Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-27
2004-05-18
Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
C347S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06736497
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge and an ink-jet printer having the same, and more particularly, to an ink cartridge detecting an amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge, and an ink-jet printer having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, ink cartridges for ink-jet printers store ink, eject ink droplets through printheads and print images having predetermined colors onto paper. FIG. 1 illustrates an ink cartridge disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,353 to Hunt et al. that detects an amount of ink remaining in a printing step. Referring to
FIG. 1
, a housing forming the outer wall of the ink cartridge includes a peripheral wall
10
and a pair of side plates (not shown), which are affixed to the peripheral wall
10
to enclose both sides of the peripheral wall
10
. A flexible ink bag, which forms an enclosed space and stores ink, is disposed in the housing. Here, a pair of sides
11
a
and
11
b
formed of a flexible plastic material, are secured by cement or thermoplastic fusion onto inner edges
17
a
of the peripheral wall
10
, thereby forming the flexible ink bag. Intervening metal panels
18
and
19
bear against inside surfaces of the sides
11
a
and
11
b
and are held in place by outward pressure from a double-bowed compression spring
20
. Flexible strips
13
and
14
having an ink volume indicia thereon are attached at one end to the sides
11
a
and
11
b
of the flexible ink bag. The other ends of the flexible strips
13
and
14
are folded over an edge of the peripheral wall
10
and are overlapped on a space
15
formed on the peripheral wall
10
. The overlapped flexible strips
13
and
14
are covered with a cover tape
24
in which a stationary window
25
is formed. Reference numeral
12
denotes a plurality of nozzles through which ink is ejected from the flexible ink bag.
In the above structure, as ink supply decreases, the sides
11
a
and
11
b
of the flexible ink bag retreat inward due to a negative pressure that increases in the flexible ink bag, causing a deformation of the flexible strips
13
and
14
connected to the sides
11
a
and
11
b
of the flexible ink bag. Thus, the ink volume indicia on the flexible strips
13
and
14
is exposed such that the amount of ink remaining is recognized through a stationary window
16
formed in the flexible strip
13
and through the stationary window
25
formed in the cover tape
24
.
However, the above ink cartridge has an asymmetric structure caused by the space
15
formed at one side of the peripheral wall
10
, disturbing a movement of a spring in the flexible ink bag. In addition, the amount of ink remaining cannot be recognized at all times.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Various objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge having an improved structure such that a user can recognize an amount of ink remaining as ink supply decreases, can simultaneously sense the amount of ink remaining using an optical sensor, and enables the user to know whether or not the ink cartridge needs to be replaced, and an ink-jet printer having the same.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge includes an ink reservoir storing ink includes a base plate, a cover plate movable toward the base plate, and at least one flexible bag between the base plate and the cover plate; a housing having an opening that is combined with the base plate and covers the ink reservoir, and having a slit formed on a side of the housing; a panel-shaped spring disposed between the housing and the cover plate and including a housing fixing portion fixed to the housing and a plate fixing portion fixed to the cover plate; a strip having one portion that is combined with the panel-shaped spring to move when the panel-shaped spring is deformed, and another portion that is exposed to an outside of the housing through the slit of the housing, and an indicator pattern formed on a surface of the exposed portion of the strip; and a strip cover covering the exposed portion of the strip, and in which an indicator window is formed such that a user observes the indicator pattern as the strip moves.
A space having a predetermined shape, in which the exposed portion of the strip is disposed, is formed at the side of the housing in which the slit is formed. When the slit is formed at two opposite sides of the housing, both ends of the strip are exposed to the outside of the housing through the slit, and a middle part of the strip is combined with the panel-shaped spring, or one end of each of two strips is exposed to the outside of the housing through the slit, and the other end of each of the two strips is combined with the panel-shaped spring.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printer including an ink cartridge and a carriage on which the ink cartridge is mounted. The ink cartridge includes an ink reservoir storing ink, the ink cartridge including a base plate, a cover plate movable toward the base plate, and at least one flexible bag between the base plate and the cover plate; a housing having an opening that is combined with the base plate and covers the ink reservoir, and having a slit formed on a side of the housing; a panel-shaped spring disposed between the housing and the cover plate and including a housing fixing portion fixed to the housing and a plate fixing portion fixed to the cover plate; a strip having one part that is combined with the panel-shaped spring to move when the panel-shaped spring is deformed, and another portion that is exposed to an outside of the housing through the slit of the housing, and an indicator pattern formed on a surface of the exposed portion of the strip; and a strip cover covering the exposed portion of the strip, and in which an indicator window is formed allowing a user to observe the indicator pattern as the strip moves.
The carriage includes a detecting unit which optically detects a movement of the strip through the indicator window formed on the strip cover.
Here, the detecting unit includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion to sense a variation in a quantity of light reflected from the strip.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge, including: an ink reservoir storing ink; a housing covering the ink reservoir; a panel-shaped spring disposed between the ink reservoir and the housing; a strip connected to the panel-shaped spring having sides exposed to an outside of the housing movable when the panel-shaped spring is deformed; indicator patterns formed at ends of the sides of the strip to indicate an amount of ink remaining; and strip covers attached to both sides of the housing to detect the amount of ink remaining in the ink reservoir.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printer, including: an ink cartridge including an ink reservoir storing ink, a housing to cover the ink reservoir, a panel-shaped spring disposed between the ink reservoir and the housing, a strip connected to the panel-shaped spring having sides exposed to an outside of the housing movable when the panel-shaped spring is deformed, indicator patterns formed at ends of the sides of the strip to indicate an amount of ink remaining, and strip covers to detect the amount of ink remaining in the ink reservoir; and a carriage on which the ink cartridge is mounted, the carriage includes a detecting unit optically detecting a movement of the strip through an indicator window formed on the strip cover.
These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference
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