Patent Publication Number: US-8967028-B2

Title: Sheet cutting device and image forming apparatus including the sheet cutting device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-047727, filed on Mar. 4, 2011, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     This disclosure relates to a sheet cutting device and an image forming apparatus including the sheet cutting device, and more specifically to a sheet cutting device to cut a rolled sheet to a desired length and an image forming apparatus including the sheet cutting device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Image forming apparatuses are used as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, plotters, or multi-functional devices having two or more of the foregoing capabilities. As a conventional type of image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus is known that feeds a long-size rolled sheet (hereinafter, rolled sheet) in a certain feed direction (hereinafter, sheet feed direction) to form an image on the rolled sheet. The image forming apparatus typically has a sheet cutting device to cut the rolled sheet to a desired length. 
     As the sheet cutting device, for example, JP-9-323289-A proposes a sheet cutting device that has a cutter holder accommodating a cutter. For the sheet cutting device, the cutter holder cuts the rolled sheet with the cutter while moving to one end in a width direction of the rolled sheet perpendicular to the sheet feed direction. After cutting the sheet, the cutter holder returns to the other end in the width direction of the sheet to prepare for the next sheet cutting. 
     However, for the sheet cutting device, the cutter holder is typically disposed between a platen for retaining the rolled sheet thereon during printing and a discharge guide plate for guiding the rolled sheet discharged to the outside of the apparatus after printing is finished. Such a configuration needs a space enabling the cutter holder to be located between the platen and the discharge guide plate. Actually, such a space is dimensioned to have a width equal to or greater than a width of the cutter holder in the sheet feed direction. As a result, the width of the image forming apparatus in the sheet feed direction increases by the space of the cutter holder, thus resulting in an increased size of the image forming apparatus. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a sheet cutting device including a cutter holder, a moving unit, and a guide member. The cutter holder accommodates a cutter. The cutter has opposed blades opposing each other to cut a sheet of recording media fed along a sheet feed path of a feed guide plate unit. The moving unit holds the cutter holder and is movable in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet feed direction in which the sheet is fed along the sheet feed path. The guide member is disposed along the sheet width direction to guide the moving unit in the sheet width direction. The cutter holder partially overlaps with the feed guide plate unit in a thickness direction of the sheet perpendicular to both the sheet width direction and the sheet feed direction. 
     In another aspect of this disclosure, there is provided an image forming apparatus including an image forming device, a sheet feed device, and the above-described sheet cutting device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The aforementioned and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure would be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus having a sheet cutting device according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of the inkjet recording apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic back view of the sheet cutting device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4A  is a partially cross-sectional side view of the sheet cutting device; 
         FIG. 4B  is a partially cross-sectional plan view of the sheet cutting device; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a cutter holder of the sheet cutting device having returned to a rolled-sheet cutting area; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the cutter holder shifting to a backward path; 
         FIG. 7  is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cutter holder shifting to the backward path; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of the cutter holder moving along the backward path; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of the cutter holder returning from the backward path to a home position; 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic view of the cutter holder returning to the rolled-sheet cutting area; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the cutter holder, a platen, and a discharge guide plate; 
         FIG. 12A  is a perspective view of a cutter assembly seen from the back side; 
         FIG. 12B  is a perspective view of the cutter assembly seen from the front side; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the cutter holder moving along the backward path; 
         FIG. 14  is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cutter holder moving along the backward path; 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of the cutter holder, the platen, and the discharge guide plate when the cutter holder moves along the backward path; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the cutter holder moving along the forward path; 
         FIG. 17  is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cutter holder moving along the forward path; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the cutter holder, the platen, and the discharge guide plate when the cutter holder moves along the forward path; and 
         FIG. 19  is a schematic side view of a sheet cutting device according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     The accompanying drawings are intended to depict exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner and achieve similar results. 
     Although the exemplary embodiments are described with technical limitations with reference to the attached drawings, such description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention and all of the components or elements described in the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are not necessarily indispensable to the present invention. 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. 
       FIGS. 1 to 18  show a sheet cutting device and an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In  FIGS. 1 to 18 , an inkjet recording apparatus is illustrated as an example of the image forming apparatus. 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an inkjet recording apparatus  1  serving as the image forming apparatus is a serial-type inkjet recording apparatus that moves an inkjet recording head in a width direction (hereinafter, sheet width direction) of a sheet for scanning to form an image on the sheet. After one or more scans are performed to form a line of the image, the inkjet recording apparatus  1  feeds the sheet forward a certain distance to form another line of the image. It is to be noted that the image forming apparatus is not limited to the serial-type inkjet recording apparatus but may be, for example, a line-type inkjet recording apparatus having a recording head in which multiple nozzles are arranged across a substantially whole area in the width direction of a sheet to record an image on the sheet without scanning in the width direction. 
     The inkjet recording apparatus  1  includes an image forming section  2  serving as an image forming device, a sheet feed section  3  serving as a sheet feed device, a rolled sheet storage section  4 , and a sheet cutting device  5 . The image forming section  2 , the sheet feed section  3 , the rolled sheet storage section  4 , and the sheet cutting device  5  are disposed within an apparatus main unit  1   a.    
     In the image forming section  2 , a guide rod  13  and a guide rail  14  extend between side plates, and a carriage  15  is supported by the guide rod  13  and the guide rail  14  so as to be slidable in a direction indicated by an arrow A in  FIG. 1 . 
     The carriage  15  holds liquid ejection heads (recording heads) to eject ink droplets of, e.g., black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). Sub tanks are integrally molded with the corresponding recording heads to supply color inks to the respective recording heads. 
     A main scanning mechanism  10  moves the carriage  15  for scanning in a main scanning direction, that is, the sheet width direction indicated by the arrow A in  FIG. 1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the main scanning mechanism  10  includes a carriage driving motor  21  disposed at a first end in the sheet width direction, a driving pulley  22  rotated by the carriage driving motor  21 , a driven pulley  23  disposed at a second end opposite the first end in the sheet width direction, and a belt member  24  looped around the driving pulley  22  and the driven pulley  23 . A tension spring tensions the driven pulley  23  outward, that is, away from the driving pulley  22 . A portion of the belt member  24  is fixed to and held by a belt fixing portion at a rear side of the carriage  15  to draw the carriage  15  in the sheet width direction. 
     To detect a main scanning position of the carriage  15  in the main scanning direction, an encoder sheet is disposed along the sheet width direction in which the carriage  15  moves. An encoder sensor is disposed at the carriage  15  and reads the encoder sheet to detect the main scanning position of the carriage  15 . 
     In a recording area of a main scanning region of the carriage  15 , the rolled sheet  30  is intermittently fed by the sheet feed section  3  in a direction perpendicular to the sheet width direction, that is, a sheet feed direction indicated by an arrow B in  FIG. 1 . 
     Outside a movement range of the carriage  15  in the sheet width direction or at a first end side of the main scanning region of the carriage  15 , main cartridges  18  are removably mounted to the apparatus main unit  1   a  to store the respective color inks to be supplied to the sub tanks of the recording heads. At a second end side of the main scanning region opposite the first end side, a maintenance unit  19  is disposed to maintain and recover desirable conditions of the recording heads. 
     The rolled sheet storage section  4  serves as a sheet feed unit into which the rolled sheet  30  serving as a sheet material for image recording is set. As the rolled sheet  30 , rolled sheets of different widths can be set to the rolled sheet storage section  4 . The rolled sheet  30  includes a sheet shaft, and flanges  31  are mounted at opposed ends of the sheet shaft. By mounting the flanges  31  to flange bearings  32  of the rolled sheet storage section  4 , the rolled sheet  30  is stored in the rolled sheet storage section  4 . The flange bearings  32  include support rollers to rotate the flanges  31  while contacting the outer circumferences of the flanges  31  to feed the rolled sheet  30  to a sheet feed path. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the sheet feed section  3  includes a pair of sheet feed rollers  33 , a registration roller  34 , a registration pressing roller  35 , and a sheet suction feeding mechanism  36 . The pair of sheet feed rollers  33  feeds the rolled sheet  30  from the rolled sheet storage section  4  to the sheet feed path. The registration roller  34  and the registration pressing roller  35  are disposed upstream from the image forming section  2  in the sheet feed direction to feed the rolled sheet  30  to the sheet cutting device  5  via the image forming section  2 . 
     The sheet suction feeding mechanism  36  is disposed below the image forming section  2  via the sheet feed path and performs suctioning operation to attract the rolled sheet  30  onto a platen  80  (see  FIG. 11 ) at an upper face of the sheet suction feeding mechanism  36 . Thus, the flatness of the rolled sheet  30  fed below the image forming section  2  is maintained. 
     After the rolled sheet  30  is fed from the rolled sheet storage section  4 , the sheet feed section  3  feeds the rolled sheet  30  forward (toward the left side in  FIG. 2 ) from the rear side (right side in  FIG. 2 ) of the apparatus main unit  1   a  to the recording area below the image forming section  2 . When the rolled sheet  30  is fed to the recording area, the carriage  15  reciprocally moves back and forth in the sheet width direction and the recording heads eject ink droplets in accordance with image information. In addition, while the rolled sheet  30  is intermittently fed forward, the recording heads repeatedly eject ink droplets onto the rolled sheet  30  to record lines of a desired image on the rolled sheet  30 . Thus, the whole image is formed on the rolled sheet  30  in accordance with the image information. 
     After image formation, the sheet cutting device  5  cuts the rolled sheet  30  to a desired length, and the cut sheet is discharged to a sheet output tray at the front side of the apparatus main unit  1   a.    
     Next, the sheet cutting device  5  in this exemplary embodiment is described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 7 .  FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the sheet cutting device  5  seen from the back side of the apparatus main unit  1   a.    
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 A, and  4 B, the sheet cutting device  5  is disposed downstream from the image forming section  2  in the sheet feed direction (see  FIG. 2 ) and has a cutter assembly  40  and a guide member  41 . The sheet cutting device  5  cuts the rolled sheet  30  fed along the sheet feed path to a desired length. 
     The cutter assembly  40  has a cutter holder  51  to accommodate a cutter  50  and a moving unit  52  to move the cutter holder  51  in the sheet width direction. 
     The cutter  50  is formed with circular blades  50   a  and  50   b . The circular blades  50   a  and  50   b  are disposed opposing each other and rotatably held by the cutter holder  51 . With movement of the cutter holder  51  in the sheet width direction indicated by an arrow A in  FIG. 3 , the circular blades  50   a  and  50   b  receive a driving force to rotate. In other words, the cutter  50 , while rotating the circular blades  50   a  and  50   b , cuts the rolled sheet  30  and thus is capable of cutting, e.g., a relatively thick rolled sheet. The cutter  50  is also formed with the circular blades, thus preventing a failure, such as uneven wearing of a particular portion as in a stationary blade. It is to be noted that the number of circular blades is not limited to two and the cutter  50  may have a single circular blade or three or more circular blades. For example, in a case where the cutter  50  has a single circular blade, it is preferable to further provide a stationary linear blade extending in the moving direction of the cutter  50 . In this exemplary embodiment, the circular blades  50   a  and  50   b  serve as blades of the cutter. 
     The cutter holder  51  can be reciprocally moved in the sheet width direction by the moving unit  52 . When the cutter holder  51  moves along a forward path (indicated by an arrow FWD in  FIG. 3 ) from the second end side to the first end side of the apparatus main unit  1   a , the cutter  50  cuts the rolled sheet  30 . By contrast, along a backward path (indicated by an arrow BWD in  FIG. 3 ), the cutter holder  51  moves from the first end side to the second end side of the apparatus main unit  1   a  to return to an initial position (hereinafter, home position), with the cutter holder  51  retracted from the sheet feed path downward in a thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 , that is, the vertical direction. As a result, on the backward path, the cutter holder  51  is placed away from the sheet feed path (indicated by a solid line P in  FIG. 3 ) so as not to block the sheet feed path. The cutter holder  51  is detected with detectors, e.g., micro switches, disposed at opposed ends in the sheet width direction and controlled based on detection results of the detectors. The configuration of the cutter holder  51  is further described below. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the above-described forward path serves as a first path of the cutter holder and the above-described backward path serves as a second path of the cutter holder. 
     The moving unit  52  has a driving roller  55 , a driven roller  56 , and a main body  57  to move the cutter holder  51  in the sheet width direction. 
     The driving roller  55  is made of, e.g., rubber and rotatably held in the main body  57 . The main body  57  is connected to a wire  59  that is wound around a pair of pulleys  58  disposed at the opposed end sides of the apparatus main unit  1   a  in the sheet width direction. The wire  59  circulates in the sheet width direction via the pulleys  58  rotated by a driving motor. As a result, the driving roller  55 , while rotating, moves on an upper guide rail  61  with the circulation of the wire  59 . The moving unit  52  is movable in the sheet width direction with the movement of the driving roller  55 . The driving roller  55  is connected to the cutter holder  51  via a rotation shaft  55   a  to support the cutter holder  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12A and 12B , the main body  57  bears the rotation shaft  55   a  to rotatably hold (support) the driving roller  55 . The main body  57  of the moving unit  52  is movable in the sheet width direction between the upper guide rail  61  and an upper guide plate  63  (see  FIGS. 4A and 4B ). The main body  57  is provided with first auxiliary rollers  57   a  and a second auxiliary roller  57   b . Of the first auxiliary rollers  57   a  and the second auxiliary roller  57   b , the auxiliary roller  57   b  is urged upward by an urging member. Each of the first auxiliary rollers  57   a  and the second auxiliary roller  57   b  contacts the upper guide plate  63  (see  FIG. 4A ) to urge the driving roller  55  onto the upper guide rail  61 . As a result, friction resistance arises between the driving roller  55  and the upper guide rail  61 , thus allowing the driving roller  55  to rotate with the movement of the main body  57 . 
     A first pulley  55   b  is mounted on the rotation shaft  55   a  so as to be integrally rotatable with the rotation shaft  55   a . A second pulley  75  is mounted on the cutter holder  51  to transmit the rotation driving force to the cutter  50 , and an endless belt  76  is wound around the first pulley  55   b  and the second pulley  75 . As a result, with movement of the main body  57  in the sheet width direction, the rotation driving force is transmitted to the cutter  50  via the rotation shaft  55   a , the first pulley  55   b , the endless belt  76 , and the second pulley  75 , thus rotating the circular blades  50   a  and  50   b.    
