Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a discharge head which discharges a liquid from a discharge port onto a recording medium to form an image, a sub tank which is movable together with the discharge head and which stores the liquid to be supplied to the discharge head, a liquid supplement section which supplements the sub tank with the liquid, a purge section which performs a purge operation in which the liquid in the sub tank is pressurized to be fed to the discharge head, and the liquid in the discharge head is forcibly discharged from the discharge ports, a judging mechanism which judges whether or not an amount of the liquid in the sub tank is not more than a predetermined amount V1, and a controller which controls the liquid supplement section and the purge section.

Abstract: A joint structure including a first member and a second member which are jointed to each other to define a flow passage in which a fluid flows. One of the first and second members includes a weldable portion which projects toward an opposed surface of the other of the first and second members in a first direction and whose end portion is fused and welded to the opposed surface, so as to joint the first and second members to each other at a first position in the first direction. One of the first and second members includes a first projecting portion which is provided between the weldable portion and the flow passage in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and projects toward the other of the first and second members such that a free end of the first projecting portion is located at a second position different from the first position in the first direction, while the first projecting portion cooperates with the weldable portion to define a first space therebetween in the second direction.

Abstract: A buffer tank mounted on a head holder has a plurality of air discharge valves for discharging the air accumulated in inks to the outside. The air discharge valve includes a valve body for opening and closing the passage bore and a valve rod provided extending from the valve body downwardly. A maintenance unit is provided outside the buffer tank, which includes an air discharge cap for covering the lower ends of the passage bores and a plurality of air discharge rods provided corresponding to the air discharge valves respectively. The air discharge rods are different in length from one another, depending on the colors of ink. When the air discharge rods are lifted up simultaneously by a lifting, they come into direct contact with the lower ends of the corresponding valve rods in sequence as their movements are delayed one after another, hence opening the valve bodies separately.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a housing; a carriage which is movable in the housing relative thereto; an ink jet recording head which is mounted on the carriage and which has a plurality of ink supply channels; a damping device which is mounted on the carriage and which includes a plurality of damping chambers corresponding to the ink supply channels, respectively; an ink-tank supporting portion which is provided in the housing and which supports a plurality of ink tanks; and a plurality of ink supply tubes each of which supplies an ink from a corresponding one of the ink tanks to a corresponding one of the ink supply channels of the ink jet recording head via a corresponding one of the ink supply tubes and a corresponding one of the damping chambers. The damping device further includes a primary partition wall which separates at least one first damping chamber of the damping chambers, from at least one second damping chamber of the damping chambers.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a recording head having nozzles to discharge ink and a storage chamber for storing the ink which is supplied to the nozzles from an ink source. The chamber includes an inlet to which the ink flows from the ink source and an outlet from which the ink flows out to the nozzles, two walls opposite to each other and parallel to a flow direction of the ink flowing to the outlet from the inlet, and an annular rim formed along edges of the two walls. The chamber includes a pair of ribs for adjusting an ink flow, which are provided in one of the walls, protrude from the one towards the other, and extend parallel to the flow direction apart from the other. The other wall has flexibility and the ribs are spaced from the rim inside the rim.

Abstract: A volume of an ink-deliver chamber is efficiently utilized to dampen pressure changes of ink within the chamber, and prevent air bubbles produced in the chamber from flowing into an ink-jet recording head. In addition, an ink-jet recording apparatus having a plurality of ink-deliver chambers in a small space, is provided. Two ink cases are stacked on each other, which each include two ink-deliver chambers that accommodate different inks. Open sides of the four ink-deliver chambers are closed by flexible films. An ink-deliver chamber has an ink-flow inlet through which ink is introduced, and an ink-flow outlet through which ink flows to the ink-jet recording head, and the ink-flow inlet and outlet are provided at respective positions that are substantially most distant from each other such that almost all portions of an inner space of the ink-deliver chamber, where ink flows, are located between the ink-flow inlet and outlet.

