Abstract: A substrate for a recording head includes a heat generating resistor for generating thermal energy to eject liquid, and a pair of opposed electrodes which are electrically connected to the heat generating resistor to supply electric signal to that heat generating resistor. A portion of the heat generating resistor interposed between the electrodes constitutes a heat generating portion, and the electrodes have respective ends adjacent to the heat generating resistor, each of which ends has a smooth convex shape. The width of a pattern constituting the heat generating resistor is greater than a width of a pattern constituting the electrodes.

Abstract: There is disclosed an ink jet head comprising plural discharge energy generating elements for generating energy to be used for discharging ink droplets, ink discharge openings for discharging the ink droplets, a substrate bearing thereon an array of the plural discharge energy generating elements and an ink supply aperture consisting of a penetrating hole extending along the direction of array of the discharge energy generating elements, and an orifice plate provided with the ink discharge openings, in which the substrate and the orifice plate are mutually adjoined to define therebetween ink paths connecting the ink discharge openings and the ink supply aperture, wherein the orifice plate comprises plural projections in a position corresponding to the ink supply aperture.

Abstract: An ink supplying apparatus includes an ink flow passage connecting an ink storing portion for storing ink and an ejecting portion for ejecting the ink; a chamber disposed in the ink flow passage; a filter which divides the chamber into two spaces, one of which is provided with an ink entrance opening leading to the ink storing portion, and the other of which is provided with an ink exit opening leading to the ejecting portion; wherein the ink exit opening is disposed adjacent to the top wall of the chamber, with respect to gravity direction, and also, the ink exit opening is disposed above a level at which the ink entrance opening is disposed, with respect to direction.

Abstract: A cleaning method for an ink jet recording apparatus includes a first cleaning step and a second cleaning step. In the first cleaning step, an ink discharge port surface of the apparatus is cleaned in accordance with a degree of reflection of the surface, where the reflection rate is detected by an optical sensor included in the recording apparatus. In the second cleaning step, a cleaning of the surface which is different from the first cleaning is performed in accordance with an output of the optical sensor.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing apparatus is capable of restricting recovering operation for a printing head into necessary minimum times for preventing defect to be caused upon printing, limit waste ink amount and avoid possibility of damaging the printing head. Thus, the apparatus divides nozzles having nozzle number of 1 to 512 into 8 nozzle blocks. With respect to each nozzle block, number of ink ejection data in the corresponding image data is integrated. When the integrated value becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the recovering operation is taken place for the printing head.

Abstract: Three discharge port groups, each having a plurality of discharge ports, discharge inks of three primary colors to record swaths of the respective colors on a recording medium and repeat the discharging to complete a record. Joints of each of Y, M and C color swaths are spaced from joints of swaths of the other two colors by an equal distance, and the discharge port groups are offset from each other by 8n times of a discharge port pitch in a direction of feed of the recording medium. In a number of image buffers corresponding to the discharge ports, image data in one buffer is separated from image data in a different image buffer by an amount that is an integer multiply of one 8 bit byte.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a discharge port for discharging ink, a liquid chamber communicating with the discharge port, a supply port provided in the liquid chamber for supplying ink to the liquid chamber, a communication port provided in the liquid chamber, and an air chamber communicating with the liquid chamber through the communication port to define a closed space in communication only with the liquid chamber. The cross-sectional area of the communication port is smaller than both the cross-sectional area of the air chamber and the area of the wall of the liquid chamber on which the communication port is located.

Abstract: An ink jet head comprises a plurality of ink liquid paths in which energy generating elements are formed, a common liquid chamber communicated with the plurality of ink liquid paths, and an air chamber which is communicated with the common liquid chamber via a communication section formed at substantially a central portion of the air chamber and which ls formed along the longitudinal direction of the common liquid chamber. This arrangement of the ink jet head enables air in the air chamber to act on refilling behavior of ink in each of the ink liquid paths so that refilling in each of the ink liquid paths is not delayed.

Abstract: An ink jet apparatus performs recording by ejecting, from the head portion ink which is contained in an exchangeable ink jet cartridge for the apparatus to form desired images on a recording medium. The apparatus performs a suction recovery operation for the head portion when the ink jet cartridge is removed from the apparatus. With this suction recovery, all the ink in the ink passage between the ink jet cartridge to the recording head is exhausted through the head portion; thus making it possible to remove bubbles remaining in ink totally and easily without any additional components and any resultant contamination in the nozzles provided for the recording head.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which records by discharging ink onto a recording medium comprises recording head for recording on the recording medium by discharging ink through discharge ports; an ink tank for storing the ink; a first ink flow channel for passing the ink from the ink tank to the recording head; a second ink flow channel for passing the ink from the recording head into the ink tank; a third ink flow channel communicating the ink tank with the first ink channel; a filter provided in the first ink flow channel; and a back flow prevention valve provided in the first, the second and the third ink flow channels.

Abstract: An ink jet recorder includes a plurality of recording elements which are arranged corresponding to each of a plurality of ejection outlets for ejecting ink in accordance with driving signals, a plurality of ejection passages corresponding to the ejection outlets and connected to a common chamber, a plurality of driving blocks formed by dividing the recording elements by predetermined number of units in the arrangement order, control elements for each of the driving blocks and for controlling the recording elements associated with each driving block in a simultaneous driving manner, a selection unit for selecting the driving block to be driven in order that at least adjacent driving blocks are not driven in sequence, and a supply unit for supplying driving signals to the driving block selected by the said selecting unit.

Abstract: A recording medium in the sheet form is supplied into a designated direction guided by a sheet supply roller. An ink jet recording head in which a plurality of ink jet discharging orifices are arranged is placed in parallel with a surface of the recording sheet and in the direction perpendicular to the designated direction of supplying the recorded sheet. An adjustment screw is placed for correcting a warped shape of the ink jet recording head by means of displacing a neighbor of a central portion of a longer side of the ink jet recording head in the designated direction of supplying the recording sheet.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which records by discharging ink onto a recording medium comprises recording head for recording on the recording medium by discharging ink through discharge ports; an ink tank for storing the ink; a first ink flow channel for passing the ink from the ink tank to the recording head; a second ink flow channel for passing the ink from the recording head into the ink tank; a filter provided in the first ink flow channel; and a back flow prevention valve provided in the second ink flow channel.

Abstract: An ink jet recorder includes a plurality of recording elements which arranged corresponding to each of a plurality of ejection outlets for ejecting ink in accordance with driving signals, a plurality of ejection passages corresponding to the ejection outlets and connected to a common chamber, a plurality of driving blocks which formed by dividing the recording elements by predetermined number of units in the arrangement order, control elements for each of the driving blocks and for controlling the recording elements associated with each driving block in a simultaneous driving manner, a selection unit for selecting the driving block to be driven in order that at least adjacent driving blocks are not driven in sequence, and a supply unit for supplying driving signals to the driving block selected by the said selecting unit.

Abstract: An ink jet head is provided with testing or inspection to facilitate efficient testing of the circuitry to determine whether any short-circuit or open circuits exist.The ink jet head includes plural ejection outlets for ejecting ink; a corresponding number of heat generating resistors disposed corresponding to the ejection outlets; heat generating resistors corresponding to the ejection outlets; electrodes connected to the respective heat generating resistors. The inspection resistors connect adjacent electrodes to permit inspection of electric connections.