermal head 21, i.e., at the left side of the structure 1B in Fig. 5 and an outlet opening 1Bb formed in a position adjacent to the roller 35 at the right side. When the switch at the copying apparatus main body 11 is turned on, and the transfer paper is inserted through the opening 1Ba in the direction indicated by an arrow PA, with the transport roller 35 being driven, said transfer paper is led toward the thermal head 21 by the contact thereof with the transport belt 33. In the above case, the ink ribbon 25 and transfer paper are present between the thermal head 21 and the platen 38, and the thermal head 21 is displaced in the direction of the arrow H, whereby the switch 31 is turned on, and the control data corresponding to the image data is outputted from the control section so as to transfer the ink of the ink ribbon 25 onto the transfer paper. The rollers 26 are rotating in the direction of the arrow nc by the contact thereof with the transport belt 33 prior to the insertion of the transfer paper, and therefore, at the time point when the transfer paper is to be inserted, the ink ribbon 25 is being wound onto the reel 24 at a constant speed. Thus, in the case where the transfer paper has such a size that its width in the direction perpendicular to the image forming direction is smaller than the width of the copying apparatus main body 11, it is possible to guide the transfer paper by the transport belt 33 into a position confronting the thermal head 21 and the ink ribbon 25. Since the transport belt 33 is driven at a constant speed, there is no possibility that the transfer paper is adversely affected in its moving speed. Moreover, since the opening 1Ba is formed at a position corresponding to the transport belt 33, the transfer paper may be guided to a correct position with respect to the thermal head 21, without any inclination or partial missing of the image, etc. Referring further to Figs. 7 to 9, there is shown a copying apparatus M3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 7, the copying apparatus includes a copying apparatus main body 101, and a printer head 121 of a thermal type provided at one end portion (i.e., upper side in Fig. 14) of the main body 101, with a protective cover member 103 being detachably applied onto said end portion of the main body 101 so as to cover said printer head 121. The above protective cover member 103 is formed with a sheet inserting inlet 103a for inserting the transfer sheet thereinto and a sheet discharging outlet 103b for discharging the inserted sheet. An ink ribbon 125 paid out from a pay-out reel 123 and wound onto a take-up reel 124 is held in contact with the printer head 121. The printer head 121 is normally urged in the direction of the protective cover member 103 as attached by a spring means 122. Within the protective cover member 103, there is provided a platen roller L (a sheet feeding means) to which the printer head 121 is depressed through the ink ribbon 125 in a state where the protective cover member 103 is attached on the main body 101. This platen roller L is driven for rotation at a constant speed by a motor (not shown) provided within the protective cover member 103. As shown in Fig. 8, a toothed pulley TP is mounted on a central shaft La of the platen roller L, and through a belt b (Fig. 7) passed around said pulley TP, rotation of the platen roller L is transmitted to a feed-out roller Rf provided at the side of the sheet discharge outlet 103b. The directions of rotation of the above platen roller L and the feed-out roller Rf are shown by arrows in Fig. 7. The feed-out roller Rf as described above is brought into contact with an intermediate roller 126, provided at the side of the copying apparatus main body 101 by mounting the protective cover member 103 onto said main body 101. Since the above intermediate roller 126 is held in contact with the take-up reel 124 of said ink ribbon 125, when the platen roller L is rotated by the motor (not shown), the rotation thereof is transmitted to the take-up reel 124 through the feed-out roller Rf and the intermediate roller 126. In a position generally halfway between the sheet inserting inlet 103a and the sheet discharging outlet 103b, there is provided a contact portion of the platen roller L with respect to the printer head 121, and a set of spaced guide plates g1 and g2 are provided to extend from the sheet inserting inlet 103a toward the contact portion between the platen L and the printer head 121, while another set of spaced guide plates g3 and g4 are provided from said contact portion toward the sheet discharging outlet 103b. The contact portion between the feed-out roller Rf and the intermediate roller 126 is located on a straight path extending from the guide plates g3 and g4 toward said outlet 103b. Accordingly, a linear sheet transport passage is to be formed by the sheet inserting inlet 103a, guide plates g1 and g2, guide plates g3 and g4, and sheet discharging outlet 103b. Moreover, at the rear portion of the printer head 121 (i.e., under the printer head 121 in Fig. 7), a sheet detecting switch 135 is provided so as to contact the printer head 121 when said printer head 121 is retreated by the sheet to be transported. For adjusting the tension of the ink ribbon 125, rollers r1 and r2 are provided to be pressed against the ink ribbon 125 by springs s1 and s2, with guide rollers r3 and r4 being also held in contact with said ribbon 125. Meanwhile, in the copying apparatus main body 101, at the side opposite to the side where the printer head 121 is provided as described above, there are provided an image reading means including a light source 120 for projecting light onto an original document DO through an opening 110a formed in the bottom wall 110b of the main body 101, a lens 130 through which light reflected from the original document DO is passed, and a photosensing portion 140 composed of an image sensor, etc., and a timing roller 150 contacting the original document DO pressed against the undersurface of the bottom wall 110b so as to be rotated by friction with respect to said original document following the movement of the copying apparatus main body 101 for detecting the speed of displacement of said main body 101, and another roller 160 following rotation of the roller 150 and provided with a speed sensor 170 for detecting the rotational speed of said timing roller 150 generally in the similar manner as in the first and second embodiments described earlier. It may be so arranged that the printer head 121 is directly actuated according to the image information from the photosensing portion 140 or that light signal detected by the photosensing portion 140 is once stored in the memory of a micro-computer 127 so as to derive said stored content during copying reproduction for driving the printer head 121 and platen roller L according to said information. Hereinbelow, description will be given with respect to the case where transfer is effected onto a small-sized card type transfer sheet through employment of the copying apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention described so far. For the purpose, the protective cover member 103 is applied onto the copying apparatus main body 101 as shown in Fig. 14. In this case, a protrusion 144 provided on the inner lower wall adjacent to the open end of the protective cover 103 is fitted into a recess or groove 145 formed at the corresponding portion of the copying apparatus main body 101 so as to prevent the protective cover member 103 from being disengaged accidentally. In the above state, the operator holds the copying apparatus main body 101 by hand, with its lower end face 101b contacting the original document DO, and slidingly displaces said main body 101 in a direction, for example, indicated by the arrow F, whereby the timing roller 150 contacting the original document DO is rotated, and the original document DO is subjected to the exposure and scanning according to the rotation starting signal from the speed sensor 170 which has detected the rotation of the roller 150, and light signal thereby is stored in the memory of the micro-computer 127. Upon completion of the exposure and scanning of the original document, the operator inserts the card type transfer sheet through the inlet 103a along the guide plates g1 and g2 in the direction of the arrow PA. When the leading edge of the transfer sheet is inserted between the platen roller L and the printer head 121 at the contact portion thereof, the printer head 121 is retreated against the urging force of the spring means 122 by the thickness of the transfer sheet, so that the sheet detecting switch 131 is actuated by the contact thereof with the printer head 121. Thus, when the insertion of the transfer sheet is transmitted to the control unit (not shown), said control unit is started, and a motor (not shown) starts rotating for driving the platen roller L. In the above case, the rotational speed of the above motor is constant, and the printer head 121 is simultaneously driven according to the signal stored in the memory of the micro-computer 127. Accordingly, the platen roller L driven by the above motor, the feed-out roller Rf connected therewith by the belt b, and also, the intermediate roller 126 contacting this feed-out roller Rf, are rotated in synchronization with said motor, and the image of the original document is successively transferred onto the transfer sheet fed out by the platen roller L. The transfer sheet thus fed out by the platen roller L is held between the feed-out roller Rf and the intermediate roller 126 so as to be discharged through the sheet discharging outlet 103b. As described above, according to the embodiment of Fig. 7 explained so far, since the copying apparatus is arranged to automatically transfer for copying onto a small-sized card type transfer sheet, etc., any deviation due to different operators may be eliminated for the formation of accurate images. It is to be noted here that in the embodiment of Fig. 7, although the printer head of a thermal type is employed, such printer head may be replaced by a printer head of an impact type. Meanwhile, in the case where copying is effected onto a large-sized card which can not be inserted into the sheet inserting inlet, or onto a copy paper of a large size, the protective cover member 103 is detached, and the copying apparatus main body 101 is displaced in the direction of movement of the ink ribbon 125, with said ink ribbon 125 being pressed against the paper surface by the printer head 121. In the above case, the intermediate roller 126 is rotated through contact thereof with the paper surface, and the signal stored in the memory is derived in synchronization with the above rotation, thereby to drive the printer head 121. Thus, the image corresponding to the memory content is transferred onto the paper surface as desired. As is clear from the foregoing description, the compact copying apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that there are provided a printer head provided at one side of a copying apparatus main body, a protective cover member detachably mounted at the one side of the main body provided with the printer head, a sheet transport passage defined between the protective cover member and the copying apparatus main body upon attachment of the protective cover member onto the copying apparatus main body, a sheet feeding means provided to confront the printer head so as to feed out the sheet inserted into the sheet transport passage at a constant speed, and an image reading means provided at the other end of the copying apparatus main body. By the above construction, since the small-sized transfer sheet such as a card or the like inserted into the copying apparatus is automatically fed by the sheet feed-out means, any positional deviation in the transfer sheet due to manual operation of the operator, etc., may be completely eliminated, thereby making it possible to effect accurate transfer work.

Claims: A manual copying apparatus comprising an image reading means (12-17;120,130,140) for reading an image of an original document (DO) to be copied, and a printing means (21-27;121-125) comprising a printing head (21;121) for printing the image read by said image reading means onto a transfer material (T) of a first type by manual displacement of the apparatus during the printing work, with its printing head (21;121) held in contact with the transfer material (T), characterized by comprising a transfer material transport means (3;L) detachably mounted on said manual copying apparatus (M1;M3) and positioned to confront said printing means (21-27;121-125) so as to move a transfer material (2a) of a second type past the printing head with said second type transfer material (2a) being held in contact with said printing head (21;121) which prints the image read on said transfer material of said second type. The manual copying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transport means (3) is comprised in a cover structure (1) detachably mounted on said manual copying apparatus (M1), said cover structure (1) including a support member (6) for supporting the transfer material (2a) of the second type in a roll form, and the transport means (3) moves the transfer material drawn out from the roll in the scanning direction (P). The manual copying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material transport means (3) and the printing head (121) are provided at a first side of a copying apparatus main body (101), a protective cover member (103) is detachably mounted at the first side of said main body (101) so as to define a sheet transport passage (103a,103b) between said protective cover member (103) and said copying apparatus main body (101) upon attachment of said protective cover member (103) onto said copying apparatus main body (101), a sheet feeding means (L) is provided confronting said printing head (121) so as to feed out the sheet inserted into said sheet transport passage (103a,103b) at a constant speed, and the image reading means (120, 130,140) is provided at the other end of said copying apparatus main body (101).

Inventors: ANZAI, SHUNJU, MATSUURA, HIROKAZU
Applicants: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G03G15
IPC codes: H04N1, G03G15