CN215360534U

CN215360534U - Regeneration ink box

Info

Publication number: CN215360534U
Application number: CN202122090872.XU
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵升魁; 林东明
Original assignee: Zhongshan Junwei Office Products Co ltd
Current assignee: Zhongshan Junwei Office Products Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-31
Filing date: 2021-08-31
Publication date: 2021-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-31

Abstract

The present invention relates to a recycled ink cartridge including a main ink cartridge and at least one replenishment cartridge in fluid communication with the main ink cartridge, the replenishment cartridge being for replenishing ink to the main ink cartridge, the main ink cartridge being remanufactured from an original ink cartridge having an overall rectangular parallelepiped shape and having the same outer dimensions, the original ink cartridge having a first dimension in a front-rear direction, a second dimension in a left-right direction and a third dimension in an up-down direction, one of the first dimension, the second dimension and the third dimension having a maximum dimension, the main ink cartridge and the replenishment cartridge being combined in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the maximum dimension of the main ink cartridge, the recycled ink cartridge being applicable even if a space for accommodating the ink cartridge in an ink jet printer extends in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the ink cartridge.

Description

Regeneration ink box

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the field of ink-jet imaging, in particular to a capacity-increased regeneration ink box.

Background

An ink cartridge is a container that contains ink and can be mounted to an ink jet printer to supply ink to the ink jet printer, and when the ink therein is consumed, the end user needs to replace a new ink cartridge and discard the old ink cartridge.

In recent years, in order to reduce environmental pollution caused by waste ink cartridges, a trend is to regenerate the waste ink cartridges based on empty ink cartridges with consumed ink, so as to form regenerated ink cartridges, wherein a common regeneration mode is to regenerate the same type of regenerated ink cartridges by using the empty ink cartridges; however, in the inkjet printer, it is generally necessary to install four color ink cartridges simultaneously, including a black ink cartridge and three color ink cartridges, and often, the consumption amount of ink in the black ink cartridge is the largest, which results in different numbers of empty ink cartridges of various colors on the market.

When the space for accommodating the black ink cartridge in the ink jet printer is extended in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the ink cartridge, a manner of changing the external body into the large capacity black ink cartridge by fixedly connecting the external body in the length direction of the small capacity black ink cartridge becomes impossible.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a regeneration ink box, which is formed by mutually combining a plurality of empty ink boxes in a direction vertical to the length direction of the ink box, so that the regeneration ink box can be applied to a corresponding ink-jet printer, and the specific scheme is as follows:

a recycling ink cartridge includes a main ink cartridge and at least one replenishment cartridge in fluid communication with the main ink cartridge, the replenishment cartridge being for replenishing ink to the main ink cartridge, the main ink cartridge being remanufactured from an original ink cartridge having an overall rectangular parallelepiped shape and having the same outer dimensions, the original ink cartridge having a first dimension in a front-rear direction, a second dimension in a left-right direction and a third dimension in an up-down direction, one of the first dimension, the second dimension and the third dimension having a maximum dimension, the main ink cartridge and the replenishment cartridge being combined in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the maximum dimension of the main ink cartridge.

Wherein the first size is the largest, and the main ink cartridge and the supplementary cartridge are combined in an up-down direction or a left-right direction.

Former ink horn has the preceding screens that is located the place ahead and is located the back screens at the rear, is improving former ink horn into the in-process of main ink horn, preceding screens and back screens are kept.

When the replenishing box is remanufactured from an empty ink box which consumes ink, the empty ink box is provided with a front clamping position at the front and a rear clamping position at the rear, and the front clamping position and the rear clamping position are reserved in the remanufacturing process.

The original ink box is provided with an air inlet, the air inlet is blocked in the process of changing the original ink box into the main ink box, and the supplement box is provided with an air guide port different from the air inlet.

The main ink box and the supplement boxes are combined in the left-right direction, and the supplement boxes are two and comprise a first supplement box positioned on the right side of the main ink box and a second supplement box positioned on the left side of the main ink box; or the two replenishing boxes are both positioned on the same side of the main ink box, and fluid communication is formed between the two replenishing boxes.

