Patent ID: 6097410
Filing Date: 2000-08-01
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, comprising:an ink tank opened upward, accommodating chargeable developer ink;an ink control layer arranged near a surface of the developer ink accommodated in said ink tank, having a lower portion opened in said developer ink, and having a plurality of ink supply holes arranged in a matrix of a prescribed number of rows and a prescribed number of columns;a potential control layer arranged above and adjacent to said ink control layer, and having a plurality of ink passage holes arranged in column direction of said plurality of ink supply holes, allowing passage of said developer ink therethrough;an opposing electrode arranged above and opposing to said potential control layer;a power supply unit for applying a potential to one of or both of said developer ink and said opposing electrode, so as to generate a prescribed potential difference between said developer ink and the opposing electrode;a surface level controller for changing, for each of said columns of said plurality of ink supply holes, a respective surface level of said developer ink in each of said ink supply holes; andan emission controller for controlling ink emission dot by dot by controlling a respective potential row by row of said plurality of ink supply holes, in the ink passage holes of said potential control layer, after the respective surface level of said developer ink in each of said ink supply holes is controlled either at a first level or at a second level, said first level allowing the developer ink to fly toward said opposing electrode, said second level prohibiting the developer ink from flying toward said opposing electrode,wherein only the developer ink in the ink supply holes where the respective surface levels of said developer ink are at said first level is allowed to fly toward said opposing electrode.