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:
Mar. 16, 2004
Filed:
Sep. 18, 2001
Minoru Usui, Nagano, JP;
Kazuhiko Hara, Nagano, JP;
Kiyotaka Sema, Tokyo, JP;
Takahiro Naka, Nagano, JP;
Hitoshi Hayakawa, Nagano, JP;
Satoshi Shinada, Nagano, JP;
Masaru Takahashi, Nagano, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An ink flow passage is formed from an ink storage chamber of an ink cartridge to an ink supply port. A passage control system is located in the ink flow passage. The passage control system is capable of opening and closing the ink flow passage when receiving a drive force from an actuator . Particularly, air bubbles A staying on a filter member within an ink supplying needle is effectively discharged to a capping system in a manner that a negative pressure is accumulated in an inner space of the capping system in a state that the passage control system is placed to a valve closing state. The passage control system is provided in the ink cartridge. Accordingly, every time the ink cartridge is exchanged with a new one, the passage control system is also exchanged with a new one. Accordingly, the printing function restoring operation performed through a cleaning operation based on the negative pressure accumulation is improved in reliability.