With Means To Remove And/or Accommodate Bubbles In The Fluid Patents (Class 347/92)
  • Publication number: 20130141502
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a liquid ejecting head in which a liquid introducing portion includes a liquid introducing flow passage which introduces a liquid from a liquid storage member having the liquid stored therein, a bubble chamber which accommodates a bubble entrained into the liquid introducing flow passage and a filter that is provided at a bottom of the bubble chamber, and a liquid ejecting head main body which introduces the liquid from the liquid introducing portion to a pressure chamber through a liquid flow passage and is able to discharge the liquid in the pressure chamber from nozzles as liquid droplets, wherein a lyophobic region having a lyophobic property is provided on a surface of the filter facing the bubble chamber side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seiko Epson Corporation
  • Patent number: 8454135
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takaichiro Umeda, Hikaru Kaga, Tsuyoshi Suzuki, Seiji Shimizu, Takamasa Usui, Yoichiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8454145
    Abstract: An ink chamber for an inkjet printer is fluidically connected to the ejector die and includes an air accumulation chamber with an air vent opening and a mass movable along the air accumulation chamber toward and away from the air vent opening. A one-way valve covers the air vent opening, is outside the air accumulation chamber, and includes a flapper valve having a free end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Publication number: 20130135405
    Abstract: A method of printing using a carriage with an ink container and an ejector die mounted thereon, the ink container includes a vent hole for removing air from the ink container. Air is extracted from the ink container by moving a mass within the ink container toward the vent hole, wherein said movement of the mass toward the vent hole is generated by momentum forces arising in the mass from the back and forth movement of the carriage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Publication number: 20130135404
    Abstract: An ink chamber for an inkjet printer is fluidically connected to the ejector die and includes an air accumulation chamber with an air vent opening and a mass movable along the air accumulation chamber toward and away from the air vent opening. A one-way valve covers the air vent opening, is outside the air accumulation chamber, and includes a flapper valve having a free end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Patent number: 8449092
    Abstract: A method of printing using a carriage with an ink container and an ejector die mounted thereon, the ink container includes a vent hole for removing air from the ink container. Air is extracted from the ink container by moving a mass within the ink container toward the vent hole, wherein said movement of the mass toward the vent hole is generated by momentum forces arising in the mass from the back and forth movement of the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Patent number: 8449081
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead having a wafer substrate defining a planar support surface is disclosed. Ink chambers are includes adjacent the planar support surface of the wafer substrate. The ink chambers are defined by sidewalls extending between a nozzle plate and the wafer substrate. One of the sidewalls of each chamber has an opening to allow ink to refill the chamber. An ink conduit is included between the nozzle plate and wafer substrate. The ink conduit is in fluid communication with the openings of the ink chambers. Ink inlets defined in the wafer substrate are also provided, the ink conduits receiving ink to supply to the ink chambers from at least one of the ink inlets. Each of the ink inlets has an ink permeable trap and a vent sized so that the surface tension of an ink meniscus across the vent prevents ink leakage. During use the ink permeable trap directs gas bubbles to the vent where the gas bubbles vent to atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Publication number: 20130127958
    Abstract: An ink/air separator for an ink jet printer has one or more plates 77, 79, 81, 83 over which an ink/air mixture can spread. Preferably there is more than one plate, and the mixture overflows from one plate to the next. Preferably adjacent plates are spaced so that as the mixture passes between two plates it contacts the surface above it as well as the surface below it. The plates may be separated by a gap of 10 mm or less, e.g. a gap of 2 mm to 5 mm, where they overlap Preferably some or all of the plate surfaces contacted by the mixture are roughened. Interaction between the ink/air mixture and the plate surface tends to slow the flow of very small air bubbles and encourage them to accumulate and/or merge, so that they separate from the ink more quickly than individual small bubbles. The ink/air separator may be connected in the path of unused ink returned from the gutter 27 of a continuous ink jet printer to an ink tank 39, or may be placed inside the ink tank 39.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventor: Marc Plummer
  • Publication number: 20130127936
