US20010015738A1 - Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes - Google Patents
Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010015738A1 US20010015738A1 US09/328,315 US32831599A US2001015738A1 US 20010015738 A1 US20010015738 A1 US 20010015738A1 US 32831599 A US32831599 A US 32831599A US 2001015738 A1 US2001015738 A1 US 2001015738A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- ink
- container
- ink container
- receiving station
- printing system
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17553—Outer structure
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
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- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17506—Refilling of the cartridge
- B41J2/17509—Whilst mounted in the printer
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Definitions
- This invention relates to inkjet printers and the like and, more particularly, to an ink container having mechanical and electronic features that allow different sizes of ink containers to be plug compatible while providing an automatic and accurate way of tracking ink remaining in the ink container.
- Ink-jet printers or printing systems frequently make use of an ink-jet printhead mounted to a carriage which is moved back and forth across a print media, such as paper. As the printhead is moved across the print media, control electronics activate the printhead to eject, or jet, ink droplets onto print media to form images and characters.
- Some printing systems make use of an “off-carriage” or “off-axis” ink container that is replaceable separately from a high performance printhead wherein the ink container is located off of the carriage. When the ink container is exhausted the ink container is removed and replaced with a new ink container.
- replaceable ink containers that are separate from the printhead allow users to replace the ink container without replacing the printhead and allows for larger ink supplies than would be practical on a scanning carriage.
- the printhead is then replaced at or near the end of printhead life and not when the ink container is exhausted. This tends to lower the average cost per printed page for the system and can decrease the frequency of ink container replacement.
- the frequency of replacement of ink containers is determined by the initial volume of ink held in the ink containers and the rate of consumption of the ink.
- An ink container that is smaller requires more frequent ink container replacement for a given usage rate. This can be inconvenient to the user.
- a related problem occurs if the printer runs out of ink while printing a document. When this happens, the user must reprint at least part of the printed document. This results in wasted ink and media. With a combination of high use rate printing and small ink containers, running out of ink and reprinting documents can become a very frequent event, resulting in considerable inconvenience and waste of ink and media.
- the present invention is a replaceable ink container for use in an inkjet printing system.
- the printing system has a printhead under control of printing system electronics and an ink container receiving station for providing ink to the printhead.
- the replaceable ink container includes a plurality of container interfacing features positioned on the ink container to engage corresponding ink container receiving station interfacing features.
- the ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow a plurality of sizes of the container to be installed at a particular location in the receiving station.
- the ink container includes an information storage device that electrically couples to the printing system and provides information indicative of a volume of ink contained in the ink container.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the printing system showing an ink container of the present invention which forms a fluid interconnect and an electrical interconnect with the printing system.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a printer with cover removed, which incorporates the ink container of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is an ink supply receiving station of the type used in the printing system of FIG. 2, shown broken away, with an ink container positioned for insertion into the ink supply receiving station.
- FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d , and 4 e depict an isometric view of one preferred embodiment of the ink container of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 depicts a simplified section view, partially broken away, of the ink container partially inserted in the ink container receiving station of FIG. 6.
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the components of the ink jet printing system illustrated in FIG. 2.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic representation which depicts an ink-jet printing system 10 that includes an ink cartridge or ink container 12 of the present invention.
- the ink-jet printing system 10 also includes an ink supply station or ink container receiving station 14 for receiving ink container 12 , an ink jet printhead 16 and controller or printing system electronics 18 .
- Printing is accomplished by the printing system 10 by the ejection of ink from the printhead 16 under the control of printing system electronics 18 .
- the printhead 16 is connected to the printing system electronics 18 by a printhead data link 19 for controlling ejection of ink.
- Ink is provided to the printhead 16 by way of a fluid conduit 21 which fluidically connects the printhead 16 to the receiving station 14 .
- the ink container includes an ink outlet 20 which is in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir 22 .
- the ink container 12 includes a plurality of container electrical contacts 24 which are electrically connected to an information storage device or memory element 26 .
- the ink outlet 20 and the electrical contacts 24 allow the ink container 12 to reliably interconnect with a fluid inlet 28 and receiving station electrical contacts 30 , respectively, associated with the ink container receiving station 14 .
- the receiving station 14 enables ink to be transferred from the fluid reservoir 22 associated with the ink container 12 to the printhead 16 via the fluid conduit 21 .
- the ink container receiving station allows the transfer of information between the information storage device 26 associated with the ink container 12 and the printing system electronics 18 via a link 32 .
- the present invention relates to a combination of container interfacing features that allow multiple sizes of ink container 12 to be received in ink receiving station 14 as well as electronic features that provide information to the printing system 10 to determine a volume of available in the ink container 12 .
- the printing system 10 can determine an ink level condition of ink container 12 such as a low ink or out of ink condition.
- printhead 16 and ink container 12 are periodically replaced. Ink container 12 is a relatively frequently replaced component. On the other hand, printhead 16 has a lower replacement rate and can even be permanent. To avoid adding unnecessary cost per page, it is critical that printing system 10 prevent premature damage to printhead 16 .
- Ink container 12 is sized according to the rate of usage of ink. If the ink container is too small, it will need to be replaced frequently at a loss of convenience to the user. On the other hand, if the container is too large, it may reside in the printer for a time beyond shelf life. Beyond shelf life ink will degrade print quality or even cause permanent damage to the printhead 16 or the printing system 10 .
- ink can affect the printhead in a number of ways. As ink is stored, it loses volatile components, i.e., water, solvents, etc. As the concentration of non-volatile components increases, the ink can turn to sludge or even precipitate. Sufficiently old ink could completely clog the printhead 16 and/or conduit 21 , requiring printhead replacement or even printer servicing. At the very least, the print quality will be degraded since the printhead is tuned to operate best with ink in a particular viscosity and surface tension range. The user may interpret any degradation in print quality as a need to replace printhead 16 , ink container 12 , or both.
- the ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow multiple sizes of the ink container 12 to be installable or insertable at a particular location in ink container receiving station 14 .
- the container interfacing features include the fluid outlet 20 , the container electrical contacts 24 , and a plurality of container positioning features 34 that engage corresponding receiving station positioning features (not shown) to be discussed in more detail later.
- the present invention includes information storage device 26 that provides information to the printing system electronics 18 indicative of an available volume of ink contained in ink container 12 . This parameter is preferably updated periodically. If the parameter is indicative of an out of ink condition in ink container 12 , the printing system electronics 18 takes action such as halting printing to avoid damage to printhead 16 .
- FIG. 2 one embodiment of printing system 10 is depicted. Shown is a printer 10 , with its cover removed, containing a plurality of ink containers 12 .
