KR19980081301A - Liquid containment and dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

Ink containing and dispensing devices for ink jet printers typically have a primary reservoir in the form of a flexible pouch supported at atmospheric pressure. The main reservoir is connected to the volumetric chamber through a one-way valve that allows ink to flow from the reservoir to the chamber and prevents ink flow from the chamber to the reservoir. The chamber is connected to a fluid outlet which is normally closed to prevent the flow of outer ink. However, when the ink supply is installed in the printer, the fluid outlet establishes a liquid connection between the chamber and the printer. The chamber is part of a pump having an ink supply that can be operated to supply ink from a reservoir to a printer. The pump includes a linear actuating pumping member and a flexible diaphragm overlying the pumping member, the diaphragm being impermeable to oxygen and moisture passing therethrough to prevent deterioration of the ink in the chamber.

Description

Liquid containment and dispensing device

The present invention relates to a liquid containing device having a self-contained pump for dispensing a liquid having a small set volume. In particular, the present invention relates to a replaceable containing device having the above-described features useful for an ink jet printer for containing a supply of print ink and for dispensing the print ink to a printing head in accordance with the operation of a self-built pump.

The pending US patent application, entitled Ink Supply for Inkjet Printers and filed by Bruce Kager and Norman Paoloski II, is to be separated from the printer ink pen and replaced by emptying the ink supply without the need to replace the printer ink pen. An ink supply for an ink jet printer is described. The ink supply of the aforementioned US patent application includes a self-contained pumping device for dispensing ink from the pumping chamber, which describes a bellows pump as an embodiment of such a pumping device. However, bellows pumps require a significantly wider surface of semi-solid material, such as polymeric material, and have a significantly higher oxygen and moisture transport rate through the bellows material. This oxygen and moisture transfer deteriorates the ink in the ink supply, especially for printers that are not used often. According to the above-mentioned pending US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 429,987, the above and other problems with bellows are a pumping device having a rigid peripheral wall which is formed integrally with the associated chassis structure of the ink supply, and a continuous pattern. This can be avoided by using a flexible moisture oxygen barrier membrane that is placed on the pumping member and heat sealed to the edge of the peripheral wall, the pumping apparatus being movable in a rigid walled pumping chamber to pressurize the ink in the pumping chamber. It is described as including a pumping member that is operated with.

The ink supply according to the aforementioned pending US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 429,987 comprises a pouch made of a sheet of thermoplastic material, which is attached to the lower side of the chassis by heat staking. Thus, the force exerted to displace the pouch from the chassis tensions the thermoplastic, so that the optimal strength of the heat staking connection between the membrane and the rigid member is derived from the heat staked structure. This occurs when there is a tendency to peel off.

In addition, the pouch has been found to be preferably manufactured from a coextruded multilayer material. The multilayer material has an innermost layer formed of a material resistant to deterioration of quality due to contact with an ink such as linear low density polyethylene, and has good vapor barrier properties such as polyethylene terephthalate having an adhesive layer such as silicon dioxide therebetween. It is supported by the outermost layer which is a strength providing material. However, when securing the pouch to the chassis according to the technique described in the above-mentioned US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 429,987, it is necessary to puncture the pouch at the location of the fill port and the inlet port. This exposes the edges of the material to the ink, which otherwise worsens the layer of the pouch that is not in direct contact with the ink.

The above and other problems with the connection between the chassis and the flexible pouch of the liquid containing and dispensing device of U.S. Patent Application No. 08 / 429,987 are that the pouch has an open end which is heat staked on the outer surface of the chassis in an infinite pattern. It can be overcome by the present invention. This mode of attaching the pouch to the chassis results in an increase in the internal volume of the pouch that can be filled with ink for the set overall size of the liquid containing and dispensing device.

The ink containing and dispensing device according to US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 429,987 is installed in an inverted direction, that is, the chassis is located at the bottom of the pouch, which contains the problem that it may leak from the ink outlet due to gravity. have. However, this problem can be overcome if the outlet is in accordance with an embodiment of the invention having an elastomeric partition.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved liquid containing and dispensing apparatus. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus having the above-mentioned characteristics useful for the containment and dispensing of ink in an inkjet printer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid containing and dispensing device with improved connection between a liquid containing pouch and a rigid plastic chassis. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus having the above-mentioned characteristics useful for the containment and dispensing of ink in an inkjet printer.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid containing and dispensing device with improved resistance to leakage when installed in an inverted position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a side view of a liquid containing and dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1;

3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

4 is a plan view of the device shown in FIGS. 1-3 taken along line 4-4 of FIG.

5 is a side view of FIG. 4.

6 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 taken along line 6-6 of FIG.

7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view along line 7-7 of FIG.

8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 7;

FIG. 9 is a partial view similar to FIG. 8 showing the elements of FIG. 8 assembled together; FIG.

Figure 10 is a view like that in Figure 7 of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings]

12: cell 14: pouch

16: chassis 18: pump

22: protective cap 32: filling port

36 pumping chamber

An ink containing and dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention described in the above-mentioned US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 429,987 is shown at 10 in FIG. The ink containing and dispensing apparatus 10 includes a rigid protective cell 12 containing a flexible pouch 14 for containing ink. The cell 12 is attached to a chassis 16 containing a pump 18 and a fluid outlet 20. The protective cap 22 is attached to the chassis 16 and the label 24 is attached to the outside of the cell 12 and the cap 22 to securely hold the cell 12 and the chassis 16 and the cap 22 together. Is attached to. The cap 22 has an opening that allows access to the pump and the fluid outlet.

The device is removably inserted into a docking bay (not shown) in an inkjet printer. When the device 10 is inserted into the printer, the inlet in the docking bay engages with the fluid outlet 20 to allow ink to flow from the device 10 to the printer. An actuator (not shown) of the docking bay is coupled to the pump 18. As the actuator actuates, the pump 18 provides ink from the flexible pouch 14 through the fluid outlet 20 to the liquid inlet of the docking bay and to the printer in a series of small doses with a set volume.

The chassis 16 has a filling port 32 at one end and an outlet port 34 at the other end. Ink may be added to the ink supply portion through the fill port 32 while air displaced by the added ink is discharged through the discharge port 34. After the ink supply is filled, the filling port 32 is sealed with a ball 35 which is press fit into the filling port 32.

Pumping chamber 36 having an open bottom is formed at the bottom of chassis 16 in a rigid peripheral wall 37 integrally formed with chassis 16. As will be described in detail below, the pumping chamber 36 may be pressurized to supply ink to the printer without pressurizing the interior of the pouch 14. An inlet port 38 is provided at the top of the pumping chamber 36 through which ink enters the pumping chamber 36 from the pouch 14 by gravity or other negative pressure in the pumping chamber 36. . An outlet port 40 through which ink is discharged from the pumping chamber 36 is also provided.

The one-way flapper valve 42 located at the bottom of the inlet port 38 functions to limit ink return from the chamber 36 to the pouch 14. The flapper valve 42 is a member made of a square flexible material. In the embodiment shown, the valve 42 is heat staked to the chassis 16 in the middle of its short side. When the pressure in the chamber 36 drops below the pressure in the pouch 14, the unstaked valve side is bent so that ink flows through the inlet port 38 into the chamber 36. By heat staking the valve 42 into the chassis 16 along the opposite side pairs, less bending of the valve is required or permitted than in the case of valves that are heat staked along only a single side, thereby ensuring a more secure seal. This effect is enhanced by heat staking in the middle of the short side rather than the long side.

In the illustrated embodiment, the flapper valve 42 is made of two layers of material. The outer layer is a low density polyethylene layer having a thickness of 0,0381 mm (0,0015 inches). The inner layer is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer with a thickness of 0,0127 mm (0,0005 inches). The flapper valve 42 shown has a width of about 5.5 mm and a length of 8,7 mm. This material is impermeable to the flow of ink through it when the valve 42 is in the closed position.