    Abstract: Systems and methods of automatically bleeding air from a primary ink delivery system, so little or no air is mixed with the ink once it reaches a secondary ink system containing print heads. An air bleeder return assembly with a flow restrictor orifice that is configured to remove air from ink pumped to the carriage of print heads, thereby minimizing jet dropouts. Additionally, this setup provides the added advantage of the ability to run the bulk bags dry without ingesting large quantities of air to the ink delivery system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: John DUFFIELD, Chris Porter
  • Publication number: 20130120511
    Abstract: A printer includes an ink tank for retaining ink, nozzles for ejecting the ink, an ink flow passage for connecting the ink tank and the nozzles, and a filter chamber in which a filter is arranged. A first room is disposed downstream of the filter and a second room is disposed upstream of filter in the filter chamber. An ink discharge opening is disposed in the first room for supplying the ink to the nozzles. An ink supply opening to which the ink is supplied from the ink tank and an air bubble storage unit for storing air bubbles flowing with the ink are disposed in the second room. The ink supply opening and the ink discharge opening are displaced from each other in a horizontal direction. The air bubble storage unit is arranged upward of the ink discharge opening in such a manner as to sandwich the filter therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
  • Patent number: 8430490
    Abstract: An air pump is driven to supply air via an air supply tube to a sub tank, by which a predetermined quantity of the air is mixed inside the sub tank via a gas-liquid separation membrane. Next, a carriage is swayed to agitate the ink by using the air mixed inside the sub tank. Then, the air pump is driven to discharge the air inside the sub tank via the gas-liquid separation membrane. In the above-described agitating motions, since the air utilized for the agitation is discharged from an ink tank after agitation processing, it is possible to prevent the air from remaining inside the ink tank to inflate, thereby adversely influencing the pressure relationship with a printing head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Morita
  • Patent number: 8425023
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head, a driving signal generating section, a drive control section, and a sealing section. The liquid ejecting head includes a continuous liquid path and a pressure generating section. The liquid path contains a pressure space and a nozzle opening. The driving signal generating section generates a driving signal containing a driving pulse that drives the pressure generating section. The driving pulse includes a first pulse for causing discharge of droplets and a second pulse that is generated to the pressure generating section at a generation interval T set in a range represented by the following expression: (n?1/4)Tc<T<(n+1/4)Tc, where Tc is a natural oscillation period of the liquid within the pressure space. The sealing section seals the nozzle opening of the liquid ejecting head when the pressure generating section is driven by the second pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hirofumi Teramae
  • Patent number: 8414108
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ejection chip for an inkjet printhead that includes at least one fluid via configured on the ejection chip for supplying fluid to one or more ejecting elements of the ejection chip. Each fluid via of the at least one fluid via includes a plurality of end-to-end coupled segments. Each segment of the plurality of end-to-end coupled segments is aligned at a skew angle with a consecutive segment. Further, the ejection chip includes a plurality of nozzles configured along a length of the each segment of the plurality of end-to-end coupled segments with a first nozzle spatial density. The configuration of the plurality of nozzles facilitates in achieving a predetermined print resolution with the first nozzle spatial density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventor: Jiandong Fang
  • Patent number: 8408688
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes pressure generating chambers; nozzles that communicate with respective pressure generating chambers; a manifold that communicates with a liquid introduction opening and that serves as a common flow channel for the multiple pressure generating chambers; liquid supply channels, having liquid supply openings that open into the manifold, that communicate between the manifold and the pressure generating chambers; and a pressure generating element that causes liquid to be ejected through the nozzles by generating pressure within the pressure generating chambers. At least one of the liquid supply openings is physically separated from at least one adjacent liquid supply opening, such as by a partition, which prevents air bubbles from moving between adjacent liquid supply openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Asami, Hiroyuki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8403441
    Abstract: A driving pulse for air bubble removal flushing which is a first maintenance pulse is a driving pulse which removes air bubbles in an ink flow path of a recording head, a driving pulse for thickened ink discharge flushing which is a second maintenance pulse is a driving pulse which removes thickened ink, thereby stabilizing a meniscus, and in a maintenance process which restores ejection capability of the recording head, after an air bubble removal flushing process is executed by using the driving pulse for air bubble removal flushing, a thickened ink discharge flushing process is executed by using the driving pulse for thickened ink discharge flushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Tsubota, Shuji Yonekubo
