Patent ID: 6199975
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink jet printer, comprising:an ink jet print head which can be displaced in a direction of a line of print between sidewalls of a printer frame, the print head having an ink chamber therein with a feed opening for receiving ink, the feed opening arranged on a one sidewall of the print head;an ink filling device that can fill the pint head while the printer head is installed in the ink jet printer, wherein the filing device has an ink reservoir and a discharge opening arranged on one sidewall of the printer frame and aligned coaxially with the feed opening, where the feed opening can be connected to the discharge opening in a liquid-tight manner by displacement of the print head in the direction of a line of printer toward the discharge opening; anda variable-volume hollow body arranged at the one sidewall of the printer frame and fitted to the discharge opening and the ink reservoir, wherein when the volume of the hollow body is increased, ink is removed from the reservoir into the hollow body and, when the volume of the hollow body is reduced, ink from the hollow body is discharged through the discharge opening and wherein volume reduction of the hollow body is performed by a further displacement of the print head toward the one sidewall beyond a point where the feed opening of the print head is initially connected to the discharge opening, and a volume increase is achieved by a displacement of the print head in the opposite direction with the existing connection between the feed opening and the discharge opening.