Patent ID: 7404630
Filing Date: 2008-07-29
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A buffer tank for use in an inkjet printer wherein the buffer tank is mounted on a carriage movable along a recording medium and is located between (a) at least one ink storage tank which is not mounted on the carriage and stores at least one sort of ink, and (b) at least one inkjet recording head which is mounted on the carriage and ejects said at least one ink toward the recording medium and thereby performs recording on the recording medium, the buffer tank comprising: at least one partition wall which separates an inner space of the buffer tank into at least two ink delivery chambers that temporarily store said at least one ink, and which has a pressure-change absorbing chamber therein, wherein the two ink delivery chambers are liquid-tightly separated from each other and are located on either side of the pressure-change absorbing chamber, respectively; and at least one pair of flexible wall portions which are spaced from each other and which cooperate with each other to constitute at least a portion of said at least one partition wall and partly define the pressure-change absorbing chamber such that each of the two flexible wall portions of said one pair is located between the pressure-change absorbing chamber and a corresponding one of the two ink delivery chambers, wherein the pressure-change absorbing chamber allows said each of the flexible wall portions of said one pair to be flexed to absorb the change of pressure of said at least one ink temporarily stored by said corresponding one of the two ink delivery chambers.