Abstract: A liquid ejection method including the steps of preparing a head comprising an ejection outlet, a bubble generation region, a movable member faced to the bubble generation region and displaceable from a first position to a second position further from the bubble generation region than the first position; displacing the movable member from the first position to the second position by pressure produced by the generation of the bubble to permit greater expansion of the bubble downstream as compared to upstream; and supplying a driving pulse to generate each bubble, wherein the pulse is divided into a first pulse for pre-heating the liquid and a second pulse for ejecting the liquid.

Abstract: In an ink jet head manufacturing method wherein a plurality of substrates provided with ejection energy generating elements for generating energy for ejecting ink, are arranged on a supporting member, and a top plate is mounted on the substrate to cover all of the substrates to form ink flow paths, the improvement residing in that the supporting member is provided with recesses at a supporting portion for supporting the substrates, and an adhesive material is supplied into the recesses, and thereafter, the substrate is placed on the supporting member.

Abstract: A liquid discharging head includes a discharge port for discharging liquid, a liquid passage communicated with the discharge port, a bubble generating area for generating a bubble in the liquid in the liquid passage, the bubble generating area including a heater for heating the liquid in the liquid passage, and a movable member disposed in a confronting relation to the bubble generating area in the liquid passage and adapted to be shifted by pressure caused by generating the bubble at the bubble generating area to direct the pressure toward the discharge port and to be returned to its initial position by negative pressure due to contraction of the bubble, and wherein resistance of the movable member against the liquid in the liquid passage when it is shifted is smaller than that when it is returned.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: A connector cap 56 having connection openings 56A and 56B provided respectively corresponding to the other ends of ink passages 46 and 54 and a communication passage 56R for communicating the connection opening 56A with the connection opening 56B is provided detachably to the other ends of the ink passages 46 and 54.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: A method of producing an ink jet recording head comprises the steps of forming a discharge port by irradiating a discharge port forming member, which is integrally provided on a top plate provided with a groove of an ink flow path communicated with the discharge port for discharging ink, and in which the discharge port is formed, with a laser beam having ununiform intensity distribution of the light beam, from the groove side and forming the ink flow path by connecting the top plate to a substrate, with the groove being positioned inside.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes a plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink, a plurality of ink flow paths in communication with the plurality of discharge ports, a plurality of substrates including discharge energy generating elements for providing discharge energy for discharging ink, a supporting member for supporting a plurality of substrates in an arranged state, and a ceiling plate member for forming the plurality of ink flow paths by being bonded to a plurality of arranged substrates.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head including a base plate substrate formed by a first base plate substrate and a second base plate substrate in which the thermal expansion coefficient of the first base plate substrate directly in contact with a substrate having discharge energy generating elements arranged thereon is smaller than that of the second base plate substrate and the first base plate substrate is formed by material having the thermal expansion coefficient closer to that of the substrate having the discharge energy generating elements arranged therefor, and at the same time, the first base plate substrate, above which the discharge energy generating elements are placed, is supported by a surface of the second base plate substrate and a side face in the longitudinal direction of the second base plate substrate.

Abstract: A liquid ejection method involves supplying liquid along a heat generating element disposed along a flow path from upstream of the heat generating element, applying heat generated by the heat generating element to the thus supplied liquid to generate a bubble, thus moving a free end of a movable member having the free end adjacent the ejection outlet side by pressure produced by the bubble, the movable member facing the heat generating element, supplying, to a heat generating element for applying thermal energy to the bubble generating region, a driving pulse divided into a first pulse and an adjacent second pulse with interval time therebetween, pre-heating the liquid by the first pulse to an extent insufficient to eject liquid through the ejection outlet, and generating a bubble by heating the liquid by the second pulse to eject the liquid through the ejection outlet.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes a plurality of ink ejection outlets, a first member having a plurality of grooves in fluid communication with the ejection outlets, respectively, a second member having a plurality of energy generating elements for producing energy for ejecting ink in the grooves through the ejection outlets, and a clamping unit for clamping the first member with the second member to constitute ink passages with the grooves, wherein the clamping unit has a plurality of pressure regulating mechanism pressure regulating mechanisms, which are independently operable.

Abstract: An ink tank has an ink container storing the ink to be used in the printing apparatus, a waste ink container storing the ink used in the printing apparatus, an atmosphere communication hole provided in the waste ink container, and a coupling member provided on one of or both of the ink container and the waste ink container and provided for coupling the ink container and the waste ink container, and forming an ink guide path for guiding the ink flown from the atmosphere communication hole to a predetermined position of the ink container or the waste ink container. An elastic body has a domed shape, and is used at a coupling portion in one of or both of the ink container and the waste ink container, the coupling portion for coupling the containers to the printing apparatus.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method and ink jet recording apparatus used for recording in the method. The ink jet recording apparatus has an ink jet head which is provided with a plurality of elemental substrates having a plurality of discharge energy generating elements arranged in a line. The substrates are arranged in the direction of the line. The method includes selecting blocks of discharge energy generating elements to be ready for driving one after another continuously and causing the position to start the driving cycle for the discharge energy generating elements to be at a center portion of each of the elemental substrates away from respective seamed portions between the elemental substrates.

Abstract: A laser processing method comprises at least one of a laser light source, a beam shaping optical system for shaping laser beams, a mask having specific patterns corresponding to the processing configuration of a work, an illumination optical system for illuminating the mask, and a projection optical system for focusing the pattern images of the mask on the processing surface of the work by a specific magnification. This mask is provided with an extinct portion smaller than the quotient of the resolution and specific magnification of the projection optical system. With the method thus arranged, a work can be processed to provide complicated three-dimensional grooves having irregularities in the direction of laser irradiation by one-time processing. Also, the extinct portions make it possible to easily and finely adjust the extinction so that the precision of work processing is enhanced.

Abstract: A liquid jet recording apparatus is structured to enable recording liquid to circulate by conductively connecting the recording head for discharging recording liquid and means for retaining recording liquid through a forwarding path for recording liquid to flow into the head and a returning path for recording liquid to flow out from the head. This apparatus comprises means for generating pressure to suck recording liquid on the returning path from the head, while exerting pressure on recording liquid in the forwarding path toward the head. In this way, dust particles and air bubbles in ink are removed without allowing ink to flow out of the discharge ports of the recording head so as to save the consumption of ink to be used wastefully when a recovery operation is executed for the apparatus.

Abstract: An ink leaking from an atmosphere communication hole of a waste ink container is guided to an end portion of the waste ink container. Electrodes are provided for shutting off an ink guide path. By this, the ink leaking through the atmosphere communication hole is inherently guided into the end portion of the container to come into contact with both of the electrodes. By contacting of the ink, a resistance value between the electrodes is varied to permit detection of ink leakage based on the variation of the resistance value. As a result, ink leakage from a waste ink container employed in an ink-jet printer or so forth can be certainly detected. Also, sealing ability of the waste ink container can be enhanced.

Abstract: A common recess, grooves, and common recess and/or column members in the grooves are formed on a base board at the same time, and such board is made a second base board, which is coupled to a first base board on which elements for liquid discharging energy are formed; hence obtaining an ink jet recording head provided with a filter unit in an arbitrary position in the region formed by the ink paths and the common liquid chamber. The filter unit can be processed by a single processing in the ink paths and/or the common liquid chamber to make it possible to prevent disabled discharge from taking place due to dust particles intermingled at the time of head manufacture. In this way, the discharging stability is enhanced, making a high-speed printing possible. A workpiece is efficiently processed by a single processing which is performed to process a three-dimensional configuration with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated.

Abstract: A common recess, grooves, and common recess and/or column members in the grooves are formed on a base board at the same time, and such board is made a second base board, which is coupled to a first base board on which elements for liquid discharging energy are formed; hence obtaining an ink jet recording head provided with a filter unit in an arbitrary position in the region formed by the ink paths and the common liquid chamber. The filter unit can be processed by a single processing in the ink paths and/or the common liquid chamber to make it possible to prevent disabled discharge from taking place due to dust particles intermingled at the time of head manufacture. In this way, the discharging stability is enhanced, making a high-speed printing possible. A workpiece is efficiently processed by a single processing which is performed to process a three-dimensional configuration with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated.