CA2213066A1 - Ink-jet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that defines a capillary passageway - Google Patents
Ink-jet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that defines a capillary passagewayInfo
- Publication number
- CA2213066A1 CA2213066A1 CA002213066A CA2213066A CA2213066A1 CA 2213066 A1 CA2213066 A1 CA 2213066A1 CA 002213066 A CA002213066 A CA 002213066A CA 2213066 A CA2213066 A CA 2213066A CA 2213066 A1 CA2213066 A1 CA 2213066A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ink
- withdrawal port
- ink withdrawal
- wick
- jet cartridge
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 22
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000011800 void material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000013536 elastomeric material Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010419 fine particle Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 abstract description 9
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 abstract description 6
- 239000012535 impurity Substances 0.000 abstract description 5
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000006261 foam material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000002609 medium Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002994 synthetic fiber Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000012795 verification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005054 agglomeration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002776 aggregation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001427 coherent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000037361 pathway Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000149 penetrating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002985 plastic film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006255 plastic film Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011148 porous material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001681 protective effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000006163 transport media Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17556—Means for regulating the pressure in the cartridge
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17513—Inner structure
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/1752—Mounting within the printer
- B41J2/17523—Ink connection
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17553—Outer structure
Landscapes
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention relates to a novel ink-jet cartridge for use in an ink-jet printer. The cartridge comprises an ink withdrawal port in which is placed a wick defining a capillary passageway to permit the transfer of fluid from the cartridge toward a withdrawal needle of the printer that is received in the withdrawal port. The capillary passageway promotes liquid transfer toward the withdrawal needle while, at the same time, forming a filter to prevent impurities from reaching the needle inlet orifices. An additional benefit of this construction is the ability of the capillary passageway to prevent the transmission of air bubbles, thus limiting the probability of air being sucked by the withdrawal nozzle when the cartridge is nearly depleted.
Description
Title: inkjet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that 2 defines a capillary passageway 4 Field of the invention 6 This invention relates to an ink cartridge for an ink-7 jet printer. More specifically, the cartridge features 8 a withdrawal port in which is mounted a wick forming a 9 capillary passageway. This wick promotes the transfer of fluid from the cartridge to the ink withdrawal 11 needle of the printer. Also, the capillary passageway 12 behaves as a filtering medium to retain impurities and 13 thus prevent those impurities from clogging the inlet 14 orifices of the withdrawal needle, as well as any fine passageway in the printhead assembly downstream from 16 the withdrawal needle.
18 Background of the invention Conventional ink-jet printers are designed to create a 21 impression on a substrate, such as a sheet of paper, 22 by ejecting ink droplets through an array of orifices 23 in a print head. In order to provide a high printing 24 resolution, the size of the droplets that are being jetted must be strictly controlled. At this and, the 26 orifices through which the ink is being delivered to 27 be substrate are very fine.
1 One obvious difficulty arising from such print head 2 design is the tendency of the orifices in the print 3 head to become clogged by impurities transported by 4 the ink medium. To address this problem, it is customary to provide the fluid pathway that conveys 6 ink to the print head with one or more filters 7 intended to block particles of a size exceeding a 8 predetermined threshold. The first one of those 9 filters is usually placed in the disposable ink-jet cartridge that constitutes the source of ink for the 11 printer. Such disposable cartridges are usually 12 manufactured of synthetic material and define an 13 internal chamber in which a predetermined volume of 14 ink is placed. The ink is removed from this chamber through a withdrawal port that receives a withdrawal 16 needle establishing the liquid communicative 17 relationship between the cartridge and the print head.
18 In many cartridge designs, the withdrawal port is of 19 generally cylindrical configuration, including an inner side and an outer side. The inner side extends 21 within be chamber holding the ink while the outer side 22 forms an external projection that holds an O-ring seal 23 designed to releasably accept the withdrawal nozzle.
The filter used in prior art cartridge designs is in 26 the form of a fine metallic or synthetic mesh that is 27 heat-sealed to the inlet side of the withdrawal port.
28 Although this form of construction is, generally 1 speaking, reliable into providing an effective 2 filtering function, it has some drawbacks. One of 3 those drawbacks is the complications during the 4 manufacturing process that arise from the necessity in S effecting a heat-sealing operation deep within the 6 cartridge body. Another drawback is the cost of the 7 metallic or synthetic mesh.
g Thus, there exists in the industry a need to provide a disposable ink-jet cartridge with an improved filter.
2 Objects and statement of be invention 14 One object of the present invention is to provide a disposable ink-jet cartridge including an improved 16 filter in the withdrawal port.
18 Another object of the invention is to provide an 19 improved disposable ink-jet cartridge having a better tendency to resist transmission of air bubbles through 21 the withdrawal port.
23 In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the 24 withdrawal port of the ink-jet cartridge is of generally cylindrical construction and comprises a 26 cylindrical seat, formed near the inlet side of the 27 cartridge to receive a wick. This wick defines a 28 capillary passageway that promotes transfer of liquid 1 from the internal chamber of the cartridge toward the 2 withdrawal needle. Most preferably, the wick has a 3 total length in the range from about l/8 to about l/2 4 inch and it is formed by a fibrous body, the fibers defining between them interstices for the transmission 6 of liquid. Advantageously, the fibers are generally 7 parallel to one another, and they extend along the 8 longitudinal axis of the wick. As such, the fibers 9 define long capillary channels of a transverse size sufficiently small to trap or block particles that may 11 be transported with the ink medium and that may block 12 the inlet orifices in the withdrawal needle. This form 13 of construction also reduces the likelihood of air 14 bubbles being transmitted through this wick. This is due to the nature of the mechanism involved for the 16 fluid transmission. Ink is caused to migrate through 17 the wick as a result of the capillary pressure exerted 18 on the liquid medium. Should air bubbles penetrate the 19 capillary passageways, they are not subjected to this capillary pressure and as such they do not have a 21 tendency to move toward the withdrawal needle.
23 The wick is designed to slightly project beyond the 24 tip of the withdrawal port so as to establish contact with the porous body that is provided in the in k-j et 26 cartridge. Such porous body is generally made of open 27 cell foam material designed to stabilize the ink and 28 thus provide a controlled and regulated ink removal 1 operation. By allowing the wick to firmly contact the 2 foam, a porosity gradient structure is created 3 permitting efficient transfer of fluid toward the 4 withdrawal port. More specifically, the foam has an average pore or interstice size that significantly 6 exceeds the interstice size of the wick. As such, the 7 liquid in the foam will naturally be attracted toward 8 the wick.
11 The second seat is formed in the withdrawal port, on 12 the outlet side thereof. This seat is designed to 13 receive an elastomeric seal that can releasably accept 14 the withdrawal needle. Most preferably, be seal is a self-aligning structure that includes two sealing 16 constrictions in a spaced apart configuration designed 17 to create a double barrier against ingress of air and 18 egress of ink along the outer surface of the needle.
19 This arrangement has been found particularly successful in preventing or at least significantly 21 reducing the occurrence of leaks and introduction of 22 air bubbles. A void volume column designed to receive 23 the tip of the ink withdrawal nozzle separates the 24 first seat and the second seat from one another. This arrangement avoids a contact between the needle and 26 the wick. Such contact is not desirable because the 27 wick, due to its fine capillarity, is a relatively 28 hard body and it may cause damage to the tip of the 1 nozzle, should the latter come forcefully in contact 2 therewith.
4 The seal preferably includes a thin transparent membrane to allow visual verification of the presence 6 of ink inside the ink column between the wick and the 7 seal constrictions during manufacturing. A clear heat-8 seal made of a plastic film has been found 9 satisfactory.
1l Brief description of the drawings 13 Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of an 14 ink-jet cartridge constructed in accordance with the present invention, the cover of the cartridge being 16 omitted for clarity;
18 Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the 19 cartridge shown at figure 1, with the difference that the cartridge is shown from is front side;
22 Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional 23 view of the disposable ink-jet cartridge of Figures 1 24 and 2, illustrating the structure of the withdrawal port; and 27 Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view 28 of the self-aligning seal, the position of the 1 withdrawal needle in the seal being depicted in dotted 2 lines.
4 Description of a preferred embodiment.
6 With reference to figures 1 and 2 of the annexed 7 drawings, the present invention provides a novel 8 disposable ink-jet cartridge designated 9 comprehensively by the reference numeral 10. The cartridge is made of synthetic material and defines an 11 internal ink holding chamber 12. The front wall 14, 12 rear wall 16 and sidewalls 18 and 20 define the 13 boundaries of the chamber 12. In use, a suitable cover 14 (not shown in the drawings) closes the chamber 12, that is sealed to be upper edges of the walls 14, 16, 16 18 and 20. Note that the cartridge need not be 17 limited to single chamber; it may have several such 18 chambers as could be envisaged in the case of a 19 multicolored ink cartrige.
21 When the cartridge 10 is installed in the printer, ink 22 from the cartridge is removed from a withdrawal port 23 22. Typically, a withdrawal needle is received in this 24 port to establish a liquid communicative relationship with the coherent body of ink in the chamber 12.
27 The structure of the withdrawal port 22 is best shown 28 in figure 3. This port is a generally cylindrical structure integrally formed on the bottom wall 24 of 2 the cartridge. The withdrawal port 22 includes on its 3 internal side, in other words the side facing the 4 chamber 12 a cylindrical seat 26 designed to receive a 5 wick. The seat 26 has a internal side wall of 6 cylindrical configuration and a bottom wall 28 shaped 7 as a ring. The bottom wall 28 is inclined to create a 8 drain surface, thus facilitating the flow of liquid 9 through the port.
11 The outlet side of the withdrawal port forms an 12 external projection 30. This projection is of 13 generally cylindrical configuration and defines an 14 outer seat 32 that is designed to receive a self-aligning seal component. The structure of this seal 16 component will be described later.
18 A void volume column 34 in the form of a generally 19 cylindrical aperture connects the inner seat 26 and the outer seat 32.
22 The inner seat 26 is designed do receive a wick 36 23 that establishes a capillary passageway between the 24 internal chamber 12 and the column 34. The wick 36 is shown in dotted lines in figure 3. It is a cylindrical 26 structure having a length 1n the range from about l/8 27 to about l/2 inches, preferably in the range from l/8 28 to about ~ inches and it is press fitted in the inner 1 seat 2 6. Such press fit in addition to mechanically 2 retaining the wick in place also establishes a fluid 3 tight seal between the outer surface of the wick and 4 the internal surface of the seat 2 6. To maintain reliably be integrity of this airtight seal, the 6 surface finish of the seat 2 6 and of the wick 3 6 7 should be selected to avoid large imperfections that 8 can allow air bubbles to pass.
