Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head for performing recording by discharging ink by forming a bubble by applying thermal energy to a heat acting portion of an ink holding portion of the recording head. Thermal energy is generated in the recording head and a cap sealingly caps a discharge opening forming surface of the recording head. Ink is sucked from the cap and positive recovery is effected so that 10.sup.4 or more times of preliminary discharges are performed toward the cap which is detached from the recording head, by supplying energy greater than energy at a recording condition by predetermined multiples of a minimum energy E.sub.o required for generating the bubble, and for causing the ink to be sucked in the cap that is open to atmosphere.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording material includes a heat generating element for controlling a temperature of a recording head, a driver for driving the heat generating element to generate heat, and control circuitry for controlling the driver to generate heat from the heat generating element with plural steps with a predetermined heat generating period, after completion of a recording operation by the recording head.

Abstract: A liquid level detecting mechanism for detecting the liquid level in a vessel for storage of liquid, includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit disposed opposite to the vessel for storage of liquid or a chamber communicating with the vessel. The light receiving unit detects the liquid level in the vessel in accordance with the quantity of received light from the light emitted from the light emitting unit, and members in contact with liquid which are arranged between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, the members being formed of a material having high wettability relative to the liquid.

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: A method for operating a thermal ink jet printer including a printhead having a sample resistor and ink firing heater resistors responsive to pulses provided to the printhead. The resistance of a sample resistor is read and the pad to pad resistance of the printhead is determined. The operating energy of the printhead is determined from a look-up table and the target power is determined from the target pulse width. The power supply voltage is determined from the target power and the power supply voltage is set. The operating power is determined and the operating pulse width is set based on the operating power and target energy.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has multiple print heads for ejecting ink in response to signals supplied in sequence to cause ejection of ink in forming an image. The ink is ejected upon an ink transfer medium, and an energy source is adapted for application of heat to the surface of the ink transfer medium. A pressure application assembly places the printing substrate in contact with the ink transfer medium in forming an image by transfer of ink. Ejection of ink may occur from multiple ink jet print heads simultaneously.

Abstract: A recording apparatus comprising a platen for supporting a sheet at a recording area, feeding means for feeding the sheet to the platen, recording means for recording an image on the sheet at the recording area, and an urging member disposed at a downstream side of the recording area and adapted to urge the sheet against the platen. The urging member has an urging surface for urging the sheet against the platen when the recording means is recording the image on the sheet.

Abstract: A method for preserving an ink jet head and an ink jet head unit which can prevent worsening of the ink discharging features when the ink jet head is preserved or stored before it is assembled to an ink jet recording apparatus. The preserving method and the ink jet head unit are characterized in that terminals connected respectively to a plurality of energy generating means for generating energy for discharging ink are all also connected to each other by conductive means such as a clip or conductive tape.

Abstract: An ink printer head of individual ink printer modules operating according to the edge-shooter principle equipped with piezoelectric actuators is provided for use in printers for postage meter machines and correspondingly has a large number of nozzles arranged in columns. For this purpose, a nozzle module, composed of a nozzle plate and two adapter plates arranged at opposite sides thereof, is disposed between ink printer modules that are constructed mirror-symmetrically relative to one another and are equipped with piezoactuators applied on both sides. The adapter plates are provided with openings for ink guidance and with recesses providing for the free space needed for piezoactuators. The openings in the adapter plates are matched, first, to the nozzle dimensions and, second, to the dimensions of the connecting channels to the ink chambers and are aligned with both the nozzles and the connecting channels. Identical etching masks can be used for a number of plates due to the mirror-symmetrical structure.

Abstract: An ink jet print head includes: a monolithic silicon substrate having a top surface; a plurality of chamber walls for defining a plurality of ink chambers on the top surface of the silicon substrate, the plurality of ink chambers being aligned in a first direction into a row extending along the top surface of the silicon substrate, each of the plurality of ink chambers being filled with ink, each chamber wall having a nozzle portion for defining a nozzle of a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle portion being formed so that each nozzle is in fluid communication with a respective ink chamber, the plurality of nozzles being aligned in the first direction into a row extending parallel to the top surface of the silicon substrate; an integrated circuit provided on the top surface of the silicon substrate and located adjacent to the plurality of ink chambers for outputting pulsed electric current; and a plurality of thermal resistors provided on the top surface of the silicon substrate each being located in a correspo

Abstract: A recording head comprises electrothermal transducers for jetting ink and functional devices for driving these electrothermal transducers, both of which are arranged on a single substrate plate. The functional devices comprise a pair of major electrode regions such as drain and source regions arranged on the substrate plate, a region comprising control electrode region and surrounding one of electrode regions used to be grounded, an insulating layer arranged on the control electrode region and a control electrode arranged on the insulating layer. The control layer alters the semiconductor types of a boundary surface of the control electrode region by applying a control voltage through the insulating layer and as a result a current flow between major electrode regions, source and drain, is controlled.

