JPH06115073A - Ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent any abnormality from occurring in an ink jet recording head due to environmental change. CONSTITUTION:The ink jet recording head is equipped with a member 3 which covers a discharge orifice and an orifice communicating with an atmosphere when an ink jet recording head incorporating an ink storage part integrally remains unused or preserved. In addition, either of a microaperture 20 which is open partially covering the communication orifice, a valvular part which operates in accordance with an atmospheric pressure change or an atmospheric pressure change absorption part which absorbs an inner atmospheric pressure, is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording head applicable to a printer, a copying machine, an ink jet recording apparatus or the like which is generally used in office machines, or an ink tank integrated recording head and a storage method thereof.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In a conventional recording head, ink leakage in an emergency is eliminated by completely sealing the atmosphere communication port with a seal member. However, by making the ink cartridge hermetically sealed, the internal pressure of the ink cartridge rises due to a rapid change in the environmental temperature during transport, and a state in which the ink easily leaks from the other seal portions occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the increase in the ink tank internal pressure due to the environmental temperature change.

[Summary of the Invention] Ink storage section, energy generating element for discharging ink in the ink storage section, and ink discharging section corresponding to the energy generating element
And a pressing member for pressing the sealing member against the ejection unit and the atmosphere communication port for the ink tank, and the ejection unit is sealed when the recording head does not perform recording. Further, the above-mentioned problem is solved by a recording head characterized in that a hole communicating with the atmosphere communication port is provided in the ink tank atmosphere communication port portion so that the internal pressure of the ink tank is hard to rise due to a temperature change.

[0004]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a) a perspective view,
b) Partial exploded view thereof, and c) Partial cross section in a). A seal member having a seal member that covers the discharge portion and the atmosphere communication port for the ink tank, and a pressing member that presses the seal member against the discharge portion, and a seal member that covers the atmosphere communication port for the ink tank when the recording head is not recording. It has a structure in which a hole 20 communicating with the atmosphere communication port is provided.

In FIG. 1, IJC is an ink jet cartridge, which has a built-in ink absorber in an ink containing portion and is supplied with ink by a supply pipe communicating with the ink absorber (a thermal energy generator 91 shown in FIG. Electrode 92
The substrate 100 on which is formed, and the orifice plate 400 having a plurality of discharge ports 41 are provided. In this embodiment, the top plate 1300 and the plate 4 for forming the liquid passage 140 are formed.
00 and 100 are integrally molded. ) Shows a recording head that can be attached to and detached from the recording apparatus main body in which (1) is integrated.
S is an opening for monitoring an electrical junction described later, which is provided on the upper surface of the recording head. Reference numeral 10 denotes a base plate of the substrate of the recording head, which is an aluminum plate integrally formed with a positioning portion 8 for engaging with the positioning portion 4010 of the carriage of the recording apparatus main body of FIG. 12 to position the entire recording head. . Reference numeral 1 denotes the surface of the ejection portion including the orifice plate, and 41 is the recording ink ejection portion. Although the opening for absorbing the back wave at the time of recording and the opening such as the dummy nozzle are not disclosed in the present embodiment, they can be regarded as the ejection surface 1 even if they are included. Denoted at 2 are groove portions provided on the upper and lower surfaces retracted from the surface 1 of the discharge portion, and in this example, four grooves are formed as shown in the figure. Reference numeral 53 denotes a side surface groove portion which is located on a side surface facing the base plate 10 and has four grooves which are continuous with the groove of the groove portion 2. When the ink is scattered and a large amount of ink is accumulated in the groove portion 2, The action of guiding downward can be achieved. The recording head groove portion 2 is for receiving an elastic pressing force on the groove portion 51 of the cap 4 to maintain the engaged state.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a sealing sheet, which has a size that completely covers the ejection surface 1 of the recording head and also covers the atmosphere communication port.

The seal 3 has a hole 2 communicating with the atmosphere communication port.
When 0 is opened over an area of 0.005 mm ² , as shown in FIG. 2, the internal pressure of the ink cartridge should be maintained at approximately atmospheric pressure without being maintained in a state where the internal pressure rises, especially in a high temperature environment. I was able to. Further, when various tests (dropping, vibration, etc.) were conducted during distribution with a hole area of 0.05 mm ² or less, the internal pressure of the tank did not rise and almost the same performance as in the case of sealing was obtained. As described above, in this embodiment, the hole 20 has an area of 0.005 to
The case of 0.05 mm ² was optimal.

Although the figure shows only one hole, a plurality of holes may be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, even if a slit-like cut is made, the same effect as above can be obtained.

As a means for making a hole, a needle or a laser is used. There are methods such as opening with a punch, but the method is not limited to these.

As described above, the internal pressure of the ink cartridge can be maintained at the atmospheric pressure by providing the hole in the seal member that closes the atmosphere communication port. As a result, ink leakage from pinholes and the like at the welded part due to an increase in internal pressure disappeared. As shown in FIG. 4A, the seal member 3 has a portion protruding outward from the end of the recording head. This protruding portion serves as a brim when the seal is peeled off from the recording head. As for the attachment of the sheet 3 to the recording head, a simple adhesive state is formed by interposing an adhesive between the sheet 3 and the ejection portion surface 1 in FIG. 1B.

The cap 4 shown in FIG. 1 has a width corresponding to the surface 1 of the ejection portion, two opposing arm portions 5 and 5, an elastic body 6 fixed to the inner surface of the main body away from the arm portions, and a base plate. Positioning or elastic deformation amount restricting portion 7 provided on the side of the main body located on the 10 side and collars 9 and 9 that can be used when attaching and detaching the cap 4 itself to the recording head are integrally provided. ing. Each of the arms 5 and 5 has three groove portions 51, which engage with the groove portion 2, on the inner surface thereof.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the seal 3 is extended to above the base plate 10,
At the same time, the elastic body 6 is provided on the base plate 10 until they face each other. This is because the discharge port 41 has the base plate 10
Since it is close to, it is a structure for further improving the sealing effect. The portion 7 has a length that slightly contacts the back surface of the base plate 10 when the cap 4 is attached to the recording head. This contact length is about 1 mm in this example. With such a slight configuration, the elastic body 6 of the cap is reliably positioned within the range where the base plate 10 is sandwiched between the arm portions 5 and 5 and the positioning portion 7 as a result. That is, with a simple structure, the effect of sealing the opening can be achieved without causing the above-mentioned problems of the adhesive.

FIG. 5 shows the second embodiment in which a bag-like member 21 communicating with the atmosphere communication port is provided. The air inside the ink tank expands due to the increase in the pressure inside the ink tank. The expanded air absorbs the increase in the internal pressure due to the expansion of the bag-shaped member 21 and maintains the internal pressure of the ink tank at almost atmospheric pressure.

The bag-shaped member 21 is attached only when not recording and is removed when used. In that sense, it is desirable that the seal member 3 and the seal member 3 are integrated, but they may be separate members.

The structure is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the structure of the bag-shaped member.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment, in which a valve 22 is provided at the atmosphere communication port.
It is a structure provided with. When the ink tank internal pressure rises, the valve 22 opens to release the tank internal pressure. When the difference between the external pressure and the internal pressure becomes less than a certain value, the valve 22 closes. The difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure is preferably 0.05 atm or less. If a pressure difference larger than this is generated and maintained, ink leakage easily occurs. The valve 22 of the atmosphere communication port in the third embodiment is removed during use. The same as Example 1 except for the valve of the atmosphere communication port.

As can be seen from the perspective view of FIG. 8, the IJC has a large ink storage ratio, and has a shape in which the tip of the ink jet unit slightly projects from the front surface of the ink tank. This ink jet cartridge IJC is an ink jet recording apparatus main body I.
The carriage HC mounted on the JRA is a disposable type which is fixed and supported by a positioning means and electric contacts which will be described later, and which is detachable from the carriage HC.

In FIG. 8, a platen roller 5000 guides the recording medium P from the lower side to the upper side of the drawing. The carriage HC moves along the platen roller 3000, and the front plate 4000 located on the front platen side of the carriage and on the front surface side of the inkjet cartridge IJC.
(Thickness 2 mm) and the wiring board 20 of the cartridge IJC
A flexible sheet 4005 provided with a pad 2011 corresponding to the pad 201 of No. 0, and a support plate 4003 for an electric connection portion holding a rubber pad sheet 4007 for generating an elastic force that presses the flexible sheet 4005 against each pad 2011 from the back side. A positioning hook 4001 for fixing the inkjet cartridge IJC to the recording position is provided. The front plate 4000 has a protruding surface 40 for positioning.
Two cartridges 10 are provided corresponding to the above-mentioned positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600 of the support 300 of the cartridge, respectively, and receive a vertical force toward the protruding surface 4010 after the cartridge is mounted. For this reason, the reinforcing rib has a plurality of ribs (not shown) on the platen roller side of the front plate, which are oriented in the direction of the vertical force. This rib is the cartridge IJ
Slightly from the front position L ₅ when C is installed (about 0.1 mm
A head protection protrusion protruding toward the platen roller is also formed. Support plate for electric connection part 4003
Has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 4004 in the vertical direction, not in the direction of the ribs, and the ratio of lateral protrusion from the platen side toward the hook 4001 side is reduced. This also serves to incline the position when the cartridge is mounted as shown in the figure. In addition, the support plate 4003 stabilizes the electrical contact state so that the two positioning protruding surfaces 401
There are two hook-side positioning surfaces 4006 corresponding to the projecting surface 4010 for exerting an acting force on the cartridge in the direction opposite to the acting direction of 0 acting on the cartridge, and a pad contact area is formed between them. With pad 20
The amount of deformation of the 11-corresponding rubber sheet 4007 with a bottom is uniquely defined. These positioning surfaces come into contact with the surface of the wiring board 300 when the cartridge IJC is fixed at a recordable position. In this example, since the pads 201 of the wiring board 300 are distributed symmetrically with respect to the line L ₁ described above, the deformation amounts of the respective bottches of the rubber sheet 4007 are made uniform and the pads 201 are made uniform.
The contact pressure of Nos. 1 and 201 is further stabilized. The distribution of the pads 201 in this example is two rows above and two rows below.

The hook 4001 has an elongated hole that engages with the fixed shaft 4009, and the platen roller 500 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction from the position shown in the figure using the movement space of the elongated hole.
The inkjet cartridge IJC is positioned with respect to the carriage HC by moving to the left along 0. The hook 4001 may be moved by any means, but it is preferable that the hook 4001 can be moved by a lever or the like. In any case, when the hook 4001 rotates, the cartridge IJC moves to the platen roller side, and the positioning protrusion 2500,
2600 moves to a position where it can contact the positioning surface 4010 of the front plate, and the hook 4001 moves to the left by 90 °.
The hook surface 4002 of the cartridge is the nail 2100 of the cartridge IJC.
The cartridge IJC is rotated in a horizontal plane centering on the contact area between the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 while finally contacting the pads 201 and 2011. When the hook 4001 is held at a predetermined position, that is, a fixed position, the pads 201 and 2011 are in full contact with each other, the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 are in full contact with each other, and the 90 ° surface 4002 and the 90 ° surface of the claw are in contact with each other. The two-side contact and the surface contact between the wiring board 300 and the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, so that the cartridge I for the carriage
JC retention is complete.

In this drawing, the claw 2 with which the 90 ° angle engaging surface 4002 of the carriage positioning hook 4001 is engaged.
100 is positioned so that the positioning action force with respect to the carriage acts in a plane region parallel to the reference plane.

Although the above embodiments do not disclose all the combinations of the configurations disclosed in the claims of the present invention, the present invention also includes an appropriate combination of the above configurations.

The container for the ink cartridge described above will be described in detail below.

FIG. 9 is a developed perspective view showing an example of a container (packing container) of the ink jet cartridge of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view after the assembly thereof. 11 is a top view (a), a front view (b) and a right side view (c) showing an example of the storage container of the present invention, and a partially enlarged view showing a storage state of a discharge port of an inkjet cartridge. (D) is a partially enlarged view (e) showing the flange portion of the storage container body.

This packing container comprises a container body 61 and a lid member 63.
And are joined together and used as a packaging container.

The container body 61 has a wall portion 61c which is maintained in a non-contact state with the ink jet cartridge IJC which is the content, and an ink jet cartridge I which projects from the wall portion 61c toward the content accommodating region and is accommodated therein.
A recess 61a that supports the JC and fixes its position, and a flange 61b for joining and integrating with the lid member 63 are provided. The ejection port of the inkjet cartridge IJC is maintained in a non-contact state with the wall portion in the storage space. As shown in these drawings, of the four recesses 61a projecting into the storage space, the recessed portion on the side where the discharge port is located is increased in depth so that the discharge port is located deep inside the storage space. If so, the outlet is better protected. At the same time, by doing so, it is possible to prevent the user from inserting the inkjet cartridge in the reverse direction (so-called erroneous insertion prevention).

The wall portion 61c needs to have particularly sufficient strength, and is formed of such a material and thickness. Wall 61
The thickness of c may be appropriately selected depending on the type of constituent material thereof, but is, for example, 0.1 mm or more, preferably 0.3 m.
m or more, more preferably 0.5 mm or more, and the upper limit is, for example, 1.2 mm or less.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the concave portion 61a has a cushioning property for cushioning or absorbing an impact in order to protect the contents. That is, if the concave portion 61a is formed so as to have the same strength and rigidity as the wall portion 61c, the impact received by the wall portion 61c is likely to be directly transmitted to the contents, which may cause damage to the contents. From this point of view, it is desirable that the recess 61a be formed to have a relatively thin wall thickness and have elasticity. The thickness of the recess 61a can also be appropriately selected according to the constituent material thereof, but is, for example, 0.8.
mm or less, preferably 0.6 mm or less, more preferably 0.4 mm or less, and the lower limit is, for example, 0.05 m.
m or more.

As the constituent material of the container body 61, various resins can be cited. The container body 61 is manufactured by integral molding using a resin, for example. The integral molding method is suitable in terms of workability and production cost.

To manufacture the container body 61 by integral molding,
Various resins such as injection molding and vacuum molding can be used. Among them, for example, the method of injection molding using a resin such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin (ABS resin), polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate can easily adjust the thickness of the wall 61c and the recess 61a. It is preferable because it can be performed at a relatively low cost, and desired characteristics can be easily given to each part.

Further, by providing the flange portion 61b at the bottom of the container body 61, the container body 61 and the bottom plate 63 can be simply and reliably joined. The flange portion 61b can be molded at the same time as other portions when the container body 61 is integrally molded. The thickness of the flange portion 61b is
It may be about the same as the wall portion 61c. This flange 61
It is preferable that the b is provided with a rib 61e for reinforcement along the joint region 62 between the container body 61 and the lid member 63. The rib 61e is provided so as to project toward the lid member 63 in FIG. 11, but this projection may be reversed. However, the former case is preferable because the container body 61 and the lid member 63 can be joined more reliably by using the protruding portion.

By making the corners such as the rising portions of the recess 61a and the wall 61c curved as shown in the drawing, the shock absorbing property can be further improved. The radius of curvature of the curved portion is preferably relatively large and is appropriately selected according to the size of the recess 61a, but is, for example, 2 mm or more, preferably 3 mm or more, more preferably 5 mm or more.

The shape of the concave portion 61a is appropriately selected so that the ink jet cartridge IJC can be effectively protected and fixed in the packaging container. In the example shown, 4
The ink jet cartridge IJC is supported by the concave portions 61a at some places, and this form can be said to be most suitable in terms of protection and position fixing of the ink jet cartridge IJC, but the number of the concave portions 61a can be appropriately selected. Is.

If the clearance between the ink jet cartridge supporting portion of the concave portion 61a and the ink jet cartridge is too large, rattling or deviation occurs in the ink jet cartridge packaging container, which is not preferable, but if it is too small, the ink jet cartridge container body is too small. It is not preferable because the storage property in 61 is deteriorated and the impact from the wall portion 61c is easily transmitted. These clearances depend on the structure of the recess 61a and the recess 61a.
The thickness may be appropriately selected in matching between the ink jet cartridge and the inkjet cartridge, but may be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 3 mm, preferably about 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

The material and thickness of the lid member 63 are selected according to the weight and strength of the ink jet cartridge. As the lid member 63, for example, a resin or metal film, sheet or plate, or a laminate including at least one of them is used. When this laminated body is used as the lid member 63, if the surface layer (hereinafter, referred to as “outer layer”) on the non-adhesive surface side of the lid member 63 with the container body 61 is paper, the influence of environmental changes, particularly humidity changes, may occur. The paper may release moisture and absorb moisture, causing curl deformation.
It is preferable to coat a moisture-proof layer such as vinylidene chloride or polypropylene to prevent deformation. In this case, the adhesive portion 62 between the container body 61 and the lid member 63 due to the curl deformation
Moreover, it is possible to prevent a force from being applied in the peeling direction.
From the viewpoint of cost and strength, the moisture-proof layer is 15 to 10
Most preferred is 0 μm thick polypropylene.

Various joining methods can be used for joining the container body 61 and the lid member 63 after the ink jet cartridge IJC is housed in the container body 61. For example, the container body 61 and the lid member 63 can be formed of the same kind of resin material, and they can be joined by a method such as heat fusion or ultrasonic welding. Further, an easy peel layer can be provided at least in a region of the bottom plate 63 necessary for bonding, and the easy peel layer can be used to bond them. The method using the easy peel layer has an advantage that the lid member 63 can be easily removed from the container body 61 at the time of unpacking, so that the inkjet cartridge is less likely to be damaged. In this way, in consideration of the moisture-retaining property of the contents such as the moisture-proof property and the easiness of opening, the easy peel is suitable. As the easy peel layer, for example, a layer made of various types of hot melt type, polyethylene type, Eval type or the like can be used.

It is preferable in terms of handling that the lid member 63 is provided with a knob portion 63a used when peeling off the joint with the container body 61. The knob portion 63a is provided at a position near the ejection opening portion of the inkjet cartridge in FIG. 1 and the like, but it is more preferable to provide the knob portion 63a as far as possible from the ejection opening portion. The reason is that when the lid member 63 is peeled from the container body 61 by holding the knob portion 63a, it is possible to avoid touching the ejection port portion of the ink jet cartridge, which is to be protected, with a hand.

Further, by selecting the constituent material of the packaging container of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the humidity environment of the contents, that is, the moisture-proof function and the function of preventing the moisture of the contents from evaporating to the outside. .

For example, as a constituent material of the container body 61,
The humidity environment maintaining function described above can be obtained by using a material in which various resins are coated with a vinylidene chloride layer or an aluminum layer, or a material having a moisture permeation preventive property such as polypropylene. In terms of manufacturing cost, moldability, workability, etc., polypropylene is preferable.

Similarly, as a constituent material of the lid member 63, a resin film, a sheet or a plate material, or a paper sheet or a plate material coated with a vinylidene chloride layer or an aluminum layer, or a polypropylene having a moisture permeation-preventing property. A good humidity environment maintenance function can be obtained by using such as. In order to improve both the shock buffering property and the humidity environment maintaining function, for example, a paper layer provided with an aluminum layer is used, and a layer for sealing adhesion to the container body (for example, an easy peel layer) is used. Have, and
A lid member having a polypropylene layer on the non-adhesive surface (outer surface) is suitable for curling prevention. In particular, a laminate in which an aluminum layer is provided and a polypropylene layer is provided as the outermost layer on the non-adhesive surface side is preferable from the viewpoints of cost, shock absorbing property, and humidity environment maintaining function.

When the vacuum forming method using polypropylene is used to form the container body 61, it is not necessary to form the concave portion 61a or the rising portion of the wall portion 61c as a curved portion as described above. This is preferable in order to improve the shock absorbing property of the main body 61 and to obtain the above-mentioned humidity environment maintaining function in the container main body 61.

Further, from the ceiling 61c-2 of the container body 61 toward the bottom surface (flange 61b), the ceiling portion 6 of the raw material sheet 6 is formed.
A portion other than the portion to be 1c-2 is extended by vacuum to form the recess 6
1a, the side surface 61c-1 of the wall portion 61c, the male molding for molding the curved portion and the like can make the uniformity of the thickness of each portion better, without the occurrence of pinholes.
It is preferable for improving the moisture permeation preventive property in each part.

If the container body obtained by vacuum molding is not provided with a curved portion, the boundary between the wall and the recess of the container body and the boundary between the wall and the flange are formed as thin corners, and the pin is formed. Holes may occur, damage may occur when dropped, and the moisture permeation preventive property of that part may deteriorate. For this reason, by molding these boundaries as curved portions, it is possible to more effectively prevent formation of a thin portion, and to obtain good moisture permeation prevention properties more uniformly over the entire container body. It is possible,
Moreover, it is possible to obtain an outer peripheral portion that is more resistant to drop impact.

If a transparent or translucent material is selected for the container body 61 and / or the bottom plate 63, the ink jet cartridge 62 can be seen through in the packaged state.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, by providing a covering member 3 for covering (sealing) the ejection port on the ejection port surface of the ink jet cartridge, the evaporation of ink from the ejection port can be extremely reduced. Therefore, the humidity of the storage space can be appropriately maintained, and thus the curl deformation of the lid member can be prevented, and the state of the ink supply path from the ink tank to the ejection port can be kept in a good state. .

The cover member 3 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned tape-shaped member, but it is easy to handle (for example, easy to peel) and the airtight state of the discharge port. The tape-shaped one is most suitable for the reason that it is excellent in keeping, that it has little influence on the size of the inkjet cartridge because it is thin, and that it can be formed at a relatively low cost. Examples of the material of the cover member 3 include PP, PE, PVC,
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be mentioned.

Further, in FIG. 1, a holding member 4 for holding the cover member 3 against the ink jet cartridge IJC is provided in the ink jet cartridge.
A preferable example of the pressing member 4 is a cap member in which the ink absorber 6 is arranged at a position corresponding to the ejection port.

By providing such a holding member 4, it is possible to prevent the user from inserting his / her hand into the ejection port portion when taking out the ink jet cartridge IJC from the storage container. Therefore, it should be particularly protected in the ink jet cartridge. It is more preferable from the viewpoint of protecting the portion of the discharge port. It is preferable that the pressing member 4 is provided so that even if the ink jet cartridge moves within the storage container within the clearance, it does not move in contact with the wall portion 61c of the storage container main body 61.

The present invention provides excellent effects particularly in a bubble jet type recording head and recording device proposed by Canon Inc. among ink jet recording systems.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling is caused on the heat acting surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. By the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening,
Form at least one drop. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345 are used.
Those as described in the '262 patent are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a structure based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a structure in which the discharge section is associated with the discharge section.

Further, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium which can be recorded by the recording device, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification is used. Although the structure may be one that satisfies the length or one recording head integrally formed, the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-described effects.

In addition, by being mounted on the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type recording head or the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head that is specially provided is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or absorbing means, electrothermal converters or heating elements other than these, or preheating means for the recording head. ,
It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from recording.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full color by color mixing.

By using the packaging container of the present invention, it is possible to reliably and inexpensively protect the ink jet cartridge from vibration or shock caused by dropping during transportation.

That is, the packaging container of the present invention is arranged in conformity with the shape of the ink jet cartridge, supports the contents with an appropriate space, and the wall of the main body of the packaging container is in direct contact with the ink jet cartridge. Since the concave portion for preventing the ink jet cartridge is provided, the position of the ink jet cartridge is effectively fixed in the packaging container, and it is possible to avoid the impact applied to the wall portion of the container body from the outside to the contents.

Further, in the packing by the packing container of the present invention,
The increase in occupied space due to packing is small, the space saving is high, the warehouse space and the physical distribution space can be saved, and the cost for storage and physical distribution can be reduced.

Furthermore, the packaging container of the present invention can be provided with a function of maintaining the humidity environment in the packaging state of the ink jet cartridge, so that it is possible to carry out the packaging in which the maintenance of the humidity environment is good as well as the protection of the ink jet cartridge. Becomes

In addition, by providing a cover member for covering (sealing) the ejection port on the ejection port surface of the ink jet cartridge, it is possible to extremely reduce the evaporation of the ink from the ejection port, so that the humidity of the accommodation space is appropriate. Therefore, the curl deformation of the lid member can be prevented, and the state of the ink supply path from the ink tank to the ejection port can be kept in a good state.

Further, in the present invention, the provision of the pressing member for pressing the cover member against the ink jet cartridge avoids the need to insert a hand into the ejection port when the ink jet cartridge is taken out from the container. It is more preferable in terms of protection of the discharge port portion.

[0061]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of ink leakage from the welded portion or the like during physical distribution by suppressing the rise in the ink tank internal pressure during non-recording.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A, 1B, and 1C are explanatory views of a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a perspective view, a partially exploded view thereof, and a partial sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 2 shows an increase in internal pressure of an ink cartridge.

FIG. 3 is a modification of the first embodiment (viewed from the arrow B).

FIG. 4 is a partial explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial explanatory diagram of an example.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view for explaining a mounting / demounting configuration of the recording head of this embodiment with respect to the recording apparatus main body.

FIG. 9 is a developed perspective view showing an example of a container (packing container) of the inkjet cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view after assembly of an example of a storage container (packing container) of the inkjet cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top view (a), a front view (b) and a right side view (c) showing an example of the storage container of the present invention, and a partial enlarged view showing a storage state of a discharge port of an inkjet cartridge ( d) is a partially enlarged view (e) showing the flange portion of the storage container body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Covering member 4 Pressing member 6 Cap elastic body 7 Positioning or elastic deformation amount regulating portion 8 Cartridge carriage positioning portion 9 Cap attaching / detaching collar 10 Base plate 20 Micro hole 21 Bag-like member 22 Valve 61 Container body 61a Recess 61b Flange Part 61c Wall part 61e Rib 63 Bottom plate IJC ink cartridge 91, H Thermal energy generating element 2, 51 Groove part

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] September 24, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 11

[Correction method] Delete

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Norio Okuma 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink storage part, an energy generating element for discharging ink in the ink storage part, and an ink discharging part corresponding to the energy generating element, the discharge part and an atmosphere for an ink tank. In the recording head having a member for covering the communication port, in the non-recording state, the cover of the atmosphere communication part of the cover member has a minute hole communicating with the atmosphere communication port or a valve part for opening and closing in response to a change in the internal pressure or a change in the internal pressure A recording head, characterized in that an internal pressure change absorbing section that absorbs air and changes in volume is provided. 2. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the member covering the atmosphere communication port has minute holes having an area of 0.005 to 0.05 mm ² communicating with the atmosphere communication port. 3. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein a member covering the atmosphere communication port has a slit-shaped cut communicating with the atmosphere communication port.