The main ink box also comprises an ink outlet positioned below, the cavity of the main ink box is divided into an ink cavity and a sponge cavity which are communicated with each other, the sponge cavity is opposite to the ink outlet, the first supplement box and the second supplement box respectively comprise a communicating hole which is in gas communication with the main ink box and a communicating hole which is in liquid communication with the main ink box, and at least one of the communicating holes which are in liquid communication is opposite to the ink cavity.

The communication hole for forming gas communication is located above the communication hole for forming liquid communication in the up-down direction.

The supplementary cartridge and the main cartridge are combined at three points, so that the supplementary cartridge and the main cartridge are firmly connected.

As described above, the ink cartridge for recycling is formed by joining a plurality of empty ink cartridges in a direction perpendicular to the maximum dimension direction of the original ink cartridge, and is applicable even when the space for accommodating the ink cartridges in the ink jet printer extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ink cartridges.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the original ink cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the recycling ink cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 3A is a partially exploded view of the regeneration cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the original ink cartridge according to the present invention after being modified.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a first refill cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a second refill cartridge according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[ original ink cartridge structure ]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the original ink cartridge according to the present invention. The original ink cartridge 10 'includes a bottom case 11 and a top cover 12 combined with each other, and ink is accommodated in the bottom case 11, and for the purpose of making the following description clear, the original ink cartridge 10' is first defined as follows: the combination direction of the top cover 12 and the bottom case 11 is defined as the up-down direction, the top cover 12 is located above the bottom case 11, the length direction of the original ink cartridge 10 'is the front-back direction, and the width direction of the original ink cartridge 10' is the left-right direction.

As shown in the figure, the original ink cartridge 10 'has a first size along the front-back direction, a second size along the left-right direction and a third size along the up-down direction, where the first size > the third size > the second size, and as a whole, the original ink cartridge 10' is rectangular, and has a front blocking position 14 located in the front, a rear blocking position 15 located in the rear, an ink outlet 11c located below, and an air inlet 121 located above, where the front blocking position 14 and the rear blocking position 15 enable the original ink cartridge 10 'to be stably blocked in the inkjet printer, the ink outlet 11c is used for supplying ink contained in the original ink cartridge 10' to the inkjet printer, and the air inlet 121 is used for guiding external air to the inside of the original ink cartridge to keep the internal pressure of the original ink cartridge stable.

Specifically, the positions of the front latch 14 and the rear latch 15 are not limited, for example, the front latch 14 and the rear latch 15 are both disposed on the bottom case 11, or both disposed on the top cover 12, or one of the two is disposed on the bottom case 11, and the other is disposed on the top cover 12, as long as the original ink cartridge 10' can be stably mounted on the inkjet printer; the bottom shell 11 comprises a left side plate 111 and a right side plate 112 which are opposite in the left-right direction, and a partition plate 11d positioned between the left side plate 111 and the right side plate 112, the partition plate 11d divides the cavity of the bottom shell 11 into an ink cavity 11a and a sponge cavity 11b, the ink cavity 11a is communicated with the sponge cavity 11b through a channel 11e arranged on the partition plate, the sponge cavity 11b is opposite to the ink outlet 11c, and when the original ink box 10' does not work, sponge positioned in the sponge cavity 11b is used as a negative pressure generating piece to ensure that ink cannot leak from the ink outlet 11 c; the air inlet 121 is disposed on the top cover 12, preferably, the air inlet 121 is opposite to the sponge chamber 11b, and when the original ink cartridge 10' is in operation, after ink absorbed by the sponge is discharged from the ink outlet 11c, the external atmosphere can be quickly replenished into the sponge chamber 11b through the air inlet 121, thereby ensuring the pressure in the sponge chamber 11b to be stable.

[ Structure of regeneration ink cartridge ]

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recycled ink cartridge according to the present invention; FIG. 3A is a partially exploded view of a regeneration cartridge according to the present invention; fig. 3B is a perspective view of the original ink cartridge according to the present invention after being modified.

