Patent ID: 6820973
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A liquid supply apparatus using a gas-liquid separating membrane that allows a gas to pass through while inhibiting passage of a liquid so that a suction pump can be used to suck air from a container via said gas-liquid separating membrane and a suction path, whereinsaid suction path is provided with a buffer space that reduces maximum differential pressure exerted on said gas-liquid separating membrane, below a withstanding pressure of said gas-liquid separating membrane, and wherein maximum capacity Wpmax of said suction pump, volume W0 of said suction path including said buffer space, and withstanding pressure Pm of said gas-liquid separating membrane are related as follows: (W0+Wpmax)/W0&lE;P0âˆ’Pm (where Pm0, and P0 denotes atmospheric pressure).