Ink tank and ink jet printer

Details Ink tank and ink jet printer Ink tank and ink jet printer

2007-08-07

2007-08-07

Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)

Incremental printing of symbolic information

Ink jet

Fluid or fluid source handling means

C347S007000

Reexamination Certificate

active

11400386

ABSTRACT:
An ink tank of the foam type which is provided with a detected portion capable of exactly and surely detecting the amount of ink used by the printer or remaining in the ink tank. The ink tank includes a sub ink chamber that is diposed or formed between a main ink chamber and an ink outlet of an ink tank of a foam type. When an amount of air flowing into the sub ink chamber increases, one or more reflecting surfaces of a right-angled prism, which function as ink interfaces, resume their original function of reflecting surfaces, thereby enabling the detection of an ink end. Air bubbles having entered the sub ink chamber are surely led onto the one or more reflecting surfaces by a bubble storage part. At an ink passage having a narrow width, which is defined by the one or more reflecting surfaces, air bubbles are pressed against the one or more reflecting surfaces to be put to a crushed state and in surface contact with the latter. Air bubbles are surely led onto the one or more reflecting surfaces, and are crushed and pressed against the reflecting surfaces. This configuration prevents the one or more reflecting surfaces from being covered with ink retained in spaces among the air bubbles. Therefore, the ink end can be detected surely and exactly.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4246489 (1981-01-01), Yoshida et al.
patent: 5616929 (1997-04-01), Hara
patent: 5790157 (1998-08-01), Higuma et al.
patent: 5997121 (1999-12-01), Altfather et al.
patent: 6012795 (2000-01-01), Saito et al.
patent: 6145972 (2000-11-01), Udagawa et al.
patent: 6234603 (2001-05-01), Altfather et al.
patent: 6361136 (2002-03-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 6409302 (2002-06-01), Altfather et al.
patent: 6454400 (2002-09-01), Morita et al.
patent: 6729711 (2004-05-01), Hashimoto et al.
patent: 6848776 (2005-02-01), Nishioka et al.
patent: 7029106 (2006-04-01), Nishioka et al.
patent: 2001/0035887 (2001-11-01), Altfather et al.
patent: 6-305162 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 6-328717 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 7-125236 (1995-05-01), None
patent: 8-108543 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 8-197743 (1996-08-01), None
patent: 9-174877 (1997-07-01), None
patent: 10-323993 (1998-12-01), None
patent: 11-115200 (1999-04-01), None
patent: 2001-063085 (2001-03-01), None
patent: 2002-205413 (2002-07-01), None
Patent Abstract of Japan, vol. 1998, No. 14, Dec. 31, 1998 and JP 10 232157 A (Canon Inc.).

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Ink tank and ink jet printer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Ink tank and ink jet printer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ink tank and ink jet printer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3864669