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US 5,315,317 AGranted
Ink quantity detecting device and recording apparatus with the devie
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKoji Terasawa, Makoto Takemura, Takashi Nojima, Akira Miyakawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink quantity detecting device includes a plurality of ink chambers for containing inks, displacement members each provided for a corresponding one of the ink chambers and capable of being displaced in accordance with a quantity of a corresponding ink, a coupling member for coupling a plurality of displacement members, and a detecting unit for detecting displacement of at least one of the displacement members or the coupling member. The coupling member can be displaced in accordance with a quantity of at least one ink.
Claims28
A device for detecting a decrease in ink amount, the device comprising:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least one ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including an integral conductive member;
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided in a moving path of said conductive member;
- and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing members in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
3 more elements
A method for detecting a decrease in ink amount comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of displacing members on a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least one ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member inlcuding an integral conductive member;
- providing an electrode at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member;
- and
- applying a biasing force to bias said connecting member and said displacing members in a same direction and to bias said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of the biasing force and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
3 more elements
A device for detecting a decrease in ink amount, the device comprising:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least one ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including a conductive member;
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member;
- and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing member in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
3 more elements
A recording apparatus having a recording means for recording with ink and an ink supply system for supplying ink to said recording means, said recording apparatus comprising:
- a device for detecting a decrease in ink amount communicating with said ink supply system, said device having:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least on ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including an integral conductive member,
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member;
- and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing member in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
- output means for outputting detection results from said device.
5 more elements
A copying apparatus having a recording means for recording with ink and an ink supply system for supplying ink to said recording means, said copying apparatus comprising:
- a device for detecting a decrease in an ink amount communicating with said ink supply system, said device having:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least on ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including a conductive member,
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member;
- and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing member in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
- output means for outputting detection results from said device.
5 more elements
A facsimile apparatus having a recording means for recording with ink and an ink supply system for supplying ink to said recording means, said facsimile apparatus comprising:
- a device for detecting a decrease in ink amount communicating with said ink supply system, said device having:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least on ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including a conductive member;
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member, and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing member in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
- output means for outputting detection results from said device.
4 more elements
A video output printer having a recording means for recording with ink and an ink supply system for supplying ink to said recording means, said video output printer comprising:
- a device for detecting a decrease in ink amount communicating with said ink supply system, said device having:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least on ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including a conductive member,
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member;
- and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing member in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure.
- output means for outputting detection results from said device.
5 more elements
A word processor having a recording means for recording with ink and an ink supply system for supplying ink to said recording means, said word processor comprising:
- a device for detecting a decrease in ink amount communicating with said ink supply system, said device having:
- a plurality of displacing members each provided on one of a plurality of corresponding ink chambers to be displaced in accordance with a decrease of ink in each said ink chamber;
- a connecting member for connecting said plurality of displacing members to be displaced, when ink in at least one of said ink chambers decreases, in association with the displacement of said displacing member corresponding to said at least on ink chamber in accordance with the decrease of the ink, said connecting member including a conductive member,
- an electrode fixed to a body of said device, said electrode being provided at a position at which said electrode may contact said conductive member, and
- a biasing member for biasing said connecting member and said displacing member in a same direction and for biasing said conductive member to be in contact with said electrode,
- wherein said conductive member remains in contact with said electrode when more than a predetermined amount of ink is contained in each of said ink chambers, and at least one of said displacing members is deformed in a direction against a direction of a biasing force of said biasing member and said connecting member is displaced in accordance with the movement of said at least one displacing member so that said conductive member is brought out of contact with said electrode when an ink amount in said ink chamber which corresponds to said at least one displacing member decreases and a pressure in said ink chamber becomes more negative than a predetermined pressure;
- and
- output means for outputting detection results from said device.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.