Patent Publication Number: US-11027553-B2

Title: Connector structure of ink pouch

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an ink pouch, and more particularly to a connector structure of an ink pouch. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     The term “ink pouch” as used here refers to a pouch or a bag or a flexible container that receives and holds an amount of ink in an interior space thereof and is directly connectable to a printer or is mountable in an ink cartridge to supply ink to a printer. 
     An early-day ink pouch was structured to include a rubber plug in an ink channel. The rubber plug is readily movable due to an external force acting thereon and consequently, leaking of ink occurs. 
     Taiwan Patent No. I462841 discloses an ink pouch connector structure  1 , which effectively overcomes the issue of ink leaking, wherein as shown in  FIG. 1 , two injection molding operations are carried out to first forming an enclosing arrangement of a connector  2  and a flexible rubber material  3 , and then to have the connector  2  bonded to a pouch body  4 . Such a process of two injection molding operations is effective in achieving desired sealing, yet such a structure requires the connector  2  and the pouch body  4  be first bonded and sealed through application of high frequency waves, and then ink is filled into the pouch body  4  through a bottom  41  of the pouch, and afterwards, the bottom of the pouch body  4  is subjected to high-frequency bonding. As such, the amount of ink filled in the pouch body  4  cannot be made fixed, and it also happens that a high temperature caused by the high-frequency bonding changes the quality of the ink. Further, such a process of two injection molding operations is carried out with specific machinery and molds and this increases the cost of fabrication. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, in order to overcome the drawbacks of the known techniques that a known connector structure of an ink pouch suffers being difficult to set a predetermined amount of ink filled therein, ink filled therein being ready to change quality, and fabrication cost being high, the present invention provides a connector structure of an ink pouch, which generally comprises: a connector body, which comprises a joining section, a sealing section joined to the joining section, and an ink passage extending in a longitudinal direction through the joining section and the sealing section, the sealing section having a top surface on which a fitting peg, which is hollow, is formed to extend upward from a circumference of the ink passage, the top surface of the sealing section being formed with a plurality of insertion slots that are extended downward and spaced from each other along a circumference of the fitting peg by a predetermined interval, the sealing section having an external circumferential surface that is partly and inwardly recessed to form an annular retaining groove, the annular retaining groove being in communication with ends of the plurality of the insertion slots; a sealing cap having a top surface that is partly recessed downward in a central portion thereof to form a pressing section, the sealing cap having a bottom surface that is partly recessed upward to form a fitting trough corresponding in position to the pressing section, the bottom surface of the sealing cap being provided with a plurality of engaging and retaining sections projecting therefrom and along a circumference of the fitting trough and spaced from each other by a predetermined interval, the engaging and retaining sections each comprising an insertion arm extending downward from the bottom surface of the sealing cap and an engaging block protruding outward from an end of the insertion arm; and a flexible plug having an outside diameter that is greater than an inside diameter of the ink passage of the connector body. To combine, the flexible plug is positioned in the fitting trough of the sealing cap, and the insertion arms of the engaging and retaining sections of the sealing cap are respectively inserted into the insertion slots of the connector body, such that the engaging blocks protrude into the annular retaining groove of the connector body to securely combine the sealing cap and the connector body together. The fitting peg is located in the fitting trough and the flexible plug closes the ink passage. As such, the present invention provides effects of being securely and tightly combined to prevent leaking, enabling filling of ink of a fixed amount, protecting ink from quality variation resulting from heating, enabling easy fabrication, lowering costs, and having enhanced market competition power. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a known ink pouch connector structure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 2  in an assembled form. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 2  in an assembled form, in which a circled portion is additionally shown in an enlarged way. 
         FIGS. 5-8  are schematic views demonstrating operations of the present invention being combined with a pouch body and being filled with ink. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-8 , a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, providing a connector structure  100  of an ink pouch, generally comprising a connector body  10 , a flexible plug  20 , a sealing cap  30 , a first sealing ring  40 , and a second sealing ring  50 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the connector body  10  is integrally formed of plastics. The connector body  10  includes a joining section  11 , a sealing section  12  integrally combined with the joining section  11 , and an ink passage  13  extending in a longitudinal direction through the joining section  11  and the sealing section  12 . The joining section  11  is provided for connection with and combined with a pouch body. The sealing section  12  is generally of a cylindrical configuration. The sealing section  12  has a top surface on which a fitting peg  121 , which is hollow, is formed to extend upward from a circumference of the ink passage  13 . The top surface of the sealing section  12  is formed with a plurality of insertion slots  122  that are extended downward and spaced from each other along a circumference of the fitting peg  121  by a predetermined interval. The sealing section  12  has an external circumferential surface that is partly and inwardly recessed to form an annular retaining groove  123 , such that the annular retaining groove  123  is in communication with ends of the plurality of the insertion slots  122 . Each of the insertion slots  122  has a side that forms an inclined wall  124  arranged to have a diameter defined by the slot side gradually reduced or converged in a direction from a top end to a bottom end. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the flexible plug  20  is generally of a cylindrical form and is made of a material that is softer than the materials that make the connector body  10  and the sealing cap  30 . The flexible plug  20  has an outside diameter that is greater than an inside diameter of the ink passage  13  of the connector body  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the sealing cap  30  is integrally formed of plastics. The sealing cap  30  has a top surface that is partly recessed downward in a central portion thereof to form a pressing section  31 . The sealing cap  30  has a bottom surface that is partly recessed upward to form a fitting trough  32  corresponding in position to the pressing section  31 . The bottom surface of the sealing cap  30  is provided with a plurality of engaging and retaining sections  33  projecting therefrom and along a circumference of the fitting trough  32  and spaced from each other by a predetermined interval. The engaging and retaining sections  33  each include an insertion arm  331  extending downward from the bottom surface of the sealing cap  30  and an engaging block  332  protruding outward from an end of the insertion arm  331 . The sealing cap  30  is formed, in an outer circumferential surface thereof adjacent to the engaging and retaining sections  33 , with an annular sealing groove  34 . 
     The above provides an introduction to parts and components of the connector structure  100  of an ink pouch according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and in the following features of operation and assembling of the present invention will be described. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-8 , an assembling process of the present invention is carried out by first subjecting the joining section  11  of the connector body  10  and a pouch body  90  to high frequency bonding (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), and then, fitting the first sealing ring  40  tightly around and in the annular retaining groove  123  of the connector body  10  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ). Then, a predetermined amount of ink is filled through the ink passage  13  of the connector body  10  into an interior of the pouch body  90  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ), and the flexible plug  20  is then positioned in the fitting trough  32  of the sealing cap  30  and the insertion arms  331  of the engaging and retaining sections  33  of the sealing cap  30  are respectively inserted into the insertion slots  122  of the connector body  10  such that the engaging blocks  332  protrude into the annular retaining groove  123  of the connector body  10  (as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 7 ), and then, the second sealing ring  50  is tightly fit around and in the annular sealing groove  34  of the sealing cap  30  (as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 7 ) to complete assembling of the present invention (as shown in  FIG. 8 ). 
     The sealing cap  30  and the connector body  10  are joined to each other and combined together, so that the flexible plug  20  is tightly fit, and thus blocked, between the ink passage  13  and the pressing section  31 . The fitting peg  121  is fit into or extended into the fitting trough  32  to provide an effect of effectively sealing ink. Further, since the sealing cap  30  is set in engagement with and joined to the connector body  10  by having the engaging blocks  332  retained in the annular retaining groove  123  of the connector body  10 , the joining between the two is fixed and secured in a tight way so as to make the connector body  10  and the sealing cap  30  tightly combined with each other to prevent ink from leaking out at interfacing between the connector body  10  and the sealing cap  30 . Further, the present invention is also structured to include the first sealing ring  40  and the second sealing ring  50  that are fit at the joining portion between the connector body  10  and the sealing cap  30 , meaning the first sealing ring  40  is fit in the annular retaining groove  123  of the connector body  10  to prevent ink from leaking at a site between lower ends of the engaging and retaining sections  33  and the annular retaining groove  123  and the second sealing ring  50  is fit in the annular sealing groove  34  of the sealing cap  30  to prevent ink from leaking at a site between top ends of the engaging and retaining sections  33  and the annular sealing groove  34 , so as to achieve a strengthened effect of leaking preventing. 
     Finally, the present invention is made by first combining the connector body  10  and the pouch body  90 , and then ink is filled through the ink passage  13  of the connector body  10  into the interior of the pouch body  90 , and finally, the sealing cap  30  is mounted to the connector body  10  for sealing. As such, after ink has been filled in the present invention, there is no need to carry out any high frequency bonding operation and a desired, fixed amount of ink can be achieved for filling and quality variation or deterioration of the ink is prevented. Since all the parts and components of the present invention can be made separately through individual injection molding operations, no process of two-injection over-molding operation is necessary and no purchase and installation of the two-injection molding machinery is needed. Thus, the fabrication is made simple; the cost is lowered; and market competition power is enhanced.