Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-03
2002-02-26
Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06350025
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink tank, a tank holder to detachably hold the ink tank, an ink jet head cartridge provided with an ink jet head mounted on the tank holder to discharge ink for recording, and an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the ink jet head cartridge.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 25
is a perspective view which shows the general ink jet recording apparatus conventionally in use. For the ink jet recording apparatus shown in
FIG. 25
, the lead screw
104
and the guide shaft
105
, which are arranged to be in parallel to each other, are provided for a housing. For the lead screw
104
and the guide shaft
105
, a carriage
101
is installed to be able to travel in the direction parallel to the lead screw
104
and the guide shaft
105
. The carriage
101
is driven to travel in parallel to the lead screw
104
which is rotated by a carriage motor (not shown).
As described later in conjunction with
FIGS. 26A and 26B
, the ink jet head cartridge provided with the ink jet head
102
is mounted on the carriage
101
. In the vicinity of the traveling orbital plane of the discharge surface of the ink jet head
102
, a sheet pressure plate
109
is arranged.
Also, the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a sheet feed roller
107
that carries a recording sheet
106
which serves as a recording medium to the recording area of the ink jet head
102
, and also, with a sheet exhaust roller
108
which is arranged to exhaust the recording sheet
106
having a recorded object on it by the ink jet head
102
. The sheet feed roller
107
and the sheet exhaust roller
108
are driven to rotate by use of a motor (not shown).
When the ink which is discharged from the ink jet head
102
adheres to the recording sheet
106
facing the discharge port surface of the ink jet head
102
, the recorded images are formed on the surface of the recording sheet
106
. Interlocked with recording to the recording sheet
106
by the ink jet head
102
, the sheet feed roller
107
and the sheet exhaust roller
108
are rotated by the motor to exhaust the recording sheet
106
outside the ink jet recording apparatus in cooperation with the sheet pressure roller
109
.
FIGS. 26A and 26B
are views which illustrate the ink jet head cartridge to be mounted on the carriage
101
shown in FIG.
25
.
FIG. 26A
is a perspective view which shows the ink jet head cartridge to be mounted on the carriage
101
.
FIG. 26B
is a perspective view which shows the state where ink tanks are removed from the ink jet head cartridge shown in FIG.
26
A.
As shown in FIG.
26
A and
FIG. 26B
, the ink jet head cartridge
301
which is mounted on the carriage
101
comprises a tank holder
103
provided with the ink jet head
102
; and ink tanks
111
,
112
,
113
, and
114
, which are detachably mountable on the tank holder
103
. The ink tank
111
is for use of black ink; the ink tank
112
is for use of yellow ink; the ink tank
113
is for use of magenta ink; and the ink tank
114
is for use of cyan ink. Each of the ink tanks
111
,
112
,
113
, and
114
is detachably mountable on the tank holder
103
. Each of the ink tanks is exchangeable, which contributes to lowering the running costs of printing by the ink jet recording apparatus.
For each of the ink tanks
111
,
112
,
113
, and
114
, ink of the corresponding color is contained in it, respectively. Also, for each of them, the ink supply port is formed to supply the ink contained in it to the ink jet head
102
. For example, the ink supply port
211
is formed for the ink tank
111
. Then, black ink contained in the ink tank
111
is supplied to the ink jet head
102
through the ink supply port
211
in the state where the ink tank
111
is installed on the tank holder
103
.
FIG. 27
is a cross-sectional view which shows the tank holder
103
and the ink jet head
102
represented in
FIGS. 26A and 26B
. As shown in
FIG. 27
, the upper surface of the box-type tank holder
103
is open, and the ink jet head
102
is arranged for one side portion on the bottom face of the tank holder
103
. In the ink jet head
102
, the silicon substrate
201
is supported by the base plate
205
. On the silicon substrate
201
, heaters or the like are formed as electrothermal converting means to generate thermal energy utilized for ink discharges.
Also, for the ink jet head
102
, a joint
204
is provided to be connected with the ink supply port of the ink tank when the ink tank is installed on the hand holder
103
. For the joint
204
, an ink flow path
206
is formed to extend to the silicon substrate
201
.
Now, exemplifying the ink tank
111
for use of black ink, the description will be made of the ink flow in an ink jet head cartridge of the kind. Ink in the ink tank
111
is supplied to the interior of the ink jet head
2
through the ink supply port
211
of the ink tank
111
and the joint
204
. The ink which is supplied to the interior of the ink jet head
2
is supplied to the silicon substrate
201
through the ink flow path
206
. Then, the ink thus supplied is discharged to a recording sheet which serves as the recording medium by the application of thermal energy generated by the heater on the silicon substrate
201
.
FIGS. 28A
to
28
C are views which illustrate the ink tank
111
represented in
FIGS. 26A and 26B
.
FIG. 28A
is a perspective view which the ink tank
111
, observed in the direction in which a second nail
132
is visible.
FIG. 28B
is a perspective view which shows the ink tank
111
, observed in the direction in which a movable lever
130
is visible.
FIG. 28C
is a cross-sectional view which shows the ink tank
111
.
As shown in
FIGS. 28A and 28B
, the ink tank
111
has the movable lever
130
having a first nail
131
for it on one side of thereof. On the other side of the ink tank
111
, the second nail
132
is arranged. When the ink tank
111
is installed on the tank holder
103
, the first nail
131
and the second nail
132
engage with a first hole
241
and a second hole
242
(see
FIG. 27
) formed on the tank holder
103
, respectively. In this manner, the ink tank
111
is fixed to the tank holder
103
. On the bottom face of the ink tank
111
, the ink supply port
211
is arranged to be cylindrically extruded from the bottom face thereof.
Also, as shown in
FIG. 28C
, in the interior of the ink tank
111
, an ink absorbent
136
is housed to retain ink by absorbing the liquid ink. In the interior of the ink supply port
221
, the Joint member
137
is filled to be connected with the ink absorbent
136
. When the ink tank
111
is installed on the tank holder
103
, ink retained in the ink absorbent
136
is supplied to the ink jet head
102
from the ink supply port
211
through the joint member
137
.
Now, in conjunction with
FIGS. 29A
to
29
C, the description will be made of the procedures for the installation of the ink tank
111
onto the tank holder
103
of the ink jet head cartridge
301
.
At first, as shown in
FIG. 29A
, the surface of the ink tank
111
on the ink supply port
211
side is placed to face the upper surface of the tank holder
103
. And, the ink tank
111
is inserted into the interior of the tank holder
103
in the direction indicated by an arrow A, while the second nail
132
of the ink tank
111
is inclined downward.
Then, as shown in
FIG. 29B
, the second nail
132
of the ink tank
111
engages with the second hole
242
of the tank holder
103
at first when the ink tank is inserted along the side inclination of the holder
103
on the right side in FIG.
29
B.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 29C
, when the ink tank
111
is pressed into the tank holder
103
, the movable lever
130
is bent inward so as to enable the first nail
131
to engage with the first hole
241
of the tank holder
103
. Thus, the ink tank
111
is fixed to the tank holder
103
.
In this state, ink retained in the ink absorbent
136
is introduced to the ink jet head
202
through the joint member
137
of the ink supply
Kitabatake Kenji
Koshikawa Hiroshi
Morita Osamu
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Vo Anh T. N.
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