Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-01
2001-06-19
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247806
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head cartridge using a liquid ejecting head for ejecting desired liquid by generation of a bubble created by application of thermal energy to the liquid, and a liquid container usable with the cartridge.
Particularly, it relates to a head cartridge using a liquid ejecting head including a movable member which is displace or moved by generation of the bubble, and a liquid container usable with the cartridge.
An ink jet recording method of so-called bubble jet type is known in which an instantaneous state change resulting in an instantaneous volume change (bubble generation) is caused by application of energy such as heat to the ink, so as to eject the ink through the ejection outlet by the force resulted from the state change by which the ink is ejected to and deposited on the recording material to form an image formation. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129 and so on, a recording device using the bubble jet recording method comprises an ejection outlet for ejecting the ink, an ink flow path in fluid communication with the ejection outlet, and an electrothermal transducer as energy generating means disposed in the ink flow path.
With such a recording method is advantageous in that, a high quality image, can be recorded at high sped and with low noise, and a plurality of such ejection outlets can be posited at high density, and therefore, small size recording apparatus capable of providing a high resolution can be provided, and color images can be easily formed. Therefore, the bubble jet recording method is now widely used in printers, copying machines, facsimile machines or another office equipment, and for industrial systems such as textile printing device or the like.
With the increase of the wide needs for the bubble jet technique, various demands are imposed thereon, recently.
For example, an improvement in energy use efficiency is demanded. To meet the demand, the optimization of the heat generating element such as adjustment of the thickness of the protecting film is investigated. This method is effective in that propagation efficiency of the generated heat to the liquid is improved.
In order to provide high quality images, driving conditions have been proposed by which the ink ejection speed is increased, and/or the bubble generation is stabilized to accomplish better ink ejection. As another example, from the standpoint of increasing the recording speed, flow passage configuration improvements have been proposed by which the speed of liquid filling (refilling) into the liquid flow path is increased.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. SHO-63-199972 and so on discloses a flow passage structure shown in
FIG. 23
, (
a
), (
b
). The flow passage structure or the head manufacturing method disclosed in this publication has been made noting a backward wave (the pressure wave directed away from the ejection outlet, more particularly, toward a liquid chamber
12
) generated in accordance with generation of the bubble. This backward wave produces an energy loss since it is not effective to eject the liquid.
FIG. 23
, (
a
) and (
b
) disclose a valve
10
spaced from a generating region of the bubble generated by the heat generating element
2
in a direction away from the ejection outlet
11
.
In
FIG. 23
, (
b
), this valve
10
, is so manufactured from a plate that it has an initial position where it looks as if it stick on the ceiling of the flow path
3
, and is deflected downward into the flow path
3
upon the generation of the bubble. Thus, the energy loss is suppressed by controlling a part of the backward wave by the valve
10
.
However, with this structure, if the consideration is made as to the time when the bubble is generated in the flow path
3
having the liquid to be ejected, the suppression of a part of the backward wave by the valve
10
is no desirable.
The backward wave per se is not contributable to the ejection. At the time when the backward wave is generated inside the flow path
3
, the pressure directly contributable to the ejection has already made the liquid ejectable from the flow path
3
, as shown in
FIG. 23
, (
a
).
Therefore, even if the backward wave is suppressed, the ejection is not significantly influenced, much less even if a part thereof is suppressed.
On the other hand, in the bubble jet recording method, the heating is repeated with the heat generating element contacted with the ink, and therefore, a burnt material is deposited on the surface of the heat generating element due to burnt deposit (coagulation) of the ink. However, the amount of the deposit may be large depending on the materials of the ink. If this occurs, the ink ejection becomes unstable.
Additionally, even when the liquid to be ejected is the one easily deteriorated by heat or even when the liquid is the one with which the bubble generated is not sufficient, the liquid is desired to be ejected in good order without property change.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. SHO-61-69467, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. SHO-55-81172 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,259 disclose that different liquids are used for the liquid generating the bubble by the heat (bubble generating liquid) and for the liquid to be ejected (ejection liquid). In these publications, the ink as the ejection liquid and the bubble generation liquid are completely separated by a flexible film of silicon rubber or the like so as to prevent direct contact of the ejection liquid to the heat generating element while propagating the pressure resulting from the bubble generation of the bubble generation liquid to the ejection liquid by the deformation of the flexible film. The prevention of the deposition of the material on the surface of the heat generating element and the increase of the selection latitude of the ejection liquid are accomplished, by such a structure.
However, with this structure in which the ejection liquid and the bubble generation liquid are completely separated, the pressure by the bubble generation is propagated to the ejection liquid through the expansion-contraction deformation of the flexible film, and therefore, the pressure is absorbed by the flexible film to quite a high degree. In addition, the deformation of the flexible film is not so large, and therefore, the energy use efficiency and the ejection force are deteriorated although the some effect is provided by the provision between the ejection liquid and the bubble generation liquid.
Inn many cases in the recording device using such a bubble jet recording system, a head cartridge which is detachable mountably relative to a carriage on the recording device and which integrally has an ink accommodating portion (ink container) and a head, is widely used.
This is because if the ink accommodating portion is placed at a different position on the carriage, it has to be connected with the recording head by a tube or like with the result of bulky apparatus or the possibility of evaporation of the ink in the connecting path.
In such a cartridge, the connecting portion with the recording means is in many cases provided below the center of the ink accommodating portion to increase the usage efficiency of the ink accommodated in the ink accommodating portion. In order to stably maintain the ink and to prevent ink leakage from the ejection portion such as a nozzle in the recording means, the ink accommodating portion in the head cartridge is given a function of generating a back pressure against the ink flow to the recording means. The back pressure is called “negative pressure”, since it provides negative pressure relative to the ambient pressure at the ejection outlet portion.
In order to produce the negative pressure, the use may be made with capillary force of a porous material or member. The ink container using the method, comprises a porous material such as a sponge contained and preferably compressed in the entirety of the ink container, and an air vent for introducing air thereinto to facilitate the ink supply during the printing.
H
Asakawa Yoshie
Ishinaga Hiroyuki
Kashino Toshio
Kudo Kiyomitsu
Matsumoto Hidehisa
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Vo Anh T. N.
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