INK CIRCULATION MECHANISM

• Main Author: SHIMIZU MASANOBU
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.09.2010
• Subjects: CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; LINING MACHINES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRINTING; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink circulation mechanism in which ink mixed in a sub-tank flows backward when the amount of the ink stored in the sub-tank is excessively stored and the positive pressure of atmospheric pressure or higher acts on a joint position of an ink passage through which the ink which is discarded in a discarding tank passes. SOLUTION: The ink circulation mechanism of an image recording device has the sub-tank for temporarily storing ink discharged from a recording head in each color and the discarding tank for discarding the ink excessively stored in the sub-tank, and further has a common air chamber arranged between the sub-tank and the discarding tank, arranged opposite to an inlet port into which the excessively stored ink in each ink color flows from the sub-tank, and provided with a float member floating according to the level of the ink which has flowed in, the float member closes the inlet port, adjusts the flow in amount of the ink from the sub-tank, and prevents the backward flow to the sub-tank when the level of the ink flowing from the sub-tank reaches a predetermined level or higher in the common air chamber. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT