JP2001010073A - Cartridge for ink-jet printing, and ink replenishing method using the cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cartridge capable of preventing pollution of the work environment due to ink leakage during an ink replenishing work, without the risk of entrainment of air into an ink supply opening, and an ink replenishing method using the cartridge. SOLUTION: A cartridge comprising an ink storing member 11 made of a porous material, and an ink supply opening 10-a in the cartridge lower part, with an elastic member (closing substance) 9 with a slit mounted on the ink supply opening 10-a is used. A boss 14-a is provided in an ink filling base for placing the ink-jet cartridge at the time of replenishing the cartridge 10 with an ink so that the slit of the elastic member (closing substance) 9 can be widened by the contact of the boss 14-a with the elastic member (closing substance) 9 with a slit mounted on the ink supply opening 10-a so as to enable communication of the cartridge inside and the outside air. In the case the contact of the boss 14-a and the elastic member (closing substance) 9 is released, the slit is closed by the recovery force of the elastic member (closing substance) 9 so that the cartridge 10 inside and the outside air are in the non- communication state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel ink jet printing cartridge, and to a method for replenishing ink which is optimal for applying the ink jet printing cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventionally used ink jet printing cartridge (hereinafter simply referred to as a cartridge) has an ink occluding body having a continuous porous structure, such as a sponge or a felt-like fiber bundle, inside a housing made of a resin molded product. Then, the ink occluding body is impregnated with ink, and an ink supply port is provided at a lower portion of the housing, and at another location (usually at an upper portion of the housing).
There is a type in which an air replacement port is provided to supply ink to a print head from an ink supply port via an ink relay member. In order to prevent ink leakage during transportation such as distribution of a product or mounting on a printer, there is a cartridge in which a resin sheet or the like is joined to an ink supply port in a liquid-tight manner. A relay member that guides the ink to the print head by breaking or peeling off the sheet made of ink makes contact with the ink occluding body, and this resin sheet is not recovered once it has been broken or peeled off. There was no. Note that the inside of the ink supply port is hollow, and the liquid ink is stored as it is without being absorbed by anything, so that the ink can follow the increasing printing speed.

As a conventional ink replenishing method for such a cartridge, a non-ventilable obstruction is attached to an ink supply port of an ink jet printing cartridge to prevent ink leakage at the time of refilling the ink, and then into the cartridge. It was common to drop ink with a dropper or the like. However, when ink is replenished by this method, air cannot escape from the ink supply port of the cartridge, and it is difficult to fill the ink inside the cartridge, particularly inside the ink supply port (hollow portion) located at the bottom of the cartridge, so that printing is difficult. There has been a problem that air is sometimes trapped in a fine orifice of a print head or the like via a relay member or the like, resulting in deterioration of print quality. In addition, in the case of a cartridge in which the obstruction that blocks the ink supply port is broken or peeled off, even if the cartridge is temporarily removed from the printer for maintenance or other reasons, ink leaks from the ink supply port and ink leaks during handling of the cartridge. In addition, air was taken into the ink supply port, causing malfunctions in printing and the like.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention makes it possible to easily replenish ink with respect to the above-described conventional cartridge, and to prevent contamination of the working environment due to leakage of ink even during ink replenishment. An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge that does not leave air inside an ink supply port and an ink replenishing method using the cartridge.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of the inventor's intensive development to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have obtained the following cartridge and an ink replenishing method using the cartridge.

In other words, the cartridge of the present invention comprises a rigid housing, has an ink storage body made of a porous material inside, and an ink supply port for supplying ink to the ink head is provided at the lower part of the housing. The inside of the ink supply port is hollow, and an elastic body (obstruction) with a slit is attached to the opening of the ink supply port.

The details of the main components of the cartridge of the present invention will be described below. [Ink occlusion body] An ink retaining body made of a porous material such as sponge or felt or a sheet-like material. [Elastic body (occlusive)] There is no particular limitation as long as the plasticity is not violated by the components of the ink, but it is preferably made of rubber or a resin having rubber elasticity. [Slit shape] The shape is not particularly limited as long as the elastic body (obstruction) is opened by the contact of a boss (described later) of the refill table or an ink lead-out member (not shown) of the printer. Alternatively, even if the boss of the ink filling table or the ink lead-out member of the printer abuts on the elastic body (obstruction) to such an extent that the slit is opened, it may extend to the inside of the ink supply port through the slit. Also, the shape of the slit, in addition to a simple slit shape as shown in the embodiment of the present application, a cross-shaped notch,
Although there are various shapes such as notches such as tongue-shaped pieces, the liquid-tight closed state is maintained at the ink supply port opening when the boss and the ink lead-out member of the printer, which are necessary structures in the present invention, do not abut. When the boss and the ink lead-out member of the printer do not contact each other, it is necessary that the inside of the ink supply port and the outside air are in a flowing state. Further, the cartridge of the present invention may have an air replacement structure and an internal pressure adjusting structure by a temporary ink holding mechanism made of a sheet or a porous body inside the cartridge. In this case, the cartridge absorbs ink. The ink cartridge can be stored in a so-called raw ink state without the need for ink, and the loss of ink discharge due to the surface tension between the ink and the ink occluding body can be reduced. Becomes

