Patent ID: 7637493

Claim:
An intermittent drive mechanism comprising a drive gear, a fragmental gear including a mesh portion, of which teeth arranged in a predetermined region on a circumference mesh with the drive gear in a drive gear mesh position, and a non-mesh portion, which is free of teeth in the remaining region on the circumference and so does not mesh with the drive gear in the drive gear mesh position, a first cam, which rotates integrally with the fragmental gear, an operating arm, which is configured to contact the first cam to rotate the fragmental gear which causes the mesh portion to mesh with the drive gear in the drive gear mesh position, from a position in which the non-mesh portion is in the drive gear mesh position and the mesh portion is not in the drive gear mesh position, an operating-arm drive mechanism, which is configured to drive the operating arm upon energization of a solenoid, and a brake mechanism, which is configured to restrict rotation of the fragmental gear at least when the non-mesh portion is in the drive gear mesh position and the mesh portion is not in the drive gear mesh position.