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:
Feb. 18, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 05, 2000
Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nagano, JP;
Toshio Nakata, Nagano, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An inkjet printer that automatically expels bubbles trapped at a filter—which removes foreign materials from ink supplied to the inkjet head—to eliminate ink discharge problems caused by trapped air bubbles. Ink ( ) is supplied through ink-supply-line part ( ), filter ( ), and ink-intake opening ( ) to inkjet head ( ) of inkjet printer ( ). If a bubble ( ) in ink ( ) becomes trapped at the top surface ( ) of filter ( ), the bubble ( ) is separated from the filter top ( ) by the buoyancy of the ink ( ). When the bubble ( ) separates from the filter top ( ), it forms a spherical bubble ( A). This spherical bubble ( A) then rises through conically shaped ink-path-connection part and ink-supply-line part . The internal volume of ink-path-connection part is less than 1.1 times the volume of a sphere internally tangent to ink-supply-line part . Therefore, bubble ( A) freely rises through ink-supply-line part . Print defects that occur when a bubble ( ) is trapped at the filter top are, therefore, prevented.