Patent ID: 7165495
Filing Date: 2007-01-23
Classification: B41F,B41P

Abstract:
1. A printing machine comprising: an ink reservoir; an ink supply source; and at least one ink delivery path connecting said ink reservoir to said ink supply source so that ink from said ink supply source can be supplied via said ink delivery path to said ink reservoir and accumulated therein for printing, at least one ink mechanism that removes ink remaining in said ink delivery path, said ink removal mechanism including an air supply which supplies air into said ink delivery path with at least one of a flow rate and a flow volume sufficiently large enough so that the air flows toward said ink supply source in a direction away from said ink reservoir and so removes ink remaining on an inner surface of said ink delivery path, said ink delivery path including at least one ink supply tubing for supplying ink from said ink supply source to said ink reservoir, and at least one ink recovery tubing for recovering ink from said ink reservoir and returning the ink to said ink supply source, each of said at least one ink supply tubing and said at least one ink recovery tubing comprising an ink transfer mechanism which transfers ink between the ink reservoir and said ink supply source in one direction and another direction opposite to the one direction, and siad air supply, whereby at least one of (a) said ink supply tubing serves as an ink recovery tubing and (b) said ink recovery tubing serves as an ink supply tubing.