A belt drive includes a belt and at least one pair of spaced apart rails extending in a first direction and defining a gap. The belt is aligned with the gap and to be driven in an endless loop with the belt including a first movable portion external to the gap on a first side of the rails and a second movable portion biased to be recessed within the gap on an opposite second side of the rails. A rewritable display medium is releasably engageable in a sandwiched position between a slidable contact surface of the rails and a first segment of the second movable portion external to the gap to move the display medium in the first direction for contact-less imaging via a unit spaced from the rails.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for writing on electronic paper (e-paper) and display platforms implemented with e-paper. In one aspect, a system for writing information to electronic paper includes a writing module and an erasing unit connected to the writing module. The erasing unit is configured to erase information stored in the electronic paper. The system also includes a writing unit connected to the writing module and is configured to write information to the electronic paper. Information is written to the electronic paper by orienting the writing module so that the electronic paper passes the erasing unit prior to passing the writing unit.

A display device includes an electronic paper display and a ground electrode. The electronic paper display is imageable by receiving charges on a charge receiving layer of the electronic paper display. The ground electrode is opposite to the charge receiving layer of the electronic paper display and exposed at an edge of the display device.

An imaging device for a passive e-paper display includes an erasing head to emit ions in a first polarity followed by an opposite second polarity after a first time period. The passive e-paper display is mountable on a support in a spaced apart relationship relative to the erasing head and by which the emitted ions are receivable onto substantially the entire surface of the passive e-paper display. Relative movement occurs between the support and the erasing head at least some of the time during the emission of ions from the erasing head.

An imager includes an ion-emitting unit and a conveying structure to move a passive e-paper display medium in a first orientation along a travel path and to releasably support the display medium in spaced relation to receive airborne ions from the ion-emitting unit for imaging operations.

A display device includes an electronic paper display imageable by receiving charges on an imaging surface of the electronic paper display, a ground electrode, and a ground access stripe. The ground electrode is opposite to the imaging surface of the electronic paper display. The ground access stripe is on a surface of the display device and electrically coupled to the ground electrode.

A recording layer is described that comprises a magnetizable material configured to store an image represented by magnetized regions of the magnetizable material. The magnetizable material may be brought into proximity with a magnetically responsive display layer, which may cause a change in an optical state of the display layer such that a facsimile of the image represented by the magnetized regions is produced within the display layer.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for writing on electronic paper (e-paper) and display platforms implemented with e-paper. In one aspect, a system for writing information to electronic paper includes a writing module and an erasing unit connected to the writing module. The erasing unit is configured to erase information stored in the electronic paper. The system also includes a writing unit connected to the writing module and is configured to write information to the electronic paper. Information is written to the electronic paper by orienting the writing module so that the electronic paper passes the erasing unit prior to passing the writing unit.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes heads to discharge a liquid; caps to contact and move away from the plurality of heads, respectively; individual drain passages communicating with the plurality of caps, respectively; at least one common drain passage communicating with at least two of the individual drain passages; suction devices provided in the individual drain passages, respectively; and a controller. Each of the individual drain passages is to allow and shut off communication between the cap and the common drain passage. The controller causes the individual drain passage to allow the communication between the cap and the common drain passage when performing capping and decapping of the head. The controller caps the sucking target with the cap after shutting off each individual drain passage communicating with the cap corresponding to the head that is not a sucking target.

An imaging device for a passive e-paper display includes an erasing head to emit ions in a first polarity followed by an opposite second polarity after a first time period. The passive e-paper display is mountable on a support in a spaced apart relationship relative to the erasing head and by which the emitted ions are receivable onto substantially the entire surface of the passive e-paper display. Relative movement occurs between the support and the erasing head at least some of the time during the emission of ions from the erasing head.