Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-10
2001-12-11
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
C347S085000, C347S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328437
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a liquid injection method for a liquid container usable in an ink jet recording field, and more particularly to a liquid injection method for a liquid container having a flexible liquid containing portion capable of forming a sealed space.
As for a liquid accommodating container for accommodating ink or processing liquid for recording in the ink jet recording field, which will hereinafter be called liquid, a structure having a casing and a bladder-like liquid containing portion therein, is known. In a recording device using such a liquid accommodating container, the liquid is usually fed to a recording means through a supply tube from a liquid accommodating container, and the liquid is ejected stably from recording means by providing a static head difference between the recording means and the liquid accommodating container.
With such a recording device, the static head difference is required to be provided between the recording means and the liquid accommodating container, and therefore, it is thought difficult to downsize the recording device. To obviate this problem, an ink jet cartridge is known wherein an ejection head as the recording means and the liquid accommodating container (ink container) can be made integral. In such a case, a mechanism which produces a back pressure against the ink flow toward the recording means is required in place of the static head difference, in order to stably retain the ink and therefore to prevent the ink leakage from the ejection portion such as a nozzle of the recording means. The back pressure is called “negative pressure”, since it provides negative pressure relative to the ambient pressure at the ejection outlet portion. The ink jet cartridge is further classified into a type wherein the recording means and the liquid accommodating container are always integral and a type wherein the recording means and the liquid accommodating container are separate, and are separable from the recording device, and they are integrated upon use thereof.
As for a liquid accommodating container used with such an ink jet cartridge, a type is known wherein a bladder-like ink accommodating portion (liquid containing portion) is provided with a spring to produce force against the inward deformation of the bladder due to the consumption of the ink so as to provide the negative pressure (Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. SHO-56-67269, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI-6-226993, for example). U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,062 discloses an ink accommodation portion of rubber having a conical configuration with a rounded top having a smaller thickness than the other portion. The round thinner portion of the circular cone portion provides a portion which displaces and deforms earlier than the other portion. They are quite satisfactory.
However, further development is desired.
More particularly, a larger amount of the ink is desired to be contained in the same volume of the container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a liquid injection method with high accommodation efficiency without ink leakage against ambient condition change, for a liquid accommodating container capable of supplying liquid out with stabilized negative pressure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid container manufacturing method and a liquid injection method with high accommodation efficiency without ink leakage against ambient condition change, for a liquid accommodating container having a flexible liquid containing portion which supplies the liquid out using static head difference, and to provide an ink container using the same.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container made of simple parts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid injection method for a liquid container for an ink jet recording, the container including a flexible liquid containing portion for containing liquid in substantially hermetically sealed state, a casing, having an inside configuration equivalent or similar to an outer configuration of the liquid containing portion, for separably covering the liquid containing portion, a liquid discharging portion for permitting the liquid to be discharged to outside, the method comprising the steps of: supplying the liquid having a temperature higher than a normal temperature into the liquid containing portion; substantially hermetically sealing the liquid discharging portion with a liquid discharge permission member for permitting the liquid to discharge in use.
According to the aspect of the present invention, the accommodation efficiency is increased, thus increasing the ink accommodation capacity of the container relative to the inside volume thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided the casing has a substantial air vent, and has a prism-like configuration, wherein a corner portion of the liquid accommodating container defined by three sides of the prism configuration corresponds to a corner portion of the casing defined by three sides of the prism configuration, wherein a thickness of a wall constituting the liquid containing portion is thinner adjacent the corner portion than a central portion of sides of the prism-like configuration; the casing has a substantial air vent, and has a prism-like configuration, wherein corner portions of the liquid accommodating container each defined by two sides of the prism configuration corresponds to corner portions of the casing defined by two sides of the prism configuration, wherein the corner portions of the liquid containing portion include a first corner portion which separates from a corresponding one of the corner portions of the casing with discharge of the liquid out of the liquid accommodating container, and a second corner portion which substantially maintains a positional relation relative to the casing; or the liquid containing portion of the liquid accommodating container has a bent portion at a position opposing to a maximum area side of the liquid accommodating container, the bent portion separating from a wall of the casing with discharging of the liquid out of the liquid containing portion.
According to this aspect of the present invention, a negative pressure production type liquid accommodating container for an ink jet printing apparatus can be provided wherein the accommodation efficiency is increased, thus increasing the ink accommodation capacity of the container relative to the inside volume thereof.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Matsumoto Hidehisa
Mihara Hiroaki
Sasaki Toshiaki
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Vo Anh T. N.
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