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 A, and  4 B, the driven roller  56  is rotatably disposed away from the driving roller  55  in the sheet width direction. The driven roller  56  moves on an upper guide rail  61  along the forward path of the cutter holder  51  and on a lower guide rail  62  along the backward path. In other words, during movement of the cutter holder  51 , the driven roller  56  serves as a positioning member (portion) to position the cutter holder  51  on the upper guide rail  61  and the lower guide rail  62 . It is to be noted that the positioning member of the cutter holder  51  is not limited to the driven roller  56  but may be, for example, a circular-arc protrusion. 
     On switching the moving path between the forward path and the backward path, the cutter holder  51  pivots around the rotation shaft  55   a  of the driving roller  55  in the vertical direction. Thus, the cutter holder  51  switches between a first position with which, on the forward path, the cutter holder  51  cuts the rolled sheet  30  with the cutter  50  and a second position with which, on the backward path, the cutter holder  51  is retracted from the sheet feed path. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the driving roller  55  and the driven roller  56  are offset from each other in the sheet feed direction indicated by an arrow B. Specifically, the driven roller  56  is arranged upstream from the driving roller  55  in the sheet feed direction. As a result, with the driving roller  55  retained on the upper guide rail  61 , the driven roller  56  is movable between the upper guide rail  61  and the lower guide rail  62 , thus allowing the cutter holder  51  to pivot around the rotation shaft  55   a  of the driving roller  55 . In  FIG. 4A , a broken line P extending in the direction indicated by the arrow B represents the sheet feed path. In this exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the cutter holder  51  is disposed within the width of the carriage  15  in the sheet feed direction. Alternatively, for example, the cutter holder  51  may be disposed away from the carriage  15  at the upstream or downstream side in the sheet feed direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the cutter holder  51  has a slanted face  51   c  slanted at a predetermined angle from the sheet feed path (indicated by the solid line P) toward the vertical direction. The slant angle of the slanted face  51   c  is set so that the slanted face  51   c  is parallel to the sheet feed path when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the guide member  41  is a guide member to guide the movement of the moving unit  52  in the sheet width direction, and includes the upper guide rail  61  extending in the sheet width direction for a length that is at least longer than the width (sheet feed width) of the sheet feed path indicated by an arrow SW, and the lower guide rail  62  disposed away from the sheet feed path downward in the vertical direction. As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the guide member  41  has the upper guide plate  63  above the upper guide rail  61 . The guide member  41  forms the forward path of the cutter holder  51  on the upper guide rail  61  and the backward path of the lower guide rail  62  on the lower guide rail  62 . In this exemplary embodiment, the upper guide rail  61  and the lower guide rail  62  are formed as a single member (the guide member  52 ). Alternatively, the upper guide rail  61  and the lower guide rail  62  may be formed as separate members. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the upper guide rail  61  has a driving-roller guide area  61   a  to guide the driving roller  55  in the sheet width direction and a driven-roller guide area  61   b  to guide the driven roller  56  so that the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path. In this exemplary embodiment, the driving-roller guide area  61   a  and the driven-roller guide area  61   b  are formed as a single rail, that is, the upper guide rail  61 . Alternatively, the driving-roller guide area  61   a  and the driven-roller guide area  61   b  may be formed as separate rails. 
     At a first end side of the driven-roller guide area  61   b  in the sheet width direction, a first connection path  61   c  is formed to switch the moving path of the cutter holder  51  from the forward path to the backward path. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the first connection path  61   c  is formed at the upper guide rail  61  so as to connect the forward path (indicated by an arrow FWD) on the upper guide rail  61  to the backward path (indicated by an arrow BWD) on the lower guide rail  62 . Specifically, a portion of the upper guide rail  61  is cut out at the first end side in the sheet width direction and folded so as to slant downward at a certain angle, thus forming the first connection path  61   c . Thus, the first connection path  61   c  allows the driven roller  56  to move from the upper guide rail  61  to the lower guide rail  62  after the rolled sheet is cut with the cutter  50 . A lower end portion  61   d  of the upper guide rail  61  adjacent to the first connection path  61   c  is folded upward so as not to contact the driven roller  56  moving along the backward path. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a moving mechanism  70  is disposed at a second end side of the driven-roller guide area  61   b  opposite the first end side in the sheet width direction. When the cutter holder  51  moves from the home position indicated by a solid line in  FIG. 10  to the opposite end in the sheet width direction, the moving mechanism  70  shifts the driven roller  56  from the lower guide rail  62  to the upper guide rail  61 , that is, returns the cutter holder  51  to a cutting area (rolled-sheet cutting area) of the rolled sheet. 
