JP2000255078A - Ink cartridge for inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: Provided is an ink cartridge for an ink jet printer, which can open an ink tank to the atmosphere via an air channel at the same time as loading of the ink cartridge. SOLUTION: An ink tank T and an ink supply needle 100 are provided.
Supply paths 6a and 6b into which the ink supply needle 100 is inserted, and a protective film 7 which is destroyed when the ink supply needle 100 is inserted.
And an alignment ring (21a, 21b) that is in close contact with the outer periphery of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted, and air channels 9a to 9c provided in proximity to the ink supply paths 6a, 6b. In the state where the ink supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply path, the air channel is closed, but when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path, the ink supply needle is perpendicular to the insertion direction in response to the insertion. An ink cartridge having valve members 22a and 22b for releasing the blockage of the air channel by moving by a stress component in the direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a separate print head, which can communicate an ink tank with the atmosphere only by being set on a carriage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink-jet ink cartridge of a separate print head type is configured to supply ink in an ink tank to a print head mounted on a carriage via an ink supply path.

FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a conventional ink cartridge of this type. The ink cartridge 80 includes a cartridge body 81 and a lid member 82.

The cartridge body 81 includes an ink tank T
(The sponge 83 is housed in FIG. 6A). At the top of the cartridge body 81, a lid member 8
2 is provided, and a communication hole 84 that communicates with an air channel 90 described later is provided at an upper portion thereof. An ink supply path 85 is provided below the ink cartridge 80, and a protective film 86 is provided at an opening of the ink supply path 85 when the ink cartridge is not used. A centering ring 87 is provided inside the protective film 86.

In the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge 80,
The ink is filled from the ink filling hole 88 of the lid member 82, and the hole 88 is sealed by a protective seal 89 (for example, made of a synthetic resin sheet) at the time of shipment from the factory.

[0006] Further, as shown in FIG.
On the upper surface of 2, a predetermined pattern of grooves (that is, air channels 90) communicating with the aforementioned communication holes 84 is formed. The upper surface of the air channel 90 is covered with the above-described protective seal 89 except for the end portion 91 of the air channel 90. Also, the terminal portion 91
The airtight seal 92 is used to prevent the ink tank T from communicating with the atmosphere when the ink cartridge 80 is unused.
(For example, made of a synthetic resin sheet).

When loading the ink cartridge 80 into a carriage (not shown), the user first peels off the airtight seal 92 to allow the inside of the ink tank T to communicate with the atmosphere. The ink in the ink tank T is applied to the carriage.
An ink supply needle (not shown) for supplying a print head (not shown) is attached, and the protective film 86 is broken by the tip of the ink supply needle while the ink cartridge 80 is being loaded on the carriage. In a state where the ink cartridge 80 has been loaded on the carriage, the alignment ring 87 is moved so that the ink does not leak.
Seal the outer periphery of the ink supply needle.

[0008]

However, when the user peels off the hermetic seal 92 when using the ink cartridge 80, the user may accidentally peel off the protective seal 89. When the protective seal 89 is peeled off, a change in ink physical properties such as an excessive amount of evaporation of the ink inside the ink cartridge 80 becomes large, which affects print quality. In the case of a color ink cartridge,
Although a plurality of ink tanks are provided, since the airtight seal 92 is provided for each ink tank, the user is forced to remove the airtight seal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge for a printhead-independent type ink jet printer, which can open an ink tank to the atmosphere via an air channel at the same time as loading an ink cartridge into a carriage. is there.

[0010]

As described above, when a new ink cartridge is used, the user is required to:
Two operations must be performed: removing the hermetic seal and loading the ink cartridge. The inventor of the present invention does not inadvertently peel off the protective seal and forces the user to peel off the hermetic seal if communication between the ink tank and the atmosphere can be achieved only by the operation of loading the ink cartridge. The present invention has been made based on the finding that there is no such material.

The present invention is applied to a separate printhead type ink cartridge including an ink tank, an ink supply path, a protective film, and an alignment ring. The ink cartridge is usually mounted on a carriage on which the printhead is mounted, but is not necessarily limited thereto.The ink cartridge is installed at a fixed position in the printer, and the ink is supplied to the printhead via a flexible supply tube. May be supplied.

The ink supply path supplies the ink in the ink tank to the outside (ie, the print head), and an ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path.

The protective film is provided to prevent the ink in the ink tank from leaking to the outside when the ink cartridge is not used. At least one of the ink supply paths, such as an opening of the ink supply path on the air side, is provided. And is destroyed by the tip of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted.

