US 12,122,166 B2
Image recording apparatus comprising liquid supplying device having tank and cartridge
Masahiro Hayashi, Nagoya (JP); Yoshinori Osakabe, Seto (JP); Akinari Ishibe, Okazaki (JP); and Hiroaki Takahashi, Nagoya (JP)
Assigned to BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed by BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed on Aug. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/456,581.
Application 18/456,581 is a continuation of application No. 18/173,894, filed on Feb. 24, 2023, granted, now 11,780,232.
Application 18/173,894 is a continuation of application No. 17/243,955, filed on Apr. 29, 2021, granted, now 11,597,208, issued on Mar. 7, 2023.
Application 17/243,955 is a continuation of application No. 16/437,404, filed on Jun. 11, 2019, granted, now 10,994,546, issued on May 4, 2021.
Application 16/437,404 is a continuation of application No. 15/904,649, filed on Feb. 26, 2018, granted, now 10,322,586, issued on Jun. 18, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2017-037762 (JP), filed on Feb. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0405996 A1, Dec. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. B41J 2/175 (2006.01); B41J 2/14 (2006.01); B41J 29/13 (2006.01); C09D 11/40 (2014.01)
CPC B41J 2/17513 (2013.01) [B41J 2/14274 (2013.01); B41J 2/17509 (2013.01); B41J 2/1752 (2013.01); B41J 2/17523 (2013.01); B41J 2/17533 (2013.01); B41J 2/17553 (2013.01); B41J 29/13 (2013.01); C09D 11/40 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image recording apparatus, comprising:
a sheet feed tray;
a recording head configured to eject ink toward a sheet fed from the sheet feed tray;
a plurality of tubes connected to the recording head; and
a carriage configured to move the recording head between a home position and a remote position in a moving direction of the recording head,
wherein the image recording apparatus further comprises, at a front part of the image recording apparatus:
a plurality of cartridges each having a first storage chamber;
a single tank unit having a plurality of second storage chambers and a plurality of buffer chambers, the plurality of cartridges being attachable to and detachable from the single tank unit, each of the plurality of tubes being connected to the single tank unit to supply ink from a corresponding one of the plurality of second storage chambers of the single tank unit to the recording head;
a plurality of liquid flow passages configured such that ink in each of the first storage chambers of the plurality of cartridges is supplied to a corresponding one of the plurality of second storage chambers through a corresponding one of the plurality of liquid flow passages; and
a plurality of gas flow passages configured such that gas is supplied to each of the first storage chambers of the plurality of cartridges through both a corresponding one of the plurality of buffer chambers and a corresponding one of the plurality of gas flow passages,
wherein the single tank unit further has a first partition wall sectioning one of the plurality of second storage chambers and another of the plurality of second storage chambers, and
wherein the single tank unit further has a second partition wall sectioning one of the plurality of buffer chambers and another of the plurality of buffer chambers.