Replaceable ink cartridge having surface wiring resistance pattern

• US 5,506,611 A
• Filed: 03/15/1995
• Issued: 04/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ujita, Toshihiko, Hiramatsu, Soichi, Inoue, Hiroyuki, Matsumoto, Haruyuki, Yamaguchi, Hideki, Nojima, Takashi, Matsui, Shinya, Suzuki, Tetsuo, Hashimoto, Kenichiro, Murai, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartary, Joseph W.
• Application Number:
  US08/405,399
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 347/86, 347/19
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17526 Electrical contacts to the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1755 mechanically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17516 comprising a collapsible ink holder, e.g. a flexible bag
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17579 Measuring electrical impedance for ink level indication
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17586 using ink bag deformation for ink level indication
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/34 Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages

Abstract

A replaceable ink cartridge can be inserted into and removed from a bubble jet printer receptacle for removably mounting the cartridge. The cartridge when mounted will cooperate with a hollow needle for supplying liquid ink to a print head and a pipe for removing waste ink from the head. The cartridge includes a container, a liquid ink reservoir and an absorber for waste liquid ink in the container, an outlet and an opening on the front wall of the container, and a label secured to the top wall of the container. The label contains a surface wiring resistance pattern including contact portions which are spaced apart and have an electric connection between them. When the container is mounted in the receptacle, the needle enters the outlet to connect the ink reservoir to the head, and the absorber enters a waste ink pipe opening. The contact portions then make sliding contact with spaced-apart electric terminals in the printer, connecting the terminals and thereby activating a control circuit in the printer.

Claims

1. A replaceable ink cartridge for a bubble jet printer having an ink jet print head for ejecting liquid ink onto a recording sheet by the action of thermal energy, a mounting receptacle for receiving and supporting said replaceable ink cartridge in the bubble jet printer, a hollow needle for supplying liquid ink to said ink jet print head, a waste ink pipe for removing from the bubble jet printer waste liquid ink not used for printing by the ink jet print head, and spaced-apart electric terminals which when electrically connected together activate a control circuit in the bubble jet printer, said replaceable ink cartridge comprising:

a container formed by top and bottom walls providing major surfaces of said container, and front, rear and side walls connecting said top and bottom walls, said container being removably mountable in the bubble jet printer mounting receptacle with said front wall facing inward and said bottom wall facing downward;

a liquid ink reservoir in said container;

an outlet on said front wall of said container and having a stopper member disposed to be pierced by the hollow needle in the bubble jet printer and constructed to connect said ink reservoir to the ink jet print head when said container is mounted in the bubble jet printer mounting receptacle;

an absorbent waste liquid ink collection member in said container;

an opening on said front wall of said container and disposed to connect said absorbent waste liquid ink collection member to the waste ink pipe in the bubble jet printer when said container is mounted in the bubble jet printer mounting receptacle; and

a label secured to said top wall of said container, said label containing a surface wiring resistance pattern of predetermined shape, including spaced-apart contact portions and an electric connection between said contact portions, said spaced-apart contact portions being positioned relative to said outlet and said opening on said front wall for slidingly contacting and connecting together the spaced-apart electric terminals in the bubble jet printer after the hollow needle and the waste ink pipe enter said outlet and opening in said container.

2. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 1, further comprising an engagement portion on at least one of said side walls of said container for engaging a cooperating locking member in the mounting receptacle to hold said container in place when it is mounted in the bubble jet printer, said engagement portion being located relative to said label so that during mounting of said container in the bubble jet printer mounting receptacle, said contact portions contact said electric terminals before said engagement portion engages the locking member.

3. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 2, wherein said engagement portion includes a recessed portion in both of said side walls for engaging a corresponding one of two locking members in the mounting receptacle.