Ink container and recording head having same

Claim 2

A container according to Claim 1, further comprising a partition member for providing a first region for accommodating said first absorbing material and a second region for accommodating said second absorbing material and for directly communicating with said air vent, said partition member comprising an opening for permitting the contact between said first and second absorbing materials, and wherein said first absorbing material comprises a number of fibrous materials compressed in the first region, and said second absorbing material comprises a continuous porous elastic material compressed in the second region.

Claim 3

A container according to Claim 1, wherein said partition member is of flexible resin material enclosing the fibrous material and compressing them in a direction crossing with lengths of the fibrous materials.

Claim 4

A container according to Claim 1, wherein said first absorbing material comprises a number of fibrous materials compressed in a direction crossing with the lengths of the fibrous material, and a peripheral portion of a bundle of the fibrous material is contacted to said second absorbing material.

Claim 5

A container according to Claim 4, wherein the contact portion is adjacent a center of the length of a bundle of the fibrous material.

Claim 6

A container according to Claim 5, wherein in the discharging portion, the longitudinal end portion of the bundle of the fibrous materials is compressed at a central portion of the end of the bundle.

Claim 7

A container according to Claim 4, wherein said partition member is in the form of a flexible resin sheet enclosing the fibrous material and is contained in said ink container with contact to said first ink absorbing material.

Claim 8

A method of supplying ink to said ink container as defined in Claim 1, comprising: inserting an ink supply pipe so that an end of the supply pipe is adjacent the contact portion; and supplying the ink through the supply pipe.

Claim 9

A method according to Claim 8, wherein the second absorbing material is in the form of a continuous porous elastic member compressed in said container, and said first absorbing material comprises a number of compressed fibrous materials, said container further comprising a partition member enclosing the fibrous material and having an opening to permit the contact between the first absorbing material and the second absorbing material, wherein when the ink is supplied, the end of the ink supply member is in the elastic material.

Claim 10

A container according to Claim 1, wherein said first absorbing material has a nature of increasing its volume when the ink is removed thereform, and said second absorbing material has a nature of increasing its volume by absorbing air when it supplies the ink to said first absorbing material, wherein capillary force in the first absorbing material is larger than that in the second absorbing material.

Claim 11

A container according to Claim 10, wherein to said discharging portion an ink pipe communicating with a recording head for effecting recording operation using bubble created by thermal energy, is connectable.

Claim 12

An ink jet recording head detachably mountable to a recording apparatus, comprising: a recording head having a number of ejection outlets for ejecting ink and a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the ejecting portions; ink supply member for supplying ink to said common chamber; an ink container, comprising: an ink discharging portion for discharging ink; an air vent; first liquid absorbing material for absorbing the ink therein; a second ink absorbing material, disposed between said air vent and said first absorbing material, for absorbing the ink, said first and second absorbing materials being at least partly contacted to each other.

Claim 13

A recording head according to Claim 12, further comprising a partition member for providing a first region for accommodating said first absorbing material and a second region for accommodating said second absorbing material and for directly communicating with said air vent, said partition member comprising an opening for permitting the contact between said first and second absorbing materials, and wherein said first absorbing material comprises a number of fibrous materials compressed in the first region, and said second absorbing material comprises a continuous porous elastic material compressed in the second region.

Claim 14

A recording head according to Claim 12, wherein said partition member is of flexible resin material enclosing the fibrous material and compressing them in a direction crossing with lengths of the fibrous materials.

Claim 15

A recording head according to Claim 12, wherein said first absorbing material comprises a number of fibrous materials compressed in a direction crossing with the lengths of the fibrous material, and a peripheral portion of a bundle of the fibrous material is contacted to said second absorbing material.

Claim 16

A recording head according to Claim 15, wherein the contact portion is adjacent a center of the length of a bundle of the fibrous material.

Claim 17

A recording head according to Claim 16, wherein in the discharging portion, the longitudinal end portion of the bundle of the fibrous materials is compressed at a central portion of the end of the bundle.

Claim 18

A recording head according to Claim 14, wherein said partition member is in the form of a flexible resin sheet enclosing the fibrous material and is contained in said ink container with contact to said first ink absorbing material.

