IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND EJECTION LIQUID CIRCULATING METHOD
First Claim
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a head configured to eject supplied ejection liquid onto a recording medium;
a circulating path configured to collect the ejection liquid remaining in the head and circulate and supply the ejection liquid to the head again;
an upstream side chamber arranged further on an upstream side with respect to an ink flowing direction than the head in the circulating path and configured to temporarily store the ejection liquid that should be supplied to the head through the circulating path;
a downstream side chamber arranged further on a downstream side than the head and further on the upstream side than the upstream side chamber in the circulating path and configured to temporarily store the ejection liquid collected from the head; and
a pressure-difference adjusting mechanism configured to select a first pressure state in which pressure in the downstream side chamber is lower than pressure in the upstream side chamber and a second pressure state in which the pressure in the upstream side chamber is lower than the pressure in the downstream side chamber.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The image forming apparatus includes an upstream side chamber arranged further on an upstream side with respect to an ink flowing direction than a head in a circulating path and configured to temporarily store the ejection liquid that should be supplied to the head through the circulating path, a downstream side chamber arranged further on a downstream side than the head and further on the upstream side than the upstream side chamber in the circulating path and configured to temporarily store the ejection liquid collected from the head, and a pressure-difference adjusting mechanism configured to form a first pressure state in which the pressure in the downstream side chamber is lower than the pressure in the upstream side chamber and the head and a second pressure state in which the pressure in the upstream side chamber is lower than the pressure in the downstream side chamber.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
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a head configured to eject supplied ejection liquid onto a recording medium; a circulating path configured to collect the ejection liquid remaining in the head and circulate and supply the ejection liquid to the head again; an upstream side chamber arranged further on an upstream side with respect to an ink flowing direction than the head in the circulating path and configured to temporarily store the ejection liquid that should be supplied to the head through the circulating path; a downstream side chamber arranged further on a downstream side than the head and further on the upstream side than the upstream side chamber in the circulating path and configured to temporarily store the ejection liquid collected from the head; and a pressure-difference adjusting mechanism configured to select a first pressure state in which pressure in the downstream side chamber is lower than pressure in the upstream side chamber and a second pressure state in which the pressure in the upstream side chamber is lower than the pressure in the downstream side chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An ejection liquid circulating method in an image forming apparatus for temporarily storing ejection liquid that should be supplied to a head through a circulating path and temporarily storing the ejection liquid collected from the head in a downstream side chamber arranged further on a downstream side than the head in the circulating path and on an upstream side than an upstream side chamber, the head being configured to eject supplied ejection liquid to a recording medium, the circulating path being configured to collect the ejection liquid and remaining in the head and circulate and supply the ejection liquid to the head again, and the upstream side chamber being arranged further on the upstream side with respect to an ink flowing direction than the head in the circulating path,
the method including: - forming a first pressure state in which pressure in the downstream side chamber is lower than pressure in the upstream side chamber and the head; and
forming a second pressure state in which the pressure in the upstream side chamber is lower than the pressure in the downstream side chamber. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- forming a first pressure state in which pressure in the downstream side chamber is lower than pressure in the upstream side chamber and the head; and
Specification