Patent Publication Number: US-2007103520-A1

Title: Interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is related to an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure, including an ink container having an ink accommodating chamber and an adjacent first ink reservoir disposed at one inner side therein wherein the ink accommodating chamber is connected to an ink outlet port to provide ink supply for use of a printer thereby, and when the ink stored therein is depleted, the ink container can be directly refilled via a set of first and second ink refilling ports to economically facilitate the reapplication of the ink supply cartridge thereby. Besides, via a regulation duct whose winding bends thereof can effectively prevent air from interacting with refluxed ink so as to avoid the problem of ink leakage and to omit any sticky paper applied onto an air vent for leak-proof purpose thereof.  
      There are basically three conventional types of ink supply cartridges for use of ink jet printers. First, there is an ink supply cartridge that has a porous material (e.g. foam cotton, etc.) accommodated therein to store ink thereby, and an air vent with an air channel opened thereon to maintain a smooth ink supply in application thereof as well as to avoid the problem of ink leakage thereby. However, with the porous material accommodated therein and to avoid the problem of ink leakage, the first conventional ink supply cartridge usually cannot take sufficient amount of ink therein. And, when the filled ink is consumed in part, the porous material without any ink stayed therein will take in outside air inside the ink supply cartridge, which can interfere with the regular supply of the filled ink and cause the problem of ink leftover. Besides, most of the porous material is made of foaming material and fibers, both of which, over long time of use, tend to produce tiny particles like short fibers to block the ink outlet port and get in the way of regular ink supply for use thereof.  
      A second type of the conventional ink supply cartridge includes an ink supply cartridge having a rear pressure adjustment device (like metallic tubes, or metallic balls, etc.) accommodated therein without any porous material applied thereto so that more ink can be filled into the ink supply cartridge thereof. However, it is really difficult to have a rear pressure adjustment device precisely and accurately made. First of all, the inner parts of the adjustment device thereof must be delicately processed, which, in terms of today&#39;s technology, is still to be improved and can boost the cost of production thereof. Besides, the rear pressure adjustment device thereof must be accurately mounted to the ink supply cartridge, which is quite complex in the process and can also increase the cost of processing thereof.  
      A third type of conventional ink supply cartridge is made up of an ink supply cartridge having a regulation apparatus accommodated therein wherein the regulation apparatus is usually made of an elastic air bag having an air vent disposed thereon to reciprocally communicate with the atmospheric air outside thereby. When the ink filled inside the cartridge is gradually consumed, outside air will enter the elastic air bag via the air vent thereof to inflate the volume of the elastic bag therewith. Depending on the consumption of the filled ink or the change of the atmospheric pressure of air outside, the volume of the elastic air bag will be changed within a certain range. And the change in the volume of the elastic air bag will in turn alter the volume of the ink accommodating space at the cartridge therein and regulate the negative pressure established at the cartridge therein so as to prevent the leakage of ink from the ink supply cartridge thereof. However, the third conventional ink supply cartridge has several disadvantages. Most of all, the biggest volume of the elastic air bag thereof is so limited that when the filled ink is consumed to a certain level, the elastic air bag will be inflated to its biggest volume and stop changing the volume of the ink accommodating space therewith. As a result, the continuous reduction of the filled ink will cause the negative pressure inside the ink cartridge to pass over the allowed limitation and make the ink droplets difficult to jet outwards. Therefore, the leftover ink will stay in the ink supply cartridge and uneconomically become a waste of the ink in application thereof.  
      Most of the conventional ink supply cartridges on the market comprise sticky papers applied onto air vents disposed thereon to regulate the interior pressure of the ink cartridges so as to avoid the reflux of ink in the process of delivery and, thus, the problem of ink leakage thereby. In case the sticky paper is not appropriately removed from the ink cartridge before application thereof, the air inside the ink cartridge will not interact with the ink and provide proper ink supply for use of the printer, which can easily damage the printer as well as the ink cartridge thereof. Besides, when the conventional ink supply cartridge is refilled with ink, the air inside the ink cartridge thereof must be drained outwards via ink refilling ports, which can bring out the refilled ink therewith and stain the ink refilling ports with ink marks. Thus, the conventional ink supply cartridge is quite inconvenient in application. Finally, the ink accommodating chambers of the conventional ink supply cartridges thereof are not appropriately designed according to the principles of relative density and space thereof, which can cause the problem of bad ink leakage when the ink supply cartridges are filled with ink to the full and installed onto printers for use thereof.  
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
      It is, therefore, the primary purpose of the present invention to provide an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure wherein, when the ink supply cartridge is put upside down or laid flat in the process of delivery thereof and cause the ink stored therein to abnormally flow backwards, a set of first and second guide channels, a regulation duct, a third guide channel, and a preset empty chamber will sequentially form a buffer space, and the narrowed and winding bends of the regulation duct can prevent air from getting there-through to interact with the refluxed ink thereof so that the ink is simply allowed to retrace at the regulation duct therein, precisely avoiding the problem of ink leakage due to the refluxed ink in the process of application as well as delivery of the ink supply cartridge thereof.  
      It is, therefore, the second purpose of the present invention to provide an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure wherein, in case of the reflux of the ink, the winding bends of the regulation duct can accurately prevent air from getting there-through and producing an interflow effect with the refluxed ink so as to avoid the problem of ink leakage thereby. And due to the narrowed and winding regulation duct to effectively prevent the ink from leaking outside the cartridge thereof, no other leak-proof sticky paper is required to be applied to an air vent of the ink supply cartridge or released there-from so as to avoid the damage caused by wrong operation thereof. Besides, the ink supply cartridge can be directly refilled with ink via a set of first and second ink refilling ports without being removed from a printer for the purpose thereof, economically facilitating an easy and fast application thereof.  
      It is, therefore, the third purpose of the present invention to provide an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure wherein a first linkage shallow channel is provided to connect an ink accommodating chamber and a first ink reservoir of the ink supply cartridge so that, during the refilling process of the ink accommodating chamber and the first ink reservoir thereof, air taken inside the cartridge can be drained there-from via a second linkage shallow channel connected to the upper edge of the first ink reservoir and, thus, when the ink is being refilled via the second ink refilling port thereof, the refilled ink will not be brought outwards along with the refluxed air and cause untidy ink stains at the ink supply cartridge thereon. Besides, the ink supply cartridge can be directly refilled with ink via the first and second ink refilling ports without being removed from the printer thereof, achieving more convenient application thereof.  
      It is, therefore, the fourth purpose of the present invention to provide an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure wherein the ink accommodating chamber of the ink supply cartridge is designed according to the volume of the ink container thereof and proportioned by the principles of relative density and space thereof so that when the ink accommodating chamber is refilled to the full and located onto a printer, the refilled ink will not leak out through an ink outlet port communicated with the ink accommodating chamber thereof.  
      It is, therefore, the fifth purpose of the present invention to provide an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure wherein, when the ink supply cartridge is installed onto a printer for ink supply thereof, the second linkage shallow channel will form an air interflow channel inside the ink supply cartridge thereof, permitting outside air to enter the preset empty chamber through the air vent and travel in a series through the third guide channel, the regulation duct, the second guide channel, the second ink reservoir, and the first guide channel to go through a passageway and enter the first ink reservoir via the second linkage shallow channel thereof. When the air enters the second ink reservoir, the intake air will interact with the ink-pulling operation of the printer to produce a pull-and-push effect therewith, permitting the air inside the ink supply cartridge to be appropriately buffered and automatically regulated in pressure so as to maintain the negative pressure established at the ink supply cartridge therein on a certain level, efficiently avoiding the problem of ink leakage or the situation of abnormal ink supply thereof. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an assembled perspective view of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an interior perspective view of one lateral side of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is an interior perspective view of another lateral side of the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a diagram showing a regulation of the interior pressure of the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is another diagram showing a regulation of the interior pressure of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Please refer to  FIG. 1  showing a perspective view of the present invention (accompanied by  FIG. 2  showing an interior perspective view of one lateral side of the present invention). The present invention is related to an interior pressure self-adjustable ink supply cartridge structure, comprising an ink supply cartridge  10  made up of an ink container  20 , and a thermal film  30  sealed off at one outer side of the ink container  20  wherein the ink container  20  has an ink accommodating chamber  21  of a proper depth appropriately indented one inner lateral side thereof and proportioned according to the principles of relative density and space thereof for the accommodation of ink therein. At the top and bottom sides of the ink container  20  is respectively disposed a first ink refilling port  22  and an ink outlet port  23  correspondingly communicated with the ink accommodating chamber  21  thereby wherein the ink outlet port  23  thereof is reciprocally associated with a non-illustrated ink supply needle of a print head for ink jet printing thereof. A first ink reservoir  24  is provided adjacent to the ink accommodating chamber  21  thereof and the first ink reservoir  24  having a depth deeper than that of the ink accommodating chamber  21  is communicated with a second ink refilling port  221  positioned adjacent to the first ink refilling port  22 , both of which are respectively sealed off via a plug  201  after the completion of ink refilling operation thereof. A first linkage shallow channel  25  is connected with one lateral edge of the first accommodating chamber  21  and guided outside the first accommodating chamber  21  in an identical shape therewith; a second linkage shallow channel  26  is associated with one upper edge of the first ink reservoir  24  and extends in a right-angular form. Both ends of the first linkage shallow channel  25  are respectively communicated with the corresponding lower edges of the ink accommodating chamber  21  and the first ink reservoir  24  thereof, while the second linkage shallow channel  26 , guided from the upper edge of the first ink reservoir  24  at one end, is led to an enclosed end at which a passageway  261  is disposed extending across to the other inner side of the ink container  20  so as to communicate the second linkage shallow channel  26  thereof with a first guide channel  271  connected to one side of a second ink reservoir  27  (referring to  FIG. 3  showing a perspective view of another interior lateral side of the present invention). The second ink reservoir  27 , having a depth protruding appropriately at a predetermined position at one side of the first ink reservoir  24 , is provided with a second guide channel  272  extending at the other side thereof to associate with one end of a continuous winding and bending shallow regulation duct  28  thereby. A preset empty chamber  29  is situated at the other end of the regulation duct  28  and connected therewith via a right-angled third guide channel  291  thereby. At the upper edge of the preset empty chamber  29  is disposed an air vent  292  opening through the ink container  20  to communicate with the atmospheric air outside thereby.  
      Please refer to FIGS.  4  to  5  inclusive showing a regulation of the interior pressure of the present invention. In application, the first and the second ink refilling ports  22 ,  221  are securely sealed off after the ink container  20  has finished with the filling of ink. When the ink supply cartridge  10  is put upside down or laid flat in the process of delivery thereof and causes the ink stored therein to abnormally flow backwards, the first and the second guide channels  271 ,  272 , the regulation duct  28 , and the third guide channel  291  along with the preset empty chamber  29  will sequentially form a buffer space so that the refluxed ink is simply allowed to retrace through the second linkage shallow channel  26  to go through the passageway  261  and enter the second ink reservoir  27  thereof. Because of the narrowed and winding bends of the regulation duct  28  thereof, air becomes difficult to get there-through to interact with the refluxed ink and generate an interflow effect therewith. Thus, the refluxed ink can only flow backwards to the second ink reservoir  27  and then stop therein without going further backwards to the third guide channel  291 , let alone to the preset empty chamber  29  thereof, so as to accurately prevent the ink supply cartridge  10  from the problem of leakage caused by the ink reflux in the process of application or delivery thereof. Therefore, the ink supply cartridge  10  can be directly installed onto a printer for use without any leak-proof sticky paper being applied to seal off the air vent  292  thereof and then removed there-from, efficiently reducing the damage caused by wrong operation thereof and achieving an easier and speedier application thereof.  
      When the ink supply cartridge  10  is installed onto a printer for ink supply thereof, the second linkage shallow channel  26  will provide an air interflow channel inside the ink supply cartridge  10  thereof, permitting outside air to enter the preset empty chamber  29  through the air vent  292  and travel along in a series through the third guide channel  291 , the regulation duct  28 , the second guide channel  272 , the second ink reservoir  27 , and the first guide channel  271  to go through the passageway  261  and enter the first ink reservoir  24  through the second linkage shallow channel  26  thereof. When the air enters the second ink reservoir  27 , the intake air will interact with the ink-pulling operation of the printer to produce a pull-and-push effect therewith. And the consecutive winding bends of the regulation duct  28  thereof can interfere with the travel of the intake air to provide a buffering effect thereby, limiting the intake air thereof to move therein at a proper speed—neither too fast nor too slow. Therefore, the air at the ink supply cartridge  10  therein is appropriately buffered and automatically regulated in pressure according to the demand of ink supply offered by the ink accommodating chamber  21  and the first ink reservoir  24  thereof so that the negative pressure established at the ink supply cartridge  10  therein can be maintained on a certain level to prevent the problem of ink leakage and ensure an accurate and normal ink supply in application thereof. Furthermore, in the state of ink supply, the ink stored inside the first ink reservoir  24 , affected by the air pressure thereof, will first go through the first linkage shallow channel  25  and continuously flow into the ink accommodating chamber  21 , and, when the ink inside the first ink reservoir  24  is completely depleted, the ink inside the ink accommodating chamber  21  will become gradually reduced.  
      When the ink stored inside both the ink accommodating chamber  21  and the first ink reservoir  24  is completely depleted, ink can be refilled therein via the first and the second ink refilling ports  22 ,  221  thereof. Meanwhile, the ink accommodating chamber  21  is connected with the first ink reservoir  24  via the first linkage shallow channel  25  so that, during the refilling process of the air accommodating chamber  21  and the first ink reservoir  24  thereof, air taken therein can be drained there-from via the second linkage shallow channel  26  thereof and, thus, when ink is refilled via the second refilling port  221  thereof, the refilled ink will not be brought outwards along with the refluxed air and cause the problem of untidy ink stains thereon. Besides, the ink supply cartridge  10  can be repeatedly refilled for economical reapplication without being disposed of, efficiently reducing the problem of environmental pollution.  
      Furthermore, the ink accommodating chamber  21  of the ink supply cartridge  10  is designed according to the volume of the ink container  20  and proportioned by the principles of relative density and space thereof so that when the ink accommodating chamber  21  thereof is refilled to the full and located onto the printer, the refilled ink will not leak out through the ink outlet port  23  thereof. And via the winding bends of the regulation duct  28  thereof, the ink supply cartridge  10  can normally function to provide accurate amount of ink for the printer and avoid the problem of ink leakage without any sponges applied therein for soaking ink thereby. In addition, the ink supply cartridge  10  can be easily refilled with ink via the first and the second ink refilling ports  22 ,  221  without being removed from the printer there-from, facilitating a more convenient application thereof.