EP0841169A1 - Cartouche d'encre - Google Patents

Cartouche d'encre Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0841169A1
EP0841169A1 EP96308077A EP96308077A EP0841169A1 EP 0841169 A1 EP0841169 A1 EP 0841169A1 EP 96308077 A EP96308077 A EP 96308077A EP 96308077 A EP96308077 A EP 96308077A EP 0841169 A1 EP0841169 A1 EP 0841169A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cartridge
breather hole
ink
capillary material
bridging
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP96308077A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
John W. Studholme
William J. Studholme
Nigel J. Counihan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Dynamic Cassette International Ltd
Original Assignee
Dynamic Cassette International Ltd
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Dynamic Cassette International Ltd filed Critical Dynamic Cassette International Ltd
Priority to EP96308077A priority Critical patent/EP0841169A1/fr
Publication of EP0841169A1 publication Critical patent/EP0841169A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B41J2/17513—Inner structure

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an ink cartridge for a printer.
  • ink will escape in handling through the delivery aperture in the cartridge and possibly also through the breather hole.
  • the cartridge will also leak if the ambient atmospheric pressure drops.
  • One known cartridge attempts to remove those problems by providing a body of low capillary force sponge or foam material which is saturated with ink and fills the entire cartridge. This does mean however that the volume of ink that the cartridge can hold is significantly reduced.
  • GB-A-2268911 Another known ink cartridge is currently sold by Canon K.K. and is disclosed in GB-A-2268911.
  • the cartridge has two compartments separated by a solid wall which reaches almost to the floor of the cartridge.
  • the front compartment to one side of the wall includes a breather hole above a larger delivery aperture.
  • the front compartment is filled with a body of low capillary action foam.
  • the wall includes ribs extending into the first compartment and leading to the lower edge of the wall. As ink is withdrawn through the delivery aperture, air enters through the breather hole.
  • the cartridge achieves negative pressure by the fact that ambient air has to pass through the opening between the two compartments which is at the bottom of the cartridge when it is installed on the machine.
  • the ribs on the dividing wall allow the air to pass by the foam in the first compartment to go under the wall and into the second compartment. The ink in the foam in the first compartment would effectively impede the passage of tile air, were the ribs not there.
  • an ink cartridge for a printer including a body of capillary material therein and bridging a breather hole in the cartridge and a body of capillary material therein and bridging a delivery aperture of the cartridge, and means for holding the bodies in place to leave a storage volume behind them while permitting air to pass through the bodies into the storage volume.
  • the cartridge can thus consist of a single, undivided compartment and preferably has that configuration. Negative pressure is achieved by the fact that ambient air has to pass from the breather hole, and through the ink saturated material in order to replace used ink in the cartridge. Each body has a sufficiently high capillary force to result in a negative pressure within the cartridge sufficient preferably to prevent any leakage of ink from the cartridge during handling and in operation.
  • the means for holding the bodies in place may take any suitable form and may comprise at least one projection, such as a rib, preferably a pair of oppositely disposed ribs.
  • the holding means may comprise at least one strut across the cartridge. Preferably the holding means covers less than three quarters of the body to permit ready flow of air.
  • the holding means may be apertured at the top or centrally or may define a regular or irregular array of apertures evenly or unevenly distributed. The holding means may thus form a perforated barrier.
  • the body of capillary material bridging the delivery aperture may lie in contact with the part of the cartridge wall defining the delivery aperture.
  • the body of capillary material bridging the breather hole may be spaced from the part of the cartridge defining the breather hole so that there is a void defined between the body and the part of the cartridge defining the breather hole.
  • the body of capillary material bridging the breather hole may be integral with the body of capillary material bridging the delivery aperture.
  • the bodies of capillary material may fill less than half of the cartridge to improve the volume of ink which can be held by the cartridge.
  • the body or bodies are large enough to provide the required negative pressure while providing the largest volume for ink storage in the cartridge.
  • the cartridge may be relatively slim and flat, and may be substantially rectangular.
  • the cartridge may include at least one strengthening member between the two largest faces of the cartridge. This will prevent possible ink leakage as a result of squeezing of the cartridge.
  • the cartridge may comprise a zig-zag array of strengthening members but in other embodiments the or each strengthening member may take any suitable form and where a plurality of strengthening members are provided they may be in any convenient arrangement. At least one strengthening member may lie perpendicularly to the largest faces of the cartridge. At least one strengthening member may lie centrally of the cartridge.
  • the cartridge 10 of the embodiment is generally rectangular being deeper than it is tall and taller than it is wide.
  • the front wall 12 of the cartridge includes a smaller breather hole 14 above a larger delivery aperture 16.
  • a zig-zag arrangement of struts 18 extends across the container 10 between the side walls 20,22 from the top wall 24 to the bottom wall 26 of the container 10, substantially parallel to the front wall 12 and mid-way between the front and rear walls 12,28.
  • the struts 18 form a unitary member 30 in the shape of a plurality of "Z"'s one on top of the other.
  • the strut member 30 is held in position within the cartridge 10 by means of four ribs 32,33, two on each side of the cartridge 10 which define channels facing one another to receive the edges of the strut member 30.
  • a high density body of foam 34 is provided and fills the front of the cartridge 10 abutting the walls of the cartridge 10 at the front of the cartridge except for the area of the front wall 12 around the breather hole 14, where there is a cylindrical recess to provide a void behind the breather hole 14.
  • the body of foam 34 extends rearwardly almost as far as the strut member 30 being held in place by the front two ribs 32 and strut member 30.
  • the cartridge 10 is supplied to a user full of ink and with a seal over the breather hole 14 and delivery aperture 16. The initial conditions necessary to ensure negative pressure when the seal is pulled from the cartridge, are achieved by sealing the cartridge with a partial vacuum inside as it leaves the filling machine.
  • ink will not leak out of the breather hole 14 or delivery aperture 16 of the cartridge 10 while being handled by a user because of the negative pressure in the cartridge and the capillary force of the foam body 34.
  • the cartridge 10 can be jolted or dropped but the capillary force will ensure that ink does not escape. Squeezing of the cartridge 10 which might otherwise cause leakage is resisted by the struts 18 which act as reinforcement in view of the relatively flat slim shape of the cartridge 10.
  • the void behind the breather hole 12 will fill with air as the ink within the cartridge is removed through the delivery aperture 16 providing further security against leakage.
  • the density of the foam will ensure that as ink is withdrawn in use through the delivery aperture 16 negative pressure is maintained in the cartridge due to the resistance to entry of ambient air presented by the ink saturated foam bridging the breather hole 14.
  • the ribs 32,33 and struts 18 provide little or no barrier to movement of air into the storage volume at the rear half of the cartridge 10.
  • Fig. 4 shows an alternative to the strut member 30.
  • the holding member 40 in this case is in the form of a rectangular sheet 42 having semi-circular cut-outs 44,46. There is one cut-out 44 at each end and a series of pairs of oppositely disposed cut-outs 46 along the sides of the sheet 42.
  • the sheet 42 in place again forms a perforated barrier to hold the foam body 34 and allow air to pass readily through.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
EP96308077A 1996-11-07 1996-11-07 Cartouche d'encre Withdrawn EP0841169A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96308077A EP0841169A1 (fr) 1996-11-07 1996-11-07 Cartouche d'encre

