JPH11216875A - Ink refilling cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink refilling cartridge for effectively and immediately refilling an optimum quantity of ink to a printing ink cartridge having an ink absorption body. SOLUTION: This cartridge 4 refills ink 5 through a relaying core 1 having a capillary force to a cartridge for ink jet printing that comprises an ink absorption body 3 in an ink housing chamber. The relaying core 1 consists of fibers having an average thickness of 0.02 to 0.06 mm and each having a porosity of 50 to 80%. When refilling the ink, the relaying core 1 is brought into intimate contact with the ink absorption body 3, then the ink is refilled by the capillary force of the ink absorption body 3 and the relaying core 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the replenishment of an optimum amount of ink to an ink cartridge for ink-jet printing (hereinafter referred to as a printing cartridge) in which an ink occluding body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle is incorporated in an ink storage chamber. The present invention relates to an ink replenishment cartridge capable of performing the above-described operations quickly.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to replenish ink to a printing cartridge in which an ink occluding body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle is built in an ink storage chamber, ink is directly dropped on the occluding body by a dropper or ink is injected by a syringe. For example, is injected into the occlusion body.

[0003]

However, in the conventional ink replenishment method, it is difficult to determine the optimum amount of ink to be replenished due to the amount of ink remaining in the printing cartridge. When the ink is replenished, the ink may overflow from a portion of the printing cartridge where the ink is replenished, or the ink may leak from other openings (air holes, ink discharge ports, etc.).

A color printing cartridge usually has a plurality of ink storage chambers for each color, and the amount of ink consumed by printing varies depending on the ink storage chamber for each color. Conventionally, as a method of replenishing ink to such a color printing cartridge, a certain amount of ink is replenished with a dropper or the like and supplied to printing again only in an ink storage chamber which has normally consumed ink. Since the ink is not supplied to the other ink storage chambers that consume the ink, the optimum amount of ink is not always supplied to each of the ink storage chambers. The ink was exhausted from the color ink storage chamber which was not present.

[0005] Further, it is difficult to replenish the ink storage chamber with the optimal amount of ink even if it is attempted to replenish the ink in the storage chamber where the ink has run out. It was something. The present invention
Under such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink replenishing cartridge capable of efficiently and quickly replenishing an optimal amount of ink to a printing cartridge having an ink occluding body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber. And

[0006]

As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that in order to replenish the optimum amount of ink, a capillary force is applied from the ink replenishing cartridge to the ink occluding body of the printing cartridge via a relay core. Was found to be effective. Thereafter, as a result of further studies, the inventors have found that the above problem can be easily solved by specifying the material, structure, and the like of the relay core, and have accomplished the present invention based on this finding.

That is, the present invention is a cartridge for replenishing ink via a relay core having a capillary force to an ink jet printing cartridge having an ink occluding body in an ink storage chamber, wherein the relay core has a fiber thickness. Average of 0.02 to 0.06 mm, porosity of 50 to 80%
In the state where a part of the relay core is inserted into the cartridge storing the replenishing ink at the time of ink replenishment, the tip is inserted from the opening of the ink jet printing cartridge and brought into close contact with the ink occluding body, An ink replenishing cartridge characterized in that ink is replenished by capillary force of the relay core and the ink occluding body.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fiber constituting the relay core is made of polyester long fiber. Further, it is preferable to use a relay core in which fibers constituting the relay core are assembled into a columnar fiber bundle, and the end of the end has a rounded structure. Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the distal end portion of the relay core has such a rigidity that the ink occluding body is dented and buried without being deformed at the time of close contact with the ink occluding body. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the relay core and the cartridge storing the replenishing ink are detachably combined, and the relay core is covered with a holder so as not to be exposed to the outside air when refilling the ink.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. In the present invention, the ink occluding body incorporated in the ink storage chamber of the printing cartridge may be any as long as it does not deteriorate with stored ink and can absorb and store ink by capillary force.
It is usually made of a sponge such as plastic having open cells, a porous body, or various inorganic or organic fibrous materials, and has a thickness of about 0.02 to 0.06 mm and a porosity (a ratio of porosity per cubic inch). ) 50-75%
A fibrous layer structured to a certain extent is preferred.

The relay core used for replenishing the printing cartridge with the ink from the ink replenishing cartridge of the present invention has an average fiber thickness of 0.02 to 0.06 mm and a porosity. It is a fiber bundle composed of 50 to 80%. Here, the thickness of the fiber is 0.02 mm
If it is less than the above, the gap between the fibers formed when the relay core is formed by the fiber becomes small, and even if the relay core has the same porosity, the capillary force of the relay core itself increases. This makes it difficult to supply ink from the relay core to the ink occluding body in the printing cartridge. When the thickness of the fiber is 0.06 mm or more, the gap in the relay core becomes large, so that the capillary force of the relay core itself is reduced, and it is considered that ink cannot be sucked up. Particularly preferred fiber thickness is 0.03 to 0.0
6 mm. Here, the thickness of the fiber can be measured by using an optical microscope.

On the other hand, if the porosity of the fiber bundle is 50% or less, it is not preferable because a sufficient flow path of the ink cannot be secured, and it takes a long time to supply the ink. When the porosity of the fiber bundle is 80% or more, if the thickness of the fiber constituting the relay core is large, the cross-sectional area of the void increases, so that the capillary force of the relay core itself decreases, and Supply becomes impossible.
Further, when the thickness of the fiber constituting the relay core is thin, the strength of the relay core itself decreases, which is not preferable. Specific means for adjusting the porosity include adjusting the degree of compression when forming fiber bundles by assembling fibers in a cylindrical shape, or adjusting the amount of resin when forming fiber bundles. And so on. Here, the porosity is the ratio of the average porosity of the cross-sectional area of the relay core, as a measurement method,
For example, the relay core absorbs the maximum amount of water, and the volume of the sucked water is the entire volume of the relay core. Further, it is preferable that the fiber thickness of the relay core itself and the porosity of the fiber bundle simultaneously satisfy the above ranges.

Here, the material of the fiber constituting the relay core may be a fiber made of various inorganic or organic substances as long as it does not deteriorate with the ink to be replenished and can suck up the ink by capillary force. It does not do. However, a polyester long fiber is most preferable to obtain a fine fiber as described above. In this case, since the specific gravity of the polyester is 1.3 to 1.38, 1 denier = 3.6 / 1000 to 4.1 / 1000 mm,
If the fiber thickness is expressed in denier, a polyester fiber of about 5 to 30 denier is preferable. Further, it is desirable that the relay core is adjusted to have a hardness that is less likely to be deformed than the ink occluding body, is assembled into a columnar fiber bundle, and has a structure in which the edge of the tip is rounded. In this way, the ink occluding body built in the ink storage chamber of the printing cartridge is recessed at the end of the relay core, thereby increasing the contact area and the degree of adhesion at the same time, and further compressing the ink occluding body. Therefore, the capillary force is locally increased at the close contact portion, which promotes the suction effect, which is preferable.

It is desirable to set the holding power of the ink by the capillary of the ink occluding body to be higher than the holding power of the ink by the capillary of the relay core from the viewpoint of preventing the backflow of the ink. As a means for setting the conditions of the ink holding force, a difference in material between the relay core and the ink occluding body (a difference in wettability to ink depending on the material) is used, and a porosity (or porosity) of each material is used. )
It is also an effective means to make a difference. By making full use of both, an ink replenishment cartridge optimal for a printing cartridge can be obtained. Usually, the ink holding power of the capillary is increased by the ink occluding body>
In order to form a relay core, it is preferable to increase the porosity of the relay core.

The printing cartridge to which ink is applied from the ink replenishing cartridge of the present invention may be a printing cartridge having an ink discharge port (printing head) and an air communication port (air replacement hole). A body having an opening that can be in close contact with the ink occluding body and an air communication port in an ink relay section to the ink discharge section of the body may be used. In any case, the ink having an opening through which the tip of the relay core for supplying the replenishing ink is inserted and which can be in close contact with the ink occluding body, and which further has a hole that can be replaced with air, is used. This is desirable because the filling speed of the ink is not reduced when performing air replacement at the time of replenishment. Note that the position of the opening into which the tip of the relay core is inserted may be the ceiling surface, the side surface, or the It may be the bottom. However, in the case of a side surface or a bottom surface, it is desirable to plug the opening after ink replenishment to prevent ink leakage.

It is desirable that the ink replenishment cartridge also has an air opening so that air can be replaced in the ink replenishment cartridge as the ink level decreases during ink replenishment. The air replacement section may be installed by providing an air hole in the ink replenishment cartridge or by changing the shape of the insertion hole of the relay core of the ink replenishment cartridge and the outer shape of the relay core, and replacing the air with the gap. Air holes can also be used. Alternatively, in the case of a closed type ink refill cartridge, a compressed gas (air or nitrogen gas) may be filled in advance.

The ink replenishment cartridge for replenishing the ink according to the present invention includes a head for storing the stored ink.
It is desirable to keep the positional relationship such that the pressure does not exceed the highest level of the ink occluding body of the printing cartridge, and make the leading end of the ink occluding body come into close contact with the opening. In this case, the shape of the relay core is not only linear, but also L-shaped, U
What is necessary is just to deform | transform into a character shape, an inverted U shape, etc., and to insert in an opening part. Further, when the tips are brought into close contact with each other, it is desirable that the ink occluding body is recessed and buried at the tip of the relay core to increase the contact area between them. The shape of the ink replenishment cartridge is not particularly limited, and a rectangular container described later, a flexible bag made of a laminated film sandwiching an aluminum foil, or the like can be used.

The positional relationship between the printing cartridge and the replenishing ink cartridge is not limited to the vertical and vertical positions, and the head pressure of the ink replenished into the printing cartridge is determined by the pressure applied to the relay core of the ink replenishing cartridge. It is also effective to keep both in an inclined state in order to lower them to some extent or to make them both in a parallel state to increase the ink replenishment speed. Also, if the relay core is exposed to the outside air when refilling the ink, the position of the relay core cannot be determined between the ink replenishment cartridge and the printing cartridge, or the surrounding area may be stained with ink. At the time of refilling the ink, it is desirable that the portion other than the tip portion is appropriately covered with a tubular holder or the like so as not to be exposed to the outside.

Further, in order to keep the remaining ink for the next ink replenishment without using up the ink in the ink replenishment cartridge, the relay core is not detachable from the replenishment cartridge. After removal, a cap may be placed on the insertion opening of the relay core of the refill ink cartridge to prevent the ink from volatilizing and decreasing.
At this time, the ink is soaked in the relay core once used, and even if the relay core is reused in that state, the relay core is dry with ink and the capillary force changes, and The filling speed may decrease or the ink may not be able to flow.When reusing the refill ink cartridge after storage, it is necessary to insert a new relay core into the insertion hole of the relay core of the refill ink cartridge before use. desirable.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the ink occluding body of the printing ink cartridge is formed of a porous body having continuous cells, and the holding power of the ink by the capillary of the relay core is adjusted by adjusting the porosity of the fiber bundle. Is not limited to the following embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an ink occluding body 3 is built in an ink storage chamber of a printing ink cartridge 2, and is provided in an opening 9 that can abut an ink relay core (not shown) of an ink discharge unit (not shown). In the state where the lower end is inserted into the refill ink cartridge 4 in which the refill ink 5 is stored, the tip of the relay core 1 extending to the outside from the relay core hole 6 is inserted and the concave portion is formed in the ink occluding body 3. a is formed and adhered. Here, the porosity of the relay core 1 is larger than that of the ink occluding body 3, and the average fiber thickness is 0.02.
The ink 5 stored in the ink replenishment cartridge 4 is sucked up by the capillary force of the relay core 1 and quickly absorbed by the ink occluding body 3. Is done. The ink replenishment cartridge 4 and the printing ink cartridge 2 are provided with air communication ports 7 and 8, respectively.

FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) show that the state of close contact with the ink occluding body 3 depends on the shape of the tip of the relay core 1 shown in FIG. In other words, in the structure in which the edge of the tip of the relay core 1 has a rounded b as shown in FIG. 2A, when the concave portion a is formed in the ink storage body 3 as shown on the right side, both are formed on the entire surface. Although the degree of contact is high due to the contact, in the structure having the right end face c at the end of the relay core 1 as shown in FIG. 2B, the concave portion a is formed in the ink occluding body 3 as shown on the right side. Even if they are formed, a space d exists on the contact surface between the two, and the degree of adhesion between the two cannot be sufficiently obtained. Therefore, it is desirable that the distal end of the relay core 1 has a structure in which the edge of the distal end is rounded as shown in FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show that the contact state and the detached state are different depending on the difference in the hardness between the relay core 1 and the ink occluding body 3. FIG. That is, FIG. 3A shows a case where the relay core 1 is harder than the ink occluding body 3 and the edge has a rounded b
A concave portion a is formed in and buried in the ink absorbing member 3 at the outer tip portion having the above, and the contact area between them is increased, and the ink absorbing member 3 is locally compressed by the concave portion a of the contact portion, so that the capillary force is locally reduced. Promotes the wicking effect. In addition, since the relay core 1 is not deformed even in the detached state, the same relay core 1 can be repeatedly used and brought into close contact with the ink occluding body 3 even when refilling is performed repeatedly.

On the other hand, FIG. 3 (b) shows a case where the relay core 1 is softer than the ink occluding body 3, and when the outer front end is brought into close contact with the ink occluding body 3, a deformation e occurs at the front end of the relay wick 1,
Even in the detached state, the deformation e tends to remain, and the same relay core cannot be used repeatedly. Moreover, not only does the contact area with the ink occluding body 3 increase, but also the wicking effect by the capillary force of the ink occluding body 3 cannot be promoted. Therefore, it is most desirable that the relay core 1 has a structure that is harder than the ink occluding body 3 and has a rounded b at the edge of the tip end of the relay core 1 as described above.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which the ink of the ink replenishment cartridge is simultaneously replenished from below into the color printing cartridge 2 'having a plurality of ink discharge ports (printing heads) 10. FIG. In FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 2 'is divided into a plurality of ink storage chambers, and an ink discharge port (printing head) 10 is provided for each ink storage chamber.
The ink replenishment cartridge 4 ′ also has a plurality of ink storage chambers and the relay cores 1, which are divided into colors corresponding to the plurality of ink storage chambers of the ink cartridge 2 ′. The relay core 1 used in this embodiment has a structure that is harder than the ink occluding body as described above, and that the edge of the leading end of the relay core 1 has a rounded b.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, an ink occluding body 13 is built in a printing ink cartridge 12,
Ink relay section (not shown) of ink discharge section (not shown)
The leading end of the relay core 11 extending from the bag-shaped refill cartridge 14 is inserted through an opening 19 that can be brought into contact with the ink storage 13, and a recess is formed on the ink occluding body 13 so as to be in close contact therewith. Here, the relay core 11 includes a small-diameter holder 21 and a large-diameter holder 20.
And it is not exposed to outside air except for the tip. Moreover, a gap 22 is provided in the side wall of the large diameter holder 20. This gap is provided so that the air (not shown) in the relay core pushed out by the flow of the ink is released in the gap, and the obstruction of the ink flow due to minute air bubbles in the relay core is eliminated. is there.

Here, the relay core 11 is made of a fiber bundle having a higher porosity than the ink occluding body 13, and the ink replenishing cartridge 14 sucked up by the capillary force of the relay core 11.
The ink 15 inside is absorbed by the ink occluding body 13. The printing ink cartridge 12 is provided with an air communication port 17. The refill ink cartridge 14 used in the embodiment of FIG. 5 is a flexible bag made of a laminated film sandwiching an aluminum foil, and converges as the ink is replenished. The ink refill cartridge 14 is filled with compressed air 23 of 3 to 30% together with the ink, so that the ink 15 in the ink refill cartridge 14 is filled.
Can be filled into the printing ink cartridge 12.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing another example of the ink replenishing method of the ink replenishing cartridge shown in FIG. 5, and the head (water head) pressure applied to the opening 19 of the printing ink cartridge 12 is reduced. When the ink storage chamber is inclined so as to be smaller than the vertical state in FIG.
As indicated by the arrow in the figure, the head (water head) pressure applied to the opening 19 can be made smaller than that shown in FIG. Therefore, as the head pressure decreases,
The ink supply speed can be increased.

[0028]

【Example】

Example 1 The ink filling amount at the time of purchase is 8.1 g for each color, and the remaining amount is about 15% (1.2 g) when actually used with a color printing ink cartridge (CANON BC-05) having a built-in sponge ink occluding body. ), The porosity was adjusted to be constant at about 70%, and only the thickness of the fiber was adjusted to 0.0
Refilling was performed using various relay cores changed in the range of 1 to 0.07 mm, and the cumulative change in the amount of ink sucked up (g) was examined. In this case, for refilling, ink was put into a bottle, and ink was sucked into a sponge in a cartridge via a relay core. The weight of the sucked ink was measured by measuring the weight of the bottle containing the ink before refilling, and measuring the weight of the bottle containing the ink at regular time intervals. The results are shown in Table 1. However, the relay core 1 is made of a long fiber made of polyester into a columnar fiber bundle having a sectional area of about 4.5 mmφ. From this result, it is understood that the ink sucking effect is weak when the thickness of the fiber of the relay core is 0.01 mm or 0.07, but the ink sucking effect is excellent in the range of 0.02 to 0.06 mm.

[0029]

[Table 1]

Example 2 An ink cartridge for color printing (CANON BC-05) under the same conditions as in Example 1 had an average fiber thickness of 0.045 mm and only a porosity of the fiber bundle of 40 to 40. Refilling was performed using various types of relay cores changed in a range of 90%, and the total change of the ink suction amount (g) was measured in accordance with the elapse of the suction time (minute) in the same manner as in Example 1. Are shown in Table 2. From this result, it can be seen that the ink sucking effect is weak when the porosity of the relay core is 40% or 90%, but the ink sucking effect is excellent when the porosity is in the range of 50 to 80%.

[0031]

[Table 2]

[0032]

As described above in detail, according to the ink refill cartridge of the present invention, the ink in the refill ink cartridge is efficiently sucked from one end of the relay core by capillary force at the time of refilling the ink. The ink is then replenished by capillary force into the ink storage from the other end in close contact with the ink storage. At this time, the replenishment of the ink is mainly performed by the capillary force of the relay core and the ink occluding body. There is no possibility that the ink is excessively replenished by the head pressure, and the ink does not overflow from the printing cartridge during the supply of the ink. Further, in the case where the relay core is harder than the ink occluding body and has a structure in which the edge of the front end portion is rounded, the front end portion forms a recess in the ink occluding body 3 and is buried, so that the contact area between the two increases, In addition, as a result of the ink occluding body 3 being locally dented and compressed, the capillary force is locally increased to promote the wicking effect. Moreover, since the relay core 1 is not deformed, even when refilling is repeatedly performed, the same relay core 1 is used.
Can be used repeatedly to bring the ink-occluding body 3 into close contact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which ink is replenished by an ink replenishment cartridge which is an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining that the state of close contact with an ink occlusion member varies depending on the shape of the tip of a relay core.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining that a close contact state is different due to a difference in hardness between a relay core and an ink occluding body.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which ink is replenished to an ink cartridge used for color printing having a plurality of ink storage chambers.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which ink is supplied using an ink supply cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which ink is replenished in an inclined state using the ink replenishment cartridge shown in FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 relay core 2 printing ink cartridge 2 ′ color printing cartridge 3 ink occluding body 4, 4 ′ ink replenishment cartridge 5 ink 6 relay core hole 7 atmosphere communication port 8 atmosphere communication port 9 opening 10 ink discharge port (printing head) A) concave portion b roundness of edge c edge perpendicular to edge d space e deformation 20 large-diameter holder 21 small-diameter holder 22 air gap 23 air

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cartridge for refilling ink via a relay core having a capillary force into an ink jet printing cartridge having an ink occluding body in an ink storage chamber, wherein the relay core has an average fiber thickness. 0.0
2 to 0.06 mm, porosity of 50 to 80%,
When a part of the relay core is inserted into the cartridge storing the replenishing ink at the time of ink replenishment, the leading end is inserted from the opening of the ink jet printing cartridge and is brought into close contact with the ink occluding body, whereby An ink replenishing cartridge characterized in that the ink is replenished by the capillary force of the ink occluding body. 2. The ink replenishing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the fibers constituting the relay core are made of polyester long fibers. 3. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the relay core has a structure in which fibers constituting the relay core are aggregated into a columnar fiber bundle, and the edge of the tip portion is rounded. Refill cartridge. 4. The relay core according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the relay core has a hardness such that the tip of the relay core is recessed and buried without being deformed at the time of close contact with the ink absorber. Ink refill cartridge. 5. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the relay core and the cartridge storing the replenishing ink are detachably combined, and the relay core is covered with a holder so as not to be exposed to the outside air when refilling the ink. An ink replenishing cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims.