MXPA97005066A - Ink cartridge and load mechanism for the it cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge comprising: an ink cartridge main body, the ink cartridge main body is formed with corners forming walls, a reinforcement emboss and positioning that is shaped so as to project from a corner portion of at least one of the walls of the ink cartridge main body, an opening formed by the walls, an opening end edge positioned adjacent to the opening and extending along the walls of the cartridge main body of ink, the opening end edge has a thick wall, and a cover body that covers the opening of the main body of the ink cartridge, and the cover body includes a charged foam pressure relief extending along the body of the cartridge. cover, and is shaped so as to project to an inner surface of the cover body to press a charged foam placed in the main body of the cartridge. nta, and a relief that maintains the shape formed on the inner surface of the cover body, and that extends from the charged foam pressure relief towards the opening end edge and comes into contact with an inner surface of the opening end edge of the main body of the ink cartridge, the relief that maintains the shape is used so that the inner surface of the opening end edge, when deformed inwards, is gradually pressed into a correct one when the cover body is placed in the main body of the cartridge , the pressure relief of charged foam is formed integrally with the relief that keeps the

Description

INK CARTRIDGE AND LOAD MECHANISM FOR INK CARTRIDGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge used for an inkjet printer and a loading mechanism for said ink cartridge. 2. Description of the Prior Art Printers designed to make a registration using a liquid ink, particularly inkjet printers, use an ink cartridge such as that described by the present application in Japanese Patent Publications Nos. He. 5-270001 and He. 7-125238. An ink cartridge of this type is usually formed of polystyrene having an appropriate degree of property to maintain the shape and the ink is loaded into said ink cartridge under reduced pressure. Since it is easy for polystyrene to be permeable to water vapor, if the ink cartridge has been in storage for a long period, the viscosity of the ink increases due to the evaporation of moisture, which in turn imposes the problem of Defective ejection of ink droplets out of the nozzles and therefore impairs reliability. In addition, if an ink whose surface tension is low, is used to allow droplets of ink to be ejected out of the tiny nozzles, bubbles occur during the operation of charging the ink under reduced pressure and film bonding operation, which in turn, it causes the inconvenience that the ink is thrown out of the ink cartridge. Incidentally, an ink cartridge used for serial inkjet printers requires that an ink supply needle projecting from the back of the registration head be properly aligned with an ink supply port. regardless of its ability to be charged to a cartridge. To achieve this goal a loading mechanism for loading an ink cartridge to a cartridge proposed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. He 7-32049 is characterized by pushing a coupling projection with a coupling groove formed on a side surface of the ink cartridge by turning a lever, the projection coupling projecting from an internal side surface of the lever. However, said loading mechanism addresses the following drawback. That is, since the coupling projection rotates about the pivot along with the lever, a force of components directed at right angles to the registration head is applied to the ink cartridge due to friction with the coupling projection. As a result, said force of components probably breaks the supply needle projection from behind the registration head. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of these problems. An objective of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a novel ink cartridge that has sufficient rigidity even if a soft synthetic resin such as polypropylene is used which is hard to permeate water vapor but has poor property that maintains the shape . Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel ink cartridge that does not cause ink to be thrown by bubbles produced during the charging operation of the ink and the like. Furthermore, still another object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a novel ink cartridge and a charging mechanism for said novel ink cartridge that can correctly charge and discharge the ink cartridge in parallel with the axial center of an ink cartridge. ink supply needle. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink cartridge comprising an ink cartridge main body being molded using a soft synthetic resin material and having a reinforcing and placing edge being formed so as to project from a corner portion of a peripheral wall of said ink cartridge main body, an opening front edge of said main body of the ink cartridge being thick wall; and a cover body covering an opening of said main body of the ink cartridge and said cover body including a foamed foam pressing the edge that is formed so as to project from an inner surface of said cover body in a longitudinal direction by pressing a foam charged in said main body of ink cartridge; and an edge that holds the shape by contacting an inner side surface of said opening end edge of said ink cartridge main body and being formed on an outer side of said loaded foam press edge, said press edge. of charged foam being formed integrally with said edge that maintains the shape. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink cartridge comprising a depression to be coupled with part of a lifting member, said depression and said ink supply port being formed on a lower surface of a main body of ink cartridge. In addition, a loading mechanism for an ink cartridge is provided comprising: a cartridge charging member having an ink supply needle communicating with a registration head and projected towards an internal depth thereof; a guide portion on one side of an internal surface of said cartridge loading member, said guide portion extending in parallel with an axial center of the ink supply needle; a cover body being interchangeably attached to an opening of said cartridge loading member; a lifting member being supported by a cover body, the lifting member being movable with a free end thereof guided by said guide portion, said cover body being interchangeably connected to said cartridge loading member.; and a support rod of a free end portion of said lifting member, said support rod supporting the ink cartridge while engaging a depression formed in a lower surface of the ink cartridge. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAMETERS In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of an ink cartridge, which is an embodiment of the present invention; Figures 2 (a) and 2 (b) are bottom views showing respective embodiments of the cartridge; Figures 3 (a) and 3 (b) are diagrams showing respectively an internal surface and a cross section of a cartridge cover body; Figure 4 is a top view of the cover body; Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main portion of the cartridge and the cover body; Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the cartridge; Figure 7 is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge for a color printer, which is another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 is a bottom view of the cartridge; Figures 9 (a) and 9 (b) are diagrams showing respectively an inner surface and a cross section of a cartridge cover body; Figure 10 is a top view of the cover body; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a cartridge having a cartridge loading mechanism, which is an embodiment of the present invention; Figures 12 (a) to 12 (d) are illustrations of a cartridge loading operation in sequence; Figure 13 is a diagram showing a condition in which a cartridge is loaded with surfaces of the cartridge facing in the wrong directions; and Figure 14 is a diagram showing part of the cartridge in a pack condition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES The modalities of the present invention will now be described. Figures 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 1 to 6, the reference number 1 denotes a main body of the ink cartridge, which is made of polypropylene and which substantially has a rectangular solid structure of an ink cartridge 120. Both end walls 2, 2, in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral walls of the main body 1 are made thicker than the side walls 3 in the longitudinal direction and an open edge 4 in the upper part is also thicker so that it protrudes outwards. As a result of this construction, sufficient rigidity is given to the main body of the ink cartridge 1. In addition, reliefs 6 •• •• are integrally formed so that they project from the corner portions of the end walls 2 and the side walls 3. These reliefs 6 •• •• not only serve to position the main body of the cartridge of ink 1 with respect to a cartridge holder not shown, but also maintains the shape of the main body of the ink cartridge 1 by itself. On the other hand, an ink supply port 10 having said indic cylindrical shape as shown in Figure 2 (a) is formed on one side of the lower surface 8 of the main body of the ink cartridge 1, so as to be projects from the lower surface. This embodiment is particularly characterized in that the ink supply port 10 is formed so as to project from the lower surface in such a way that the cylindrical portion 1 1 on the inner side is enclosed by a cylindrical square portion 12 in the outer side as shown in figure 2 (b). As a result of this construction, not only the corners portions of a film are no longer cut with a press or the like at the time of sealing the ink supply port 10, but there are also separations 13 between the cylindrical portion 1 and the portion Cylindrical square 12 take advantage as a release portion of air at the time of u nir the film. In addition, by arranging several slotted portions 14 on the upper edges of the square cylindrical portion 12, said slotted portions take advantage as an air release portion to release air in at the time of joining the film. In this ink supply port 10, several long positioning embossments 10a or slots are integrally formed on an outer peripheral surface so as to extend in a direction that fixes the cartridge so that the ink supply port 10 can used for a plurality of printer types and by placing some of the embossments 10a or slots in contact with the corresponding contact surfaces of the registration head, the axial center of the ink supply port 10 can be aligned with respect to the supply needle of ink correctly. A coupling depression 15 extending across the width of the main body of the ink cartridge 1 is formed on the lower surface 8 of the main body of the ink cartridge 1 in such a way that the coupling depression 15 is located adjacent to the ink supply port 10. By coupling the depression 15 with a support rod a of an elevator arranged on the cartridge holder, the erroneous connection of the main body of the ink cartridge to the cartridge holder can be avoided. In addition, an inwardly projecting stepped portion 16 that does not come into contact with a foam 18 is loaded into the main body of the ink cartridge 1, formed backwardly of a depression 15, so that the amount of ink is reduced. not absorbed by the foam 18. As a result, the stepped portion projecting inwardly 16 while the depressions 15 are arranged, an area is provided in which a foam 18 does not come into contact with the bottom surface 3 so that the amount of ink not absorbed in the foam 18 is reduced, which not only allows the ink to be used up to the last drop, but also allows a space to be provided for evacuating the ink with the aluminum package. In contrast, the reference number 20 of Figures 1 to 6 denotes a cover body sealing the opening of the main body of the ink cartridge 1. as shown in Figure 3, two rows of the longitudinal ribs 21, 21, are formed in a range so as to project from the inner surface of the cover body 20. The longitudinal ribs 21, 21, which serve for pressing the foam 18 contained inside the main body of the ink cartridge 1, are long enough to slide on the cover body 20 in the longitudinal directions to some degree. Further, by making the portions of these ribs 21, 21 closer to the ink supply port 10 than other portions thereof, the foam 18 in these upper portions compresses more strongly and the empty pores of the foam 18 are reduced , so that a strong capillary force can be obtained. As a result of such a capillary strong force, the ink within the foam 18 gathers towards the ink supply port 10. Furthermore, inside these longitudinal ribs 21, 21, there are several horizontal ribs 22 •• •• erected in such a way that they are orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and with the ends thereof being spaced from the corresponding longitudinal rib 21 alternately so that a zigzag passage is formed. As a result of this construction, the ink bubbles produced at the time of evacuation in ink and air during the process can be separated to guide said bubbles to an air release hole 31 via the long passage and then released inwardly only. the air. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, several reinforcing ribs 23 are formed so as to project from the longitudinal ribs 21 outwardly so as to come into contact with the inner side surface of the opening edge 4 of the Main body of the ink cartridge 1. The reinforcement ribs 23 serve to suppress the flexion inward of the opening edge 4, extending so as to be orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, in elongated form, outside the reinforcing rib 23 forms a welding surface 24 that must be welded with a welding margin 5 projecting from the upper surface of the opening edge 4 and an edge of external peripheral projection 26 is formed outside the welding surface 24 through a thin slot 25 that receives the burrs produced at the time of welding.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, an ink charging hole 30 and the air release hole 31 are formed so as to pass through a middle portion and a portion of the upper surface of the body of the ink. cover 20, the portion being near the ink supply port 10. Furthermore, a corrugated groove is formed on its upper surface so as to resemble a labyrinth. The end of the head of the corrugated groove 32 communicates with the air release hole 31 and the tail end thereof forms a through hole portion 33 which communicates with a film 35. The corrugated groove 32 is disposed so as to avoid evaporation of the ink inside the cartridge using the ink cartridge. That is, when the end of the film 35 has detached and the main body of the cartridge 1 has been opened in the atmosphere through the corrugated groove 32, the corrugated groove 32 which is long, prevents the ink from evaporating. Accordingly, the shape of the corrugated groove 32 is always the same regardless of the type of the ink cartridge 120, for example, the ink cartridges having different types of cover bodies 20 as shown in Figures 2 (a) and 2. (b) and the amount of ink that can be changed by being different from one another. Therefore, the film 35 having the same width, can be used to cover the corrugated groove 32. In the mode constructed in this manner, when the cover body 20 is placed on the edge of the thick-walled opening 4 of so as to cover the opening of the main body of the cartridge 1 and slide along the length (direction of the arrow A in Figure 6; direction of vibration fusing to integrate the cover body 20 and the main body of the cartridge 1); the edge 4 of the opening of the main body of the cartridge 1, allows the projection welding margin 5 to be welded with the welding surface 24 on the inner surface of the body of the cover 20 without being deformed while being supported by the ribs of reinforcement 23 projecting from outside the longitudinal ribs 21. At the same time, both the edge of the opening 4 and the cover body 20 are integrated with each other while leaving a space 8 of approximately 0.2 mm between them and allowing the burrs produced during welding to be contained in the thin groove 25 formed in the inner surface of the cover body 20. Then, an ink having a small surface tension is loaded in the main body 1 through the loading orifice ink 30 disposed in the cover body 20 and thereafter while evacuating the ink cartridge so that it remains inclined approximately 30 ° of such In such a way that the air release hole 3 is placed in a top location, the film 35 is attached to the upper surface of the cover body 20. As a result, the bubbles produced within the foam 18 are separated from the ink while passing through the long zigzag passage formed by the horizontal ribs 22 and only air flows out of the upper surface of the cover body 20 from the air release hole 31 and further the through hole 33 flowing out in the portion in contact with the film 35 via the corrugated groove 32. Contrary to the same, Figures 7 to 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention, which is an ink cartridge adapted for color printers. This ink cartridge includes; three ink tanks 41c, 41m, 41y which can contain a cyan color ink, a magenta ink and a yellow ink separately through the divisions 43, 43; and a single cover body 50 covering the upper openings of these ink tanks. The cylindrical ink supply ports 51c 51m, 51y are formed at one end of the bottom surfaces 48 of these ink tanks 41c41m, 41y, so that it projects from the lower surfaces 48. Furthermore, these ink supply ports 51c, 51m and 51y are connected to one another through the ribs 55, 55, and the outer circumferences thereof are surrounded by a common frame 52 which is rectangular as seen from above. As a result of this construction, the respective ink supply ports 51c, 51m, 51y, can be simultaneously sealed using a long ribbon 56. The air trapped at the time of sealing the ports is derived in an air release portion 53 formed around of the ink supply ports and caused to escape from the notches 54 formed in the upper edge of the frame 52. Therefore, the ribbon 56 can be reliably joi The reference numeral 65 denotes a common depression disposed on the lower surfaces 48 of these ink tanks 41c, 41m, 41y, so as to extend through these ink tanks. The depression 65 serves not only as a portion that will be retaiin part of the cartridge holder, but also a portion that prevents the foam 18 from coming into contact, so that the amount of ink that is not absorbed by the foam 18 is reduced. and a space for evacuation packaging can be provided through the aluminum packaging. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9, several longitudinal ribs 61 •• •• are provided to press these foams, they are arranged so that they project from the inner surface of the cover body 50 in the longitudinal direction for the tanks of respective ink 41c, 41m, 41y. The portions of these ribs 61 •• •• closest to the respective ink supply ports 51c, 51m, 51y, are made higher, so that the foams in these portions are pressed and deformed with stronger forces. In addition, two longitudinal ribs 61, 61, located inwardly, outside these longitudinal ribs 61 • • •• of each ink tank are brought into contact with a corresponding ink charging sleeve 70, so that a passage 67 formed between the ribs 61 and the ink charging sleeve 70 are closed, fewer bubbles will flow directly to an air release hole 71 disposed closer to the corresponding ink supply port 51. It can be seen that the reference numeral 74 in the Figures 7 to 10, denotes a shape that holds the rib that is formed so as to project outwardly from the outermost longitudinal ribs 61, 61 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. By contacting these ribs 74 that maintain the shape with the opening edges of the ink tanks 41c, 41y at both ends, the outer walls 42 of the cartridge do not deform inwardly when the cartridge is subjected to a vibration welding process. . On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10, the corrugated grooves 72c, 72m, 72y, are formed so that they are similar to a depressed labyrinth on the upper surface of the cover body 50, one ends therein extending to the air release holes 71c, 71m, 71y, respectively. In addition, the end ends of the corrugated grooves 72c, 72m, 72y, are left in one place and one of the air communication holes 73c, 73m, 73y of these corrugated grooves, i.e., the air communication hole 73m arranged at the end end of the corrugated groove 72m for magenta color in this embodiment, is projected in a film separation direction 75, so that the film can be easily separated.

These corrugated grooves 72 (72c, 72m, 72y) have the same shape independently of the cover bodies 50 of the cartridges either dedicated to monochromatic printing or color printing or having different ink capacities. As a result, molding costs can be reduced and the corrugated grooves 72 can be covered with the films 75 of the same width. In addition, considerations are made to prevent the slots 77 that is a part of the slots 72 from becoming clogged in a portion 76 where the films overlap with the slots 77 during a plurality of repeated film welding processes with a heating circuit. or to prevent the slots 77 'which is a part of the slots 72, from being clogged by the strong contact with the divisions 43 and the outer walls 42 of the ink cartridge in the portions 78 in Figure 10. That is, the slots Waves 72 are designed so that the width and depth of slots 77, 77 'in the portions 76, 78 mentioned above are long, that is, the sectional areas of these portions 76, 78, are long in order to avoid the clogging of the corrugated grooves during the welding operation. While an example has been described in which you are molding an ink cartridge using polypropylene as a material in the aforementioned embodiments, the present invention can also be applied to ink cartridges that are formed using a soft synthetic resin that is not permeable to moisture such as high density polyethylene.

Next, explanations will be provided regarding the mechanism for the aforementioned ink cartridge. Figures 11 to 13 show an embodiment of the present invention, which is a loading mechanism that charges an ink cartridge to the cartridge of a color printer. In Figures 11 to 13, the reference number 101 denotes a cartridge that also serves as a loading member of the ink cartridge. The carriage 101 travels in scanning directions while being guided by a guide bar 102. The carriage 101 is designed to load two ink cartridges, one for the black ink and the other for the color inks. A registration head 118 is adjustably attached to the lower surface 103 of the loading section of the cartridge with an ink supply needle 119 projecting therein, the lower surface 103 being opposite a regulating opening 104 of the cartridge. ink 120. The carriage 101 has a guide groove 106 in a side surface of each adjustment opening 104, the guide groove 106 which serves to guide the lower end of a lifter 115 which will be described later. A bolt-like portion 106a formed in the upper end of the guide groove 106, allows a carriage cover body 110 to be maintained in an open position through the elevator 115. A vertical portion 106b formed in the lower half of the guide groove 106, allows the ink cartridge 120 to descend and ascend vertically with respect to the registration head 1 18. The vertical portion 106b extends parallel to the axial center of the ink supply needle 1 19. The body of Cartridge carriage cover 1 10, which rotates about a pivot pin 1 12, is rotatably connected to an upper end portion of carriage 101 on the side of guide rod 102 of regulating opening 104. The body of the carriage cover 1 10 is designed to open and close by coupling and uncoupling a pick-up piece 1 12 with and from a retaining portion 105. The pick-up piece 1 12, whose cross-section is The U-shaped form is integrally formed with the free end portion of the carriage cover body 10, and the retaining portion 105 is formed on the other side of the carriage adjusting opening 104. corbel cartridge 1 13, is integrally disposed with the cover body of the carriage 1 10. The press member of the cartridge 1 13 formed by cutting the three sides of a portion of the cover body of the carriage 1 10 on the pin side of the pivot 1 1 1 away from the cover body of the carriage 1 10 while leaving only one side thereof without cutting. A free end portion 1 13a of the pressing part of the cartridge 1 13 projecting downwards with the cover body of the carriage 1 10 closed, is pressed into the upper surface of the ink cartridge 120, so that the ink supply needle 1 19 on the side of the registration head 1 18, can be inserted into an ink supply port 121 disposed on the lower surface 8 of the cartridge 120. The base end of the lifter 115 is rotatably connected to a portion of the carriage cover body 110, the portion being slightly more closed to the side of the free end portion 113a than the pivot pin 111. In addition, a projection 116 projecting from the other end of the elevator 115, is designed to slide along the guide groove 106. With the carriage cover body 110 fully open, the carriage cover body 110 is retained in said position fully open by the bolt-like portion 106a at the upper end of the guide groove 106, while with the carriage cover body 110 rotated to a position immediately at Before closing, the ink cartridge in the elevator 115 is allowed to descend vertically downwardly over the registration head 118 along the vertical portion 0106b extending parallel to the axial center of the ink supply needle 119. Note that the reference numerals 107, 107 denote angled adjustment levers that adjust the rotation of the color and black registration heads 118 around pivots not shown and that the reference number 108 denotes a nozzle position that adjusts the lever that adjusts the registration head the color in a forward sheet direction with the black registration head 118 as a reference.

When the aforementioned ink cartridge 120 is loaded on the carriage 101, the coupling depression 15 of the main body of the ink cartridge 1 can be coupled with a support rod 117 formed between the lower ends of the elevators 115, 115, so that through the inner part of the main body of the ink cartridge 1, only dropping the ink cartridge 120 into the regulating opening 104 and the resistance in the direction of the width of the ink cartridge 120 can be increased by increasing the section module of the bottom surface 8. Further, as shown in Figure 14, at the time of vacuum packing the ink cartridge 120, a packing material 126 extends together with the coupling depression 15 to the yield point of the same, so that a damping solution function can be given if air enters the coupling depression 15. That is, the packing material 126 has said damping function to allow a negative pressure to be maintained within the coupling depression 15 by the restitution force thereof tending to recover from within the coupling depression 15 as shown by the two-point chain line if air enters the coupling depression 15. In this embodiment thus constructed, the ink cartridge 120 can be charged to the carriage 101 in the following manner. As shown in Figure 12 (a), first, the cartridge cover body 110 is opened and the cartridge cover body 110 is kept in the fully open position causing the projection 116 at the lower end of the elevator to be retained in the lock-like potion 106a of the guide slot 106. Then, the ink cartridge 120 is dropped into the regulating aperture 104 of the carriage 101 while being positioned in such a way that the ink supply port 121 confronts the 119 ink supply needle. As a result, as shown in Figure 12 (b), the coupling depression 15 disposed near the ink supply port 10 engages the projection 116 of the elevator 115, so that the cartridge 120 is held in that position for to be inclined in the counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 12 (b) a thicker portion thereof which is opposite to the ink supply 10 placed downwards. When the carriage cover body 110 is being closed under this condition, the ink cartridge 120 descends while being guided by an internal surface 104a of the adjusting opening 104 closer to the retaining portion 105 as shown in the Figure 12 (c). Then, as the support rod 116 at the lower end of the elevator 115 reaches the vertical portion 106b of the lower half of the guide groove 106 to thereby allow the projection 116 to descend vertically, the ink cartridge 120 gradually changes the position thereof so that it is horizontal with the upper end of the inner surface 104a on the side of the retaining portion 105 as a fulcrum.

Finally, as the projection 116 at the lower end of the elevator 115 approaches the lower end of the guide groove 106 the projection 116 causes the cartridge 120 to descend with the free end portion 113a of the bracket cartridge that presses the part 113. arranged in the cover body of the carriage 110 which presses the upper surface of the cartridge 120 from above as shown in Figure 12 (d), so that the needle 119 of the ink supply located immediately below the cartridge 120 is allowed to pass to the through the ink supply port 10 while the film is broken. As a result, the registration head 118 is integrated with the ink cartridge 120 so that they communicate with each other. On the other hand, if an ink cartridge 120 can be fixed in place of the old ink cartridge 120 whose ink has come out due to the registration that took a long time, then the pick-up piece 112 is pressed to obtain the body of the carriage cover 110 out of the retaining portion 105. As a result, the carriage cover body 110 is pulled outward by the elasticity of the pressing part of the carriage 110. cartridge 113. When the carriage cover body 110 is opened further, the projection 16 which has been guided by the vertical portion 106b of the guide slot 106 lifts the ink cartridge 120 upwards to the right together with the elevator 115 with the position of the ink cartridge 120 without change. Then, the ink supply port 10 is removed from the ink supply needle 119 without damaging the ink supply needle 119. Therefore, the ink cartridge 120 is easy to remove. Therefore, the ink cartridge 120 is removed while itching with the fingers causing the ink cartridge 120 to be raised to the regulating aperture while performing the operations of Figures 2 (c) to 2 (a) . In contrast to this, if the ink cartridge 120 is dropped with the side surfaces thereof looking in wrong directions, ie in such a position that the ink supply port 10 does not confront the ink supply needle 119, then the ink cartridge 120 is lowered with the coupling depression 15 not engaged with the support rod 116 of the elevator 115 as shown in Figure 13. Therefore, the ink supply port 10 comes into contact with the surface 103 of the carriage 1. However, since the upper surface of the ink cartridge 120 is still projecting from the regulating aperture 104 under this condition, not only can the carriage cover body 110 be closed further while being altered by the upper projection surface of the ink cartridge 120, but also the ink cartridge 120 is not allowed to be pressed either. Therefore, the user is immediately informed of said abnormal loading condition, so that the ink supply needle 119 is prevented from breaking because the ink cartridge is being forced on the carriage.

