Abstract: An ink jet printer including a carriage which is movable relative to a sheet of paper, a recording head which is mounted on the carriage and records an image on the sheet by ejecting a droplet of ink toward the sheet, one or more ink tanks which store the ink or inks to be supplied to the recording head, a buffer tank which is mounted on the carriage, and one or more ink flow passages in which the inks are supplied from the ink tanks to the recording head via the buffer tank. The buffer tank has, at a height position higher than a height position where the recording head is provided, one or more air buffer chambers which accommodate respective amounts of the inks, and collect air bubbles produced in the ink flow passages.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device is provided with a discharge head, a sub tank, and a liquid replenishment device comprising a space for housing a main tank and a joint member to be connected to the main tank. The joint member is capable of being connected to and disconnected from the sub tank. The liquid within the main tank is supplied to the sub tank when the joint member is in a connected state with the sub tank. The joint member comprises a liquid path and a valve biased in a direction where the liquid path is closed. The joint member is configured to receive a force from the sub tank and open the liquid path in the case where the joint member is being connected to the sub tank. The joint member is configured to open the liquid path in the case where an inner space of the main tank has a negative pressure greater than a first value.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device may be provided with a discharge head, a sub tank comprising a first member; and a liquid replenishment device comprising a second member to be connected to a main tank. The second member is capable of being connected to and disconnected from the first member. The liquid within the main tank is supplied to the sub tank when the second member is in a connected state with the first member. The first member comprises a first liquid path and a first valve biased in a direction where the first liquid path is closed. The second member comprises a second liquid path and a second valve biased in a direction where the second liquid path is closed. The first member and the second member may be configured to open the second liquid path first, and then open the first liquid path in a case where the second member is to be connected to the first member.

Abstract: Ink consumption amount is calculated based on an ink amount which is used for recording and periodic preparatory jetting in a predetermined time period after a previous discharge operation. An ink of an ink amount obtained by subtracting a consumption amount for the predetermined time, from an ink capacity of an ink supply system which supplies the ink from an ink cartridge to a recording head, is discharged by a discharge mechanism. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain a favorable state of ink by replacing periodically the ink in the ink supply system without a wasteful consumption. Moreover, when the amount of ink consumed in the predetermined time period is same as or more than the ink capacity of the ink supply system, the discharge operation is not carried out. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the consumption of ink due to the discharge operation.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer, including an ink-jet recording head having an ink inlet into which an ink inflows; an ink tank which stores the ink and which has an ink outlet from which the ink outflows and additionally has an air inlet into which an air inflows; a first connector having an ink supply passage which communicates, at one end thereof, with the ink outlet of the ink tank and communicates, at an other end thereof, with the ink inlet of the ink-jet recording head; an air-pressure regulating device which has an air outlet from which the air outflows and additionally has a second connector having an air supply passage which communicates, at one end thereof, with the air outlet and communicates, at an other end thereof, with the air inlet of the ink tank; an amount obtaining portion which obtains at least one of (a) an amount of the ink present in the ink tank and (b) an amount of the air present in the ink tank; and an operation control portion which controls, based on the amount obtained by the amount obtainin

Abstract: An ink-jet printer including a carriage carrying recording heads, air collecting chambers, and discharging passages communicating with the respective air collecting chambers; opening and closing valves provided in the respective discharging passages; opening and closing bars which open and close the respective valves; an air discharge cap which has a bottom wall, a side wall, and a suction hole, wherein an upper end surface of the side wall is closely contactable with a lower surface of the carriage to cover respective openings of the discharging passages; a suction device which sucks air through the suction hole; and an air-flow generating device which causes an air flow inlet to open at a position distant from the suction hole, so that when air is sucked through the suction hole, the air flows from the air flow inlet toward the suction hole. An ink sucking method is also provided.

Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus includes a plurality of tanks, a plurality of sub-tanks, a replenishment amount detector, a liquid replenisher and a recording head. Each of the plurality of tanks is capable of storing a different kind of basic liquid. The plurality of sub-tanks includes a first sub-tank that includes a mixed liquid of two or more of the different kinds of the basic liquids from the plurality of tanks. The replenishment amount detector detects amount of each of the different kinds of the basic liquids to be transferred to the first sub-tank. The liquid replenisher transfers the basic liquids stored in the tanks into the sub-tanks until a predetermined amount for each of the basic liquids is detected by the replenishment amount detector. The recording head ejects the liquids supplied from the sub-tanks in a form of droplets.

Abstract: An apparatus for maintaining a recording head which has a nozzle opening in a nozzle-defining surface thereof, and ejects, from the nozzle, a droplet of an ink toward a recording medium, in a state in which the recording head is separate from a remaining portion of a recording device. The apparatus includes a cover member which is adapted to air-tightly contact the recording head to cover the nozzle-defining surface of the recording head such that a space is formed between the cover member and the nozzle-defining surface.

Abstract: A switching unit is provided near a tube for connecting an atmosphere communicating section of an ink cartridge to a charge tank. This switching unit comprises: a base; and a pressing mechanism arranged inside the base and capable of individually pressing tubes, so that the switching unit can apply the pressure from the charge tank and the tube pump selectively onto a plurality of the ink cartridges.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus configured as a multi-function device is provided. The multi-function device can have four ink tanks, which store black ink, cyan ink, yellow ink and magenta ink. The multi-function device may have greater than four sub-tanks, which can be held in a scanning carriage and configured to move with a recording head. By moving the scanning carriage, the positions of the ink tanks can be aligned with the positions of the sub-tanks. In this manner, the basic inks can be supplied from the ink tanks into basic ink sub-tanks, and predetermined combinations of basic inks can be supplied into the other sub-tanks to create mixed inks.

Abstract: Three nozzle caps for sealing the surface of a recording head are provided in correspondence to an ink tank group of Y, C, and M, an ink tank group of R, G, and B, and an ink tank group of photo-K and K. Then, ink is sucked for each of the three nozzle caps by a suction pump.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a carriage which is movable relative to a sheet of paper, a recording head which is mounted on the carriage and records an image on the sheet by ejecting a droplet of ink toward the sheet, one or more ink tanks which store the ink or inks to be supplied to the recording head, a buffer tank which is mounted on the carriage, and one or more ink flow passages in which the inks are supplied from the ink tanks to the recording head via the buffer tank. The buffer tank has, at a height position higher than a height position where the recording head is provided, one or more air buffer chambers which accommodate respective amounts of the inks, and collect air bubbles produced in the ink flow passages. The printer further includes one or more air bubble discharging passages which communicate, at one ends thereof, with upper portions of the air buffer chambers, and discharge, via the other ends thereof, the air bubbles collected by the air buffer chambers.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a carriage which is movable relative to a sheet of paper, a recording head which is mounted on the carriage and records an image on the sheet by ejecting a droplet of ink toward the sheet, one or more ink tanks which store the ink or inks to be supplied to the recording head, a buffer tank which is mounted on the carriage, and one or more ink flow passages in which the inks are supplied from the ink tanks to the recording head via the buffer tank. The buffer tank has, at a height position higher than a height position where the recording head is provided, one or more air buffer chambers which accommodate respective amounts of the inks, and collect air bubbles produced in the ink flow passages. The printer further includes one or more air-discharge passages which communicate, at one ends thereof, with upper portions of the air buffer chambers, and discharge, via the other ends thereof, the air bubbles collected by the air buffer chambers.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device is provided with a discharge head, a sub tank, and a liquid replenishment device comprising a space for housing a main tank and a joint member to be connected to the main tank. The joint member is capable of being connected to and disconnected from the sub tank. The liquid within the main tank is supplied to the sub tank when the joint member is in a connected state with the sub tank. The joint member comprises a liquid path and a valve biased in a direction where the liquid path is closed. The joint member is configured to receive a force from the sub tank and open the liquid path in the case where the joint member is being connected to the sub tank. The joint member is configured to open the liquid path in the case where an inner space of the main tank has a negative pressure greater than a first value.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device may be provided with a discharge head, a sub tank comprising a first member; and a liquid replenishment device comprising a second member to be connected to a main tank. The second member is capable of being connected to and disconnected from the first member. The liquid within the main tank is supplied to the sub tank when the second member is in a connected state with the first member. The first member comprises a first liquid path and a first valve biased in a direction where the first liquid path is closed. The second member comprises a second liquid path and a second valve biased in a direction where the second liquid path is closed. The first member and the second member may be configured to open the second liquid path first, and then open the first liquid path in a case where the second member is to be connected to the first member.

Abstract: Ink consumption amount is calculated based on an ink amount which is used for recording and periodic preparatory jetting in a predetermined time period after a previous discharge operation. An ink of an ink amount obtained by subtracting a consumption amount for the predetermined time, from an ink capacity of an ink supply system which supplies the ink from an ink cartridge to a recording head, is discharged by a discharge mechanism. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain a favorable state of ink by replacing periodically the ink in the ink supply system without a wasteful consumption. Moreover, when the amount of ink consumed in the predetermined time period is same as or more than the ink capacity of the ink supply system, the discharge operation is not carried out. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the consumption of ink due to the discharge operation.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer, including an ink-jet recording head having an ink inflow passage including an ink inlet, and an air-discharge passage which allows the ink inflow passage to communicate with an atmosphere; an air-discharge valve which selectively opens and closes the air-discharge passage; an ink tank which stores the ink and which has an ink outlet and an air inlet; a connector having an ink supply passage which communicates, at one end thereof, with the ink outlet of the ink tank and communicates, at an other end thereof, with the ink inlet of the recording head; an air supplying device which supplies the air to the ink tank via the air inlet thereof; an obtaining portion which obtains one of an elapsed time, t, from a reference time, and a volume, V, of an air present in the ink supply passage and the ink inflow passage at the elapsed time t, based on an other of the elapsed time t and the air volume V, and a following relationship: V=a·ebt, where a and b are coefficients and e is a base of a natural lo

Abstract: An ink-jet printer including recording heads; a carriage carrying the recording heads; ink flow passages which supply ink from ink tanks to the recording heads; air collecting chambers which are provided on the carriage and each of which collects air bubbles produced in a corresponding one of the ink flow passages; discharging passages which are provided on the carriage and each of which communicates with a corresponding one of the air collecting chambers; opening and closing valves each of which is normally closed and is provided in a corresponding one of the discharging passages such that the opening and closing valves are arranged in a first direction; opening and closing bars which arranged in a second direction parallel to the first direction, and each of which opens and closes a corresponding one of the opening and closing valves; an air-tight-space defining device including an air-discharge cap which has a bottom wall, a side wall projecting upward from a periphery of the bottom wall, and a suction hol

Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus includes a plurality of tanks, a plurality of sub-tanks, a replenishment amount detector, a liquid replenisher and a recording head. Each of the plurality of tanks is capable of storing a different kind of basic liquid. The plurality of sub-tanks includes a first sub-tank that includes a mixed liquid of two or more of the different kinds of the basic liquids from the plurality of tanks. The replenishment amount detector detects amount of each of the different kinds of the basic liquids to be transferred to the first sub-tank. The liquid replenisher transfers the basic liquids stored in the tanks into the sub-tanks until a predetermined amount for each of the basic liquids is detected by the replenishment amount detector. The recording head ejects the liquids supplied from the sub-tanks in a form of droplets.

Abstract: A switching unit is provided near a tube for connecting an atmosphere communicating section of an ink cartridge to a charge tank. This switching unit comprises: a base; and a pressing mechanism arranged inside the base and capable of individually pressing tubes, so that the switching unit can apply the pressure from the charge tank and the tube pump selectively onto a plurality of the ink cartridges.