WO2002020270A1

WO2002020270A1 - An ink cartridge with a seal member provided at the ink outlet port

Info

Publication number: WO2002020270A1
Application number: PCT/CN2001/001215
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qingguo Xiao; Yu Li
Original assignee: Unicorn Image Products Co. Ltd. Of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2000-07-31
Filing date: 2001-07-31
Publication date: 2002-03-14
Also published as: AU2002213759A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge equipped for printer. The ink outlet port of the ink cartdridge is provided with a seal member, which is used to mate with the print needle and maintain the ink. The seal member contains an integrally provided supporting portion which fits into the ink outlet port closely, a seal annular protion projected from the supporting portion, a block cooperating with the annular portion, and a connecting portion surrounding between the block and the annular portion. The seal member has good sealing function during non-use. Also, the connecting portion is broken when the needle penetrates through it, whereby separates the block from the sealing annular portion. Since the annular portion fits into the needle closely, the seal member of the present invention acts well during use.

Description

Ink cartridge device provided with sealing member at ink outlet

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge device for a printer, and more particularly to an ink cartridge device for sealing an ink outlet through a suitable sealing ring portion and a stopper. Background technique

Ink cartridges for inkjet printers usually require a seal ring at the ink outlet of the cartridge. This prior art sealing ring only guarantees a good sealing effect when the ink supply needle-shaped body is inserted, and a sealing film must be provided at the ink outlet when the ink supply needle is transported or in a non-printing state.

For example, Chinese patent application CN1133784A discloses a funnel-shaped sealing ring 10, as shown in FIG. 1, the sealing ring 10 has a through hole 12, the bottom hole of the through hole 12 is small and the top hole is large, the through hole The size of 12 allows the ink supply needle-like body 14 of the inkjet recording apparatus to be inserted, and its wall portion 18 is elastically pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the ink supply needle-like body 14. When the ink supply needle-like body 14 is inserted into the ink supply port, the sealing ring 10 prevents the ink from overflowing the cartridge body, rather than preventing the ink from flowing through the ink supply needle-like body 14. The small end of the through hole 12 is close to the ink outlet 14. Obviously, this kind of sealing ring 10 can play a good sealing role, but this kind of sealing ring 10 can only ensure that the ink supply needle 14 is inserted. Good sealing effect. Therefore, this prior art sealing ring 10 must also be provided with a sealing film 16 to prevent ink from overflowing the cartridge during transportation or in a non-printing state, which undoubtedly increases manufacturing costs.

In the ink cartridge device disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,790,158, a seal ring with a through hole in the center is also applied, as shown in the "0" -shaped seal ring 20 shown in FIG. These sealing rings 20 can play a better sealing role, but in the transport and non-printing state, it also needs to be provided with a sealing film 24 on the outside of the chamber 22.

U.S. Patent 5,949,458 also discloses a seal 30 with a membrane 32 that can be pierced. However, in this solution, the sealing member 30 and the film body 32 are both elastic members. Since the film 32 has strong toughness, when the film 32 is pierced in application, it is relatively labor-intensive, and even the phenomenon that it cannot be pierced appears. Summary of the Invention

'The object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge device for sealing an ink outlet through a matching sealing ring portion and a stopper, which can directly perform a good sealing function in a non-printing state or during transportation, and can also In the printing state with the printing needle-shaped body passing through, it plays a good sealing role, thereby facilitating the assembly process and reducing costs more effectively. The present invention achieves the object of the invention in this way:

An ink cartridge device provided with a seal at an ink outlet is used for printer equipment, and includes a box body, which is provided with at least one ink storage cavity for storing ink, wherein the box body contains

At least one vent

At least one ink outlet is provided on a wall portion for communicating with a printing needle of a printer device to supply ink to the printer; and

At least one seal member for blocking the ink outlet, wherein the seal is provided inside the ink outlet and is integrally provided

A support portion with a cavity inside, which closely cooperates with a wall portion of the ink outlet; a sealing ring portion, which bulges inward from the support portion;

A stopper that cooperates with the seal ring portion formed by the bulge; and

A connecting portion surrounds the seal ring portion and the stopper, and is used to ensure that the stopper is broken when the stopper is subjected to a predetermined pressure.

The ink cartridge device of the present invention is characterized in that the support portion is ring-shaped.

In the ink cartridge device according to the present invention, the stopper that cooperates with the raised seal ring portion is provided at a center portion of the seal.

In the ink cartridge device according to the present invention, the seal ring portion bulges vertically from the support portion. In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the top surface and the bottom surface of the seal ring portion are arranged in parallel. In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, a top surface of the seal ring portion is inclined from the support portion to the connection portion provided at the center, and is used to guide the ink in the ink storage chamber and to facilitate the blocking. The block is detached from the connecting portion.

