Patent ID: 6325498
Filing Date: 2001-12-04
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink tank for storable receiving ink therein, the ink tank comprising:a housing having a first surface with an ink feeding port formed therethrough, so that said ink is storably received in said housing and fed through said ink feeding port, said housing having a second surface opposite the first surface and four side surfaces connecting the first surface and the second surface; andan ink absorbing member accommodated in said housing for retaining said ink therein, said ink absorbing member being a porous member with a first surface thereof facing said ink feeding port and having a three-dimensional net-shaped structure and being molded of a composition comprising a condensate of (i) a compound having an amino group and (ii) formaldehyde,wherein dimensions of said ink absorbing member and said housing are determined and said ink absorbing member is guided by the four side surfaces of said housing and is pressed by a whole of the second surface of the housing so that said ink absorbing member is compressed in a direction of the ink feeding port by a compression ratio of greater than one and less than one and one-half, thereby increasing an ink retaining force of said ink absorbing member perpendicular to the direction of the ink feeding port and maintaining at substantially the same level the ink retaining force in the direction of the ink feeding port, andwherein, the three-dimensional net-shaped structure of the ink absorbing member comprises a plurality of cells, each of which has a first opening portion oriented in the direction of the ink feeding port and a second opening portion oriented in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the ink feeding port, so that an opening area of the first opening portion is not reduced and an opening area of the second opening portion is reduced when said ink absorbing member is compressed in the direction of the ink feeding port.