Replaceable ink cartridge

• US 5,509,140 A
• Filed: 07/21/1993
• Issued: 04/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Masami, Sato, Hiroshi, Abe, Tsutomu, Sugama, Sadayuki, Koitabashi, Noribumi, Sugimoto, Hitoshi, Shimizu, Eiichiro, Nagoshi, Shigeyasu, Sato, Shinichi, Akiyama, Yuji, Hirabayashi, Hiromitsu, Uetsuki, Masaya, Gotoh, Fumihiro, Asai, Naohito, Higuma, Masahiko, Matsubara, Miyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, Jr., John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/094,317
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 347/87, 347/86, 347/100
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17506 Refilling of the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17523 Ink connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17556 Means for regulating the pressure in the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17573 using optical means for ink level indication
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17579 Measuring electrical impedance for ink level indication
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/46 Applications of alarms, e.g. responsive to approach of end of line

Abstract

A replaceable ink cartridge, usable with a bubble jet printer, comprises a container formed by front, back, top and bottom walls, and two side walls providing major surfaces of said container, with a partition dividing the container into first and second chambers communicating with each other through an opening formed by the partition proximate to the bottom wall. The first chamber, which is generally sealed from ambient air except through the opening, contains a reservoir of liquid ink, and the second chamber contains a sponge-like material for producing a negative pressure whereby ink is deliverable from the first chamber through the opening to an ink supply outlet in the front wall proximate to the bottom wall. The partition has at least one groove for forming an air flow passage from the second chamber to the first chamber through the opening, thereby permitting introduction of air into the first chamber and flow of liquid ink to the ink supply outlet through the opening. The container is removably mountable in a printer mounting with the bottom wall facing downward and the front wall facing an ink jet print head so that the ink supply outlet is connectable to an ink port of the print head.

Claims

1. A replaceable ink cartridge for a bubble jet printer having a carriage adapted to scan a recording sheet, an ink jet print head having an ink port for supplying liquid ink thereto and being mounted to the carriage for ejecting liquid ink onto the recording sheet by the action of thermal energy while the carriage scans the recording sheet, and a mounting on the carriage for receiving said replaceable ink cartridge and supporting same for connection to the ink port of the ink jet print head, said replaceable ink cartridge comprising:

a container formed by a front wall, back wall, top wall and bottom wall, each of which is elongated, and two side walls providing major surfaces of said container;

a partition attached to said side walls and extending from said top wall toward said bottom wall to divide said container into a first chamber and a second chamber communicating with each other through an opening formed by said partition proximate to said bottom wall;

said first chamber being defined by said partition and said back wall, top wall, bottom wall and said two side walls of said container and being generally sealed from ambient air except through said opening;

said second chamber being defined by said partition and said front wall, top wall, bottom wall and said two side walls of said container and having an air vent for admitting ambient air into said second chamber;

said first chamber containing a reservoir of liquid ink;

said second chamber having an ink supply outlet in said front wall proximate to said bottom wall for supplying liquid ink to the ink port of the ink jet print head and containing a sponge-like material for producing a negative pressure whereby liquid ink is deliverable from said first chamber through said opening to said ink supply outlet;

at least one groove in said partition extending from said opening to a position spaced from said top wall for forming an air flow passage from said second chamber to said first chamber through said opening, thereby permitting introduction of air into said first chamber and flow of liquid ink to said ink supply outlet through said opening; and

said container being removably mountable in the bubble jet printer mounting with said bottom wall facing downward and said front wall facing the ink jet print head so that said ink supply outlet is connectable to the ink port of the ink jet print head.

2. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 1, wherein said groove introduces ambient air to reduce negative pressure in said first chamber.

3. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 1 or 2, wherein said sponge-like material is an ink absorbing material.

4. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 3, wherein said sponge-like material is a foamed material.

5. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 4, wherein said foamed material is compressed in said second chamber so as to produce a varying negative pressure from said opening to said ink supply outlet.

6. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 3, wherein said liquid ink comprises water, coloring material and water-soluble organic solvent, and has a surface tension of 20 dyne/cm to 55 dyne/cm.

7. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 6, where said liquid ink contains at least one non-ionic surfactant.

8. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 7, wherein said container is made of at least semitransparent plastic.

9. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 8, wherein said air vent is in said front wall and a removable seal member is located over said ink supply outlet and said air vent.

10. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 9, wherein said container is contained in an air-tight sealed package for shipment.

11. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 3, wherein said sponge-like material has a predetermined pore size for controlling the delivery of said liquid ink from said ink reservoir to said ink supply outlet.

12. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 1, wherein said groove is formed by projections extending along a surface of said partition.

13. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 1, wherein said groove is formed by a channel in a surface of said partition.

14. A replaceable ink cartridge as in claim 1, wherein said groove is formed in a recessed portion of said partition.