Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-23
2001-06-26
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250746
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ink cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an ink cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder that has a carriage equipped with an ink jet recording head and a replaceable ink cartridge.
2. Related Art
A conventional ink jet printer includes an ink container carried by a carriage equipped with an ink jet recording head. Ink droplets are produced by pressurizing the ink within a pressure generation chamber located within the ink container. However, when the carriage is pivoted, shaken or caused to travel during printing, the movement can cause the ink to become frothy or foamy. This, in turn, may result in a change in head pressure or cause print failures. Specifically, if ink contains gas bubbles, the pressure at which the ink is under drops, thereby decreasing the ability to squirt ink droplets. For this reason, dissolved air must be eliminated from the ink.
One ink jet printer construction that has attempted to solve this problem is described in European Patent Publication No. 581531, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In that reference, the disclosed ink container of the ink cartridge is partitioned into two subdivisions. A porous material is housed in the subdivision located close to the recording head, and ink is stored in the second subdivision. With such a construction, ink is fed to the recording head via the porous material, which filters the dissolved air from the ink, thereby reducing printing failures.
To manufacture a container body with a porous material, one can seal the container body with a cover; fill the container with degassed ink, and package the ink container such that the quality of the ink cartridge is maintained during distribution. To these ends, the manufacturing steps become complicated, thereby resulting in a decrease in productivity.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a method for manufacturing an ink jet cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder, that overcomes disadvantages and limitations of existing methods. The present invention has been contrived in view of drawbacks in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method that enables efficient and more simple manufacture of an ink cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a method of manufacturing an ink cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder is provided. A container body having a bottom wall and an opening can be positioned on a pallet such that the bottom wall faces upward. The container body can include a porous member, a foam chamber for accommodating the porous member therein, and an ink supply port, having an inlet formed in the bottom surface of the foam chamber and an outlet. Packing can be inserted into the ink supply port. The ink supply port outlet can be sealed and the container body reset on the pallet by turning the container body upside down such that the opening faces upward. A filter can then be affixed to the ink supply port inlet, and the porous member inserted into the foam chamber. A cover can then be bonded the opening of the container body, ink injected into the foam chamber, and the cover sealed. By maintaining the container body on the pallet during some or all of these steps, movement of the container to various stations of an assembly line (or procedure) can be efficiently achieved.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an efficient method of manufacturing an ink cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others thereof, which will be exemplified in the method hereinafter disclosed, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5567373 (1996-10-01), Sato et al.
patent: 5659345 (1997-08-01), Altendorf
patent: 5790157 (1998-08-01), Higuma et al.
patent: 5790158 (1998-08-01), Shinada et al.
patent: 5839595 (1998-11-01), Ujita
patent: 0 719 646 (1996-07-01), None
patent: 0 739 741 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 2 293 141 (1996-03-01), None
Fukazawa Masahiko
Hara Takashi
Honzawa Tadatoshi
Ito Kazunori
Kitahara Kiyoshi
Le N.
Seiko Epson Corporation
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Vo Anh T. N.
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