     The moving mechanism  70  includes a second connection path  61   e  connecting the backward path on the lower guide rail  62  to the forward path on the upper guide rail  61 , and a switching hook  71  disposed adjacent to the second connection path  61   e  at the upper guide rail  61 . 
     The second connection path  61   e  is formed by cutting out a portion of the upper guide rail  61  at the second end side in the sheet width direction (see  FIG. 4B ). 
     The switching hook  71  pivots between the backward path and the second connection path  61   e  and is constantly urged downward by an urging member, e.g., a coil spring, so that a tip of the switching hook  71  contacts the lower guide rail  62 . As a result, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path (indicated by an arrow BWD) to the second end side in the sheet width direction, the driven roller  56  contacts the switching hook  71  to pivot the switching hook  71  as indicated by a broken line. In this state, when the driven roller  56  further moves to the second end side in the sheet width direction, the switching hook  71  is separated from the driven roller  56  and returned by the urging member to an initial position, that is, a position indicated by a solid line in  FIG. 10 . At the initial position indicated by the solid line in  FIG. 9 , the switching hook  71  is tilted at a predetermined angle. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , when the cutter holder  51  returns from the backward path to the forward path, the driven roller  56  can be moved from the lower guide rail  62  to the upper guide rail  61  via the switching hook  71 . The switching hook  71  may be, for example, a leaf spring. In such a case, the urging member is not necessary. 
     The lower guide rail  62  guides the driven roller  56  of the cutter holder  51  while the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path. 
     Next, operation of the sheet cutting device  5  is described with reference to  FIGS. 5 to 10 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , before the rolled sheet  30  is cut, the cutter holder  51  is placed at the home position (indicated by the solid line in  FIG. 10 ) at the second end side in the sheet width direction. When an instruction for sheet cutting is received, the driving roller  55  is rotated via the wire  56  (see  FIG. 3 ). As a result, the driving roller  55 , while rotating, moves from the cutter home position to the rolled-sheet cutting area (a position indicated by a broken line in  FIG. 10 ), and then moves along the forward path (indicated by an arrow FWD in  FIG. 10 ) to the first end side in the sheet width direction. At this time, the cutter  50  cuts the rolled sheet  30  with the movement of the cutter holder  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , when the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path (indicated by the arrow FWD) to the first end side in the sheet width direction across the sheet feed path (indicated by a solid line P), the cutting of the rolled sheet  30  is finished. After the cutter holder  51  moves to the first end side in the sheet width direction, the cutter holder  51  pivots downward in the vertical direction around the rotation shaft  55   a  of the driving roller  55  (see  FIG. 4A ) under its own weight to switch the moving path from the forward path to the backward path. Specifically, when the driven roller  56  moving on the upper guide rail  61  arrives at the first connection path  61   c , the driven roller  56  moves from the upper guide rail  61  to the lower guide rail  62  via the first connection path  61   c . At this time, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , with the driving roller  55  retained on the upper guide rail  61 , only the driven roller  56  moves to the lower guide rail  62  under its own weight. As a result, in  FIG. 7 , the cutter holder  51  overlapping with the sheet feed path indicated by a broken line P pivots to take a position with which the cutter holder  51  is movable along the backward path, that is, the position (indicated by a broken line in  FIG. 6 ) with which the cutter holder  51  is retracted from the sheet feed path. 
     Then, based on a position detected with a detector at the first end side in the sheet width direction, the wire  59  (see  FIG. 3 ) is circulated in reverse to rotate the driving roller  55  in reverse, that is, in a direction opposite a direction in which the driving roller  55  rotates on the forward path. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , with the position retracted from the sheet feed path, the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path (indicated by an arrow BWD) to the second end side in the sheet width direction. At this time, the slanted face  51   c  is parallel to the sheet feed path and, unlike on the forward path, the cutter holder  51  is retracted downward from the sheet feed path. Thus, while the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path, the rolled sheet  30  can be fed along the sheet feed path, thus enhancing productivity. Such a configuration can also prevent the cutter  50  from contacting the rolled sheet  30  after cutting, thus preventing a cut jam or other failure. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , when the cutter holder  51  moves to the second end side in the sheet width direction and arrives at a position adjacent to the moving mechanism  70 , the driven roller  56  contacts the switching hook  71 . With the movement of the cutter holder  51 , the driven roller  56  pushes up the switching hook  71  as indicated by the broken line in  FIG. 9 , and moves from the backward path side (the right side of the switching hook  71  in  FIG. 9 ) to the second end side in the sheet width direction, that is, the side of the second connection path  61   e  (the left side of the switching hook  71  in  FIG. 9 ). When the driven roller  56  moves to the side of the second connection path  61   e , the switching hook  71  is separated from the driven roller  56  and returned by the urging member to the initial position, that is, the position indicated by the solid line in  FIG. 9 . 
