Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1996-07-26
2001-01-09
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170939
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a liquid storage container. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid storage container for storing a liquid usable as a recording agent for a recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus, a photoelectrical copying machine, a facsimile unit or the like. In addition, the present invention relates to a recording unit integrally including a liquid storing container of the foregoing type. Additionally, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus having a recording unit of the foregoing type mounted thereon. Further, the present invention relates to a method of filling a liquid storage container of the foregoing type with liquid from the outside.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional liquid injection recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet recording apparatus) is generally constructed such that a recording head for discharging ink therefrom and an ink storing section associated with the recording head are separately arranged as individual components at different positions located away from each other but they are operatively connected to each other via an ink feeding system inclusive of an ink feeding pipe interposed therebetween.
Because of a necessity for extending a long ink feeding pipe between both the components, the conventional ink jet recording apparatus constructed in the above-described manner has problems in the piping operation, and moreover, vaporized ink or air is liable to invade the apparatus. To cope with the foregoing problems, the assignee common to the present invention proposed an ink jet recording apparatus of the type that an recording head and an ink storing section are united with each other in the form of an integral unit (cartridge), as disclosed in official gazettes of Japanese Patent Application Laying-open Nos. 61-249757, 63-22653 and 2-192954. According to the proposals, the aforementioned problems associated with evaporation of ink and invasion of air can be obviated, and the advantage attainable from the proposals is that any unskilled-user can easily handle an ink feeding system including an ink storing section because no piping operation is required.
However, when ink in the ink jet recording apparatus is completely consumed a user should purchase a new cartridge having a recording head and an ink tank cartridge integrated with each other so as to allow the used ink cartridge to be exchanged with a new one. In practice, there often arises an occasion that ink in the cartridge is completely consumed but the recording head is unavoidably exchanged with a new one although it has still some running life. In the circumstances as mentioned above, many requests have been raised from users for providing an ink jet recording apparatus which assures that a recording head including highly functional components such as piezo-electric elements, silicon wafers or the like can fully and effectively be utilized.
To satisfactorily meet these requests, the assignee proposed an on-carriage type ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head and an ink tank cartridge integrated with each other without any necessity for performing a piping operation wherein the recording head can fully be utilized over its entire running life, and moreover, the recording head can be disconnected from the ink tank cartridge when the latter is exchanged with a new one. With this on-carriage type ink jet recording apparatus constructed in that way, an empty ink tank cartridge can repeatedly be exchanged with a new one until the recording head reaches the end of its running life. As long as ordinary documents are printed with the ink jet recording apparatus, a series of recording operation can sequentially be performed for several thousand sheets of paper with a single recording head while only the empty ink tank cartridge is repeatedly exchanged with a new one. With the on-carriage type ink jet recording apparatus, when any recording operation can not be performed any more because the running life of the recording head expires, a user is required to purchase a new recording head so that a recording operation can be restarted with the new recording head. In addition, the assignee made various kinds of proposals with respect to an ink storing container to be integrated with a recording head in practical use.
As a printing technique, hardware and software for personal computers advance year by year in the aforementioned circumstances, it becomes possible to perform each printing operation with greater ease and a more beautiful appearance. On the other hand, the performance required from a recording apparatus is increased with improved versatility. Although there often arises the question as to whether a dye based ink should be used or a pigment based ink should be used, each of these inks has its own features. This makes it difficult to finally determine the type of ink to be selected. In other words, a user is required to make a decision at his discretion as to which type of ink to be used. This tendency is remarkably intensified at present because users increasingly employ color printing. In addition, it is expected that various types of inks each having different physical and chemical properties are put in practical use. This fact has a significant effect on designing of an ink tank cartridge. Thus, there arises a necessity for preparing an ink tank cartridge corresponding to each type of ink to be used.
Another-problem is concerned with an optimal working volume of ink tank cartridge which should be determined corresponding to a certain kind of ink. For example, in the case that a user frequently performs recording operations, it is desirable for him or her to print many sheets of paper with the reduced number of exchanging operations each performed for exchanging an empty ink tank cartridge with a new one. On the contrary, when a user prints a small number of sheets every time a recording operation is performed by him or her, it is economically unacceptable for the following reason to use an ink tank cartridge containing a large quantity of ink. Specifically, when the recording head is kept inoperative for a long time after a small quantity of ink is consumed for each recording operation, volatile components contained in ink are vaporized therefrom, causing coloring substances to be adversely transformed. For this reason, a user is required to exchange the ink tank cartridge with a new one every time a recording operation is performed. This leads to the result that he or she is spending money for unused ink remaining in the exchanged ink tank cartridge. In the circumstances as mentioned above, many requests have been raised from many users for providing an ink tank cartridge which is simple in structure and contains a small quantity of ink. On the other hand, for a user who prints a large number of sheets at every recording operation, there is a need of preparing an ink tank cartridge containing a possibly large quantity of ink in the restrictively predetermined working volume thereof. In this case, it is desirable that each recording operation is achieved at a low printing cost although the ink tank cartridge is produced at an expensive cost. This shows merely an example of explaining the current tendency that it is expected that various types of advanced techniques will be developed with respect to the ink jet recording apparatus in future. In addition, it is anticipated that each ink tank cartridge is constructed with a different structure corresponding to a common recording head.
In the case that an exchangeable type ink tank cartridge is used for the ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary that measured be taken for the purpose of preventing dust or similar foreign materials from entering the ink jet recording head when a porous ink absorbing member molded of an elastic material is employed as means for retaining ink in the ink tank cartridge. In practice, however, since fine fractures are torn or peel
Kotaki Yasuo
Kubota Hidemi
Nakajima Kazuhiro
Osada Torachika
Sato Yohei
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
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