Ink jet printer with cartridge having integral ink storage chamber

Abstract

In a printer employing an ink-jet system, for appropriately managing loading and unloading of an ink cartridge and waste ink and for obtaining appropriate ink supply system for an ink-jet head, an ink storage chamber and a waste ink storage chamber of the ink cartridge is formed integrally. Most part of the waste ink storage chamber is filled with an absorbing member. Also, at a portion where a supply needle is pierced and removed at the front end face of the cartridge, an ink absorbing member is provided. Also, among two stage structure of the waste ink storage chamber, a portion where the absorbing member is not present is defined by a partitioning wall to detect the ink exuded from the absorbing member and stored in the portion beyond the partitioning wall is detected by a detection electrode. On the other hand, when the ink is forcedly supplied from the ink strage chamber to the ink-jet head by driving the tube pump in clockwise direction, the ink supply is performed via a buffer tank. Therefore, pulsation of the ink pressure due to driving of the tube pump will not affect for the ink-jet head to make the pressure at the ink-jet head stable to satisfactorily perform ejection recovery process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.