Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-02
2001-04-10
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
C347S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213600
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus for performing a printing operation by using liquid ink. More specifically, the present invention is directed to such an ink-jet recording apparatus capable of limitedly using only a genuine ink-jet cartridge (normally-manufactured ink-jet cartridge), and also capable of refilling ink into such a genuine ink-jet cartridge, while cost performance is improved with maintaining a high recording quality. Also, the present invention is directed to an ink cartridge employed in this ink-jet recording apparatus, and to an ink refilling member used to refill ink into such a genuine ink cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, ink-jet recording apparatuses such as ink-jet printers are generally used in connection with popularization of personal computers. As recording systems by printing heads of such ink-jet recording apparatuses, there are one recording system with employment of a piezoelectric element and another recording system with employment of a heating element. In any of these ink-jet recording systems, ink is supplied from an ink storage chamber of an ink cartridge to a printing head, and then droplets of ink are jetted from very fine ink jetting ports of this printing head so as to print out on a recording paper. Generally speaking, there are two different types of ink cartridges, namely an ink cartridge made with a printing head in an integral form, and an ink cartridge separately provided with a printing head.
FIG. 11
is a perspective view for schematically representing a major portion of the above-explained conventional ink-jet recording apparatus. The ink-jet recording apparatus
1
shown in
FIG. 11
is, for instance, a thermal ink-jet type serial printer. In this ink-jet recording apparatus
1
, a printing head
2
is supported by a carriage
3
, and is positioned opposite to a platen roller
4
. The carriage
3
is slidably supported by a guide shaft
5
and is engaged with a geared belt
6
. The geared belt
6
is rotary-driven along both a normal direction and a reverse direction via a gear (not shown) by rotating a motor
7
along both the normal direction and the reverse direction. As a result, while the printing head
2
is slid along the platen roller
4
in a width direction (namely, main scanning direction) of this ink-jet recording apparatus
1
, indicated by a double arrow “A” of the recording paper
8
(see FIG.
11
), this printing head
2
prints out characters and images, for example, characters of “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e” shown in this drawing.
The platen roller
4
sandwiches the paper
8
between an auxiliary roller
9
and this platen roller
4
, and is driven by another motor
10
so as to intermittently convey this paper
8
along the longitudinal direction (namely, sub-scanning direction). As a result, the printing operation is carried out in accordance with the line sequential manner by the printing head
2
. A head cleaning apparatus
11
is arranged at a right edge position (namely, upper right oblique direction as viewed in
FIG. 11
) of the platen roller
4
. This head cleaning apparatus
11
is equipped with a cleaning port
12
. When the printing head
2
is located at a home position, namely right edge position, this cleaning port
12
is located opposite to an ink jetting plane of the printing head
2
. At this time, while the ink jetting plane of the printing head
2
is periodically engaged with the cleaning apparatus
11
by the cleaning port
12
, or is engaged therewith, if necessary, this ink jetting plane is cleaned.
As a consequence, it is possible to prevent, or avoid stuffing of ink jetting nozzles of this printing head
2
. It should be understood that the above-explained drive operations of the respective units are controlled by a control unit (not shown in detail).
Also, two sorts of ink cartridges, namely a black ink cartridge
13
and a color ink cartridge
14
are detachably mounted on the above-explained carriage
3
. It should also be noted that the respective ink cartridges
13
and
14
are provided separately from the printing head
2
as shown in this drawing.
FIG. 12
is a perspective view for illustratively showing the above-described carriage
3
, the black ink cartridge
13
and the color ink cartridge
14
, which are mounted on this carriage
3
. As indicated in this drawing, a concave portion
15
and another concave portion
16
are formed in case side portions of the respective ink cartridges
13
and
14
. A lock member
17
a
and another lock member
17
b
are provided on the side of the carriage
3
. Since these lock members
17
a
and
17
b
are engaged with the above-explained concave portions
15
and
16
, the respective cartridges
13
and
14
are fixed/supported on the carriage
3
. An annular engaging portion
18
is formed at a backward lower portion of this carriage
3
. This annular engaging portion
18
is outwardly fitted on the guide shaft
5
(see
FIG. 11
) so as to be engaged with this guide shaft
5
.
FIG. 13A
is a perspective view used to explain a structure made when the above-explained color ink cartridge
14
is assembled. In this perspective view, a partial portion of this assembled structure is cut away.
FIG. 13B
is a side-sectional view of this assembled component.
As indicated in FIG.
13
A and
FIG. 13B
, the color ink cartridge
14
is constructed in such a manner that an internal portion of a cartridge case
19
is partitioned by two isolating walls
21
-
1
and
21
-
2
into three ink chambers
20
(namely,
20
-
1
,
20
-
2
,
20
-
3
). An ink holding member
22
made of sponge is contained in each of the ink chambers
20
. The respective color ink of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are fully filled into the respective ink chambers
20
-
1
to
20
-
3
. These colors correspond to three primary colors employed in the subtractive mixture of color stimuli. Thereafter, a lid
23
is adhered onto the cartridge case
19
and then sealed by way of the ultrasonic melting method. Then, the resulting ink cartridge
14
is shipped from a factory.
A cylinder
24
(namely,
24
-
1
,
24
-
2
,
24
-
3
) is provided on an ink supply port formed in the bottom portion of each of the above-explained three ink chambers
20
. As to the cylinder
24
, an upper surface
25
thereof is closed, and a slit (namely,
26
-
1
,
26
-
2
,
26
-
3
) are formed on a peripheral surface of the cylinder portion located just under this upper surface
25
, so that the color ink stored inside the ink chamber
20
may be soaked, or penetrated from this slit
26
. In this case, when an ink cartridge is constituted without such an upper surface
25
of the cylinder
24
, the ink directly drops along the lower direction, so that a large amount of color ink may be easily supplied. As a consequence, the color ink cartridge
14
is arranged in such a manner that the above-explained upper surface
25
and the slit
26
are provided so as to supply a proper amount of color ink.
A seal
27
(namely,
27
-
1
,
27
-
2
,
27
-
3
) made of, for example, an aluminum foil is adhered onto the lower end of the cylinder
24
. As indicated in
FIG. 12
, when this color ink cartridge
14
is mounted on the carriage
3
, a coupling projection (not shown in detail) breaks this seal
27
, so that an ink path is coupling-formed. This coupling projection is communicated with the printing head
2
arranged on the carriage
3
, and is provided so as to receive the color ink. As a result, the color ink stored in the respective ink chambers
20
can be supplied to the printing head
2
.
To refill improper ink (not-genuine ink) into the color ink cartridge
14
(will be discussed later), a hole may be formed in either the upper surface of the cartridge case
19
or the side surface thereof by using a drill. However, for example, when such a hole is formed in a certain portion of the upper surface
25
of the cylinder
24
to refill the not-genuine ink, as previously explained, this not-genuine
Igarashi Kenji
Ikeda Masayuki
Ito Kenzo
Kobayashi Kenji
Noguchi Kazutami
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Le N.
Vo Anh T. N.
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