Next, a method for refilling the cartridge according to the present invention with ink will be described below. The ink replenishment method of the present invention provides a replenishing table having a cartridge provided with a boss abutting on an elastic body (obstruction) of an ink supply port, the cartridge, and a replenishing ink reservoir (ink tube) storing ink to be replenished in the cartridge and the cartridge. ), And a connecting member for connecting the refill ink reservoir (ink tube) and the cartridge as necessary. When refilling the ink, the cartridge is mounted on the replenishing table, and the boss is brought into contact with the elastic body (blocking object) with the slit attached to the ink supply port, the slit is widened, and the inside of the cartridge and the outside air flow. Make it possible.
Then, attach the refill ink reservoir (ink tube) containing the ink to be refilled to the top of the cartridge,
A hole for air replacement is made in the replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube), and ink is supplied into the cartridge by natural fall while performing air replacement. Also, when supplying ink to the cartridge, there is no hole for air replacement in the replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube), and pressure filling to supply ink to the cartridge by crushing the replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube). May be performed. At this time, the connection between the cartridge and the replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube) is made via a connecting member as necessary.

[0009] From the cartridge in which ink replenishment has been completed in this way, a replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube)
Is removed, the cartridge is also removed from the replenishment table, and the contact between the elastic body (obstruction) and the boss is released. The elastic body (obstruction) whose contact has been released closes the slit due to its recovery force, and makes the inside of the cartridge and the outside air non-flowing,
With the ink inside the ink supply port filled with ink, ink replenishment to the cartridge is completed without overflowing the ink from the ink supply port, and the cartridge is mounted on the printer again.

The details of the components constituting the ink replenishing method of the present invention will be disclosed below. [Boss] The cross-sectional shape of the boss is appropriately selected, such as a columnar shape, a conical shape, a cross-sectional shape such as a cross, or a conical shape. If the shape of this boss has an irregular cross section,
The area of the slit of the elastic body (obstruction) opened as compared with the columnar shape communicates with the atmosphere, and the air inside the ink supply port is easily released. However, it should be noted that if the area where the slit is opened is too large, air flows out from the ink supply port to the ink that should be stored together, and the ink supply port cannot be filled with ink. Since the original effect of the present invention cannot be obtained, it is necessary to set the shape of the boss that forms the optimal opening in consideration of the viscosity of the ink, the elasticity (blocking material) and the wettability of the ink. The length of the boss may be such that the slit can be widened by contacting the elastic body (blocking object) and being pushed up, or may be a length that penetrates the slit and is inserted into the ink supply port. Is to be set. [Replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube)] The form and material of the replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube) are not particularly limited as long as they can store an appropriate amount of ink. A thin resin molded product made by blow molding and a bag made of a laminated film are suitable for ease of humiliation. In addition, an elastic body such as a rubber cap is placed at the tip of the refill ink reservoir (ink tube) (connection part with the cartridge) to refill the injection needle-like ink outlet tube when refilling ink. Even if it is inserted into the ink reservoir (ink tube), when the ink outlet tube is pulled out, the elastic recovery force of the rubber cap closes the ink outlet tube insertion mark,
A plurality of ink replenishments can be performed by the same replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube). [Connecting member] In the case of using an ink outlet tube in the form of an injection needle as described above, it is a reliable method to separately provide a connecting member for connecting the refill ink reservoir (ink tube) and the cartridge. Preferably, the connecting member has a structure in which a nozzle extending to the cartridge side and an injection needle-like ink outlet pipe extending to the refill ink reservoir (ink tube) side are formed so as to be able to conduct. However, in this case, since the tip of the ink outlet pipe in the form of an injection needle is sharp, in consideration of user safety, an edge is provided on the connecting member so that the ink outlet pipe is not exposed from the connecting member, and the ink outlet pipe is formed. The length should be set so as not to exceed the height of the edge. [Drilling tool] As a method of opening air replacement holes in a refill ink reservoir (ink tube) made of a thin resin molded product made of a bag made of blow molding or a laminated film, a refill ink reservoir (ink tube) is used. There is a method in which an opening is provided by cutting a part of the hole. However, as a different method, it is conceivable to open the hole separately using a drilling tool.
What should be noted as the shape of the drilling tool at this time is that the hole to be drilled is not a circular cross-section,
A cross-shaped cross section is desirable.