Incidentally, the foregoing describes the present invention with reference to an example of an ink cartridge to be loaded onto the carriage of a color printer and an example of a face mechanism for said ink cartridge. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to monochrome printers, but also to printers the type that an ink cartridge is loaded on one side or both sides of the main body of the printer. As described in the above, according to the present invention, the reinforcing embossments are arranged on the corner portions of the peripheral walls of an ink tank and the end edge of the ink tank opening is thick wall. Therefore, the ink tank is molded using a resin material which is hard to be permeable to water vapor but which is soft, is given sufficient stiffness. In addition, the projection portions that suppress the deformation of the end edge of the opening are disposed outside the longitudinally extending foam by pressing projection portions disposed on the inner surface of the cover body. Therefore, it is avoided that the ink tank is deformed at the time of the vibration welding, without much resistance to the slip produced at the time of welding of the ink tank with the cover body. In addition, a rectangular frame is arranged around a cylindrical ink supply port so that it surrounds the ink supply port. Therefore, not only can the ink supply port be sealed easily, as well as economically, using a long film without cutting the corners portions of the film, but also said frame prevents the erroneous connection of the ink tank that is Out of specification. Still further, since a passage extending to an air release hole, is formed on the inner surface of the cover body so as to maximize the length of the passage. Therefore, even if an ink having a small surface tension that easily produces bubbles by discharge is loaded into the tank, the ink can be separated from the gas in the process to cause the ink to flow through the passage, which In turn, it allows only the gas to be discharged outside effectively and, therefore, avoids contamination of the tank at the moment of loading the ink. In addition, a coupling depression of engageable positioning with part of an elevator is disposed on the lower surface of a cartridge main body. Therefore, the main body of the cartridge can be correctly loaded to a predetermined position of a cartridge loading member through the elevator. Furthermore, even if the wall of the main body of the ink cartridge is made as thin as possible to maximize the capacity to contain ink, the coupling depression can increase the section modulus in the direction of the width of the main body of the ink cartridge. cartridge, so that the resistance can be increased accordingly. In addition, a portion of the depression projecting into the main body of the ink cartridge decreases the size of the others of a porous substance in this portion the mechanism of the ink in said pores increases. Therefore, even if the amount of ink remaining in the porous substance is small, the ink gathers near an ink supply port, thus allowing the ink to be used. On the other hand, not only a guide portion extending parallel to the ink supply needle of a registration head is disposed on one side of the cartridge loading member, but also the elevator supporting a portion of the cartridge on the side of the ink supply port is moved along with the guide portion through the opening and closing operation of a carriage cover body. Thus, just by opening and closing the cover body, the ink cartridge that is supported in the elevator can be loaded or unloaded vertically along the ink supply needle, as a result, not only is it prevented from breaking the needle of the ink. ink supply, but also the ink cartridge inserted with the side surfaces thereof looking in wrong directions, the ink cartridge is not allowed to engage with a support portion, which in turn does not allow the cover body open or close Therefore, the user can be immediately informed about said abnormal recovery condition.

In addition, the ink cartridge is allowed to load and discharge with a portion of the lower surface thereof on the side of the ink supply port, on a side surface thereof, supported. Therefore, the projection portion of the side surface of the cartridge is administered, so that the ability to contain ink is consequently increased and the size of the cartridge loading member, i.e., the width of the carriage is decreased, which In turn, it contributes to reducing the size of a printer by itself.

