Patent ID: 8469507

Claim:
A medium holding apparatus, comprising: a medium holding conveyance device which has a plurality of suction grooves for suctioning a sheet-shaped medium, and conveys the medium in a prescribed direction while holding the medium on a medium holding surface, wherein the plurality of suction grooves include a leading end suction groove provided at a position where a leading end of the sheet-shaped medium is held; a suction pressure generating device which is connected to the plurality of suction grooves, and generates suction pressure in each of the suction grooves; and a restrictor section which is provided between the leading end suction groove and the suction pressure generating device in a manner such that the restrictor section is provided with respect to a corresponding divided region of the leading end suction groove and that each divided region is connected to a leading end groove of the medium holding conveyance device via the restrictor section, and has a structure which restricts a flow volume in the leading end suction groove and in which the medium holding surface is closed off; wherein: the leading end suction groove has a structure so as to be separated from other suction grooves of the plurality of suction grooves, and is connected to the suction pressure generating device via a flow channel which is not connected to the other suction grooves, and in a state that the medium is not held, the restrictor section is closed by a closed portion; and wherein the suction pressure generating device generates suction pressure in the leading end suction groove greater than suction pressure in the other suction grooves.