In addition, when ink is filled, unexpected ink may leak from the ink supply port together with air, and the leaked ink may contaminate the environment in which refilling is performed. It is desirable to install an ink absorber near the boss of the replenishing table and design the replenishing table to absorb the overflowing ink. [Relationship between installation position of ink absorber and boss] Here, the ink absorber is installed inside the ink filling table so as to surround the vicinity of the base of the boss, and the exposed area is set as small as possible. Leakage or transfer of the absorbed ink to the outside can be prevented. Regarding the relationship between the shape of the boss and the ink absorber, the leaked ink can be absorbed by the ink absorber through the boss by making the boss hollow and opening the hollow portion to the ink absorber.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed below, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the present invention. It is.

First Embodiment [Structure of Cartridge] FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a state of refilling ink using a cartridge 10 according to the present invention. An ink supply port 10 is provided at the bottom of the cartridge 10.
And a sponge-like ink occluding body 11 built therein. Ink supply port 10-a is slit 9-a
The elastic body (obstruction) 9 is formed with an elastic body (obstruction), and the elastic body (obstruction) 9 is attached to the ink supply port 10-a by bonding, welding such as ultrasonic waves, or the like. The elastic body (obstruction) 9 when the boss 14-a does not come in contact with the boss 14-a without being easily detached from the boss 14a.
Of the ink supply port 10-a
What is necessary is to be in a state where the liquid tightness is maintained. Further, in the cartridge 10 to which the elastic body (blocking material) 9 is not attached from the beginning, the elastic body (closing material) 9 of the present invention is used.
Is newly attached when refilling the ink.

[Ink Replenishment Operation] The cartridge 10 is set on the replenishment table 14 so that the boss 14 of the replenishment table 14 is provided.
-A and the elastic body (blocking material) 9 attached to the ink supply port 10-a come into contact with each other to widen the slit 9-a, and the inside of the cartridge (ink supply port 10-a) and the outside air flow. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of only the elastic body (obstruction) 9 and the boss 14-a, and FIG.
And the boss 14-a are in contact with each other, and the slit 9-a is expanded.

In the upper part of the cartridge, ink 1 for replenishment is provided.
A thin resin molded ink tube 1 made of blow molding filled with 2 is attached via a connecting member 4. A rubber cap is inserted into the tip of the ink tube 1, and an injection needle-like ink outlet tube 4-b of the connecting member 4.
Is inserted. The ink outlet tube 4-b is in communication with the nozzle 4-a inserted to an arbitrary depth in the cartridge, and the ink tube 1 and the inside of the cartridge 10 are in communication. An air replacement hole is provided on the side surface of the ink tube 1 with a drilling tool 8 having a cross-shaped cross section and a sharp tip.
The ink is filled into the cartridge by the natural fall of the ink.

The supplied ink is occluded by an ink occlusion body 12 in the cartridge 10 and is supplied to an ink supply port 10-.
a. The air accumulated in the ink supply port 10-a is pushed out by the refilled ink, and is discharged out of the cartridge 10 through the slit 9-a of the elastic body (obstruction) 9, and the ink is supplied to the ink supply port 10-a. It is filled.

Here, ink absorbers 5 and 13 are provided between the connecting member and the cartridge, and between the connecting member and the cartridge, respectively. The ink absorber 5 absorbs the overflowing ink when the ink is supplied in excess, and the ink absorber 1
Numeral 3 is for absorbing the ink leaked from the ink inlet 10-a and dropped. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink absorber 13 in the present embodiment is installed on the boss 1 of the replenishing table 14.
4-a is installed at the base and leaked ink is absorbed by the ink absorber 13 in the replenishment table 14 through the ink opening 14-b having a small opening, thereby preventing contamination of the working environment together with the ink absorber 5. Can be done.

The ink tube 1, the connecting member 4, and the ink absorber 5 are removed from the cartridge after the replenishment of the ink has been completed as described above, and the cartridge 10 is placed on the filling table 14
And re-attached to the printer. Here, the ink supply port 10-b of the cartridge 10 is an elastic body (obstruction).
Since the slit 9-a is closed by the elastic recovery force of 9,
With the ink inside the ink supply port 10-a filled, the ink can be conveyed to the printer without causing ink leakage.

