Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-11
2004-08-31
Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783218
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to an ink cartridge and related methods of manufacture or use and related assemblies or combinations.
BACKGROUND ART
As used herein the term “ink cartridge” includes a cartridge which of itself may incorporate or may be adapted to connect to inkjet printing apparatus or part thereof. The term also includes an ink cartridge, the sole function of which is, to refill a printer cartridge and therefore the term “ink cartridge”, except where otherwise specified, is generic to both applications plus any other application of an ink cartridge.
FIG. 1
of the accompanying drawing illustrates a conventional ink cartridge
100
for an inkjet printer comprising two sections i.e. an ink supply section
110
containing an ink bag
111
and a waste ink recovery section
120
having absorbent material
121
to hold waste ink return from the printing process. Sections
110
and
120
are partitioned by an inner wall
101
forming separated housing chambers. The ink bag
112
in section
110
is coupled to an outlet port
113
and the absorbent material
121
is in contact with an inlet port
123
forming a close fluid communication circuit when inserted into the inkjet printer.
The problem encountered in connect ion with the two sections of ink cartridge
100
in
FIG. 1
is that it is necessary to have a sufficiently large waste ink recovery section
110
to contain an absorbent material having a capability of recovering the entire volume of ink supply contained in the ink bag
111
. This capability is provided to cover the unlikely event of its being required to recover all ink that could be dispensed from ink bag
111
. This means the volume of waste ink recovery section
120
has to be substantially the same as the volume of ink supply section
110
. As a result, the volume of the entire cartridge
100
is large in order to accommodate the entire ink supply volume in either section of the cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,421 addresses a reduction in the overall size of the ink cartridge.
FIG. 2
illustrates the cartridge of this U.S. patent where the design of the ink cartridge
200
allows a smaller overall size. The ink cartridge
200
has ink supply means (in a form of an ink bag
210
) and a waste ink recovery means for recovering waste ink, which are both housed within the same cartridge chamber
201
. The waste ink recovery means has a waste ink bag
220
including a polymeric absorber
221
therein. The polymeric absorber
221
has great absorption capabilities with a volume requirement of about one-half to one-tenth of that compared to conventional absorbent material used in the conventional ink cartridge. Therefore, a smaller volume of polymer absorber
221
can be used in the waste ink bag
220
. Further, in employing a single chamber
201
for both the ink bag
210
and the waste ink bag
220
, the volume increase in the waste ink bag
220
upon recovery of waste ink can be offset by the volume decrease in the ink supply bag
210
in supplying ink to a printer jet printing mechanism. This enables a remarkable reduction in the size and volume of the ink cartridge as compared to the conventional ink cartridge.
The improved design of cartridge as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,421 may achieve overall small cartridge size, however, it is more difficult to manufacture and increases the cartridge cost. Particularly, the cartridge uses two ink bags: one for supplying ink and one for recovering waste ink. There is the cost of the two ink bag rather than one. High capacity polymer absorbent material is also of higher cost as compared to conventional absorbent material. Further, the ink bag and waste recovery bag are made of multi-layer material such as nylon film, polyethylene film and thin metal film laminated together. This costly multi-layer laminated material is then sealed at all sides and welded to the inlet port
230
and outlet port
240
(commonly made of hard plastic e.g. high density polyethylene if the contact layer of the laminated material is polyethylene film) respectively using technology such as heat welding. Welding a laminated film material onto a bard plastic is both difficult and risky as the rejection rate for quality assure purposes is high if leakage between laminated film and hard plastic is to be avoided. Further, depending on the inkjet printer mechanism, some of the waste ink may be returned into the ink supply bag and can contaminate the unused ink in the ink cartridge.
The problems that exist in ink cartridge as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,421 translate into extremely high product cost.
A object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge wherein the size of the cartridge is reduced using less costly components and using simpler and less costly manufacturing processes.
A further or alternative object to provide an ink cartridge less likely to allow waste ink contamination of unused ink.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The ink cartridge of the present invention is of a kind having both an ink supply and recovery system. It will have application with printer cartridge filling apparatus as disclosed in the patent specification being filed simultaneously herewith.
In a first aspect the present invention consists in an ink cartridge comprising or including
a housing defining an interior space and having two ports to that space,
a collapsable reservoir containing ink positioned within the interior space within the housing and having its outlet (“ink supply outlet”) at or adjacent one of said ports (“the ink supply port”),
optionally, a one way valve at or adjacent said outlet to allow only ink egress from the reservoir,
(whether forming part of the optional one way valve or distinct therefrom) a needle or cannula penetratable resilient seal sealing the optional one way valve and/or the ink supply outlet,
optionally, a dip tube from said optional one way valve or said ink supply outlet, said dip tube having its inlet at or adjacent that internal periphery of the collapsible reservoir that will be lowermost when the ink cartridge is orientated to its in use condition, and
a needle or cannula penetratable seal sealing the second part (the “waste ink recovery port”) of the housing,
wherein said housing about the collapsible reservoir, and more so as the reservoir collapses as ink is taken therefrom, defines an ink receiver capable progressively as the reservoir collapses of taking into the space outside of the collapsible reservoir but wholly within the housing at least substantially all of the ink content of the collapsible reservoir.
Preferably said housing is formed at least essentially from two moulded parts, a first moulded part being able to receive and locate at least the collapsible reservoir containing ink and any optional one way valve prior to assembly of the two moulded parts together.
Preferably a said one way valve and a dip tube is present.
Preferably an assembly of the collapsible reservoir containing ink, the one way valve and the dip tube has been located in one part of the housing prior to the other component of the housing being sealed thereto.
Preferably one or both of the seals is or are inserted in the polls after the otherwise sealing together of the components of the housing.
Preferably the collapsible reservoir containing ink is a blow moulded plastics container having a neck or a head at or adjacent the ink supply outlet, such neck or head being less disposed to collapse than much of the remainder of the collapsible reservoir.
Preferably the collapsible reservoir containing ink is of a kind having a body with the ink supply outlet offset from any central access of the body and where there is a truncation or chamfer of part of the reservoir periphery to improve uptake of ink by a said dip tube inlet from within the collapsible reservoir.
The ink cartridge of the present invention supply means in the form of thin wall plastic bottle housed in a cartridge, and, a waste recovery chamber in the same cartridge. Preferably the cartridge housing is of two moulded sealed together using any suitable j
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Inke Pte. Ltd.
Vo Anh T. N.
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