JP3821201B2 - Ink cartridge for ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge that is mounted on a carriage to which a recording head for ejecting ink droplets is attached and supplies ink to the recording head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Inkjet recording apparatuses are widely used as recording apparatuses for personal use because they can print images with photographic quality with a relatively simple structure.
Such a recording apparatus usually has a black ink recording head and a color ink recording head mounted on a carriage, and a black ink cartridge and a color ink cartridge are mounted on each recording head. Ink is supplied through an ink supply needle.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When most of the printed matter printed by the recording device is text data, the amount and frequency of color ink used is low, and the replacement frequency of the color ink cartridge is also changed to the replacement frequency of the black ink cartridge. There is a problem that the cost becomes extremely low compared with each other, the expiry date comes before the ink of the color ink cartridge is completely consumed, and the replacement is forced, and the running cost increases.
On the other hand, for users with a large amount of color image printing, the black ink is used less frequently, the expiration date comes before the ink for the black ink cartridge is used up, and it must be replaced. There is a problem that costs increase.
Further, in personal use, since the frequency of use of the recording apparatus is relatively low, the expiration date may be reached with ink remaining in the black ink cartridge and the color ink cartridge.
In order to solve such a problem, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-262988, it is considered that the filling capacity of the ink absorber is reduced by loading the filling material into a container constituting a normal amount of the ink cartridge. However, since the shape near the ink supply port that has the greatest influence on the ink supply characteristics to the recording head, the compression characteristics, and the like change greatly, there is a problem that the printing characteristics are deteriorated.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a small-capacity ink cartridge having the same ink supply characteristics as a normal-capacity ink cartridge. .
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, an ink storage chamber that communicates with an ink supply needle of a recording head provided in a carriage via an ink supply port is provided, and is substantially stored in a holder of the carriage. In an ink cartridge composed of a rectangular parallelepiped container,
The container is divided into a plurality of ink storage chambers by a partitioning section, and different color inks are stored in the respective ink storage chambers, the ink supply port is arranged so as to be biased to the side wall on one short side, and the other A recess is formed on the side wall on the short side of the ink container so as to project to the ink storage chamber side and straddle the partition, and the recess is parallel to the side wall on the long side and projects to the ink supply port side. At least one rib is formed, and an ink absorber pressed by the side wall on the one short side and the rib is accommodated to reduce the amount of the color ink contained in the container. .
[0005]
[Action]
The ink supply port side is subjected to the same compression as a standard capacity ink cartridge without ribs, and the volume of the ink storage chamber is adjusted on the opposite side of the ink supply port according to the amount of ink to be stored. Ribs are extended. The ink absorber is prepared according to the length of the ink storage chamber, and can maintain the static and dynamic characteristics of the ink cartridge constant regardless of the ink filling amount. Further, by changing the length of the rib to the ink supply port side, the substantial capacity that can accommodate ink can be adjusted, the mold on the outside of the container body can be shared, and the outside of the container body can be shared. When the positioning reference is set by the shape, the production line can be shared.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, details of the present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment.
FIGS. 1 to 5 each show an embodiment of a cartridge that contains one type of ink, such as black ink, and a container body 1 constituting the ink cartridge is detachable from a cartridge holder of a carriage. In addition, it is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that does not cause backlash in the holder (in this embodiment, the rectangular parallelepiped shape refers to a shape including a shape in which the upper surface side is slightly expanded). An ink supply port 5 for supplying ink in communication with the recording head is formed on the bottom surface 3 on the side of the side wall 4 on one short side of the container body. A convex portion 8 having an ink outflow hole 7 communicating with the ink supply port 5 is formed on the bottom portion 6 of the container body 1, and a filter 9 is provided on the upper surface thereof.
[0007]
A side wall 10 on the other short side of the container body 1 is formed with a recess 11 having a width W2 that extends from the lower half of the container body to the bottom 6 and is narrower than the width W1 of the short side. The recess 11 functions to position the pallet used in the manufacturing process, to guide the cartridge holder, and to prevent erroneous insertion.
[0008]
When an ink cartridge for a small capacity is constructed as in this embodiment, two identical shapes parallel to the side wall 12 on the long side are formed on the surface 11a of the recess 11 protruding into the container body 1. Ribs 13 and 14 are formed.
[0009]
A rectangular parallelepiped ink absorber 16 made of an elastic porous material is press-fitted into the space of the container body 1 thus configured, that is, the ink storage chamber 15, and the ink injection port 17 and the atmosphere communication port 18. After being sealed by the lid body 19 formed with ink, ink is pressed into the ink absorber 16 from the ink injection port 17 to finish the ink cartridge 20. In the above-described embodiment, since the two ribs 13 and 14 are formed in parallel, the ink absorber 16 is not unnecessarily displaced during press-fitting.
[0010]
By the way, as shown in FIG. 5A, the ink absorber 16 is slightly larger than the width W1 of the opening 2 of the container body 1, and the ribs 13 and 14 from the short side wall 4 where the ink supply port 5 is located. The size of the length L2 is slightly larger than the length L1 up to the tip. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the state sealed by the container body 1 and the lid 19, the tip of the ink outlet 7 by the convex portion 8, that is, the region where the filter 9 is in contact with The other areas are compressed more strongly, and strong capillary forces are acting.
[0011]
Further, the ink absorber 16 is compressed in the same form as a standard capacity ink cartridge (FIG. 6), which will be described later, on the ink supply port 5 side, and the other end side that is not involved in ink outflow is the rib 13. , 14, the ink supply capacity of the ink absorber 16 is the same as the supply characteristics of the normal capacity despite the small amount of ink that can be absorbed by the ink absorber 16.
[0012]
By the way, since these container main bodies 1 are usually manufactured by injection molding of a polymer material, a mold is prepared. Therefore, the outer mold can be made common with the container body 1 having a normal capacity, and the inner mold is subjected to a slight design change so as to add the resin injection recesses to be the ribs 13 and 14. The container body for small-capacity ink cartridges can be manufactured, and since the outer shape does not change regardless of the small volume, the production line for normal-capacity ink cartridges can be diverted, and the equipment cost Can be lowered.
[0013]
That is, the normal capacity cartridge has the same width as the small capacity cartridge as shown in FIG. 6 (a), but the length of the ink container 16 'is the short side where the ink supply port 5 is located. Is formed so as to have a length L4 larger than the length L3 from the side wall 4 to the side wall 4 on the other short side. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6B, the ink supply port 5 side is the same as the small-capacity ink cartridge provided with the ribs 13 and 14 when sealed by the container body 1 and the lid body 19. Has undergone compression in form.
[0014]
It should be noted that such a standard and small-capacity container structure having the same outer shape can also be applied to an ink cartridge containing a plurality of types of ink, such as a color ink cartridge.
[0015]
That is, FIGS. 7 to 9 show an embodiment in which a plurality of types of ink are accommodated in one cartridge, and the container body 31 can be attached to and detached from the cartridge holder of the carriage. The partition portions 35 and 36 are formed so as to divide a plurality of ink storage chambers 32, 33, and 34 in this embodiment.
[0016]
An opening 37 is provided on the upper surface of the container body 31, and ink is supplied to the bottom surface 38 in communication with the recording head on the side walls 39, 40, 41 on one short side of each ink storage chamber 32, 33, 34. Ink supply ports 42, 43, and 44 are formed. Convex portions 51, 52, 53 having ink outflow holes 48, 49, 50 communicating with the ink supply ports 42, 43, 44 are formed in the bottom portions 45, 46, 47 of the respective ink storage chambers 32, 33, 34. Filters 54, 55, and 56 are provided on the upper surface.
[0017]
In the side walls 57, 58, 59 on the other short side of each ink storage chamber 32, 33, 34, a recess 60 extending from the lower half of the container body 31 to the bottom so that the partition portions 35, 36 are symmetrical lines, 61 is formed. The recesses 60 and 61 perform functions such as positioning with a pallet used in the manufacturing process, a guide member for the cartridge holder, and prevention of erroneous insertion.
[0018]
When a small-capacity ink cartridge is constructed as in this embodiment, the surfaces 60a and 61a of the recesses 60 and 61 projecting from the container body are parallel to the side wall 62 on the long side and have the same shape. The two ribs 63, 64, 65 and 66 are formed so as to be positioned in the ink storage chambers 32, 33 and 34, respectively.
[0019]
The two ink storage chambers 32 and 34 having the long side wall as partition members extend directly from the short side wall and are at the same position as the tips of the ribs 63 to 66 formed in the recesses 60 and 61. Ribs 67 and 68 with their tips positioned are formed in parallel with the ribs 63 to 66.
[0020]
Also in this embodiment, when a small-capacity cartridge is configured, an ink absorber having a length larger than the distance L5 from the tip of the ribs 63 to 68 to the opposite wall surface as in the above-described embodiment. 69 (FIG. 10 (a)), and in the case of a normal capacity, the length is longer than the distance from the surfaces 60a, 61a of the recesses 60, 61 to the opposing wall surface on the ink supply port side. The ink absorber 69 ′ may be accommodated (FIG. 10B). Note that reference numeral 70 in the drawing denotes a lid in which an ink injection port 71 and an air communication port 72 are formed.
[0021]
Even in these small-capacity and normal-capacity ink cartridges, the compression forms of the ink absorbers 69 and 69 ′ at the convex portions 51 to 53 communicating with the ink supply ports 42, 43 and 44 are the same as in the above-described embodiment. Since they are the same, the same supply characteristics are maintained regardless of the ink capacity.
[0022]
In the above-described embodiment, two ribs are formed in the ink storage chamber. However, if the rib is located on the center line, one or three or more ribs are formed, and the ink absorber is largely displaced unnecessarily. It is clear that the same effect can be obtained if it is formed to such an extent that does not occur.
Further, the color ink cartridge in the above-described embodiment has been described with respect to containing three colors of ink, but it is obvious that the same effect can be obtained even when applied to an ink containing four or more types of ink. is there.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a container body constituting an ink cartridge for an ink jet recording head according to the present invention with a lid opened.
FIG. 2 is a top view showing a structure of a region below a concave portion of the ink cartridge.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views taken along lines AA and BB in FIG. 2, respectively.
4A to 4C are side views and cross-sectional views taken along line CC and line DD in FIG. 2, respectively.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an assembly process of the ink cartridge of the present invention, respectively.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an assembling process when the ink cartridge of the present invention is used as a normal capacity ink cartridge.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a container main body according to another embodiment of the ink cartridge for an ink jet recording head of the present invention with a lid opened.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are a top view and a side view, respectively, showing the structure of the lower region of another embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention that can accommodate a plurality of types of ink.
9A to 9C are diagrams showing cross-sectional structures taken along lines EE, FF, and GG in FIG.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing an embodiment of an ink cartridge that can accommodate a plurality of types of ink, respectively, for a small capacity and for a normal capacity.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Container Body 5 Ink Supply Port 7 Ink Outflow Port 11 Recess 1
13, 14 Rib 15 Ink storage chamber 16 Ink absorber

Claims (5)

In an ink cartridge comprising an ink containing chamber communicating with an ink supply needle of a recording head provided on a carriage via an ink supply port, and comprising a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container accommodated in a holder of the carriage,
The container is divided into a plurality of ink storage chambers by a partition part, and different color inks are stored in the ink storage chambers,
The ink supply port is disposed so as to be biased to one short side wall, and a recess is formed on the other short side wall so as to protrude toward the ink storage chamber and straddle the partition. The ink absorber is pressed by the one side wall of the short side and the rib, wherein the recess is formed with at least one rib parallel to the side wall of the long side and projecting to the ink supply port side. An ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus in which the amount of the color ink stored in the container is reduced.   2. The ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rib protruding from a side wall on a short side is formed in the ink storage chamber defined by the side wall of the container among the plurality of ink storage chambers.   The ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a wall that partitions the ink storage chamber is formed to be located inside a side portion that contacts the holder.   A region of the container that is divided and that is not provided with the ink supply port is opened to the outside of the container, and is stored in an airtight sealing bag and maintained at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. 2. The ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1.   The first wall perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink supply needles of the carriage is divided so as to form a space facing each ink supply needle, and the space is divided by a second wall orthogonal to the first wall. The ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1.

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