Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-27
2003-03-11
Vo, Anh T.N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
C347S087000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06530654
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to an ink container usable with an ink jet recording apparatus or the like, a valve unit for an ink container, an ink jet head cartridge provided with the ink container and an ink jet recording apparatus, more particularly an ink container manufactured through a blow molding process, a valve unit for the ink container, an ink jet head cartridge having the ink container and an ink jet recording apparatus.
In a field of a liquid supplying system for supplying the ink to the recording head for ejecting the ink for effecting recording, an ink container capable of providing a negative pressure has been opposed and can be integrated with the recording head (ink jet head cartridge), and this system has been put into practice. The types of the ink jet head cartridge are classified into a type wherein the recording head and the ink container (ink accommodating portion) are normally integral, and a type wherein the recording head and the ink accommodating portion are separation members, and each of them is removable from the recording device, although they are integral in use.
As an easiest method of providing the negative pressure in such a liquid supply system, is to utilize capillary force produced by porous material or fiber members. The ink container used in such a method, the structure includes a porous material or a fiber member such as in compressed sponge accommodated in the entirety of the inside of the ink container and an air vent capable of introducing air into the ink accommodating portion to make the ink supply smooth during recording operation.
However, the system using the porous material or fiber member as an ink holding member, involves a problem that ink accommodation efficiency per unit volume is low. In order to provide a solution to the problem, EP0580433 which has been assigned to the assignee of the present application has proposed an ink container comprising a negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber in fluid communication with the ambience and an ink accommodating chamber which is substantially hermetically sealed, wherein said negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber and said ink accommodating chamber are made integral, and are in fluid communication with each other only through a communicating portion (dual-chamber type).
With such a dual-chamber type ink container, the ink supply to the negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber from the ink accommodating chamber is effected with a gas-liquid exchanging operation in which the gas is introduced and accommodated in the ink accommodating chamber together with the ink supply from the ink accommodating chamber into negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber, so that ink can be supplied under a substantially constant negative pressure during the gas-liquid exchanging operation.
EP0581531 proposes a structure in which a container constituting the ink accommodating chamber is detachably mountable relative to the container constituting the negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber. With this proposal, when the ink is used up, only the ink accommodating chamber is exchanged, and therefore, the amount of the waste can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of environmental health. In the structure in which the ink accommodating chamber (container) is mounted to or demounted from the part to be supplied with the liquid, such as a negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber or a recording head, the care should be taken to effect sealing at the connection opening to prevent ink leakage until the firm connection is established with the ink receiving part. As for them sealing means for the connection opening, a film seal, for example, is known. When the ink accommodating container and the ink receiving part are connected, a member such as a joint pipe provided in the ink receiving part pieces the film, and the joint pipe enters the connection opening of the ink accommodating container to establish fluid communication between the ink accommodating container and the ink receiving part. However, when the ink accommodating container and the liquid receiving part are detachably mountable relative to each other, it is desirable that following conditions are simultaneously satisfied. First, when the liquid receiving portion and the ink accommodating container are connected with each other, or when they are separated from each other, the ink does not leak from the supply portion of the ink accommodating container irrespective of the position or orientation of the ink accommodating container. Second, when the connection is carried out therebetween, the ink supply path is assuredly opened, and after the connection is completed, the ink is stately supplied out.
Third, some uses may connect and remove repeatedly the ink accommodating container, and therefore, the above- described conditions are satisfied each time the ink accommodating container is mounted and demounted.
In the case of the sealing using the film seal, when the ink accommodating container is removed when the ink in the ink accommodating container is not completely consumed, the ink leaks out since the connection opening (supply port) of the ink accommodating container is unsealably kept open.
It has been proposed that valve structure is provided at the supply port portion of the ink accommodating container. However, in the case of the dual-chamber type ink container of the ink accommodating container exchangeable type, the valve structure is provided in the position where the gas-liquid exchange occurs, and therefore, the valve structure is required to have the reliable opening and closing mechanism which is peculiar to the function of the valve and in addition to have a productive of smooth movement of the gas without stagnation and/or accumulation of the gas in the communicating portion and corresponding smooth supply of the liquid (ink). Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 11-58772 discloses a structure relating to exchange of the ink accommodating chamber. In this proposal, there are provided a main container portion connected with a recording head and an exchangeable sub-container portion, and a valve mechanism is provided for each of the supply portion of the main container portion and the supply port of the sub-container portion. The valve mechanism is such that valve mechanisms for the supply portion and the supply port are pressed toward each other by the valve mechanisms, by which the valve mechanisms are opened to enable ink supply. Therefore, desirable opening operation cannot be accomplished without balance in the forces of the valve urging members constituting the valve mechanisms.
However, when the exchange of the sub-container portion is repeated, the valve urging member in the supply portion side is deteriorated with the result of imbalance in the forces provided by the valve urging members. For example, when the urging force of the valve urging member of the main container portion becomes small due to the repeated mounting and demounting, it becomes not possible to release the valve mechanism of the sub-container portion, and therefore, the opening and closing operation is not reliable. If the urging force of the valve urging member in the sub-container portion is made weak as a countermeasure against the above- described problem, the ink leakage may occur during transportation.
The valve member in the sub-container portion comprises a flange portion sealing the opening of the supply port, a rod-like projection projected outwardly from the flange portion, wherein the rod-like projection is brought into compact with the valve of the main container portion so that valves are mutually pressed and opened. In this structure, the positions must be controlled such that valve mechanism in the main container portion and the rod-like projection are assuredly pressed against each other to assure a linear motion of the sub-container portion, since otherwise the valve is not opened in the desira
Hattori Shozo
Hayashi Hiroki
Kitabatake Kenji
Koshikawa Hiroshi
Shimizu Eiichiro
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