  • Patent number: 8403471
    Abstract: There is provided a defoaming mechanism that is used for eliminating air bubbles from a liquid flowing through the inside of a liquid supply path included in a liquid ejecting apparatus. The defoaming mechanism includes a defoaming chamber that has a side wall extending in the vertical direction and is used for capturing the air bubbles contained in the liquid and a communication portion that allows the defoaming chamber and the liquid supply path to be communicated with each other in the side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 8398219
    Abstract: An ink jet printer module has a module body, an ink inlet port, a washing liquid inlet port and a pneumatic inlet port connected with the main ink tank, the washing liquid tank and the pneumatic pump. A common flow path in the interior of the module body selectively communicates with either the washing liquid flow path or the washing liquid flow path. An ink opening and closing valve is provided at the module body. A pneumatic and washing liquid selection valve is provided in the module body An ink discharge port is provided in the module body discharges the ink of the ink flow path to the outside of the module body. A common discharge port is provided in the module body and discharges either the pneumatic or the washing liquid of the common flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Inktec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kwang Choon Chung, Hae Sung Jung, Ki Yong Kim, Kyung Soo Kim, Sung Chul Jeon, Chung Il Kim
  • Patent number: 8398216
    Abstract: A fluid reservoir assembly for supplying fluid to a printhead is provided. The assembly has a reservoir compartment in fluid communication with fluid channels for supplying the fluid to the printhead via a fluid outlet, the reservoir compartment having an air vent and a bypass fluid path interconnecting the fluid outlet and a well region within the compartment, and a valve in the bypass fluid path for priming the reservoir compartment with fluid via the bypass fluid path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Akira Nakazawa, Christopher Hibbard, Paul Ian Mackey, Norman Micheal Berry, Garry Raymond Jackson
  • Patent number: 8393723
    Abstract: A method and system for purging bubbles from a fluid ejection head comprising a plurality of fluid flow channels including a first plurality of fluid flow channels flowing a first ink to a first actuator device and a second plurality of fluid flow channels for flowing a second ink to a second actuator device. During a bubble purging operation the first and second actuator devices are pulsed with different energies that depend on the viscosity of the first ink and the second ink. Heating the inks with different energies, results in the viscosity of the first ink to be same as the viscosity of the second ink. In one embodiment, a test pattern that includes a plurality of dots is printed to determine a clogged fluid ejection nozzle. Based on the determination, an actuator device corresponding to the clogged fluid ejection nozzle is pulsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory Alan Long
  • Publication number: 20130057623
    Abstract: A printer includes a filter unit having a distribution flow path through which the introduced ink flows into a recording head, and an air bubble trap in which air bubbles which have entered ink in the distribution flow path are collected, the air bubble trap being provided with a waterproof member having a waterproof property and an air permeability that forms part of a wall of the air bubble trap. A printer includes an air bubble suction mechanism that suctions air bubbles collected in the air bubble trap through the waterproof member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Taiki HANAGAMI
  • Publication number: 20130050362
    Abstract: A filter unit includes: a space portion, through which a liquid passes, whose outer cross-sectional shape when cut along the direction orthogonal to the axial direction is circular or polygonal; a filter provided at the surface on one end side of the space portion in the axial direction thereof; a protruding member, provided at the surface on the other end side of the space portion in the axial direction thereof, that protrudes toward a center area of the surface on the one end side of the space portion; an inflow channel that allows the liquid to flow into the space portion from a direction tangential to the side circumferential surface of the space portion; and an outflow channel that allows the liquid to pass through the filter and flow out from the space portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaoru KOIKE, Toshio KUMAGAI, Masaaki ANDO, Haruhisa UEZAWA
  • Patent number: 8376534
    Abstract: An ink reservoir for a printer with an inkjet printhead includes a housing for storing a quantity of ink; an air inlet valve having a ball biased against an aperture of the air inlet valve for sealing an interior of the housing from atmosphere; an ink outlet valve having a circular valve seat and a ball for sealing against the valve seat; and a valve actuator having a sliding shaft extending between the ink outlet valve and the air inlet valve. The valve actuator opens the air inlet valve in response to the ink outlet valve opening to establish fluid communication with the inkjet printhead. The ball in the ink outlet valve is adapted to engage one end of the sliding shaft to slide the shaft towards the air inlet valve, whereat the other end of the shaft engages the ball of the air inlet valve against the bias applied thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Limited
