Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1996-06-11
2001-02-06
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183075
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
In the field of ink jet recording, when a plurality of recording liquids (inks) are used for recording, various cartridge systems are employed. In these systems an ink holding portion (ink container) for holding recording liquids to be supplied to a recording means, comprising a section for generating energy for forming droplets of the recording liquid, are rendered removably installable in an ink jet recording apparatus.
These systems have been employed as a system effective to reduce the running cost of an ink jet recording apparatus, in particular, the running cost of such an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a plurality of inks in order to record in color or in the like mode.
As for the structure of the ink container in the form of a cartridge, there is a structure comprising a shell, and an internal pouch for containing the ink. Normally, this pouch is made of drawn film composed of resin material, and is laminated for physical strength and ink resistance. This is because drawn resin film displays directional properties in terms of tensile strength, that is, it tears easily when pulled in a certain direction, and therefore, thin resin films with superior tensile strength must be laminated for omnidirectional strength.
This pouch is inserted into the cartridge shell, and a lid is welded or simply fitted to the cartridge shell when the cartridge is manufactured.
When the ink container described above is employed, the recording means, and the portion at which the ink container is attached, are disposed at different elevations, in order to generate “negative pressure”, which characterizes the ink jet recording technology. The negative pressure in this case is used to prevent the ink from leaking out of the ink ejecting portion, such as a nozzle provided in the recording means; it is a back pressure relative to the direction of the ink flow toward the recording means. Since this back pressure causes the pressure at the ejection orifice portion to be negative relative to the atmospheric pressure, it is called “negative pressure”.
Presently, efforts are being made to provide a means for generating this negative pressure without relying on the elevation difference, so that the ink jet recording apparatus size can be reduced. One such means which has been employed is a structure, in which a member composed of porous material or the like for generating capillary force is placed in the ink container, and the ink is retained in the porous member.
However, when such a porous member is employed, the ink must be retained in the porous material, seriously limiting the ink holding efficiency per unit volume of the ink container.
Further, the pouch is formed using a so-called blow molding. Blow molding is used to produce feed containers and requires a laminar structure in which the layers are bonded to prevent separation. In particular, when the pouch is formed using direct blow molding, airtightness becomes mandatory at the flash portions.
When the aforementioned pouch is employed, it is rendered flexible so that it deforms as the ink is consumed, and is not provided with an air vent or the like structure; therefore, ink leakage due to the use of such an air vent or the like structure does not occur. Further, the ink is directly contained in the pouch; therefore, the ink holding efficiency per internal volume is relatively high.
However, in order to give the pouch the flexibility, the strength, and the capability to prevent the ink from evaporating, the pouch must be given a laminar structure, which complicates the overall structure, and increases the number of components. Therefore, the employment of the pouch also has a limit in terms of the ink holding efficiency per unit of internal volume of the cartridge.
The ink holding efficiency per unit of internal volume tends to decline as the number of ink holding portions is increased to hold a plurality of inks of different colors.
In addition, in order to accomplish the size reduction of an ink jet recording apparatus, a negative pressure generating means, which is a means that characterizes the field of ink jet recording, must be provided within the ink container. Therefore, when the flexible pouch is employed, it is necessary to provide the pouch with a spring or the like so that the pouch is resiliently deformed.
Such a structural provision also increases the component count of the apparatus, as well as the height of the apparatus, further contradicting the current trend, that is, the simplification of manufacturing process, the apparatus size reduction, and the increase in the number of ink holding portions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an ink container for holding a plurality of inks of different colors, which has a high ink holding efficiency, does not leak the ink, does not contaminate the user, is capable of generating a proper level of negative pressure, and allows the ink to be efficiently used for printing.
More specifically, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an ink container capable of preventing the ink held in the porous material disposed therein from accidentally leaking in various situations which occur while the ink container is transported or in storage, for example, when the ink container is dropped, is subjected to a sudden change in ambient temperature, or vibration, and also is capable of allowing a proper amount of air to enter, or exit from, the ink container, minimizing the amount of ink evaporation, and preventing inks of different colors from mixing with each other, while the ink cartridge is in use.
Thus the present invention proposes, as means for accomplishing the objects described above, an ink container for holding ink, which comprises an inner shell provided with a plurality of adjoining ink holding spaces, and an outer shell covering the external surface of the inner shell, wherein the walls of the inner and outer shells are constituted of virtually non-stretched resin materials.
Further, the present invention proposes a structure for an ink container for holding ink, which comprises an inner shell provided with a plurality of adjoining ink holding spaces, and an outer shell covering the external surface of the inner shell, wherein the corners of the inner shell are set in the corners of the outer shell in an orderly manner.
Further, the present invention proposes an ink container for holding ink, which comprises an inner shell provided with a plurality of adjoining ink holding spaces, and an outer shell covering the external surface of the said inner shell, wherein inner shell supporting members for regulating the deformation of the inner shell are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer shell.
In an ink container in accordance with any of the above proposals, it is preferable that the walls partitioning the plurality of adjoining ink holding spaces of the inner shell are rendered thicker than the other walls of the inner shell.
Further, the present invention proposes an ink jet cartridge comprising: an ink container comprising an inner shell provided with a plurality of adjoining ink holding spaces, and an outer shell covering the external surface of the said inner shell, wherein the corners of the inner shell are set in the corners of the outer shell in an orderly manner; and an ink jet head for ejecting ink, which is connected to the ink supplying portion of the ink container, as well as an ink jet recording apparatus in which such a cartridge is removably mountable.
Further, the present invention proposes a method for manufacturing an ink container which comprises an inner shell provided with a plurality of adjoining ink holding spaces, and an outer shell covering the external surface of the inner shell, comprising: a step in which a die used for forming the outer shell of an ink container, and resins for the outer shell and the inner shell, respectively, are prepared; a step in which a parison comprising a resin cylinder for forming the outer shell, which is s
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
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