Abstract: Disclosed is a portable, hand-held printing apparatus capable of maintaining high printing quality even when the movement of the apparatus becomes unstable due to looseness or wrinkles of a printing medium or even when the moving velocity of the apparatus changes. When a user moves the housing of this apparatus on a printing medium to print on the printing medium by using a printhead, the apparatus itself detects the moving velocity of the housing. On the basis of this detection result, the apparatus adjusts the supply timing of a driving signal for driving the printhead.

Abstract: A substrate having plural recording elements and electrical leads for supplying electric signals to the recording elements includes electrical contacts for external electrical connection for reception of image signals used for driving the recording elements; and a processing circuit for converting signals which are serially supplied to the connecting contact to parallel signals to be applied to the recording elements.

Abstract: An ink jet head for ejecting ink includes an ink passage for supplying ink from an ink container for containing ink; a filter chamber in the ink passage, the filter chamber containing therein a filter; wherein the chamber has a cross-sectional area larger than that of the ink passage, and is provided with an inlet opening in fluid communication with an inlet part of the ink supply passage for supplying the ink from the ink container to the filter chamber and an outlet opening in fluid communication with an outlet part of the ink passage for supplying the ink out of the chamber; wherein the inlet opening and outlet opening are faced to a filter with a clearance, and the chamber is provided with bubble moving portion for moving bubbles away from the inlet opening.

Abstract: Disclosed is a portable, hand-held printing apparatus capable of maintaining high printing quality even when the movement of the apparatus becomes unstable due to looseness or wrinkles of a printing medium or even when the moving velocity of the apparatus changes. When a user moves the housing of this apparatus on a printing medium to print on the printing medium by using a printhead, the apparatus itself detects the moving velocity of the housing. On the basis of this detection result, the apparatus adjusts the supply timing of a driving signal for driving the printhead.

Abstract: An ink container includes a casing, an air vent which is located in the casing, an ink supply opening for supplying ink out of the casing, and an ink absorbing material that is contained in the casing. The ink absorbing material retains ink therein, and has a generally rectangular parallelopipedal shape defined by sides of the ink absorbing material, and also has an ink supply portion for supplying ink to the ink supply opening. The ink absorbing material includes corner portions which are located between adjacent sides of the ink absorbing material. A preventing means prevents complete surface contact between the casing and said ink absorbing material by providing spaces between the casing and ink absorbing material which are in fluid communication with each other with a given space that is adjacent to a particular one of the corner portions that is most remote from the ink supply portion. The air vent is in fluid communication with the spaces.

Abstract: A substrate having plural recording elements and electrical leads for supplying electric signals to the recording elements includes electrical contacts for external electrical connection for reception of image signals used for driving the recording elements; and a processing circuit for converting signals which are serially supplied to the connecting contact to parallel signals to be applied to the recording elements.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an ink jet unit detachably mounted to the carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus. The ink jet unit includes an ink container for storing ink and a casing for retaining the ink container, wherein the casing and ink container are independent from each other so that the ink container can be exchangeably installed in the casing. The casing includes an ink jet recording portion, an opening for mounting the ink container thereto, a guide portion for installing the ink container into an accommodating portion through a rotary motion, a shoe portion generating a resistive feel when the ink container is inserted into the accommodating portion, and a dislocation preventive member. The shoe portion has a pressing device for maintaining fluid communication between the ink container and an ink supply tube contained in the casing.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head comprises a discharge port for discharging ink, two electrothermal converting elements for generating thermal energy utilized for discharging the ink, and an ink flow path provided with the two electrothermal converting elements, at the same time, being conductively connected with the discharge port, and this head has a first discharge mode for discharging liquid droplets from the discharge port when the electrothermal converting element on the side nearer to the discharge port, of the two electrothermal converting elements, receives driving signals to generate the thermal energy, and also, a second discharge mode for discharging liquid droplets from the discharge port in the larger discharge amount than that of the first mode when both of the two electrothermal converting elements receive driving signals to generate the thermal energy.

Abstract: An ink jet head for ejecting ink includes an ink passage for supplying ink from an ink container for containing ink; a filter chamber in the ink passage, the filter chamber containing therein a filter; wherein the chamber has a cross-sectional area larger than that of the ink passage, and is provided with an inlet opening in fluid communication with an inlet part of the ink supply passage for supplying the ink from the ink container to the filter chamber and an outlet opening in fluid communication with an outlet part of the ink passage for supplying the ink out of the chamber; wherein the inlet opening and outlet opening are faced to a filter with a clearance, and the chamber is provided with bubble moving portion for moving bubbles away from the inlet opening.

Abstract: A mounting method of an ink container to an ink jet unit mountable to an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink container is mounted while a corner portion of the ink container between a top surface and a rear side is slid in contact with an urging member and while a corner portion of the ink container between a front side and a bottom side is slid toward a front side of the ink jet unit in contact with an inner bottom surface of the ink jet unit.

Abstract: An ink jet head includes a first member with an energy generating element for generating energy to eject ink, a second member having an ejection outlet forming member provided with an ink ejection outlet through which the ink is ejected, the second member being affixed to the first member to form a liquid passage in fluid communication with the ejection outlet, and urging means for urging the first and second members together to substantially fix them against each other. The ejection outlet forming member has a jaw connected with a surface of the first member which has the energy generating element, the jaw being adjacent a first member side of the ejection outlet. The following relationships are satisfied, namely, b.gtoreq.5 microns, c.gtoreq.

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: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink tank containing ink; a recording head for performing recording by selectively ejecting ink; a mounting portion for mounting the ink tank and the recording head; a liquid passage coupling portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and the recording head for separating or connecting the ink passages in the ink tank and the recording head; a holding portion provided on either or both of the ink tank and recording head for guiding the ink tank to the recording head in order to hold them separably; and an electrically or mechanically connecting portion provided on either or both of the recording head and mounting portion for electrically or mechanically connecting the recording head to or separating it from the mounting portion.

Abstract: An ink jet unit to which an ink container is detachably mountable, and which is further mountable to an ink jet recording apparatus so as to effect ink jet recording. The ink jet unit includes an ink jet head for ejecting ink for recording, an ink supply tube for receiving ink from the ink container and being provided at a bottom portion of the ink jet unit in fluid communication with the ink jet head, and an opening for permitting mounting of the ink container thereto. The opening is formed continuously, in such sides of the ink jet unit as take top and front positions when the ink jet unit is mounted to the ink jet recording apparatus. A cover is provided, at the top side of the ink jet unit.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording head comprises a plurality of liquid flow paths having discharge openings for discharging an ink, and a plurality of thermoelectric transducers provided for each liquid flow path in order to discharge the ink, wherein, a frontward thermoelectric transducer located on the discharge opening side is so provided that, when the ink is discharged by the frontward thermoelectric transducer alone, a value of (discharge velocity v/discharge quantity Vd) with respect to a distance OH extending from an end of its discharge opening side to the discharge opening is at a distance OH of the first region in a regional classification into a first region in which the value of v/Vd increases with a decrease in the distance OH and a second region in which it comes to be substantially constant with an increase in the distance OH.

Abstract: An ink container cartridge detachably mountable to an ink jet recording head, includes a main body of ink container cartridge; an ink retaining member, in the main body, for retaining the ink; wherein the ink retaining member is contained in the ink container cartridge so that a compression ratio A of the ink retaining member by a side having an ink supply opening of the ink container cartridge and a side opposite therefrom, and a compression ratio B by other two opposite sides thereof, satisfy A>B, and 1.1.ltoreq.A.ltoreq.1.6.

Abstract: A sealed ink jet assembly which is removable from an ink jet apparatus includes an ink jet head which has an ejection outlet found at a first surface of the ink jet head, an energy generating element for generating energy to eject ink through the ejection outlet, and an electric contact portion for supplying an electric signal from the ink jet apparatus to the energy generating element by mounting the electric contact portion to the ink jet apparatus. The electric contact portion is provided on the surface of the ink jet head which differs from the first surface, and an integral sealing member covers both the ink ejection outlet and the electric contact portion. The integral sealing member is removed when the assembly is mounted onto the ink jet apparatus.

Abstract: An ink container, as well as a method of making the same, which has ink absorbing material for retaining ink, a casing for holding the ink absorbing material, an ink supply port through which ink is withdrawn from the absorbing material, and an air vent. The air vent and ink supply port are each provided adjacent to different longitudinal halves of the ink absorbing material, and the casing is initially filled with an amount of ink which is larger than the quantity of ink which can be retained by the ink absorbing material. Then, ink adjacent to the air vent is removed to such an extent that the casing contains the quantity of the ink which the ink absorbing material can retain. Thus, ink is retained at a higher density adjacent to the ink supply port than adjacent to the air vent.

Abstract: A replaceable ink tank for an ink cartridge used in a bubble jet printer comprises a container formed by two side walls providing major surfaces of the container, and back, front, top and bottom walls. At least one ink supply port is provided in the bottom wall of container and is disposed for supplying ink from at least one ink chamber in the container to a corresponding ink tapping pipe in the ink cartridge. The container is configured for insertion into an opening in the top and front of the ink cartridge with the bottom wall of the container facing downward and a back wall facing a back wall of the ink cartridge, the container being constructed for engaging a camming shoe located at the back inside of a top wall of the cartridge and securing the container in place in the ink cartridge with the ink supply port connecting with the corresponding ink tapping pipe.