Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1995-05-22
2001-05-15
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231171
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for inserting an absorber (hereunder sometimes referred to as a negative pressure producing material) into a case which accommodates the absorber. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for inserting into an accommodating portion an absorber which is larger than the accommodating portion.
2 . Description of the Related Art
There has been developed a device into which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated for use as recording means in a small-sized ink jet recording apparatus. Further, such a device is detachably mounted on the apparatus to perform a recording operation. In the case of such a device, namely, an ink tank of the cartridge type into which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated, it is necessary to produce a predetermined negative pressure on the ink in the ink tank. A method for producing such a negative pressure is to insert an absorber into the ink tank and impregnate the absorber with ink.
For inserting absorbers into such an ink tank, a method of manually inserting preliminarily compressed absorbers thereinto one by one has been employed. Further, in this method, ink has been injected by an ink injector into the inserted absorbers. Manually inserting the absorbers in this manner takes much time and labor and is unsuitable for mass production. Moreover, unnecessary wrinkles have sometimes occurred in the absorbers when inserting them into the ink tank. Furthermore, occasionally a part of the absorber does not adhere closely to the inner surface of the ink tank. All in all, it is difficult to obtain consistent results when inserting the absorbers in accordance with this method.
When a wrinkle or a gap occurs in the absorber inserted in the ink tank as described above, a small pool of ink may be formed therein. Then, when a recording operation is performed, the ink collected in the small pool is not supplied to the recording head and thus is left in the ink tank. Further, such a pool of ink can obstruct ink flow, which results in degradation in the capability of supplying ink to the recording head. Moreover, sometimes ink is not normally discharged and printing quality may deteriorate.
To avoid an occurrence of such a state, a method of a jig to uniformly insert a compressed absorber into an ink tank has been developed. The absorber, which has been inserted into the ink tank after being uniformly compressed by the jig, does not cause the aforementioned small pool of ink. Accordingly, as ink is consumed by performing a printing operation, the ink in the uniformly compressed absorber is redistributed in the absorber. However, as the remaining quantity of ink in the absorber decreases, the negative pressure produced by the absorber increases. Thus, neither smooth movement nor sufficient supply of ink can be guaranteed. Moreover, the utilization ratio or efficiency of use of the in the uniformly compressed absorber tends to be low.
It is preferable for increasing the utilization efficiency of the ink in the absorber that the absorber compression gradually increase in inverse proportion to the distance from an ink supply opening of the recording head.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,295 and No. 5,025,271 disclose that the capillary force of an absorber put into an ink tank is regulated in an ink jet cartridge in which a rib is provided in a portion thereof at an ink supply opening so as to regulate or increase the capillary force of the absorber at that location. Moreover, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/323,050 filed on Oct 14, 1994, now abandoned, discloses an absorber that has an enlarged shape that causes the absorber to be compressed when inserted in an ink tank so that the part of the absorber located in the vicinity of the ink supply opening is compressed in the proximity to the ink supply opening.
However, in the former method, variations in characteristics of mass-produced ink tanks may cause the efficiency of ink in such ink tanks to be unstable. In the latter method, when inserting the absorber into the ink tank, a wrinkle may occur in a region used to increase compressibility and the ink supply capability of the device thus may not be improved any way.
In any event, the aforementioned conventional absorber inserting methods may not suitably and accurately regulate the relation between (or the distribution of) dense and less-dense parts of the absorber inserted in the ink tank.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resolves the aforementioned problems of the prior art.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for inserting an absorber into an ink tank, by which the absorber can be put into the ink tank with the distribution of dense and less-dense parts in the absorber regulated to improve ink supply capability.
To achieve the foregoing object, studies have been conducted and it has been learned that an absorber can be put into an ink tank by performing the following absorber inserting method such that a part of the absorber on the side of an insertion opening is dense and such that the other part thereof becomes less dense as the distance from the insertion opening increases. Namely, the absorber inserting method comprises the steps of first compressing the opposite surfaces of an absorber by means of a pair of jigs, and subsequently inserting the absorber into the ink tank, and next pressing down the absorber from above by means of pushing means and finally detaching the pair of jigs from the absorber. Moreover, it has been learned that in such case, the problems of the prior art hardly occur. The present invention is accomplished on the basis of the aforesaid knowledge.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method for inserting a compressible absorber into a case smaller than the absorber comprises the steps of compressing first and second sets of opposite side surfaces of the absorber with first and second pressing members, respectively, each pressing member including opposing pressing elements for compressing corresponding opposite side surfaces of the absorber to dimensions smaller than corresponding dimensions of the case, inserting at least a portion of the absorber into the case, thereafter pressing another side surface of the absorber with a third pressing member to insert the absorber wholly within the case, and withdrawing the first and second pressing members out of the case while the third pressing member holds the absorber in the case.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an ink tank comprises an ink absorber accommodating section having an open side through which an absorber is inserted into the accommodating section by compressing first and second sets of opposite side surfaces of the absorber with first and second pressing members, respectively, each pressing member including opposing pressing elements for compressing corresponding opposite side surfaces of the absorber to dimensions smaller than corresponding dimensions of the accommodating section, inserting at least a portion of the absorber into the case, thereafter pressing another side surface of said absorber with a third pressing member to insert said absorber wholly within the accommodating section, and withdrawing the first and second pressing members out of the accommodating section while the third pressing member holds the absorber therein, an ink containing section integral with the accommodating section and having a port communicating therewith, a lid secured to the open side to provide an ink-tight seal therewith, and an ink supply opening in the accommodating section for supplying ink to a recording head.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, an ink supply device comprises an ink tank with an ink absorber accommodating section having an open side through which an absorber is inserted into the accommodating section by compressing first and second sets of opposite side surfaces of the absorber with first and second pressing memb
Yamashita Takashi
Yanai Hiroshi
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le N.
Nguyen Judy
LandOfFree
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