Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-23
2001-05-01
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224201
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink supply route having a deaerator therefor. The invention also relates to an apparatus for manufacturing color filters that manufactures color filters by coloring a transparent substrate with ink by use of such ink jet recording apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
The ink jet recording method has conventionally been adopted as output means of information processing systems, such as a printer serving as the output terminal of a copying machine, a facsimile equipment, an electronic typewriter, a word processor, or a work station or it has been adopted conventionally as the recording method of a handy or a portable printer provided for a personal computer, a host computer, an optical disc device, a video apparatus, or the like.
The ink jet recording method is used for recording characters, figures, and the like by discharging fine ink droplets from nozzles (hereinafter referred to as discharge ports). This method has excellent advantages in the output of highly precise images as recording means executable at higher speeds. Also, the recording apparatus to which the ink jet recording method is applicable (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet recording apparatus) is of non-impact type, and makes a lesser amount of noises when operated. Also, it is easier for the apparatus to use ink of many colors for recording color images. Further, among some other advantages, the apparatus main body can be made smaller and easier to provide highly densified images. With such wider use, the ink jet recording method has rapidly been in demand increasingly more in recent years.
Also, along with the development of personal computers, particularly the portable personal computers, there has been a tendency that the liquid crystal display, particularly its color display, is in demand more in recent years. However, in order to popularize the use of this type of display more widely, it is necessary to reduce its costs of manufacture. Particularly, the reduction of costs is demanded more on the color filters, because they cost high.
There have been attempted various methods in order to meet such demand on the cost reduction, while maintaining the required characteristics of color filters satisfactorily. However, no method has been established as yet to satisfy all the requirements in this aspect. Now, hereunder, the description will be made of some of the methods for manufacturing color filters; here, R, G, B stand for red, green, and blue in the description given below.
There is the dyeing method as a first method for manufacturing color filters. The dyeing method is such that on the glass substrate, water soluble polymer material is coated for use of dyeing, and that after patterning the water soluble polymer material to a desired configuration by means of photolithographic process, the pattern thus obtained is immersed into the dyeing bath. In this manner, the colored pattern is obtained. By repeating this process three times, the R, G, B color filter layers are produced on the glass substrate.
There is the pigments dispersion method as a second method for manufacturing color filters. The pigments dispersion method has almost taken place of the dyeing method in recent years. The pigments dispersion method is such that pigments are dispersed on the substrate to form a photosensitive resin layer, and that by patterning this photosensitive rain layer, a monochrome pattern is obtained. Then, by repeating this process three times, the R, G, B color filter layers are formed on the substrate.
There is the electrodeposition method as a third method for manufacturing color filters. The electrodeposition method is such that on the substrate, transparent electrodes are patterned, and then, the substrate is immersed in the electrodeposition coating agent that contains pigments, resin, and electrolytic solution, among some others, thus electrodepositing a desired color on the substrate. By repeating this process three times, R, G, B are separately coated on the substrate, and after that, resin is thermally hardened to form the surface color layer on the substrate.
There is the printing method as a fourth method for manufacturing color filters. The printing method is such that pigments are dispersed on the thermally hardening resin, and printing is repeated three times using such resin for the separate coating of R, G, B. After that, resin is thermally hardened to form color layers on the substrate. Also, it is generally practiced to form a protection layer on the surface of the color layer produced by any one of these methods described above.
The processing aspect that shared by these methods is the need for the three-time repetition of one and the same process for coloring in R, G, B, which inevitably results in the higher costs. Then, there is a problem that the more the processes are needed, the more production yield is reduced. Further, for the electrodeposition method, the formable pattern configuration is automatically limited. Therefore, the techniques currently in use for this method is not applicable to manufacturing the color liquid crystal display of the TFT type. Also, with the printing method, the resultant resolution and smoothness are not good enough to form patterns at fine pitches.
In order to compensate for these drawbacks, a method for manufacturing color filters with an ink jet recording method is proposed as disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 59-75205, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 63-235901, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 63-294503, or Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 1-217302, among some others.
Of these methods disclosed in them, the method for manufacturing color filters by means of the ink jet recording method is typically such that a light shielding film is provided to form apertures on the transparent substrate with a specific regularity, and that ink is discharged from the ink jet head for coloring on the transparent substrate having such exposed apertures on it.
The material costs of the color filters produced by use of the ink jet recording method can be made lower, because coloring is given only on the parts that require it. Moreover, it is possible to provide the three colors at a time. The required time for manufacturing steps is shorter to make it easier to avoid influences that may be exerted by the presence of dust particles. Also, the costs of manufacturing system can be made lower. As a result, the lower material costs and the higher production yields can be anticipated for the reasons described above, among some others, and as compared with the other methods of manufacture, it is possible to manufacture color filters at lower costs by use of the ink jet recording method.
FIG. 11
is a view which schematically shows the structure of the ink supply system of the conventional ink jet recording apparatus. As shown in
FIG. 11
, the ink supply system of the conventional ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink jet heat
1100
; a sub-tank
1401
retaining ink to be supplied to the ink jet head
1100
; and a main tank
1301
retaining ink to be supplied to the sub-tank
1401
.
On the inner bottom surface of the main tank
1301
, the one end of a tube
1351
is arranged, and the other end of the tube
1351
is connected with one end of a tube
1352
outside the main tank
1301
through a main pump
1302
. On the portion of the tube
1351
near the main tank, one end of a tube
1355
is connected for use of the air communication through a joint
1371
. The other end of the tube
1355
is connected with one end of a tube
1356
for use of the air communication through a two-way valve
1304
. When the two-way valve is open, the air outside and the tube
1351
are communicated through the other end of the tube
1356
by way of the tubes
1356
and
1355
. In
FIG. 11
, the two-way valve is in the state of being closed.
On the other hand, one end of a tube
1353
is connected
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
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