Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes the steps of inputting a set of driving pulses to a heater element so that the heater element is repeatedly activated by the driving pulses, repeatedly generating a bubble in ink in an ink path in accordance with repeated activation of the heater element, and separately jetting ink droplets from an ink jetting orifice due to the bubble repeatedly generated in the ink, a number of the ink droplets being equal to a number of the driving pulses input as a set to the heater element, the ink droplets jetted from the ink jetting orifice forming a single dot on a recording medium, wherein a time interval at which the driving pulses are input to the heater element is equal to or greater than 4T, T being a time period from a time at which the inputting of the pulses to the heater element starts to a time at which the bubble reaches a maximum size, and each ink droplet is a slender pillar so that a length of each ink droplet is at least three times as great as a diameter thereof.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording using a plurality of types of inks which are different in nature such as level of thickness, improved to attain excellent gradation of recorded image with a reduced number of ink types which are prepared beforehand. In one form, a clear ink which does not contain any dye is mixed with an ink which contains dye so as to form an ink blend of a density which can be set by varying the mixing ratio. The ink blend thus formed is supplied to a recording head. The invention also provides an ink jet recording apparatus which permits inks of different compositions to be blended within the recording apparatus so a to enable selection of ink composition which is optimum for the image to be recorded or purpose of use.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a liquid passage for ejection of ink; a liquid chamber for supplying ink to the passage; a device for mounting the recording head on the ink jet recording apparatus at an angle not more than 45 degrees relative to the horizontal plane; wherein the chamber has an internal surface which is slanted in a direction from an ink inlet thereof toward the liquid passage at the angle of 5-40 degrees relative to an extension of the liquid passage.

Abstract: A recording apparatus having a black ink recording head for discharging black ink onto a recording material and at least one single color non-black recording head for discharging non-black ink onto the recording material includes a recording head driver for driving the recording heads to discharge the ink onto the recording material and a controller for controlling the recording head driver so that a volume, per one dot area of the recording material, of the black ink discharged from the black ink recording head and deposited on the recording region of the recording material is larger than that of the non-black ink discharged from the non-black ink recording head and deposited on the recording region of the recording material.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium by using a recording head for discharging the ink, comprising a heater provided in the recording head and a resistor provided externally of the recording head to determine the resistance of the heater provided in the recording head, thereby selecting the drive conditions of the recording head.

Abstract: For providing a compact illuminating device capable of uniform illumination with a high intensity, there is provided a light conductive member including a light entrance face provided in a part of a lateral face of a rod-shaped translucent member, an area provided on a side opposed to the light entrance face, for reflecting and/or diffusing the entered light in the longitudinal direction of the translucent member, and an exit face provided in at least a part of a lateral face other than those on which the area and the light entrance face are provided, for emitting at least a part of thus reflected and/or diffused light beam.

Abstract: A method of recovering is described for a recording apparatus having a recording head, an ink container supplying ink to the recording head, and a pump which applies pressure to the recording head. The method includes the steps of detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink container, and changing the pressure produced by the pump in accordance with the amount of remaining ink.

Abstract: There is provided an ink jet head which includes an electrothermal converting body disposed along a pathway of ink, said electrothermal converting body being provided with a heat generating resistor capable of generating, upon energization, heat energy to be directly applied to ink on a heat acting face whereby discharging said ink, characterized in that said heat generating resistor is composed of a material containing at least Ir and other one specific element at the specific respective composition rates or a material containing at least Ir and other two specific elements at the specific respective composition rates, said heat generating resistor constituted by any of said materials being capable of exhibiting a sufficient durability even in the case of driving the ink jet head with a relatively long drive pulse duration.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a detachably mountable ink jet cartridge including an ink jet recording head for ejecting ink into a recording medium and an ink supply source containing ink for supply to the recording apparatus, which ink supply source has electrodes for passing an electric current through the ink in said ink supply source. A resistance-determining circuit determines a reference resistance between the electrodes by applying an electric current thereto when the ink jet cartridge is mounted to the apparatus and determines a test resistance between the electrodes by applying the same electric current thereto after a predetermined amount of recording. The reference resistance is used to calculate a threshold resistance, which is stored for comparison to the test resistance to judge whether or not the amount of ink in the ink supply source has dropped to a level unsuitable for recording.

Abstract: The driving frequency of a head is changed in conformity with temperature, and density data is converted into an optimum head driving voltage in conformity with temperature, whereby the discharge driving frequency and driving voltage of the recording head become optimum under any temperature condition, and thus recording of high quality is ensured since irregularities cause by the temperature variation of the recording head are eliminated. The driving voltage is set by a drive control circuit that includes a plurality of limiters, one of which is chosen in accordance with ambient temperature.

