Patent ID: 7033006

Claim:
An ink jet recording device which has a first ink tank for storing an ink, a second ink tank capable of being separated from/connected to the first ink tank through an ink supply path, and a recording head for jetting an ink supplied from the second ink tank, and which carries out recording by jetting an ink from the recording head to a recording medium, the ink jet recording device comprising: measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from an end of the previous recording; and supplying means for supplying an ink from the first ink tank to the second ink tank, wherein the supplying means supplies the ink from the first ink tank to the second ink tank if the elapsed time measured by the measuring means is less than a first threshold value; otherwise supplies the ink from the first ink tank to the second ink tank after a residual ink is jetted from the second ink tank, if the elapsed time is not less than the first threshold value and less than a second threshold value; and otherwise supplies the ink from the first ink tank to the second ink tank, and jets the ink from the second ink tank to supply the ink again, if the elapsed time is not less than the second threshold value.