In a most preferred embodiment, the wick 3 6 is made by 11 an agglomeration of fibers that are parallel to one 12 another and that extend along the longitudinal axis of 13 be wick. Such fibrous structure creates an array of 14 fine capillaries capable of transporting liquid while, at the same time, blocking the passage of impurities 16 that may clog the inlet apertures of the withdrawal 17 needle or any other aperture in the print head, 18 downstream of the withdrawal needle.
Wicks that have been found satisfactory are available 21 from a number of sources, namely Teibow Hanbai Co., 22 Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), General Polymeric Corp. (Reading 23 Pa, USA), Porex Technologies (Fairburn, GA, USA).
24 Typically, the products available from those sources are normally designed for use as nibs in marking pens.
26 Those nibs have been found to possess the correct 27 porosity value for use with the cartridge of the 28 present application.
2 Instead of utilizing parallel fiber structures for 3 making the wick 36, other possibilities can be used.
4 For example, fine particles agglomerated together (sintered metal or polymer, usually called "frit") to 6 form the capillary passageway in which the capillaries 7 are randomly oriented rather than being generally 8 parallel, can also be used. Yet, another possibility g is to use fibrous structures where the fibers are randomly oriented and thus create a network of 11 randomly oriented capillaries.
13 An important element of the wick 36 is the 14 desirability of establishing a firm contact with the body of open cell foam (not shown in the drawings) 16 that is usually provided to fill entirely or only in 17 part the chamber 12. Such body of foam material is an 18 element of the cartridge that is not new since it is 19 used in many cartridge designs available on the market today. Thus, it is not deemed necessary to provide a 21 description of this component here.
23 In a most preferred embodiment, the intimate contact 24 between the top surface of the wick 36 and the body of foam material is established by selecting the 26 dimensions of the wick such that it extends beyond the 27 upper edge of the seat 26. This edge is identified in 28 figure 3 by the reference numeral 38. The projection 1 thus formed by the upper part of the wick 36 can 2 firmly engage the body of foam material so that fluid 3 in the foam material can be easily transmitted to be 4 wick.
s 6 The outer seat 32 is designed to accept a self-7 aligning seal component 40 that is depicted at figure 8 4. The seal component is made of elastomeric material 9 and includes an outer surface configuration that conforms to the inner surface of the outer seat 32. In 11 addition, the seal component 40 comprises a continuous 12 peripherally extending projection 42 that is designed 13 to engage the inner surface of the seat 32 in order to 14 create a fluid tight seal.
16 The seal component 40 includes two sealing 17 constrictions designed to engage the withdrawal needle 18 such as to prevent the ingress of air and leakage of 19 ink. The sealing constrictions are connected to an inwardly extending radial projection 44. The first 21 sealing constriction is in the form of a horizontally 22 extending annular member 46 provided with a central 23 aperture 48. Above this annular member 46 is formed 24 the other sealing constriction shaped as a cylindrical lip 50 that forms a continuous contact surface with 26 the needle in order to create a seal.
1 During the manufacturing of the cartridge, the self-2 aligning seal component 40 is manufactured separately 3 from the cartridge case 10. Before the cartridge is 4 filled with ink, the seal component 40 is inserted in S the outer seat 32. The relative dimensions of the 6 various components are selected such as to establish a 7 reliable fluid tight seal between the wall of the seat 8 32 and the seal component 40.
11 A thin membrane 52 is heat-sealed to a lower edge of 12 the outer seat 32 to encapsulate the self-aligning 13 sealing component 40. This membrane is sufficiently 14 thin so the tip of the withdrawal needle can easy lS puncture it when the needle is inserted through the 16 sealing constrictions. Most preferably, this 17 protective membrane and the self-aligning seal 18 component are transparent to allow visual verification 19 of presence of ink inside the ink column between the wick and the self-aligning seal during manufacturing.
22 When the cartridge 10 is installed in the printer, the 23 withdrawal port 22 is aligned with the withdrawal 24 needle 56 (this needle is shown at figure 4 in dotted 2s lines). During the insertion movement, the tip of the 26 needle punctures the membrane 52 and begins 27 penetrating the sealing constriction 46. Doing this 28 movement, the annular sealing constriction 46 is 1 resiliently deformed until an aperture of sufficient 2 size is created to accept the cylindrical body of the 3 needle. Further insertion of the needle causes the 4 upper sealing constriction 50 to engage the outer needle surface and create a seal therewith. Thus, in 6 use, two seals in a spaced apart relationship are 7 created reducing significantly the risks of air being 8 introduced in the cartridge and also reducing the 9 risks of ink leaking outside the cartridge.
11 Referring back to figure 3, when the withdrawal needle 12 is fully inserted in the withdrawal port 22, the tip 13 56 of the needle resides in the column 34. The tip is 14 somewhat spaced from the lower surface of the wick and, as such, any forceful contact between these 16 components is reduced. This is desirable because, as 17 mentioned earlier, the wick is a relatively hard body 18 and may damage the withdrawal needle.