Abstract: A liquid jet head can be detachably fitted into an opening portion of a liquid tank having a liquid absorbing member therein by a liquid receiving member with a liquid path formed therein. The liquid head has a filter, and the peripheral part of the filter is immovably embedded in the foremost end of the liquid receiving member such that the radially outermost end of the filter is not exposed, and the filter is maintained so as to have a dome-shaped contour adapted to come in pressure contact with the liquid absorbing member when the liquid jet head is fitted to the liquid tank by the immovable embedding of the peripheral part of the filter therein. A liquid jet apparatus with a liquid tank has a liquid absorbing member and an opening portion formed thereon, as well as a liquid jet head of this type. A method of immovably securing a filter to a liquid receiving member of a liquid jet head is also described.

Abstract: A color ink jet printing apparatus including a single suction mechanism having a capping member designed to cap any one of the printheads of the apparatus and carrying out a suction recovery of that capped printhead. A plurality of additional caps which are not associated with the suction mechanism are provided for capping the printhead. Various printing moving schemes are devised to provide quick and efficient positioning of selected printheads opposing the suction mechanism to speedily service that printhead.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes the steps of inputting a set of driving pulses to a heater element so that the heater element is repeatedly activated by the driving pulses, repeatedly generating a bubble in ink in an ink path in accordance with repeated activation of the heater element, and separately jetting ink droplets from an ink jetting orifice due to the bubble repeatedly generated in the ink, a number of the ink droplets being equal to a number of the driving pulses input as a set to the heater element, the ink droplets jetted from the ink jetting orifice forming a single dot on a recording medium, wherein a time interval at which the driving pulses are input to the heater element is equal to or greater than 4T, T being a time period from a time at which the inputting of the pulses to the heater element starts to a time at which the bubble reaches a maximum size, and each ink droplet is a slender pillar so that a length of each ink droplet is at least three times as great as a diameter thereof.

Abstract: An inkjet drop ejection system comprises a combination of printhead components and ink, mutually tuned to maximize operating characteristics of the printhead and print quality and dry time of the ink. Use of a short shelf (distance from ink source to ink firing element), on the order of 55 microns, provides a very high speed refill. However, it is a characteristic of high speed refill that it has a tendency for being overdamped. To provide the requisite damping, the ink should have a viscosity greater than about 2 cp. In this way, the ink and architecture work together to provide a tuned system that enables stable operation at high frequencies. One advantage of the combination of a pigment and a dispersant in the ink is the resultant higher viscosity provided. The high speed would be of little value if the ink did not have a fast enough rate of drying. This is accomplished by the addition of alcohols or alcohol(s) and surfactant(s) to the ink.

Abstract: A liquid jet recording apparatus utilizes a removable recording head that stores its operation data. The apparatus includes a carriage, a detector, a read-out device and a controller. The carriage removably mounts the recording head. The detector detects mounting of the recording head on the carriage. The read-out device reads out the operation data of the recording head mounted on the carriage in response to detecting of mounting by the detector. The controller sense an operation condition of the recording head mounted on the carriage in response to the read-out device.

Abstract: There is disclosed a recording head having recording elements for image recording on a recording medium, a character generator for generating a character pattern corresponding to address data, and a driver for driving the recording elements according to the character pattern from the character generator, thereby effecting recording on the recording medium. Also disclosed in a recording apparatus utilizing such recording head. The recording apparatus includes a control unit for controlling recording. With the recording head of the present invention, the control unit is required to process less data than that which a control unit used with a conventional recording head is required to process.

Abstract: The present invention is a thermal printhead which includes a substrate portion, a resistive material configured to form a heating element and a thermal barrier island positioned between the resistive material and the substrate portion. The thermal barrier island is defined between the heating element and the substrate portion to reduce the heat flow between the heating element and the substrate portion.

Abstract: In the recording method and apparatus, ink is ejected by thermal energy produced by a heat generating element of a recording head in response to application of driving signals thereto, the driving signals being of plural waveforms including a fixed waveform. The method includes the steps of detecting a temperature of the recording head and applying the driving signals to the heat generating element of the recording head. The waveforms of the driving signals are changed in accordance with the temperature of the recording head when the temperature of the recording head is below a predetermined level, and the waveforms of the driving signals comprise the fixed waveform when the temperature of the recording head exceeds the predetermined level.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging comprise a conveyor for conveying the recording medium to a position opposed to an ink discharge portion of a recording head for discharging the ink, the conveyor having a conveying roller for conveying the recording medium, a paper presser bar provided to be able to abut on the conveying roller, a conveyance passage forming member for forming a conveyance passage of the recording medium, and an electrical conductive member provided opposed to a back portion of a face opposed to the ink discharge portion of the recording medium conveyed by said conveying means. The electrical conductive member is held at a potential lower than that of the charged recording medium opposed thereto.

Abstract: An ink cartridge detachably mountable to an ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge containing ink to be supplied to a recording head includes an ink container for containing the ink; and an adaptor having a receptor for detachably receiving the ink container and an information medium for storing information relating to the ink, the information being transmitted to the ink jet recording apparatus when the ink cartridge is mounted therein.