Patent Abstract:
A fitting is attached to a disposable ink supply bag and has an ink egress snout for discharging an ink supply from the bag. The fitting is configured to engage with a housing for the bag to permit the bag to be connected to the housing when the ink supply is to be discharged from the snout and to disengage from the housing to permit the bag to be disconnected from the housing in order to dispose of the bag when emptied.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Reference is made to commonly assigned, copending applications Ser. No. 09/931,523, entitled INK CARTRIDGE WITH COLOR DISCRIMINATION STRUCTURE and filed Aug. 16, 2001 in the names of Trafton, Newkirk, and Robinson; Ser. No. 09/931,420, entitled INK CARTRIDGE WITH ALIGNMENT FEATURES AND METHOD OF INSERTING CARTRIDGE INTO A PRINTER RECEPTACLE and filed Aug. 16, 2001 in the names of Trafton, Newkirk, Robinson, and Gotham; Ser. No. 09/931,521, entitled INK CARTRIDGE WITH MEMORY CHIP AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING and filed Aug. 16, 2001 in the names of Trafton, Newkirk, and Robinson; and Ser. No. 09/931,313, entitled INK CARTRIDGE WITH INTERNAL INK BAG AND METHOD OF FILLING and filed Aug. 16, 2001 in the names of Trafton, Farnung, and Petranek. 
     Reference is also made to commonly assigned, application Ser. No. 10/198,517, entitled INK CARTRIDGE HAVING CONNECTABLE-DISCONNECTABLE HOUSING AND INK SUPPLY BAG and filed Jul. 18, 2002 in the names of Perkins, Corby, Dietl, and Petranek. 
     All of the cross-referenced applications are incorporated into this application. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to a disposable ink supply bag intended for an ink cartridge, and in particular to one that can be connected to and disconnected from a housing of the cartridge. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The cross-referenced applications filed Aug. 16, 2001 disclose an ink cartridge that has a connectable-disconnectable housing and ink supply bag. 
     The disclosed cartridge includes an ink bag containing an ink supply, an ink egress snout attached to the ink bag and from which the ink supply is discharged from the ink bag, and a split collar that receives or mates with the snout via an annular rib on the collar and an annular groove on the snout. The collar when mated with the snout can be rotated about the snout to any one of a number of allowable orientations. The particular orientation of the collar that is selected serves to identify the ink supply in the ink bag. 
     A pair of housing halves for the ink bag when connected together form a bottom opening for the collar. The bottom opening is bounded by multisided edges of the housing halves. The collar has a peripheral recess with a multisided floor that complements the multi-sided edges. This permits the collar when arranged in any one of the orientations to be trapped in the bottom opening to prevent rotation of the collar relative to the snout. Moreover, it serves to secure the bag to the housing halves. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A disposable ink supply bag and a fitting attached to the bag which has an ink egress snout for discharging an ink supply from the bag, are characterized in that: 
     the fitting is configured to engage with a housing for the bag to permit the bag to be connected to the housing when an ink supply is to be discharged from the snout and to disengage from the housing to permit the bag to be disconnected from the housing in order to dispose of the bag when emptied. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge including a disposable ink supply bag, a housing for the bag, and a fitting attached to the bag and which has an ink egress snout for discharging an ink supply from the bag, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views of the ink supply bag, the ink egress snout, and the fitting, as shown from opposite views, and 
     FIG. 4 is an enlargement of a bottom portion of the ink cartridge as shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 show an ink cartridge  10  for an ink jet printer (not shown). The cartridge includes the following components: 
     a pair of mating plastic housing halves  12  and  14 , 
     a disposable flexible ink supply bag  16 ; 
     a plastic connector-fitting or fitment  18  having an integral ink egress snout  20  for discharging an ink supply from the bag  16 ; 
     a plastic single-part collar  22  for the snout  20 , which functions as an ink identifier to identify the ink supply in the bag  16  such as by color or type; and 
     a memory chip  24 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fitting  18  is attached via a thermal seal to the bag  16 , within an elongate opening  26  in the bag. During the thermal seal of the bag  16  to the fitting  18 , a small amount of melted material from the bag flows between parallel ribs  28  along opposite longitudinal sides of the fitting  18  to provide an essentially leak-proof seal between the bag and the fitting. A rubber septum  30  is tightly inserted into an ink egress opening  32  in the snout  20  to plug the opening. Then, an aluminum cap  34  is press-fitted on the snout  20 . The cap  34  partially overlaps the septum  30  to capture the septum, and has a center opening  36  which allows a hollow needle (not shown) to pierce the septum in order to discharge an ink supply from the bag  16  when the cartridge  10  is used in an ink jet printer. 
     The snout  20  has eight identical outer peripheral surfaces or facets  38  that project perpendicular from a longitudinal planar face  40  of the fitting  18  to form an octagon. See FIGS. 2 and 3. In a similar sense, the collar  22  has a center opening  42  that is circumscribed by eight identical inner peripheral surfaces or facets  44  that form an octagon. This mutual or complementary configuration allows the snout  20  to be received in the center opening  42  only when the collar  22  is in any one of eight allowable angular orientations 0° or 360°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, and 315°. Preferably, the eight surfaces  44  of the collar  22  are aligned with the eight surfaces  38  of the snout  20  to position the collar relative to the snout in a selected one of the eight orientations. Then, the collar  22  is mated with the snout  20  in the selected orientation. Respective contact between the eight surfaces  38  and the eight surfaces  44  prevents the collar  22  from being rotated about the snout  22  and thus serves to fix the collar in the selected orientation. The selected orientation provides a visible indication that serves to identify the ink supply in the bag  16  such as by color or type. 
     As described in the cross-referenced applications filed Aug. 16, 2001 and incorporated into this application, the collar  22  has a key slot or keyway  46  that is positioned in accordance with the selected orientation of the collar. The hollow needle (not shown) for piercing the septum in order to discharge an ink supply from the bag  16  when the cartridge  10  is used in an ink jet printer is mounted on a key assembly (not shown) having a key tab intended to be received in the key slot  46 . The particular orientation of the key assembly must match the selected orientation of the collar  22  in order for the key tab to be received in the key slot  46 . 
     The number of the surfaces  38  of the snout  20  and the number of the surfaces  44  of the collar  22 , need not each be eight (although they must be the same number). Preferably, the number of the surfaces  38  of the snout  20  and the number of the surfaces  44  of the collar  22  fall within the range 4-12. All that is necessary is that the number of the surfaces  38  of the snout  20  and the number of the surfaces  44  of the collar  22  form similar complementary polygons. 
     The housing halves  12  and  14  at respective bottom wall portions  48  and  50  have opening halves  52  and  54  that form a bottom opening when the housing halves are connected together. See FIGS. 1 and 4. The fitting  18  has a pair of L-shaped engageable members or tabs  56  and  58  that project from respective areas of the face  40  (of the fitting) which are spaced from the snout  20 . In a similar sense, a pair of L-shaped engageable members or tabs  60  and  62  project from an inner side  64  of the wall portion  50  and are spaced from the opening half  52 . The L-shaped engageable members  56  and  58  extend in opposite directions as do the L-shaped engageable members  60  and  62 . This complementary arrangement or mutual configuration permits the L-shaped member  56  to engage the L-shaped member  60  and the L-shaped member  58  to engage the L-shaped member  62  when the bag  16  is placed on the housing half  14 . The bag  16  is thus secured in place. At the same time as shown in FIG. 4 an edge  65  of the opening half  54  is received in an outer peripheral groove  66  in the collar  22  to support the collar. Then, when the housing half  12  is connected to the housing half  14 , an edge  68  of the opening half  52  is received in the groove  66 . 
     When the bag  16  is emptied, it can be removed from the cartridge  10  and disposed of. All that is required is that the housing half  12  be disconnected from the housing half  14  and the L-shaped engageable members  56  and  58  be disengaged from the L-shaped engageable members  60  and  62 . The collar  22  can be removed from the snout  20  if it is to be reused. 
     Other L-shaped engageable members can be provided on the fitting  18  and the housing half  14  in addition to the L-shaped engageable members  56  and  58  and the L-shaped engageable members  60  and  62 . Also, it is not necessary that these engageable members be L-shaped. A number of known engagements or interlocks can be used instead, such as pins in holes, etc. 
     When the housing halves  12  and  14  are connected together, the memory chip  24  resides in respective opposite pockets  70  and  72  in the housing halves. See FIGS. 1 and 4. 
     The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     PARTS LIST 
       10 . ink cartridge 
       12 . housing half 
       14 . housing half 
       16 . ink bag 
       18 . connector-fitting 
       20 . snout 
       22 . collar 
       24 . memory chip 
       26 . elongate opening 
       28 . ribs 
       30 . septum 
       32 . ink egress opening 
       34 . cap 
       36 . center opening 
       38 . eight surfaces or facets 
       40 . face 
       42 . center opening 
       44 . eight surfaces or facets 
       46 . key slot 
       48 . bottom wall portion 
       50 . bottom wall portion 
       52 . opening half 
       54 . opening half 
       56 . L-shaped engageable member 
       58 . L-shaped engageable member 
       60 . L-shaped engageable member 
       62 . L-shaped engageable member 
       64 . inner side 
       65 . edge 
       66 . groove 
       68 . edge 
       70 . pocket 
       72 . pocket

Technology Classification (CPC): 1