Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Masayuki Arakawa

Masayoshi Shimano

Fumio Nakamura

Shingo Hattori

Hirotake Nakamura

Tatsuya Shindo

Kaoru Sakakibara

Bing Wang

An ink-jet head comprises a joint member having an ink outlet port out of which ink supplied from an ink supply source flows, and a passage unit having an ink receiving port that receives the ink flowing out of the ink outlet port of the joint member. A filter is disposed within a first ink passage inside the passage unit. The first ink passage extends in the same direction as an ink flow direction from the ink outlet port to the ink receiving port. In the first ink passage of the passage unit, a first space is formed between the ink receiving port and the filter, and a second space is formed contiguous to the first space with the filter interposed between the first and second spaces within the first ink passage. The cross-sectional shape and size of each space in a direction perpendicular to an ink flow direction are constant along the ink flow direction.

Ink-jet head

A head unit is inverted so that an outflow port is in the lowest position. Because the top wall of the buffer tank slopes downwards towards the outflow port, all remaining cleaning fluid that was introduced during manufacture is removed. Also, a notch is provided in the bottom end of an ink introduction port. The notch faces towards the outflow port so that bubbles in the ink exit from the notch and are guided towards the outflow port. The head unit is shipped while the buffer tank is filled with preservation fluid that has high wettability and any openings to the outside air are closed off with covers. When the head unit is used, the preservation fluid is sucked by a purging device and then ink, which has a high affinity for the preservation fluid, is smoothly introduced. Also, the inner surface of the filters are treated to increase the wettability by ink after the filters are fixed to the bottom lid. Afterwards the bottom lid is fixed to the top lid to form the buffer tank.

Ink jet recording apparatus

In an ink-jet printer, a support member includes a wiper cleaning zone provided upstream of a wiping direction of a nozzle surface. The wiper cleaning zone includes a cleaning wall, a first surface, and a plurality of grooves. The cleaning wall protrudes from the support member. The first surface extends in a direction reverse to the wiping direction, continuously from the cleaning wall. The plurality of grooves are provided in the first surface, extending from the cleaning wall. The grooves are formed at a predetermined distance from each other and hold ink therein by capillary action. Ink, adhered to a wiper by wiping operation, is rubbed by the cleaning wall provided in the wiper cleaning zone, and the collected ink is held by the grooves continuously formed from the cleaning wall. A similar, but reversed, structure is found on the other side of the nozzle surface in the wiping direction.

Ink-jet recording apparatus

A rotary blade cuts a photosensitive/pressure-sensitive recording medium by when slides in a widthwise direction of the recording medium. At this time, one terminal of an optical fiber moves ahead of the rotary blade while radiating an optical beam on a portion of the recording medium, so that microcapsules of the recording medium in the exposed portion are all hardened by react to the optical beam. Therefore, mechanical stress generated by the rotary blade does not rupture the microcapsules.

Image forming device for forming image on roll of photosensitive/pressure-sensitive recording medium

In the machine of this invention, a rotation-support member is provided in an outer tub for containing water so that the rotation-support member can rotate about a vertical axis. The rotation-support member supports a perforated inner tub rotatable about a horizontal axis. A heating means heats air in the inner tub. When the laundry is washed or rinsed, the laundry is loaded in the inner tub, water is supplied to the outer tub until the water reaches inside the inner tub, and the inner tub is rotated about the horizontal axis. The laundry is prevented from jumping out of the inner tub during the washing and rinsing process due to boards or net provided in the inner tub. When the washed or rinsed laundry is dehydrated, water is drained from the outer tub, the rotation-support member and the inner tub are rotated together about the vertical axis in the same direction at the same high speed. When the dehydrated laundry is dried, the inner tub is rotated about the horizontal axis, heated air is supplied to the inner tub, and the laundry is uniformly exposed to the air to dry. The humid air used for drying the laundry is dehumidified, moisture in the air is drained to the outside, and dehumidified air is recirculated in the machine. The machine of this invention shifts from one process to another without changing its attitude. Consequently, the machine is simply constructed and inexpensively manufactured.

Washing, dehydrating and drying machine

In the machine of this invention, a rotation-support member is provided in an outer tub for containing water so that the rotation-support member can rotate about a vertical axis. The rotation-support member supports a perforated inner tub rotatable about a horizontal axis. When the laundry is washed or rinsed, the laundry is loaded in the inner tub, water is supplied to the outer tub until the water reaches inside the inner tub, and the inner tub is rotated about the horizontal axis. When the washed or rinsed laundry is dehydrated, water is drained from the outer tub, the rotation-support member and the inner tub are rotated together about the vertical axis in the same direction at the same high speed. Consequently, the machine is simply constructed and inexpensively manufacture.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Masayuki Arakawa