Ink container

• US 6,742,881 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Udagawa, Kenta, Kotaki, Yasuo, Iwanaga, Shuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Anh T. N.
• Application Number:
  US10/202,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20030020790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 347/84, 347/85, 347/86, 347/87
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17559 Cartridge manufacturing

Abstract

An ink container comprising a negative pressure generating member accommodating portion for accommodating a negative pressure generating member for retaining therein pigment ink to be supplied to an ink jet head; an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; an air vent for fluid communication between the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion and an ambient air; and an ink non-transmitting portion for partly blocking flow of the ink in the negative pressure generating member toward the ink supply port, wherein fluid communication is enabled except for the non-transmitting portion, and a sectional area, across a general direction of the flow of the ink toward the ink supply port in the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion, of non-communicating portion is not less than 50%.

Claims

1. An ink container comprising:

a negative pressure generating member accommodating portion for accommodating a negative pressure generating member for retaining therein pigment ink to be supplied to an ink jet head;

an ink supply port for supplying the ink to said ink jet head;

an air vent for fluid communication between said negative pressure generating member accommodating portion and an ambient air; and

an ink non-transmitting portion for partly blocking flow of the ink in the negative pressure generating member toward said ink supply port, wherein fluid communication is enabled except for the non-transmitting portion, and a sectional area, across a general direction of the flow of the ink toward said ink supply port in said negative pressure generating member accommodating portion, of non-communicating portion is not less than 50%.

wherein there are provided a plurality of such non-transmitting portions; and

wherein said non-transmitting portions are off-set such that communicating portions are not aligned in a line along the direction.

2. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein said non-transmitting portion constitutes a part of a casing of said ink container.

3. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein said non-transmitting portion is in the form of a sheet sandwiched in said negative pressure generating member.

4. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein said non-transmitting portion is constituted by a resin material film welded on a surface of said negative pressure generating member.

5. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein said non-transmitting portion is in the form of a film provided on a surface of said generating member by a thermal treatment.

6. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein said negative pressure generating member includes a plurality of blocks which are separated by said non-communicating portion.

7. An ink container according to claim 6, wherein said negative pressure generating member blocks exhibit capillary forces which are higher toward said communicating portion.

8. An ink container comprising:

a negative pressure generating member accommodating portion for accommodating a negative pressure generating member for retaining therein pigment ink to be supplied to an ink jet head;

an ink supply port for supplying the ink to said ink jet head, said ink supply port being disposed at a lower position with respect to a direction of gravity force in use of said ink container;

an air vent for fluid communication between said negative pressure generating member accommodating portion and an ambient air; and

an ink blocking surface extending in a direction across the direction of the gravity force, said blocking surface is provided with a blocking portion for blocking the flow of the ink and a fluid communicating portion permitting the flow of the ink, wherein a sectional area, across the direction of the gravity force in said negative pressure generating member accommodating portion, of blocking portion is not less than 50%,

wherein there are provided a plurality of such blocking surfaces, and said communicating portions thereof are not aligned in a line along the direction.

9. An ink container according to claim 8, wherein said blocking surface is provided by a part of a casing of said ink container.

10. An ink container according to claim 8, wherein said blocking surface is provided on a sheet sandwiched in said negative pressure generating member.

11. An ink container according to claim 8, wherein said blocking surface is constituted by a resin material film welded on a surface of said negative pressure generating member.

12. An ink container according to claim 8, wherein said blocking surface is in the form of a film provided on a surface of said generating member by a thermal treatment.

13. An ink container according to claim 8, wherein said negative pressure generating member includes a plurality of blocks which are separated by said blocking surface portion.

14. An ink container according to claim 13, wherein said negative pressure generating member blocks exhibit capillary forces which are higher toward said communicating portion.