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. 15, 2011
Filed:
Aug. 27, 2007
Masahito Katada, Kanagawa-ken, JP;
Masahito Katada, Kanagawa-ken, JP;
Fujifilm Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
The liquid ejection apparatus includes a first liquid chamber which supplies liquid to pressure chambers of an ejection head; a gas flow channel which has a first end connected to an upper portion of the first liquid chamber and which forms a flow channel for gas to be expelled from the first liquid chamber; a second liquid chamber which accommodates the liquid and is separated from the first liquid chamber by means of a partition; a gas flow channel opening and closing device which opens and closes the gas flow channel so that the gas moves from the first liquid chamber to the second liquid chamber and is dissolved into the liquid accommodated in the second liquid chamber; a pressure control device which controls internal pressures of the ejection head in such a manner that an internal pressure of the second liquid chamber is less than an internal pressure of the first liquid chamber and controls the gas flow channel opening and closing device so that a bubble having a prescribed size is created at a bubble creation position, a bubble pressure measurement element measuring an internal pressure of the bubble present at the bubble creation position; and a gas judgment device which judges presence or absence of the gas in the first liquid chamber according to a measurement result of the bubble pressure measurement element.