Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1995-05-15
2001-09-18
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290344
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink container having therein an ink absorbing porous material.
An ink jet head is known which comprises an integral energy generating portion for producing recording droplets and an ink container for supplying the ink thereto. The ink container of the ink jet head of this type generally includes therein a compressed porous material which is impregnated with the ink. The ink retained in the porous material is discharged to an ink ejecting portion through a common chamber by a capillary action in accordance with consumption of the ink by the ejecting portion. In addition, in order to prevent production of vacuum pressure in the ink container, a small area of the ink container (approximately 3% of the inside area of the ink container) is opened to the atmosphere (air vent).
In this conventional structure, the porous material occupies an increasing percentage of the volume of the ink container, since the demand is for the larger quantity of the ink contained in the recording head to reduce the frequency of exchanging it. However, on the contrary to the increase of the quantity of the ink therein, the quantity of the ink not usable and remaining in the container is increasing.
It is important that the ink is retained in the porous material in the manner that the ejection properties are not influenced.
An ink supply pipe pressed to the porous material in the ink container and supplies to an ink chamber communicating with the ink ejection passage. The pressure is effective to stabilize the contact with the porous material by deforming the porous material contacted by the pipe. The degree of pressure is small from the standpoint of not largely deforming the porous material. However, with the performance of the recording operation, the ink supply sometimes becomes not enough despite a large quantity of the ink remaining in the container with the result of forced exchange of the ink jet recording head or cartridge.
This tendency has been more remarkable in the case wherein a rib or ribs are formed in the container adjacent the air vent opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording head or cartridge and a recording apparatus having the same wherein the quantity of the ink non-consumably remaining in the container is reduced.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording head or cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein the exchange frequency of the ink jet recording head or cartridge is reduced.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink jet head or cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus using the same wherein the recording operation can be performed in a stabilized manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink jet head or a cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein the consumption of the ink in the ink container is improved.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink jet head or cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein the quantity of the non-consumably remaining ink in the ink container is significantly reduced.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink jet head or cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus wherein the ink in the ink container can be efficiently consumed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink jet head or cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus wherein the ink can be supplied without adverse influence to the ink ejection property.
A particular object of this invention is to provide an ink container having a casing, an air vent located in the casing, an ink supply opening for supplying ink out of the casing, and an ink absorbing material, contained in the casing, for retaining ink therein, this ink absorbing material having a generally rectangular parallelopipedal shape defined by a plurality of sides of the ink absorbing material, the ink absorbing material having an ink supply portion for supplying ink to the ink supply opening and having corner portions, each corner portion being located between adjacent two sides of the ink absorbing material. The ink absorbing material has a side closest to the ink supply portion, and a side opposite to the side closest to the ink supply portion. A preventing means prevents complete surface contact between the casing and ink absorbing material by provision of a cavity between the casing and ink absorbing material, the cavity extending adjacent to a particular one of the corner portions that is most remote from the ink supply portion, the air vent being in fluid communication with the cavity. Moreover, the air vent is disposed at a position separated from the ink supply portion by a distance larger than a minimum distance between the ink supply portion and the side of ink absorbing material that is opposite to the side closest to the ink supply portion.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Official Search Report for Eur. Pat. Appln. No. 93202399.7.
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Arashima Teruo
Hattori Yoshifumi
Ikeda Masami
Izumida Masaaki
Karita Seiichiro
Barlow John
Brooke Michael S
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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