Abstract:
A cartridge is provided for use with an associated printing apparatus. The cartridge includes a housing, a semiconductor storage device for storing data, a plurality of contacts for connecting the semiconductor storage device with an associated printing apparatus, and a printed circuit board held in a fixed relationship relative to the cartridge housing. The printed circuit board is rigid or otherwise relatively inflexible and defines a pair of opposite sides. The semiconductor storage device and the plurality of contacts are disposed exclusively on one of the pair of opposite sides of the printed circuit board.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This application relates to consumable devices used in connection with associated printing apparatus and, more particularly, to ink and toner cartridges having an electronic device storing information relating to the printing apparatus and/or to the ink toner cartridges. In its preferred form, the electronic device is a semiconductor memory device disposed on a single-sided rigid printed circuit board which is in turn mounted to the cartridge. It will be appreciate, however, that the invention may find application in related environments and any other applications where printed circuit boards are used on or in connection with cartridges or housings storing a consumable material.  
         [0002]     It is generally known in the art to form an ink or toner cartridge or housing or body from a plastic material. These housings include one or more cavities or chambers that hold a predetermined supply of a marking material such as ink or toner. In addition, one or more receiving areas are provided on the housing for adapting the housing to support a printed circuit board carrying a set of contacts on a first side thereof and a semiconductor storage device storing information about the marking material on a second or back side thereof.  
         [0003]     FIGS.  1 ( a ) and  1 ( b ) illustrate one such prior art ink cartridge  10  which is adapted for mounting an associated ink jet printing apparatus (not shown). The cartridge  10  has a container  11  and a lid  12 . A printed circuit board  13  is located on a selected wall of the cartridge  10 . The printed circuit board  13  carries a plurality of electrical contacts  14  on a first side  15  thereof ( FIG. 1   a ) , and a memory device  16  on a back side  17  thereof ( FIG. 1   b ). When the cartridge  10  is mounted onto the associated printing apparatus, a controller (not shown) in the printing apparatus is electrically connected to the memory device  16  through the electrical contacts  14 . The controller selectively reads and writes data regarding the cartridge  10  from the memory device  16 . The data typically includes information about the marking material, namely ink or toner, contained within the housing. Therefore, when the cartridge  10  is remounted to the printing apparatus after being removed therefrom, the controller within the printing apparatus can determine the quality and amount of ink remaining in the cartridge  10 .  
         [0004]     The printed circuit board  13  illustrated in FIGS.  1 ( a ) and  1 ( b ) typifies the prior art approach of providing memory on a cartridge whereby a plurality of contacts  14  are formed on a first side  15  of the printed circuit board  13  while the semiconductor memory device  16  is provided on the second side  17  of the printed circuit board. It is believed that the positioning of the memory device  16  on the second side  17  of the printed circuit board  13  protects the memory device from damage. Generally, however, the double sided printed circuit board approach is not very reliable due to the longer traces and the number of feed throughs that must be formed extending from one side of the circuit board to the other.  
         [0005]     In addition to the above, the location of the semiconductor memory device  16  on the second side  17  of the printed circuit board  13  requires that a space or cavity  18  be provided between the back side  17  of the printed circuit board  13  and the outer face surface  19  of the main body  11  of the cartridge  10 . This wastes space and makes placement of the printed circuit  13  onto the cartridge  10  difficult during manufacture.  
         [0006]     Single-sided flexible circuit boards have been used in the past to provide an electronic storage device and electrical connections thereto for use in association with ink jet cartridges. However, flexible circuit boards have special application requirements. They can only be glued onto flat rigid surfaces and, therefore, require that a special receiving area must be provided on the cartridge housing body. Additionally, flexible circuit boards cannot be easily located on housing bodies using rigid pins or the like extending from the housing body because they easily deform during the manufacturing process.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention provides a cartridge for use with an associated printing apparatus including a housing and a single-sided rigid printed circuit board having a semiconductor storage device and a plurality of contacts on a single side of the rigid printed circuit board.  
         [0008]     The subject invention provides a cartridge for use with an associated printing apparatus. The cartridge includes a housing, a semiconductor storage device, a plurality of contacts, and a single-sided rigid printed circuit board mounted to the housing. The housing defines a chamber for holding a marking material such as ink or toner within the housing. The semiconductor storage device stores information about the marking material. A plurality of contacts are provided on the printed circuit board for connecting the semiconductor storage device with the associated printing apparatus. The preferred printed circuit board defines a pair of opposite sides, the semiconductor storage device and the plurality of contacts being disposed exclusively on one of the pair of opposite sides of the printed circuit board. In a first embodiment, the semiconductor storage device is mounted directly to the same side of the printed circuit board as is the plurality of contacts. In another embodiment, an integrated circuit (IC) socket is mounted to the circuit board on the side with the contacts and the semiconductor storage device is received in the socket.  
