Back to results
US 12,358,300 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus
AssigneeKonica Minolta, Inc.
InventorHiroyuki Tokimatsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes: a main tank that stores ink; an ink head unit that includes a first heating device to heat the ink and that ejects the heated ink; a supply channel that supplies the ink from the main tank to the ink head unit; and a second heating device that heats the supply channel. The second heating device starts heating at a predetermined timing such that a temperature of a specific region in the supply channel becomes equal to or more than a second temperature that is a melting point of a component having a highest melting point.
Claims7
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a main tank that stores ink containing a plurality of types of components having melting points different from each other;
- an ink head unit that includes a first heating device to heat the ink and that ejects the heated ink;
- a supply channel that supplies the ink from the main tank to the ink head unit;
- a second heating device that heats the supply channel;
- and
- a controller, wherein
- the supply channel includes a specific region having a temperature equal to or more than a first temperature and less than a second temperature when the first heating device is heating the ink and the second heating device is not heating the supply channel, the first temperature being a melting point of a component having a lowest melting point in the plurality of types of components, the second temperature being a melting point of a component having a highest melting point in the plurality of types of components, and
- the controller causes the second heating device to start heating at a predetermined timing such that the temperature of the specific region is equal to or more than the second temperature.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.