- Printer 10 includes a tray 40 for holding a supply of media, such as paper.
- a sheet of media from tray 40 is fed into printer 10 , using a sheet feeder (not shown).
- media sheets pass through print zone 42 whereupon a scanning carriage 44 containing one more printheads 16 , is scanned across the sheet for printing a swath of ink thereon.
- the sheet of paper is stepped through the print zone 42 as the scanning carriage 44 prints a series of swaths of ink to form images thereon.
- the sheet is positioned in an output tray 46 and the process repeats.
- printheads 16 eject ink onto media, they are replenished by conduits 21 that are fluidically connected to ink containers 12 .
- Ink containers 12 are periodically replaced with a frequency determined by the initial volume of deliverable ink and a usage rate.
- Ink containers 12 are called “off-carriage” because they are located in stationary ink supply station 14 off the scanning carriage 44 . This configuration allows for larger ink containers than would be practical on carriage 44 . Ink containers can therefore be sized as large as user needs dictate.
- the illustrated printing system is a general purpose printer such as one to be used in a typical office or home environment. This accepts ink container of varying sizes and volumes to accommodate varying rates of ink usage.
- a relatively larger ink container 48 containing a higher use rate colorant is provided along with a plurality of smaller ink containers 50 containing lower use rate colorants.
- the volumes of each colorant are selected to be large enough to minimize the replacement frequency and small enough to avoid exceeding the shelf life given the particular printer application.
- a more specific printer example is the following: Black is the higher use rate colorant for container 48 and each of cyan, yellow, and magenta inks are lower use rate colorants within ink container 50 .
- the black ink container would have a 70-80 cc volume to accommodate very frequent text printing in an office environment and the color ink containers would each have a 20-30 cc volume to accommodate lower use rate color printing to occasionally highlight documents.
- This same printer can also be used in a home environment wherein the text printing frequency is much lower. For this lower use rate situation, a smaller 20-30 cc black ink container 48 ′ (not shown) would be preferred.
- ink containers 48 and 48 ′ are adapted to be insertable or installable at the same location in printer 10 .
- ink containers 48 and 48 ′ each have information storage devices that allow the printing system 10 to determine the available ink in each of ink containers 48 and 48 ′ to avoid printing after an out of ink condition.
- color ink containers 50 ′ each of which is installable in the same location as a color container 50 , wherein containers 50 and 50 ′ have different volumes of available ink. These may have different fill levels or even be of multiple sizes.
- the color containers 50 may contain other colorants (red, green, blue) or colorant concentrations as well.
- all of the ink containers 12 are the same height to make it easier to install them and to make the supply station 14 more compact.
- the size of the supply station impacts overall printing system size, which needs to be kept at a minimum to preserve desktop space and provide a lower printing system cost.
- Ink container 12 is therefore adapted to allow multiple widths of ink container 12 to be plug compatible with receiving station 14 while providing containers of uniform height.
- ink container 12 is shown positioned for insertion into a container receiving station 14 .
- the plurality of container positioning features 34 include aligning features 62 and latching features 64 .
- the aligning features 62 are configured to engage corresponding guiding features 66 to guide ink container 12 into the receiving station 14 .
- the aligning features 62 are preferably positioned on opposite sides of the ink container 12 . Positioning the aligning features on opposite ends of cartridge 14 eliminates any need for partition walls between cartridges 12 during insertion. Not having partition walls allows for a lower cost and more compact ink supply station 14 .
- Ink container 12 has an elongate cross section perpendicular to the direction of its insertion into receiving station 14 .
- Aligning features 62 are positioned at opposite ends of the elongate cross section, with the elongate shape of ink container 12 maximizing the distance between the aligning features 62 .
- aligning features 62 are disposed adjacent to a leading edge 72 of ink container 12 relative to a direction of insertion. Placing the features at these locations improves alignment between fluid outlet 20 and fluid inlet 28 and improves alignment between container contacts 24 and receiving station contacts 30 .
- a latch 68 engages a corresponding latch feature 64 on ink container 12 to latch ink container 12 into a receiving station 14 .
- the fluid inlet 28 associated with receiving station 14 , engages the corresponding fluid outlet 20 on ink container 12 allow a fluid flow into fluid conduit 21 .
- Insertion of ink container 12 into receiving station also forms an electrical interconnect between ink container 12 and receiving station 14 . More specifically, container electrical contacts 24 associated with the ink container 12 engage corresponding receiving station electrical contacts 30 associated with receiving station 14 to allow information to be transferred between printing system electronics 18 and information storage device 26 .
- FIGS. 4 a - e are isometric views illustrating two sizes of ink container 12 .
- the larger embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4 a - d is the larger ink container 48 discussed with respect to FIG. 2.
- FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c show a side view, a frontal view, and a leading end view of the larger version 48 of ink container 12 , respectively.
- FIG. 4 d shows detail of one aspect of FIG. 4 c .
- FIG. 4 e illustrates a leading end view of the smaller ink container 48 ′ that is plug compatible with ink container 48 . Details in FIG. 4 d also apply to FIG. 4 e .
- the dashed outline of FIG. 4 c represents the outside surface of smaller container 48 ′.
- Ink container 12 has an elongate cross section perpendicular to a direction of insertion 70 such that the elongate cross section defines an axis of elongation designated as element A.
- the fluid interconnect 20 and the plurality of electrical contacts 24 are arranged along the axis of elongation A. This allows smaller ink container 48 ′ to have a minimal width W′.
- the ink container 12 has first and second sides 63 that are arranged along axis of elongation A. In a preferred embodiment, first and second sides 63 are substantially aligned with the direction of insertion 70 .
- the plurality of container positioning features 34 including alignment features 62 and latch features 64 are arranged on the first and second sides to engage corresponding receiving station positioning features that include guiding features 66 and latch features 68 , respectively. With this arrangement, the container positioning features, fluid outlet, and the plurality of container electrical contacts are all arranged along the axis of elongation A. This further allows the minimum size 48 ′ of container 12 to be of minimum width W′.
- the fluid outlet 20 and the container contacts 24 are arranged along axis of elongation A and are located toward the first and second sides 63 . This minimizes the distance between the fluid outlet 20 and leading edge aligning feature 62 on one side and it minimizes the distance between container contacts 24 and leading edge aligning feature 62 on the other side. As discussed earlier, this improves alignment accuracy between the fluid outlet 20 and the fluid inlet 28 and between the container contacts 24 and the receiving station contacts 30 .
- the fluid outlet 20 is accessible on a leading edge 72 of ink container 48 .
- the axis of elongation A substantially bisects the fluid outlet 20 to further provide for a narrow width supply.
