Patent ID: 8684510

Claim:
A drying device comprising: a conveying unit configured to convey a recording medium, on which recording is performed by a liquid being deposited thereon, from an upstream side to a downstream side in a conveyance direction; a drying unit configured to carry out a drying process on the recording medium by blowing heated air towards a front face of the recording medium, on which the liquid has been deposited, from a discharge port formed at a location facing the front face of the recording medium partway along a conveyance path of the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit; and a drying zone disposed on the downstream side of the drying unit in the conveyance direction over the front face of the recording medium so that the air blown from the discharge port is retained in the drying zone, an upper surface of the drying zone being defined by an extended surface portion of an outer surface of a housing of the drying unit, the extended surface portion forming a flat face and extending from the discharge port toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction to cover the conveyance path from above, the drying unit having an air flow path section for warming air drawn into an interior of the drying unit from an outside and delivering warmed air to the discharge port, and an independent heat accumulation space that is provided at a location adjacent to the drying zone and is separate from the air flow path section, the independent heat accumulation space having a bottom portion that faces the front face of the recording medium and is defined by the extended surface portion.