The wick 36 establishes a fine capillary passageway to 21 transfer liquid from the foam of open cell material in 22 be chamber 12. The liquid fills the column 34 and 23 submerges the tip of the withdrawal needle containing 24 the inlet orifices. As liquid is being removed through those inlet orifices, additional ink flows through the 26 wick 36 in order to maintain the withdrawal port 27 continuously filled with ink. In addition to acting as 28 a ink transport medium, the wick provides a filtering 1 function to block or at least substantially reduce the 2 likelihood that particles susceptible to clog the 3 withdrawal needle or other apertures downstream in the 4 printhead assembly will pass into the column 34. The capillary passageway also prevents the passage of any 6 air bubbles that may exist on the inlet side of be 7 wick 36, namely it's top surface.
9 Variations and refinements of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit of the 11 invention. More specifically, instead of manufacturing 12 the withdrawal port 22 integrally with the cartridge 13 case, this port may be made from the same material as 14 the sealing component 40. More specifically, the two sealing constrictions can be integrally formed with 16 the outer seat and the entire withdrawal port 17 structure releasably engaged in the cartridge case. At 18 this end, a suitable sealing mechanism will be 19 required that, however, is well within the reach of a person skilled in the art.
18 Background of the invention Conventional ink-jet printers are designed to create a 21 impression on a substrate, such as a sheet of paper, 22 by ejecting ink droplets through an array of orifices 23 in a print head. In order to provide a high printing 24 resolution, the size of the droplets that are being jetted must be strictly controlled. At this and, the 26 orifices through which the ink is being delivered to 27 be substrate are very fine.
1 One obvious difficulty arising from such print head 2 design is the tendency of the orifices in the print 3 head to become clogged by impurities transported by 4 the ink medium. To address this problem, it is customary to provide the fluid pathway that conveys 6 ink to the print head with one or more filters 7 intended to block particles of a size exceeding a 8 predetermined threshold. The first one of those 9 filters is usually placed in the disposable ink-jet cartridge that constitutes the source of ink for the 11 printer. Such disposable cartridges are usually 12 manufactured of synthetic material and define an 13 internal chamber in which a predetermined volume of 14 ink is placed. The ink is removed from this chamber through a withdrawal port that receives a withdrawal 16 needle establishing the liquid communicative 17 relationship between the cartridge and the print head.
18 In many cartridge designs, the withdrawal port is of 19 generally cylindrical configuration, including an inner side and an outer side. The inner side extends 21 within be chamber holding the ink while the outer side 22 forms an external projection that holds an O-ring seal 23 designed to releasably accept the withdrawal nozzle.
The filter used in prior art cartridge designs is in 26 the form of a fine metallic or synthetic mesh that is 27 heat-sealed to the inlet side of the withdrawal port.
28 Although this form of construction is, generally 1 speaking, reliable into providing an effective 2 filtering function, it has some drawbacks. One of 3 those drawbacks is the complications during the 4 manufacturing process that arise from the necessity in S effecting a heat-sealing operation deep within the 6 cartridge body. Another drawback is the cost of the 7 metallic or synthetic mesh.
g Thus, there exists in the industry a need to provide a disposable ink-jet cartridge with an improved filter.
2 Objects and statement of be invention 14 One object of the present invention is to provide a disposable ink-jet cartridge including an improved 16 filter in the withdrawal port.
18 Another object of the invention is to provide an 19 improved disposable ink-jet cartridge having a better tendency to resist transmission of air bubbles through 21 the withdrawal port.
23 In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the 24 withdrawal port of the ink-jet cartridge is of generally cylindrical construction and comprises a 26 cylindrical seat, formed near the inlet side of the 27 cartridge to receive a wick. This wick defines a 28 capillary passageway that promotes transfer of liquid 1 from the internal chamber of the cartridge toward the 2 withdrawal needle. Most preferably, the wick has a 3 total length in the range from about l/8 to about l/2 4 inch and it is formed by a fibrous body, the fibers defining between them interstices for the transmission 6 of liquid. Advantageously, the fibers are generally 7 parallel to one another, and they extend along the 8 longitudinal axis of the wick. As such, the fibers 9 define long capillary channels of a transverse size sufficiently small to trap or block particles that may 11 be transported with the ink medium and that may block 12 the inlet orifices in the withdrawal needle. This form 13 of construction also reduces the likelihood of air 14 bubbles being transmitted through this wick. This is due to the nature of the mechanism involved for the 16 fluid transmission. Ink is caused to migrate through 17 the wick as a result of the capillary pressure exerted 18 on the liquid medium. Should air bubbles penetrate the 19 capillary passageways, they are not subjected to this capillary pressure and as such they do not have a 21 tendency to move toward the withdrawal needle.
23 The wick is designed to slightly project beyond the 24 tip of the withdrawal port so as to establish contact with the porous body that is provided in the in k-j et 26 cartridge. Such porous body is generally made of open 27 cell foam material designed to stabilize the ink and 28 thus provide a controlled and regulated ink removal 1 operation. By allowing the wick to firmly contact the 2 foam, a porosity gradient structure is created 3 permitting efficient transfer of fluid toward the 4 withdrawal port. More specifically, the foam has an average pore or interstice size that significantly 6 exceeds the interstice size of the wick. As such, the 7 liquid in the foam will naturally be attracted toward 8 the wick.
