Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-19
2001-01-16
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174054
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a container for a liquid and, more particularly, to an ink cartridge for use in ink jet printers and other ink jet printing devices.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventionally known ink cartridge for use in ink jet printers, an ink supplying hole and an atmosphere communication hole are formed in portions of a cartridge case, so that ink inside the cartridge case is supplied through the ink supplying hole to an ink jet recording head provided on the side of an ink jet printer.
FIG. 9
shows an ink supplying hole
104
formed in a conventional ink cartridge
102
.
To prevent ink leakage through the ink supplying hole
104
or an atmosphere communication hole (not shown in
FIG. 9
) during transportation, the ink supplying hole
104
and the atmosphere communication hole are sealed by sealing members during manufacture.
Before setting the ink cartridge into an ink jet printer for use, a user needs to peel the sealing members covering the ink supplying hole
104
and the atmosphere communication hole off from seal surfaces
106
,
108
that surround the ink supplying hole
104
or those that surround the atmosphere communication hole.
The peeling load F needed to peel a sealing member from the seal surfaces
106
,
108
surrounding the ink supplying hole
104
varies depending on position L as indicated in FIG.
10
. For example, in a case where the peeling is started at a position S and completed at a position E, the peeling load F sharply decreases at the end position E. Such a sharp reduction in the peeling load F causes the sealing member to contract and curl in backlash movements due to its elasticity at the time when the sealing member peels off from the seal surfaces
106
,
108
surrounding the ink supplying hole
104
and, particularly, when it peels off from the outer seal surface
108
. In an example case wherein the adhesion force-decreasing rate relative to the peel distance exceeds 0.02 kgf/mm, the adhesion force reduction is too rapid for a user to correspondingly adjust the user's peeling hand action, resulting in a failure to prevent a backlash of the sealing member. In such a case, there is a danger that ink deposited on the sealing member covering the ink supplying hole
104
may spatter and stain the surroundings, i.e. the nearby area or items.
Ink spattering due to the backlash of a sealing member occurs because a person strongly grips and moves the sealing member until it peels off. It is very difficult to prevent the backlash of the sealing member by, for example, moving the hand in a direction generally opposite to the peeling direction of the sealing member at the instant when the sealing member peels off. Thus it is difficult to prevent ink spattering according to the known art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a liquid container that prevents the spattering of a liquid, such as an ink, at the time of peeling a sealing sheet member covering an opening in the liquid container.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid container including a container chamber containing a liquid, an opening portion provided in an outer surface of the container chamber, and a first seal surface formed around the opening portion for sealing the opening portion with a sealing sheet member. In the liquid container, a portion of the seal surface at a position of a final stage of peeling of the sealing sheet member from the first seal surface is formed in such a shape that the width thereof decreases toward an end. When the peeling stage reaches the width-reducing end portion, the width-reducing end portion provides a time margin between an adhesion force reduction and the complete peel-off of the sealing member from the seal surface. That is, a time is allowed for a user to move his/her hand gripping the sealing member in the direction generally opposite to the peel direction in order to reduce the pulling force, and speed of peeling, on the sealing member so that ink spattering and staining of the surroundings can be prevented. At the time when the sealing member peels off, the sealing member has been sufficiently loosened, so that substantially no backlash occurs. Therefore, ink spattering and staining of the surroundings are prevented.
That is, when a user peels the sealing member sealing the opening portion, the user can adjust the movement of the hand gripping the sealing member in accordance with the peeling process of the sealing member because the adhesion force between the sealing member and the first seal surface gradually decreases. More specifically, the user can reduce the force to pull the sealing member by slowing or slightly reversing the hand movement in accordance with reductions in the adhesion force.
The liquid container of the invention may further include a second seal surface formed between the first seal surface and the opening portion. The second seal surface adheres to the sealing sheet member, and has an annular shape which surrounds the opening portion and which has a substantially consistent width. This structure provides reliable sealing for the opening portion.
Furthermore, in the liquid container of the invention, the first seal surface may have an arcuate portion and a width-reducing end portion.
The opening portion may be provided in a lower portion of a side surface of the liquid container, and a width-reducing end portion of the first seal surface may extend upward from the opening portion.
In the alternative, the width-reducing end portion of the first seal surface may extend downward from the opening portion, instead.
Furthermore, the width-reducing end portion of the first seal surface may extend in each of upward and downward directions from the opening portion.
The liquid container of the invention may further include an atmosphere communication hole that introduces external air, and a second sealing member that seals the atmosphere communication hole.
The atmosphere communication hole may instead be sealed by the same sealing member that seals the opening portion.
The liquid container may be for use as an ink cartridge of an ink jet printer.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid container including a container chamber containing a liquid, an opening portion provided in an outer surface of the container chamber, and a first seal surface formed around the opening portion for sealing the opening portion with a sealing sheet member. The adhesion force between the first seal surface and the sealing sheet member is predetermined in such a manner that the adhesion force decreases relative to peel distance at a rate of at most 0.02 kgf/mm, in a final stage of the peeling of the sealing sheet member from the first seal surface.
If the adhesion force-decreasing rate relative to peel distance is not greater than 0.02 kgf/mm, such a gradual reduction in adhesion force allows a user (who peels the sealing member) to correspondingly adjust the peeling hand movement. More specifically, it is possible to reduce the force to pull the sealing member by moving the hand gripping the sealing member in a generally backward direction opposite to the peeling direction thereby slowing the peeling, in accordance with reductions in adhesion force.
Therefore, at the time when the sealing member peels off, the sealing member has been sufficiently loosened, so that substantially no backlash occurs. Ink spattering and staining of the surroundings are thus prevented.
The adhesion force-decreasing rate relative to peel distance in the final stage of the peeling of the sealing sheet member from the first seal surface may be preset to at most 0.02 kgf/mm by a structure wherein a portion of the sealing sheet member at a position of the final stage gradually reduces in width.
The adhesion force-decreasing rate relative to peel distance in the final stage of the peeling of the sealing sheet member from the first seal surface may also be preset to at most 0.02 kgf/mm by a structu
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Le N.
Nghiem Michael
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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