Ink cartridge with pocketed lid

• US 7,290,871 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Greer, David E., Pevahouse, Christopher W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Anh T. N.
• Application Number:
  US10/881,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 347/86, 347/87
• US Class Current: 347/87
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure

Abstract

An ink cartridge having ink reservoirs and foam located in a pocketed lid that fits into a cartridge body. Each pocket has an orifice located such as to deliver ink to as ejection device. The ink reservoirs are filled with ink when the pocketed lid is apart from the cartridge body by injecting the ink into the foam through the orifices in the pockets.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge, comprising:

a cartridge body having external walls with interior surfaces, an open portion, and at least one outlet through which ink may pass to feed ink to an ejection device;

a lid covering the open portion of the cartridge body, the lid having at least one ink reservoir pocket extending into the cartridge body, the pocket having an orifice in fluid communication with the outlet of the cartridge body and the pocket extending downwardly adjacent to the external walls for substantially the entire height of the external walls between the open portion and the outlet of the cartridge body;

a pressure-regulating material residing in the pocket, wherein the pressure-regulating material at least partially fills the volume of the pocket and is in fluid communication with the orifice of the pocket; and

an ink filter in fluid communication with the orifice of the pocket;

wherein the ink filter is in contact with the pressure-regulating material protruding from the orifice of the pocket.

2. A pocketed lid for an ink cartridge, comprising:

a wall;

at least one ink reservoir pocket extending from the wail, the ink reservoir pocket having an orifice approximate an end thereof adapted to provide fluid communication between an interior of the ink reservoir pocket and an ejection device associated with a cartridge to which the wall is adapted to be mounted; and

a pressure-regulating material residing in the pocket wherein the pressure-regulating material at least partially fills the volume of the pocket, the pressure-regulating material is in fluid communication with the orifice of the pocket and the pressure-regulating material contains ink;

wherein the cartridge includes external walls having interior surfaces and at least one outlet through which ink may pass to feed ink to the ejection device; and

wherein the pocket extends adjacent to the interior surfaces of the external walls of the cartridge for substantially the entire length of the external walls of the cartridge between the wall and the outlet of the cartridge.

3. The pocketed lid of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of the ink reservoir pockets extending from the wall, each of the plurality of ink reservoir pockets having an orifice approximate an end thereof adapted to provide fluid communication between a respective interior of the ink reservoir pockets and the ejection device.

4. An ink cartridge, comprising:

a cartridge base having at least one outlet through which ink may pass to feed ink to an ejection device;

a cartridge cover for coupling to the cartridge base, the cartridge cover providing a wall of the ink cartridge and including at least one ink reservoir pocket extending from the wall toward the cartridge base for substantially the entire height of the cartridge base between the wall and the outlet of the cartridge base, and the pocket having an orifice in fluid communication with the outlet of the cartridge base; and

a pressure-regulating material residing in the pocket, wherein the pressure-regulating material at least partially fills the volume of the pocket the pressure-regulating material is in fluid communication with the orifice of the pocket, and the pressure-regulating material is substantially filled with ink.

5. The ink cartridge of claim 4, wherein outer walls of the ink cartridge are provided by at least one of the cartridge base and the cartridge cover.

6. The ink cartridge of claim 4, further comprising an ink filter in fluid communication with the orifice of the pocket.

7. The ink cartridge of claim 6, wherein the ink filter is provided on the cartridge base.

8. The ink cartridge of claim 4, wherein the cartridge cover includes a plurality of the ink reservoir pockets extending from flue wall toward the cartridge base, each of the plurality of pockets having an orifice in fluid communication with a respective outlet of the cartridge body.

9. An ink cartridge comprising:

a cartridge body including external side walls having interior surfaces, an open top portion, a floor, and at least one outlet in the floor through which ink may pass to feed ink to an ejection device; and

a lid covering the open top portion of the cartridge body and including at least one ink reservoir pocket extending into the cartridge body, the ink reservoir pocket having an outlet orifice operatively coupled to and in fluid communication with the outlet of the cartridge body and having pocket walls, the pocket walls extending downwardly adjacent to the interior surfaces of the external side walls of the cartridge body and defining an interior volume;

wherein the ink reservoir pocket contains ink within the interior volume defined by the pocket walls for passing through the outlet orifice to the outlet of the cartridge body.

10. The ink cartridge of claim 9, wherein the pocket walls extend downwardly adjacent to the interior surfaces of the external walls for substantially the entire height of the external wall between the open portion and the outlet of the cartridge body.