The bottom of the chamber 36 is covered with a flexible diaphragm 44. The diaphragm 44 is slightly larger than the opening at the bottom of the chamber and is sealed around the free edge of the peripheral wall 37 forming the chamber 36. Excessive material in the diaphragm 44 that is too large causes the diaphragm to bend up and down to change the volume of the chamber 36. In the device shown, displacement of the diaphragm 44 causes the volume of the chamber 36 to change to about 0,7 cm 3. The volume of the fully expanded chamber 36 is about 2,2 to 2,5 cm 3.

In the illustrated embodiment, the diaphragm 44 is a low density polyethylene layer having a thickness of 0,0127 mm (0,0005 inches), an adhesive layer, and a metallized layer having a thickness of 0,0122 mm (0,00048 inches). It is made of a multilayer material having a (metallized) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer, an adhesive layer and a low density polyethylene layer of 0,0127 mm (0,0005 inch). Of course, other suitable materials may also be used to form the diaphragm 44. The diaphragm 44 in the illustrated embodiment is heat staked at the free edge of the wall 37 of the chamber 36 in accordance with conventional methods. During the heat staking process, the low density polyethylene of the diaphragm will seal up wrinkles or overlaps in the diaphragm 44. Thus, the diaphragm 44 is impermeable to the transfer of oxygen and moisture, thereby preventing deterioration caused by exposure of the ink in the chamber 36 to the substrate.

Within chamber 36, pressure plate 46 is positioned adjacent diaphragm 44, which acts as a piston for chamber 36. In the illustrated embodiment, the pump spring 48 made of stainless steel biases the pressure plate 46 relative to the diaphragm 44 to pressurize the diaphragm outward to expand the size of the chamber 36. One end of the pump spring 48 is received on a spike 50 formed at the top of the chamber 36, and the other end of the pump spring 48 has a pressure plate for supporting the pump spring 48 in place. It is accommodated in the spike 52 formed on 46. The pressure plate 46 in the illustrated embodiment is molded from high density polyethylene.

The hollow cylindrical boss 54 extends downwardly from the chassis 16 to form a housing of the fluid outlet 20, and the boss 54 is integrally formed with the chassis 16. The bore 56 of the hollow boss 54 has a narrow neck 54a at its lower end. In the embodiment shown, a sealing ball 58 made of stainless steel is located in the bore 56. The sealing ball 58 is sized to be free to move in the bore 56 but not to pass through the narrow neck 54a. A sealing spring 60 is positioned in the bore 56 to press the sealing ball 58 against the narrow neck 54a to form a seal and prevent the flow of ink through the fluid outlet. In the illustrated embodiment, the support balls 62 made of stainless steel are press fit on the top of the bore to support the sealing spring 60 in place. The bore 56 is shaped to allow free flow of ink through the support ball 62 and into the bore 56.

An elevated manifold 64 is formed at the top of the chassis 16. The manifold 64 forms a cylindrical boss around the top of the fill port 32 and similar bosses around the top of the inlet port 38 so that each of these ports is isolated. The manifold 64 extends around the base of the outlet port 40 and the fluid outlet 20 to form a top open conduit 66 connecting the two outlets.

A flexible ink pouch 14 is attached to the top of the manifold 64 to form a cover for the conduit 66. In the embodiment shown, this may be accomplished by heat staking the square plastic sheet 68 to the top surface of the manifold 64 to strengthen the conduit 66. In the illustrated embodiment, the chassis 16 is molded from high density polyethylene, and the plastic sheet is low density polyethylene with a thickness of 0,0508 mm (0.002 inches). These two materials can be easily heat staked with one another using conventional methods and can also be easily recycled.

After the plastic sheet 68 is attached to the chassis 16, the sheet is folded and sealed around the two sides and the top to form a flexible ink pouch 14. In the embodiment shown, heat staking is used to seal the periphery of the flexible pouch 14. The plastic sheet above the fill port 32 and the inlet port 38 is perforated or penetrated to not block the flow of ink through these ports.

The flexible pouch 14 provides a good method for the incorporation of the ink, but is easily perforated or ruptured resulting in a large amount of water loss from the ink. Thus, to protect the pouch 14 and limit water loss, the pouch 14 is enclosed within the protective cell 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the cell 12 is made of transparent clean polypropylene that can see through the ink in the pouch 14 to determine whether there is an appropriate volume of ink left to properly operate the printer. The thickness that prevented the unacceptable water loss from the ink and provided good protection was found to be about 1 mm. However, the thickness and material of the cell may vary in other embodiments.

