Abstract: To provide an ink cartridge in which a satisfactory electrical connection with a printer main assembly can be established An ink cartridge 1 detachably mountable to a cartridge mounting portion 33 including an ink receiving tube 52, an electrical connecting portion 55 and a locking lever 58, the ink cartridge 1 includes a tube inserting portion 8 into which an ink receiving tube 52 is inserted and which is provided in a lower portion at a front surface 2c of a casing 2, an electrical contact 4 provided above the tube inserting portion 8 and electrically connectable with the electrical connecting portion 55, and an engaging portion 24 provided in a position closer to the electrical contact than to the tube inserting portion 8 and engageable with the locking lever 58.

Abstract: To provide an ink cartridge capable of accomplishing satisfactory electrical connection relative to a printer main assembly An ink cartridge 1 detachably mountable to a cartridge mounting portion 33 provided with an ink receiving tube 52 and a plurality of electrical connecting portions 55, the ink cartridge 1 including a tube inserting portion 8 into which the receiving tube 52 is insertable, a substrate 3 provided on a front side 2c in a position above the tube inserting portion 8, a plurality of electrical contacts 4 electrically connectable with the plurality of electrical connecting portions 55, the electrical contacts 4 being arranged on the substrate 3 in a direction crossing with a direction from a bottom surface 2b toward an upper surface 2a

Abstract: The ink cartridge has a communication unit for allowing an ink storage chamber to communicate with a space outside a housing. The communication unit includes a communication port formed on an outside surface of the housing, a merging channel having an end which communicates with the communication port, and a plurality of branch channels, each having an end which communicates with the merging channel and the other end which communicates with the ink storage chamber. In the branch channel, while ink flows backward, the ink flowing from the merging channel branches into the first branch channel and the second branch channel. At the same time, a ratio (Q1/Q2) between an ink flow rate in the first branch channel and an ink flow rate in the second branch channel while the ink is supplied is smaller than that while the ink flows backward.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid storage container capable of keeping a negative pressure therein more reliably. An ink cartridge includes a negative pressure generation unit configured to generate a negative pressure in an ink storage chamber and a filter attached to an atmosphere communication channel opening and allowing air to pass from the outside to the inside of the liquid storage chamber depending on the negative pressure in the ink storage chamber. The ink cartridge has a capillary groove configured to supply ink from a portion in which ink is stored in the ink storage chamber to the filter.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid storage container capable of efficiently using a liquid stored therein. An ink cartridge has a flexible member having flexibility attached to a wall surface inside a housing to define a space inside the housing. In a position during use, an angle between the wall surface inside the housing and the flexible member in a lower attachment position of the flexible member to the housing is greater than an angle between the wall surface inside the housing and the flexible member in an upper attachment position.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus performing a printing operation using a main tank for storing ink and a sub tank for storing the ink supplied from the main tank to supply the ink to the print head includes a detection unit for detecting the ink amount in the sub tank and an ink filling unit for driving a driving unit for supplying ink from the main tank to the sub tank to subject the sub tank to an ink filling operation. The ink filling unit is configured, when the ink amount detected by the detection unit is determined to be equal to or lower than the first predetermined amount, the second ink filling operation is performed. The second ink filling operation performs a driving longer than the drive time of the driving unit in the first ink filling operation performed when the main tank is attached to the inkjet printing apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid storage container capable of keeping a negative pressure therein more reliably. An ink cartridge includes a negative pressure generation unit configured to generate a negative pressure in an ink storage chamber and a filter attached to an atmosphere communication channel opening and allowing air to pass from the outside to the inside of the liquid storage chamber depending on the negative pressure in the ink storage chamber. The ink cartridge has a capillary groove configured to supply ink from a portion in which ink is stored in the ink storage chamber to the filter.

Abstract: The ink cartridge has a communication unit for allowing an ink storage chamber to communicate with a space outside a housing. The communication unit includes a communication port formed on an outside surface of the housing, a merging channel having an end which communicates with the communication port, and a plurality of branch channels, each having an end which communicates with the merging channel and the other end which communicates with the ink storage chamber. In the branch channel, while ink flows backward, the ink flowing from the merging channel branches into the first branch channel and the second branch channel. At the same time, a ratio (Q1/Q2) between an ink flow rate in the first branch channel and an ink flow rate in the second branch channel while the ink is supplied is smaller than that while the ink flows backward.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid storage container capable of efficiently using a liquid stored therein. An ink cartridge has a flexible member having flexibility attached to a wall surface inside a housing to define a space inside the housing. In a position during use, an angle between the wall surface inside the housing and the flexible member in a lower attachment position of the flexible member to the housing is greater than an angle between the wall surface inside the housing and the flexible member in an upper attachment position.

Abstract: There is provided a method of filling a liquid container with liquid such that an amount of remaining air is suppressed to be as small as possible. For this purpose, while performing, on a liquid containing chamber, a primary pressure reduction, a primary injection, a secondary pressure reduction, and a secondary injection in turn, degrees of the primary pressure reduction and secondary pressure reduction are each appropriately adjusted to fill the liquid with a target amount of air remaining.

Abstract: In a state in which a liquid container is mounted on a recording device, a liquid ejection head communicates with a liquid chamber through a first liquid channel and a second liquid channel, an opening of the first liquid channel at a side far from the liquid ejection head and an opening of the second liquid channel at a side far from the liquid ejection head are made at the liquid chamber, the opening of the first liquid channel is located at an upper side in a gravitational direction as compared with the opening of the second liquid channel, and an air-liquid interface in the first liquid channel is held by a meniscus force so that the air-liquid interface in the first liquid channel is located at the upper side in the gravitational direction as compared with an air-liquid interface in the second liquid channel.

Abstract: In a state in which a liquid container is mounted on a recording device, a liquid ejection head communicates with a liquid chamber through a first liquid channel and a second liquid channel, an opening of the first liquid channel at a side far from the liquid ejection head and an opening of the second liquid channel at a side far from the liquid ejection head are made at the liquid chamber, the opening of the first liquid channel is located at an upper side in a gravitational direction as compared with the opening of the second liquid channel, and an air-liquid interface in the first liquid channel is held by a meniscus force so that the air-liquid interface in the first liquid channel is located at the upper side in the gravitational direction as compared with an air-liquid interface in the second liquid channel.

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.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a substrate having an energy generating element configured to generate energy required to discharge liquid, a discharge port configured to discharge the liquid and provided in an opposed relationship to the energy generating element, a wall member defining a chamber adapted to store the energy required to discharge liquid the energy being generated by the energy generating element, a discharge portion defining a fluid path connecting the chamber and the discharge port, a supply path facilitating supplying the liquid into the chamber, and a pair of hollow portions provided in the wall member, wherein the hollow portions oppose each other and sandwich at least the entire discharge port in a direction from the discharge port to the substrate, and the hollow portions are independent of the chamber.

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.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet print head having plural types of nozzles arranged on the same substrate and through which ink droplets of different sizes are ejected, the ink jet print head exhibiting acceptable ejection performance regardless of the type of the nozzle. Thus, according to the present invention, each of the plural types of nozzles includes a bubbling chamber having an ejection energy generating element allowing an ink droplet to be ejected to a position located opposite an ejection port and an ejection port portion allowing the ejection port and the bubbling chamber to communicate with each other. Ratio of opening area of the ejection port portion at a position where the ejection port portion and the bubbling chamber communicate with each other, to the opening area of the ejection port is higher for the nozzle with a smaller ejection amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides a print head that allows the characteristics of ejected ink to be adjusted for each ejection port in spite of a variation in the distance from an ink supply port to the heating element. In the print head according to the present invention, the area of the heating element decreases with increasing distance from the ink supply port and increases with decreasing distance from the ink supply port. The heating element is shaped like a rectangle that is longer in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the plurality of ejection ports are arranged than in the direction in which the plurality of ejection ports are arranged. The aspect ratio of the heating element depends on the length of an ink channel through which ink is introduced into the bubbling chamber.

Abstract: There are provided opening and closing means for opening and closing an ink flow passage and a filter chamber in which a filter is arranged horizontally. The opening and closing means 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 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 means expands the air bubble stored in the air bubble storage unit.