Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1996-06-28
2001-11-06
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S007000, C347S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312086
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detecting the presence and absence of ink with good precision.
2. Related Background Art
There have been proposed various recording apparatuses that record on a paper sheet, a resin sheet, or other recording media. Of those apparatuses that have been proposed conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus is to discharge ink from its recording head onto a recording medium directly. It is possible to operate the ink jet recording apparatus at low running costs with a lesser amount of noises. Therefore, together with other advantages, the apparatus is now widely used.
Also, in general, an ink jet recording apparatus is provided with recovery means for maintaining and recovering the ink discharging function of an ink jet recording head mounted on it. This recovery means comprises, among others, a cap member to cover the ink discharge ports of the ink jet recording head, and receive ink discharged from the ink discharge ports; a blade formed by an elastic material or the like to clean the head surface by sliding on the head surface having the ink discharge ports; a driving source to enable the cap member to be in contact with or move away from the head, and the blade to move slidably; and a pumping mechanism to cause the waste ink, which has been discharged to the interior of the cap member, to be exhausted outside the cap member.
A serial type ink jet recording apparatus is arranged to mount an ink jet recording head on a carriage that reciprocates for recording on a recording medium. This apparatus is provided with a recording area within the traveling range of the carriage, where ink jet recording is possible on a recording medium (in general, a platen is arranged on this recording area), and also, with a non-recordable area on one end portion adjacent to such recording area, where the aforesaid recovery means is inclusively arranged.
Among those ink jet recording apparatuses, there are some for which detection means is provided to detect ink. For the structure of such detection means, a method is adopted, among some others, to provide a recording medium or a film sheet with a mark for use of detecting the presence and absence of ink, and then, to detect whether or not such mark is recorded by means of a photosensor or a method is adopted to discharge ink between the light emitting element and photodetecting element of a photointerrupter, and then, to detect the presence and absence of ink by the output that changes when ink crosses the optical axis of the photointerrupter.
However, with respect to the ink detection structures described above, there is a need for a structure in which a mark should be recorded directly on a recording medium or a film sheet for detecting the presence and absence of ink. This is the provision of a mark that is not fundamentally needed for the performance of any regular recording, although the detection can be effectuated in high precision by means of this method.
Also, for the method to detect the presence and absence of ink by means of output changes when ink crosses the optical axis of a photointerrupter, there is a need for the provision of a system to collect discharged ink as waste ink, simply because ink should be discharged to execute such detection. Therefore, the location where this detection is conveyed out is usually arranged in the vicinity of a suction pump, which is used for preventing the recording head from being clogged. In this way, it is made possible to share the waste ink disposition system for use of such detection and prevention. Nevertheless, the optical components constituting the photointerrupter are stained by ink splash from the blade provided for wiping off unwanted ink droplets adhering to the circumference of nozzles of the head after ink is sucked by the suction pump, as well as by ink splash from some other peripheral members of the blade. If the optical components are stained, there is a fear that detection is erroneously executed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed with a view to solving the problems described above with respect to the conventional technique. It is an object of the invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing ink detection in good precision without staining the components used during ink detection.
It is another object of the invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a carriage for enabling an ink jet type recording head to travel along a recording medium while discharging ink for recording; head recovery means for maintaining the function of the recording head; ink detection means for detecting the presence and absence of ink discharged from the recording head; and conveying means for conveying the recording medium. For this apparatus the head recovery means and the ink detection means are arranged on the sides opposite to each other with the conveying path of a recording medium between them.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detecting the presence and absence of ink accurately without any malfunction of ink detection means resulting from ink stains by arranging the ink detection means and recovery means on the sides opposite to each other. The optical components of the ink detection means of this apparatus are prevented from being stained by ink splash from a suction pump, a blade, and the like, which constitute the recovery means.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink onto the recording medium, which including the following:
conveying means for conveying a recording medium in the recording medium conveying path;
a carriage mounting on it an ink jet recording head to discharge ink, being movable in an area including the area for the carriage to face the recording medium in the recording medium conveying path;
recovery means for recovering or maintaining the ink discharge function of the ink jet recording head, being arranged in an area outside the recording medium conveying path: this area enables the recovery means to face the carriage; and
ink detection means for detecting the presence and absence of ink discharged from the ink jet recording head, which is arranged on the side opposite to the installation location of the recovery means with the recording medium conveying path being present between them: this side enables ink detection means to face the carriage.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4313124 (1982-01-01), Hara
patent: 4345262 (1982-08-01), Shirato et al.
patent: 4459600 (1984-07-01), Sato et al.
patent: 4463359 (1984-07-01), Ayata et al.
patent: 4558333 (1985-12-01), Sugitani et al.
patent: 4608577 (1986-08-01), Hori
patent: 4723129 (1988-02-01), Endo et al.
patent: 4740796 (1988-04-01), Endo et al.
patent: 5166707 (1992-11-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 5437444 (1995-08-01), Kawakami et al.
patent: 5455608 (1995-10-01), Stewart et al.
patent: 5471230 (1995-11-01), Saito et al.
patent: 0443832 (1991-08-01), None
patent: 0568173 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 54-56847 (1979-05-01), None
patent: 56-046767 (1981-04-01), None
patent: 58-171966 (1983-10-01), None
patent: 59-123670 (1984-07-01), None
patent: 59-138461 (1984-08-01), None
patent: 60-71260 (1985-04-01), None
patent: 63-260449 (1988-10-01), None
patent: 1-130948 (1989-05-01), None
patent: 6-115097 (1994-04-01), None
Kohno Takeshi
Kohri Shinichiro
Nohata Yukio
Ono Takashi
Saito Atsushi
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Nguyen Lamson D.
LandOfFree
Ink jet recording apparatus having separately disposed... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Ink jet recording apparatus having separately disposed..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ink jet recording apparatus having separately disposed... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2616559