| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress variations in liquid level of ink as much as possible by making air rapidly flow out into an ink cartridge when the liquid level in the buffer tank decreases. SOLUTION: In the buffer tank 4 of an ink jet printer 1, an air outlet passage 35 for allowing the air in the buffer tank 4 to flow out into the ink cartridge 3 is equipped with an air outlet pipe 38 which is provided in a top plate part 31 of the buffer tank 4 and which is elongated in a vertical direction, and a tube member 39 which has a larger diameter than the air outlet pipe 38, which communicates with the air outlet pipe 38 and which is elongated from the top plate part 31 to a position below a lower end of the air outlet pipe 38 and above a lower end of an ink inlet passage 34. Thus, when the liquid level of the ink I decreases, a meniscus, which is formed in the tube member 39, is easily broken, so that the air in the buffer tank 4 can rapidly flow out into the ink cartridge 3. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI |
