Abstract: An ink jet cartridge comprises a first chamber for accommodating a negative pressure producing material and having an air communication part for communication with ambient air, and a second chamber, substantially closed except for a liquid communication part, in communication with the first chamber, which second chamber contains a reservoir of ink to be supplied to the first chamber. A deformation prevention member is disposed within the second chamber thereby preventing or at least inhibiting deformation of the second chamber walls. A wall of the second chamber is 1.3 to 3 times as thick as a wall of the first chamber.

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 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: An ink jet cartridge has a first chamber for accommodating a negative pressure producing material and having an air communication part for communication with ambient air, and a second chamber, substantially closed except for a liquid communication part, in communication with the first chamber, which second chamber contains a reservoir of ink to be supplied to the first chamber. The negative pressure producing material in the first chamber is retracted from the liquid communication part.

Abstract: An ink supply device having an ink flow passage for communicating an ink containing part for containing an ink with a discharge part for discharging the ink, the ink flow passage is characterized by a filter device including a filter and a filter box for containing the filter and provided with an ink inlet port and an ink outlet port, wherein an area at the ink inlet port side of the filter box is disposed beneath an area at the ink outlet port side of the filter box, and an inside diameter of ink flow passage at the ink inlet port side of the filter box is narrowed in a diameter to be smaller than an inside diameter of the ink flow passage immediately before expanding into a bell-bottomed shape towards the filter.

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: Recording means having integrally a recording head unit having discharge ports for discharging the ink and ink channels communicating to said discharge ports and leading the ink thereto, and an ink tank unit for storing the ink to be supplied to said recording head unit, wherein said recording head unit comprises a device for storing the parameter information concerning the ink discharge characteristics, and a protective member disposed on a side face area adjacent to said discharge port formation face for preventing the ink from flowing around.

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 recording apparatus includes a recording head having a discharge portion, the discharge portion having discharge ports arranged for discharging ink to a recording medium, an absorbing member provided in the vicinity of the discharge portion, and a wiping member engageable with the discharge portion and the absorbing member, wherein a range of the discharge port array<a width of the wiping member≦a width of the absorbing member.

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 jet head for performing recording by discharging inks comprises an element substrate provided with a plurality of discharge energy generating elements for discharging the inks and a grooved member integrally having discharge ports, a plurality of grooves constituting ink flow passages provided corresponding to the discharge energy generating elements, a plurality of recess portions constituting a plurality of liquid chambers for supplying the inks to a plurality of ink flow passages, and separation grooves provided between the plurality of recess portions to separate between the recess portions constituting the liquid chambers. The element substrate and the groove member being jointed together. The liquid chambers are separated by the separation grooves for preventing the inks from flowing between the liquid chambers.

Abstract: According to the present invention, the liquid discharge head comprises a first liquid flow path communicating with a discharge opening for discharging liquid, a second liquid flow path having a bubble-generating region in which bubbles are generated in the liquid by heating the liquid, a movable member located between the first liquid flow path and the bubble-generating region, having a free end on the side of the discharge opening, the free end moving toward the first liquid flow path by pressure exerted by bubbles generated in the bubble-generating region to direct the pressure toward the discharge opening, wherein the first liquid flow is provided in plural, and wherein a first supply path for supplying the liquid to a first liquid chamber communicating with in common the plurality of first liquid flow paths communicates with the first liquid chamber through a plurality of first supply ports.

Abstract: An ink jet head for ejecting ink, has an ink ejecting portion having an ink ejecting port formed thereon so as to eject ink through the ink ejecting port, a positioning portion for definitely determining the position of the ink jet head relative to an apparatus using the ink jet head when the ink jet head is fitted to the apparatus, an ink supplying portion adapted to be connected an ink supplying unit while ink is supplied to the ink jet head, and an electric connecting portion adapted to be electrically connected to an electric connecting portion on the apparatus side so as to send and receive signals. The positioning portion, the ink supplying portion and the electric connecting portion are disposed on a different surface from a surface on which the ink ejecting portion is disposed and at least one of the electric portion and the ink supplying portion is disposed on an opposite side surface to a surface on which the positioning portion is disposed.

Abstract: A recording apparatus using a recording head to effect recording on a recording material includes a recording head unit provided with a recording head for effecting recording on a recording material including a recording head supporting member for supporting the recording head at a predetermined position; a relaying electric contact member including a first electric contact member for external electric connection; a second electric contact for electrically connecting the first electric contact member with the recording head; and an electric current supplying device for supplying electric current to the first electric contact member.

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 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: An ink jet cartridge includes a first chamber for accommodating a negative pressure producing material and provided with air communication part for communication with ambient air, wherein a part of the negative pressure producing material does not contain ink adjacent the air communication part; a second chamber which is substantially closed except for a fine communication part for communication with the first chamber at a position away from the air communication part, wherein the second chamber directly accommodates the ink to be supplied to the first chamber.

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 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 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.