# US 2002/0175968 A1 · Ink jet recording apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2002/0175968 A1 - Document ID: US20020175968A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 10/133,676 - Filed: 2002-04-29 - Published: 2002-11-28 - Earliest claimed: 2001-05-10 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yasuhiro Unosawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20020175968A1 ## CPC - B41J 25/34: Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus including a carriage to which a recording head for effecting recording on a recording material by discharging ink and an ink tank for containing ink to be supplied to the recording head are detachably mounted in a separate exchanging permitting manner and which shifts the recording head and the ink tank in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording material, comprising an ink tank exchanging position which is a position of the carriage, where the ink tank is to be exchanged, and a recording head exchanging position which is different from the ink tank exchanging position and which is a position of the carriage where the recording head is to be exchanged. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ink jet recording apparatus including a carriage to which a recording head for effecting recording on a recording material by discharging ink and an ink tank for containing ink to be supplied to said recording head are detachably mounted in a separate exchanging permitting manner and which shifts said recording head and said ink tank in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording material, the ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink tank exchanging position which is a position of said carriage, where said ink tank is to be exchanged; and a recording head exchanging position which is different from the ink tank exchanging position and which is a position of the carriage where said recording head is to be exchanged. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording head dismounting preventing structure for inhibiting dismounting of said recording head from said carriage is provided at said ink tank exchanging position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said carriage is provided with a lever member for holding said recording head to said carriage and for releasing said recording head from said carriage; and said recording head dismounting preventing structure has a wall structure by which the operator cannot manipulate an operation portion for said lever member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said carriage is provided with a lever member for holding said recording head to said carriage and for releasing said recording head from said carriage; and said recording head dismounting preventing structure has a wall structure for regulating a movement of said lever member in a direction along which holding of said recording head is released. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said wall structure is formed on a part of an outer frame of the ink jet recording apparatus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said wall structure is formed on a part of an outer frame of the ink jet recording apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a space for permitting dismounting of said recording head from said carriage is formed in said recording head exchanging position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the space is formed by notching a part of an outer frame of the ink jet recording apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising head recovery means for effecting recovery processing for forcibly discharging the ink from said recording head to recover and maintain a discharging property of said recording head, rather than the recording; and wherein in the recovery processing effected by said head recovery means, recovery processing after shifted to said ink tank exchanging position differs from recovery processing after shifted to said recording head exchanging position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an amount of the ink consumed in the recovery processing after shifted to said ink tank exchanging position is greater than an amount of the ink consumed in the recovery processing after shifted to said recording head exchanging position. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said carriage is shifted to said recording head exchanging position by effecting a specific operation in a condition that said carriage is in said ink tank exchanging position. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the specific operation is manipulation of a button provided on the ink jet recording apparatus. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an openable/closable cover, and cover open/close detection means for detecting opening and closing of said cover; and wherein when the fact that said cover is opened is detected by said cover open/close detection means, said carriage is shifted to said ink tank exchanging position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, when the fact that said cover is opened is detected by said cover open/close detection means in a condition that said ink jet cartridge is not mounted to said carriage, said carriage is shifted to said recording head exchanging position. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording head has an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy as an energy generating member for generating energy utilized for discharging the ink.