Ink jet printer capable of detecting lack of ink
First Claim
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1. An ink jet printer comprising:
- an ink tank storing an electrically conductive ink;
a plurality of nozzle passages communicating with said ink tank arranged in parallel to one another for jetting said ink from a front end of said ink jet printer;
a through hole, communicating with said ink tank, arranged along and in parallel to said plurality of nozzle passages, said through hole having a diameter at the front end of said ink jet printer that is greater than a diameter of each of said nozzle passages at the front end of said ink jet printer in order to draw air into said through hole more quickly than air is drawn into said nozzle passages when a pressure in said ink tank becomes negative due to a lack of said ink and when said nozzle passages are still filled with said ink; and
detecting means, disposed in said through hole, for detecting the air introduced in said through hole even if said ink passages are still filled with said ink.
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Abstract
An ink jet printer having an ink tank and nozzle passages for jetting ink therefrom. A through hole communicates with the ink tank and has a diameter which is sufficiently greater than the diameter of the nozzle passages so that air is introduced in the through hole when the pressure in the ink tank becomes negative due to a lack of ink therein and when the nozzle passages are still filled with ink. The air introduced into the through hole is detected so as to indicate a lack of ink in the ink tank.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. An ink jet printer comprising:
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an ink tank storing an electrically conductive ink; a plurality of nozzle passages communicating with said ink tank arranged in parallel to one another for jetting said ink from a front end of said ink jet printer; a through hole, communicating with said ink tank, arranged along and in parallel to said plurality of nozzle passages, said through hole having a diameter at the front end of said ink jet printer that is greater than a diameter of each of said nozzle passages at the front end of said ink jet printer in order to draw air into said through hole more quickly than air is drawn into said nozzle passages when a pressure in said ink tank becomes negative due to a lack of said ink and when said nozzle passages are still filled with said ink; and detecting means, disposed in said through hole, for detecting the air introduced in said through hole even if said ink passages are still filled with said ink. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification