Ink container having a multiple function chassis

• US 6,386,675 B2
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Neff, Jared E., Hmelar, Susan M., Wilson, Rhonda L., Krall, Thomas J., Pawlowski, Norman E. Jr., Gasvoda, Eric L., Kamp, David C., Fillmore, William E., Merrill, David O., Houpt, Dennis W.
• Primary Examiner(s): HALLACHER, CRAIG ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/437,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20020001009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 347/7, 347/19, 347/85-87, 347/50
• US Class Current: 347/19
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17509 Whilst mounted in the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17523 Ink connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• 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 2002/17516 comprising a collapsible ink holder, e.g. a flexible bag

Abstract

An ink container for holding a supply of liquid ink for use in an inkjet printing system. The container includes a collapsible ink reservoir for holding a supply of liquid ink, and a multiple functioned chassis. The chassis rigidly supports an air inlet for receiving pressurized air from the printing system and an ink outlet for delivering pressurized ink to the system. The chassis supports a collapsible ink container by providing an attach surface over which the collapsible container is attached. The attach surface allows a relatively simple pleated bag construction to be used by providing a surface whose normal is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container. The chassis is adapted to engage with a pressure vessel opening, providing a seal that separates the pressure vessel from an outside atmosphere. The chassis provides a surface for outside electrical contacts along with locating means for a mating electrical connector, and provides pathways for them to be routed into the pressure vessel region. An efficient method of assembly of an ink container is described.

Claims

1. An ink supply for providing ink to an inkjet printing system, the inkjet printing system including an ink supply station configured for receiving the ink supply, the ink supply comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on a leading end relative to an insertion direction of the ink supply into the ink supply station and arranged in a substantially linear arrangement of discrete electrical contacts; and

a fluid outlet disposed on the leading end and configured for connection to a fluid inlet associated with ink supply station, the fluid outlet is disposed on a line which is on the leading end and which perpendicularly bisects a line segment defined by the substantially linear arrangement of the plurality of electrical contacts.

2. The ink supply of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electrical contacts configured to form a face type electrical connection with corresponding electrical contacts on the inkjet printing system.

3. The ink supply claim 1 further including a collapsible ink reservoir and wherein the fluid outlet is fluidically coupled to the collapsible ink reservoir.

4. An ink container for providing ink to an inkjet printing system having a supply station for receiving the ink container, the supply station including a fluid inlet and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed in a linear arrangement, the ink container comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the ink container in opposition with the plurality of electrical contacts disposed along a line within the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system; and

a fluid outlet configured for connection to the fluid inlet associated with the supply station, the fluid outlet disposed on a plane perpendicular to the line on which is disposed the plurality of electrical contacts associated with the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system.

5. The ink container of claim 4 wherein the plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the ink container includes four discrete electrical contact pads with each electrical contact pad electrically coupled to a memory device.

6. The ink container of claim 4 wherein the plane bisects the fluid outlet.

7. An ink supply for providing ink to an inkjet printing system, the inkjet printing system including an ink supply station configured for receiving the ink supply, the ink supply comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on a leading end relative to an insertion direction of the ink supply into the ink supply station and arranged in a substantially linear arrangement of discrete electrical contacts, said plurality of contacts including a first group of electrical contacts coupled to a memory device and a second group of electrical contacts coupled to an ink level sense circuit; and

a fluid outlet disposed on the leading end and configured for connection to a fluid inlet associated with ink supply station, the fluid outlet is disposed on a line that bisects the substantially linear arrangement of the plurality of electrical contacts.

8. The ink supply of claim 7 wherein the memory device provides ink container related data to the printing system.

9. The ink supply of claim 7 wherein the first set of electrical contacts includes four discrete contact pads each electrically coupled to the memory device and the second set of electrical contacts includes four discrete electrical contact pads each electrically connected to the ink level sense circuit.

10. The ink supply of claim 9 wherein the second set of electrical contacts are distributed equally on either side of the first set of electrical contacts to form a substantially linear arrangement of eight discrete electrical contact pads.

11. An ink supply for providing ink to an inkjet printing system, the inkjet printing system including an ink supply station configured for receiving the ink supply, the ink supply comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on a leading end relative to an insertion direction of the ink supply into the ink supply station and arranged in a substantially linear arrangement of discrete electrical contacts;

an air inlet configured for connection to an air outlet associated with the ink supply station; and

a fluid outlet disposed on the leading end and configured for connection to a fluid inlet associated with ink supply station, the fluid outlet and the air inlet each being disposed on a line that bisects the substantially linear arrangement of the plurality of electrical contacts.

12. An ink container for providing ink to an inkjet printing system having a supply station for receiving the ink container, the supply station including a fluid inlet and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed in a linear arrangement, the ink container comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the ink container in opposition with the plurality of electrical contacts disposed along a line within the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system;

an air inlet configured for connection to an air outlet associated with the supply station; and

a fluid outlet configured for connection to the fluid inlet associated with the supply station, the fluid outlet and the air inlet disposed on a plane that bisects the plurality of electrical contacts associated with the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system, and wherein the linear arrangement of electrical contacts associated with the supply station is orthogonal to the plane passing through the air inlet and fluid outlet.

13. The ink container of claim 12 wherein the plane bisects each of the fluid outlet and the air inlet.

14. An ink container for providing ink to an inkjet printing system having a supply station for receiving the ink container, the supply station including a fluid inlet and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed in a linear arrangement, the ink container comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the ink container in opposition with the plurality of electrical contacts disposed along a line within the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system;

a fluid outlet configured for connection to the fluid inlet associated with the supply station, the fluid outlet disposed on a plane that bisects the plurality of electrical contacts associated with the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system; and

a latch feature, the latch feature configured for engagement with a complementary latch feature associated with the supply station for securing the ink container to the supply station.

15. An ink container for providing ink to an inkjet printing system having a supply station for receiving the ink container, the supply station including a fluid inlet and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed in a linear arrangement, the ink container comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the ink container in opposition with the plurality of electrical contacts disposed along a line within the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system;

an air inlet configured for connection to an air outlet associated with the supply station; and

a fluid outlet configured for connection to the fluid inlet associated with the supply station, the fluid outlet and the air inlet each being disposed on a plane that bisects the plurality of electrical contacts associated with the supply station with the ink container properly positioned within the supply station of the inkjet printing system.