The top of the cell 12 includes a plurality of raised ribs 70 to facilitate gripping of the cell 12 when retracting from or inserted into the docking bay. Vertical ribs 72 protrude laterally from each side of the cell 12. Vertical ribs 72 may be received in slots (not shown) of the docking bay to provide stability and side support to the ink supply when positioned in the printer.

The attachment between the cell 12 and the chassis 16 should be able to prevent the chassis from inadvertently separating from the cell and resist ink flow from the cell. However, it is desirable that the attachment does not form a weld seal to allow a slow entry of air into the cell when ink is depleted in the pouch 14 to maintain the pressure inside the cell equal to the atmospheric pressure. Otherwise, negative pressure will develop inside the cell, disrupting the flow of ink from the pouch. However, the inflow of air must be limited to maintain high humidity inside the cell and to minimize water loss from the ink.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cell 12 and flexible pouch 14 comprising it have a capacity to support about 30 cm 3 of ink. The cell has a width of 67 mm, a thickness of 15 mm and a height of 60 mm. The flexible pouch 14 is sized to fill the cell without excessive excess material. Of course, other types of dimensions are possible to meet the requirements of each given printer.

To fill the device 10, ink is ejected through the fill port 32. When filled, the flexible pouch 14 expands to fill the cell 12. When ink enters the pouch, the sealing ball 58 is pressurized to open the fluid outlet, and a partial vacuum can be applied to the fluid outlet 20. The partial vacuum at the fluid outlet causes the ink from the pouch 14 to fill the chamber 36 and the bore of the conduit 66 and the cylindrical boss 54 so that a small amount of air may be in contact with the ink. The partial vacuum applied to the fluid outlet increases the speed of the filling process. To facilitate rapid filling of the pouch, a discharge port 34 is provided to allow air from the cell to escape when the pouch is inflated. Once the ink supply is filled, the ball 35 is pressurized into the filling port 32 to prevent the escape of ink or the inflow of air.

Of course, other methods may also be used to fill existing ink containing and dispensing devices. That is, it is desirable to let the entire device flow out of carbon dioxide before filling the device with ink. In this way, the gas trapped in the device during the filling process will be carbon dioxide, not air. This is good because carbon dioxide rather than air dissolves some of the ink. In general, it is desirable to remove as much air from the device as possible to prevent bubbles or the like from entering the printer head or trailing tube.

Protective cap 22 is placed on device 10 after the pouch is filled. The protective cap has a groove 80 that receives a rib 82 in the chassis to attach the cap to the chassis. The cap carries a lug 84 that closes the discharge port 34 to limit air flow into the chassis and reduce water loss from the ink. The studs 86 extend from each end of the chassis 16 and are received in the openings of the cap 22 to help align the cap and strengthen the connection between the cap and the chassis. The free end of the stud 86, which extends beyond the opening of the cap 22, is brought into contact with the heated tool, for example by contacting the heated tool to provide a tamper resistant attachment of the cap to the chassis 16. It is well deformed after being seated. The label 24 is also secured to the side of the device 10 to firmly support the cells 12, chassis 16 and cap 22. In the illustrated embodiment, a hot melt pressure sensitive agent or other adhesive is used to attach the label in a manner that prevents the label from peeling and prohibits tampering with the ink supply.

The cap 22 has vertical ribs 90 protruding from each side in the illustrated embodiment. The rib 90 is an extension of the vertical rib 72 on the cell and is received in a slot provided in the docking bay in a manner similar to the vertical rib 72. Together with the ribs 90, the caps 22 have protruding keys 92 located on each side of the ribs 90. One or more keys 92 may be selectively deleted or changed to provide unique recognition of each ink supply in color or form. An engagement key (not shown) identifying the particular shape or color of the ink supply may be formed in the docking bay. In this way, the user will not be able to inadvertently insert other shapes or colored ink supplies into the docking bay. This arrangement is particularly advantageous in multicolor printers with docking bays for various colored ink supplies.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, elements corresponding to the elements of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 9 have been given numbers of 100 series, and the last two digits are corresponding elements of the embodiment shown in Figs. Is the number of digits representing.

