Patent ID: 6257713
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink system for an ink-jet printer, comprising:an ink cartridge having a top side and a bottom side, said ink cartridge comprising:a body enclosing a plurality of inks, each being capable of being a different color,a plurality of partitions dividing said body into a plurality of compartments, each of said compartments accommodating one of said inks,an ejecting mechanism disposed on said bottom side for ejecting said inks,a middle cap attached to said top side of said body to prevent said inks from flowing out of said compartments, andan upper cap attached to said middle cap and having a first plurality of connectors,each of said first plurality of connectors being aligned over a respective one of said compartments and having a distinctly sized configuration; anda device for refilling said ink cartridge,said device having a second plurality of connectors, each having a size corresponding to the size of a respective one of said first plurality of connectors;said device being engagable with said ink cartridge by inserting said second plurality of connectors into corresponding ones of said first plurality of connectors, thus correlating said inks in said device with said inks in said compartments of said ink cartridge;wherein said device further comprises a plurality of tubes, each of said tubes passing through an interior of a respective one of said second plurality of connectors.