         [0009]     A primary advantage of the invention resides in a reduced cost of the printed circuit board and of the overall cartridge.  
         [0010]     Another advantage of the invention relates to the ability to provide a more reliable electronic circuit on a cartridge for use with an associated printing apparatus.  
         [0011]     Still another advantage is an improvement in design and manufacturing efficiencies. To that end, the single-sided rigid printed circuit board eliminates the need in the design of the cartridge to provide for a cavity or space for accommodating electronic components on the unused side of the printed circuit board. Also, during manufacturing, the ability to locate the single-sided printed circuit board relative to the housing is greatly enhanced.  
         [0012]     Yet another advantage through use of the IC socket is the ability to construct the cartridge with the socket during a first phase of manufacture, then add the semiconductor storage device when available or needed during a subsequent phase of manufacture and/or distribution of the cartridge.  
         [0013]     Still other advantages and benefits of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The invention may take form in certain components, structures, and steps, the preferred embodiments of which will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0015]     FIGS.  1 ( a ) and ( b ) are perspective and cross-sectional views showing an ink cartridge of the prior art;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink cartridge with a single-sided printed circuit board in accordance with the invention;  
         [0017]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  are cross-sectional views of the ink cartridge shown in  FIG. 2  taken along line A-A illustrating first and second embodiments of a mounting arrangement for attaching the printed circuit board onto the ink cartridge;  
         [0018]      FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a single-sided printed circuit board in accordance with a first embodiment  
         [0019]      FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a single-sided printed circuit board in accordance with a second embodiment;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a single-sided printed circuit board in accordance with another embodiment;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge showing a single-sided printed circuit board mounted thereon in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; and,  
         [0022]      FIGS. 7   a - 7   h  are front elevational views showing alternative layouts of a single-sided printed circuit board for use in association with a consumable ink or toner cartridge. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]     With reference now to  FIG. 2 , an ink cartridge  20  is shown. The cartridge is adapted for mounting with an associated ink jet printing apparatus (not shown). The cartridge  20  includes a container  22  having an inner surface (not shown) defining a chamber for holding ink or other marking material therein, and a lid  24 . In accordance with the invention, a single-sided rigid printed circuit board  30  is disposed in a receiving area  25  on a front outer face side  26  of the cartridge  20 . In the embodiment illustrated, the printed circuit board  30  carries a plurality of electrical contacts  32  on a first side  34  thereof, and an electronic device  36  mounted directly to the first side  34 . It is to be appreciated that, in accordance with the present invention, both the electronic device  36  as well as the plurality of electrical contacts  32  are carried on a single first side  34  of the printed circuit board  30 . When the cartridge  20  is mounted into the associate printing apparatus, a controller (not shown) in the printing apparatus is electrically connected to the electronic device  36  through the plurality of electrical contacts  32  arranged on the first side surface  34  of the printed circuit board  30 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 2   a  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 2  illustrating a first alternative embodiment for mounting the printed circuit board  30  on the front face side  26  of the ink cartridge  20 . In the embodiment illustrated, the printed circuit board  30  is mounted directly in abutment with the front face side  26  of the ink cartridge  20  using a layer of a suitable adhesive  27  such as epoxy or the like.  FIG. 2   b  shows a further alternative embodiment for mounting the printed circuit board  30  to the front face side  26  of the ink cartridge  20  by means of a pair of spaced apart “L” shaped finger members  21 ,  23  defining opposing slots  29 ,  31  adapted to slidingly receive opposite edges of the printed circuit board and carry the printed circuit board relative to the housing. Other alternative equivalent embodiments for mounting the printed circuit board to the ink cartridge are also possible such as, for example, providing a slot or groove in the housing body and positioning at least one edge of the circuit board in the slot or groove with the board extending substantially perpendicularly from a side of the cartridge.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of the first side  34  of the printed circuit board  30  while  FIG. 3   b  shows a second or back side  38  of the printed circuit board  30 .  
         [0026]     In accordance with the present invention, the printed circuit board  30  is a single-sided rigid printed circuit board. In the first embodiment illustrated, the circuit board carries the electronic device  36  as well as the plurality of electrical contacts  32  directly on the first side  34  of the board.  
         [0027]     In another embodiment to be described below, the electronic device is received in a socket directly on the first side of the printed circuit board.  
         [0028]      FIG. 3   b  shows that none of the electrical components are disposed on the second or rear side  38  of the printed circuit board  30 . A plurality of electrical traces  40  are disposed on the first side  34  of the printed circuit board for connecting the electronic device  36  to the plurality of electrical contacts  32  for electrical communication with the associated printing apparatus (not shown) when the subject ink cartridge  20  is mounted therein. With continued reference to  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , the preferred single-sided rigid printed circuit board  30  selectively includes at least one locating through hole  42  and a concave portion  44  for use in assisting the positioning of the single-sided printed circuit board  30  onto the front face side  26  of the container  22  during manufacture. In  FIG. 3   a , the electronic device  36  is a programmable microcontroller  50  including a processor and a memory unit (not shown).  
         [0029]      FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  illustrate an alternative embodiment of the preferred single-sided rigid printed circuit board  30 ′ formed in accordance with another aspect of the invention. As shown there, the single-sided printed circuit board  30 ′ includes an electronic device  36 ′ disposed on a front side  34  of the printed circuit board and in electrical communication with a plurality of electric contacts  32 ′ through a corresponding set of electronic traces  40 ′. As with the first preferred embodiment described above, the second or back side  38 ′ of the printed circuit board  30 ′ is void of any (includes no) electronic or electrical components, thus reducing the cost of the single-sided printed circuit board. At least one locating through hole  32 ′ and a concave portion  44 ′ are selectively provided for enabling easy positioning of the printed circuit board  30 ′ on the front face side  26  of the ink cartridge  20  during manufacture. In  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the electronic device  36  is preferably an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip  52  although any other integrated circuit devices can be used.  
         [0030]      FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  illustrate a further embodiment of the preferred single-sided rigid printed circuit board  30 ″ formed in accordance with another aspect of the invention. As shown there, the single-sided printed circuit board  30 ″ includes an electronic device  36 ″ disposed on a front side  34 ″ of the printed circuit board and in electrical communication with a plurality of contacts  32 ″ through a corresponding set of electronic traces  40 ″. In this embodiment, the electronic device  36 ″ is received in an integrated circuit (IC) socket  33 . The socket  33  can take on any form including PQFP, dual-in-line, PLCC, pin grid array, surface mount, or the like in accordance with the characteristics of the electronic device  36 ″. As with the first preferred embodiment described above, the second or back side  38 ″ of the printed circuit board  30 ″ is void of any electronic or electrical components, thus reducing the cost of the single-sided printed circuit board. At least one locating through hole  32 ″ and a concave portion  44 ″ are selectively provided for enabling easy positioning of the printed circuit board  30 ″ on the front face side  26  of the ink cartridge  20  during manufacture. In  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b , the electronic device  36 ″ is preferably a programmable microcontroller  50 ′ including a processor and a memory unit (not shown).  
         [0031]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the subject ink cartridge  20  carrying a single-sided rigid printed circuit board  30  on a front face surface  26  thereof. As shown, the printed circuit board  30  carries one or more of an electronic device  36  and a plurality of electrical contacts  32  for interfacing the electronic device  36  with an associated printing apparatus (not shown). As illustrated, the rigid single-sided printed circuit board  30  has a flat back side  38  adapted to directly engage and interface with the front face  26  of the ink cartridge body  22 . This reduces the overall space required for mounting the ink cartridge  20  into the associated printing apparatus. Preferably, substantially the entire surface of the flat back side  38  of the printed circuit board  30  is held in contact with the flat surface area  26  of the receiving area  25  using a suitable mechanical connection such as welded tabs, an adhesive material, or the like.  
         [0032]      FIGS. 7   a - 7   h  show alternative embodiments of the subject rigid single-sided printed circuit board used in conjunction with an ink or toner cartridge in accordance with the invention. It is to be appreciated that  FIGS. 7   a - 7   h  show only the front face of the single-sided printed circuit board and that the back face of each of the embodiments illustrated in the Figures is as shown in  FIGS. 3   b ,  4   b  or  5   b.    
         [0033]     The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. As an example, the substantially rigid circuit board can be mounted to any of a variety of devices carrying or storing consumable materials such as, for example, toner cartridges, paint or other marking material containers, chemical storage devices and consumer or commercial products or devices.