    Inventors: Jonathan Mark Bulman, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 8376487
    Abstract: An inkjet printer comprising an ink chamber supplying ink. An air extraction chamber is included that comprises an air chamber, a one-way relief valve for venting of the air chamber to ambient. A compressible member is used for forcing air to be vented from the air chamber through the one-way relief valve and for applying a reduced air pressure to an air permeable membrane while the one-way relief valve is closed. A carriage propels the array of nozzles, the ink chamber, the membrane and the air extraction chamber along a carriage scan path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Patent number: 8376538
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes a liquid jetting head; a liquid supply channel which supplies the liquid to the liquid jetting head; an air discharge mechanism which discharges air existing in the liquid, the air discharge mechanism including an air storage portion, an air discharge passage, a valve, and a flexible member. When a negative pressure is generated in the air discharge passage, the flexible member is deformed to open the valve, and to discharge the air inside the air storage portion via the air discharge passage. Accordingly, the size of the apparatus can be made small while making it possible to discharge the air accumulated in the head unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Takata
  • Patent number: 8371686
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus in which a pressure adjustment unit having a pressure adjustment valve is provided between a filter chamber that houses a filter and a recording head having nozzles through which ink is ejected, the opening size of filter hole is set to ½ of a minimum inner diameter Da of the nozzle of the recording head or lower, and a pressure for pumping ink with an air pump is adjusted to a value that permits air bubbles in the upstream side space to pass through the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hideya Yokouchi
  • Patent number: 8366258
    Abstract: An opening and closing unit for opening and closing an ink flow passage and a filter chamber in which a filter is arranged horizontally are provided in an ink supply system. The opening and closing unit is disposed upstream of the filter chamber, a first room is disposed downstream of the filter and a second room is upstream of the filter in the filter chamber. An ink discharge opening is disposed in the first room, and an ink supply opening and an air bubble storage unit for storing the air bubble flowing in with the ink are disposed in the second room. The ink supply opening and the ink discharge opening are displaced with respect to each other in a horizontal direction for arrangement. The air bubble storage unit is arranged upward of the ink supply opening in a perpendicular direction. A suction unit expands the air bubble stored in the air bubble storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naozumi Nabeshima
  • Patent number: 8360567
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus that is used for ejecting a liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head unit that ejects the liquid, a liquid supplying path that is used for leading the liquid to the head unit, a defoaming chamber that is disposed in the liquid supplying path and is used for eliminating air bubbles inside the liquid, a broaden chamber that is disposed in the liquid supplying path and can collect the liquid due to having a cross-section area larger than that of the liquid supplying path, and a decompression unit that is used for decompressing the defoaming chamber and the broaden chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 8356867
    Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus includes a print head, an ink tank to store ink, an ink feeding path to feed the ink from the ink tank to the print head, a filter disposed on the ink feeding path, and a press unit disposed on the ink feeding path between the filter and the print head, to press the ink present in the ink feeding path toward the ink tank. The press unit repeats a first operation to press the ink in the ink feeding path toward the ink tank, and a second operation to suck the ink in the ink feeding path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: In Su Lee, Jin Ho Park, Sung Wook Kang
  • Patent number: 8348406
    Abstract: A fluid ink delivery system includes a receptacle positioned proximate to a plurality of inkjet ejectors, and an ink supply in fluid communication with the receptacle. Ink held in the receptacle may be withdrawn under negative pressure by a pump in the ink supply. A flow restrictor in fluid communication with the pump limits the negative pressure level applied by the pump to be less than a pressure that draws air across a porous member in the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel Clark Park
  • Publication number: 20130002773