The ink containing and dispensing apparatus of FIG. 10 is shown at 110 and corresponds to the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 9 except as described below. This device 110 includes a rigid protective cell 112 that is open at one end and contains a flexible pouch 114 for containing ink. The open end of the pouch 114 and the cell 112 are attached to a chassis 116 that receives the pump 118 and the fluid outlet 120. Protective cap 122 is attached to the chassis 116. Opposite ends of the pouch 114, not shown, are closed.

Device 110 is removably inserted into a docking bay, not shown, in an inkjet printer. When the device 110 is inserted into the printer, the inlet in the docking bay engages with the fluid outlet 120 to allow ink to flow from the device 110 to the printer. An actuator (not shown) of the docking bay is coupled with the pump 118. As the actuator actuates, the pump 118 provides ink from the flexible pouch 114 through the fluid outlet 120 to the liquid inlet of the docking bay and to the printer in a series of small doses having a set volume.

The chassis 116 has a fill port 132. Ink may be added to the ink supply through the fill port 132, and after the ink supply is filled, the fill port 132 is sealed with a ball 135 that is press fit with the fill port 132.

Pumping chamber 136 having an open bottom is formed at the bottom of chassis 116 in a rigid peripheral wall 137 integrally formed with chassis 116. As will be described in detail below, the chamber 136 may be pressurized to supply ink to the printer without pressurizing the interior of the pouch 114. An inlet port 138 is provided at the top of the pumping chamber 36 through which ink enters the pumping chamber 136 from the pouch 114 by gravity or other negative pressure in the pumping chamber 136. .

The one-way flapper valve 142 located at the bottom of the inlet port 138 functions to limit ink return from the chamber 136 to the pouch 114. The flapper valve 142 is located on the bottom of the inlet port 138 as a member of a square flexible material. When the pressure in the chamber 136 drops below the pressure in the pouch 114, the unstaked valve side flexes and ink flows into the chamber 136 through the inlet port 138.

The bottom of the chamber 136 is covered with a flexible diaphragm 144. The diaphragm 144 is slightly larger than the opening of the chamber bottom and is sealed around the free edge of the peripheral wall 137 forming the chamber 136. Excessive material in diaphragm 144 that is too large causes the diaphragm to bend up and down to change the volume of chamber 136. Within chamber 136, pressure plate 146 is positioned adjacent diaphragm 144, which acts as a piston for chamber 136. The pump spring 148 presses the diaphragm outwards to bias the pressure plate 146 relative to the diaphragm 144 so that the size of the chamber 136 expands. One end of the pump spring 148 is received on a spike 150 formed on the top of the chamber 136, the other end of the pump spring 148 is a pressure plate for supporting the pump spring 148 in place Housed in spike 152 formed on 146. The pressure plate 46 in the illustrated embodiment is molded from high density polyethylene.

The hollow cylindrical boss 154 extends downwardly from the chassis 116 to form a housing of the fluid outlet 120, and the boss 154 is integrally formed with the chassis 116. The bore 156 of the hollow boss 154 has a narrow neck 154a at its lower end. The sealing ball 158 may be freely moved within the bore 156 but has a size that cannot pass through the narrow neck 154a. Seal spring 160 is positioned in bore 156 to press seal ball 58 against narrow neck 154a to form a seal and prevent the flow of ink through the fluid outlet.

The flexible ink pouch 114 includes an open end 114a positioned adjacent to the chassis 116, which has an endless annular skirt 116a. The inside of the open end 114a of the pouch 114 is heat staked with respect to the outside of the skirt 116a of the chassis 116 in an infinite pattern. Thus, a load that intends to separate the pouch 114 from the chassis 116 will attempt to peel off the open end 114a of the pouch 114 from the skirt 116a of the chassis 116, if the open end of the pouch 114. If the overlap between 114a and skirt 116a of chassis 116 provides sufficient axial extension of the heat staking area, the peel strength of the plastic film from the rigid plastic member becomes quite strong.