Abstract: A sealing structure includes a first and a second passage-forming member having respective surfaces where fluid inlet ports and fluid outlet ports, or vice versa, are respectively open, and an elastic member interposed between the surfaces and including: a plate-like body which has an inlet-side and an outlet-side surface and through which through-holes are perpendicularly formed such that the inlet and outlet ports are communicated via the through-holes and open ends of the inlet and outlet ports are smaller than those of the through-holes; a first protruding portion protruding from one of the inlet- and outlet-side surfaces in an axial direction of the through-holes to contact the first passage-forming member and form inner circumferential surfaces encircling the through-holes; and a second protruding portion axially protruding from the other surfaces toward the second passage-forming member to form inner circumferential surfaces encircling the through-holes.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head having nozzles; an ink-tank supporting portion which supports ink tanks; ink-tank-side fluid flow channels which connect the ink tanks to the recording head and include ink supply tubes; buffer tanks provided between the ink supply tubes and the recording head; a discharging device which discharges a fluid from each of the buffer tanks into an outside space; and discharging-device-side fluid flow channels which communicate, at respective one ends thereof, with the buffer tanks, respectively, while bypassing the recording head, and communicate, at respective other ends thereof, with the discharging device.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, an ink tank and a flexible ink supply member. The carriage is provided with an ink channel which supplies the recording head with ink that is supplied from the ink supply member and a valve body which controls the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel, the valve body being disposed so as to be movable in a movement direction of the carriage. In an ordinary state the valve body is urged relative to the ink channel so as to be located at a position where to restrict the supply of ink to the recording head. When the carriage is moved in such a direction that a positive ink pressure acts in a direction from the ink supply member to the recording head, the valve body is kept at the position due to inertia thereof.

Abstract: An ink-package assembly including an ink package fluid-tightly containing a mass of an ink, and a sealing wrapper fluid-tightly enclosing the ink package, wherein an interior space of the sealing wrapper is charged with an inert gas such as a helium gas, which has a lower degree of solubility in the ink, than the air. The interior space of the sealing wrapper is evacuated to a reduced pressure of ?20 kPa and ?60 kPa with respect to the atmospheric pressure, as needed. The ink package includes an ink bag and is provided with a spout having a passage, and a cap for closing the passage. Where the sealing wrapper is evacuated, the ink package preferably further includes an ink-bag casing accommodating the ink bag, and a reinforcing structure interposed between the casing and the ink bag, to prevent deformation of the ink bag. Also disclosed is a method of producing the ink-package assembly.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an effective technique for achieving a higher level of water quality control in a water treatment apparatus. Representative water treatment apparatus according to the present invention may include a purifying section, a sterilizing section, a water storing section and a water quality detection sensor. The water quality detection sensor is immersed in the water storing section. The water quality detection sensor not only serves as a means for detecting the quality of water in the water storing section, but also as a means for detecting deposition of biomembrane on the detecting section of the water quality detection sensor due to deterioration of the sterilizing performance of the water storing section. As a result, an efficient water quality control system can be realized.

Abstract: A color ink jet printer 21 includes a carriage 26 and a head unit 25 supported to the carriage 26. The head unit 25 includes an ink jet head 24 and a base plate 46. The ink jet head 24 includes an actuator having channel members 72 and a center plate 73 interposed between the channel members 72, and the ink jet head 24 also includes manifolds 71. The center plate 73 has a height greater than that of the channel members 72 so as to protrude upward from the channel members 72. Thus protruding portion is directly attached to the base plate 46. Accordingly, the actuator 70 is reliably supported by the base plate 46, thereby preventing positional deviation of nozzles 75 formed to the actuator 70.

Abstract: An apparatus for ejecting droplets is provided with a ejecting head for discharging droplets, an electric circuit board having an electric circuit formed on a surface of the electric circuit board, the electric circuit being connected to the ejecting head, a holder for supporting the ejecting head and the electric circuit board, and a cover that overlaps the surface of the electric circuit board when the cover is fixed to the holder. The apparatus for ejecting droplets is further provided with a seal member that fills a gap formed between a peripheral region of the surface of the electric circuit board and an inner surface of the cover. The seal member effectively prevents droplets mist from penetrating to the electric circuit.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a stationary frame; a tank supporter which is provided in the stationary frame and which supports at least one ink storing tank storing at least one sort of ink; a recording head which records an image on a recording medium by ejecting a droplet of the ink, and which has at least one ink flow inlet; at least one ink delivering tank which delivers the ink and has at least one ink flow outlet; at least one ink supply tube which is provided between the tank supporter and the ink delivering tank and through which the ink is supplied from the ink storing tank to the recording head via the ink delivering tank, wherein the delivering tank provides at least a portion of at least one ink delivering channel connecting between the ink supply tube and the recording head; a head holder which includes a main portion holding the recording head and the ink delivering tank, and which is movable relative to the stationary frame so that the recording head records the image on the recording medium; a

