US 7,581,813 B2Granted

Ink-jet recording apparatus

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsNaoya Okazaki, Yoichiro Shimizu, Masayuki Takata

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Abstract

An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, an ink tank and a flexible ink supply member. The carriage is provided with an ink channel which supplies the recording head with ink that is supplied from the ink supply member and a valve body which controls the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel, the valve body being disposed so as to be movable in a movement direction of the carriage. In an ordinary state the valve body is urged relative to the ink channel so as to be located at a position where to restrict the supply of ink to the recording head. When the carriage is moved in such a direction that a positive ink pressure acts in a direction from the ink supply member to the recording head, the valve body is kept at the position due to inertia thereof.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising:

a recording head which performs recording on a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets from ink ejection apertures;
a carriage which is mounted with the recording head and is reciprocated;
an ink tank which is provided outside the carriage and stores ink to be supplied to the recording head;
and
a flexible ink supply member which supplies ink from the ink tank toward the recording head,
wherein the carriage is provided with an ink channel which supplies the recording head with ink that is supplied from the ink supply member and a valve body which controls the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel, the valve body being disposed so as to be movable in a movement direction of the carriage;
wherein in an ordinary state the valve body is urged relative to the ink channel so as to be located at a position that restricts the supply of ink to the recording head;
and
wherein when the carriage is moved in a direction, such that a positive ink pressure acts in a direction from the ink supply member to the recording head, inertia of the valve body is directed to the position that restricts the supply of ink to the recording head.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.