As shown in fig. 2, a regeneration ink cartridge 100 is detachably mounted in an inkjet printer, the regeneration ink cartridge 100 includes a main ink cartridge 10 and at least one replenishment cartridge 20/30 in fluid communication with the main ink cartridge 10, and a replenishment cartridge 20/30 is used to replenish ink into the main ink cartridge 10, wherein the main ink cartridge 10 is modified from an original ink cartridge 10' and has the same external dimensions, and a replenishment cartridge 20/30 is in communication with the main ink cartridge 10 in a direction perpendicular to a length direction (front-rear direction) of the main ink cartridge 10, that is, a replenishment cartridge 20/30 is in communication with the main ink cartridge 10 in an up-down direction or a left-right direction, so that the regeneration ink cartridge 100 can be applied to an inkjet printer in which a space for accommodating a black ink cartridge is extended in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the ink cartridge.

When there is only one replenishment cartridge 20/30 in the regeneration ink cartridge 100, the replenishment cartridge 20/30 may be in fluid communication with the main cartridge 10 either on the left or right side of the main cartridge 10 or above the main cartridge 10; when the two replenishment cartridges, including the first replenishment cartridge 20 and the second replenishment cartridge 30, are included in the regeneration cartridge 100, the two replenishment cartridges may be located on the left and right sides of the main cartridge 10, respectively, or may be located only on the left or right side of the main cartridge 10, and at this time, fluid communication is also established between the two replenishment cartridges, and one of the replenishment cartridges is fluidly communicated with the main cartridge 10, and may be changed, and one of the replenishment cartridges may be located on the left or right side of the main cartridge 10, and the other may be located on the upper side of the main cartridge 10; regardless of the relative position between the replenishment cartridge and the main cartridge 10, fluid communication is established between the replenishment cartridge and the main cartridge 10, and the direction/path of fluid communication established therebetween is perpendicular to the length direction of the main cartridge 10.

The replenishment cartridge 20/30 may be a brand-new cartridge formed by injection molding or a small-capacity cartridge that has been depleted of ink, and since the main cartridge 10 is provided with the front stopper 14, the rear stopper 15, and the ink outlet 11c, the replenishment cartridge 20/30 may not be provided with the stopper and the ink outlet, and thus, when the replenishment cartridge 20/30 is from a small-capacity cartridge that has been depleted of ink, the stopper on the small-capacity cartridge may be cut off and the ink outlet closed, and when the replenishment cartridge 20/30 is a brand-new cartridge formed by injection molding, the stopper and the ink outlet may be omitted, the injection molding material may be reduced, and the structure of the replenishment cartridge 20/30 may be simplified.

Hereinafter, the first supplementary cartridge 20 and the second supplementary cartridge 30 are respectively located at the right side and the left side of the main cartridge 10, wherein the volume of the first supplementary cartridge 20 and the volume of the second supplementary cartridge 30 are both smaller than the volume of the main cartridge 10, and when the first supplementary cartridge 20 and the second supplementary cartridge 30 are each modified from a small-capacity cartridge that has been depleted of ink, the purpose of fully utilizing a large number of small-capacity cartridges in the market is achieved.

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the main tank 10 includes first and second communication holes 13A and 13B provided on the left side plate 111 and third and fourth communication holes 16a and 16B provided on the right side plate 112, wherein the first and

second communication holes

13a and 13b are used to make fluid communication with the second supplementary cartridge 30, the third and

fourth communication holes

16a and 16b are used to make fluid communication with the first supplementary cartridge 20, the first communication hole 13a is used to form gas communication between the main cartridge 10 and the second supplementary cartridge 30, the second communication hole 13a is used to form liquid communication between the main cartridge 10 and the second supplementary cartridge 30, the third communication hole 16a is used to form gas communication between the main cartridge 10 and the first supplementary cartridge 20, and the fourth communication hole 16b is used to form liquid communication between the main cartridge 10 and the second supplementary cartridge 30. Preferably, the first communication hole 13a is located above the second communication hole 13b and the third communication hole 16a is located above the fourth communication hole 16b in the vertical direction, which makes the gas-liquid exchange between the main cartridge 10 and the first and second

