Patent ID: 8444242

Claim:
An ink refilling device for refilling an ink cartridge of an inkjet printer with ink, the ink refilling device comprising: a supply portion that is adapted to be connected to the ink cartridge and supply the ink to the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is refilled with the ink; an ink tank that is adapted to store the ink; a first connecting tube, one end of which is connected to the ink tank; a three-way switching valve that includes an input end, a first output end and a second output end, and that is adapted to switch between a first flow path and a second flow path, the input end being connected to the other end of the first connecting tube that is at an opposite end of the first connecting tube from the one end, the first flow path running from the input end to the first output end, and the second flow path running from the input end to the second output end; a second connecting tube, one end of which is connected to the first output end of the three-way switching valve and the other end of which is connected to the supply portion; a third connecting tube, one end of which is connected to the second output end of the three-way switching valve and the other end of which is connected to the ink tank; a feed pump that is provided along the first connecting tube and that is adapted to feed the ink from inside the ink tank to the input end of the three-way switching valve; a refill command portion that issues a command to refill the ink cartridge with the ink: an ink amount detection portion that is adapted to detect an amount of the ink inside the ink cartridge; a degassing portion that is provided along the first connecting tube and that is adapted to remove gas that is dissolved in the ink; a degassing start control portion that causes the degassing portion to start a degassing operation in a case where the refill command portion has issued the command to refill the ink cartridge with the ink; a feed start control portion that causes the feed pump to start a feed operation in a case where the refill command portion has issued the command to refill the ink cartridge with the ink; and a control portion that: in a case where the refill command portion has issued the command to refill the ink cartridge with the ink, switches the three-way switching valve to the first flow path; in a case where the amount of the ink that is detected by the ink amount detection portion is equal to or more than a specified amount, switches the three-way switching valve to the second flow path or stops an operation of the feed pump; and switches the three-way switching valve to the first flow path in a case where a first specified time has elapsed since the degassing operation was started and a second specified time has elapsed since the feed operation was started.