11 The second seat is formed in the withdrawal port, on 12 the outlet side thereof. This seat is designed to 13 receive an elastomeric seal that can releasably accept 14 the withdrawal needle. Most preferably, be seal is a self-aligning structure that includes two sealing 16 constrictions in a spaced apart configuration designed 17 to create a double barrier against ingress of air and 18 egress of ink along the outer surface of the needle.
19 This arrangement has been found particularly successful in preventing or at least significantly 21 reducing the occurrence of leaks and introduction of 22 air bubbles. A void volume column designed to receive 23 the tip of the ink withdrawal nozzle separates the 24 first seat and the second seat from one another. This arrangement avoids a contact between the needle and 26 the wick. Such contact is not desirable because the 27 wick, due to its fine capillarity, is a relatively 28 hard body and it may cause damage to the tip of the 1 nozzle, should the latter come forcefully in contact 2 therewith.
4 The seal preferably includes a thin transparent membrane to allow visual verification of the presence 6 of ink inside the ink column between the wick and the 7 seal constrictions during manufacturing. A clear heat-8 seal made of a plastic film has been found 9 satisfactory.
1l Brief description of the drawings 13 Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of an 14 ink-jet cartridge constructed in accordance with the present invention, the cover of the cartridge being 16 omitted for clarity;
18 Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the 19 cartridge shown at figure 1, with the difference that the cartridge is shown from is front side;
22 Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional 23 view of the disposable ink-jet cartridge of Figures 1 24 and 2, illustrating the structure of the withdrawal port; and 27 Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view 28 of the self-aligning seal, the position of the 1 withdrawal needle in the seal being depicted in dotted 2 lines.
4 Description of a preferred embodiment.
6 With reference to figures 1 and 2 of the annexed 7 drawings, the present invention provides a novel 8 disposable ink-jet cartridge designated 9 comprehensively by the reference numeral 10. The cartridge is made of synthetic material and defines an 11 internal ink holding chamber 12. The front wall 14, 12 rear wall 16 and sidewalls 18 and 20 define the 13 boundaries of the chamber 12. In use, a suitable cover 14 (not shown in the drawings) closes the chamber 12, that is sealed to be upper edges of the walls 14, 16, 16 18 and 20. Note that the cartridge need not be 17 limited to single chamber; it may have several such 18 chambers as could be envisaged in the case of a 19 multicolored ink cartrige.
21 When the cartridge 10 is installed in the printer, ink 22 from the cartridge is removed from a withdrawal port 23 22. Typically, a withdrawal needle is received in this 24 port to establish a liquid communicative relationship with the coherent body of ink in the chamber 12.
27 The structure of the withdrawal port 22 is best shown 28 in figure 3. This port is a generally cylindrical structure integrally formed on the bottom wall 24 of 2 the cartridge. The withdrawal port 22 includes on its 3 internal side, in other words the side facing the 4 chamber 12 a cylindrical seat 26 designed to receive a 5 wick. The seat 26 has a internal side wall of 6 cylindrical configuration and a bottom wall 28 shaped 7 as a ring. The bottom wall 28 is inclined to create a 8 drain surface, thus facilitating the flow of liquid 9 through the port.
11 The outlet side of the withdrawal port forms an 12 external projection 30. This projection is of 13 generally cylindrical configuration and defines an 14 outer seat 32 that is designed to receive a self-aligning seal component. The structure of this seal 16 component will be described later.
18 A void volume column 34 in the form of a generally 19 cylindrical aperture connects the inner seat 26 and the outer seat 32.
22 The inner seat 26 is designed do receive a wick 36 23 that establishes a capillary passageway between the 24 internal chamber 12 and the column 34. The wick 36 is shown in dotted lines in figure 3. It is a cylindrical 26 structure having a length 1n the range from about l/8 27 to about l/2 inches, preferably in the range from l/8 28 to about ~ inches and it is press fitted in the inner 1 seat 2 6. Such press fit in addition to mechanically 2 retaining the wick in place also establishes a fluid 3 tight seal between the outer surface of the wick and 4 the internal surface of the seat 2 6. To maintain reliably be integrity of this airtight seal, the 6 surface finish of the seat 2 6 and of the wick 3 6 7 should be selected to avoid large imperfections that 8 can allow air bubbles to pass.
In a most preferred embodiment, the wick 3 6 is made by 11 an agglomeration of fibers that are parallel to one 12 another and that extend along the longitudinal axis of 13 be wick. Such fibrous structure creates an array of 14 fine capillaries capable of transporting liquid while, at the same time, blocking the passage of impurities 16 that may clog the inlet apertures of the withdrawal 17 needle or any other aperture in the print head, 18 downstream of the withdrawal needle.
Wicks that have been found satisfactory are available 21 from a number of sources, namely Teibow Hanbai Co., 22 Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), General Polymeric Corp. (Reading 23 Pa, USA), Porex Technologies (Fairburn, GA, USA).
24 Typically, the products available from those sources are normally designed for use as nibs in marking pens.
26 Those nibs have been found to possess the correct 27 porosity value for use with the cartridge of the 28 present application.
2 Instead of utilizing parallel fiber structures for 3 making the wick 36, other possibilities can be used.
4 For example, fine particles agglomerated together (sintered metal or polymer, usually called "frit") to 6 form the capillary passageway in which the capillaries 7 are randomly oriented rather than being generally 8 parallel, can also be used. Yet, another possibility g is to use fibrous structures where the fibers are randomly oriented and thus create a network of 11 randomly oriented capillaries.
