The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 10, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 16, 1998
Hideaki Haigo, Nagoya, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya, JP;
Abstract
The invention includes an ink feeder in which bubbles are securely separated from ink, ink promptly flows in each ink chamber and ink hardly including bubbles is smoothly supplied to a print head. Partition walls that form multiple ink chambers by partitioning a casing are provided with upper communicating parts which allow the movement of air in each upper part of the ink chambers, and lower communicating holes which allow the movement of ink in each lower part of the ink chambers. An ink supply port, the lower communicating holes of the partition walls and an ink outlet are arranged so that they are not aligned, and disposed so that ink meanders in the ink subtank. An air communicating hole and an ink sensor that detects the quantity of ink are provided in one ink chamber of the multiple ink chambers. An ink outlet that ejects ink to the print head is further formed in the ink chamber. It is detected whether or not ink is required to be supplied from the main ink tank to the ink subtank by detecting the quantity of ink in the ink chamber by the ink sensor. Even if an ink film is formed in the upper communicating parts and the other ink chambers each become a closed space, a state in which the ink chamber communicates with the air is secured and the quantity of ink can be detected without difficulty.