Ink jet ink refilling method and apparatus
First Claim
1. An ink refilling method for refilling an ink container with ink, the ink container having a porous material capable of providing a capillary force, an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink discharging member having a bundle of uni-directional fibers which are provided at said ink supply port and contacted to said porous material, and an air vent portion at a position away from said ink supply port, wherein at least a part of initially-contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in an ink supply port side of the ink discharging member, the method comprising the steps of:
- breaking the ink meniscus at the ink supply port side of the ink discharging member; and
supplying additional ink into the ink container from an ink source by a capillary force of the porous material at said ink supply port by consumption of the initially contained ink while said air vent portion is kept open to atmospheric air, while said ink supply port is disposed below a low position of the ink container, while said additional ink is in fluid communication with atmospheric air, and while fluid communication between the ink discharging member and the ink source is maintained.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An ink refilling method for an ink container having a porous material capable of producing negative pressure therein and having an ink absorbing portion in a connecting zone with an ink jet recording head, after at least a part of initially contained ink is consumed through the ink absorbing portion includes breaking ink meniscus at the ink absorbing portion of the ink container; supplying the ink into the ink container by a negative pressure produced in the porous material by consumption of the ink, while maintaining fluid communication between the ink absorbing portion and the ink to be supplied.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An ink refilling method for refilling an ink container with ink, the ink container having a porous material capable of providing a capillary force, an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink discharging member having a bundle of uni-directional fibers which are provided at said ink supply port and contacted to said porous material, and an air vent portion at a position away from said ink supply port, wherein at least a part of initially-contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in an ink supply port side of the ink discharging member, the method comprising the steps of:
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breaking the ink meniscus at the ink supply port side of the ink discharging member; and supplying additional ink into the ink container from an ink source by a capillary force of the porous material at said ink supply port by consumption of the initially contained ink while said air vent portion is kept open to atmospheric air, while said ink supply port is disposed below a low position of the ink container, while said additional ink is in fluid communication with atmospheric air, and while fluid communication between the ink discharging member and the ink source is maintained. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An ink refilling apparatus for refilling ink into an ink container, said ink container having a porous material capable of providing capillary force, an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink discharging member having a bundle of uni-directional fibers provided at said ink supply port and contacted to said porous material, and an air vent portion at a position away from said ink supply port, wherein at least a part of initially-contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in an ink supply port side of the ink discharging member, the apparatus comprising:
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an ink container holding portion for holding said ink container with said ink supply port taking a low position below said ink container and with said air vent portion of said ink container being kept open to ambience, said ink container holding portion including a bypass and a valve; ink discharging means for retaining additional ink and for supplying the additional ink to the porous material in said ink container, said ink discharging means including a supply tube, wherein said bypass and said valve are arranged for at least temporarily removing air from said supply tube prior to refill of ink to the ink container when said holding portion holds the in container; and means for breaking the meniscus of the ink at the ink supply port side of said ink discharging member, said meniscus breaking means being provided in said ink discharging means, wherein fluid communication between the ink in the ink discharging member and the additional ink retained in said discharging means is established by said meniscus breaking means, and thereafter the additional ink is supplied into said ink container by the capillary force of the porous material by consumption of the initially contained ink.
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8. An ink refilling method for refilling an ink container with ink, the ink container having a porous material capable of providing a capillary force, an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink discharging member having a bundle of uni-directional fibers which are provided at said ink supply port and contacted to said porous material, and an air vent portion at a position away from said ink supply port, wherein at least a part of initially-contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in an ink supply port side of the ink discharging member, wherein ink is refilled from an ink source having an ink discharge tube for contact with the ink discharging member, the method comprising the steps of:
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at least temporarily removing air from an ink refilling path in the ink discharging tube, wherein air removed by said air removing step moves to the ink discharging member to close fluid communication and form a meniscus in the ink discharging member; breaking the ink meniscus at the ink supply port side of the ink discharging member; and supplying additional ink into the ink container from the ink source by a capillary force of the porous material at said ink supply port by consumption of the initially contained ink while said air vent portion is kept open to atmospheric air, while said ink supply port is disposed below a low position of the ink container, and while fluid communication between the ink discharging member and the ink source is maintained. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. An ink refilling apparatus for refilling ink into an ink container, said ink container having a porous material capable of providing capillary force, an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink discharging member having a bundle of uni-directional fibers provided at said ink supply port and contacted to said porous material, and an air vent portion at a position away from said ink supply port, wherein at least a part of initially-contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in an ink supply port side of the ink discharging member, the apparatus comprising:
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an ink container holding portion for holding said ink container with said ink supply port taking a low position below said ink container and with said air vent portion of said ink container being kept open to ambience; ink discharging means for retaining additional ink and for supplying the additional ink to the porous material in said ink container, said ink discharging means including fluid communication means for maintaining fluid communication between said retained additional ink and atmospheric air; and means for breaking the meniscus of the ink at the ink supply port side of said ink discharging mender, said meniscus breaking means being provided in said ink discharging means, wherein fluid communication between the ink in the ink discharging member and the additional ink retained in said discharging means is established by said meniscus breaking means, and thereafter the additional ink is supplied into said ink container by the capillary force of the porous material by consumption of the initially contained ink while the additional ink is in fluid communication with atmospheric air. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An ink refilling method for refilling an ink container with ink from an ink source, the ink container having a porous material capable of providing capillary force, an ink connecting zone for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink absorbing portion in the connecting zone, and an air vent portion at a position away from said connecting zone, wherein at least a part of initially contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in the ink absorbing portion, the method comprising the steps of:
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breaking the ink meniscus at the ink absorbing portion of the ink container; directly contacting the ink absorbing portion of said connecting zone to ink in the ink source; and supplying additional ink from the ink source into the ink container by a capillary force of the porous material at said connecting zone by consumption of the initially contained ink, wherein said supplying step supplies additional ink while ink in the ink source is maintained in direct contact to the ink absorbing portion pursuant to said directly contacting step, while said air vent portion is kept open to atmospheric air, while the additional ink is in fluid communication to atmospheric air, and while said connecting zone is disposed below a low position of the ink container.
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19. An ink refilling apparatus for refilling ink into an ink container, said ink container having a porous material capable of providing capillary force, a connecting zone for supplying ink to a recording head detachably mountable to the ink container, an ink absorbing portion in the connecting zone, and an air vent portion at a position away from said connecting zone, wherein at least a part of initially-contained ink retained by the porous material has been consumed to leave a remaining amount of ink forming an ink meniscus in the ink absorbing portion, the apparatus comprising:
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an ink container holding portion for holding said ink container with said connecting zone taking a low position below said ink container and with said air vent portion of said ink container kept open to ambience; ink discharging means for retaining additional ink and for supplying the additional ink to the ink absorbing material in said connecting zone, said ink discharging means including fluid communication means for maintaining fluid communication between said retained additional ink and atmospheric air; and means for breaking a meniscus of the ink in said connecting zone, said meniscus breaking means being provided in said ink discharging means, wherein said ink discharging means includes a pipe for directly contacting an ink absorbing portion of said connecting zone with the ink in said apparatus, and fluid communication between the ink in the connecting zone and the additional ink retained in said discharging means is established by said meniscus breaking means, and thereafter the additional ink is supplied into said ink container by the capillary force of the porous material by consumption of the initially contained ink while the additional ink is in fluid communication with atmospheric air.
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Specification