Claim 19

A method of supplying ink to said ink container as defined in Claim 12, comprising: inserting an ink supply pipe so that an end of the supply pipe is adjacent the contact portion; and supplying the ink through the supply pipe.

Claim 20

A method according to Claim 19, wherein the second absorbing material is in the form of a continuous porous elastic member compressed in said container, and said first absorbing material comprises a number of compressed fibrous materials, said container further comprising a partition member enclosing the fibrous material and having an opening to permit the contact between the first absorbing material and the second absorbing material, wherein when the ink is supplied, the end of the ink supply member is in the elastic material.

Claim 21

A recording head according to Claim 12, wherein said first absorbing material has a nature of increasing its volume when the ink is removed therefrom, and said second absorbing material has a nature of increasing its volume by absorbing air when it supplies the ink to said first absorbing material, wherein capillary force in the first absorbing material is larger than that in the second absorbing material.

Claim 22

A recording head according to Claim 21, wherein the number of the ejecting portions is not less than 10, said recording head further comprises electrothermal transducers for creasing a bubble through film boiling by thermal energy, provided for respective ejecting portions, a filter at an end of said ink supply member, wherein said first absorbing material comprises a number of fibrous materials compressed in the direction crossing with the lengths thereof, wherein said partition member enclosing said second absorbing materials and having an opening for permitting the contact between said first and second absorbing materials, said filter is inserted into the fibrous material in the direction of the length thereof.

Claim 23

An ink jet recording head, comprising: a recording head having more than 10 ejection outlets for ejecting ink and electrothermal transducers for the respective ejection outlets for creating bubbles through a film boiling by thermal energy and a common chamber for supplying the ink to the ejection outlets; an ink supply member for supplying the ink to the common chamber and provided with a filter at an ink receiving end thereof; a discharging portion for discharging the ink to the ink receiving end for said ink supply member; an air vent; a first absorbing material for absorbing ink therein, said first absorbing material comprising a number of fibrous materials in a compressed state and a flexible resin material enclosing member having an opening for exposing said fibrous materials, said first absorbing material exhibiting ink guiding property; a second absorbing material for absorbing the ink, disposed between said air vent and said first absorbing material, said second absorbing material being contacted to the fibrous material through the opening, said second absorbing material being compressed to provide vacuum, said second absorbing material being of continuous porous elastic material; and wherein in said discharging portion, a filter at the ink receiving end of said ink supply member is inserted into said first absorbing material in the direction of the length of the fibrous material.

Claim 24

An ink jet recording head, comprising: a recording head having more than 10 ejection outlets for ejecting ink and electrothermal transducers for the respective ejection outlets for creating bubbles through a film boiling by thermal energy and a common chamber for supplying the ink to the injection outlets; an ink supply member for supplying the ink to the common chamber and provided with a filter at an ink receiving end thereof; a discharging portion for discharging the ink to the ink receiving end for said ink supply member; an air vent; a first absorbing material for absorbing ink therein, said first absorbing material comprising a number of fibrous materials in a compressed state and a flexible resin material enclosing member having an opening for exposing said fibrous materials, said first absorbing material exhibiting ink guiding property; a second absorbing material for absorbing the ink, disposed between said air vent and said first absorbing material, said second absorbing material being contacted to the fibrous material through the opening, said second absorbing material being compressed to provide vacuum, said second absorbing material being of continuous porous elastic material; and wherein in said discharging portion, a filter at the ink receiving end of said ink supply member is inserted into said first absorbing material in the direction of the length of the fibrous material, wherein a depth of the insertion is not less than 3 mm, wherein a diameter D of said ink supply member in a perpendicular cross-section with respect to a direction of the ink supply adjacent the filter of the ink supply member and a diameter d of said first absorbing material in the perpendicular cross-section adjacent to the filter satisfy d ≧ 1.5D, and the opening has an area of not less than 100 mm².

Claim 25

A recording head according to Claim 24, further comprising driving means for driving the electrothermal transducers at a frequency not less than 5 KHz.