supplementary cartridges

20 and 30 smoother; more preferably, at least one of the second communication hole 13b and the fourth communication hole 16b is opposite to the ink chamber 11b, so that after the air introduced into the main cartridge 10 enters the first supplementary cartridge 20 through the first communication hole 13a or the second supplementary cartridge 30 through the third communication hole 16a, the ink in the first supplementary cartridge 20 or the second supplementary cartridge 30 can be rapidly replenished to the ink chamber 11b through the second communication hole 13b or the fourth communication hole 16b, the amount of ink in the ink chamber 11b is maintained until the ink in the first supplementary cartridge 20 or the second supplementary cartridge 30 is consumed, and the amount of ink supplied to the ink supply port 11c through the sponge chamber 11a is secured.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a first refill cartridge according to the present invention; fig. 5 is a perspective view of a second refill cartridge according to the present invention.

The first refill cartridge 20 includes a casing 21 and a top cover 22 coupled to each other, the casing 21 and the top cover 22 enclosing a space for containing ink, the space being partitioned into an ink storage chamber 20a and an air guide chamber 20b that are not communicated with each other, the top cover 22 being provided with an air guide port 221 opposite to the air guide chamber 20b, as shown in fig. 4, a side plate of the first refill cartridge 20 facing the main cartridge 10 being provided with a first refill cartridge air guide hole 23a and a first refill cartridge liquid communication hole 23b, the first refill cartridge air guide hole 23a being communicated with the third communication hole 16a, the first refill cartridge liquid communication hole 23b being communicated with the fourth communication hole 16b, whereby the ink storage chamber 20a in the first refill cartridge 20 and the ink chamber 11b in the main cartridge 10 are in gas and liquid communication, and gas-liquid exchange is possible therebetween; as shown in fig. 5, the second supplementary cartridge 30 includes a case 31 and a top cover 32 coupled to each other, the case 31 and the top cover 32 enclosing a space 39 for containing ink, and as shown in fig. 5, a side plate of the second supplementary cartridge 30 facing the main cartridge 10 is provided with a second supplementary cartridge air-guide hole 33a and a second supplementary cartridge liquid communication hole 33b, the second supplementary cartridge air-guide hole 33a communicating with the first communication hole 13a, and the second supplementary cartridge liquid communication hole 33b communicating with the second communication hole 13b, so that the space 39 is in gas communication and liquid communication with the ink chamber 11b in the main cartridge 10.

The first and

second replenishment cartridges

20 and 30 are connected to the main cartridge 10 to form a regeneration cartridge 100, respectively, the regeneration cartridge 100 is fixedly mounted to the ink jet printer using the front and

rear stoppers

14 and 15 provided on the main cartridge 10, the air inlet 121 provided in the main cartridge 10 is blocked, and the entire regeneration cartridge 100 is in gas communication with the external atmosphere through the air guide hole 221 provided on the top cover of the first replenishment cartridge 20, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the right side plate 112 of the main cartridge 10 is further provided with a fifth communication hole 16c, and accordingly, the side plate of the first replenishment cartridge 20 facing the main cartridge 10 is further provided with a gas connection port 23c connected to the fifth communication hole 16c, the gas connection port 23c is in communication with the air guide chamber 20B, and the fifth communication hole 16c is in communication with the sponge chamber 11a, so that the external atmosphere enters the sponge chamber 11a through the air guide hole 221, the air guide chamber 20B, the gas connection port 23c, and the fifth communication hole 16c in this order, when the ink in the sponge chamber 11a flows backward through the fifth communication hole 16c and the gas connection hole 23c due to the change of the external environment, the gas guide chamber 20b can store the partially flowed-backward ink, and eventually, the leakage of the ink through the gas inlet 121 is prevented.

