Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-05
2001-07-03
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254228
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to an image recording apparatus that uses hot melt ink for recording and, more particularly, to a technology for supplying a solid piece of ink from an ink cartridge, which houses a plurality of solid ink pieces, to a recording device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional image recording apparatus, ink that assumes a solid state at normal temperatures is heated and melted by a recording device, and ink melt is ejected to a recording medium by the recording device. Such an image recording apparatus is mainly used for recording on a large-size recording medium.
When the remaining amount of solid ink becomes short, the aforementioned conventional image recording apparatus produces an alarm, to indicate to an operator that the ink supply is dwindling. Thus, the conventional image recording apparatus is subject to a problem regarding ease of operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is intended to solve the aforementioned problem in operability. It is an object of the invention to provide an image recording apparatus having a single drive device that drives both an ink cartridge conveyance unit and an ink hammer, thereby simplifying the structure of the apparatus, and reducing the number of component parts and the production cost.
According to the invention, an image recording apparatus is provided that includes at least one ink cartridge which houses a plurality of solid ink pieces, a recording device that receives one of the plurality solid ink pieces from the ink cartridge and uses the one solid ink piece for recording by melting the one solid ink piece. The apparatus of the invention includes additional devices. Specifically, at least one ink supply device supplies a solid ink piece from the ink cartridge to the recording device by forcing the solid ink piece out of the ink cartridge. A conveyance device either conveys the ink cartridge toward the ink supply device, or conveys the solid ink pieces toward the ink supply device. A drive device drives the conveyance device and the ink supply device.
In the image recording apparatus of the invention, the ink supply device and conveyance device are driven by the single drive device in order to supply a solid ink piece from the ink cartridge to the recording device. That is, the ink supply device and the drive device do not require separate drive devices. Therefore, the number of required component parts is reduced, and the structure is simplified. Furthermore, since the ink supply device and the conveyance device can be operated in concert by controlling the operation of the single drive device, the control of the ink supply device and the conveyance device is simplified.
In the image recording apparatus of the invention, transmission of drive force from the drive device may be changeable between transmission to the conveyance device and transmission to the ink supply device, by a planetary gear.
When the planetary gear is in a state that the planetary gear does not transmit drive force to the conveyance device, but transmits drive force to the ink supply device, an ink supplying operation is performed. When the planetary gear is in an opposite state, that is, a state where the planetary gear does not transmit drive force to the ink supply device, but transmits drive force to the conveyance device, an ink conveying operation is performed.
The image recording apparatus of the invention may also have a structure as described below. That is, the conveyance device conveys a plurality of ink cartridges of ink colors that are arranged side by side, and an ink supply device is provided separately for each of the ink colors of the ink cartridges. One of the ink supply devices provided separately for the ink colors of the ink cartridges is driven in association with, and in correspondence to, an operation of the recording device, so that a solid ink piece of a corresponding ink color is supplied to an ink tank of the recording device.
In this structure, when the recording device is moved to a position corresponding to one of the ink supply devices provided for a solid ink piece of a desired or needed color, that ink supply device is driven in cooperation with a movement of the recording device so that the solid ink piece of the desired color is supplied to the recording device.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5030972 (1991-07-01), Miyazawa et al.
patent: 6010214 (2000-01-01), Sago et al.
patent: 6053608 (2000-04-01), Ishii et al.
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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