In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, an included angle between the inclined top surface of the seal ring portion and a horizontal plane is 30 to 45 ^° .

In the ink cartridge device according to the present invention, the connection portion is connected to a top end of the seal ring portion. In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the bottom surface of the seal ring portion is inclined from the support portion to the connecting portion provided at the center, and is used to guide the printing needle of the printer device.

In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, a slope of a bottom surface of the seal ring portion is between 20 ° and 70 °.

In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the stopper is in a spherical crown shape.

The ink cartridge device of the present invention, wherein the stopper is cylindrical.

According to the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the stopper is a round sheet.

In the ink cartridge device according to the present invention, a wall portion is integrally provided upward at a distal end of the seal ring portion.

In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, a width of the connecting portion is 0 to 0.3 mm. In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the thickness of the connecting portion is much smaller than the thickness of the stopper, which is used to facilitate the printing needle to pass through after being broken by force.

The ink cartridge device of the present invention, wherein the connecting portion has a uniform thickness.

In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the thickness of the connecting portion is between 0.15 and 0.4 mm. In the ink cartridge device of the present invention, the connecting portions have different thicknesses.

The ink cartridge device of the present invention, wherein the thickness of the connecting portion is increased from a part of the ring portion to the opposite side.

The ink cartridge device of the present invention, wherein the thickness of the thinnest part of the connection portion is between

0.15 ~ 0.25mm.

The ink cartridge device of the present invention, wherein the thickness of the thickest part of the connecting portion is between

Wake between 0.3 and 0.4.

According to the ink cartridge device of the present invention, a packing seal for covering the vent hole on the outside of the box body simultaneously covers the ink outlet along the box body.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since the present invention is adapted to the seal ring portion through a stopper having a sufficient thickness, the seal may be effectively prevented from being broken during transportation or assembly.

According to another aspect of the present invention, since the present invention provides a connecting portion that is much smaller in thickness and width than the stopper, it not only ensures that the seal of the present invention can withstand a certain pressure, but also ensures that it can It breaks effectively, allowing the ink supply needles to pass smoothly.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, since each part of the seal of the present invention, such as a support portion, a seal ring portion, a stopper, and a connecting portion, is all designed in one piece, greatly facilitating assembly work, and at the same time effectively reducing costs. . Brief description of the drawings

The following describes the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings to make the foregoing technical solutions and other advantages of the present invention obvious.

Figure 1 shows a prior art ink cartridge device in which a sealing ring abuts on the ink supply needle through a tapered through hole to seal the ink;

FIG. 2 shows another prior art ink cartridge device, in which an ink outlet is covered with a sealing film;

Figure 3 shows another prior art ink cartridge device, in which the sealing member seals the ink through a sealing film provided in the middle;

FIG. 4A shows a first embodiment of a seal member applied to an ink cartridge device according to the present invention, and shows that a seal ring portion from a support portion up to a ridge is adapted to a spherical crown-shaped stopper; FIG. 4B Shown is the state of the seal shown in Figure 4A when it is passed by the ink supply needle Figure;

FIG. 5A shows still another embodiment of the stopper of the present invention, showing that the seal ring portion from the support portion to the bulge is adapted to a cylindrical stopper;

FIG. 5B is a schematic view showing a state of the seal shown in FIG. 5A when it is passed by the ink supply needle;

FIG. 6A shows still another preferred embodiment of the seal ring portion of the present invention, wherein the top surface of the seal ring portion is inclined from the support portion toward the center for facilitating the stopper to disengage from the connection portion;

FIG. 6B shows still another preferred embodiment of the seal ring portion of the present invention, wherein the bottom surface of the seal ring portion is inclined from the support portion toward the center and used to guide the printing needle of the printer device; FIG. 6C It is a schematic diagram of a seal ring guiding a printing needle during the installation process of the ink cartridge of the present invention;

FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation between the seal and the printing needle of the ink cartridge of the present invention after positioning;

FIG. 7A shows a preferred embodiment of a connecting portion integrally provided on a seal of the present invention, where the connecting portion has a uniform thickness;

FIG. 7B shows another preferred embodiment of the connecting portion of the present invention. The connecting portion is gradually thickened from the thinnest part of the connecting portion, and is used to ensure that the stopper of the present invention passes when an ink supply needle-like body passes through. Part of the connecting part is connected with the sealing ring part;

Figure 8 shows another preferred embodiment of the seal of the present invention, wherein a vertical wall adapted to the ink supply needle is provided on the seal ring portion;

Figures 9A-9B are perspective views of the ink cartridge device of the present invention, showing a packaging film that seals the vent hole and the ink outlet when it is open.

Hereinafter, this aspect will be described in detail.

For a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, please refer to FIG. 4A, a sealing member 52 which is closely matched with an ink outlet (not shown) of an ink cartridge device, is used for closing the ink outlet and holding ink. The sealing member 52 is first made of an elastic material, and the hardness of the material is about 30 to 50 ° Shore. It includes the following parts of a one-piece design: An annular support portion 520 having a cavity 522 inside, an outer wall and The ink outlet of the ink cartridge is closely matched; a sealing ring portion 524 is bulged from the support portion 520 toward the inner cavity; a stopper 526 provided at the central portion is basically matched with the sealing ring portion 524 formed by the bulging; and a connection A portion 528 surrounds the seal ring portion 524 and the stopper 526. It should be understood that the thickness and width of the connecting portion 528 should be much smaller than the thickness and width of the stopper 526 to ensure that the stopper 526 can be broken in time when an ink supply needle (not shown) is inserted. It can be seen that the sealing member 52 of the present invention needs to ensure that the stopper 526 can withstand a certain pressure, such as the pressure from the ink held or the pressure caused by an accident. On the other hand, it is necessary to make the connecting portion 528 easy. fracture. Therefore, the optimal value of the width of the connecting portion 528 of the present invention It should be 0 ~ 0.3mm; and the best value of its thickness should be 0.15 ~ 0.4mm.

In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seal ring portion 524 is raised vertically from the support portion 520, that is, the top surface 525 is flush with the bottom surface 525. Obviously, when the ink supply needle 50 of the printer is inserted from the cavity 522, the connecting portion 528 is broken first, thereby pushing up the stopper 526, as shown in FIG. 4B. Since the seal member 52 needs to hold ink in the use state, the inner wall of the seal ring portion 524 and the ink supply needle 20 should be closely fitted. Therefore, the width of the stopper 524 should be substantially the same as the width of the printing pin 50, and preferably it is slightly smaller than the width of the printing pin 50. In the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stopper 526 has a spherical crown shape, and the bottom thereof is set as a flat surface or a concave surface, so as to ensure that the printing needle 50 and the stopper 526 are in stable contact, thereby facilitating the printing needle 50 to block the stopper. 526 is separated from the seal ring portion 528.

Of course, the stopper 526 of the present invention may have various modifications. As shown in FIG. 5A, the present invention may set the stopper 526 into a cylinder having a sufficient thickness and width. When the printing needle 50 is inserted, the cylindrical stop 526 is also easily separated from the seal ring portion 524. The stopper can also be designed as a cover-like member with a certain thickness, as shown in FIG. 8.

In particular, in order to enable the stopper 526 to disengage in time, the present invention further sets the top surface 525 of the seal ring portion 524 to be inclined from the support portion 520 toward the center portion at a predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 6A; The inclined top surface 525 should not prevent the block 526 from turning over, and the angle between the inclined top surface 525 and the horizontal plane is preferably between 30-45 °.

In addition, the bottom surface 525 of the sealing ring portion 524 of the sealing member 52 of the present invention, that is, the end near the ink outlet (not shown) of the ink cartridge, should be set as a tapered surface, as shown in FIG. 6B. This is because during the process of assembling the ink cartridge (not shown) with the seal member 52 to the printer device, the printing needle 50 may be skewed due to the difference in gestures during the installation, such as the bottom of the sealing ring portion 524. 525 ', as shown in Figure 6C. In the present invention, the bottom surface 525 ′ is disposed obliquely to guide the printing needle 50 and the printing needle 50 is automatically aligned. Preferably, the slope of the bottom surface 525 'should be between 20 and 70 degrees.

Further, the stopper 526 of the present invention having a sufficient thickness is detached from the seal ring portion 524 and cannot block the cooperation between the printing needle 50 and the seal ring portion 528. Therefore, the connecting portion 528 should be connected to the top of the sealing ring portion 524, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

Since the thickness of the connecting portion 528 of the present invention is much smaller than the thickness of the stopper 526, it is generally preferred to be between 0.15 and 0.4 mm. Therefore, when the connecting portion 526 is integrally designed, it can be designed to have a uniform thickness, as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, in actual use, if the pushing force from the printing pin 50 is slightly larger, the connecting portion 528 may be completely broken, so that the stopper is completely disengaged from the sealing ring portion 524.

However, in another preferred embodiment of the connecting portion of the present invention, the sealing ring portion 528 is designed to have different thicknesses, as shown in FIG. 7B. In this embodiment, the connection portion 528 of the present invention The thickness increases uniformly from a portion of the ring portion to the opposite side 529 as shown in the figure, the thinnest portion 529. This ensures that the connecting portion 528 of the present invention is broken from the thinnest portion 529, and the connection can still be maintained at the thickest portion 529. Of course, it is preferable that the thickness of this thinnest portion 529 is between 0.15 and 0.25 mm; and the thickness of the thickest portion 529 is between 0.3 and 0.4 mm.

In fact, for different models of printers from different manufacturers, the parameters will be the same. Therefore, in order to meet this demand, the present invention specifically designs a seal ring portion 524, that is, the seal ring portion 524 is integrated upward at the end of the seal ring portion 524. A wall portion 524 is provided, as shown in FIG. 8, and the wall portion 524 may be substantially consistent with the height of the support portion.

It can be known that the seal of the present invention is designed in an integrated manner, and takes into account the sealing requirements in various states, such as the non-use state of assembly or transportation and the use state during printing, so it is omitted. In the existing ink cartridge device, a sealing film is added to the ink outlet, and at the same time, the defect that the sealing member with a film in the prior art is not easily penetrated by the printing needle is overcome. Moreover, in order to further prevent the occurrence of an unexpected situation, the present invention allows the packaging seal 96 for covering the air vent 414 of the ink cartridge to simultaneously cover the ink outlet 404 along the outside of the box body, as another seal insurance measure in the non-printing state. For example, when the vent hole 414 and the ink outlet 404 are located at opposite corners of the box, respectively, the packaging seal 96 may cover the ink outlet 404 along any side, as shown in FIG. 9A; and when the vent hole 414 and the outlet When the ink ports 404 are respectively located on the same side of the box body, the packaging seal 96 may cover the ink ports 404 along the front or back, as shown in FIG. 9B.

It should be understood that although the technical solution of the present invention is described through the above preferred embodiments, according to the technical solution of the present invention, such as the matching sealing ring portion and the stopper, and the connecting portion, there can be various deformations; and Changes and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention shall all fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present invention. Industrial applicability

The thickness of the stopper of the seal of the present invention during various applications such as assembly and transportation can ensure the rigidity requirements of the seal, so it has good sealing performance.

Claims

Rights request

1. An ink cartridge device provided with a seal at an ink outlet for a printer device, including

A box body provided with at least one ink storage cavity for storing ink, wherein the box body contains

At least one vent

At least one seal member is used to block the ink outlet, and the seal member is disposed inside the ink outlet and is integrally provided.

A stopper that cooperates with the seal ring portion formed by the bulge; and

2. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is ring-shaped.

3. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper matched with the raised seal ring portion is provided at a center portion of the seal.

4. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the seal ring portion bulges vertically from the support portion.

5. The ink cartridge device according to claim 4, wherein a top surface and a bottom surface of the seal ring portion are disposed in parallel.

6. The ink cartridge device according to claim 4, wherein a top surface of the seal ring portion is inclined from the support portion to the connection portion provided at the center, for guiding the ink storage chamber. The ink and the stopper are easily separated from the connecting portion.

7. The ink cartridge device according to claim 6, wherein an included angle between the inclined top surface of the seal ring portion and a horizontal plane is 30 to 45 °.

8. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is connected to a top end of the seal ring portion.

9. The ink cartridge device according to claim 4, wherein a bottom surface of the seal ring portion is inclined from the support portion to the connection portion provided at the center, and is used to guide printing by the printer device. needle.

10. The ink cartridge device according to claim 9, wherein the seal ring portion The slope of the bottom surface is between 20 and 70 °.

11. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper has a spherical crown shape.

12. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper has a cylindrical shape.

13. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is in the shape of a round sheet.

14. The ink cartridge device according to claim 13, wherein a wall portion is integrally provided at an end of the seal ring portion upward.

15. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein a width of the connecting portion is 0 to 0.3 mm.

16. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the connecting portion is much smaller than a thickness of the stopper, and is used for easily passing a printing needle after being broken by a force.

17. The ink cartridge device according to claim 16, wherein the connecting portion has a uniform thickness.

18. The ink cartridge device according to claim 17, wherein a thickness of the connecting portion is between 0.15 and 0.4 mm.

19. The ink cartridge device according to claim 16, wherein the connecting portions have different thicknesses.

20. The ink cartridge device according to claim 19, wherein the thickness of the connecting portion is increased from a part of the ring portion to the opposite side.

21. The ink cartridge device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the thickness of the thinnest part of the connection portion is between 0.15 and 0.25 mm.

22. The ink cartridge device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein a thickness of a thickest portion of the connection portion is between 0.3 and 0.4 mm.

23. The ink cartridge device according to claim 1, wherein a packing seal for covering the vent hole is provided on an outer side of the box body, and the ink outlet is simultaneously covered along the box body.