- the fluid outlet is positioned at the same location relative to the container positioning features 34 for the large ink container 48 and the small ink container 48 ′ to assure that ink containers 48 and 48 ′ are installable or insertable into the same particular location of ink receiving station 14 .
- the plurality of container electrical contacts 24 are disposed in a cavity 74 to protect the contacts from damage or contamination caused by finger contact, ink, etc.
- the plurality of container electrical contacts 24 are disposed on a wall aligned with the direction of insertion 70 that allows them to make contact with the receiving station electrical contacts 30 in a sliding action.
- a rectangular opening 76 provides access to the cavity for receiving station electrical contacts 30 .
- the rectangular opening has a long axis that is aligned with the axis of elongation A to help minimize the minimum width of ink container 12 .
- the plurality of electrical contacts 24 are arranged in facing relationship with the axis of elongation A.
- the plurality of container electrical contacts 24 are positioned at the same location relative to the container positioning features 34 for the large ink container 48 and the small ink container 48 ′ to assure plug compatibility between ink containers 48 and 48 ′.
- ink containers 48 and 48 ′ are both installable at a particular location in receiving station 14 .
- fluid outlet 20 is positioned the same relative to receiving station guiding features 66 such that fluid outlet 20 will properly engage fluid inlet 28 .
- container electrical contacts 24 are positioned the same relative to receiving station guiding features 66 such that container electrical contacts 24 will properly engage receiving station electrical contacts 30 .
- FIG. 5 depicts a sectional view perpendicular to the direction of insertion 70 of a plurality of ink containers 12 taken across aligning features 62 with the containers, at least partially, inserted into the supply station 14 .
- the plurality of ink containers 12 includes the larger ink container 48 and the plurality of smaller ink containers 50 .
- Also shown in dashed outline is the smaller ink container 48 ′ that is plug compatible with ink container 48 .
- ink containers 48 and 48 ′ contain black ink and ink containers 50 container color ink.
- the container interfacing features include the positioning features 34 , the fluid outlet 20 , and the plurality of container electrical contacts 30 .
- the container positioning features 34 include aligning features 62 and latching features 64 .
- Guiding features 66 are disposed on opposing walls 80 of supply station 14 . Outwardly extending aligning features 62 extend into guiding features 66 to provide alignment between ink container 12 and receiving station 14 .
- the fluid outlet 20 and the rectangular opening 76 that leads to the plurality of container electrical contacts 24 are projected onto a two dimensional view.
- the projected plurality of container interfacing features are all arranged along the axis of elongation A in order to minimize the width of the smaller black container 48 ′. This allows the widest possible range of plug compatible container widths.
- axis of elongation A preferably substantially bisects the fluid outlet 20 and passes through the rectangular opening 76 such that the plurality of container electrical contacts 24 each face the axis of elongation A.
- the fluid outlet 20 and the container electrical contacts 24 are positioned at the same location along the axis of elongation for either container 48 or 48 ′.
- Axis of elongation A is located roughly at the center of the guiding features 66 when the larger ink container 48 is installed in receiving station 14 . This allows the ink container 12 width to be varied in a symmetrical manner.
- Ink containers 12 are arranged along a width direction in a side-by-side manner in receiving station 14 . These locations are variably spaced to accommodate a range of ink container widths.
- ink containers 48 and 48 ′ have a maximum width of W.
- ink containers 50 have a maximum width of W′.
- the spacing between locations for ink containers 50 is just over W′, whereas the spacing between the location for ink containers 48 and 48 ′ is increased to accommodate the greater width W.
- FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of ink jet printing system 10 .
- Controller or printing system electronics (which, in the case of a typical printer, include a computer, a printer driver, and printer firmware electronics) 18 control the operation of printing system 10 .
- Ink container 12 has an information storage device or memory element 26 thereon that provides information to printing system 12 indicative of a volume of ink.
- This information provided by the information storage device includes parameters that are indicative of the available ink in ink container 12 .
- the parameters include a first parameter that is indicative of initial available volume of ink contained in ink container 12 and a second parameter that is indicative of an amount available of ink remaining in ink container 12 .
- the second parameter is indicative of a full ink container, i.e., it is indicative of a volume of ink equal to the initial volume of ink.
- the first parameter is represented by a binary encoded value that is proportional to the initial volume of ink in container 12 .
- the first parameter can be encoded in a variety of other ways.
- the parameter could be one that is an encoded number that is accessed by the printing system which then determines an amount of available ink by comparing the encoded number with a lookup table.
- the first parameter could just indicate a large supply or small supply for a printing system that accepts only two supply sizes. The large supply could be indicated by a one and a small supply by a zero. The system, upon reading the value, would have pre-programmed an expected initial available volume of ink for use in ink usage calculations.
- the second parameter is a binary number that is proportional to the fraction of available ink left ink the ink container. Again, this does not have to be the case; other ways of doing this such as the aforementioned lookup table (a lookup table of fill states or available ink states) could be used.
- controller 18 determines this drop volume by reading a drop volume parameter from a printhead memory element 90 . Controller 18 periodically calculates the amount of ink ejected by printhead 16 for some amount of time or printing. This is normally done by multiplying a calculation of the average drop volume by an amount of drops ejected to obtain an incremental volume of ink. Controller 18 then subtracts this incremental volume from the current value of the amount of ink remaining in ink container 12 to obtain a new value for amount of ink remaining. The second parameter on memory element 26 is then updated to reflect the current remaining ink volume.
- first and second parameters are indicative of initial and current volumes of ink contained in ink container 12 .
- this may not be the case.
- printhead 16 may eject ink at a slightly faster rate than the assumed value.
- first and second parameters indicate a lesser amount of ink to assure printhead 16 is never activated without a steady supply of ink.
- the information storage device stores a third parameter indicative of the type of ink contained in reservoir 22 .
- a difference in ink type refers to any aspect that would make two inks non-identical or different (e.g. different colors, densities, solvents, pigment or dye colorant type, surfactants, etc.).
- a change in the ink from a first ink type to a non-identical second ink type will tend to affect the volume of drops ejected from printhead 16 and hence the rate of ink usage.
- the system should compensate by changing the correlation of ink usage versus number of drops ejected from printhead 16 .
- Tracking the amount of ink remaining serves a number of functions.
- the printing system user can be notified of remaining ink over time.
- One way to do this is to provide an ink level gauge that indicates an ink level for each colorant in the printing system.
- the ink level gauge can be displayed on the printer chassis or upon a computer screen that is interconnected with the printing system.
- the ink container 12 reaches a low ink level, the user can be notified, allowing the user to acquire another ink container before the reservoir 22 becomes fully depleted.
