JPH06297814A - Image recording composition storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] It is possible to distinguish whether an image recording colorant composition used in an image forming apparatus or an image copying apparatus is a regular composition. [Structure] The image recording composition storage container has an ink tank 2 filled with ink and a built-in battery. Therefore, on the side of the image forming apparatus using this image recording composition storage container, it is possible to determine whether the set ink is authentic by measuring the voltage of the battery.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for storing an image recording composition used for recording image information on a recording sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information is recorded on recording paper by various methods. In the past, dot impact printers and thermal transfer printers have been used. In recent years, an inkjet method using a liquid ink, an inkjet method using a hot-melt ink that is solid at room temperature but becomes a liquid state when heated to about 100 ° C., and powdered toner is fixed on a recording sheet. An electrophotographic image recording device is particularly popular.

In these apparatuses, an image recording colorant composition called ink or toner is provided inside the apparatus, and the image recording colorant composition is formed by using the apparatus. Will be consumed. When the amount of the colorant composition for image recording becomes a certain amount or less,
Since the quality of the image formed by the apparatus deteriorates, it is necessary to replenish the image recording colorant composition.

Recently, when the image recording colorant composition is provided in a storage container and the amount of the image recording colorant composition is consumed and becomes less than a certain level, the image recording colorant is used. Do not replenish only the composition,
Every storage container is being replaced with a new one.

[0005]

However, in these prior arts, in addition to the image recording colorant composition dedicated to the image recording apparatus, an image recording colorant composition which is not a regular one is used for the image recording apparatus. Sometimes things are for sale. Further, refilling the used image-recording colorant composition storage container with a non-genuine image-recording colorant composition is also partially performed.

Some of these non-genuine image recording colorant compositions are inferior. If such a poor colorant composition for image recording is introduced into the image recording apparatus, the image recording apparatus cannot be operated in a normal state. For this reason, the quality of the image obtained by the image recording apparatus is inferior to the quality of the image which can be originally recorded by the image recording apparatus.

Furthermore, since a colorant composition for image recording of poor quality is used, in the worst case, the apparatus itself may be damaged.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to recognize that an image recording composition is a normal one for an image recording apparatus. The purpose is to provide a storage container.

[0009]

In order to achieve this object, in a container for storing an image recording composition of the present invention, a coloring material that reflects or absorbs light in the visible region wavelength and the coloring material are dispersed. An image recording composition storage container for storing an image recording composition comprising a dispersion medium for spreading the coloring material on a recording sheet, the image recording composition storage container comprising: The battery is arranged.

[0010]

According to the present invention having the above structure, the voltage of the battery provided in the image recording composition storage container is measured on the side of the image recording apparatus to obtain a regular image recording composition. Can be detected.

[0011]

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 shows a main part of a container for storing an image recording composition showing an example in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer.

An ink tank 2 is formed on the left side inside the image recording composition storage container 1, an ink chamber 3 is formed above it, and an image recording colorant composition storage container 1 is formed above it. The number of nozzles 4 corresponding to the number of dots of the image information
Are arranged. Ink having a known composition as inkjet ink is stored in the ink tank 2. A valve 9 is provided between the ink tank 2 and the ink chamber 3 to prevent the ink in the ink chamber 3 from flowing back to the ink tank 2. To the right of the ink chamber 3, there are a number of piezoelectric elements 5 corresponding to the nozzles 4, and further to the right of the piezoelectric elements 5 is a head drive circuit 6. A battery 8 is arranged on the right side of the head drive circuit 6, and the battery 8 is connected to the head drive circuit 6. Further, a terminal 7 is arranged on the upper portion of the image recording composition storage container 1.

As the battery 8, a known dry battery such as a manganese dry battery, an alkali-manganese dry battery or a lithium battery is used.

Image-recording composition storage container 1 having the above-mentioned configuration
The operation of will be described.

The image recording composition storage container 1 is arranged in an image recording apparatus main body (not shown), and the head drive circuit 6 receives signals and electric power from the image recording apparatus main body through the terminal 7 to the nozzle 4. Supplied. The head drive circuit 6 applies a voltage to the piezoelectric element 5 according to the applied signal. When a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 5, the piezoelectric element 5 deforms and the pressure of the ink stored in the ink chamber 3 increases. As a result, the ink in the ink chamber 3 is ejected from the nozzles 4, and an image is recorded on a recording sheet (not shown).