     Thus, the reciprocal movement of the cutter holder  51  in the sheet width direction is finished. If the rolled sheet  30  is subsequently fed, the above-described reciprocal movement is repeated. 
     Next, an installation example of the sheet cutting device  5  according to this exemplary embodiment and a configuration of the cutter holder  51  are described with reference to  FIGS. 11 to 18 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 11 ,  14 , and  17 , the inkjet recording apparatus  1  according to this exemplary embodiment has the platen  80  and a discharge guide plate  81 . The sheet feed path is formed on upper faces of the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81 . The platen  80  is disposed upstream from the cutter holder  51  in the sheet feed direction (indicated by an arrow B in  FIG. 11 ). The discharge guide plate  81  is disposed downstream from the cutter holder  51  in the sheet feed direction B. In other words, the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  are disposed upstream and downstream, respectively, in the sheet feed direction B across the cutter holder  51 . In  FIG. 11 , the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  are disposed away from the cutter holder  51  for convenience of explanation. Actually, as illustrated in  FIGS. 13 and 16 , the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  are disposed adjacent to the cutter holder  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 17 , the platen  80  is flat-shaped and has an edge portion  80   a  downstream in the sheet feed direction (hereinafter, downstream edge portion  80   a ). In  FIG. 14 , the downstream edge portion  80   a  overlaps with the cutter holder  51  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30  perpendicular to the sheet feed direction B. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 17 , the discharge guide plate  81  has an edge portion  81   a  upstream in the sheet feed direction (hereinafter, upstream edge portion  81   a ). In  FIG. 14 , the upstream edge portion  81   a  overlaps with the cutter holder  51  in the thickness direction of the sheet. The discharge guide plate  81  also has a flat portion  81   b  located at substantially the same height as the platen  80  and a scooping portion  81   c  inclined downward from the flat portion  81   b  to the upstream side in the sheet feed direction. The scooping portion  81   c  prevents a subsequent portion of the rolled sheet  30  from entering the interior of the discharge guide plate  81  after cutting. 
     As described above, in this exemplary embodiment, the discharge guide plate  81  has the scooping portion  81   c . However, it is to be noted that the shape of the discharge guide plate  81  is not limited to the above-described shape but, for example, the discharge guide plate  81  has the flat portion  81   b  without the scooping portion  81   c . In such a case, the flat portion  81   b  is preferably disposed at a position lower than the platen  80 . Alternatively, the flat portion  81   b  of the discharge guide plate  81  may have rollers to discharge the rolled sheet  30 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the scooping portion  81   c  has cutout portions  81   d  at opposed ends in the sheet width direction (indicated by an arrow A). In  FIG. 15 , only one end in the sheet width direction is shown. Similarly, the scooping portion  81   c  has another cutout portion  81   d  at the other end in the sheet width direction. The length of the upstream edge portion  81   a  in the sheet width direction is set to be shorter than the length of each of the flat portion  81   b  and the scooping portion  81   c  in the sheet width direction to form the cutout portions  81   d . The length of the upstream edge portion  81   a  in the sheet width direction is set to be equal to the length of the platen  80  in the sheet width direction or the sheet feed width SW illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Specifically, one end of the upstream edge portion  81   a  proximal to the home position of the cutter holder  51  in the sheet width direction is disposed downstream from the slanted face  51   c  in a cutting direction of the rolled sheet  30  (indicated by an arrow FWD in  FIG. 5 ) so as not to contact the slanted face  51   c  when the cutter holder  51  returns to the rolled-sheet cutting area and is placed at the position illustrated in  FIG. 5 . By contrast, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the other end of the upstream edge portion  81   a  opposite the end proximal to the home position of the cutter holder  51  is disposed upstream in the cutting direction of the rolled sheet  30  (indicated by the arrow FWD in  FIG. 6 ) from a trajectory on which the cutter holder  51  pivots to shift from the forward path to the backward path, so as not to overlap with the pivoting trajectory of the cutter holder  51 . 
     As a result, the cutter holder  51  passes through the cutout portions  81   d  when shifting from the forward path to the backward path and from the backward path to the forward path. Thus, even in a case where the upstream edge portion  81   a  overlaps with the cutter holder  51  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 , the cutter holder  51  is pivotable between below and above the discharge guide plate  81  without contacting the discharge guide plate  81 . 
     As described above, in this exemplary embodiment, the cutout portions  81   d  allow pivoting of the cutter holder  51 . It is to be noted that the configuration of the scooping portion  81   c  is not limited to the above-described configuration but, for example, the length of each of the scooping portion  81   c  and the flat portion  81   b  in the sheet width direction may be set to be equal to the length of the upstream edge portion  81   a  to allow pivoting of the cutter holder  51 . 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  serve as a feed guide plate unit. The platen  80  serves as a first feed guide plate, and the discharge guide plate  81  serves as a second feed guide plate. 