Claims (24)

1. CLAIMS 1. An ink cartridge comprising: an ink cartridge body that is molded using a soft synthetic resin material and having a reinforcement and positioning relief being formed so as to project from a corner portion of a peripheral wall of said ink cartridge main body, an opening end edge of said ink cartridge main body having a thick wall; and a cover body covering an opening of said cartridge main body and said cover body including; a loaded foam pressure relief being formed so as to project from an inner surface of said cover body in a longitudinal direction and pressing a foam loaded in said ink cartridge main body; and a relief that maintains the shape coming into contact with an inner side surface of said opening end edge of said ink cartridge main body and being formed on an outer side of said loaded foam pressure relief, said relief of charged foam pressure being formed integrally with said relief that maintains the shape. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said ink cartridge main body is made of polypropylene. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of a peripheral wall surface in a direction orthogonal to a vibration direction at the time of welding said ink cartridge main body becomes longer than a thickness of other surfaces of peripheral walls. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein at least a single positioning relief is formed integrally with an outer circumferential surface of an ink supply portion projecting from a lower surface of said main body of the ink. ink cartridge, said positioning emboss extending in a direction of fixing the main body of the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a rectangular frame is integrally formed around a cylindrical ink supply portion projecting from a lower surface of said main body of the ink cartridge so as to surround said ink cartridge. portion of ink supply. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ink supply portions for an ink cartridge for a color printer are formed so as to project from a lower surface of said ink cartridge for the color printer and are connected to each other with the ribs and a rectangular frame is formed integrally around said ink supply portions so as to surround said respective ink supply portions. 7. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a groove is formed in an edge of said frame, said groove serving to release air at the time of joining a film. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a depression is formed in a lower surface of said ink cartridge main body in proximity to an ink supply portion, said depression extending in a direction orthogonal to an ink supply portion. longitudinal direction. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a labyrinth-shaped groove is formed in an upper surface of said cover body and one end of the groove communicating with an air release orifice. The ink cartridge according to claim 9, wherein a film is soldered using a film-welding heater circuit many times again so as to overlap said labyrinth-like groove and a sectional area of a portion of said film. slot similar to labyrinth in which the welded film becomes long. The ink cartridge according to claim 9, wherein said labyrinth-like groove formed in the upper surface of said cover body is given a common shape so that all cover bodies are applied to various types of bodies main ink cartridge of which ink capacities are different. 12. The ink cartridge according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of said labyrinth-like slots are formed in the upper surface of said cover body of the ink cartridge for a color printer and one of the discharge orifices. The end end of said respective labyrinth-like slots is positioned to project from another of the end-end discharge orifices in a film separation direction, the film serving to cover said cover body. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein many ribs for providing a zigzag passage reaching an air release hole are formed integrally with the inner surface of the cover body. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a rib of many ribs formed on the inner surface of said cover body is fixed at said height that does not come into contact with said foam, said rib being close to a air release hole. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein many ribs are formed integrally with the inner surface of said cover body in a longitudinal direction, said ribs serving to provide a passage reaching an air release hole and part of the mentioned passage formed by said ribs is closed. 16. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed around an outer peripheral portion of a vibration welding surface of said cover body, said groove serving to prevent the dispersion of burrs produced at the time of the welding by vibration. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a necessary space for vibration welding is provided between the comforting surfaces of said ink cartridge main body and said cover body. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of said ink supply portions for even an ink cartridge for a color printer are formed so that they project from a lower surface of the ink cartridge for a color printer, are connected to each other with ribs, and a rectangular frame is formed integrally around the respective ink supply portions so as to surround the ink supply portions. The ink cartridge according to claim 13, wherein a rib of many ribs is formed on the inner surface of said cover body, is fixed at said height so as not to come into contact with said foam, said rib being close to the air release hole. 20. An ink cartridge comprising a depression to be coupled with part of an elevator member, said depression and an ink supply port being formed on a lower surface of an ink cartridge main body. The ink cartridge according to claim 20, wherein said depression is formed such that it is large enough to reach both side surfaces of said ink cartridge main body. 22. The ink cartridge according to claim 20, wherein said depression is formed so as to project into said ink cartridge main body. 23. A loading mechanism for an ink cartridge comprising: a cartridge loading member having an ink supply needle communicating with a recording head and projecting to an internal depth thereof; a guide portion on one side of an inner surface of said cartridge loading member, said guide portion extending parallel to an axial center of the ink supply needle; a cover body being rotatably connected to an opening of said cartridge loading member; an elevator member being supported by a cover body, the elevator member being movable with one end thereof guided by said guide portion, said cover body being rotatably connected to an opening of said cartridge loading member; and a support rod on a free end portion of said elevator member, said support rod, supporting the ink cartridge while engaged with a depression formed in a lower surface of the ink cartridge. 24. The loading mechanism for an ink cartridge according to claim 23, further comprising a press portion disposed on an inner surface of said cover body so that it is elastically deformable, said press portion pressing a supply port. of ink to the ink supply needle while coming into contact with an upper surface of said ink cartridge immediately before said cover body is closed, the ink supply port being disposed on a lower surface of the ink cartridge .