Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-23
2001-05-22
Nguyen, Thinh (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234616
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mechanism for opening or closing an ink supply passage in an ink-jet printer.
In an ink-jet printer for processing a large quantity of data, particularly in an ink-jet printer for enabling a large quantity of color printing, ink cartridges with large capacity for respectively housing at least four types such as black, cyan, magenta and yellow of ink are provided outside the side frame of the printer main body, however, to further downsize the above printer, these ink cartridges are sometimes arranged symmetrically in a lower part on both sides of the printer main body.
However, as large difference is made between the head of a recording head and the head of each ink cartridge and large difference is made between each head of the right and left ink cartridges when the printer main body is tilted in case the ink cartridges are arranged symmetrically in the lower part on both sides of the printer main body as described above, a problem such as the leakage of ink and the color mixture of ink may be caused in case the printer main body is vibrated or is tilted when it is carried.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made to solve such a problem and the object is to provide a mechanism for opening or closing an ink supply passage in a new printer which can also securely prevent ink from leaking by opening a passage from an ink cartridge to a recording head only in recording in a printer where ink cartridges are arranged symmetrically.
That is, to achieve such an object, the present invention is characterized in that a valve opening/closing mechanism operated to open a passage by the rotation in the direction of paper feed of paper feed roller driving means is provided in a part of the passage from an ink cartridge to a recording head in an ink-jet printer of a type that a cartridge housing for housing an ink cartridge is arranged symmetrically on both sides of the printer main body, ink is prevented from leaking by always closing the passage except in recording and bubbles can be readily exhausted by arranging the valve chamber which is a part of the valve opening/closing mechanism below a position in which the recording head is arranged even if the bubbles enter from an ink cartridge to a valve chamber.
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Hara Kazuhiko
Komuro Kiyoto
Nguyen Thinh
Seiko Epson Corporation
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Vo Anh T. N.
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