     The cutter holder  51  is disposed between the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  and the upstream edge portion  81   a  of the discharge guide plate  81 . The cutter holder  51  partially overlaps with both the downstream edge portion  80   a  and the upstream edge portion  81   a  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30  perpendicular to the sheet feed direction. 
     Specifically, the cutter holder  51  has a first escape portion  91 , a second escape portion  92 , and a third escape portion  93  that overlap with the downstream edge portion  80   a  and the upstream edge portion  81   a  when the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path and the backward path. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12A and 14 , the slanted face  51   c  of the cutter holder  51  has the first escape portion  91  at the upstream side in the sheet feed direction (indicated by an arrow B). The first escape portion  91  is cut out in a tapered shape so as to incline at a predetermined angle from the slanted face  51   c  toward the upstream side in the sheet feed direction. 
     Thus, as illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path, the first escape portion  91  of the cutter holder  51  overlaps with the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . In other words, since the first escape portion  91  is cut out in the tapered shape, the first escape portion  91  overlaps with the downstream edge portion  80   a  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30  without contacting the downstream edge portion  80   a . As a result, the downstream edge portion  80   a  can be placed adjacent to the cutting position of the cutter  50 , thus allowing stable feeding and cutting of the rolled sheet  30 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path, the slanted face  51   c  serves as an upper end of the cutter holder  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12B and 14 , the slanted face  51   c  of the cutter holder  51  also has the second escape portion  92  at the downstream side in the sheet feed direction (indicated by the arrow B). The second escape portion  92  is cut out in a tapered shape so as to incline at a predetermined angle from the slanted face  51   c  toward the downstream side in the sheet feed direction. 
     Thus, as illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path, the second escape portion  92  of the cutter holder  51  overlaps with the upstream edge portion  81   a  of the discharge guide plate  81  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . In other words, since the second escape portion  92  is cut out in the tapered shape, the second escape portion  92  overlaps with the upstream edge portion  81   a  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30  without contacting the upstream edge portion  81   a . As a result, the upstream edge portion  81   a  can be placed adjacent to the cutting position of the cutter  50 , thus allowing stable feeding and cutting of the rolled sheet  30 . 
     The upstream edge portion  81   a  of the discharge guide plate  81  is disposed lower than the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80 . As a result, the inclination angle of the second escape portion  92  is set to be greater than that of the first escape portion  91  so that the second escape portion  92  can overlap with the upstream edge portion  81   a  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . It is to be noted that the inclination angles of the first escape portion  91  and the second escape portion  92  are not limited to the above-described angles but may be optimally set in accordance with, for example, the shapes of the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  and/or the positions of the downstream edge portion  80   a  and the upstream edge portion  81   a.    
     In this exemplary embodiment, the first escape portion  91  and the second escape portion  92  are tapered. However, it is to be noted that the shapes of the first escape portion  91  and the second escape portion  92  are not limited to the tapered shapes but may be, for example, stepwise or curved toward the interior of the cutter holder  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12A and 17 , the cutter holder  51  has the third escape portion  93  at a side face portion  51   d  upstream in the sheet feed direction (indicated by the arrow B). The third escape portion  93  is a recessed groove having a depth enabling the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  to protrude toward the interior of the cutter holder  51 . 
     Thus, as illustrated in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , when the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path, the third escape portion  93  of the cutter holder  51  overlaps with the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . In other words, since the third escape portion  93  is formed as the recessed groove, the third escape portion  93  overlaps with the downstream edge portion  80   a  without contacting the downstream edge portion  80   a . As a result, the downstream edge portion  80   a  can be placed adjacent to the cutting position of the cutter  50 , thus allowing stable feeding and cutting of the rolled sheet  30 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 17 , in the cutter holder  51 , the width W 1  of a portion higher than the upstream edge portion  81   a  when the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path is set to be greater than the width W 2  of a portion lower than the upstream edge portion  81   a  (W 1 &gt;W 2 ). Such a configuration prevents the cutter holder  51  from contacting the upstream edge portion  81   a  of the discharge guide plate  81  when the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path. 
     Thus, as illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 17 , the discharge guide plate  81  overlaps with the guide member  41  in the thickness direction of the sheet. As a result, even in a case where the discharge guide plate  81  is provided in addition to the guide member  41 , the discharge guide plate  81  can be placed adjacent to the cutter holder  51  regardless of the position of the guide member  41 . Thus, the width of the apparatus main unit  1   a  in the sheet feed direction can be shortened, thus allowing a reduction in the size of the apparatus main unit  1   a.    