Further, as shown in fig. 3A and 5, a coupled portion 13c is further provided on the left side plate of the main ink cartridge 10, the position of the coupled portion 13c is different from the position of the first communicating hole 13A and the position of the second communicating hole 13b, and correspondingly, a coupling portion 33c coupled with the coupled portion 13c is provided on the side plate of the second supplementary cartridge 30 facing the main ink cartridge 10, and the position of the coupling portion 33c is also different from the position of the second supplementary cartridge air guide hole 33A and the position of the second supplementary cartridge liquid communicating hole 33 b; in general, the coupled portion 13c is a coupling hole, and the coupling portion 33c is a coupling protrusion, and for the coupling of the second supplementary cartridge 30 and the main cartridge 10, the coupling of the coupling portion 33c and the coupled portion 13c, the coupling of the second supplementary cartridge air guide hole 33a and the first communication hole 13a, and the coupling of the second supplementary cartridge liquid communication hole 33b and the second communication hole 13b form three-point coupling, so that the second supplementary cartridge 30 and the main cartridge 10 can be stably coupled.

The first supplementary cartridge 20 and the main cartridge 10 are coupled to each other at three points by coupling the first supplementary cartridge air-guide hole 23a to the third communication hole 16a, coupling the first supplementary cartridge liquid communication hole 23b to the fourth communication hole 16b, and coupling the gas connection port 23c to the fifth communication hole 16c, so that the first supplementary cartridge 20 and the main cartridge 10 can be stably coupled to each other.

As described above, the external air enters the regeneration ink cartridge 100 through the air inlet 221 located in the first replenishment cartridge 20, however, the air inlet 221 may not be provided, but the air inlet 121 of the original ink cartridge 10' is used to communicate with the external air, in this case, the air inlet does not need to be provided in each of the first replenishment cartridge 20 and the second replenishment cartridge 30, and the external air enters the sponge chamber 11a through the air inlet 121, then enters the ink chamber 11b through the passage 11e, then enters the second replenishment cartridge 30 through the first communication hole 13a, and enters the first replenishment cartridge 20 through the third communication hole 16a, and the purpose of controlling the pressure stability in the regeneration ink cartridge 100 can be achieved; alternatively, after the air inlet 121 of the original ink cartridge 10' is blocked, an air inlet may be provided on the second replenishing cartridge 30, and the air inlet 221 in the first replenishing cartridge 20 does not need to be provided; as another alternative, the air inlet 121 of the original ink cartridge 10' is reserved, and meanwhile, the first supplementary cartridge 20 and the second supplementary cartridge 30 are both provided with air inlets, and the pressure in the main ink cartridge 10, the first supplementary cartridge 20 and the second supplementary cartridge 30 is controlled by the respective air inlets, so that the ink can be more smoothly supplied to the ink outlet 11 c.

When the first and

second replenishment cartridges

20 and 30 are remanufactured from small ink cartridges that consume ink, the first and

second replenishment cartridges

20 and 30 before remanufacturing may also retain the front and rear detents originally located therein according to the structural arrangement within the inkjet printer, thereby improving the versatility of the remanufactured ink cartridge 100.

[ method of regenerating ink Cartridge ]

According to the above description about the structure of the recycling cartridge 100, the present invention can also provide a recycling method as follows:

preparing at least an original ink cartridge 10' to be regenerated;

modifying the original ink box 10' into the main ink box 10;

at least one of the first and

second replenishment cartridges

20 and 30 is connected to the main cartridge 10 in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the main cartridge 10, thereby forming a regeneration cartridge 100.

The remanufacturing process of the original ink box 10' comprises the steps of forming a communication hole for fluid communication with the replenishment box on a side plate perpendicular to the length direction of the original ink box; before connecting at least one of the first and second

supplementary cartridges

20 and 30 to the main cartridge 10, a step of determining whether the first and second

supplementary cartridges

20 and 30 need to be remanufactured is further included, and when the first and second

supplementary cartridges

20 and 30 are remanufactured from an ink cartridge that has consumed ink, the remanufactured ink cartridge needs to be remanufactured to form the first and second

supplementary cartridges

20 and 30, the remanufacturing process includes forming a first supplementary cartridge air guide hole 23a and a first supplementary cartridge liquid communication hole 23b on a side plate of the first supplementary cartridge 20 facing the main cartridge 10, and forming a second supplementary cartridge air guide hole 33a and a second supplementary cartridge liquid communication hole 33b on a side plate of the second supplementary cartridge 30 facing the main cartridge 10.