13 An important element of the wick 36 is the 14 desirability of establishing a firm contact with the body of open cell foam (not shown in the drawings) 16 that is usually provided to fill entirely or only in 17 part the chamber 12. Such body of foam material is an 18 element of the cartridge that is not new since it is 19 used in many cartridge designs available on the market today. Thus, it is not deemed necessary to provide a 21 description of this component here.
23 In a most preferred embodiment, the intimate contact 24 between the top surface of the wick 36 and the body of foam material is established by selecting the 26 dimensions of the wick such that it extends beyond the 27 upper edge of the seat 26. This edge is identified in 28 figure 3 by the reference numeral 38. The projection 1 thus formed by the upper part of the wick 36 can 2 firmly engage the body of foam material so that fluid 3 in the foam material can be easily transmitted to be 4 wick.
s 6 The outer seat 32 is designed to accept a self-7 aligning seal component 40 that is depicted at figure 8 4. The seal component is made of elastomeric material 9 and includes an outer surface configuration that conforms to the inner surface of the outer seat 32. In 11 addition, the seal component 40 comprises a continuous 12 peripherally extending projection 42 that is designed 13 to engage the inner surface of the seat 32 in order to 14 create a fluid tight seal.
16 The seal component 40 includes two sealing 17 constrictions designed to engage the withdrawal needle 18 such as to prevent the ingress of air and leakage of 19 ink. The sealing constrictions are connected to an inwardly extending radial projection 44. The first 21 sealing constriction is in the form of a horizontally 22 extending annular member 46 provided with a central 23 aperture 48. Above this annular member 46 is formed 24 the other sealing constriction shaped as a cylindrical lip 50 that forms a continuous contact surface with 26 the needle in order to create a seal.
1 During the manufacturing of the cartridge, the self-2 aligning seal component 40 is manufactured separately 3 from the cartridge case 10. Before the cartridge is 4 filled with ink, the seal component 40 is inserted in S the outer seat 32. The relative dimensions of the 6 various components are selected such as to establish a 7 reliable fluid tight seal between the wall of the seat 8 32 and the seal component 40.
11 A thin membrane 52 is heat-sealed to a lower edge of 12 the outer seat 32 to encapsulate the self-aligning 13 sealing component 40. This membrane is sufficiently 14 thin so the tip of the withdrawal needle can easy lS puncture it when the needle is inserted through the 16 sealing constrictions. Most preferably, this 17 protective membrane and the self-aligning seal 18 component are transparent to allow visual verification 19 of presence of ink inside the ink column between the wick and the self-aligning seal during manufacturing.
22 When the cartridge 10 is installed in the printer, the 23 withdrawal port 22 is aligned with the withdrawal 24 needle 56 (this needle is shown at figure 4 in dotted 2s lines). During the insertion movement, the tip of the 26 needle punctures the membrane 52 and begins 27 penetrating the sealing constriction 46. Doing this 28 movement, the annular sealing constriction 46 is 1 resiliently deformed until an aperture of sufficient 2 size is created to accept the cylindrical body of the 3 needle. Further insertion of the needle causes the 4 upper sealing constriction 50 to engage the outer needle surface and create a seal therewith. Thus, in 6 use, two seals in a spaced apart relationship are 7 created reducing significantly the risks of air being 8 introduced in the cartridge and also reducing the 9 risks of ink leaking outside the cartridge.
11 Referring back to figure 3, when the withdrawal needle 12 is fully inserted in the withdrawal port 22, the tip 13 56 of the needle resides in the column 34. The tip is 14 somewhat spaced from the lower surface of the wick and, as such, any forceful contact between these 16 components is reduced. This is desirable because, as 17 mentioned earlier, the wick is a relatively hard body 18 and may damage the withdrawal needle.
The wick 36 establishes a fine capillary passageway to 21 transfer liquid from the foam of open cell material in 22 be chamber 12. The liquid fills the column 34 and 23 submerges the tip of the withdrawal needle containing 24 the inlet orifices. As liquid is being removed through those inlet orifices, additional ink flows through the 26 wick 36 in order to maintain the withdrawal port 27 continuously filled with ink. In addition to acting as 28 a ink transport medium, the wick provides a filtering 1 function to block or at least substantially reduce the 2 likelihood that particles susceptible to clog the 3 withdrawal needle or other apertures downstream in the 4 printhead assembly will pass into the column 34. The capillary passageway also prevents the passage of any 6 air bubbles that may exist on the inlet side of be 7 wick 36, namely it's top surface.
9 Variations and refinements of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit of the 11 invention. More specifically, instead of manufacturing 12 the withdrawal port 22 integrally with the cartridge 13 case, this port may be made from the same material as 14 the sealing component 40. More specifically, the two sealing constrictions can be integrally formed with 16 the outer seat and the entire withdrawal port 17 structure releasably engaged in the cartridge case. At 18 this end, a suitable sealing mechanism will be 19 required that, however, is well within the reach of a person skilled in the art.
Claims (33)
1- An ink jet cartridge for use in an ink jet printer, said cartridge comprising a reservoir, an ink withdrawal port disposed in the lower portion of said reservoir, said ink withdrawal port comprising an inlet side to house a filter member and an the outlet side to releasably receive an ink withdrawal needle.
2- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises an inner seat on the inlet side to receive said filter member, said inner seat having a bottom wall shaped to create a drain surface to facilitate the flow of liquid through said ink withdrawal port.
3- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises an outer seat on the outlet side to receive a seal.
4- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises a void volume in the form of a hollow tunnel connecting the inner seat to the outer seat of said ink withdrawal port.
5- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by a felt-like material, said wick defining capillary passageways generally parallel to one another and extending along the longitudinal axis of said ink withdrawal port.
6- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by a fibrous body, said wick defining capillary passageways generally parallel to one another and extending along the longitudinal axis of said ink withdrawal port.
7- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by fine particles agglomerated together to form capillary passageways that are randomly oriented.
8- The ink jet cartridge of claim 1, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by a fibrous structure where the fibers are randomly oriented to create a network of randomly oriented capillarities.
9- The ink jet cartridge as defined in any one of claims 5,6,7 or 8, wherein said wick is press fitted in the inner seat of said ink withdrawal port.
10- The ink jet cartridge as defined in any one of claims 5,6,7 or 8, wherein the dimensions of said wick are such that said wick extends beyond the upper edge of inner seat of said ink withdrawal port.
11- An ink jet cartridge for use in an ink jet printer, said cartridge comprising a reservoir, an ink withdrawal port disposed in the lower portion of said reservoir, a filter member placed on an inlet side of said ink withdrawal port and a seal on an outlet side of said ink withdrawal port, said seal having an aperture dimensioned to releasably receive an ink withdrawal needle.
12- The ink jet cartridge of claim 11, wherein said seal comprises an outer configuration that conforms to the inner surface of the outer seat of said ink withdrawal port and a peripherally extending projection to engage the inner surface of the outer seat of said ink withdrawal port.
13- The ink jet cartridge of claim 11, wherein said seal includes two sealing constrictions connected to an inwardly extending radial projection, said sealing constrictions being in a spaced apart relationship.
14- The ink jet cartridge of claim 11, wherein first said sealing constriction is in the form of an horizontally extending annular member provided with a central circular aperture, said annular member resiliently deforming during insertion of withdrawal needle until an aperture of sufficient size is created to accept the cylindrical body of said ink withdrawal needle; and second said sealing constriction disposed above said annular member and shaped as a cylindrical lip forming a continuous contact surface with said ink withdrawal needle.
15- The ink jet cartridge of claim 11, wherein said seal is made of elastomeric material.
16- The ink jet cartridge of claim 11, wherein said seal is self-aligning.
17- The ink jet cartridge of claim 11, wherein said seal is transparent.
18- An ink withdrawal port for an ink jet cartridge, said cartridge being provided with an aperture in the lower portion of an ink reservoir, wherein said ink withdrawal port is correspondingly shaped to fit in said aperture.
19- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises a peripherally extending projection to engage the inner surface of said aperture.
20- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises an inlet side to house a filter member and an outlet side to releasably receive an ink withdrawal needle.
21- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises an inner seat on the inlet side to receive said filter member, said inner seat having a bottom wall shaped to create a drain surface to facilitate the flow of liquid through said ink withdrawal port.
22- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port comprises a void volume in the form of a hollow tunnel connecting the inner seat to the outer seat of said ink withdrawal port.
23- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by a felt-like material, said wick defining capillary passageways generally parallel to one another and extending along the longitudinal axis of said ink withdrawal port.
24- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by a fibrous body, said wick defining capillary passageways generally parallel to one another and extending along the longitudinal axis of said ink withdrawal port.
25- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by fine particles agglomerated together to form capillary passageways that are randomly oriented.
26- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said filter member is a wick formed by a fibrous structure where the fibers are randomly oriented to create a network of randomly oriented capillarities.
27- The ink withdrawal port as defined in any one of claims 23,24,25 or 26, wherein said wick is press fitted in the inner seat of said ink withdrawal port.
28- The ink withdrawal port as defined in any one of claims 23,24,25 or 26, wherein the dimensions of said wick are such that said wick extends beyond the upper edge of inner seat of said ink withdrawal port.
29- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein the outlet side of said ink withdrawal port includes two sealing constrictions connected to an inwardly extending radial projection, said sealing constrictions being in a spaced apart relationship.
30- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein first said sealing constriction is in the form of an horizontally extending annular member provided with a central circular aperture, said annular member resiliently deforming during insertion of withdrawal needle until an aperture of sufficient size is created to accept the cylindrical body of said ink withdrawal needle; and second said sealing constriction disposed above said annular member and shaped as a cylindrical lip forming a continuous contact surface with said ink withdrawal needle.
31- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port is made of elastomeric material.
32- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port is self aligning with ink withdrawal needle.
