Ink cartridge for printers

Details Ink cartridge for printers Ink cartridge for printers

1997-08-01

2001-06-26

Le, N. (Department: 2861)

Incremental printing of symbolic information

Ink jet

Fluid or fluid source handling means

Reexamination Certificate

active

06250745

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink cartridge which is removably mounted in ink jet printers.
2. Related Art
FIG. 1
shows an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge
100
has a cartridge casing
101
comprised of an upper casing
102
and a lower casing
103
. The cartridge casing
101
contains ink absorbent
104
. The lower casing
103
has a bottom formed with an ink supply block
105
projecting downward. The ink supply block
105
is constructed such that it can be fitted on an inserting portion of a print head of a printer, through which ink is introduced into the print head, so as to facilitate coupling of the ink cartridge
100
to the print head and make it possible to mount the cartridge
100
even in a printer which is subject to vibration. More specifically, the ink supply block
105
is formed with a delivery port
106
opening in a bottom surface thereof, and a supply passage
107
which extends from the delivery port
106
to the inside of the cartridge casing
101
and serves both as an ink passage and as a portion for receiving the inserting portion of the print head. Further, at an upstream end of the supply passage
107
, there is provided a filter
108
in a manner separating the supply passage
107
and the ink absorbent
104
from each other. On the other hand, the upper casing
102
is formed therethrough with an ink-charging port
109
, and on a top surface of the upper casing
102
, there is formed a meandering air groove
110
leading to the ink-charging port
109
.
The delivery port
106
of the ink cartridge
100
constructed as above is covered with a delivery port-covering film
111
by attaching the same to the bottom surface thereof by thermo compression bonding. Then, the ink cartridge
100
is put in a vacuum chamber, where ink is charged into the ink cartridge
100
via the ink-charging port
109
. Further, an ink-charging port-covering film
112
is attached to the top surface of the upper casing
102
by thermo compression bonding, to thereby block the ink-charging port
109
and cover the air groove
110
. In this state, the cartridge
100
is enclosed in a sealed package, and supplied to users. Before mounting the ink cartridge
100
in a printer, the user peels off part of the ink-charging port-covering film
112
to thereby expose an open end of the air groove
110
to the atmosphere, and then opens the delivery port
106
by peeling off the delivery port-covering film
111
. In this state, the ink cartridge
100
is fitted on the inserting portion of the print head of the printer.
In the case of the ink cartridge
100
described above, when ink is charged into the cartridge
100
, the ink flows through the filter
108
to fill the supply passage
107
. Therefore, before mounting the cartridge
100
in the printer, when the user, after peeling off the ink-charging port-covering film
112
, turns the ink cartridge
100
upside down and peels off the delivery port-covering film
111
, the ink collected in the supply passage
107
is liable to spill out and stain the user's hands. Further, the ink also tends to spill out when the user turns the ink cartridge
100
over again to fit the same on the inserting portion of the print head, so that the user has to remove the collected ink from the supply passage
107
before using the cartridge
100
. This makes the mounting of the cartridge
100
very troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an ink cartridge for a printer, which is capable of preventing ink from spilling out when the cartridge is mounted in the printer.
To attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink cartridge for a printer, comprising:
an ink supply block via which ink is supplied to the printer, the ink supply block being formed with a delivery port opening in a bottom of the ink supply block, and a supply passage extending from the delivery port to an inside of the ink cartridge;
a filter provided at an upstream end of the supply passage; and
a lid member having a complementary shape to the supply passage and removably mounted in the supply passage from the delivery port.
According to this ink cartridge, since the lid member mounted in the supply passage has a complementary shape to the supply passage, ink charged into the cartridge is prevented from flowing into the supply passage. Therefore, when the lid member is removed before mounting of the cartridge in a printer, the supply passage is empty, i.e. contains no collected ink, so that there is no fear of ink spilling out therefrom.
Preferably, the lid member is formed by a solid member for blocking the supply passage.
According to this preferred embodiment, the supply passage is blocked with the lid member in such a manner that there is substantially no clearance between the lid member and the inner walls of the supply passage. Therefore, if the lid member is formed of a non-ink-absorbent material, ink is not permitted to flow into the supply passage, while if the lid member is formed of an ink absorbent material, ink is absorbed therein. That is, in both cases, there is no fear of the ink being collected in the supply passage.
More preferably, the lid member has a seizing portion provided thereon for removing the lid member from the ink cartridge.
According to this preferred embodiment, the seizing portion enables the lid member to be removed from the supply passage with ease.
Further preferably, the seizing portion is formed by a film-like member firmly affixed to a surface of the lid member on a side of the delivery port, and the film-like member is removably adhered to a bottom end of the ink supply block for sealing the delivery port.
According to this preferred embodiment, it is possible to remove the lid member together with the film-like member simply by peeling off the latter, and at the same time, prevent ink from leaking out through the clearance between the lid member and the inner walls of the supply passage even if the ink cartridge is handled violently e.g. during transport.
Preferably, the ink cartridge includes an ink-charging block corresponding to the ink supply block and a cover film for removably covering an air inlet port formed in the ink-charging block, the cover film and the film-like member being formed in one piece.
According to this preferred embodiment, the cover film on the side of the ink-charging block as well as the film-like member and lid member on the side of the ink supply block can be removed together in a single step. Therefore, it is possible to make the ink cartridge ready for mounting in a printer quickly, as well as prevent the user from carelessly failing to remove the cover film or the lid member from the cartridge before it is mounted in the printer.
Still preferably, the lid member is formed of any of rubber, polypropylene, or an absorbent material.
In another preferred embodiment, the lid member is formed by a thin member having a complementary outer shape to the supply passage.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the lid member formed by the thin member has a complementary outer shape to the supply passage, the lid member is in intimate contact with the whole inner walls of the supply passage. Therefore, ink charged into the ink cartridge is blocked by the thin member from flowing into the supply passage. Further, when the lid member is removed from the supply passage before mounting of the ink cartridge in a printer, the supply passage is empty, i.e. contains no ink collected therein, so that there is no fear of ink spilling out therefrom.
More preferably, the lid member has a periphery thereof removably affixed to the bottom end of the ink supply block for sealing the delivery port.
According to this preferred embodiment, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking out through the clearance between the lid member and the inner walls of the supply passage even if the ink cartridge is handled violently e.g. during transport.
Further preferably, the periphery of the lid member

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