JP2818589B2 - ink cartridge - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge, and more particularly to an ink cartridge used for an ink jet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a first conventional example. In the ink cartridge 101 shown in FIG. 3, the inner opening 108, which is a portion of the air communication port 103 that is in contact with the ink absorber 107, is formed with the surface on which the ink supply port 102 is provided and the surface of the partition wall 105 forming the ink passage 106. Provided on the top of different cartridges. (See, for example, JP-A-8-2
Accordingly, the impact given to the ink cartridge 101 or the environmental fluctuation causes the negative pressure chamber 11 to move from the ink storage chamber 112 to the negative pressure chamber 11.
Even when the ink moves to 1, the inner opening 108 is present at a portion where the ink is hardly infiltrated by the ink movement, so that the ink leakage through the air communication port 103 can be prevented, and the ink is always good. Maintain air communication.

[0003] When the ink cartridge 101 is manufactured, ink is rapidly injected from the injection port 113. At this time, conditions such as the injection amount are set so that a portion where the ink does not penetrate into the absorber 107 of the negative pressure chamber 111 remains to some extent. This is to obtain a sufficient effect of generating a negative pressure.

At the time of distribution of the ink cartridge 101,
Outer opening 1 of ink supply port 102 and air communication port 103
09 is a sealing material 10 made of aluminum laminated resin or the like.
4 to prevent the ink from leaking due to vibration and environmental changes. Also, this sealing material 104
After the sealing, the holding force of the ink absorber 107 becomes dominant with respect to the movement of the ink, and the movement of the ink in the negative pressure chamber 111 is very small.

When peeling off the sealing material 104, the outer opening 1
By opening the ink supply port 09 prior to the ink supply port 102, the air in the negative pressure chamber 111 is released, so that the ink does not fly out when the ink supply port 102 is opened.

The reason why the outer opening 109 is provided on the same surface as the surface on which the ink supply port 102 is provided is that the sealing material 104 is provided.
This is because it is desired to simplify the seal by limiting the sealing by only one surface, and the outer opening 109 may be provided on another surface.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing a second conventional example. The ink cartridge 201 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B communicates with the ink chamber 212 via the communication port 219 and the porous body 220.
Chamber 211 for accommodating ink, an ink supply port 213 for supplying ink to the recording head, a filter 225 attached to the ink supply port 213, projections 16a and 16b provided on the lid 216, exhaust holes 214, ink injection holes. 215
It is comprised including. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-1326)
The protrusions 16a and 16b press the porous body 220 housed in the form chamber 211 in a slightly compressed state against the bottom surface where the ink supply port 213 is formed. When pressed stepwise, the porous body 220
The compression ratio in the vicinity of the filter 225 becomes the highest, the compression ratio gradually decreases toward the communication port 219, and the capillary force correspondingly gradually increases from the communication port 219 toward the filter 225, so that the ink chamber 212 Can be reliably guided to the ink supply port 213.

FIG. 4B shows a cartridge for color printing. The main body of the cartridge is divided into chambers 4 and 4 by partitioning plates 202 and 203.
5 and 6, and each chamber has a porous body 220
a, 220b and 220c.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top views showing details of the lid shown in FIG. The exhaust hole 214 is formed in the meandering groove 24.
0 is connected to the atmosphere communication port 241. Groove 24
0 indicates that the ink injection hole 2 is at the stage when the ink injection operation is completed.
15. When a seal 242 covering the exhaust port 214, the air communication port 241 is attached, a capillary tube is formed. The seal 242 is provided with a cutting line 244 in the vicinity of the atmosphere communication port 241 in advance.
By pulling up the tongue piece 245, the air communication port 241 is opened.
Can be easily exposed.

[0010]

It is difficult to manufacture the above-mentioned conventional ink cartridge having an air communication port inside the case, and a meandering groove provided on the upper surface of the case to seal the seal is used to seal the seal. There was a disadvantage that reliability remained a problem.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge for guiding ink contained in a porous body contained in a negative pressure chamber to an ink supply port through a filter. An air communication port provided on the upper surface, and a plate having a projection on the lower surface for pressing the porous body and having one end of a meandering groove provided on the upper surface fitted to the air communication port is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge comprising:
In the invention, the plurality of protrusions are provided, and each of the protrusions is arranged so that the atmosphere freely flows in a space surrounded by the protrusions.

[0013] The ink cartridge according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises a first ink cartridge.
In the invention, the other end of the meandering groove is extended until it reaches a peripheral portion of the plate so as to communicate with a space formed above the negative pressure chamber by the projection.

An ink cartridge according to a fourth aspect of the present invention comprises
In the invention, one end of the meandering groove is stopped at a central portion of the plate.

[0015]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. The ink cartridge shown in FIG.
Air communication port 4 provided on the upper surface of
And a plate 5 having one end of a meandering groove provided on the upper surface having a protrusion for pressing the upper surface thereof and being fitted to the atmosphere communication port 4.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a top view and a bottom view, respectively, showing details of the plate shown in FIG. One end 8 a of the meandering groove 8 on the upper surface of the plate 5 is for connecting to the atmosphere communication port 4, and one end 8 b of the meandering groove 8 is for communicating with the negative pressure chamber 2. When the plate 5 is bonded or ultrasonically welded to such a position, the meandering groove 8 forms a capillary tube. The projections 9a and 9b on the lower surface of the plate 5 press the porous body 3 to form a space above the negative pressure chamber 2 so that the ink can flow directly into the meandering groove 8 when the environment changes or the ink cartridge is pressed. I try not to enter. By changing the positions and heights of the projections 9a and 9b, the ink absorbed by the porous body 3 can be efficiently and reliably guided to the ink supply port 6. Each space surrounded by the projections 9a and 9b is a negative pressure chamber 2
Care is taken to allow the air to flow. Plate 5
Can be easily manufactured by a molding method.

[0018]

According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, since the plate manufactured in a separate process is attached to the air communication port, there is an effect that the ink can be supplied simply and with high reliability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a) and 2 (b) are a top view and a bottom view showing details of a plate shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a first conventional example.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing a second conventional example.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top views showing details of a lid shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 ink chamber 2 negative pressure chamber 3 porous body 4 atmosphere communication port 5 plate 6 ink supply port 7 filter 8 meandering groove 9 protrusion

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink cartridge for guiding ink contained in a porous body contained in a negative pressure chamber to an ink supply port through a filter, wherein an air communication port provided on an upper surface of the negative pressure chamber and a porous An ink cartridge comprising: a plate having a projection for pressing the substrate and having one end of a meandering groove provided on the upper surface aligned with the air communication port. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of projections are provided, and the projections are arranged so that the air can freely flow in a space surrounded by the projections. 3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the meandering groove extends to reach a peripheral portion of the plate so as to communicate with a space formed above the negative pressure chamber by the projection. . 4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein one end of the meandering groove stops at a center of the plate.