As can be seen from the above description, the regeneration process of the regeneration ink cartridge 100 further includes a step of providing an air inlet on at least one of the cartridges that have consumed the ink, the air inlet 121 of the original ink cartridge 10 'may be left or blocked, and when the air inlet 121 of the original ink cartridge 10' is blocked, as long as the air inlet is provided on at least one of the first replenishment cartridge 20 and the second replenishment cartridge 30, the regeneration ink cartridge 100 can be ensured to be in gas communication with the outside air, so as to maintain the pressure in the cavity of the regeneration ink cartridge 100 to be stable.

As described above, the recycled ink cartridge 100 according to the present invention is formed by coupling a plurality of empty ink cartridges (including the original ink cartridge 10 'and the ink cartridges depleted of ink forming the first and second replenishment cartridges 20 and 30) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the original ink cartridge 10', and since the dimension of the original ink cartridge 10 'in the longitudinal direction is the largest, the recycled ink cartridge 100 can be described as being formed by coupling a plurality of empty ink cartridges in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the largest dimension of the original ink cartridge 10', and the recycled ink cartridge 100 can be applied even if the space for accommodating the black ink cartridge in the ink jet printer extends in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ink cartridge.

Claims

1. A recycling ink tank including a main ink tank and at least one replenishment tank in fluid communication with the main ink tank, the replenishment tank being for replenishing ink to the main ink tank, the main ink tank being modified from an original ink tank having a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, both having the same outer dimensions, the original ink tank having a first dimension in a front-rear direction, a second dimension in a left-right direction, and a third dimension in an up-down direction, one of the first dimension, the second dimension, and the third dimension having a maximum dimension, characterized in that the main ink tank and the replenishment tank are combined in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the maximum dimension of the main ink tank.

2. The recycling ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein the first dimension is largest, and the main ink cartridge is combined with the supplementary cartridge in an up-down direction or a left-right direction.

3. The remanufactured ink cartridge of claim 2 wherein the original ink cartridge has a front detent located in a front and a rear detent located in a rear, the front and rear detents being retained during remanufacturing of the original ink cartridge to the main ink cartridge.

4. The remanufactured ink cartridge of claim 2 wherein the refill cartridge is remanufactured from an empty cartridge depleted of ink, the empty cartridge having a front detent at a front and a rear detent at a rear, the front and rear detents being retained during remanufacturing.

5. The recycling ink cartridge as set forth in claim 2, wherein the original ink cartridge has an air inlet, the air inlet is blocked during the process of converting the original ink cartridge into the main ink cartridge, and the supplementary cartridge is provided with an air guide port different from the air inlet.

6. The recycling ink cartridge of claim 2, wherein the main ink cartridge is combined with the supplementary cartridges in a left-right direction, and the supplementary cartridges are provided in two, including a first supplementary cartridge located at a right side of the main ink cartridge and a second supplementary cartridge located at a left side of the main ink cartridge.

7. The recycling ink cartridge of claim 2, wherein the main cartridge is coupled to the replenishment cartridge in a left-right direction, the replenishment cartridges are provided in two, the two replenishment cartridges are both located on the same side of the main cartridge, and fluid communication is provided between the two replenishment cartridges.

8. The regeneration ink tank as claimed in claim 6, wherein the main ink tank further includes an ink outlet port located below, the chamber of the main ink tank is partitioned into an ink chamber and a sponge chamber communicating with each other, the sponge chamber is opposed to the ink outlet port, each of the first and second replenishment tanks includes a communication hole forming a gas communication with the main ink tank and a communication hole forming a liquid communication with the main ink tank, and at least one of the communication holes forming the liquid communication is opposed to the ink chamber.

9. The regeneration ink tank as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication hole that forms gas communication is located above the communication hole that forms liquid communication in an up-down direction.

10. The recycling ink cartridge of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the complementary cartridge and the main cartridge form a three-point bond therebetween.