Abstract: A length of a melamine foamed block to be accommodated in an ink tank housing as measured in the longitudinal direction is dimensioned to be larger than a length of the ink tank housing as measured in the longitudinal direction. Thus, while the foamed block is accommodated in the ink tank housing, it is compressed in the direction orienting toward an ink feeding port from which ink is fed to a printing head, i.e., in the ink feeding direction. Consequently, the ink retaining force induced by the capillary force is not intensified in the compressing direction of the melamine foamed block, resulting in an ink feeding capability of the printing head being improved. On the contrary, the ink retaining force effective at a right angle relative to the compressing direction of the melamine foamed block is intensified.

Abstract: A container for containing printing liquid for supplying to an ink jet head for an ink jet recording apparatus. The container includes a first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having an air vent communicating with ambient air and a supply port for supplying printing liquid to the ink jet head. The container also includes a second chamber communicating with the first chamber via a communication port and providing a printing liquid reservoir for the first chamber. The capillary force provided by the negative pressure producing material adjacent a wall extending from the communication port and decreasing in a direction perpendicular to and towards the wall at least adjacent a part of the communication port which is uppermost in use of the container.

Abstract: An ink cartridge is described which is connectable to an ink jet recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus. The cartridge is generally formed by a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall and two side walls providing major inner surfaces of the cartridge. The cartridge includes a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber contains negative pressure producing material and has an ink outlet connectable to the ink jet head to supply ink from the cartridge to the ink jet head and an air vent for allowing air into the cartridge. The second chamber has a communication port adjacent to the bottom wall, and communicates with the first chamber through the communication port. The second chamber provides an ink reservoir for the first chamber. Inner corner portions, formed by intersection of the inner side of the side walls adjacent to the communication port and the bottom wall, and which extend toward the communication port, are rounded.

Abstract: A container for containing printing liquid for supplying to an ink jet head for an ink jet recording apparatus. The container includes first and second chambers, with the first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having an air vent communicating with ambient air and a supply port for supplying printing liquid to the ink jet head. The second chamber communicates with the first chamber via a communication port and provides a printing liquid reservoir for the first chamber. In an area adjacent a wall extending from the communication port, a capillary force provided by the negative pressure producing material decreases in a direction perpendicular to and towards that wall at least adjacent a part of the communication port which is uppermost when the container is in use.

Abstract: A coating composition comprising cationic fine particles of a crosslinked resin, which have an average particle diameter ranging from 0.1 to 100 .mu.m and a water absorption capacity of at most 25 times by volume, and a binder resin; and a printing medium comprising a base material and an ink-receiving layer provided on the base material, wherein the ink-receiving layer contains cationic fine particles of a crosslinked resin, which have an average particle diameter ranging from 0.1 to 100 .mu.m and a water absorption capacity of at most 25 times by volume, and a binder resin.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a printing medium, comprising a base material and an ink-receiving layer provided on at least one side of the base material, wherein the ink-receiving layer comprises, in combination as essential components, a hydrophilic resin and a cationic compound comprising both structural units of the formulae (I) and (II) ##STR1## wherein R1, R2, R4 and R5 are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R3 is a phenyl, naphthyl, benzyl or phenethyl group, R6 is an alkyl group the main chain of which has 10 to 30 carbon atoms, and X.sup.- is a halide ion selected from the group consisting of chloride, bromide and iodide ions, a sulfate ion, an alkylsulfate ion selected from the group consisting of methylsulfate and ethylsulfate ions, an alkyl- or arylsulfonate ion, or an acetate ion, and the cationic compound is used in combination in a proportion of 1 to 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the hydrophilic resin.

Abstract: This invention relates to an assembly method, for head units mounting a plurality of head chips for discharging ink onto a frame, in which relative positions among head chips are determined and which the head chips are secured onto the frame so as to maintain the relative positions, to an assembly apparatus for head units based on the method, and further to an ink jet output apparatus incorporating those head units. According to this invention, correction by each image output will not be required because the head unit is able to complete adjustments of shifts of arrival positions of ink at its assembling stage, thereby making the apparatus compact and simple. In addition, correction of positional shifts will not be required when the heads are replaced, so that maintenance of the ink jet output apparatus will be easy.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes a substrate with ejection energy generating elements for ejecting ink, a wiring board electrically connected at a first connecting region to an electric connection pad on the substrate and functioning to apply voltage to the ejection energy generating elements, and a plate is combined with the substrate, the plate being provided with a groove constituting an ink passage when it is combined with the substrate. A second connecting region is found between the substrate and plate, the substrate having a projection at a position between the second connecting region and the pad, the first connecting region and second connecting region each being sealed by a resin sealing material.

Abstract: An ink container includes an ink absorbing material accommodating chamber for accommodating an ink absorbing material for retaining ink to be supplied to a recording head; an ink supply opening connectable with said recording head to supply the ink to the recording head from said accommodating chamber; an air vent portion for fluid communication between said accommodating chamber with ambience; wherein said air vent portion has an inside opening in fluid communication with an inside of said accommodating chamber, an outside opening open to the ambience, and a fluid communication path in fluid communication with said inside opening and outside opening; wherein said outside opening takes, when said container is mounted on an apparatus with which it is usable, a position lower than that taken by said inside opening.

Abstract: A recording head comprises an ink container, an energy generating device for discharging ink from the ink container, an ink discharge section corresponding to the energy generating device and a covering member that covers the ink discharge section and an atmosphere-communicating opening for the ink container, wherein when the recording head is out of recording, a small opening communicating with the atmosphere-communicating opening, or a valve member capable of opening or closing in accordance with an internal pressure change, or an internal pressure change-absorbing member capable of absorbing an internal pressure change by changing its volume is provided on said covering member at a position corresponding to the atmosphere-communicating opening.

Abstract: An adhesive sheet-type sealing member is suitably used for protecting ink-ejecting nozzles or a communication hole of an ink-jet recording head during transportation or storage. The sealing member exhibits a yield point at a load of not more than 1 kgf/cm for a specimen of 10 mm wide at a stress rate of 200 mm/min .+-.10% according to JIS-K-7113 and/or exhibits a folding load of not more than 0.10 g/cm for a specimen of 10 mm wide with a free length of 10 mm from the end of a specimen holder measured on the center of an electronic balance placed at a position 5 mm apart from the end of the specimen holder.

Abstract: An ink container includes an ink absorbing material accommodating chamber for accommodating an ink absorbing material for retaining ink to be supplied to a recording head; an ink supply opening connectable with said recording head to supply the ink to the recording head from said accommodating chamber; an air vent portion for fluid communication between said accommodating chamber with ambience; wherein said air vent portion has an inside opening in fluid communication with an inside of said accommodating chamber, an outside opening open to the ambience, and a fluid communication path in fluid communication with said inside opening and outside opening; wherein said outside opening takes, when-said container is mounted on an apparatus with which it is usable, a position lower than that taken by said inside opening.

Abstract: An ink container for storing ink and an ink jet apparatus having such an ink container is provided. The ink container has an ink tank providing an enclosed space within an inner wall of the tank. The ink container is filled with inner and outer porous members having open pores for holding ink. The inner porous members are disposed within the enclosed space so as to only contact and press against other inner or outer porous members or both. The outer porous members are disposed within the enclosed space so as to contact and press against the inner porous members and the inner wall of the ink tank. This arrangement of inner and outer porous members within the ink container prevents an uneven compression distribution which occurs when conventional porous members are inserted into ink containers or when ink containers containing such conventional porous members suffer impacts.

Abstract: An ink container includes an ink storing portion for storing ink; an ink supplying portion for supplying ink to a recording head portion; an air vent for taking the atmospheric air into the ink container; and a hollow tube, one end of which opens to the atmosphere at the air vent, above the liquid level of the stored ink, and the other end of which opens within the ink container adjacent to the bottom portion of the ink container.

Abstract: An ink filling method for filling an ink cartridge with ink to be supplied to a recording head for ejecting ink includes providing an ink cartridge having a negative pressure producing material accommodating portion and an ink accommodating portion, the negative pressure producing material accommodating portion accommodating a negative pressure producing material and being provided with an air vent, and the ink accommodating portion being substantially hermetically sealed except for fluid communication with the negative pressure producing material accommodating portion, and accommodating directly the ink to be supplied to the recording head, the ink cartridge further includes a partition wall between the negative pressure producing material accommodating portion and the ink accommodating portion, the partition wall being provided with a gap for permitting formation of meniscus of the ink; and directly injecting the ink into the ink accommodating portion.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording head has ejection outlets formed by treating a face of a plate for the ejection outlets with a water-repellent and irradiating the plate with a laser beam from the backside of the plate. The head is provided with a sealing member for sealing the ejection outlets. The water-repellent has a hardness of higher than the pencil hardness 6B at room temperature. A decomposition product layer is formed on the layer of the water repellent at peripheral portions of the ejection outlets.

Abstract: An ink cartridge for supplying ink to a recording head includes a vacuum producing material accommodating portion for accommodating a vacuum producing material; an ink containing portion for containing ink, adjacent the material accommodating portion, with which the ink containing portion is in fluid communication through an opening at a bottom portion; an ink supply opening for permitting supply of the ink, in the material accommodating portion; an inward projection in the ink containing portion; and the projection is not less than 0.2 mm away from a boundary between the material accommodating portion and the ink containing portion.

Abstract: A replaceable ink cartridge, usable with a bubble jet printer, includes a container having front, back, top bottom and side walls, the container being divided internally into a first chamber and a second chamber having a common partition extending downward perpendicularly toward the bottom wall to provide an opening between the chambers formed by the partition proximate to the bottom wall. The first chamber contains a reservoir of liquid ink and is generally sealed from ambient air except through the opening, and the second chamber has an air vent for admitting ambient air into the second chamber and an ink supply outlet in the front wall.

Abstract: A recording medium has an ink receiving layer provided on a substrate and containing (A) polyvinyl acetal resin and (B) alumina hydrate at a ratio A/B within the range of 50/1 to 6/4.

Abstract: A package material for accommodating a container cartridge provided with an ink supply portion integral with a recording head in use includes a package material for accommodating the container cartridge, provided with opening means for permitting opening of the package material; a sealing material for sealing an ink supply portion of the container cartridge; wherein the sealing member is at least partly mounted to the package material.