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96308077A EP0841169A1 (fr) 1996-11-07 1996-11-07 Cartouche d'encre

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0841169A1 true EP0841169A1 (fr) 1998-05-13

Family

ID=8225142

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP96308077A Withdrawn EP0841169A1 (fr) 1996-11-07 1996-11-07 Cartouche d'encre

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0841169A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0947329A3 (fr) * 1998-04-06 2000-01-26 Xerox Corporation Réservoir d'alimentation pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre
GB2353763A (en) * 1999-11-03 2001-03-07 Dynamic Cassette Int Ink cartridge with ink outlet apertures formed flush with a bottom surface thereof
EP1063090A3 (fr) * 1999-06-24 2001-09-12 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Système d'alimentation en liquide et réservoir de liquide utilisé dans un tel système

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0488829A2 (fr) * 1990-11-30 1992-06-03 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Réservoir d'encre et tête d'enregistrement l'utilisant
GB2268911A (en) 1992-07-24 1994-01-26 Canon Kk Capillary control of ink flow in ink containers for jet printers
EP0711667A1 (fr) * 1994-11-11 1996-05-15 Fullmark International (USA), Inc. Cartouche de tête à jet d'encre

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0488829A2 (fr) * 1990-11-30 1992-06-03 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Réservoir d'encre et tête d'enregistrement l'utilisant
GB2268911A (en) 1992-07-24 1994-01-26 Canon Kk Capillary control of ink flow in ink containers for jet printers
EP0711667A1 (fr) * 1994-11-11 1996-05-15 Fullmark International (USA), Inc. Cartouche de tête à jet d'encre

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0947329A3 (fr) * 1998-04-06 2000-01-26 Xerox Corporation Réservoir d'alimentation pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre
EP1063090A3 (fr) * 1999-06-24 2001-09-12 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Système d'alimentation en liquide et réservoir de liquide utilisé dans un tel système
US6402308B1 (en) 1999-06-24 2002-06-11 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Liquid supply system and liquid supply vessel used for the same
GB2353763A (en) * 1999-11-03 2001-03-07 Dynamic Cassette Int Ink cartridge with ink outlet apertures formed flush with a bottom surface thereof

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