Ink supply apparatus
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYasushi Kuribayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to one embodiment, an ink supply apparatus supplies ink to a recording head. The ink supply apparatus includes a pump for circulating ink, a first tank for supplying ink to the recording head, a second tank for receiving ink from the recording head, a third tank supplied with ink from an ink supply source, a first pressure adjusting mechanism, arranged between the first tank and the third tank, which is open if the pressure in the first tank is greater than a first given value to discharge ink in the first tank to the third tank, and a second pressure adjusting mechanism, arranged between the third tank and the second tank, which is open if the pressure in the third tank is lower than a second given value smaller than the first given value to draw ink in the third tank into the second tank.
Claims11
An ink supply apparatus, which supplies ink to a recording head having a nozzle, an ink supply opening and ink recovery opening, comprising:
- a pump including an intake port and a discharge port;
- a first tank including a first inflow port connected to the discharge port of the pump and a first outflow port connected to the ink supply opening of the recording head;
- a second tank including a second inflow port connected to the ink recovery opening of the recording head and a second outflow port connected to the intake port of the pump;
- a third tank, including an ink storage part open to air, which is supplied with ink from an ink supply source;
- a first relay pipe connected between the first tank and the third tank;
- a first pressure adjusting mechanism, arranged at the first relay pipe, which is configured to open if the pressure in the first tank is greater than a first given value to discharge ink in the first tank to the third tank;
- a second relay pipe which connects the ink storage part of the third tank and the second tank;
- and
- a second pressure adjusting mechanism, arranged at the second relay pipe, which is configured to open if the pressure in the third tank is lower than a second given value smaller than the first given value to draw ink in the third tank into the second tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.