33- The ink withdrawal port of claim 18, wherein said ink withdrawal port is transparent.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002213066A CA2213066A1 (en) | 1997-08-14 | 1997-08-14 | Ink-jet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that defines a capillary passageway |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002213066A CA2213066A1 (en) | 1997-08-14 | 1997-08-14 | Ink-jet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that defines a capillary passageway |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2213066A1 true CA2213066A1 (en) | 1999-02-14 |
Family
ID=29274968
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002213066A Abandoned CA2213066A1 (en) | 1997-08-14 | 1997-08-14 | Ink-jet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that defines a capillary passageway |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2213066A1 (en) |
Cited By (12)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2014043424A1 (en) * | 2012-09-14 | 2014-03-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Ink jet delivery system comprising an improved perfume mixture |
| CN106256548A (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2016-12-28 | 蒋曙平 | A kind of with the sponge-free ink box device sealing deformation device |
| CN106313901A (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2017-01-11 | 蒋曙平 | Air pressure balance device for print cartridge |
| US9814098B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2017-11-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system for releasing fluid compositions |
| US9808812B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2017-11-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system |
| US10040090B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2018-08-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system for releasing fluid compositions |
| US10076585B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2018-09-18 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Method of delivering a dose of a fluid composition from a microfluidic delivery cartridge |
| US10149917B2 (en) | 2016-11-22 | 2018-12-11 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Fluid composition and a microfluidic delivery cartridge comprising the same |
| US10780192B2 (en) | 2015-09-16 | 2020-09-22 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery cartridges and methods of connecting cartridges with microfluidic delivery systems |
| US10806816B2 (en) | 2018-05-15 | 2020-10-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic cartridge and microfluidic delivery device comprising the same |
| US11305301B2 (en) | 2017-04-10 | 2022-04-19 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery device for dispensing and redirecting a fluid composition in the air |
| US11691162B2 (en) | 2017-04-10 | 2023-07-04 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery cartridge for use with a microfluidic delivery device |
-
1997
- 1997-08-14 CA CA002213066A patent/CA2213066A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (19)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2015535697A (en) * | 2012-09-14 | 2015-12-17 | ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブルカンパニー | Inkjet delivery system comprising an improved perfume mixture |
| AU2016203137B2 (en) * | 2012-09-14 | 2017-03-02 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Ink jet delivery system comprising an improved perfume mixture |
| US10066114B2 (en) | 2012-09-14 | 2018-09-04 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Ink jet delivery system comprising an improved perfume mixture |
| WO2014043424A1 (en) * | 2012-09-14 | 2014-03-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Ink jet delivery system comprising an improved perfume mixture |
| US10040090B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2018-08-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system for releasing fluid compositions |
| US11000862B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2021-05-11 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system |
| US10076585B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2018-09-18 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Method of delivering a dose of a fluid composition from a microfluidic delivery cartridge |
| US9814098B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2017-11-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system for releasing fluid compositions |
| US9808812B2 (en) | 2014-06-20 | 2017-11-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery system |
| CN106313901B (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2018-08-03 | 中山市兴发电子科技有限公司 | A kind of air-pressure balancing device suitable for print cartridge |
| CN106256548B (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2018-06-26 | 珠海东威电脑耗材有限公司 | A kind of sponge-free ink box device with sealing deformation device |
| CN106313901A (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2017-01-11 | 蒋曙平 | Air pressure balance device for print cartridge |
| CN106256548A (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2016-12-28 | 蒋曙平 | A kind of with the sponge-free ink box device sealing deformation device |
| US10780192B2 (en) | 2015-09-16 | 2020-09-22 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery cartridges and methods of connecting cartridges with microfluidic delivery systems |
| US10149917B2 (en) | 2016-11-22 | 2018-12-11 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Fluid composition and a microfluidic delivery cartridge comprising the same |
| US11305301B2 (en) | 2017-04-10 | 2022-04-19 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery device for dispensing and redirecting a fluid composition in the air |
| US11691162B2 (en) | 2017-04-10 | 2023-07-04 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic delivery cartridge for use with a microfluidic delivery device |
| US10806816B2 (en) | 2018-05-15 | 2020-10-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic cartridge and microfluidic delivery device comprising the same |
| US11633514B2 (en) | 2018-05-15 | 2023-04-25 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Microfluidic cartridge and microfluidic delivery device comprising the same |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| AU2003200496B2 (en) | Ink Cartridge and Method of Regulating Fluid Flow | |
| CA2213066A1 (en) | Ink-jet cartridge featuring a withdrawal port provided with a wick that defines a capillary passageway | |
| US8075079B2 (en) | Ink cartridge with bubble point pressure regulator defined in laminated wall | |
| US20100201767A1 (en) | Inkjet printer with bubblepoint pressure regulator and recirculating ink supply | |
| DE69812852T2 (en) | Device and method for ventilation of an ink container | |
| US8029112B2 (en) | Inkjet printer with pressure regulator | |
| US8500257B2 (en) | Ink pressure regulator with liquid-retaining structure | |
| WO2008006139A1 (en) | Ink pressure regulator with bubble point pressure regulation | |
| US7784925B2 (en) | Ink cartridge with pressure regulation | |
| US7857441B2 (en) | Ink pressure regulator | |
| US6533404B1 (en) | Ink supply for preventing the passage of air | |
| US7703900B2 (en) | Ink pressure regulator using air bubbles drawn into ink | |
| EP2200833B1 (en) | Ink pressure regulator with improved liquid retention in regulator channel | |
| TWI353307B (en) | Methods and apparatuses for use in inkjet pens | |
| US7360881B2 (en) | Fluid container having air passageway | |
| RU2331521C2 (en) | Ink cartridge |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued | ||
| FZDE | Discontinued |
Effective date: 20020814 |
|
| FZDE | Discontinued |
Effective date: 20020814 |