- ink container 12 becomes empty of deliverable ink printing can be automatically stopped to prevent printer damage. Note that providing these functions requires prior knowledge of the available ink volume within the ink container.
Abstract
The present invention is an ink container for use in an ink jet printing system. The printing system has a printhead under control of printing system electronics and an ink container receiving station for providing ink to the printhead. The replaceable ink container includes a plurality of container interfacing features positioned on the ink container to engage corresponding ink container receiving station interfacing features. The ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow a plurality of different sizes of the ink container to be installed at a particular location of the receiving station. The ink container also includes an information storage device that provides information indicative of a volume of ink contained in said ink container.
Description
- This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/785,580 filed Jan. 21, 1997, entitled “Apparatus Controlled by Data from Consumable Parts with Incorporated Memory Devices”, incorporated herein by reference. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/789,957 filed Jan. 30, 1997, entitled “Ink Container Configured for Use with Compact Supply Station”, incorporated herein by reference and which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/706,061 filed Aug. 30, 1996, entitled “Ink-Jet Printing System With Off-Axis Ink Supply And High Performance Tubing”, incorporated herein by reference. This application is also related to commonly assigned “Electrical and Fluidic Interface For An Ink Supply”, application Ser. No. 08/791,290 filed Jan. 30, 1997, “Electrical Interconnect For Replaceable Ink Containers”, application Ser. No. 08/789,958, filed Jan. 30, 1997, and “Mechanical and Electrical Keying Arrangement which Assures Compatibility of a Replaceable Ink Cartridge and a Receiving Printer”, Attorney Docket Number 10960725-1, filed May 16, 1997, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
- This invention relates to inkjet printers and the like and, more particularly, to an ink container having mechanical and electronic features that allow different sizes of ink containers to be plug compatible while providing an automatic and accurate way of tracking ink remaining in the ink container.
- Ink-jet printers or printing systems frequently make use of an ink-jet printhead mounted to a carriage which is moved back and forth across a print media, such as paper. As the printhead is moved across the print media, control electronics activate the printhead to eject, or jet, ink droplets onto print media to form images and characters.
- Some printing systems make use of an “off-carriage” or “off-axis” ink container that is replaceable separately from a high performance printhead wherein the ink container is located off of the carriage. When the ink container is exhausted the ink container is removed and replaced with a new ink container. The use of replaceable ink containers that are separate from the printhead allow users to replace the ink container without replacing the printhead and allows for larger ink supplies than would be practical on a scanning carriage. The printhead is then replaced at or near the end of printhead life and not when the ink container is exhausted. This tends to lower the average cost per printed page for the system and can decrease the frequency of ink container replacement.
- Generally, the frequency of replacement of ink containers is determined by the initial volume of ink held in the ink containers and the rate of consumption of the ink. An ink container that is smaller requires more frequent ink container replacement for a given usage rate. This can be inconvenient to the user. A related problem occurs if the printer runs out of ink while printing a document. When this happens, the user must reprint at least part of the printed document. This results in wasted ink and media. With a combination of high use rate printing and small ink containers, running out of ink and reprinting documents can become a very frequent event, resulting in considerable inconvenience and waste of ink and media.
- The use of a larger ink container results in a less frequent ink container replacement for a given usage rate. If the container is too large, the container may reside in the printer beyond the ink shelf life. When this happens, the user must decide between replacing the container or using the ink. Replacing the container implies throwing away unused ink. On the other hand, using old ink may damage the printhead or printer. Thus, too large of an ink container will at least negatively impact cost per printed page and/or printing system reliability.
- Accordingly, it is desirable to have inkjet printing systems that conveniently, reliably, and cost-effectively accommodate a range of ink usage rates.
- The present invention is a replaceable ink container for use in an inkjet printing system. The printing system has a printhead under control of printing system electronics and an ink container receiving station for providing ink to the printhead. The replaceable ink container includes a plurality of container interfacing features positioned on the ink container to engage corresponding ink container receiving station interfacing features. The ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow a plurality of sizes of the container to be installed at a particular location in the receiving station. Also, the ink container includes an information storage device that electrically couples to the printing system and provides information indicative of a volume of ink contained in the ink container.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the printing system showing an ink container of the present invention which forms a fluid interconnect and an electrical interconnect with the printing system.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a printer with cover removed, which incorporates the ink container of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is an ink supply receiving station of the type used in the printing system of FIG. 2, shown broken away, with an ink container positioned for insertion into the ink supply receiving station.
- FIGS. 4a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, and 4 e depict an isometric view of one preferred embodiment of the ink container of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 depicts a simplified section view, partially broken away, of the ink container partially inserted in the ink container receiving station of FIG. 6.
