Inkjet printing apparatus, method for setting recovery operation in inkjet printing apparatus, and ink tank
Inkjet printing apparatus, method for setting recovery operation in inkjet printing apparatus, and ink tank
Patent Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto - New York, NY, US
Patent Inventors: Akiko Maru, Kiichiro Takahashi, Minoru Teshigawara, Tetsuya Edamura, Yoshiaki Murayama
Applicaton #: 20070008368
Class: 347019000 (USPTO)
01/11/07
There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus which executes a proper recovery operation in accordance with the demounting time period of an ink tank and information of the ink tank. In the inkjet printing apparatus of this invention, the demounting time period and information of the ink tank are used as parameters for determining the condition of a recovery operation after the ink tank is once demounted and thereafter mounted again. Since recovery is done in consideration of the degrees of ink evaporation and an increase in viscosity, wasteful ink consumption can be suppressed while a necessary recovery operation is performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Some inkjet printing apparatuses are equipped with a plurality of ink tanks in accordance with ink types for use. In an apparatus of this type, ink tanks may have different ink capacities, different lengths or shapes of the ink flow path to the discharge aperture of the printhead, or different numbers of nozzles. In this case, an ink amount (recovery amount) necessary for a recovery operation is determined not only by the demounting time period of the ink tank. It is not satisfactory to determine the ink suction amount in consideration of only the demounting time period of the ink tank.
[0010] Depending on the type and composition of ink in the ink tank, the degrees of evaporation, coagulation, precipitation, and the like change more or less. For this reason, a minimum ink amount necessary for a recovery operation is different between ink tanks which store different types of inks. If the same recovery condition is set for all ink tanks, the recovery operation is not minimum.
[0011] In addition, when the remaining ink amount of the ink tank before demounting is small and the ink tank is to be exchanged with a new unused one, the density difference of ink may change depending on the preservation state. In this case, if a recovery condition is set on the basis of only the demounting time period in exchange, no satisfactory recovery operation can be executed.
[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to enable executing a proper recovery operation in accordance with the demounting time period of the ink tank and information of the ink tank.
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