Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Controller
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-29
2003-09-23
Gordon, Raquel Yvette (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Controller
Reexamination Certificate
active
06623092
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from my application INK CARTRIDGE WITH SEPARATE MAGNETS filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Aug. 13, 2001 and there duly assigned Ser. No. 48737/2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge with separate magnets, and more particularly, to an ink cartridge for detecting a state of ink consumption using two separate upper and lower magnets in an ink chamber by detecting a magnetic flux having a predetermined level when the two magnets are combined.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ink cartridges used for ink jet printers contain ink and eject ink droplets through a head, so that an image of a predetermined color can be printed on a printing medium.
FIG. 1
is a sectional view of an ink cartridge with two chambers, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,808. Referring to
FIG. 1
, an ink cartridge
1
includes two chambers, i.e., an ink containing chamber
10
and a sponge chamber
20
, separated by an internal vertical partition
30
. The sponge chamber
20
is filled with a sponge
24
, and the ink containing chamber
10
supplies ink to the sponge chamber
20
through a clearance
32
formed in a lower portion of the vertical partition
30
. An ink supply outlet
22
through which ink is supplied to an ink jet printer head (not shown) is formed at one side of the sponge chamber
20
. An air vent
26
is formed at the top of the sponge chamber
20
. A light reflecting plate
12
is provided at a lower portion of the vertical partition
30
in the ink containing chamber
10
. A light emitting element
13
for radiating light onto the light reflecting plate
12
and a light receiving element
14
for detecting light reflected from the light reflecting plate
12
are provided outside the ink containing chamber
10
to face the light reflecting plate
12
.
In the ink cartridge
1
, when ink in the sponge
24
is exhausted, ink is absorbed into the sponge
24
by the capillary attraction of the sponge
24
and is thus supplied to the sponge chamber
20
. Here, the air flowing into the sponge chamber
20
through the air vent
26
helps ink in the ink containing chamber
10
to be supplied to the sponge chamber
20
. When the ink level in the ink containing chamber
10
is below the light reflecting plate
12
as ink is consumed, light emitted from the light emitting element
13
is reflected from the light reflecting plate
12
. When the reflected light is detected by the light receiving element
14
, it is recognized that there is almost no ink left in the ink cartridge
1
.
However, when the ink cartridge
1
having the above structure is installed in the printer head, bubbles may be introduced into the head, thereby degrading printing quality. Accordingly, suction is applied to remove bubbles, which wastes ink. In addition, use of an optical sensor such as the light emitting element
13
or the light receiving element
14
may result in erroneous sensing due to, for example, scattered reflection in residual ink. Moreover, a cartridge container
2
is required to have good light transmissivity so that light can be transmitted through the cartridge container
2
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved ink cartridge having an improved apparatus for detecting when the ink cartridge runs out of ink.
It is another object of the present invention to embody the magnets and the magnet sensor in each chamber of a multicolored printhead where the magnets in one chamber do not influence the magnets in an adjacent chamber.
These and other objects of this invention can be achieved by a structure where there is provided an ink cartridge including an ink container, which includes first and second chambers II partially separated by a vertical partition formed therewithin for containing ink, and a head for ejecting the ink from the first chamber filled with an ink-soaked sponge onto a printing medium in the form of droplets. Near the head, the first chamber includes a filter located at a bottom portion of the sponge, and an ink supply pipe for supplying the ink which has passed through the filter to the head. The second chamber includes a magnet float floating on the surface of the ink in the second chamber and having a first magnet embedded inside, and a second magnet provided in the bottom surface of the second chamber. The ink cartridge includes a flexible printed circuit board disposed around the head of the ink container to control the head, The ink cartridge also includes a magnet sensor near the second magnet and outside the ink container for detecting magnetic flux caused by the first magnet contacting the second magnet triggering a signal to a user when the magnetic flux experienced by the sensor reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold level. Preferably, the magnet float is made of a foam-molded polypropylene resin, and the first magnet is a plastic magnet. Also, preferably, the magnet sensor is a Hall effect sensor which outputs a detection signal when a magnetic flux of at least a predetermined level is detected.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5583544 (1996-12-01), Stamer et al.
patent: 6502933 (2003-01-01), Lim et al.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/761,841 by Lim et al., filed on Jan. 18, 2001.
Korean Patent Application No. 2000-65519 by Lim et al., filed in Republic of Korea on Nov. 6, 2000, together with an English language translation and a certificate of the translation (The Korean Patent Application No. 2000-65519 filed in the Republic of Korea on Nov. 6, 2000 corresponds to the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/761,841 filed on Jan. 18, 2001).
Baek Oh-hyun
Choi Sik-sun
Kim Jeong-seon
Kim Moo-youl
Lee Jae-cheol
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Gordon Raquel Yvette
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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