Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-12
2001-09-11
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286946
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink cartridge device for use with an ink jet printer.
2. Prior Art
FIGS. 9A and 9B
show a conventional ink cartridge. The ink cartridge
80
is comprised of a cartridge body
82
having three (YMC) ink reservoirs
81
for holding yellow ink, magenta ink, and cyan ink, a delivery port-sealing film
84
sealing ink delivery ports
83
of the cartridge body
82
, and an air inlet port -sealing film
87
sealing ink-charging ports
85
and air inlet ports
86
of the cartridge body
82
. In the state constructed above, the ink cartridge
80
is enclosed in an aluminum package, not shown, for shipment. Ink in the cartridge body
82
is made liable to degradation by exposure to air. To avoid this inconvenience, the ink cartridge
80
has the ink delivery ports
83
thereof sealed by the delivery port-sealing film
84
, and then, after being charged with ink from the ink-charging ports
85
in a vacuum chamber, the ink-charging ports
85
and air inlet ports
86
are sealed by the air inlet port-sealing film
87
. In this state, the ink cartridge
80
is vacuum-packed in an aluminum package for supply to the user.
When the ink cartridge
80
is used by the user, first, the aluminum package is unsealed to take out the ink cartridge
80
, and thereafter, part (peel-off portion
87
a
) of the air inlet port-sealing film
87
is peeled off, and the air inlet ports (actually, upstream ends of meandering air inlet passages continuous with the respective air inlet ports)
86
are opened to the atmosphere, while the delivery port-sealing film
84
is peeled off to open the ink delivery ports
83
. In this state, the ink cartridge
80
is loaded in a printer.
The conventional ink cartridge having the above construction suffers from the problem that when the delivery port-sealing film is removed from (peeled off) the cartridge body, ink held in the vicinity of the ink delivery ports may be scattered (spilled) and ink adhering to the delivery port-sealing film, particularly, a delivery port-sealing portion thereof may touch the user's hand, so that the user's hand, a desk, or the like can be stained with the ink. Further, there is a fear that the user forgets to peel off the delivery port-sealing film and loads the ink cartridge still covered therewith in the printer. Further, the conventional ink cartridge has the inconvenience that since the inside of the cartridge body is under reduced pressure, air can be mixed into ink to cause a faulty printing operation, unless the films are peeled off in order of the air inlet port - sealing film, first, and then the delivery port-sealing film, in accordance with an instruction manual of the ink cartridge supplied to the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an ink cartridge device which permits a delivery port-sealing film to be positively peeled off and prevents ink from scattering out of the device when the delivery port-sealing film is peeled off.
To attain the first object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink cartridge device for a printer, comprising:
an ink cartridge having an ink delivery port for supplying ink to the printer therefrom, and a rim of the ink delivery port;
a container box for containing the ink cartridge, the container box having a box body and a lid for closing the box body, the box body being formed with a slit; and
a delivery port-sealing film having a sealing portion removably welded to the rim of the ink delivery port, for sealing the ink delivery port, and an unsealing operation portion continuous with the sealing portion and extending in a direction of making a U-turn with respect to the sealing portion to extend out of the container box through the slit of the box body.
According to this ink cartridge device, if the unsealing operation portion extending out of the box body through the slit is pulled while holding the container box, the sealing portion continuous with the unsealing operation portion is drawn in a manner making a U-turn and peeled off the ink delivery port. In this operation, the sealing portion being peeled off is drawn in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the axis of the ink delivery port. This makes it possible to suppress scattering of ink from the ink delivery port. Further, even if ink is scattered, the scattered ink can be received within the box body.
Preferably, an end of the sealing portion remote from the unsealing operation portion is fixedly attached to the box body.
According to this preferred embodiment, when peeling of the delivery port-sealing film has been completed, the film is prevented from being drawn out any further, which enables the user to recognize that the peeling operation has been completed, even without viewing a peeled-off portion of the film. Further, the user can dispose of the delivery port-sealing film stained with ink along with the container box therefor.
Preferably, a distal end portion of the unsealing operation portion extending out of the container box is folded to extend under the lid in a closed state.
According to this preferred embodiment, when the ink cartridge is not desired to be put into use, it is possible to prevent the unsealing operation portion from being erroneously pulled to peel off the delivery port-sealing film. Moreover, part of the unsealing operation portion extending out of the container box is prevented from obstructing a packing operation for packing the container box containing the ink cartridge, for instance.
Preferably, the box body has a belt-like portion extending therefrom such that the belt-like portion covers the unsealing operation portion extending out of the container box from outside,
the belt-like portion including a holding portion holding the unsealing operation portion such that the unsealing operation portion extends along a side surface of the box body, and an insertion portion folded to be inserted under the lid together with the distal end portion of the unsealing operation portion, and
the insertion portion being separably continuous with the holding portion and having the distal end portion of the unsealing operation portion fixedly attached thereto.
According to this preferred embodiment, the unsealing operation portion can be held by the belt-like portion such that it extends along a side surface of the box body, so as to prevent the same from obstructing a packing operation or the like. Further, the insertion portion is torn off from the holding portion to separately draw the unsealing operation portion, whereby the insertion portion can be used as a pull tab for peeling off the delivery port-sealing film. During the peeling operation, even if the sealing portion peeled off is drawn out of the container box, a surface of the sealing portion stained with ink is bought into sliding contact with the holding portion, thereby preventing ink from attaching to a desk or the like.
Preferably, an inner surface of the box body facing toward the ink delivery port is provided with an ink-absorbing portion capable of absorbing ink.
According to this preferred embodiment, ink scattered by peeling of the delivery port-sealing film or ink adhering to the delivery port-sealing film peeled off can be efficiently absorbed by the ink-absorbing portion of the inner surface of the box body.
Preferably, the ink cartridge has an air inlet port corresponding to the ink delivery port, for permitting air to flow into an inside of the ink cartridge, and a rim of the air inlet port,
the ink cartridge device further including an air inlet port-sealing film for sealing the air inlet port of the ink cartridge,
the air inlet port-sealing film having an air inlet port-sealing portion removably welded to the rim of the air inlet port, and an air inlet port-unsealing operation portion continuous with the air inlet port-sealing portion, the air inlet port-unsealing operation portion being fixedly attached to the lid, for permitting the air inlet port-sealing portion to be peeled of
Ogawa Ayao
Umemura Shunji
Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
Seiko Epson Corporation
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