Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-09
2001-07-24
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264318
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus and in particular relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus in which ink is supplied from a main tank installed outside of a carriage to a recording head mounted on the carriage. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus in which ink is supplied to a recording head by inserting an ink supplying needle into a sealing member for sealing an open mouth of an ink storing device such as an ink bag or an ink tank, and to the ink storing device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In an ink-jet recording apparatus, there has been conventionally devised a method for supplying ink from an ink tank of a large capacity installed outside of a carriage to a recording head mounted on the carriage in order to reduce a running cost and increase a printing speed. In this case, a method for reserving the ink in a flexible ink bag has been known as a method for storing a large quantity of ink in the ink tank.
As one example of such a prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-44663 (1981) discloses the configuration in which a flat and thin container made of a high molecular film is disposed under a printer unit.
Alternatively, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-18265 (1982) discloses the configuration in which a flexible ink bag of a flat and thin type is used as a main tank so as to absorb pressure variations generated by air staying inside a sub tank.
Otherwise, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.57-63286 (1982) discloses the configuration in which an ink tank is made of a flexible film having a low gas permeability so as to reduce the inner volume of the ink tank by the atmospheric pressure as ink is consumed.
Additionally, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-35346 (1988) discloses an ink bag formed of two flexible films bonded to each other and welded at four sides thereof by thermal fusion. An open mouth for letting out ink from the inside of the ink bag is welded onto one side of the ink bag by thermal fusion. A communicating hole communicating with the outside is formed at the open mouth. A rubber plug is press-fitted into the communicating hole, to thus seal the open mouth. Consequently, the ink can be introduced outside of the ink bag via an ink supplying needle by piercing the ink supplying needle through the rubber plug.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-34765 -1992) discloses an ink bag in which an open mouth is welded onto one side of the ink bag made of a flexible film by thermal fusion in the same manner as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-35346, and a rubber plug is fitted into a communicating hole formed at the opening in a sealed state by press-fitting, caulking, bonding or the like. Here, a thin film is formed at a portion of the open mouth in contact with the rubber plug. Therefore, the ink supplying needle penetrates the rubber plug and the thin film of the open mouth to define an ink supplying path, thereby letting out the ink contained in the ink bag to a recording head.
However, in the case where the ink bag having flexibility is used as the ink tank as described above, there have arisen the following inconveniences:
The flexible ink bag of a flat and thin type is filled with ink, and then, is contained inside an ink tank casing, for supplying the ink. Therefore, the volume of the ink bag of a flat and thin type is smaller than that of the casing, thereby enlarging an unusable dead space. This results in the inconvenience that the ink tank cannot have a compact configuration. Otherwise, in order that a large quantity of ink is reserved in the ink bag of a flat and thin type, the area of a flat side face (hereinafter referred to as “a flat surface”) must be extended, so that the ink tank having a markedly large flat surface must be used. It is very inconvenient that such an ink tank is housed inside an ink-jet recording apparatus.
In order to overcome the above-described inconveniences, there has been disclosed an ink bag which is neither flat nor thin but is formed into a polygonal prism or has a foldable side face. For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-64846 (1985) discloses an ink bag having a foldable side face in which an end edge of a foldable member is thermally fused inside of both end edges of a pair of main body films. Alternatively, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-254144 (1993) discloses a flexible ink bag which is in the form of a polygonal prism in a state that it is filled with a sufficient quantity of ink.
However, there has arisen inconvenience that a decrease in ink quantity remaining in the ink bag causes irregular wrinkles or creases which prevent the ink bag from being completely deflated, and therefore, the ink remains in the ink bag.
Furthermore, in an ink-jet recording apparatus dislcosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-35346 and No. 4-347653, the ink supplying needle penetrates the rubber plug to define the ink supplying path for letting out the ink, therefore, the ink supplying needle may be possibly inserted into the used ink bag to fill the ink bag with the ink for reuse. In the case where the ink to be refilled is inappropriate, there occurs a possibility of a printing fault due to deficient ejection.
Furthermore, in an ink-jet recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-347653, the ink supplying needle penetrates the thin film of the open mouth, thereby inducing a possibility that broken pieces of the broken thin film may be contained in the ink.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides an ink-jet recording apparatus having a compact main tank, in which ink can be stably supplied to the last droplet of the ink. Furthermore, the present invention provides an ink-jet recording apparatus in which ink can be stably supplied to a recording head while avoiding any printing fault caused by inappropriate ink filled in an ink bag, and an ink storing device in which it is difficult to improperly fill ink and it is possible to prevent any imitation.
The ink-jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head mounted on a carriage for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, the carriage being moved in a main scanning direction with respect to the recording medium to be transported in a sub-scanning direction, sub tanks mounted on the carriage for supplying the ink to the recording head, a main tank installed outside of the carriage for supplying the ink to the sub tanks via a tube, plural flat and thin ink bags corresponding to one ink color contained in the main tank, a connecting member for connecting the ink bags to the tube, and a common channel for allowing the plural ink bags to communicate with each other.
With this configuration, ink of one color is supplied from each of the plural ink bags to the sub tank. At this moment, since the ink bag of a flat and thin type is used, the ink can be stably supplied till an ink remaining quantity becomes substantially zero.
Furthermore, the plural flat ink bags are housed inside the main tank in order to supply a large quantity of ink, thereby reducing a dead space inside the main tank. Particularly, since the plural ink bags are housed inside the main tank with the flat surfaces thereof arranged substantially in parallel to each other, a large quantity of ink can be supplied to the recording head while the main tank is configured in a compact size.
Moreover, a quantity of ink reserved in the main tank can be increased simply by increasing the number of ink bags housed in the main tank without extending the area of the flat surface of the ink bag. Additionally, since the ink bags communicate with each other via a common channel, pressures can be equalized via the common channel even if a difference in pressure is generated between the ink bags. Consequently, the plural ink bags have the same ink remaining quantity.
Here, since the common channel is disposed in the main tank, the connecting member can be connected to only one
Fujii Katsuyuki
Oda Kazuyuki
Yoshida Jun-ichi
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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