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the components of the ink jet printing system illustrated in FIG. 2.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic representation which depicts an ink-
jet printing system 10 that includes an ink cartridge orink container 12 of the present invention. The ink-jet printing system 10 also includes an ink supply station or inkcontainer receiving station 14 for receivingink container 12, an ink jet printhead 16 and controller or printing system electronics 18. Printing is accomplished by theprinting system 10 by the ejection of ink from the printhead 16 under the control of printing system electronics 18. The printhead 16 is connected to the printing system electronics 18 by a printhead data link 19 for controlling ejection of ink. Ink is provided to the printhead 16 by way of afluid conduit 21 which fluidically connects the printhead 16 to thereceiving station 14. The ink container includes anink outlet 20 which is in fluid communication with afluid reservoir 22. Theink container 12 includes a plurality of containerelectrical contacts 24 which are electrically connected to an information storage device ormemory element 26. - The
ink outlet 20 and theelectrical contacts 24 allow theink container 12 to reliably interconnect with afluid inlet 28 and receiving stationelectrical contacts 30, respectively, associated with the inkcontainer receiving station 14. Thereceiving station 14 enables ink to be transferred from thefluid reservoir 22 associated with theink container 12 to the printhead 16 via thefluid conduit 21. In addition, the ink container receiving station allows the transfer of information between theinformation storage device 26 associated with theink container 12 and the printing system electronics 18 via alink 32. - The present invention relates to a combination of container interfacing features that allow multiple sizes of
ink container 12 to be received inink receiving station 14 as well as electronic features that provide information to theprinting system 10 to determine a volume of available in theink container 12. By determining the volume of available ink, theprinting system 10 can determine an ink level condition ofink container 12 such as a low ink or out of ink condition. - During the life of the printer, printhead16 and
ink container 12 are periodically replaced.Ink container 12 is a relatively frequently replaced component. On the other hand, printhead 16 has a lower replacement rate and can even be permanent. To avoid adding unnecessary cost per page, it is critical thatprinting system 10 prevent premature damage to printhead 16. -
Ink container 12 is sized according to the rate of usage of ink. If the ink container is too small, it will need to be replaced frequently at a loss of convenience to the user. On the other hand, if the container is too large, it may reside in the printer for a time beyond shelf life. Beyond shelf life ink will degrade print quality or even cause permanent damage to the printhead 16 or theprinting system 10. - Beyond shelf life ink can affect the printhead in a number of ways. As ink is stored, it loses volatile components, i.e., water, solvents, etc. As the concentration of non-volatile components increases, the ink can turn to sludge or even precipitate. Sufficiently old ink could completely clog the printhead16 and/or
conduit 21, requiring printhead replacement or even printer servicing. At the very least, the print quality will be degraded since the printhead is tuned to operate best with ink in a particular viscosity and surface tension range. The user may interpret any degradation in print quality as a need to replace printhead 16,ink container 12, or both. - Thus, it is desirable that the
same printing system 10 address multiple use rate environments. To this end, the ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow multiple sizes of theink container 12 to be installable or insertable at a particular location in inkcontainer receiving station 14. The container interfacing features include thefluid outlet 20, the containerelectrical contacts 24, and a plurality of container positioning features 34 that engage corresponding receiving station positioning features (not shown) to be discussed in more detail later. - Activating printhead16 without an adequate supply of ink from
container 12 can result in printhead damage. To prevent this, the present invention includesinformation storage device 26 that provides information to the printing system electronics 18 indicative of an available volume of ink contained inink container 12. This parameter is preferably updated periodically. If the parameter is indicative of an out of ink condition inink container 12, the printing system electronics 18 takes action such as halting printing to avoid damage to printhead 16. - Turning to FIG. 2, one embodiment of
printing system 10 is depicted. Shown is aprinter 10, with its cover removed, containing a plurality ofink containers 12.Printer 10 includes atray 40 for holding a supply of media, such as paper. When a printing operation is initiated, a sheet of media fromtray 40 is fed intoprinter 10, using a sheet feeder (not shown). During printing, media sheets pass through print zone 42 whereupon ascanning carriage 44 containing one more printheads 16, is scanned across the sheet for printing a swath of ink thereon. The sheet of paper is stepped through the print zone 42 as thescanning carriage 44 prints a series of swaths of ink to form images thereon. After printing is complete, the sheet is positioned in anoutput tray 46 and the process repeats. - As printheads16 eject ink onto media, they are replenished by
conduits 21 that are fluidically connected toink containers 12.Ink containers 12 are periodically replaced with a frequency determined by the initial volume of deliverable ink and a usage rate.Ink containers 12 are called “off-carriage” because they are located in stationaryink supply station 14 off thescanning carriage 44. This configuration allows for larger ink containers than would be practical oncarriage 44. Ink containers can therefore be sized as large as user needs dictate. - The illustrated printing system is a general purpose printer such as one to be used in a typical office or home environment. This accepts ink container of varying sizes and volumes to accommodate varying rates of ink usage. In the illustration shown, a relatively
larger ink container 48 containing a higher use rate colorant is provided along with a plurality of smaller ink containers 50 containing lower use rate colorants. The volumes of each colorant are selected to be large enough to minimize the replacement frequency and small enough to avoid exceeding the shelf life given the particular printer application. - A more specific printer example is the following: Black is the higher use rate colorant for
container 48 and each of cyan, yellow, and magenta inks are lower use rate colorants within ink container 50. In this example, the black ink container would have a 70-80 cc volume to accommodate very frequent text printing in an office environment and the color ink containers would each have a 20-30 cc volume to accommodate lower use rate color printing to occasionally highlight documents. This same printer can also be used in a home environment wherein the text printing frequency is much lower. For this lower use rate situation, a smaller 20-30 ccblack ink container 48′ (not shown) would be preferred. Accordingly,ink containers printer 10. In addition,ink containers printing system 10 to determine the available ink in each ofink containers - The above specific example is only illustrative of one specific application of the invention to black text printing. For example, there may be color ink containers50′, each of which is installable in the same location as a color container 50, wherein containers 50 and 50′ have different volumes of available ink. These may have different fill levels or even be of multiple sizes. The color containers 50 may contain other colorants (red, green, blue) or colorant concentrations as well. There might be a high volume version of a color ink container 50 for high density and/or more frequent color printing and a lower volume 50′ version for lower density and/or less frequent printing.
- In a preferred embodiment, all of the
ink containers 12 are the same height to make it easier to install them and to make thesupply station 14 more compact. The size of the supply station impacts overall printing system size, which needs to be kept at a minimum to preserve desktop space and provide a lower printing system cost.Ink container 12 is therefore adapted to allow multiple widths ofink container 12 to be plug compatible with receivingstation 14 while providing containers of uniform height. - Turning to FIG. 3,
ink container 12 is shown positioned for insertion into acontainer receiving station 14. The plurality of container positioning features 34 include aligningfeatures 62 and latching features 64. The aligning features 62 are configured to engage corresponding guiding features 66 to guideink container 12 into the receivingstation 14. The aligning features 62 are preferably positioned on opposite sides of theink container 12. Positioning the aligning features on opposite ends ofcartridge 14 eliminates any need for partition walls betweencartridges 12 during insertion. Not having partition walls allows for a lower cost and more compactink supply station 14. -
Ink container 12 has an elongate cross section perpendicular to the direction of its insertion into receivingstation 14. Aligning features 62 are positioned at opposite ends of the elongate cross section, with the elongate shape ofink container 12 maximizing the distance between the aligning features 62. Preferably, aligningfeatures 62 are disposed adjacent to aleading edge 72 ofink container 12 relative to a direction of insertion. Placing the features at these locations improves alignment betweenfluid outlet 20 andfluid inlet 28 and improves alignment betweencontainer contacts 24 and receivingstation contacts 30. - In order for supply station and ink container parts to be of acceptable cost, they tend to be constructed of molded plastic without extremely precision tolerances (i.e., without perfect dimensional accuracy). Thus, the aligning features62 on
