FLUID CONTAINER

• US 20150306881A1
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: LARROBIS, Michael R., ABANTO, Jeffrey G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,878,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/19 for removing air bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/04 Partitions
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/38 Devices for discharging contents containers formed by folding or erecting paper blanks B65D5/72 ; incorporated in removable or non-permanently secured closure members B65D47/00; for discharging thin flat articles B65D83/08

Abstract

A container for holding a volume of fluid includes a housing defining an interior for retaining the volume of fluid, a vent system disposed at an upper portion of the interior adjacent to a fluid chamber to vent air to atmosphere. The vent system includes an air chamber in fluid communication with the fluid chamber through an air inlet and disposed within the interior. The air chamber includes a bottom surface angling from the air inlet towards a distal end of the air chamber.

Claims

1. A container to hold a volume of fluid, comprising:

a housing defining an interior, wherein the housing includes

a fluid chamber disposed at a lower portion of the housing to hold the volume of fluid;

a fluid exit port fluidly connected to the fluid chamber to deliver outside the housing the fluid from the interior; and

a vent system disposed at an upper portion of the interior adjacent to the fluid chamber to vent air from the interior to atmosphere, wherein the vent system includes

an air chamber in the interior in fluid communication with the fluid chamber through an air inlet, the air chamber having an inclined bottom surface angling from the air inlet to a distal end of the air chamber; and

at least one vent hole disposed at the distal end to receive air from the air chamber and deliver the air to atmosphere outside the housing.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface inclines from the air inlet to the distal end of the air chamber at an angle of about 2 degrees to about 7 degrees.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the air chamber is centrally disposed between a front and back of the housing.

4. The container of claim 3, wherein the air chamber includes a side wall extending substantially transverse from an upper wall of the housing and at a distance from the back of the housing to prevent fluid from rushing directly towards the at least one vent hole during movement of the container.

5. The container of claim 4, wherein the air inlet is disposed on a terminal end of the bottom surface.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the air inlet is a rectangular opening extending across a width of the bottom surface.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein a distance of the air inlet from a front side of the container is greater than a height of the fluid when the container is positioned with the front side facing downwards.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the at least one vent hole aligns with a bottom surface of an air exit channel to allow fluid trapped inside the air exit channel to drain back toward the air chamber and into the fluid chamber.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the vent system further includes a vent disposed on a front side of the container.

10. The container of claim 1, the air chamber further having a ceiling extending from a proximate end towards the distal end of the air chamber, wherein a height of the ceiling at the proximate end is lesser than at the distal end.

11. A vent system disposed in a housing of a fluid container of a micro-fluid imaging device, comprising:

an air chamber in an interior of the housing in fluid communication with the fluid chamber through an air inlet, the air chamber having an inclined bottom surface angling from the air inlet to a distal end opposite the air inlet;

at least one vent hole disposed on the distal end of the air chamber to receive air from the air chamber and deliver the air to atmosphere outside the housing;

an air exit channel in fluid communication with the air chamber through the at least one vent hole to collect air from the air chamber; and

a vent disposed outside the housing to vent air from the air exit channel to the atmosphere.

12. The vent system of claim 11, wherein the bottom surface inclines from the air inlet to the distal end of the air chamber at an angle of about 2 degrees to about 7 degrees.

13. The vent system of claim 11, wherein the air chamber is centrally disposed between a front and back of the housing.

14. The vent system of claim 13, wherein the air chamber includes a side wall extending substantially transverse from an upper wall of the housing and at a distance from the back of the housing to prevent fluid from rushing directly towards the at least one vent hole during movement of the container.

15. The vent system of claim 14, wherein the air inlet is disposed on a terminal end of the bottom surface.

16. The vent system of claim 11, wherein a distance of the air inlet from a front side of the housing is greater than a height of the fluid when the container is positioned with the front side facing downwards.

17. The vent system of claim 11, wherein the at least one vent hole aligns with a bottom surface of the air exit channel to allow fluid trapped inside the air exit channel to drain back toward the air chamber and into the fluid chamber.

18. The vent system of claim 11, wherein the vent is disposed on a front side of the container.

19. The vent system of claim 11, the air chamber further having a ceiling extending from a proximate end towards the distal end of the air chamber, wherein a height of the ceiling at the proximate end is lesser than at the distal end.

20. The vent system of claim 11, wherein a bottom surface of the air exit channel substantially aligns with the at least one vent hole to allow fluid trapped in the air exit channel to drain back to the fluid chamber.