Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-05
2004-02-17
Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
C347S086000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06692115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid supply system for supplying a tank mounted on a carriage, executing a reciprocating motion and supporting a recording head and the tank, with ink from a replenishing tank different from the tank on the carriage when the carriage moves to a predetermined position, and a liquid discharge recording apparatus provided with such liquid supply system.
2. Related Background Art
A conventional liquid discharge recording apparatus is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 9-234881 and 10-29318. In the liquid discharge recording apparatus disclosed therein is provided, on a reciprocably supported carriage, with a tank unit containing ink constituting recording liquid and a recording head for discharging the ink, supplied from such tank unit, toward a recording medium such as a recording sheet. The recording sheet is conveyed by conveying means, and the carriage executes a reciprocating motion along a line in the transversal direction of the recording sheet, perpendicular to the conveying direction. The recording head on the carriage discharges the ink toward the recording sheet in the course of the reciprocating motion of the carriage, thereby recording an image on the recording sheet. The tank unit on the carriage contains an absorbent member for holding ink by absorbing ink therein. Such absorbent member can be composed, for example, of a porous member such as sponge or a fibrous body.
The liquid discharge recording apparatus described in the aforementioned patent applications is provided with a replenishing tank different from the tank supported on the carriage. The replenishing tank contains ink for replenishment to the tank unit on the carriage. The replenishing tank is fixed for example to the housing of the liquid discharge recording apparatus, in the vicinity of the moving range of the carriage. To the replenishing tank, there is connected an end of a tubular liquid supply path for supplying the tank unit on the carriage with the ink contained in such replenishing tank. In the ink replenishment to the tank unit on the carriage, the carriage is moved to a predetermined position or a replenishing position to the tank unit, and the ink in the replenishing tank is supplied through the liquid supply path to the tank unit on the carriage stopped at such replenishing position. In such liquid discharge recording apparatus of so-called pit-in system, the ink is replenished from the replenishing tank to the tank unit before all the ink therein is consumed in the recording operation.
In the recording apparatus of the above-described pit-in system, it is being required to reduce the ink supply time from the replenishing tank to the ink tank and to rapidly move the carriage from the predetermined replenishing position to the recording area, in order to improve the throughput.
However, in the above-described conventional liquid discharge recording apparatus, a shortened ink supply time may result in a defective printing or ink leakage from the ink tank since the absorbent member is incapable of rapidly absorbing the replenished ink.
Also in such liquid discharge recording apparatus, in the liquid supply path for supplying the ink from the replenishing tank, fixed for example on the housing, to the tank unit on the carriage, the ink may drip off from the end portion of the liquid supply path for example by a vibration generated in the movement of the carriage, thus resulting in ink leakage. Also in case the ink supply path is so constructed that the end portion of the supply tube extending from the replenishing tank extends downwards parallel to the direction of gravity, so as to form a meniscus at the end portion of the supply tube in the interval of the replenishing operations, such meniscus has to be maintained in stable manner throughout the interval of the replenishing operations in order that the ink replenishing operation can be stably and securely executed. If the meniscus is formed unstably in such ink supply path, the meniscus may be easily broken for example by a vibration, thus leading to ink leakage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide, for use in a liquid discharge recording apparatus provided with a carriage supporting a tank unit containing an absorbent member and a recording head and adapted to replenish ink from a replenishing tank to the tank unit on the carriage when the carriage moves to a predetermined position, a liquid supply system enabling rapid absorption of the ink in the absorbent member thereby allowing prompt ink replenishment, a liquid discharge recording apparatus provided with such liquid supply system, and a liquid container adapted for use as the tank unit to be supported on the carriage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide, for use in the above-mentioned liquid discharge recording apparatus, a liquid supply system ensuring highly reliable ink supply without ink leakage in the ink supply path from the replenishing tank to the tank unit on the carriage, and a liquid discharge recording apparatus provided with such liquid supply system.
The above-mentioned objects can be attained, according to the present invention, by a liquid container containing therein an absorbent member for temporarily supporting, by a capillary force, liquid to be supplied to a recording head for discharging liquid and mounted together with the recording head on a linearly reciprocating carriage and subjected to liquid replenishment to the absorbent member when the carriage is moved to a predetermined position, wherein the surface of the absorbent member is applied with a polymer including a second portion having a lyophilic radical for providing the surface with lyophilicity and also including a first portion having a radical of an interfacial energy different from that of the aforementioned lyophilic radical and approximately equal to the surface energy of the aforementioned surface, and the first portion is oriented toward the surface while the second portion is oriented in a direction different from the surface.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a liquid supply system comprising a tank unit containing therein an absorbent member for temporarily supporting, by a capillary force, liquid to be supplied to a recording head for discharging liquid and mounted together with the aforementioned recording head on a linearly reciprocating carriage, and a replenishing tank containing liquid to be replenished to the tank unit when the carriage is moved to a predetermined position, wherein the surface of the absorbent member is applied with a polymer including a second portion having a lyophilic radical for providing the surface with lyophilicity and also including a first portion having a radical of an interfacial energy different from that of the aforementioned lyophilic radical and approximately equal to the surfacial energy of the aforementioned surface, and the first portion is oriented toward the surface while the second portion is oriented in a direction different from the surface.
According to the present invention, there is further provided a liquid supply system comprising a tank unit containing liquid to be supplied to a recording head for discharging liquid and mounted together with the aforementioned recording head on a linearly reciprocating carriage, a replenishing tank containing liquid to be replenished to the tank unit when the carriage is moved to a predetermined position, and a tubular liquid supply path of which an end is connected to the replenishing tank for supplying the tank unit with the liquid contained in the replenishing tank while the other end is positioned above the tank unit when the carriage is moved to the aforementioned predetermined position, wherein the internal surface of the liquid supply path is applied with a polymer including a second portion having a lyophilic radical for providing the internal surface with lyophilicity and
Hayashi Hiroki
Sanada Mikio
Sugama Sadayuki
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