Abstract: A casing and a nozzle plate form a hollow cavity in which ink liquid can be filled. A buckling structure body is disposed within this hollow cavity. A nozzle orifice is provided in a nozzle plate at a position corresponding to the buckling structure body. The buckling structure body has a portion extending in a longitudinal direction. Both ends of the buckling structure body in the longitudinal direction are fixedly attached to the casing via an insulative member. The buckling structure body is formed of a material that is displaced at least in the longitudinal direction by conduction of current from a power source. Thus, an ink jet head of a long lifetime is provided that can provide a great discharge force while maintaining its small dimension.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a recording head for recording on a recording medium, which recording head includes a head body member having a plurality of thermal energy generating elements to discharge liquid for recording and an orifice plate having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid therethrough in response to the thermal energy generated by the generating elements. The orifice plate includes a junction portion attached to the head body member, extension portions protruding from two ends of the junction portion and positioning openings in the extension portions, which positioning openings are precisely located relative to the discharge ports. The apparatus includes positioning pins flanking a head-mounting opening in the apparatus that accepts the head body member, and the positioning pins cooperate with the positioning openings to accurately position the discharge ports in the apparatus when the head body member is inserted in the head-mounting opening.

Abstract: A recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a recording unit to record images on a recording sheet, and a photosensor which detects the density of the recording surface of a recording sheet. The apparatus records with the recording unit a given pattern on a given position on the recording sheet subsequent to the termination of image recording by the recording unit. A CPU is provided in order to judge the operating state of the recording unit in accordance with the result of the detection by the photosensor as to the pattern density, thus making it possible to automatically and accurately judge whether the image data are normally recorded. In particular, the CPU, using the output of the photosensor, determines whether the given pattern was recorded satisfactorily. If so, it is assumed that the image data was also recorded satisfactorily.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting droplets of ink from a plurality of nozzles is provided. The recording apparatus comprises a nozzle plate having the plurality of nozzles and a pressure generator associated with each of the plurality of nozzles. The nozzles and said pressure generators are disposed in at least three groups and each of the groups are associated with a single color ink. The ink associated with one group of nozzles and pressure generators is lighter, and the ink associated with one group of nozzles and pressure generators is darker than the ink associated with the other groups of nozzles and pressure generators. The group of nozzles and pressure generators associated with the ink of the lightest color is situated furthest from the group of nozzles and pressure generators associated with the ink of the darkest color.

Abstract: A color ink-jet pen for printing different colors of ink while simultaneously minimizing or eliminating color bleed. The pen includes a printhead having a nozzle plate for ejecting ink from the printhead onto the print medium. The nozzle plate includes a plurality of groups of nozzles, with each nozzle group dispensing a different color of ink and with adjacent nozzles in each group being separated by an index length. Adjacent groups of nozzles are always separated from each other by a group spacing distance greater than the index length. The group spacing distance is equal to an integer multiple of the index length, yet less than the swath width for each group. The pen is used in an ink-jet printer wherein the swath advance distance by which the paper is advanced between each swath is equal to the number of nozzles within a color group times the index distance.

Abstract: An ink jet printer comprising a recording device for jetting ink droplets from a printer head while moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of a recording medium in the form of a sheet, to form a dot image on the recording medium according to an input time, further including a pair of sheet retaining devices respectively arranged before and behind in the direction of travel of the recording device, where one of the pair of sheet retaining devices arranged before in the direction of travel is displaced to push against the recording medium in order to form a predetermined clearance between the printer head and the recording medium, while the other is displaced to leave from the recording medium.

Abstract: A recording head having a nozzle plate which has a sufficient thickness not to be deformed by a pressure vibration, and which is provided with concave portions on the back side of the plate with remaining a thickness corresponding to the longitudinal length of a nozzle in which concave portions of the nozzle are disposed. The concave portions formed on the back of the nozzle plate are arranged independently for each nozzle to suppress the influence of the pressure applied to the other nozzles as much as possible by utilizing the buffer function of each of the concave portions.

Abstract: Two printing-medium guide systems restrain the medium. One is in an area upstream (along the direction of medium advance) from the pen, and extending laterally across the width of the medium except in one or more regions laterally near the engagement of a print-medium advancing device. The other guide system is disposed laterally from the pen, and extends laterally across the medium only in one or more regions laterally near the engagement of the advancing device. Preferably these "one or more regions" are only near the lateral edges of the medium--so that (1) the first guide system restrains the medium over an area that stops short (ideally about 11/2 centimeter short) of the lateral edges; and (2) the second guide system is bifurcated, disposed laterally in two directions from the pen, and restrains the medium across only the lateral edges of the medium (most preferably in a strip whose width is a few millimeters, ideally 3 mm).

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a recording device for jetting ink droplets from a printer head while moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of a recording medium in the form of a sheet, to form a dot image on the recording medium according to an input time. The ink jet printer further includes a conveying mechanism, including a gate roller that performs an intermittent feed operation at a speed corresponding to the pixel density of a character or pattern recorded on the recording medium; and a roller provided downstream of the recording device, the roller being operated after the rear edge of the recording medium passes through the conveying mechanism located upstream of the recording device, to convey the recording medium while in contact with the dot image forming surface of the recording medium, the roller being movable into and out of engagement with the recording medium.