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. 08, 2014
Filed:
May. 23, 2013
Masanori Igarashi, Kanagawa, JP;
Masanori Igarashi, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a head tank, a main tank, a liquid feed device, a measurement unit, and a supply controller. The head tank includes a liquid storage portion, a liquid level detection member, and an air release unit. When the feed device feeds liquid from the main tank to the head tank with an interior of the storage portion opened relative to an atmosphere and the detection member does not detect a liquid level of the liquid after a threshold time, the supply controller controls the air release unit to close the interior of the storage portion and determines whether a measurement value of a consumption amount of the liquid is a threshold value or lower. When the measurement value is the threshold value or lower, the supply controller performs a reverse feed control to drive the feed device to feed the liquid in reverse.