The alignment ring is provided in a part of the ink supply path, and is closely attached to the outer periphery of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted, thereby preventing the ink in the ink tank from leaking to the outside. are doing.

In the ink cartridge according to the present invention, an air channel and a valve member, which are different from the prior art, are provided in addition to the above configuration.

The air channel is provided at least partially in proximity to the ink supply path. As described below, the air supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path, and the air tank is connected to the atmosphere. Can be communicated.
Part or all of the air channel can be constituted by a groove having a predetermined pattern formed on the surface of the ink cartridge and a protective seal covering the groove. Further, for example, an air channel can be formed inside an ink cartridge by creating a cartridge body using a plurality of injection molding (multicolor molding) techniques using different molds. In addition, although it depends on the structure of the ink tank, the opening of the air channel into the ink tank is usually provided above the ink tank.

The valve member closes the air channel when the ink supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply path, but when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path,
In response to the insertion, the air channel is moved by a stress component in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the air channel is closed. The valve member can be made of a material such as synthetic rubber, plastic, or metal, and can be formed integrally with the alignment ring, or can be formed separately from the alignment ring. The valve member may be configured so that the valve member approaches the alignment ring when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path, or the valve member may be configured to separate from the alignment ring. However, in any case, the valve member releases the blockage of the air channel.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the ink supply path close to the air channel is parallel to the ink supply path, the alignment ring has a thick shape, and the closing release member is , And formed so as to have a central axis formed integrally with the alignment ring and having a central axis parallel to the central axis of the alignment ring. Further, when the ink supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply path, the air channel is closed by the ring portion of the deocclusion member, but the ink supply needle is When inserted into the ink supply passage, the central portion of the ring of the valve member is configured to release the blockage of the air channel.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment has a central component 2, an upper component 3, and a lower component 4.

The central component 2 has a container shape, and its internal space is an ink tank T, in which a sponge 5 is housed and filled with ink.

The central component 2 has a mounting surface S1 on its lower surface for mounting the lower component 4, and the mounting surface S1 has a portion 6a of the ink supply path.
Are formed, and a protective film 7 is formed in the opening. Holes 8a to 8d for fitting with projections 17a to 17d of the lower component 4 to be described later are formed on the mounting surface S1, and a part 9a of the air channel 9 is opened (this opening is denoted by reference numeral 18a). ). The air channel 9a is continuous with the groove formed on the side surface S2 of the central component 2 through the inside of the central component 2. The groove formed on the side surface S2 of the central component 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), a part 9b of the air channel 9 is constituted by being surrounded by the weir-shaped continuous projections 10. A communication hole 11 is formed above the side surface S2 of the central component 2 toward the ink tank T, and the air channel 9b is continuous with the communication hole 11. The air channel 9b is in a state where the components 2 to 4 are assembled,
It is covered with a protective seal 12 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper component 3
Is a lid member of the ink cartridge 1 and is attached to the central component 2 after the sponge 5 is put in the ink tank T. A hole 14 for ink injection is formed in the upper component 3, and is sealed with a protective seal 15 after ink injection.

As shown in FIG. 1, a mounting surface S3 is formed on the upper surface of the lower component 4 so as to be in close contact with the mounting surface S1 of the central component 2. A part 6b of the ink supply path is formed in the lower component 4, and the opening of the ink supply path 6b on the attachment surface S3 side matches the above-described opening of the ink supply path 6a. As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting surface S <b> 3 has a groove 16 in which a centering ring and a valve member 20, which will be described later, are integrated, and a mounting surface of the central component 2. Protrusions 17a to 17d to be fitted with holes 8a to 8d formed in S1 are formed. A bank B is formed in the center of the groove 16 and the bank B
On the side opposite to the ink supply path 6b, there is provided an air channel 9c vertically penetrating the central component 2 as shown in FIG. 1 (the opening at the mounting surface S3 of the air channel 9c is formed). Reference numeral 18a). Lower component 4
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a connecting member 19 for connecting to an ink supply needle (not shown) is formed to protrude from the lower surface side.

The centering / valve member 20 has a ring shape (or a donut shape) as shown in a plan view of FIG. 4A and a sectional view of FIG. 4B (a sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. 4A). It is an integral structure of the centering ring portion 21 to be formed and the valve portion 22 having the same ring shape. Alignment ring 2
1 is formed thicker on the side of the valve portion 22 (indicated by reference numeral 21a) than on the side opposite to the valve portion 22 (indicated by reference numeral 21b). Further, the alignment ring portion 21 side (indicated by reference numeral 22a) of the valve portion 22 is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the portion indicated by reference numeral 21a, and is opposite to the alignment ring portion 21 of the valve portion 22 (reference numeral). 22b) is the symbol 22a
It is formed thicker than the portion indicated by. The hole 23 of the alignment ring 21 is formed smaller than the diameter of an ink supply needle (not shown), and the hole 24 of the valve 22 is formed smaller.

The operation of the ink cartridge having the above configuration will be described below. FIG. 5A shows a state of a joint portion between the central component 3 and the lower component 4 of the assembled ink cartridge 1 before the ink supply needle is inserted, that is, the centering / valve member 20 is in the assembled state. FIG. 5B is a view showing a state where the lower component is attached to the groove 16, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the center component 3 and the lower component of the assembled ink cartridge 1 when the ink supply needle is inserted. Element 4
FIG. 4 is a view showing a state of a joint portion with the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the centering ring 2
The center of one hole 23 is deviated from the center line L of the ink supply path 9b to the side opposite to the bank B formed in the groove 16. In this state, the opening 18a of the air channel 9a on the mounting surface S1 of the central component 2 and the mounting surface S of the air channel 9c on the lower structural path 4 are provided.
Since the third opening 18b is closed by a portion indicated by reference numeral 22b of the valve section 22, the ink tank T (see FIG. 1) does not communicate with the atmosphere.

On the other hand, when the ink supply needle 100 is inserted into the ink supply path 9b as shown in FIG.
The valve member 20 is deformed. At this time, the centering ring 2
The portion indicated by reference numeral 21a of 1 is pressed toward the bank B and moves the entire valve portion 22. Thereby, the opening 18a of the mounting surface S1 and the mounting surface S
Since the blockage of the opening 18b is released by the portion of the valve portion 22 indicated by the reference numeral 22b, the ink tank T (see FIG. 1) and the atmosphere are separated from the air channels 9b and 9a, the holes 24 of the valve portion 22, 9c.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, the ink tank can be opened to the atmosphere via the air channel simultaneously with the loading of the ink cartridge into the carriage. Therefore, the protective seal is not inadvertently peeled off by the user, and the user is not forced to remove the airtight seal.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge 1 as viewed from below.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a groove formed on a side surface of a central component.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a mounting surface S3 of a lower component.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a centering ring in which a centering ring and a valve member are integrated.
It is a figure which shows a valve member, (A) is a top view, (B) is sectional drawing of the FF line in (A).

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a state of a joint portion between a central component and a lower component of an ink cartridge before an ink supply needle is inserted, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state of a joint portion between a central component and a lower component when an ink supply needle is inserted.

FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional ink cartridge, and FIG. 6B is a plan view of a lid member of the ink cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 2 Central component 3 Upper component 4 Lower component 5 Sponge 6a, 6b Ink supply path 7 Protective film 8a-8d Hole 9a, 9b, 9c Air channel 10 Continuous protrusion 11 Communication hole 12 Protective seal 14 Injection of ink Hole 15 Protective seal 16 Groove 17a-17d Projection 18a, 18b Opening 19 Connecting member 20 Alignment / valve member T Ink tank S1, S3 Mounting surface 100 Ink supply needle

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink tank, an ink supply path for supplying ink in the ink tank to the outside, into which an ink supply needle is inserted, and an ink supply needle provided in at least a part of the ink supply path A protective film that is destroyed when the ink supply needle is inserted, and a centering ring that is provided on a part of the ink supply path and is in close contact with the outer periphery of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted. An ink channel for an ink jet printer of a separate print head type, comprising: an air channel provided at least partially in proximity to the ink supply path, for communicating the ink tank with the atmosphere; and When the supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply path, the air channel is closed, but the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path. And a valve member that releases the blockage of the air channel by moving with a stress component in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction in response to the insertion. 2. A portion of the ink supply path close to the air channel is parallel to the supply path, the alignment ring has a thick-walled shape, and the blockage release member includes the alignment ring. A shape having a central axis parallel to the central axis of the ring integrally formed with the ring, and in a state where the ink supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply path, the air channel is a ring of the blockage releasing member. The block is closed by a portion, but when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply path, a ring central portion of the valve member releases the blockage of the air channel. The ink cartridge for an inkjet printer according to the above. 3. The ink cartridge for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein an opening of the air channel into the ink tank is provided at an upper portion of the ink tank.