ink container 12 are slightly smaller than the guiding features 66 on receivingstation 14. As a result, during installation ofink container 12 into receivingstation 14, there is some placement variation between the respective features that engage. The farther these features are from thefluid outlet 20 and thecontainer contacts 24, the more effect angular variations in the supply insertion will affect placement between thefluid outlet 20 and thefluid inlet 28 as well as the between the containerelectrical contacts 24 and the receiving stationelectrical contacts 30. Placing the alignment features 62 adjacent to the leadingedge 72 minimizes this distance, thereby minimizing such critical placement variation. In addition, maximizing the distance between aligningfeatures 62 minimizes the angular variation ofink container 12 during installation relative to an axis aligned with the direction of installation. Finally, by placing thefluid outlet 20 and thecontainer contacts 24 close to the opposite ends ofcontainer 12 further minimizes the distance between the aligning features and thefluid outlet 20 and thecontainer contacts 24, and this further improves alignment accuracy of thefluid outlet 20 to thefluid inlet 28 and thecontainer contacts 28 to the receivingstation contacts 30. - Once
ink container 12 is properly aligned and inserted into receivingstation 14, alatch 68 engages acorresponding latch feature 64 onink container 12 to latchink container 12 into a receivingstation 14. At such time, thefluid inlet 28, associated with receivingstation 14, engages the correspondingfluid outlet 20 onink container 12 allow a fluid flow intofluid conduit 21. - Insertion of
ink container 12 into receiving station also forms an electrical interconnect betweenink container 12 and receivingstation 14. More specifically, containerelectrical contacts 24 associated with theink container 12 engage corresponding receiving stationelectrical contacts 30 associated with receivingstation 14 to allow information to be transferred between printing system electronics 18 andinformation storage device 26. - FIGS. 4a-e are isometric views illustrating two sizes of
ink container 12. The larger embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4a-d, is thelarger ink container 48 discussed with respect to FIG. 2. FIGS. 4a, 4 b, and 4 c show a side view, a frontal view, and a leading end view of thelarger version 48 ofink container 12, respectively. FIG. 4d shows detail of one aspect of FIG. 4c. FIG. 4e illustrates a leading end view of thesmaller ink container 48′ that is plug compatible withink container 48. Details in FIG. 4d also apply to FIG. 4e. The dashed outline of FIG. 4c represents the outside surface ofsmaller container 48′. -
Ink container 12 has an elongate cross section perpendicular to a direction ofinsertion 70 such that the elongate cross section defines an axis of elongation designated as element A. Thefluid interconnect 20 and the plurality ofelectrical contacts 24 are arranged along the axis of elongation A. This allowssmaller ink container 48′ to have a minimal width W′. - The
ink container 12 has first andsecond sides 63 that are arranged along axis of elongation A. In a preferred embodiment, first andsecond sides 63 are substantially aligned with the direction ofinsertion 70. The plurality of container positioning features 34, including alignment features 62 and latch features 64 are arranged on the first and second sides to engage corresponding receiving station positioning features that include guidingfeatures 66 and latch features 68, respectively. With this arrangement, the container positioning features, fluid outlet, and the plurality of container electrical contacts are all arranged along the axis of elongation A. This further allows theminimum size 48′ ofcontainer 12 to be of minimum width W′. - The
fluid outlet 20 and thecontainer contacts 24 are arranged along axis of elongation A and are located toward the first and second sides 63. This minimizes the distance between thefluid outlet 20 and leadingedge aligning feature 62 on one side and it minimizes the distance betweencontainer contacts 24 and leadingedge aligning feature 62 on the other side. As discussed earlier, this improves alignment accuracy between thefluid outlet 20 and thefluid inlet 28 and between thecontainer contacts 24 and the receivingstation contacts 30. - The
fluid outlet 20 is accessible on aleading edge 72 ofink container 48. Preferably, the axis of elongation A substantially bisects thefluid outlet 20 to further provide for a narrow width supply. The fluid outlet is positioned at the same location relative to the container positioning features 34 for thelarge ink container 48 and thesmall ink container 48′ to assure thatink containers ink receiving station 14. - As shown in detail in FIG. 4d, the plurality of container
electrical contacts 24, also accessible from leadingedge 72, are disposed in acavity 74 to protect the contacts from damage or contamination caused by finger contact, ink, etc. The plurality of containerelectrical contacts 24 are disposed on a wall aligned with the direction ofinsertion 70 that allows them to make contact with the receiving stationelectrical contacts 30 in a sliding action. Arectangular opening 76 provides access to the cavity for receiving stationelectrical contacts 30. The rectangular opening has a long axis that is aligned with the axis of elongation A to help minimize the minimum width ofink container 12. In using this arrangement, the plurality ofelectrical contacts 24 are arranged in facing relationship with the axis of elongation A. In addition, the plurality of containerelectrical contacts 24 are positioned at the same location relative to the container positioning features 34 for thelarge ink container 48 and thesmall ink container 48′ to assure plug compatibility betweenink containers - To summarize the concept of plug compatibility,
ink containers station 14. Thus, when eithercontainer 48 orcontainer 48′ is installed,fluid outlet 20 is positioned the same relative to receiving station guiding features 66 such thatfluid outlet 20 will properly engagefluid inlet 28. Similarly, when eithercontainer 48 orcontainer 48′ is installed, containerelectrical contacts 24 are positioned the same relative to receiving station guiding features 66 such that containerelectrical contacts 24 will properly engage receiving stationelectrical contacts 30. - FIG. 5 depicts a sectional view perpendicular to the direction of
insertion 70 of a plurality ofink containers 12 taken across aligningfeatures 62 with the containers, at least partially, inserted into thesupply station 14. In this figure, the plurality ofink containers 12 includes thelarger ink container 48 and the plurality of smaller ink containers 50. Also shown in dashed outline is thesmaller ink container 48′ that is plug compatible withink container 48. In one embodiment,ink containers - This figure illustrates a number of interfacing feature geometries that provide reliable connections between
ink container 12 and receivingstation 14 and enable multiple ink container widths. The container interfacing features include the positioning features 34, thefluid outlet 20, and the plurality of containerelectrical contacts 30. The container positioning features 34 include aligningfeatures 62 and latching features 64. - Guiding features66 are disposed on opposing
walls 80 ofsupply station 14. Outwardly extending aligningfeatures 62 extend into guiding features 66 to provide alignment betweenink container 12 and receivingstation 14. - Also shown in dashed outline in this figure is the
fluid outlet 20 and therectangular opening 76 that leads to the plurality of containerelectrical contacts 24. In this view, the plurality of container interfacing features, comprising the fluid outlet, the plurality of electrical contacts, and the container positioning features are projected onto a two dimensional view. In this view, the projected plurality of container interfacing features are all arranged along the axis of elongation A in order to minimize the width of the smallerblack container 48′. This allows the widest possible range of plug compatible container widths. - As discussed earlier, axis of elongation A preferably substantially bisects the
fluid outlet 20 and passes through therectangular opening 76 such that the plurality of containerelectrical contacts 24 each face the axis of elongation A. - To assure plug compatibility between
containers fluid outlet 20 and the containerelectrical contacts 24 are positioned at the same location along the axis of elongation for eithercontainer - Axis of elongation A is located roughly at the center of the guiding features66 when the
larger ink container 48 is installed in receivingstation 14. This allows theink container 12 width to be varied in a symmetrical manner. -
Ink containers 12 are arranged along a width direction in a side-by-side manner in receivingstation 14. These locations are variably spaced to accommodate a range of ink container widths. In this example,ink containers ink containers - FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of ink
jet printing system 10. Controller or printing system electronics (which, in the case of a typical printer, include a computer, a printer driver, and printer firmware electronics) 18 control the operation ofprinting system 10.Ink container 12 has an information storage device ormemory element 26 thereon that provides information toprinting system 12 indicative of a volume of ink. - This information provided by the information storage device includes parameters that are indicative of the available ink in
ink container 12. In this preferred embodiment, the parameters include a first parameter that is indicative of initial available volume of ink contained inink container 12 and a second parameter that is indicative of an amount available of ink remaining inink container 12. Initially, the second parameter is indicative of a full ink container, i.e., it is indicative of a volume of ink equal to the initial volume of ink. - In this example, the first parameter is represented by a binary encoded value that is proportional to the initial volume of ink in
container 12. The first parameter can be encoded in a variety of other ways. As a second example, the parameter could be one that is an encoded number that is accessed by the printing system which then determines an amount of available ink by comparing the encoded number with a lookup table. For the simplest lookup table example, the first parameter could just indicate a large supply or small supply for a printing system that accepts only two supply sizes. The large supply could be indicated by a one and a small supply by a zero. The system, upon reading the value, would have pre-programmed an expected initial available volume of ink for use in ink usage calculations. - In the immediate example, the second parameter is a binary number that is proportional to the fraction of available ink left ink the ink container. Again, this does not have to be the case; other ways of doing this such as the aforementioned lookup table (a lookup table of fill states or available ink states) could be used.
