Ink ejection device with ink saving mode used when remaining ink amount is small
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMikio Sakuma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink ejection device used, for example, in conjunction wit a host computer or a personal computer includes a head formed with orifices from which ink droplets are ejected to print a dot image on a printing sheet. The ink supplied to the head is stored in an ink reservoir. To properly continue printing when an amount of ink remaining in the ink reservoir is small, an amount of ink remaining in the ink reservoir is detected. When the detection results indicate that less than a predetermined amount of ink remains in the ink reservoir, then printing is performed using less ink than is used during normal printing.
Claims25
An ink ejection device comprising:
- a head formed with orifices from which ink droplets are ejected to print a dot image on a printing sheet;
- driving means for driving said head;
- an ink reservoir holding ink, said ink reservoir being in fluid communication with said head for supplying the ink to said head;
- remaining ink detection means for detecting ink remaining in said ink reservoir;
- and
- control means for controlling said driving means so that the dot image is printed on the printing sheet using less ink than is used during normal printing when said remaining ink detection means detects that less than a predetermined amount of ink remains in said ink reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.