The battery 8 is connected to the head drive circuit 6, and by the action of the head drive circuit 6, is connected to a load when the ink in the ink tank 2 is used, and is discharged as the ink is consumed. To do. At this time, if the load connected to the battery 8 is appropriately selected, the ink life and the battery 8 life can be matched.

In this way, the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 2 can be known by measuring the voltage of the battery 8. Further, by using known means, when the voltage of the battery 8 is below a certain level, it is judged that there is no ink in the ink tank 2, and the operation of the image recording apparatus main body can be stopped. .

For this reason, even if the ink tank 2 is filled with non-genuine ink by some means, if the voltage of the battery 8 is low, the main body of the image recording apparatus cannot be operated. Image recording is not performed with ink other than ink.

FIG. 2 shows a main part of an image recording composition accommodating container showing a second embodiment in which the present invention is also embodied in an ink jet printer.

Solid ink pellets 22 are contained in the image recording composition storage container 21. A battery 23 is arranged on the right side of the ink pellet 22. In this embodiment, the battery 23 is directly embedded in the image recording composition storage container 21, and only both electrodes are exposed.

The ink pellet 22 has a melting point of 80.degree.
A known pigment such as carbon black or phthalocyanine is dispersed in a binder composed mainly of wax and liquefies when heated to 100 ° C. or higher.

Image-recording composition storage container 2 having the above construction
The operation when 1 is installed in an image recording apparatus (not shown) will be described. In the image recording composition storage container 21 of the present embodiment, the ink pellets 22 are stored in an ink container in a known inkjet printer in a state of being heated and liquefied.

Inside the ink jet printer, when it is in a usable state, the ink is always heated and liquefied, and is ejected from a nozzle (not shown) according to the same principle as in the first embodiment. The ink ejected from the nozzles is quickly cooled and solidified after adhering to the recording paper and fixed on the paper.

In the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment, the fixing rate of the ink is less dependent on the permeation of the paper, so that the print quality is less affected by the surface condition of the recording paper and the composition of the recording paper.

In the ink jet printer, when the image recording composition storage container 21 is installed at a predetermined place, both electrodes of the battery 23 arranged in the image recording composition storage container 21 are connected to the ink jet printer (not shown). Connected to the printer controller. The control device measures the voltage of the battery 23, and if the voltage is within a predetermined range, the inkjet printer is ready for printing.

At this time, the battery 23 is connected to the load in the control circuit. The load is changed according to the amount of ink used in the inkjet printer, and when the ink is used a lot, the discharge amount of the battery is increased. Conversely, when the ink is not used much, the discharge amount of the battery is changed. To reduce. By doing so, it is possible to make the ink and the battery have substantially the same life.

When ink is used in the ink jet printer and the ink in the image recording composition storage container 21 runs out, the image recording composition storage container 2 is discharged.
The potential of the battery in 1 also drops. Therefore, even if only some non-genuine ink pellets are installed in the image recording composition storage container 21 by some means, the potential of the battery 23 remains low. It cannot be used.

From the above, it is possible to distinguish whether or not the newly installed image recording composition storage container is genuine. For this reason, the non-genuine ink does not enter the inkjet printer, and it is possible to avoid the trouble caused by using the non-genuine ink.

Although only the ink jet printer has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention can be easily applied to a toner cartridge used in an electrophotographic image copying apparatus or an image forming apparatus, or a ribbon cassette of a thermal transfer printer. It can be used for.

[0030]

As is clear from the above description,
According to the present invention, the image recording composition and the battery are simultaneously installed in the image recording composition storage container. Therefore, if the voltage of the battery is measured, it can be recognized on the image forming apparatus or the image copying apparatus side that the image recording composition used is a proper one. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the trouble of the image recording apparatus which may occur due to the use of the non-genuine image recording composition.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image recording composition storage container in which the present invention is carried out in an inkjet printer.

FIG. 2 is a top view and a front view of an image recording composition storage container showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Image Recording Composition Storage Container 2 Ink Tank 3 Ink Chamber 4 Nozzle 5 Piezoelectric Element 6 Head Drive Circuit 7 Terminal 8 Battery 9 Valve 21 Image Recording Composition Storage Container 22 Ink Pellet 23 Battery

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image recording composition comprising a coloring material that reflects or absorbs light in a visible wavelength range and a dispersion medium that disperses the coloring material and spreads the coloring material on a recording sheet. An image-recording composition storage container for storing the image-recording composition storage container, wherein a battery is arranged in the image-recording composition storage container.