Claims
- 1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
- a carriage which moves over a recording medium in a scanning manner;
- an ink supplying device having an ink container in which solid-phase ink is put, an ink measuring section and a first heater, said ink supplying device being arranged at a predetermined position and said ink container being rotatably supported, said ink supplying device including a plurality of plates with gaps therebetween; and
- an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles for jetting ink droplets therethrough, said ink jet head having a second heater and being mounted on said carriage, said ink jet head receiving ink from said ink supplying device, said ink being liquefied in said ink container by said first heater and then moved to said ink jet head via capillary action in the gaps between said plates and kept liquefied by said second heater.
- 2. An ink jet recording apparatus a claimed in claim 1, wherein when said ink jet head is moved to said predetermined position, said liquefied ink is supplied from said ink supplying device to said ink jet head.
- 3. A method of supplying ink to an ink jet head in an ink jet recording apparatus comprising the steps of:
- putting solid-phase ink into a rotatably supported ink container of an ink supplying device, said ink supplying device having a first heater and arranged at a predetermined position;
- supplying a predetermined quantity of said solid-phase ink from said ink container to an ink measuring section by swinging said ink container;
- supplying said solid-phase ink from said ink measuring section to said first heater;
- heating a portion of said solid-phase ink located in said ink container of said ink supplying device, thus liquefying said portion of solid-phase ink;
- supplying a predetermined quantity of said liquefied ink to said ink jet head via capillary action when the quantity of ink in said ink-jet head becomes less than a predetermined value;
- jetting ink droplets through a plurality of nozzles in said ink jet head, said ink jet head being mounted on a carriage which moves in a scanning manner over a recording medium; and
- maintaining said ink in said ink jet head in a liquid phase by a second heater.
- 4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the step of moving said ink jet head to said predetermined position when supplying said liquefied ink to said ink jet head.
- 5. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
- an ink container for containing solid-phase ink;
- an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles and a plurality of pressure generating members opposed to said nozzles for jetting ink droplets through said plurality of nozzles;
- an isolating member disposed on a side opposite said nozzles with respect to said pressure generating members for isolating said ink jet head;
- a first heater for liquefying said solid-phase ink;
- ink supplying means for supplying said solid-phase ink from said ink container to said ink jet head by the weight of the solid-phase ink itself to be brought into contact with said isolating member, said ink supplying means including a plurality of plate shaped members having gaps therebetween, the melted ink in the ink container moving via capillary action through said gaps so as to move to said ink jet head;
- a second heater for heating and maintaining said liquefied ink in liquid form, said second heater disposed in said ink jet head; and
- a carriage on which said ink jet head is mounted, said carriage being movable over a recording medium in a scanning manner.
- 6. An ink jet recording method comprising the steps of:
- putting solid-phase ink into an ink container;
- supplying said solid-phase ink close to nozzles of an ink jet head by moving the ink via capillary action and the weight of solid-phase ink itself, said ink jet head having a heater and being mounted on a carriage which moves over a recording medium in a scanning manner;
- liquefying said solid-phase ink using said heater in said ink jet head;
- maintaining said ink in liquid form using a second heater in said ink jet head; and
- jetting said liquefied ink through said nozzles of said ink jet head.
- 7. An ink jet recording method for an ink jet head comprising the steps of:
- supplying the ink which is solid in phase at room temperature so that said ink is brought into direct contact with an ink holding means including a plurality of plate-shaped members arranged upright within a housing made of a material having a high coefficient of thermal heat conductivity, said housing including a first heat source, said plate-shaped members having a high coefficient of thermal heat conductivity and upper ends of said plate-shaped members being exposed from the ink liquid surface;
- transmitting heat generated by said first heat source via said ink holding means;
- using said transmitted heat to melt said solid-phase ink;
- sucking said molten ink into said ink holding means by capillary action;
- maintaining said molten ink in a liquid form in said ink jet head via a second heater; and
- jetting said molten ink which is close to a nozzle orifice in the form of ink droplets by a pressure generating member arranged within said ink holding means.
- jetting said molten ink which is close to a nozzle orifice in the form of ink droplets by a pressure generating member arranged within said ink holding means.
- 8. An ink jet head comprising:
- a housing made of a material having a high coefficient of thermal conductivity, said housing including a first heat source, and being arranged so as to confront a recording medium;
- ink holding means including a plurality of plate-shaped members arranged upright inside said housing and having minute, adjustable gaps that provide capillary action, said plate-shaped members having a high coefficient of thermal heat conductivity, the upper ends of said plate shaped members being exposed from a liquid surface of the ink, said ink holding means transmitting heat generated by said first heat source to melt a solid-phase ink put into said housing;
- a nozzle formed member having at least one nozzle orifice disposed so as to confront said recording medium;
- a second heat source for maintaining said molten ink in a liquefied form; and
- pressure generating means with said ink holding means with a minute gap from said nozzle formed member for generating a pressure which causes ink near said nozzle orifice to jet in the form of ink drops.
- 9. A ink jet head as claimed in claim 8, wherein said ink holding means comprises first plate means having a plurality of plate-shaped members stacked with minute gaps D1 therebetween.
- 10. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 8, further comprising filter means arranged in said ink holding means.
- 11. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 9, wherein a minute gap D2 is formed between said nozzle formed member and a part of said housing, said minute gap D2 is smaller than said gaps D1 formed between said plurality of plate-shaped members.
- 12. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 10, wherein capillary action between said nozzle orifice and said molten ink is greater than capillary action between said filter means and said molten ink.
- 13. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 9, further comprising second plate means disposed substantially perpendicular to said first plate means.
- 14. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 13 wherein said first plate means are arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the direction of scanning of a carriage.
- 15. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 13, wherein said second plate means includes a part of said housing.
- 16. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 13, further comprising filter means provided at the intersection of said first and second plate means.
- 17. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 10, wherein said filter means is made of heat conductive material.
- 18. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 16, wherein said filter means is made of heat conductive material.
- 19. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 9, wherein said plate-shaped members are provided with cuts which are formed in the lower end portions thereof to lead the ink into said minute gaps adjacent thereto.
- 20. A solid-phase bar of ink for use in an ink jet printing apparatus, said bar of ink comprising:
- a plurality of blocks of ink joined together to form said bar, wherein each of said blocks is joined to the remaining blocks so that each of said blocks is easily separable from the bar of ink, and said bar of ink is rigid in a longitudinal direction and in a widthwise and a heightwise direction.
- 21. A solid-phase bar of ink as claimed in claim 20, wherein each of said plurality of blocks is the same size.
- 22. A solid-phase bar of ink as claimed in claim 20, further comprising grooves formed in the bar between each of said plurality of blocks so that said blocks are easily broken from the bar of ink.
- 23. An ink jet recording method comprising the steps of:
- providing an ink jet head operatively coupled to an ink supply device for supplying a solid-phase ink, said ink being in solid phase at room temperature and having a curved surface,
- providing an ink container for supplying ink to an ink jet head via the weight of said ink in cooperation with movement of a lever, said ink jet head including a housing made of a material having a high coefficient of thermal conductivity, a heat source, and a plurality of vertical plate-shaped members made of a material having a high coefficient of thermal conductivity and being disposed in said housing,
- supplying said solid-phase ink contained in said ink container into said housing of said ink jet head so as to bring said solid-phase ink into contact with said vertical plate-shaped members,
- melting said solid-phase ink by transmitting heat through said vertical plate-shaped members from said heat source, and
- supplying said molten ink to an ink jetting member.
- 24. An ink jet head as claimed in claim 8, further comprising detector means provided in said housing for detecting the quantity of ink remaining in said housing.
Priority Claims (7)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
63-99420 |
Apr 1988 |
JPX |
|
63-108722 |
Apr 1988 |
JPX |
|
63-154143 |
Jun 1988 |
JPX |
|
63-162325 |
Jun 1988 |
JPX |
|
63-265297 |
Oct 1988 |
JPX |
|
63-293883 |
Nov 1988 |
JPX |
|
63-293994 |
Nov 1988 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/641,924, filed on Jan. 16, 1991, which was abandoned upon the filing hereof which is a Rule 60 continuation of application Ser. No. 07/341,773, filed Apr. 21, 1989 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,972.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (8)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0178882 |
Apr 1986 |
EPX |
0178886 |
Apr 1986 |
EPX |
0178889 |
Apr 1986 |
EPX |
0181218 |
May 1986 |
EPX |
60-145855 |
Aug 1985 |
JPX |
60-179259 |
Sep 1985 |
JPX |
62-46650 |
Feb 1987 |
JPX |
62-93133 |
Oct 1988 |
JPX |
Continuations (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
641924 |
Jan 1991 |
|
Parent |
341773 |
Apr 1989 |
|