Ink-jet recording apparatus
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakamasa Usui, Hikaru Kaga, Tsuyoshi Suzuki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink-jet recording apparatus includes an ink tube and an air discharge tube which has a cylindrical shape and an inside diameter that is larger than an outside diameter of the ink tube. The air discharge tube is provided so as to surround the ink tube. Therefore, a circular enclosed space is provided around the ink tube, between the air discharge tube and the ink tube. A pressure reducing device is connected with the enclosed space to reduce pressure therein. By actuating the pressure reducing device, the pressure in the enclosed space is reduced. Thus, air contained in ink is sucked into the enclosed space, in which the pressure is reduced, through a wall of the ink tube, and thus, generation of air bubbles are restricted in the ink tube.
Claims21
An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising:
- a recording head that ejects ink;
- an ink tank that is provided separately from the recording head and stores the ink therein;
- an ink tube that supplies the ink from the ink tank to the recording head;
- a member that provides an enclosed space, extending along at least a portion of the ink tube;
- and
- a pressure reducing device that reduces pressure in the enclosed space.
An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising:
- a recording head that ejects ink;
- an ink tank that stores the ink;
- an ink tube coupled between the recording head and the ink tank to supply the ink from the ink tank to the recording head;
- and
- an air discharge member extending along the ink tube and being connected to a vacuum source that reduces pressure in the air discharge member to reduce air bubbles in the ink contained in the ink tube.
An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising:
- an ink tank that stores ink;
- a recording head that ejects the ink and is provided separately from the ink tank;
- an ink tube coupled between the recording head and the ink tank to supply the ink from the ink tank to the recording head;
- an air discharge tube extending along the ink tube and having an air permeable wall;
- and
- a vacuum source connected to the air discharge tube to reduce the pressure therein to draw air bubbles present in the ink in the ink tube through the air permeable wall.
A method of supplying ink to a recording head, the method comprising:
- providing an ink tube that connects an ink tank that stored ink to a recording head that ejects the ink;
- placing an air discharge member that extends along the ink tube;
- and
- lowering the pressure in the air discharge member to reduce air bubbles in the ink contained in the ink tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.