KR102066853B1 - Refillable ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to a rechargeable ink cartridge, wherein a rechargeable ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a cartridge housing including an ink storage chamber having an upper portion thereof open and storing ink in an internal space; And a cartridge cover sealing the upper surface of the cartridge housing and supplying ink injected from the outside to the ink reservoir.

Description

Rechargeable Ink Cartridge {REFILLABLE INK CARTRIDGE}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to a rechargeable ink cartridge, and more particularly, to a rechargeable ink cartridge capable of conveniently refilling ink by an individual user.

In general, an ink cartridge used in an inkjet printer is composed of an ink container in which ink is stored and a head part for ejecting ink, and the ink is ejected from the head part to paper according to a printing command of the printer so that printing is performed.

Since the ink cartridge used in this way is a one-time use, when all the ink filled inside is consumed, the ink cartridge itself has been replaced with a new one. However, recently, in order to recycle resources and prevent environmental pollution, the ink cartridge has been exhausted. There is a trend towards refilling and reusing ink in ink cartridges without disposing of them, and these ink refills are economically advantageous because they are much less expensive than replacing the ink cartridges with new ones, especially protecting the environment and resources. In terms of preventing waste, the utility and importance are increasing.

Domestic Patent No. 10-1361417

It is an object of the present application to provide a rechargeable ink cartridge that enables an individual user to conveniently perform ink refilling.

The present application is to provide a refillable ink cartridge that can uniformly supply ink to the ink reservoir using the cartridge cover.

The present application is to provide a rechargeable ink cartridge capable of smoothly performing ink injection and internal air discharge using a cartridge cover.

Rechargeable ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge housing (Cartridge housing) having an upper opening, including an ink storage chamber for storing the ink in the interior space; And a cartridge cover sealing the upper surface of the cartridge housing and supplying ink injected from the outside to the ink reservoir.

Here, the cartridge cover, the ink injection port for receiving the ink from the outside, and drawn into the cartridge cover; A flow path unit connected to the ink injection hole and configured to transfer a plurality of flow paths to the ink supply points by forming a plurality of flow paths through the flow path walls; And ink inlets respectively formed at the ink supply points to introduce the ink into the ink storage chamber.

The cartridge cover may further include an air discharge port for discharging air discharged from the ink storage chamber in response to the ink supplied from the ink inlet.

Here, the air discharge port may be formed in a cover area in which an area is partitioned by the flow path wall of the flow path.

Here, the flow path may have a lower thickness of the flow path gradually from the ink injection hole to the ink injection hole.

The cartridge cover may further include a ventilation hole formed at an upper end of the flow path wall and connecting the cover area and the flow path, the area being partitioned by the flow path wall.

Here, the cartridge housing may have a shape integrally formed by combining two rectangular parallelepiped shapes so as to cross each other.

The cartridge cover may distinguish the upper surfaces of the two rectangular parallelepipeds into a plurality of areas, and set the ink supply points to correspond to the respective areas.

The ink inlet may be formed at both ends of the ink supply point formed in a rectangular shape.

The cartridge housing may further include a sponge for absorbing the ink in the ink reservoir.

In addition, the solution of the said subject does not enumerate all the characteristics of this invention. Various features of the present invention and the advantages and effects thereof may be understood in more detail with reference to the following specific embodiments.

According to the rechargeable ink cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention, an individual user can conveniently perform ink refilling. That is, the individual user can easily refill the ink by connecting the filling equipment to the ink injection hole and injecting the ink.

According to the rechargeable ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, the ink can be uniformly distributed and supplied to the ink reservoir using the cartridge cover. Therefore, the ink can be evenly absorbed by the sponge located in the ink reservoir.

According to the rechargeable ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the air inside the cartridge can be smoothly discharged during the ink injection, the ink can be easily injected.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a rechargeable ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing a rechargeable ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view showing the cartridge cover of the rechargeable ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the top and bottom of the cartridge cover of the rechargeable ink cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the cartridge cover of the rechargeable ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention may be variously modified and have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the numbers (eg, first, second, etc.) used in the description process of the present specification are merely identification symbols for distinguishing one component from another component.

Further, in the present specification, when one component is referred to as "connected" or "connected" with another component, the one component may be directly connected or directly connected to the other component, but in particular It is to be understood that, unless there is an opposite substrate, it may be connected or connected via another component in the middle.

In addition, in the present specification, the components represented by '~ unit (unit)', 'module', etc., two or more components are combined into one component or two or more components for each functionalized function May be differentiated into In addition, each component to be described below may additionally perform some or all of the functions of other components in addition to the main functions of which they are responsible, and some of the main functions of each of the components may be different. Of course, it may be carried out exclusively by the component.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a rechargeable ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a rechargeable ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, a rechargeable ink cartridge 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a cartridge housing 110 and a cartridge cover 120.

1 and 2, a rechargeable ink cartridge 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The rechargeable ink cartridge 100 can easily refill ink by an individual user. As shown in FIG. 1, the rechargeable ink cartridge 100 may be formed by combining the cartridge housing 110 and the cartridge cover 120.

The cartridge housing 110 is open at an upper portion thereof and may include an ink storage chamber 111 for storing ink in an internal space. Here, the shape of the ink storage chamber 111 may be variously formed according to the type of printer. The lower portion of the cartridge housing 110 may be a head portion (not shown) for ejecting the stored ink, through which the ink is sprayed on the printing paper may be performed printing. Here, a filter (not shown) for preventing impurities from flowing into the head portion, or an inlet (not shown), which is a passage through which ink passing through the filter is supplied to the head portion, may be further disposed. In addition, according to the exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a sponge 112 may be further included in the ink storage chamber 111 of the cartridge housing 110 to absorb and store ink.

On the other hand, the cartridge housing 110 may be implemented in a shape in which the two rectangular parallelepiped in close contact with each other in the width direction to shift each other. Here, the rectangular parallelepiped does not mean only a geometrically correct rectangular parallelepiped, but also includes a shape that can be considered as a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, even if a vertex portion is rounded, or a part of a corner is protruded or recessed. In this case, it is possible to easily combine the plurality of rechargeable ink cartridges 100 in the longitudinal direction or the width direction, thereby improving the expandability of the rechargeable ink cartridge 100. That is, embodiments such as connecting the plurality of rechargeable ink cartridges 100 to expand the print width are possible.

The cartridge cover 120 may seal the upper surface of the cartridge housing 110, and when the rechargeable ink cartridge 100 is filled, the cartridge cover 120 may supply ink injected from the outside to the ink reservoir 111. As shown in FIG. 2, when the ink is not filled, the ink injection hole cover 300 may be fastened to the ink injection hole 121 to seal the cartridge cover 120. Here, the ink injection hole cover 300 may be formed in various ways, such as to be coupled to the ink injection hole 121 by screwing or inserted in a fitting manner. In addition, the ink injection hole cover 300 may be connected to the rechargeable ink cartridge 100 by a separate connection wire (not shown) in order to prevent loss or damage during the ink filling operation.

When the ink is refilled in the rechargeable ink cartridge 100, the filling equipment 200 may be used as shown in FIG. 1, and the fastening unit 210 and the ink supply hose 220 may be used in the filling equipment 200. ) And ink filling tube 230 may be included.

When refilling is performed, the fastening part 210 may be connected to the ink injection hole 121, and the ink filling tube 230 may be pumped. In this case, the ink stored in the ink filling tube 230 may be supplied into the ink injection hole 121 through the ink supply hose 220, and the ink supplied to the ink injection hole 121 may be supplied through the cartridge cover 120. It may be supplied to the ink reservoir 111. In this case, the cartridge cover 120 may supply the ink flowing into the ink storage chamber 111 evenly. After the filling of the rechargeable ink cartridge 100 is completed, the fastening part 210 is separated from the ink inlet 121, and the ink inlet cover 300 is fastened to the ink inlet 121 to fasten the cartridge cover 120. It can be sealed.

3 and 4 are exploded perspective and plan views showing the cartridge cover of the rechargeable ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the cartridge cover 120 includes an ink inlet 121, a flow path 122, an ink inlet 123, an air outlet 124, a vent 125, an air passage 126, and The distribution plate 127 may be included.

Hereinafter, a cartridge cover 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

As shown in Figure 3, the cartridge cover 120 may be implemented by combining the upper plate (C1) and the lower plate (C2), the cartridge cover 120 may be formed therein a space to move the ink and air therein have.

The upper plate C1 may include an ink injection hole 121 and an air passage 126. The ink injection hole 121 of the upper plate C1 may be combined with the filling structure 200 and supply ink to the inside of the cartridge cover 120. In this case, the air passage part 126 may discharge the air discharged from the ink reservoir 111 located in the cartridge housing 110 to the outside in response to the supply of ink. The air passage part 126 may include grooves of a snake pattern, and both ends of the snake pattern may be connected to a through hole penetrating the upper and lower surfaces of the upper plate C1. In addition, the air passage part 126 may include a film sealing the snake pattern, the snake pattern by the film may form an air vent (air vent path).

According to the air passage part 126 of this structure, the outside air can communicate with the inside of the cartridge cover 120 through the snake pattern, through which the ink reservoir 111 connected by the cartridge cover 120 is appropriate. Negative pressure can be maintained. In addition, since the inflow and outflow of air is limited by the long air passage included in the snake pattern, it is possible to prevent the ink stored in the rechargeable ink cartridge 100 from being evaporated.

The lower plate C1 may distribute the inflowing ink to supply the ink to the ink storage chamber 111 of the cartridge housing 110, and discharge the air from the ink storage chamber 111 to the outside to facilitate the injection of ink. . In detail, the lower plate C1 may include a flow path part 122, an ink inlet 123, an air outlet 124, a ventilation hole 125, and a distribution plate 127.

The flow path part 122 may form a plurality of flow paths through the flow path wall w, and transfer ink to the plurality of ink supply points A through the flow path, respectively. That is, instead of simply injecting ink into the ink storage chamber 111 through the ink injection hole 121, the injected ink is distributed to the plurality of ink supply points A through respective flow paths, and then each ink supply point In (A), ink can be supplied to the ink reservoir 111.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower thickness of the flow passage may gradually become thinner from the ink injection hole 121 toward the ink supply point A. As shown in FIG. That is, the lower portion of the flow path may have an inclination, and the ink introduced therethrough may easily move toward the ink inlet 123 by gravity.

The ink inlet 123 may be formed at each ink supply point A, and may supply ink flowing through the flow path to the ink storage chamber 111 located under the cartridge cover 120. Here, since the ink supply points A are located at a predetermined interval apart as shown in FIG. 4, the ink supplied to the ink storage chamber 111 through the ink inlet 123 is specified in the ink storage chamber 111. Not only the ink is injected into the region, but the ink may be evenly distributed and injected into the ink reservoir 111.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the cartridge housing 110 may have a shape in which two rectangular parallelepiped are alternately stacked, and an ink storage 111 may be located in each rectangular parallelepiped. In this case, a sponge 112 may be inserted into each ink storage 111. Here, when ink is supplied from one ink inlet 123, ink is injected only to a part of the sponge 112, and thus ink may not be properly injected into the remaining area of the sponge 112. Therefore, for efficient ink supply to the sponge 112, a plurality of ink supply points A can be set and ink can be supplied at each ink supply point A. FIG.

According to the embodiment, the ink storage chamber 111 can be divided into three regions of the upper, middle, and lower portions, and then the position of the ink supply point A can be set to correspond to each region. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink supply point A may be formed in a rectangular shape, and the ink inlets 123 may be located at both ends of the ink supply point A. FIG.

The air outlet 124 may discharge the air discharged from the ink storage chamber 111 in response to the ink supplied from the ink inlet 123. In order to easily inject ink into the ink storage chamber 111, it is necessary to discharge the air corresponding to the supplied ink to the outside. To this end, the lower plate C2 may include a plurality of air outlets 124, and the air of the ink storage chamber 111 positioned below the lower plate C2 may be discharged through the air outlet 124. .

