Tube valve, a tube valve apparatus and a head cleaning apparatus
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorYutaka Akahori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tube valve 1 of the present invention includes a tube 6 defining a flow path therein through which a fluid flows, the tube 6 being arranged so that a part of the tube 6 forms at least one curved portion; and an opening/closing mechanism which closes the flow path by folding the tube 6 at the at least one curved portion and opens the flow path by releasing the fold of the tube 6. The curved portion has a bendable part (bending portion) 64 where the tube 6 can be bent, and the tube 6 is folded by bending the bendable part 64. Further, a tube valve apparatus may include the tube valve 1 of the present invention. Furthermore, a head cleaning apparatus for cleaning a head of a printer of the present invention may has one or more tube valve 1 or tube valve apparatus.
Claims21
A tube valve comprising:
- a tube defining a flow path therein through which a fluid flows, the tube being arranged so that a part of the tube forms at least one curved portion, the curved portion having a bendable part where the tube can be bent;
- and
- an opening/closing mechanism which closes the flow path by folding the curved portion of the tube into a substantial M shape by bending the bendable part of the curved portion and opens the flow path by releasing a fold of the curved portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.