Ink tank
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorHiroshi Inoue
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink cartridge contains an ink absorbent in an ink chamber, to absorb and hold ink by a capillary force. The ink absorbent has a cutout in its lower portion, to form a compartment without the ink absorbent. An ink detection zone is defined in the compartment, for an ink run-out sensor to detect the ink in the ink chamber. As the ink is consumed and the liquid surface of the ink goes down, an interface between the ink absorbent and the compartment enhances the resistance to the ink flowing from the ink absorbent toward the ink detection zone, so the ink is hindered from flowing into the ink detection zone, and the ink run-out sensor exactly detects that the liquid surface of the ink goes below the ink detection zone.
Claims13
An ink tank containing ink in an ink chamber, for supplying the ink to an ink-jet recording head, said ink tank comprising:
- an ink detection zone defined in said ink chamber, for an ink run-out sensor to detect as to whether the ink exits or not;
- and
- an interface provided around said ink detection zone, said interface enhancing resistance to the ink flow in a direction toward said ink detection zone more than in a reversed direction when the ink is consumed so much that its liquid surface goes out of said ink detection zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.