Patent ID: 6694113
Filing Date: 2004-02-17
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An ink delivery method of a liquid-type electrophotographic printer for supplying concentrated ink and a solvent to circulation tanks receiving ink to be supplied to respective developing units, comprising:(a) preparing ink cartridges storing concentrated ink to be supplied to the circulation tanks; (b) preparing a solvent cartridge storing a solvent to be supplied to the circulation tanks; (c) detecting an ink concentration of each circulation tank by using predetermined concentration sensors which correspond to respective circulation tanks; (d) adjusting the ink concentration of any one of the circulation tanks by supplying the concentrated ink from a corresponding one of the ink cartridges directly to a corresponding one of the circulation tanks when the ink concentration of the corresponding circulation tank is lower than a predetermined range; (e) generating a message informing that the concentrated ink in the corresponding ink cartridge is consumed when the concentration is not within the predetermined range, even after a preset number of the ink concentration adjusting steps have been repeated; (f) adjusting the ink concentration of any one of the circulation tanks by supplying the solvent from the solvent cartridge directly to a corresponding one of the circulation tanks when the ink concentration of the corresponding circulation tank is higher than a predetermined range; and (g) generating a message informing that the solvent in the solvent cartridge is consumed when the concentration is not within the predetermined range, even after a preset number of the ink concentration adjusting steps have been repeated.