- As printing takes place, printhead16 ejects ink onto media. Each droplet of ink has a certain drop volume, that is determined by controller 18. Controller 18 can determine this drop volume by reading a drop volume parameter from a
printhead memory element 90. Controller 18 periodically calculates the amount of ink ejected by printhead 16 for some amount of time or printing. This is normally done by multiplying a calculation of the average drop volume by an amount of drops ejected to obtain an incremental volume of ink. Controller 18 then subtracts this incremental volume from the current value of the amount of ink remaining inink container 12 to obtain a new value for amount of ink remaining. The second parameter onmemory element 26 is then updated to reflect the current remaining ink volume. - As explained above, the first and second parameters are indicative of initial and current volumes of ink contained in
ink container 12. However, for reliability reasons, this may not be the case. There is always some amount of error in the calculation discussed above. For example, printhead 16 may eject ink at a slightly faster rate than the assumed value. Thus, it would be preferable that first and second parameters indicate a lesser amount of ink to assure printhead 16 is never activated without a steady supply of ink. - In another embodiment, the information storage device stores a third parameter indicative of the type of ink contained in
reservoir 22. A difference in ink type refers to any aspect that would make two inks non-identical or different (e.g. different colors, densities, solvents, pigment or dye colorant type, surfactants, etc.). A change in the ink from a first ink type to a non-identical second ink type will tend to affect the volume of drops ejected from printhead 16 and hence the rate of ink usage. Thus, for such a change, the system should compensate by changing the correlation of ink usage versus number of drops ejected from printhead 16. - Tracking the amount of ink remaining serves a number of functions. The printing system user can be notified of remaining ink over time. One way to do this is to provide an ink level gauge that indicates an ink level for each colorant in the printing system. The ink level gauge can be displayed on the printer chassis or upon a computer screen that is interconnected with the printing system. When the
ink container 12 reaches a low ink level, the user can be notified, allowing the user to acquire another ink container before thereservoir 22 becomes fully depleted. Finally, whenink container 12 becomes empty of deliverable ink, printing can be automatically stopped to prevent printer damage. Note that providing these functions requires prior knowledge of the available ink volume within the ink container. - It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. For example, although a particular printer was shown, this invention could be embodied in any ink jet printing system, including color copiers, office or home printers, large format CAD (computer aided design) printers, and web printers. The example shown had a black ink container with large and small sizes. However, this invention could be used in other printing systems where color ink containers need to have multiple sizes. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (33)
1. A replaceable ink container to be installed at a particular location in a receiving station of an ink jet printing system, said receiving station for providing ink to a printhead, the replaceable ink container comprising:
a plurality of container interfacing features positioned on said ink container to engage corresponding receiving station interfacing features, said plurality of ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow a plurality of different sizes of said ink container to be installed at said particular location; and
an information storage device associated with said ink container that electrically couples to said printing system and provides information indicative of a volume of ink within said ink container.
2. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said plurality of container interfacing features includes:
claim 1
a fluid outlet configured to connect to a corresponding fluid inlet in said receiving station to allow ink to flow from said ink container to said printhead;
a plurality of container electrical contacts configured to engage corresponding receiving station electrical contacts to allow said information storage device to electrically couple to said printing system; and
a plurality of container positioning features configured to engage corresponding receiving station positioning features to properly position said ink container so as to provide reliable fluidic and electrical connections between said ink container and said receiving station.
3. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said ink container has an axis of elongation perpendicular to a direction of insertion of said ink container into said receiving station, said fluid outlet and said plurality of container electrical contacts are arranged along said axis of elongation.
claim 2
4. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said axis of elongation substantially bisects said fluid interconnect.
claim 3
5. The replaceable ink container of , wherein each of said plurality of container electrical contacts face toward said axis of elongation.
claim 3
6. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said axis of elongation passes through said fluid interconnect, and wherein an outer surface of said ink container is substantially symmetrical with respect to said axis of elongation.
claim 3
7. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said container has first and second sides arranged along said axis of elongation, said container positional interfacing features are positioned along first and second sides for engaging said corresponding receiving station positioning features.
claim 3
8. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said first and second sides are substantially aligned with said direction of insertion.
claim 7
9. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said receiving station has opposing walls, said corresponding receiving station positional features include guiding channels positioned on said opposing walls, said container positional interfacing features include outwardly extending aligning features that extend into said guiding channels.
claim 7
10. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said aligning features are positioned to align said ink container such that said axis of elongation is substantially centered within said guiding channels when said ink container is installed in said receiving station.
claim 9
11. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said information indicative of a volume of ink includes at least one parameter indicative of a calculated volume of available ink contained in said ink container.
