Patent ID: 7802750

Claim:
A rolled sheet support mechanism for pivotally supporting a rolled sheet obtained by winding a recording sheet around a cylindrical core tube, comprising: a pair of guide plates arranged in parallel to each other while sandwiching the rolled sheet therebetween, and opposed to side surfaces of the rolled sheet; a pair of support members arranged between the rolled sheet and the pair of guide plates, and having, at ends thereof, insertion portions to be partially inserted into opening portions of the core tube, which are exposed to the side surfaces of the rolled sheet; a displacement member displaced between an attachment position and an accommodation position for the rolled sheet while supporting the pair of support members movably in an axial direction of the core tube, with the pair of support members being moved along the guide plates when receiving an external force; and a biasing member arranged between each of the guide plates and each of the support members, for biasing the support member with an elastic force in such a direction that the support member is spaced apart from the guide plate and pressing the insertion portion to the core tube in a state where the insertion portion is partially inserted into the opening portion to allow the rolled sheet to be pivotally supported, wherein the pair of guide plates have a distance therebetween, which becomes smaller from the attachment position toward the accommodation position.