Here, the air outlet 124 may be formed in the cover areas q1 to q8 where the area is partitioned by the flow path wall w of the flow path. That is, since ink must flow in the flow path, the air outlet 124 may be formed in a region other than the flow path. Here, each of the cover areas q1 to q8 corresponds to a space formed by being blocked by the flow path wall w, and a plurality of air outlets 124 may be formed in each of the cover areas q1 to q8.

The ventilation hole 125 may be formed at an upper end of the flow path wall w, and may be connected between the cover areas q1 to q8 and the flow path by the ventilation hole 125. The air introduced into the cartridge cover 120 through the air outlet 124 may be blocked by the flow path wall w to stay in each cover region q1 to q8. However, in order for the air to be easily discharged to the outside, it is necessary to allow the air to move in various directions. Therefore, the vent hole 125 is formed on the flow path wall w so that the air introduced into the respective cover areas q1 to q8 can move freely inside the cartridge cover 120. Thereafter, the air inside the cartridge cover 120 may be discharged to the outside of the cartridge cover 120 through the air passage 126.

In addition, the distribution plate 127 may distribute the ink flowing into the lower plate C1 and provide the same evenly to each flow path. The distribution plate 121 may be positioned below the ink injection hole 121 and may be connected to the flow path 122. That is, the distribution plate 121 is connected to the flow path walls w of the respective flow paths included in the flow path part 122, so that the same opening area of each flow path may be provided so that the same amount of ink flows into each flow path. The same can be formed. Therefore, the ink flowing into the ink injection hole 121 may be evenly distributed by the distribution plate 121 and flow into the respective flow paths.

The present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiment and the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be substituted, modified, and changed in accordance with the present invention without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

100: rechargeable ink cartridge 110: cartridge housing
111: ink reservoir 112: sponge
120: cartridge cover 121: ink inlet
122: flow path 123: ink inlet
124: air outlet 125: vent
126: air passage section 127: distribution plate
200: filling equipment 210: fastening portion
220: ink supply hose 230: ink filling tube

Claims (10)

A cartridge housing having an upper opening and including an ink reservoir for storing ink in an inner space; And
A cartridge cover sealing the upper surface of the cartridge housing and supplying ink injected from the outside to the ink reservoir,
The cartridge cover
An ink inlet for receiving the ink from the outside and introducing the ink into the cartridge cover;
A flow path portion connected to the ink injection hole and configured to transfer a plurality of flow paths to the ink supply points by forming a plurality of flow paths through the flow path walls; And
And an ink inlet formed at each of the ink supply points to introduce the ink into the ink reservoir.
delete The method of claim 1, wherein the cartridge cover
And an air discharge port for discharging air discharged from the ink storage chamber in correspondence with the ink supplied from the ink injection port.
According to claim 3, The air outlet is
And a cover region in which a region is partitioned by the passage wall of the passage.
The method of claim 1, wherein the flow path is
Rechargeable ink cartridges, characterized in that the lower thickness of the flow path is gradually thinner from the ink inlet to the ink inlet.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cartridge cover
And an air vent formed at an upper end of the flow path wall to connect the cover area and the flow path, the area being partitioned by the flow path wall.
The cartridge housing of claim 1 wherein the cartridge housing is
Rechargeable ink cartridge, characterized in that having a shape formed integrally by combining two rectangular parallelepiped.
The method of claim 7, wherein the cartridge cover
And distinguishing the upper surfaces of the two rectangular parallelepipeds into a plurality of areas, and setting the ink supply points to correspond to the respective areas.
The method of claim 8, wherein the ink inlet
Rechargeable ink cartridges, characterized in that formed at both ends of the ink supply point is formed in a rectangular shape.
The cartridge housing of claim 1 wherein the cartridge housing is
And a sponge for absorbing the ink in the ink reservoir.

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