JP4000604B2 - Manufacturing method of ink cartridge - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for supplying ink to an ink jet printer, and more particularly to an ink cartridge incorporating an ink holding body for holding ink in a large number of pores.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer, an ink cartridge holding a predetermined ink is used to supply ink to the apparatus.
Generally, the ink cartridge is provided with a supply port for supplying ink to the apparatus. In addition, an ink holding member having a plurality of pores such as sponge and urethane foam is mounted in the ink cartridge.
[0003]
Conventionally, urethane foams that have been widely used have a large variation in the density of pores, and thus the fluidity of ink due to capillary action is unstable. In order to solve this problem, urethane foam has been conventionally used after being compressed.
That is, when the urethane foam is used without being compressed, the residual ink amount is as large as 30 to 40% of the initial ink amount, and when the urethane foam is compressed and used, the residual ink amount can be improved to 20% or less. is there. This is because when the urethane foam is compressed, pores having a large diameter are easily compressed, and the density of the pores is averaged.
[0004]
The ink cartridge is inserted into the hollow case after compressing and inserting the ink holder made slightly larger than the inner volume of the hollow case, and then a lid is attached to the top, and the ink is dispensed to the ink holder via the ink supply port. Manufactured.
When the user attaches the ink cartridge to the ink jet printer, the ink held by the ink holding body flows out of the ink supply port due to capillary action, passes through the ink passage provided in the printer, and passes to the ink ejecting head. Supplied.
[0005]
Here, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of a conventional ink cartridge, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge 40 has a box shape, forms a circular ink supply port 41 penetrating the front wall, and incorporates an ink holding body 42 having a large number of pores. A cylindrical seal rubber 46 is fitted to the tip of the ink dispensing tube 45. The diameter of the seal rubber 46 is slightly larger than the diameter of the ink supply port 41 so that ink does not leak from the ink supply port 41 during ink dispensing.
[0006]
Next, a method for dispensing ink into the ink cartridge having the above configuration will be described. First, the seal rubber 46 is fitted into the ink supply port 41. Then, a predetermined amount of ink is dispensed from the dispenser (not shown) to the ink holder 42 in the ink cartridge 40 via the ink dispensing tube 45. The dispensed ink is supplied to the entire ink holding body 42 by the capillary action of the pores. After the ink dispensing is completed, the seal rubber 46 is removed from the ink supply port 41, and a film material is joined to the outlet end surface 43 of the ink supply port 41 by thermal welding to perform sealing.
[0007]
When the ink cartridge manufactured by the above method is attached to the ink jet printer by the user, the ink held by the ink holding body flows out from the ink supply port and passes through the ink passage provided in the manifold. , And supplied to the ink jet head.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional ink cartridge has the following problems.
That is, when the ink is dispensed into the ink cartridge 10, the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 41 and the seal rubber 46 are in close contact so that the ink does not leak. For this reason, excess ink that could not be held by the ink holder 42 is attached to the upper surface of the seal rubber 46 and the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 41. After the ink dispensing, as shown in FIG. 5, when the seal rubber 46 is removed from the ink supply port 41, excess ink is added to the inner corner 44 of the outlet end surface 43 of the ink supply port 41 due to the viscosity of the ink. Will remain.
[0009]
If ink remains in the inner corner portion 44 of the outlet end surface 43 of the ink supply port 41, when sealing is performed by bonding a film material to the outlet end surface 43 of the ink supply port 41 by thermal welding, the ink is applied to the sealing surface. There was a problem that it entered and could not be welded reliably, resulting in an unstable seal.
If the seal is unstable, the ink leaks from the ink supply port of the ink cartridge before the ink cartridge is used.
[0010]
Further, since the ink has entered the seal surface, the ink adhering to the seal surface boiled by heat and vaporizes during the heat welding, so that another problem is that air enters the ink cartridge.
When air is mixed in the ink cartridge, printing becomes unstable due to the influence of air when the ink cartridge is first attached to an ink jet printer.
[0011]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and prevents ink from remaining on the outlet end face of the ink supply port after dispensing the ink, and the ink supply port that occurs before use of the ink cartridge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge that can prevent a problem of ink leakage from the ink cartridge and can perform stable printing when the ink cartridge is first used.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the ink cartridge of the present invention is an ink cartridge that contains ink to be supplied to an ink jet printer, and the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port of the ink cartridge is tapered.
[0013]
Furthermore, the ink cartridge according to the present invention includes an ink holder that holds the ink in a large number of pores, and the ink cartridge is attached to the ink holder via the ink supply port when the ink cartridge is manufactured. After the ink is dispensed, the outlet end face of the ink supply port is sealed with a film material after the ink is dispensed.
[0014]
A method of dispensing ink into the ink cartridge having the above configuration will be described. First, a seal rubber is fitted into the ink supply port. Then, a certain amount of ink is dispensed from the ink dispensing device to the ink holding member in the ink cartridge through the tube. The dispensed ink is supplied to the entire ink holding body by the capillary action of the pores. After completing the ink dispensing, remove the seal rubber from the ink supply port. At this time, excess ink travels along the inner wall surface of the ink supply port while being pulled by the seal rubber due to viscosity. Then, a film material is bonded to the outlet end face of the ink supply port by thermal welding to perform sealing.
[0015]
Here, by forming a taper at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port of the ink cartridge, when the seal rubber is pulled out from the ink supply port, the seal rubber separates at the top of the taper of the ink supply port, so that the viscosity of the ink is increased. Excess ink that has traveled along the inner wall surface of the supply port can be deposited on the top of the taper of the ink supply port. That is, ink does not remain on the outlet end face of the ink supply port.
[0016]
[0017]
Therefore, a stable seal can be achieved by heat welding with a film material at the ink supply port, and air can be prevented from being mixed into the ink cartridge that occurs during heat welding. Therefore, ink leakage from the ink supply port that occurs before using the ink cartridge can be prevented, and stable printing can be performed when the ink cartridge is first used.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an ink cartridge according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the vicinity of the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. In FIG. 1, the ink cartridge 10a has a box shape and forms a circular ink supply port 12a penetrating the front wall. Further, a tapered portion 20 is formed at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port 12a. Assuming that the length of the tapered portion 20 is h, the angle is θ, and the length of the ink supply port 12a is H, in this embodiment, for example, h = 2.2 mm, θ = 10 degrees, and H = 4 mm. . The optimum values of these lengths and angles vary depending on the viscosity of the ink and the removal speed of the seal rubber.
[0019]
Further, the ink cartridge 10 contains an ink holder 13 having a large number of pores. The ink holder 13 is a rectangular parallelepiped having a volume 1.7 to 1.8 times the internal volume of the ink cartridge 10a so that the average pore diameter is about 350 μm when the ink holder 13 is compressed and inserted into the ink cartridge 10a. It is a porous foam material.
On the other hand, an ink dispensing tube 30 extends from a dispensing machine (not shown), and a cylindrical seal rubber 31 is fitted to the tip of the tube 30.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an ink ejecting portion of an ink jet printer using the ink cartridge of the present invention. The ink ejecting unit includes an ink ejecting head 18, a head holder 14, and an ink cartridge 10a. The ink held by the ink holder 13 in the ink cartridge 10 a flows out from the ink supply port 12 a, passes through the ink passage 17 provided in the manifold 16, and is supplied to the ink ejecting head 18.
[0021]
A method of dispensing ink into the ink cartridge having the above configuration will be described. First, the seal rubber 31 is fitted into the ink supply port 12a. Then, a predetermined amount of ink is dispensed from an unillustrated dispenser through the ink dispensing tube 30 to the ink holder 13 in the ink cartridge 10a. The dispensed ink is supplied to the entire ink holding body 13 by the capillary action of the pores. After completion of the ink dispensing, the seal rubber 31 is removed from the ink supply port 12a, and a film material is joined to the outlet end surface 15 of the ink supply port 12a by thermal welding to perform sealing.
[0022]
In FIG. 1, when the ink is dispensed into the ink cartridge, the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 12a and the seal rubber 31 are in close contact so that the ink does not leak. For this reason, excess ink that could not be held by the ink holder 13 is attached to the upper surface of the seal rubber 31 and the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 12a. When the seal rubber 31 is pulled out from the ink supply port 12a after the completion of the ink dispensing, excess ink travels along the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 12a while being pulled by the seal rubber 31 due to viscosity.
Here, by forming a taper at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port 12a of the ink cartridge 10a, when the seal rubber 31 is pulled out from the ink supply port 12a, the seal rubber 31 is separated at the taper top portion 21; Excess ink that has traveled along the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 12 a can be adhered to the tapered top portion 21. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink from remaining on the outlet end face 15 of the ink supply port 12a.
[0023]
As described above in detail, according to the ink cartridge of the first embodiment, when the seal rubber is removed from the ink supply port by forming a taper at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port, the seal rubber is Since the ink is separated at the taper top of the ink supply port, excess ink that has traveled along the inner wall surface of the ink supply port due to viscosity can be adhered to the taper top of the ink supply port. That is, it is possible to prevent ink from remaining on the outlet end face of the ink supply port. Therefore, the ink supply port can be stably sealed with the film material by heat welding. In addition, it is possible to prevent air from being mixed into the ink cartridge, which occurs because the ink adhering to the seal surface boils and vaporizes due to heat during heat welding.
Therefore, ink leakage from the ink supply port that occurs before using the ink cartridge can be prevented, and stable printing can be performed when the ink cartridge is first used.
[0024]
The configuration of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged view near the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. A difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that a step is formed at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port.
In FIG. 3, a step 25 is formed at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port 12b. Further, the side surface of the seal rubber 31 is not in contact with the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 12b.
[0025]
A method of dispensing ink into the ink cartridge having the above configuration will be described. First, the upper end of the seal rubber 31 is brought into close contact with the step portion 25 of the ink supply port 12b. Then, a predetermined amount of ink is dispensed from the dispenser (not shown) to the ink holder 13 in the ink cartridge 10b via the ink dispensing tube 30. The dispensed ink is supplied to the entire ink holding body 13 by the capillary action of the pores. After the ink dispensing is completed, the seal rubber 31 is removed from the step portion 25 of the ink supply port 12b, and a film material is joined to the outlet end surface 15 of the ink supply port 12b by thermal welding to perform sealing.
[0026]
In FIG. 3, when ink is dispensed into the ink cartridge, the stepped portion 25 of the ink supply port 12b and the upper surface of the seal rubber 31 are brought into close contact so that the ink does not leak. For this reason, excess ink that could not be held by the ink holder 13 is attached to the upper surface of the seal rubber 31 and the inner wall surface of the step portion 25 of the ink supply port 12b.
Here, by forming a step at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port 12b of the ink cartridge 10b, the seal rubber 31 and the inner wall surface of the ink supply port 12b are not in contact with each other, and after the ink dispensing to the ink cartridge 10b is completed, When the seal rubber 31 is removed from the ink supply port 12b, the seal rubber 31 is separated from the step portion 25 of the ink supply port 12b, so that excess ink remains on the lower corner portion 26 of the step portion 25 due to viscosity. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink from remaining on the outlet end surface 15 of the ink supply port 12b.
[0027]
As described above in detail, according to the ink cartridge of the second embodiment, a step is formed at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port, so that the ink supply port is sealed after completion of the ink dispensing to the ink cartridge. When the rubber is removed, excess ink can be deposited on the lower corner of the ink supply port of the stepped portion. That is, it is possible to prevent excess ink from remaining on the outlet end face of the ink supply port. Therefore, when the ink supply port is sealed with a film material by heat welding, the ink supply port can be stably sealed. In addition, it is possible to prevent air from being mixed into the ink cartridge, which occurs because the ink adhering to the seal surface boils and vaporizes due to heat during heat welding. Therefore, ink leakage from the ink supply port that occurs before using the ink cartridge can be prevented, and stable printing can be performed when the ink cartridge is first used.
[0028]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, various improvement and deformation | transformation are possible within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the ink holder is built in the ink cartridge, but the present invention can be applied even when the ink itself is stored directly without the ink holder.
Further, the bonding of the outlet end face of the ink supply port and the film material when sealing with the film material to the ink supply port is not limited to heat welding, and the present invention can also be applied to bonding with an adhesive.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the ink cartridge of the present invention, by forming a taper at the inner peripheral inlet of the ink supply port, when the seal rubber is removed from the ink supply port after the ink dispensing to the ink cartridge is completed, Since excess ink remains on the top of the taper of the ink supply port, it can be prevented from remaining on the outlet end surface of the ink supply port. Therefore, when the ink supply port is sealed with a film material by heat welding, the ink supply port can be stably sealed. In addition, it is possible to prevent air from being mixed into the ink cartridge, which occurs because the ink adhering to the seal surface boils and vaporizes due to heat during heat welding. Therefore, ink leakage from the ink supply port that occurs before using the ink cartridge can be prevented, and stable printing can be performed when the ink cartridge is first used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of an ink supply port of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an ink ejecting portion of the ink jet printer.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of an ink supply port of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a conventional ink cartridge.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of an ink supply port of a conventional ink cartridge.
[Explanation of symbols]
10a Ink cartridge 12a Ink supply port 13 Ink holder 20 Taper 30 Ink dispensing tube 31 Seal rubber

Claims (4)

A cylindrical portion having a predetermined inner diameter; and a tapered portion whose diameter increases toward the outlet end surface between the cylindrical portion and the outlet end surface, and the inner surface of the cylindrical portion and the tapered portion are continuous at the top. An ink cartridge having an opening for dispensing the ink formed and containing ink to be supplied to the inkjet printer;
A fitting step of fitting a seal rubber having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion provided at the tip of the ink dispensing tube into the cylindrical portion of the opening;
A dispensing step of the ink is Ru dispensed through the tube,
When extracting the seal rubber from the opening, the extraction process of leaving the excess ink that has been transmitted along the inner surface of the cylindrical portion at the top by leaving the seal rubber at the top;
A method for manufacturing an ink cartridge , comprising: a sealing step of bonding a film material to the outlet end face of the opening to seal the opening .   In the manufacturing method of the ink cartridge of Claim 1,
  The method of manufacturing an ink cartridge, wherein the opening is an ink supply port connected to an ink passage for supplying ink to an ink ejection head when the ink cartridge is attached to the ink jet printer. In the manufacturing method of the ink cartridge according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A method of manufacturing an ink cartridge, wherein the film material is joined to the outlet end face by heat welding in the sealing step. In the manufacturing method of the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
  The ink cartridge includes an ink holder for holding the ink in a large number of pores.

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