Abstract: An ink-jet printer including: a head unit for performing recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium to be fed; an ink cartridge for storing the ink; a heat sink which is in contact with a driver IC that drives the head unit and which cools the driver IC; and a head holder which holds the head unit, the ink cartridge, and the heat sink, wherein the ink cartridge is placed on the heat sink such that the heat sink receives a load from the ink cartridge.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead assembly includes: a channel structure defining inside thereof an ink supply channel connected to an ink supply source accommodating ink; a filter member having a filtering area where a plurality of filter holes are formed through the thickness, and a fixing area having a plurality of recesses; a head unit having a port portion where an ink supply port for introducing the ink supplied from the ink supply source via the filter holes is formed so that the head unit ejects droplets of the ink; the fixing area of the filter member being located at an outer circumferential position with respect to the ink supply port; a first one of the channel structure and the port portion of the head unit being bonded with an adhesive to the filter member at the fixing area; and a part of the adhesive being accommodated in the recesses.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a carriage which is movable relative to a sheet of paper, a recording head which is mounted on the carriage and records an image on the sheet by ejecting a droplet of ink toward the sheet, one or more ink tanks which store the ink or inks to be supplied to the recording head, a buffer tank which is mounted on the carriage, and one or more ink flow passages in which the inks are supplied from the ink tanks to the recording head via the buffer tank. The buffer tank has, at a height position higher than a height position where the recording head is provided, one or more air buffer chambers which accommodate respective amounts of the inks, and collect air bubbles produced in the ink flow passages. The printer further includes one or more air bubble discharging passages which communicate, at one ends thereof, with upper portions of the air buffer chambers, and discharge, via the other ends thereof, the air bubbles collected by the air buffer chambers.

Abstract: A buffer tank for use in an inkjet printer wherein the buffer tank is located between one or more ink storage tanks which store one or more sorts of ink, and one or more inkjet recording heads which eject the one or more inks toward a recording medium and thereby perform recording on the recording medium. The buffer tank includes a partition wall which separates an inner space of the buffer tank into a plurality of ink delivery chambers which temporarily store the one or more inks; and a pair of flexible wall portions which are spaced from each other and which cooperate with each other to constitute a portion of the partition wall and partly define a pressure-change absorbing chamber which allows the pair of flexible wall portions to be flexed to absorb the change of pressure of the one or more inks temporarily stored by the ink delivery chambers.

Abstract: An inkjet printer including: (a) a recording head operable to eject an ink onto a recording medium so as to perform a recording operation on the recording medium; (b) an ink source unit provided to store the ink that is to be supplied to the recording head; and (c) an ink delivery unit provided to delivery the ink supplied from the ink source unit, to the recording head. The ink delivery unit has a delivery chamber which has a delivery chamber inlet and a delivery chamber outlet, such that the ink can be delivered through the delivery chamber inlet from the ink source unit, and such that the ink can be delivered through the delivery chamber outlet toward the recording head. The delivery chamber is defined by a wall held in substantially parallel with a horizontal plane, and is elongated in a direction parallel with the wall. The delivery chamber inlet and outlet of the delivery chamber are positioned in respective positions which are substantially diagonal relative to each other.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head having nozzles; an ink-tank supporting portion which supports ink tanks; ink-tank-side fluid flow channels which connect the ink tanks to the recording head and include ink supply tubes; buffer tanks provided between the ink supply tubes and the recording head; a discharging device which discharges a fluid from each of the buffer tanks into an outside space; and discharging-device-side fluid flow channels which communicate, at respective one ends thereof, with the buffer tanks, respectively, while bypassing the recording head, and communicate, at respective other ends thereof, with the discharging device.