claim 1
12. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said at least one parameter includes first and second parameters, said first parameter is indicative of a calculated initial volume of available ink in said ink container, said second parameter is indicative of a calculated volume of ink remaining in said ink container.
claim 11
13. The replaceable ink container of , further comprising a reservoir containing a volume of available ink, said calculated volume of available ink is less than or equal to said volume of available ink.
claim 11
14. The replaceable ink container of , wherein said at least one parameter is a binary number interpreted by said printing system to be proportional to a volume of deliverable ink.
claim 11
15. A system of ink containers for use in a printing system, said printing system having a printhead under control of printing system electronics, said printing system having a receiving station for receiving an ink container, said receiving station having a fluid inlet in fluid communication with said printhead, said system of ink containers comprising:
a first ink container adapted for installation in a particular location of said receiving station and containing a first initial quantity of ink, said first ink container includes:
a first fluid outlet disposed and arranged to connect to said fluid inlet in said receiving station; and
a first information storage device configured to Couple to said printing system, said information storage device contains information indicative of said first quantity of ink; and
a second ink container adapted for installation in said particular location and containing a second quantity of ink with said second quantity of ink different from said first quantity of ink, said second ink container includes:
a second fluid outlet disposed and arranged to connect to said fluid inlet in said receiving station; and
a second information storage configured for electrical connection to said printing system, said second information device containing information indicative of said second quantity of ink, wherein said printing system infers ink remaining based on one of said first and second quantities of ink.
16. The system of ink containers as recited in , wherein said first ink container and said second ink container are of different dimensional sizes.
claim 15
17. The system of ink containers as recited in , wherein said first and second ink containers have first and second widths perpendicular to a direction of insertion, respectively, said first and second widths are different.
claim 16
18. The system of ink containers as recited in , wherein said first ink container contains a first ink type, said second ink container contains a second ink type, said first ink type is different than said second ink type.
claim 15
19. A printing system, comprising:
a printhead for selectively depositing ink droplets onto media;
a receiving station for providing ink to said printhead;
a first ink container adapted for installation in a particular location in said receiving station, said ink container including:
a plurality of container interfacing features positioned on said ink container to engage corresponding receiving station interfacing features, said plurality of container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow a plurality of different sizes of said ink container to be installed at said particular location;
an information storage device associated with said ink container; and
a controller associated with said printing system, said controller configured for reading information indicative of a volume of ink from said information storage device.
20. The printing system of , wherein said receiving station is adapted to position a plurality of ink containers at locations along a width direction, said locations are variably spaced to accommodate a range of ink container widths.
claim 19
21. The printing system of , further comprising a second ink container that is configured to be installed in said particular location.
claim 19
22. The printing system of , wherein said first ink container contains a first volume of available ink, said second ink container contains a second volume of available ink that is different than said first volume of available ink.
claim 21
23. The printing system of wherein said first ink container contains a first ink type, said second ink container contains a second ink type that is different than said first ink type.
claim 21
23. The printing system of , wherein said printhead is mounted in a scanning carriage and wherein said ink container receiving station is stationary relative to said scanning carriage.
claim 19
24. A method of providing ink to a printhead in an inkjet printing system, the printhead receiving ink from a fluid inlet in a receiving station, comprising:
a) selecting a first ink container containing a first volume of deliverable ink of a first ink type from a plurality of ink containers, said plurality of ink containers containing different volumes of available ink, each of said plurality of said ink containers is adapted to be fluidically coupled to said fluid inlet;
b) fluidically coupling said ink container to said fluid inlet;
c) providing information to said printing system indicative of said volume of deliverable ink; and
d) providing ink from said ink container to said printhead.
25. The method of , wherein each of said plurality of ink containers is insertable in a particular location of said receiving station, each of said plurality of ink containers has a fluid outlet that is configured to engage said fluid inlet when each of said plurality of ink containers is inserted in said particular location.
claim 24
26. The method of , wherein each of said plurality of ink containers has an information storage device, said information storage device provides said information indicative of said volume of deliverable ink to said printing system when each of said plurality of ink containers is inserted in said particular location.
claim 25
27. The method of , further comprising:
claim 24
selecting a second ink container containing a second volume of ink of a second type from said plurality of ink containers; and
fluidically coupling said second ink container to said fluid inlet.
28. The method of , wherein said second volume of ink is different than said first volume of ink.
claim 27
29. The method of , wherein said second ink container has a different dimensional size than said first ink container.
claim 28
30. The method of , wherein said second ink container has a different width than said first ink container.
claim 29
31. The method of , wherein said second ink type is different than said first ink type.
claim 27
32. The method of , further comprising:
claim 24
uncoupling said first ink container from said fluid inlet;
refilling said first ink container; and
fluidically coupling said first ink container to said fluid inlet.
Priority Applications (1)
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US09/328,315 US6305795B2 (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1999-06-08 | Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes |
Applications Claiming Priority (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US08/363,188 US5491540A (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1994-12-22 | Replacement part with integral memory for usage and calibration data |
US08/429,915 US5825387A (en) | 1995-04-27 | 1995-04-27 | Ink supply for an ink-jet printer |
US08/584,499 US5699091A (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1996-01-08 | Replaceable part with integral memory for usage, calibration and other data |
US70606196A | 1996-08-30 | 1996-08-30 | |
US08/785,580 US5812156A (en) | 1997-01-21 | 1997-01-21 | Apparatus controlled by data from consumable parts with incorporated memory devices |
US08/789,957 US6142617A (en) | 1995-04-27 | 1997-01-30 | Ink container configured for use with compact supply station |
US08/869,152 US5956057A (en) | 1996-08-30 | 1997-06-04 | Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes |
US09/328,315 US6305795B2 (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1999-06-08 | Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes |
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US08/789,957 Continuation-In-Part US6142617A (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1997-01-30 | Ink container configured for use with compact supply station |
US08/869,152 Continuation US5956057A (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1997-06-04 | Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes |
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US09/328,315 Expired - Lifetime US6305795B2 (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1999-06-08 | Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes |
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US08/869,152 Expired - Lifetime US5956057A (en) | 1994-12-22 | 1997-06-04 | Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes |
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- 1997-12-12 JP JP53435598A patent/JP2001509103A/en active Pending
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2001509103A (en) | 2001-07-10 |
US6305795B2 (en) | 2001-10-23 |
DE69723737D1 (en) | 2003-08-28 |
EP0968090A1 (en) | 2000-01-05 |
WO1998031548A1 (en) | 1998-07-23 |
DE69723737T2 (en) | 2004-06-03 |
US5956057A (en) | 1999-09-21 |
EP0968090B1 (en) | 2003-07-23 |
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