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an ink composition which has excellent storage stability and has good curing sensitivity regardless of the type of a light source for irradiation, and an ink container. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording method which provides a cured image having excellent image gloss even with an LED light source. The ink composition comprises: a radically polymerizable compound; a radical polymerization initiator; and a colorant, and having a dissolved oxygen content of 9 mg/L or more. The ink container, having a gas-impermeable structure and encapsulates the ink composition. The ink jet recording method comprises: a degassing step of reducing a dissolved oxygen between the ink container that stores the ink composition and ink-discharging nozzles; and a discharging step of discharging the degassed ink composition from the nozzles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke FUJII, Kyohei MOCHIZUKI
  • Publication number: 20130002774
    Abstract: A degasifier includes a gas chamber, a degasification unit and a resistance applying unit. The gas chamber is separated from a liquid flow path by a transmission member capable of transmitting a gas dissolving in a liquid in the liquid flow path. The degasification unit expels the gas dissolving in the liquid from the liquid by discharging the gas in the gas chamber through a discharge path so that a pressure in the gas chamber is negative. The resistance applying unit applies an inflow resistance to atmosphere which flows into the discharge path so that the gas chamber is maintained at a pressure at which the liquid can be degasified at the time of the discharging by the degasification unit while the discharge path is open to the atmosphere at all times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Murakami, Masaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20130002775
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head disposed to eject droplets of liquid upward to form an image on a lower face of a recording medium conveyed to a position above the recording head. The recording head includes nozzles, individual liquid chambers, a common liquid chamber, a liquid supply port, a bubble discharge channel, and a valve unit. The nozzles eject droplets of the liquid. The individual liquid chambers are communicated with the nozzles. The common liquid chamber is communicated with the individual liquid chambers. The liquid supply port supplies the liquid to the common liquid chamber. The bubble discharge channel is communicated with the common liquid chamber to communicate the common liquid chamber with an outside of the recording head. The valve unit is disposed at the bubble discharge channel to open and close the bubble discharge channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsuya MATSUBARA
  • Patent number: 8342667
    Abstract: An auxiliary passage apparatus, an attachment, a liquid discharge head, and a ink jet head are provided. The auxiliary passage apparatus is detachably attached to a liquid discharge head and includes a main body portion including, a first surface, a second surface, a supply passage formed in the first surface and through which liquid passes to a discharge head, and an ejection passage formed in the second surface and through which liquid which is ejected from the discharge head passes. A part of the supply passage includes a first annular projection formed so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the first surface and a first flexible film adhered to a distal end of the first annular projection. A part of the ejection passage crosses an area on the second surface which is opposed to an area surrounded by the first annular projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Tsuchiya, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 8336990
    Abstract: An ink supply unit for supplying ink to a printhead includes an elongate manifold defining a recess for receiving the printhead, and a plurality of ink slots in fluid communication with a back surface of the printhead, the plurality of ink slots being grouped into sets; and an ink supply comprising an elongate housing and a partition unit that together define a plurality of elongate ink chambers, each elongate ink chamber being in fluid communication with a respective set of ink slots. The ink supply further comprises a baffle unit including a number of spaced apart baffles extending into each ink chamber, the baffle unit for reducing acceleration of ink in a longitudinal direction along a length of the elongate housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Zamtec Limited
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 8336996
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead that has an array of ink chambers arranged to remove air bubbles entrained in the ink supply flow. Each of the ink chambers has a nozzle and a thermal actuator respectively, the array of ink chambers defined by sidewalls extending between a nozzle plate and an underlying wafer substrate. The printhead also has ink inlets extending through the underlying wafer substrate. Each of the ink inlets has an ink permeable trap and a vent sized such that the surface tension of an ink meniscus across the vent prevents ink leakage. The ink permeable trap has columns extending from the underlying wafer substrate to the vent to direct gas bubbles entrained in a flow of ink through the ink inlet towards the vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Zamtec Limited
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 8322838