At this time, even if all the ink in the ink tube 1 remains without being replenished, the elastic recovery force of the rubber cap 2 attached to the tip of the ink tube causes the pipe 4-b to move. The cut holes are closed and the ink remaining in the ink tube 1 does not leak out, and can be used for refilling the ink again.

Second Embodiment FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state of ink replenishment showing a second embodiment of the present invention using the cartridge 10. Here, the ink tube 1-a is a flexible container, and refilling of the ink into the cartridge is performed by pressure filling by crushing the ink tube 1-a. The connecting member 4 used in the second embodiment has a nozzle 4 for inserting the ink absorbing member.
At -a, a plurality of lateral holes 4-d are formed in addition to the sharp opening 4-c. The outline of the replenishment of the ink is as follows. The ink 12 in the ink tube 1-a pressurized by the crushing operation flows from the connecting member 4 → the nozzle 4-a → the side hole 4-d / the sharp opening 4-c → the ink occluding body 11. Finally, the ink supply port 10-
The nozzles 4-a are inserted deeply into the ink occluding body, and the ink occluding body 11 is replenished by a plurality of lateral holes 4-d. It can be done promptly.

Although FIG. 5 is different from the gist of the present invention, in the ink refilling method in the second embodiment, an elastic body (blocking material) having a slit which is one of the gist of the present invention is used. Without using the ink supply port 10-a,
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which ink is supplied to a cartridge in a state in which the cartridge is simply closed. The outline is as follows. When the liquid level of the ink supplied to the inside of the cartridge reaches the top of the horizontal hole 4-d, the ink composed of “ink tube 1, connecting member 4, horizontal hole 4-d, liquid level (ink level)”. Form a closed system with the supply system of (1), and pressurized by the crushing of the ink tube 1 to remove the crushed ink from the ink tube 1 by releasing the bulged ink at the top of the lateral hole 4-d. By collecting the ink in the tube 1, the amount of ink to be replenished can be controlled by the height of the liquid level by the height of the uppermost hole of the horizontal hole 4-d.

Third Embodiment FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state of ink replenishment according to a third embodiment of the present invention using a cartridge 10. The nozzle 4-a does not have the lateral hole 4-d as in the second embodiment, and the nozzle 4-a is not inserted into the ink absorbing member. It is basically the same as the second embodiment except that it is in contact with the upper surface of the storage body. The outline of the replenishment of the ink in the third embodiment is as follows: the ink 1 in the ink tube 1 pressurized by the crushing operation.
2 flows through the connecting member 4 → nozzle 4-a → nozzle end face 4-e → ink occluding body 11 and finally ink supply port 10−
This is to replace the air in a and complete the replenishment of the ink.

FIG. 7 is different from the gist of the present invention, but an elastic body having a slit (obstruction) which is one of the gist of the ink replenishing method of the present invention in the third embodiment.
Is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which ink is replenished when the ink supply port 10-a is applied to a cartridge in which the ink supply port 10-a is simply closed with a closing member 91. According to this, the liquid level of the ink supplied to the inside of the cartridge by the ink replenishment operation becomes the nozzle end face 4
-E, a closed system is formed by an ink supply system consisting of "ink tube 1, connecting member 4, nozzle end surface 4-e, liquid surface (ink surface)". 4-e, it is possible to recover the ink supplied bulkier than the ink in the ink tube 1 again by the negative pressure generated by releasing the crushing of the ink tube 1,
The amount of ink to be replenished can be controlled by the level of the liquid surface. At this time, in the third embodiment, the ink is supplied directly to the porous ink storage body 11 made of a sponge or the like by replenishing the ink with the nozzle end surface 4-e in contact with the ink storage body. Since ink replenishment can be performed quickly, ink is not replenished in the cartridge 10 beyond the height of the ink occluding body 11 due to the above-described operation.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of ink replenishment according to a third embodiment of the present invention using the cartridge 10. Basically the same as the third embodiment except that the end opening of the nozzle 4-a does not contact the upper surface of the ink occluding body and is inserted into the space 10-c inside the cartridge 10 at an arbitrary depth. It is. The outline of the ink replenishment of the fourth embodiment is as follows.
The ink 12 in the ink tube 1-a pressurized by the crushing operation is connected to the connecting member 4 → nozzle 4-a → nozzle end surface 4-
e → space portion 10-c → ink occluding body 11, and is finally replaced by the air in ink supply port 10-a to complete the replenishment of the ink.