Heat staking the open end 114a of the pouch 114 on the outside of the annular skirt 116a may protrude from the contact with the ink at the free edge of the open end 114a of the pouch 114 and thereby be exacerbated. have. Of course, the contents of the pouch 114 do not provide deterioration of the component material of the pouch 114, and the open end 114a of the pouch 114 is heat staked inside the annular skirt 116a.

When such a multilayer material is used to form the pouch 114, an adhesive is applied between the innermost layer and the outermost layer, in fact between the silicon dioxide layer and the outermost layer deposited inside the innermost layer. In any case, using the configuration as described above, the ink cannot contact any part of the pouch 114 except the innermost layer, and the edge of the open end 114a of the pouch 114 is the pouch. Contact with ink is prevented by heat staking the open end 114a of the 114 into the skirt 116a of the chassis 116.

For optimum service, the pouch 1140 is formed into a composite layer by co-extrusion, for example. When the pouch 114 is formed into a composite layer, the innermost layer excellent in resistance to deterioration due to contact with ink. Linear low density polyethylene is a very useful material for this function The material of pouch 114 has an outermost layer of good oxygen permeability and high tensile strength, such as polyethylene terephthalate or polypropylene.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 11, elements corresponding to the elements of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 9 are given numbers of 200 series, and the last two digits correspond to the corresponding elements of the embodiment shown in Figs. Is the number of digits representing.

The ink containing and dispensing apparatus of FIG. 11 is shown at 210 and corresponds to the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 9 except as described below. This device 210 includes a rigid protective cell 212 that is open at one end and contains a flexible pouch 214 to contain ink. The open end of the pouch 214 and the cell 212 are attached to the chassis 216 which receives the pump 218 and the fluid outlet 220. Protective cap 222 is attached to the chassis 216. Opposite ends of the pouch 214, not shown, are closed.

The device 210 is removably inserted into a docking bay, not shown, in an inkjet printer in the same manner as the device 10 of the embodiment of FIGS. When the device 210 is inserted into the plant, the fluid inlet in the docking bay engages with the fluid outlet 220 to allow ink to flow from the device 210 to the printer, similar to the arrangement of the device of the embodiment of FIGS. do. An actuator (not shown) of the docking bay is coupled with the pump 218. As the actuator actuates, the pump 218 provides ink from the flexible pouch 214 through the fluid outlet 220 to the liquid inlet of the docking bay and to the printer in a series of small doses having a set volume.

The chassis 216 has a fill port 232 at one end. Ink may be added to the ink supply via the fill port 232, and after the ink supply is filled, the fill port 232 is sealed with a ball 235 that is press-fit to the fill port 232. Pumping chamber 236 having an open bottom is formed at the bottom of chassis 216 in a rigid peripheral wall 237 integrally formed with chassis 216. As described in detail below, the chamber 236 may be pressurized to supply ink to the printer without pressurizing the interior of the pouch 214. An inlet port 238 is installed on top of the chamber 236 through which ink enters the chamber 236 from the pouch 214 by gravity or other negative pressure within the chamber 236.

The one-way flapper valve 242 is located at the bottom of the inlet port 238 and functions to limit ink return from the chamber 236 to the pouch 214. When the pressure in the chamber 236 drops below the pressure in the pouch 214, the unstaked valve side flexes and ink flows into the chamber 236 through the inlet port 238.

The bottom of the chamber 236 is covered with a flexible diaphragm 244. The diaphragm 244 is slightly larger than the opening of the chamber bottom and is sealed around the free edge of the peripheral wall 237 forming the chamber 236. Excessive material in diaphragm 244 that is too large causes the diaphragm to bend up and down to change the volume of chamber 236.

Within chamber 236, pressure plate 246 is positioned adjacent diaphragm 244, which acts as a piston for chamber 236. Leaf-type pump spring 248 presses diaphragm 244 outward to bias pressure plate 246 relative to diaphragm 244 such that chamber 236 expands in size.

The hollow cylindrical boss 254 extends downwardly from the chassis 216 to form a housing of the fluid outlet 220, and the boss 254 is integrally formed with the chassis 216. The bore 256 of the hollow boss 254 has an outlet opening 256a at its lower end, which opening 256a is closed by a frictionally fixed elastomeric partition 255. The partition 255 has a slit 255a for guiding ink to flow, but the slit 255a of the partition 255 prevents leakage of ink through the partition 255 when the ink is pressurized by gravity alone. Is closed to prevent. A sealing spring 260 is located in the bore 256 to press the sealing ball 258 against the interior of the partition 255, in particular against a portion of the partition 255 that includes the slit 255a.

The liquid containing and dispensing apparatus of various embodiments of the present invention is described as a device for containing and dispensing printing ink in an inkjet printer as a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention can also be readily applied to the containment and distribution of liquids of other Newton theories (low viscosity).

The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, and is not limited thereto, and one of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the appended claims.

Claims (11)

In a liquid containing and dispensing device having a rigid cup-shaped outer cell with an open end, a chassis having a pumping mechanism fixed at the open end of the cell and having a fluid outlet, a closed end located within the cell and a liquid connection with the pumping mechanism. A flexible pouch having an open end that is configured to separate the flexible pouch from the pumping mechanism and prevent the flow of fluid from the pumping mechanism into the flexible pouch to dispense liquid through the fluid outlet and the liquid from the flexible pouch into the pumping mechanism. A liquid containing and dispensing device comprising a check valve to enable flow, And the chassis includes a suspended peripheral wall, wherein the open end of the flexible pouch is secured to the peripheral wall of the chassis in a liquid sealing manner. 2. The chassis of claim 1 wherein the chassis is made of a polymeric material, wherein the flexible pouch includes at least one innermost portion formed of a polymeric material, wherein the flexible pouch is secured to the chassis by heat staking. Liquid containing and dispensing apparatus. 3. The liquid containing and dispensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the open end of the flexible pouch is secured to an outer surface of the peripheral wall of the chassis. 2. The liquid containing and dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid outlet has a free end and the free end of the fluid outlet is closed by an elastomeric partition having self-closing slits. In a liquid containing and dispensing device having a rigid cup-shaped outer cell with an open end, a chassis having a pumping mechanism fixed at the open end of the cell and having a fluid outlet, a closed end located within the cell and a liquid connection with the pumping mechanism. A flexible pouch having an open end that is configured to separate the flexible pouch from the pumping mechanism and prevent the flow of fluid from the pumping mechanism into the flexible pouch to dispense liquid through the fluid outlet and the liquid from the flexible pouch into the pumping mechanism. A liquid containing and dispensing device comprising a check valve enabling flow, and a fluid outlet taking the form of a tube, And the opening of the tube comprises an annular elastomeric member secured thereto. 6. A liquid containing and dispensing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for resiliently biasing the sealing member and the sealing member engaged with the elastomeric member. 7. A liquid containing and dispensing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said resiliently biasing means comprises a spring having a first end engaging with said sealing member and a second end engaging with said chassis. A method for preventing leakage in a liquid containing and dispensing apparatus having a tubular fluid outlet having a free end, Securing an annular elastomeric member having a self-closing slit to the free end of the tube. 9. A method of preventing leakage of a liquid containing and dispensing device according to claim 8, further comprising the step of resiliently biasing the sealing ball with respect to the inner portion of the partition including the slit. A method of preventing liquid deterioration of the free edge of the open end of a liquid-containing, multi-layer flexible pouch in liquid flow connection with a chassis of a liquid containing and dispensing device, Providing a peripheral wall suspended from the chassis, Securing an endless portion of the inner surface of the flexible pouch to the outer surface of the suspended peripheral wall, the liquid pout of the free edge of the open end of the flexible pouch. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the suspended peripheral wall is formed of a thermoplastic material, and at least one inner layer of the flexible pouch is formed of a thermoplastic material, and the flexible pouch is formed on the suspended peripheral wall by heat staking. A method of preventing liquid deterioration of the free edge of the open end of a flexible pouch, characterized in that it is fixed.