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes: an ink reservoir; a printhead having an ink inlet and an ink outlet; an upstream ink conduit connected to the ink inlet; a downstream ink conduit connected to the ink outlet; and a pressure-regulating chamber. The pressure-regulating chamber includes: an inlet port connected to the ink reservoir via a supply conduit; an outlet port connected to the upstream ink conduit; a vent open to atmosphere; and a float valve for maintaining a set level of ink in the pressure-regulating chamber. The float valve includes: an arm pivotally mounted about a pivot; a float mounted at one end of said arm; and a valve head connected to the arm for sealing engagement with a valve seat at the inlet port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Zamtec Limited
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, David Jeremy Low
  • Publication number: 20120293592
    Abstract: An ink distribution system for a printhead, the system having a first ink container having an ink outlet, a second ink container having an ink inlet, an ink line interconnecting the outlet of the first container and the inlet of the second container and a gas vent on the ink line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Inventors: Christopher Hibbard, Kent Benjamen Kwan, Edward Ellis Esdaile-Watts, Geoffrey Philip Dyer, Jeff Borra, Ryan Root, Jon Lucas, Tom Alesi, Neal Cekalski, Ray Guichard
  • Patent number: 8313185
    Abstract: When a package in which a tank 1 is wrapped is opened, caused is an action of reversing vertical positions of an end face of the tank 1 having an ink supply portion 10, and an end face opposite to the foregoing end face. Along with this action, air existing inside the tank 1 ascends, and then is separated by air separating portions. Thus, a coloring material component inside the tank is stirred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Hatasa, Yasuo Kotaki, Ryoji Inoue
  • Patent number: 8308283
    Abstract: A filter, the alignment of which does not need to be adjusted, and an ink-jet recording apparatus having such a filter are provided, the ink-jet recording apparatus capable of avoiding leakage of residual liquids in filter exchange operation. The filter of the present invention includes an upper capsule member, a lower capsule member, and a filter medium. The upper capsule member has a central connecting port and a peripheral connecting port, and also has a pipe section that extends, within the capsule, from the peripheral connecting port to the vicinity of the bottom surface (the deepest section) of the lower capsule member. A liquid supplied from the peripheral connecting port via the pipe section is filtered through the filter medium, and the filtered liquid is output from the central connecting port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takehiko Matsushita, Toshihide Nagamine, Takahiro Arima
  • Publication number: 20120274712
    Abstract: A method of extracting air from an inkjet printhead includes using an air extraction chamber connected to the printhead. The air extraction chamber comprises an air chamber, a one-way relief valve having open and closed positions used in venting of the air chamber. A piston in the form of a disk is provided to vent a quantity of air from the air chamber through the one-way relief valve when it's pushed through a cylinder. The piston is moved in an opposite direction through the cylinder so that a reduced air pressure is applied to the printhead when the one-way relief valve is in its closed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Publication number: 20120274711
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead assembly comprising an array of nozzles fed by a corresponding ink inlet. An ink chamber corresponding to the array of nozzles is fluidly connected to the ink inlet. An air extraction chamber includes an air chamber, a one-way relief valve having an open position that allows venting of the air chamber to ambient, and a closed position that does not allow venting of the air chamber to ambient. A piston in the form of a disk forces air to be vented from the air chamber through the one-way relief valve in its open position. It also applies a reduced air pressure to a membrane while the one-way relief valve is in its closed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Patent number: 8292397
    Abstract: In the ejection process in which the ink is ejected by using the ejection driving pulse, the ink is heated by a heating mechanism. On the other hand, in the maintenance process in which the ejection ability of the printing head is recovered by repeatedly applying the maintenance driving pulse to the piezoelectric oscillator, the ink is cooled by a cooling mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Tsubota
  • Patent number: 8287072
    Abstract: A method for using a processor to process image data received from an image data source in preparation for multipass printing, comprising multitoning the image data to produce a multitoned image, using the multitone level of a pixel in the multitoned image to select a plane of a print mask, using the location of the pixel in the multitoned image to select a cell of output pixels in the selected plane of the print mask, and copying the selected cell of output pixels to corresponding locations within a print buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Christopher Rueby, Douglas W. Couwenhoven
  • Patent number: 8277033
    Abstract: A liquid-drop ejecting apparatus comprises: a liquid-drop ejection head, a first tank, a second tank and a negative pressure generation unit. The first tank includes: a liquid storage chamber for storing therein a liquid to be supplied to the liquid-drop ejection head; a gas chamber formed therein; a communication hole connecting the liquid storage chamber and the gas chamber; a gas-permeable membrane which covers the communication hole, and by which the liquid storage chamber and the gas chamber is divided; and a suppression member provided in the gas chamber and configured to contact with the gas-permeable membrane which is deformed to project toward an inside of the gas chamber, so as to suppress the deformation of the gas-permeable membrane. The second tank for storing therein a liquid to be supplied to the liquid storage chamber. The negative pressure generation unit configured to generate a negative pressure in the gas chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takaichiro Umeda
  • Patent number: 8277034
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead assembly for use in an inkjet printer, the inkjet printhead assembly includes an array of nozzles disposed along a nozzle array direction; an ink chamber including an ink outlet that is fluidly connected to the array of nozzles; and an air-permeable membrane positioned in the ink chamber at an angle that is inclined relative to the nozzle array direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Richard A. Murray, Gary A. Kneezel
  • Publication number: 20120236094
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a head tank, an exhaust unit, and a suctioning device. The head tank has liquid chambers with exhaust ports. The exhaust unit includes an exhaust channel connected to the suctioning device to exhaust air from the head tank, an exhaust chamber connected to the ports of the liquid chambers, a valve member to collectively open and close the ports, a valve driving chamber communicating with the exhaust channel and having a flexible member forming a wall face thereof, a valve driving member disposed at the flexible member to open and close the valve member, and a choke channel communicating the exhaust chamber with the valve driving chamber. When the suctioning device suctions air through the exhaust channel with the liquid being in the choke channel, a volume of the valve driving chamber contracts and the valve member opens the ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomomi KATOH
  • Patent number: 8256855
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium flows the ink from an upstream side tank to a downstream side tank on an ink circulation path, includes a sensor for detecting a parameter corresponding to variations in amount of the ink in the downstream side tank, and confirms ink circulation in accordance with an amount of ink which returns through circulation from an appropriate amount of ink and a measured time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Takahisa Yamada
  • Patent number: 8256880
    Abstract: A fluid height backpressure system includes a printhead, a fluid supply tank, a backpressure device, and an air removal device. The backpressure device responsible for supplying system backpressure includes at least one tower disposed in an upright position and having a plurality of walls defining first and second chambers for respectively communicating with the ink supply tank and a fluid supply reservoir of the printhead. The air removal device provides additional backpressure in the second chamber, allows backpressure in the system to be maintained even with an empty fluid supply tank, and also supply of ink to the fluid supply reservoir of the printhead substantially without air bubbles being introduced therein. Also, ink sensors are utilized for sensing different levels of ink in the ink supply tank and out-of-ink/ink-low conditions in the backpressure device and also to help establish and continue the operation of the backpressure device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Johnnie Coffey, Steven Robert Komplin, Guion Yuvano Lucas, Randal Scott Williamson
  • Patent number: 8246153
    Abstract: Provided is a bubble control unit for a liquid ejecting head which ejects liquid from a nozzle formed on a nozzle surface. The bubble control unit includes a liquid channel through which the liquid is supplied to the nozzle. In the bubble control unit, the liquid channel includes: a first chamber; a second chamber disposed on the upstream side from the first chamber; a first communicating path which has a bubble chamber extending upward from the first chamber, and makes the liquid within the second chamber to flow into the first chamber from a first communicating path inlet of the second chamber; and a second communicating path which is provided with a second communicating path inlet below the first communicating path inlet, separately from the first communicating path inlet, and makes the liquid within the second chamber to flow into the first chamber from the second communicating path inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Miyajima
  • Patent number: 8235509
    Abstract: A liquid-droplet ejecting apparatus including: (a) a liquid ejecting head; (b) a liquid supply passage; (c) a suction passage; (d) a sucking device sucking a gas in the liquid supply passage via the suction passage; (e) a gas-permeable film; (f) an opening-and-closing device; (g) a pressure detecting device detecting an internal pressure of the suction passage; (h) a sucking-device control device controlling the sucking device; the sucking-device control device having the sucking device suck the gas in the liquid supply passage when the pressure detecting device detects that the internal pressure is equal to or above a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takaichiro Umeda