FIG. 9 is different from the gist of the present invention.
The fourth embodiment is applied to a cartridge in which an elastic body (obstruction) having a slit, which is one of the gist of the present invention, is not used, that is, the ink supply port 10-a is simply sealed with the obstruction 91. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where ink is sometimes replenished. When the liquid level of the ink supplied into the cartridge reaches the nozzle end surface 4-e, an ink supply system including “ink tube 1, connecting member 4, nozzle end surface 4-e, liquid surface (ink surface)” is used. It is possible to form a closed system and recover the ink supplied bulky from the nozzle end surface 4-e by crushing the ink tube 1 into the ink tube 1 again with the negative pressure generated by releasing the crushing of the ink tube 1. Thus, the amount of ink to be replenished can be controlled by the height of the liquid surface (insertion depth).

Although this is also different from the gist of the present invention,
In the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment, the ink supply port 10-a, the cartridge 10, the connecting member 4, and the ink tube 1 may be completely closed so that the cartridge 10 Ink supply is possible,
In this case, the amount of the ink that is pressurized by the crushing operation of the ink tube 1 and supplied to the inside of the cartridge is
Due to the negative pressure inside the ink tube 1 generated by releasing the crush of the ink tube 1, the same volume of air flows from the inside of the cartridge 10 through the connecting member 4 to the ink tube 1.
When the ink liquid supplied to the inside of the cartridge reaches the opening (4-e, 4-d) of the nozzle 4-a, the replacement of air is completed, and the amount of ink to be replenished is controlled. Is done. That is, the air in the cartridge 10 is not replaced any more in the ink tube 1 and is
With the release cycle, the ink in the ink tube 1 is in a state in which the ink in the ink tube 1 only passes between the inks in the cartridge 10.

[0027]

The ink supply port of the cartridge is provided with an elastic body (obstruction) having a slit. In the ink filling operation, the cartridge is set on the ink filling table, so that the boss of the ink filling table becomes elastic. The ink and the air can be circulated by expanding the slit of the elastic body (the obstruction) by being pressed against the body (the obstruction), and discharging the air and the air in the ink supply port from the ink supply port into the cartridge with the replenishment of the ink. Even if the cartridge after ink replenishment is newly mounted on the printer and used for printing, it does not entrap air into an ink supply system such as a print head, and good printing performance can be obtained. After the ink replenishment is completed, the slit is closed by releasing the contact of the boss with the elastic body (obstruction), so that the working environment is not polluted even during the cartridge mounting operation to the printer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an ink replenishing method using the cartridge.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state before contact between an elastic body (obstruction) of the present invention and a boss provided on a refill table.

3A and 3B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which an elastic body (obstruction) of the present invention is in contact with a boss provided on a refill table.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of ink replenishment according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which ink is replenished by using an obstruction having no slit in the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state of ink replenishment according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which ink is replenished by using an obstruction having no slit in the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state of ink replenishment according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which ink is replenished by using an obstruction having no slit in the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Replenishment ink reservoir (ink tube) 2: Rubber cap 3: Holder 4: Connecting member 4-a: Nozzle 4-b: Pipe 4-c: Sharp opening 4-d: Nozzle lateral hole 4-e: Nozzle end face 5: Ink absorber 5-a: Ink absorber void 8: Drilling tool 9: Elastic body (obstruction) 9-a: Slit 91: Obstruction 10: Cartridge 10-a: Ink supply port 10-b: Ink Injection port 10-c: Space 11: Ink absorber 12: Ink 13: Ink absorber 131: Ink absorber 14: Refill stand 14-a: Boss 14-b: Ink outlet

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Fujisawa 2-5-112 Irie, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in Yokohama R & D Center, Yokohama Office, Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd. 2C056 KC05 KC11 KC22 KD08

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ink occluding body made of a porous material, and an ink supply port for supplying ink to an ink head at a lower portion of the housing. The ink supply port is hollow inside, and an ink supply port opening is provided with an ink supply port. An ink jet printing cartridge having an elastic body (obstruction) having a slit attached thereto. 2. A boss is provided on an ink filling table on which the ink jet cartridge is mounted when ink is refilled into the ink jet cartridge, and the boss is provided on an elastic body (obstruction) having a slit attached to the ink supply port. When the boss is released from contact with the boss and the elastic body (obstruction), the elastic body (obstruction) closes, thereby expanding the slit of the elastic body (obstruction) and allowing the inside of the ink jet cartridge to flow through the outside air. 2. The method for refilling ink in an ink jet cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the slit is closed by the recovery force of the object, and the inside of the ink jet cartridge and the outside air are in a non-flowing state.