     As described above, in this exemplary embodiment, the guide member  41  is disposed downstream from the cutter holder  51  in the sheet feed direction. It is to be noted that the position of the guide member  41  is not limited to the above-described position but, for example, the guide member  41  may be disposed upstream from the cutter holder  51  in the sheet feed direction. In such a case, the platen  80  and the guide member  41  are disposed so as to overlap in the thickness direction of the sheet. Such a configuration can obtain effects equivalent to the effects of the above-described exemplary embodiment. 
     As described above, in the sheet cutting device according to this exemplary embodiment, the cutter holder  51  partially overlaps with both the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  in the thickness direction of the sheet perpendicular to the sheet feed direction. Such a configuration allows the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81  to be placed more adjacent to the cutter holder  51  than a conventional configuration. As a result, the width of the apparatus main unit  1   a  in the sheet feed direction can be shortened, thus allowing a reduction in the size of the apparatus main unit  1   a.    
     In the sheet cutting device according to this exemplary embodiment, the cutter holder  51  has the first escape portion  91  that overlaps with the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . Such a configuration allows the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  to be placed adjacent to the cutter holder  51  when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path. 
     In the sheet cutting device according to this exemplary embodiment, the cutter holder  51  has the second escape portion  92  that overlaps with the upstream edge portion  81   a  of the discharge guide plate  81  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . Such a configuration allows the upstream edge portion  81   a  of the discharge guide plate  81  to be placed adjacent to the cutter holder  51  when the cutter holder  51  moves along the backward path. 
     In the sheet cutting device according to this exemplary embodiment, the cutter holder  51  has the third escape portion  93  that overlaps with the downstream edge portion  80   a  and the platen  80  in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30 . Such a configuration allows the downstream edge portion  80   a  of the platen  80  to be placed adjacent to the cutter holder  51  when the cutter holder  51  moves along the forward path. 
     As described above, in this exemplary embodiment, the cutter holder  51  has the first escape portion  91 , the second escape portion  92 , and the third escape portion  93 . However, it is to be noted that the configuration of the cutter holder  51  is not limited to the above-described configuration but, for example, the cutter holder  51  may have at least one of the above-described escape portions in accordance with the shapes and positions of the platen  80  and the discharge guide plate  81 . 
     In this exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the driving roller  55  is disposed at only one side of the cutter holder  51 , that is, the downstream side of the cutter holder  51  in the sheet feed direction B. However, it is to be noted that the configuration of the driving roller  55  is not limited to the above-described configuration but, for example, as illustrated in  FIG. 19 , besides the driving roller  55 , another driving roller  55   c  may be disposed at a side opposite the side at which the driving roller  55  is disposed. In other words, the driving roller  55  and the driving roller  55   c  may be disposed facing each other across the cutter holder  51 . In such a case, besides the upper guide rail  61  at the downstream side in the sheet feed direction, another guide rail  65  is disposed corresponding to the driving roller  55   c . In such a case, the guide rail  65  is disposed so as to overlap with the platen  80  in the thickness direction of the sheet. 
     In the above-described exemplary embodiments, the cutter holder  51  has the driving roller  55  at the first end side in the sheet width direction and the driven roller  56  at the second end side in the sheet width direction. However, the configuration of the cutter holder  51  is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the positions of the driving roller  55  and the driven roller  56  are interchangeable. In such a case, the cutter holder  51  pivots in a direction opposite the pivoting direction of the cutter holder in the above-described exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, the arrangement of the slanted face  51   c  is modified according to the pivoting direction. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the cutter holder  51  is retracted downward in the vertical direction. However, it is to be noted that the configuration of the cutter holder  51  is not limited to the above-described configuration but, for example, in a case where the sheet cutting device  5  is not horizontally disposed relative to the apparatus main unit  1   a , the cutter holder may be retracted in the thickness direction of the rolled sheet  30  in accordance with the inclination of the sheet cutting device  5 . 
     Alternatively, the cutter holder may be retracted upward in the vertical direction. In such a case, the guide member is disposed above the sheet feed path, the forward path of the cutter holder is disposed on the lower guide rail, and the backward path is disposed on the upper guide rail. As a result, after the cutter holder moves along the forward path to cut the rolled sheet, the driven roller shifts onto the upper guide rail via a moving mechanism corresponding to the moving mechanism  70  of the above-described exemplary embodiment. Thus, the cutter holder is retracted from the sheet feed path so as to be movable along the backward path. After the cutter holder moves along the backward path, the driven roller shifts onto the lower guide rail via a communication path corresponding to the first connection path  61   c  of the above-described exemplary embodiment. Thus, the cutter holder takes a position for cutting the rolled sheet. In such a configuration, a slanted face corresponding to the slanted face  51   c  of the above-described exemplary embodiment is disposed at a lower end of the cutter holder. As a result, the first escape portion  91  and the second escape portion  92  are also disposed at the lower end of the cutter holder. Such a configuration can obtain effects equivalent to the effects described in the above-described exemplary embodiment. 
     Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. With some embodiments having thus been described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims.