Abstract: In a configuration having an ink containing portion which is deformable at least in a part thereof, a spring for generating a required negative pressure in the container by exerting a force that expands the deformable part, and an air introducing section for allowing air to be introduced in accordance with an increase in the negative pressure in the container to keep the negative pressure in an adequate range, a one-way valve is used to prevent leakage of ink from a sealed containing space containing ink to the outside and to allow introduction of air into the containing space from the outside. As a result, there is provided an ink tank from which no ink leaks out through the air introducing section thereof in any ambience for use or storage and which can maintain stable negative pressure characteristics regardless of the phase of the consumption of the liquid.

Abstract: The present invention prevents liquid leakage regardless of the using conditions and the reserving atmosphere and stabilizes a negative pressure regardless of the degree of liquid consumption, by having a one-way valve in the liquid container that supplies liquid to an external device, maintaining the negative pressure formed in the liquid supplying passage positioned in the downstream of a position where liquid or gas is supplied by the one-way valve. The liquid container has a deformable, movable unit at least a part of which is made of a flexible material. A space other than the liquid supply unit forms a substantially sealed space in which liquid is retained. The container is capable of supplying the liquid to the outside.

Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing head carrying a sub-tank from which accumulated gases can be easily discharged. The inkjet printing head includes a sub-tank which has a movable section constituted by a deformable film sheet, a spring for generating a negative pressure, and a supply/discharge channel for supplying ink and discharging accumulated gases. The sub-tank is intermittently supplied with ink from a main tank and reserving the ink. The supply/discharge channel is provided in a position where it does not interfere with the movable section and the spring, e.g., in a frame of the sub-tank. The supply/discharge channel is preferably formed in an upper part of the sub-tank, e.g., a ceiling section of the sub-tank.

Abstract: In a structure of an ink tank having a deformable sheet that constitutes the tank and a spring for imparting a negative pressure, unstableness of the negative pressure attributable to the deformation of the sheet as a result of ink consumption is prevented. For this purpose, a plate-like member is joined to a top section of the sheet formed in a convex shape, and the spring for generating the negative pressure in the tank is mounted to the same member. This makes it possible to maintain a high volume ratio of the ink tank and to achieve stableness of the negative pressure by adequately regulating the deformation of the sheet when the sheet is displaced in the direction of retracting toward the interior of the tank as a result of a reduction of the amount of ink in the tank.

Abstract: A recording apparatus and method of controlling the apparatus includes a recording head for ejecting liquid ink for recording by heat energization, a temperature change rate detecting device for detecting the temperature change rate of the recording head in a normal state, a storage device for storing the temperature change rate information, a determining device for determining the average ejection duty cycle from recording data, an obtaining device for obtaining information relating the temperature change rate in the normal state to the average ejection duty cycle, and a discriminating device for discriminating an abnormality of the recording head determined by the information relating the temperature change rate in the normal state to the average ejection duty cycle, and the temperature change rate detected by the temperature change rate detecting device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a printing medium comprising a cloth and having a Clark stiffness not lower than 10, but not higher than 400 at least at its ends.

Abstract: A substrate for liquid ejection includes a built-in energy generating element for generating thermal energy, a built-in electrode wiring portion for supplying an electric signal to the energy generating element, and a built-in temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the substrate.

Abstract: A control portion for arithmetically predicting a temperature transition of a printing head using a predicting parameter includes an interface for receiving the predicting parameter from outside of the apparatus. The predicting parameter is based on a table regarding temperature increase of the printing head.

Abstract: A leather coloring process for carrying out coloring on a natural leather, or a natural leather which has been subjected to degreasing. The coloring process is accomplished by ink-jet coloring on at least a partial area of the natural leather.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a printing medium comprising a cloth and having a Clark stiffness not lower than 10, but not higher than 400 at least at its ends.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing process using an ink containing a dye having an ionicity. The process includes the steps of: providing a cloth containing (a) a substance having an ionicity opposite to the ionicity of the dye and a molecular weight of from 100 to 700, or a nonionic surfactant having a molecular weight of from 100 to 700 and an H.L.B. of from 7 to 15, and (b) a polymeric substance having an ionicity opposite to the ionicity of the dye and a molecular weight of from 2,000 to 200,000; printing on the cloth with the ink; washing the cloth after printing; and drying the cloth.

Abstract: Whether or not a color image is present adjacent to a black image is discriminated. Whether the black image is formed using a black ink or a plurality of color inks C, M, and Y is determined in accordance with the discrimination result. When the black image is formed using the plurality of color inks, it is recorded using a repetitive pattern of two of C, M, and Y so as to prevent blurring with the color image, and to improve fixing characteristics by decreasing the total ejection amount.

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 liquid supplying method for a liquid container of the type which uses a liquid accommodating container communicated to the atmosphere and filled with a negative pressure generating member to supply liquid to a liquid ejection head, with a liquid holding container communicating with a bottom section of the liquid accommodating container. According to the method, the amount of liquid supplied to the liquid holding container is automatically controlled in accordance with the amount of liquid remaining in the container. Also disclosed is a liquid ejection recording apparatus which includes a carriage which carries a head cartridge consisting of plural tank sections holding respectively different liquids and a recording head for performing recording, and which further includes large tanks holding large amounts of the same liquids as held in corresponding tank sections and being connectable to the tank sections of the head cartridge at a predetermined position.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ink-jet printing cloth suitable for use in printing with inks each containing a dye having an ionicity, wherein a substance not having the same ionicity as that of the dye and having a molecular weight lower than 1,000, and a polymeric substance having an ionicity opposite to that of the dye and a molecular weight higher than 2,000 are applied to the cloth.

Abstract: A substrate for liquid ejection includes a built-in energy generating element for generating thermal energy, a built-in electrode wiring portion for supplying an electric signal to the energy generating element, and a built-in temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention involves recording apparatus having such a recording head that records using thermal energy. The recording head has a substrate which includes plural thermal energy generating elements for generating thermal energy, plural wiring lines electrically connected with associated said thermal energy generating elements, and a temperature detecting element built in the substrate. This temperature detecting element is either a diode or a transistor.

Abstract: An ink jet head supplies an ejection heater arranged in a liquid path with a driving signal to impart heat energy to ink to thereby generate a bubble therein. The bubble is caused to communicated with the atmospheric air, and ink is ejected through an ejection outlet. A heat keeping circuit supplies the ejection heater with a driving pulse having a time width insufficient for causing ink to be ejected during non-printing period in an appropriate duty corresponding to the head temperature condition, thereby causing the ejection heater to generate heat to effect heat keeping on the head, whereby a low-cost thermal ink jet printing system is provided which does not entail a variation in ejection amount during printing.

Abstract: An ink jet apparatus, used with an exchangeable ink jet cartridge having an ink jet head and an ink container, includes a cap, a sucking device and a controller. When the cap caps the ejection orifices of the recording head, the sucking device sucks ink from the ejection orifices. The controller controls the operation of the cap and sucking device. After a sucking operation is performed, the cap is held away from the ejection orifices for a predetermined duration of time; the capping and sucking operations are then repeated.

Abstract: A head for discharging yellow ink, magenta ink, cyan ink and first black ink having a relatively fast penetration velocity to a recording medium and a head for discharging second black ink having a relatively low penetration velocity are used to print an image. When a black image is adjacent to a color image, the black image is formed by using the first black ink, and when the black image is not adjacent to the color image, the black image is formed by using the second black ink. A black ink and a plurality of color inks having a different penetration velocity to a recording medium than that of the black ink are also used to print an image.