Source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/57548241/Ink-Cartridge-And-Method-Of-Ink-Injection-Thereinto---Patent-7575312
Timestamp: 2014-09-19 23:08:09
Document Index: 599942449

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 11', 'art\n301', 'application No. 2001', 'art 68', 'art 66', 'arts 11', 'art 301', 'art 301', 'art 11', 'arts 11', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 52', 'art 25', 'art 35', 'art 25', 'art 38', 'art 38', 'art 38', 'art 66', 'art 38', 'art 25', 'art 35', 'art 68', 'art 38', 'art 301', 'art 301', 'art 301', 'art 301', 'art 301', 'arts 11']

Ink Cartridge And Method Of Ink Injection Thereinto - PDF
United States Patent: 7575312
7,575,312
Ink cartridge and method of ink injection thereinto
An ink cartridge 1 is detachably connected to a head of a record apparatus
and has a container main body 2 having an ink tank chamber 11 opened to
the atmosphere in a state in which the head and the cartridge are
connected and a first opening 85 through which ink can be injected into
the ink tank chamber (second ink storage chamber 16, etc.,). Such an
intermediate wall 301 partitioning the ink tank chamber 11 into two space
parts 11a and 11b placed side by side in an ink injection direction is
disposed in the ink tank chamber 11 and is formed with a through part
301a through which ink can be injected.
Ota; Mutsuhiko (Nagano, JP), Suda; Yukiharu (Nagano, JP), Koike; Hisashi (Nagano, JP), Shinada; Satoshi (Nagano, JP), Tsukahara; Michinari (Nagano, JP), Miyazawa; Hisashi (Nagano, JP), Sakai; Yasuto (Nagano, JP)
11/610,360
10147301May., 20027165835
P2001-148296
P2001-262037
347/84,85,86 141/2,18
3491685
3863686
5138332
5156472
5790157
6135590
6474796
6926396
U-61-20332
5-229136
6-191049
7-25025
07-266575
This is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/147,301
filed May 17, 2002; the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein
1.  A method of injecting ink into an ink cartridge, comprising steps of: providing an ink cartridge including: a lower section ink chamber;  an upper section ink chamber;  an
ink supply port adapted to supply ink to a recording head;  a communication flow passage connecting a lower portion of the lower section ink chamber and a lower portion of the upper section ink chamber to each other;  a flow passage connecting the upper
section ink chamber and the ink supply port to each other;  an opening communicating with the lower section ink chamber;  and a differential pressure valve disposed in the flow passage, wherein the ink cartridge is arranged such that the ink in the upper
section ink chamber is discharged from the ink supply port through the differential valve, and the ink in the lower section ink chamber is moved to the upper section ink chamber through the communication flow passage in accordance with consumption of the
ink in the upper section ink chamber, reducing pressure in the ink cartridge through the ink supply port;  injecting ink into the upper section ink chamber through the communication flow passage while the reducing pressure is performed;  and injecting
the ink into the lower section ink chamber through the opening such that air is present in the lower section ink chamber.
2.  The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of: sealing the opening after the injecting ink into the lower section ink chamber is completed.
3.  The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of: sealing the ink supply port after the injecting ink into the upper section ink chamber is completed.
4.  The method according to claim 1, wherein the ink is injected under a condition that the ink cartridge is oriented up side down.
5.  An ink cartridge adapted to be attached to a cartridge holder, comprising: a lower section ink chamber;  an upper section ink chamber;  a partition wall partitioning the lower section ink chamber and the upper section ink chamber;  an ink
supply port adapted to supply ink to a recording head;  a communication flow passage connecting a lower portion of the lower section ink chamber and a lower portion of the upper section ink chamber to each other;  an air flow passage system having an
atmosphere communication chamber in which an air permeable film is disposed, and an opening opened to a lower portion of the upper section ink chamber and communicating with the atmosphere communication chamber;  a valve provided in the air flow passage
system;  a flow passage connecting the upper section ink chamber and the ink supply port to each other;  and a differential pressure valve disposed in the flow passage, wherein the ink cartridge is arranged such that the ink in the upper section ink
chamber is discharged from the ink supply port through the differential pressure valve, and the ink in the lower section ink chamber is moved to the upper section ink chamber through the communication flow passage in accordance with consumption of the
ink in the upper section ink chamber, the partition wall extends in an inclined manner such that a side closer to the ink supply port is positioned downward and a side closer to the opening of the lower section ink chamber is positioned upward when the
ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge holder, the valve is configured to be opened when the ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge holder, the upper section ink chamber contains ink filled up to substantially 100% of a volume of the upper
section ink chamber, and the lower section ink chamber contains ink injected under a condition that air is present in the lower section ink chamber.
6.  A method of injecting ink into an ink cartridge comprising steps of: providing an ink cartridge adapted to be attached to a cartridge holder and including;  a lower section ink chamber;  an upper section ink chamber;  an ink supply port
adapted to supply ink to a recording head;  a communication flow passage connecting a lower portion of the lower section ink chamber and a lower portion of the upper section ink chamber to each other;  a flow passage connecting the upper section ink
chamber and the ink supply port to each other;  a differential pressure valve disposed in the flow passage, and an air flow passage system having an atmosphere communication chamber in which an air permeable film is disposed, an opening opened to a lower
portion of the upper section ink chamber, and a valve provided between the atmosphere communication chamber and the opening, wherein the ink cartridge is arranged such that ink in the upper section ink chamber is discharged from the ink supply port
through the differential valve, and the ink in the lower section ink chamber is moved to the upper section ink chamber through the communication flow passage as in accordance with consumption of the ink in the upper section ink chamber, and wherein the
valve is configured to maintain a closed state when the ink cartridge is not attached to the cartridge holder and to open when the ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge holder, injecting ink into the upper section ink chamber such that the upper
section ink chamber is filled with the ink up to substantially 100% of a volume of the upper section ink chamber, and injecting the ink into the lower section ink chamber such that air is present in the lower section ink chamber.
7.  The method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of reducing pressure in the ink cartridge through the ink supply port.
8.  The method according to claim 6, wherein the ink is injected while the valve is closed.
9.  A method of injecting ink into an ink cartridge, comprising steps of: providing an ink cartridge including: a lower section ink chamber;  an upper section ink chamber;  an ink supply port adapted to supply ink to a recording head;  a
communication flow passage connecting a lower portion of the lower section ink chamber and a lower portion of the upper section ink chamber to each other;  a flow passage connecting the upper section ink chamber and the ink supply port to each other;
and a differential pressure valve disposed in the flow passage, wherein the ink cartridge is arranged such that the ink in the upper section ink chamber is discharged from the ink supply port through the differential valve and the ink in the lower
section ink chamber is moved to the upper section ink chamber in accordance with consumption of the ink in the upper section ink chamber;  reducing pressure in the ink cartridge through the ink supply port;  and injecting ink into the upper section ink
chamber such that the ink cartridge is filled with the ink up to an outlet of the ink supply port while the reducing pressure is performed.
10.  An ink cartridge adapted to be attached to a cartridge holder, comprising: a lower section ink chamber;  an upper section ink chamber;  a partition wall partitioning the lower section ink chamber and the upper section ink chamber;  an ink
supply port adapted to supply ink to a recording head;  a communication flow passage connecting a lower portion of the lower section ink chamber and a lower portion of the upper section ink chamber to each other;  a first seal sealing a first opening
communicated with the lower section ink chamber;  a second seal sealing a second opening communicated with the upper section ink chamber;  and a differential pressure valve disposed between the upper section ink chamber and the ink supply port, wherein:
the ink cartridge is arranged such that the ink in the upper section ink chamber is discharged from the ink supply port through the differential pressure valve and the ink in the lower section ink chamber moves to the upper section ink chamber, in
accordance with consumption of the ink in the upper section ink chamber;  the partition wall extending in an inclined manner such that a side closer to the ink supply port is positioned downward when the ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge holder; the upper section ink chamber contains ink filled up to substantially 100% of a volume of the upper section ink chamber, and the lower section ink chamber contains ink under a condition that air is present in the lower section ink chamber.
11.  A method of injecting ink into an ink cartridge, comprising steps of: providing an ink cartridge including: a lower section ink chamber;  an upper section ink chamber;  an ink supply port adapted to supply ink to a recording head;  a
section ink chamber moves to the upper section ink chamber in accordance with consumption of the ink in the upper section ink chamber;  reducing pressure in the ink cartridge through the ink supply port;  and injecting ink into a portion between the
upper section ink chamber and ink supply port while the reducing pressure is performed.
12.  The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of injecting ink into the upper section ink chamber while the reducing pressure is performed.  Description
An ink jet record apparatus generally comprises a record head mounted on a carriage and moving in the width direction of record paper, and paper feed means for moving the record paper relatively in a direction orthogonal to the move direction of
the record head.
Thus, such an ink cartridge is proposed, that comprises a lower ink storage chamber (ink tank chamber) opened to the atmosphere side, an upper ink storage chamber (ink end chamber) for head connection, connected via an ink flow passage to the
lower ink storage chamber, and a differential pressure regulating valve placed at midpoint in a passage connecting the upper ink storage chamber and a head supply port.
According to the ink cartridge, a negative pressure is generated on the head side by negative pressure generation means and the differential pressure regulating valve is opened accordingly for supplying ink to the record head, so that the adverse
effect on ink produced by pressure fluctuation mentioned above is lessened and ink can be supplied to the record head at the optimum water head difference.
By the way, to inject ink into such an ink cartridge, the tip of an ink injector is positioned at an opening that is made in the outer surface of the ink cartridge (case) and that communicates with an ink tank chamber.  Thus, in the beginning of
injecting ink, the distance between the ink injection position (opening) and the bottom of the ink tank chamber is large, and also, after ink is injected (after the ink liquid level rises), there is a height difference between the ink injection position
and the ink liquid level.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an ink cartridge and a method of ink injection thereinto for making it possible to avoid air mixing into ink at the ink injection time and therefore prevent bubbles from occurring in an ink
tank chamber.
To the end, according to the invention, there is provided an ink cartridge being detachably connected to a head of a record apparatus and comprising a case having an ink tank chamber opened to the atmosphere in a state in which the head and the
cartridge are connected, and an opening through which ink can be injected into the ink tank chamber.  The ink cartridge further comprises an intermediate wall partitioning the ink tank chamber into two space parts placed side by side in an ink injection
direction.  The intermediate wall is disposed in the ink tank chamber, and is formed with a through part through which ink can be injected.
Since the ink cartridge is thus configured, ink injection can be conducted at a deeper position than the opening of the case (in the vicinity of the through part).  In this case, in the beginning of injecting ink, the distance between the ink
injection position and the bottom of the ink tank chamber is small and thus air entraining is small and ink bubbles are less produced.  If the ink liquid level rises and is higher than the intermediate wall, air entraining does not occur and ink bubbles
Since the ink cartridge is thus configured, to inject ink into the ink tank chamber with an ink injection machine (ink injector), the injection part (tip) of the ink injector can be inserted into the opening of the case and positioned at the
through part.
On the other hand, according to the invention, there is provided a method of injecting ink into an ink cartridge being detachably connected to a head of a record apparatus and comprising: a case having an ink tank chamber opened to atmosphere in
a state in which the head and the cartridge are connected, and an opening through which ink can be injected into the ink tank chamber; and an intermediate wall having a through part, being disposed in the case, and partitioning the ink tank chamber into
two space parts placed side by side in an ink injection direction.  In the ink injection method, ink is injected through the through part into deeper one of the space parts relative to the opening.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application No. 2001-148296 (filed on May 17, 2001) and 2001-262037 (filed on Aug.  30, 2001, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their
FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) are views to describe an ink injection flow passage of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention, in which FIG. 10(a) is a sectional view to schematically show the internal structure of the ink
cartridge, and FIG. 10(b) is a bottom view to show an ink injection hole; and
To begin with, the ink cartridge will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view to show the whole of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are perspective
views to show the appearance of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the internal structure of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention as viewed from upward
and downward in a slanting direction.  FIGS. 5 and 6 are a front view and a rear view to show the internal structure of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged sectional views to show a negative
pressure generation system storage chamber and a valve storage chamber of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 9 is a front view to show the connection state of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the
invention to a cartridge holder.  FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) are views to describe an ink injection flow passage of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention, in which FIG. 10(a) is a sectional view to schematically show the internal
structure of the ink cartridge, and FIG. 10(b) is a bottom view to show an ink injection hole.
An ink cartridge 1 shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) has a container main body (lower case) 2 almost rectangular in a plane view, and opened to one side, and a lid body (upper case) 3 for sealing the opening of the container main body 2.  The interior
of the ink cartridge 1 is generally constructed to have an ink flow passage system and an air flow passage system (both described later).
Formed in the lower portion of the container main body 2 are an ink supply port 4 that can be connected to an ink supply needle 72 of a record head 112 (both are shown in FIG. 9), and a first opening (open hole) 85 and a second opening 86 (both
are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) placed side by side adjacent to the ink supply port 4.  The ink supply port 4 is made to communicate with an ink end chamber (differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber) described later, and the first opening 85 is
made to communicate with a first ink storage chamber (ink tank chamber) 11.
A substantially cylindrical seal member 200 made of rubber, etc., is placed in the ink supply port 4, as shown in FIG. 1.  A through hole 200a axially opened is made at the center of the seal member 200.  A spring bracket (valve body) 201 for
opening and closing the through hole 200a as the ink supply needle 72 is inserted and removed is disposed in the ink supply port 4, and further a helical compression spring 202 for urging the spring bracket 201 to the seal member 200 is placed.
The second opening 86 is made to communicate with the first ink storage chamber 11 through an atmospheric communication port 86a, and communicate with the ink end chamber (second ink storage chamber 16, third ink storage chamber 17, etc.,)
through an ink injection port 86b, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b).
Retention members 5 and 6 that can be attached to and detached from a cartridge holder are provided integrally on the upper sides of the container main body 2.  A circuit board (IC board) 7 is disposed below one retention member 5 as shown in
FIG. 2(a), and a valve storage chamber 8 is disposed below the other retention member 6 as shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b)
The circuit board 7 has a storage device retaining information data concerning ink, for example, color type, pigment/dye based ink type, ink remaining amount, serial number, expiration date, applied model, and the like so that the data can be
The valve storage chamber 8 has an internal space opened to the cartridge insertion side (lower side) as shown in FIG. 8, and an identification piece(s) 73 and a valve operation rod 70 (shown in FIG. 9) on the record apparatus matching with the
ink cartridge 1 advance and retreat in the internal space.  An operation arm 66 of an identification block 87, which is rotated as the valve operation rod 70 advances and retreats, is housed in the upper part of the internal space.  An identification
convex part(s) 68 for determining whether or not the ink cartridge matches with a given record apparatus is formed in the lower part of the internal space.  The identification convex part 68 is placed at a position for making possible a determination by
the valve operation rod 70 (the identification piece 73) of a cartridge holder 71 (shown in FIG. 9) before the ink supply needle 72 (shown in FIG. 9) on the record apparatus is made to communicate with the ink supply port 4 (before an atmospheric open
valve described later is opened).
A through hole 60 as an atmospheric communication hole opened and closed by the opening and closing operation of an atmospheric open valve 601 is made in a chamber wall 8a of the valve storage chamber 8 (atmospheric open chamber 501), as shown in
FIG. 8.  The operation arm 66 is placed on one opening side of the through hole 60, and the atmospheric open valve 601 is placed on the other opening side of the through hole 60.  The operation arm 66 has an operation part 66b for pressing a
pressurization film (elastically deformable film) 61, and is placed projecting in an upward slanting direction into the path of the valve operation rod 70 and is fixed to the container main body 2 through a rotation supporting point 66a.
The pressurization film 61 is attached to the chamber wall 8a so as to block the through hole 60, and the whole of the pressurization film 61 is formed of an elastic seal member of rubber, etc. The internal space formed between the pressurization
film 61 and the opening peripheral margin of the through hole 60 is opened to a through hole 67 communicating with the first ink storage chamber (ink tank chamber) 11 (both are shown in FIG. 5).
The atmospheric open valve 601 has a valve body 65 for opening and closing the through hole 60, and an elastic member (plate spring) 62 for constantly urging the valve body 65 against the opening peripheral margin of the through hole 60.  The
elastic member 62 is formed at an upper end part with a through hole 62b into which a projection 64 is inserted for regulating the elastic member 62 in move (guiding).  On the other hand, the elastic member 62 is fixed at a lower end part onto the
container main body 2 through a projection 63.
In FIG. 1, numeral 88 denotes an identification label put on an upper face part of the container main body 2 corresponding to the block 87, numeral 89 denotes a film for sealing the ink supply port 4 (through hole 200a), and numeral 90 denotes a
film for sealing the first opening 85 and the second opening 86.  Numeral 91 denotes a vacuum pack for wrapping the ink cartridge 1 already filled with ink.
The ink cartridge 1 is formed with an internal space by joining the lid body 3 to the front of the container main body 2 through inner films (air shield films) 56 and 502 and joining a protective label 83 to the rear of the container main body 2
through an outer film (air shield film) 57, as shown in FIG. 1.  The internal space is divided into upper and lower parts by a partition wall 10 extending slightly downward toward the ink supply port side opposed to the record head 112 (shown in FIG. 9),
as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.  The lower area of the internal space provides the first ink storage chamber 11 opened to the atmosphere in the connection state to the record head 112.
Two intermediate walls 300 and 301 different in height position are disposed in the first ink storage chamber 11.  One intermediate wall 300 is placed with a predetermined spacing from one side surface part of the first ink storage chamber 11.
The other intermediate wall 301 is opposed to the bottom part of the first ink storage chamber 11 and is placed on the ink supply port side of the intermediate wall 300.  The intermediate wall 301 partitions the first ink storage chamber 11 into two
space parts 11a and 11b placed side by side in the ink injection direction (up and down).  The intermediate wall 301 is formed with a through part 301a having the same axis as the axis of the first opening 85.  The through part 301a is formed as an
opening (notch) for allowing the nozzle tip of an ink injection machine (ink injector) described later to be inserted thereinto and positioned at the deep space part 11a of both the space parts 11a and 11b.
The through part is not limited to the through hole shaped like a letter U in cross section shown in the figure, and may be a through hole circular in cross section.
On the other hand, the upper area of the internal space is defined by a frame 14 with the partition wall 10 as a bottom part.  The internal space of the frame 14 forms (a part of) the ink end chamber connected to the record head 112, and the
front side of the ink end chamber is divided into left and right parts by a vertical wall 15 having a communication port 15a.  One of the areas into which the internal space is divided provides a second ink storage chamber 16, and the other area provides
a third ink storage chamber 17.
A communication flow passage 18 communicating with the first ink storage chamber 11 is connected to the second ink storage chamber 16.  The communication flow passage 18 has communication ports 18a and 18b at lower and upper positions.  The
communication flow passage 18 is formed by a recess part 18c (shown in FIG. 6) opened to the rear of the container main body 2 and extending in the up and down direction and an air shield film (outer film 57) for blocking and sealing the opening of the
recess part 18c.  A partition wall 19 having two lower and upper communication ports 19a and 19b communicating with the inside of the first ink storage chamber 11 is provided upstream from the communication flow passage 18.  One communication port 19a is
placed at a position opened to the lower area in the first ink storage chamber 11.  The other communication port 19b is placed at a position opened to the upper area in the first ink storage chamber 11.
On the other hand, the third ink storage chamber 17 is formed with a differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber 33 (shown in FIG. 6) for storing a differential pressure regulating valve 52 (membrane valve) shown in FIG. 7 and a filter
chamber 34 (shown in FIG. 5) for storing a filter 55 (nonwoven fabric filter) shown in FIG. 7 by a laterally elongating partition wall 22 and an annular partition wall 24.  The partition wall 25 is formed with through holes 25a for introducing ink passed
through the filter 55 into the differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber 33 from the filter chamber 34.
The partition wall 24 is formed at a lower part with a partition wall 26 having a communication port 26a between the partition wall 24 and the partition wall 10, and is formed on a side with a partition wall 27 having a communication port 27a
between the partition wall 24 and the frame 14.  A communication passage 28 communicating with the communication port 27a and extended in the up and down direction is provided between the partition wall 27 and the frame 14.  A through hole 29
communicating with the filter chamber 34 through the communication port 24a and an area 31 is placed in an upper part of the communication passage 28.
The area 31 is formed by the partition walls 22, 24, and 30 and a partition wall 30a (shown in FIG. 6).  The area 31 is formed deep at one end part of the container main body 2 (portion communicating with the through hole 29) and shallow at an
opposite end part (portion communicating with the filter chamber 34).
The differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber 33 stores the membrane valve 52 as a differential pressure regulating valve that can become elastically deformed, such as an elastomer, as shown in FIG. 7.  The membrane valve 52 has a
through hole 52c, and is urged to the filter chamber side by a helical compression spring 50, and has an outer peripheral margin fixed through an annular thick part 52a to the container main body 2 by ultrasonic welding.  The helical compression spring
50 is supported at one end part by a spring bracket 52b of the membrane valve 52 and at an opposite end part by a spring bracket 203 in the differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber 33.  The position accuracy of the helical compression
spring 50 to the membrane valve 52 is an important element for the differential pressure regulating valve to control the differential pressure, and the convex part of the membrane valve 52 needs to be placed by the helical compression spring 50 without
bend, position shift, etc., as shown in FIG. 7.
The filter 55 for allowing ink to pass through and capturing dust, etc., is placed in the filter chamber 34, as shown in FIG. 7.  The opening of the filter chamber 34 is sealed with the inner film 56 and the opening of the differential pressure
regulating valve storage chamber 33 is sealed with the outer film 57.  When the pressure in the ink supply port 4 lowers, the membrane valve 52 is separated from a valve seat part 25b against the urging force of the helical compression spring 50 (the
through hole 52c is opened).  Thus, ink passed through the filter 55 passes through the through hole 52c and flows into the ink supply port 4 through the flow passage formed by the recess part 35.  When the ink pressure in the ink supply port 4 rises to
a predetermined value, the membrane valve 52 sits on the valve seat part 25b by the urging force of the helical compression spring 50, shutting off the flow of ink.  Such operation is repeated, whereby ink is supplied to the ink supply port 4 while a
constant negative pressure is maintained.
As shown in FIG. 6, the container main body 2 is formed on the rear with a meander groove 36 for raising flow passage resistance, and a wide concave groove 37 (hatched portion) opened to the atmosphere, and further a recess part 38 (space part)
having an almost rectangular shape in a plane view leading to the first ink storage chamber 11 (shown in FIG. 5).  The recess part 38 contains a frame 39 and ribs 40, onto which an air permeable film 84 is stretched and fixed to thereby form an
atmospheric ventilation chamber.  A through hole 41 is made in the bottom part (wall part) of the recess part 38 and is made to communicate with an elongated area 43 defined by the partition wall 42 (shown in FIG. 5) of the second ink storage chamber 16. The area 43 has a through hole 44 and is made to communicate with the atmospheric open chamber 501 (shown in FIG. 8) through a communication groove 45 defined by a partition wall 603 and a through hole 46 opened to the communication groove 45.  The
opening of the atmospheric open chamber 501 is sealed with the inner film (air shield film) 502 shown in FIG. 1.
According to the configuration, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the cartridge holder 71 as shown in FIG. 9, the valve operation rod 70 of the cartridge holder 71 abuts the operation arm 66 shown in FIG. 8 for moving the convex part 66b
(pressurization film 61) to the valve body side.  Accordingly, the valve body 65 is separated from the opening peripheral margin of the through hole 60, and the first ink storage chamber 11 shown in FIG. 5 is opened to the recess part 38 (atmosphere)
shown in FIG. 6 through the through holes 67, 60, and 46, the groove 45, the through hole 44, the area 43, the through hole 41, etc. The valve body 201 in the ink supply port 4 is opened by insertion of the ink supply needles 72.
As the valve body 201 in the ink supply port 4 is opened and ink is consumed by the record head 112, the pressure of the ink supply port 4 falls below a stipulated value.  Thus, the membrane valve 52 in the differential pressure regulating valve
storage chamber 33 shown in FIG. 7 is opened (if the pressure of the ink supply port 4 rises above the stipulated value, the membrane valve 52 is closed), ink in the differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber 33 flows into the record head 112
through the ink supply port 4.
On the other hand, as ink is consumed, air flows in through the through hole 67 (shown in FIG. 5) communicating with the atmosphere, and the ink liquid level in the first ink storage chamber 11 lowers.  As ink is further consumed and the ink
liquid level reaches the communication port 19a, ink from the first ink storage chamber 11 (opened to the atmosphere through the through hole 67 at the ink supplying time) flows into the second ink storage chamber 16 via the communication flow passage 18
together with air.  Since bubbles are moved up by a buoyant force, only the ink flows into the third ink storage chamber 17 through the communication port 15a in the lower part of the vertical wall 15, passes through the communication port 26a of the
partition wall 26 from the third ink storage chamber 17, moves up on the communication passage 28, and flows into the upper part of the filter chamber 34 from the communication passage 28 through the area 31 and the communication port 24a.
After this, the ink in the filter chamber 34 passes through the filter 55 shown in FIG. 7, flows into the differential pressure regulating valve storage chamber 33 from the through holes 25a, further passes through the through hole 52c of the
membrane valve 52 separated from the valve seat part 25b and then moves down in the recess part 35 shown in FIG. 6 and flows into the ink supply port 4.
If a different kind of ink cartridge 1 is placed in the cartridge holder 71, before the ink supply port 4 arrives at the ink supply needle 72, the identification convex part 68 (shown in FIG. 7) abuts the identification piece 73 (shown in FIG. 9)
of the cartridge holder 71, blocking entry of the valve operation rod 70.  Therefore, occurrence of trouble as a different kind of ink cartridge is placed can be prevented.  In this state, the valve operation rod 70 does not arrive at the operation arm
66 either and thus the valve body 65 is maintained in the closed valve state, preventing evaporation of the ink solvent in the first ink storage chamber 11 as it is left standing.
On the other hand, if the ink cartridge 1 is drawn out from the placement position in the cartridge holder 71, the operation arm 66 is elastically restored because it is no longer supported by the operation rod 70, and the valve body 65 is
elastically restored accordingly, blocking the through hole 60, so that communication between the recess part 38 and the first ink storage chamber 11 is shut off.
Next, a method of ink injection into the ink cartridge 1 according to the embodiment will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 5, 10, and 11.  FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing to describe the ink injection method into the ink cartridge according to
The ink injection method into the ink cartridge in the embodiment is characterized by the fact that the position of ink injection into the ink tank chamber 11 is set to be deeper than the position of the first opening 85 in the ink tank chamber
To this end, an ink injection machine 100 as shown in FIG. 11 is used.  The ink injection machine 100 comprises a nozzle 100b for injecting ink into the ink tank chamber 11, a nozzle 100c for injecting ink into the ink end chamber (second ink
storage chamber 16, third ink storage chamber 17, etc.,), and a nozzle 100a for performing vacuum suction to discharge air in the ink end chamber.  The nozzle 100a is connected to the ink supply port 4, the nozzle 100b to the first opening 85, and the
nozzle 100c to the second opening 86.
The nozzle 100b is inserted into and placed at a deeper position in the cartridge than the through part 301a of the intermediate wall 301 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and 11.
Thus, the nozzle 100b is inserted into and passed through the first opening 85 and the through part 301a so that the ink injection position is located deeper than the through part 301a (at a deep interior part of the cartridge), whereby when ink
is injected, ink bubbles can be prevented from occurring.  That is, in the beginning of injecting ink, the height difference between the ink injection port of the nozzle 100b and the ink liquid level is small and thus bubbles are less produced.  When the
ink liquid level rises as ink injection proceeds, the ink injection port of the nozzle 100b goes under the injected ink and air entraining does not occur, so that bubbles do not occur.  Even if ink bubbles occur when ink is injected, the intermediate
wall 301 prevents the bubbles from rising and ink bubbles do not occur between the intermediate wall 301 and the first opening 85.
When ink is supplied through the first opening 85 to the ink tank chamber 11 as indicated by the arrow (solid line) in FIG. 10, the atmosphere in the ink tank chamber 11 is escaped through the atmospheric communication port 86a as indicated by
the arrow (dashed line) in FIG. 10, whereby it is made possible to supply ink from the nozzle 100b.  That is, the ink tank chamber 11 communicates with the atmospheric open valve 601 through the through hole 67, but the atmospheric open valve 601 is
closed with the ink cartridge 1 not placed in the cartridge holder 71.  Thus, the atmospheric communication port 86a is provided for escaping the atmosphere (air) in the ink tank chamber 11 when ink is injected.
The atmospheric communication port 86a is opened facing the second opening 86 together with the ink injection port 86b.  Thus, the second opening 86 is sealed with the film 90 after ink is injected, whereby the atmospheric communication port 86a
and the ink injection port 86b can be hermetically sealed.
The differential pressure regulating valve 52 is placed between the ink injection port 86b of the second opening 86, to which the nozzle 100c is connected, and the ink supply port 4.  Thus, unless the pressure on the ink supply port 4 side is
low, ink cannot be filled up to the ink supply port 4.
Air needs to be prevented from being mixed into the ink end chamber.  Thus, vacuum suction is conducted through the nozzle 100a from the ink supply port 4 side at the same time as ink is supplied through the nozzle 100c.
Further, the communication port 18a is provided in the proximity of the ink injection port 86b of the second opening 86, so that ink supplied through the nozzle 100c is filled through the communication port 18a, the communication flow passage 18,
the second ink storage chamber 16, and the third ink storage chamber 17 up to the ink supply port 4 as ink mixed with no air (atmosphere).
Next, the ink injection operation in the embodiment will be discussed with reference to FIG. 11.  As an ink cartridge, the ink cartridge 1 before the ink supply port 4 is sealed with the film 89 and the first opening 85 and the second opening 86
are sealed (hermetically sealed) with the film 90 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 11, after the nozzles 100a to 100c of the ink injection machine 100 are connected to the ink supply port 4, the first opening 85, and the second opening 86 (ink injection port 86b), ink is injected into the first ink storage
chamber 11 through the first opening 85 and ink is injected into the ink end chamber (second ink storage chamber 16, third ink storage chamber 17, etc.,) through the ink injection port 86b.  At this time, ink is injected into the first ink storage
chamber 11 while atmosphere in the first ink storage chamber 11 is discharged from the atmospheric communication port 86a (shown in FIG. 10).
When the first ink storage chamber 11 is filled with ink to about 50% of the volume of the first ink storage chamber 11, ink injection through the ink nozzle 100b is terminated.  Ink is injected into the ink end chamber while vacuum suction
(vacuum degree 100%) is conducted through the ink supply port 4.  In this case, to prevent remaining bubbles and air mixture, it is desirable that ink should be injected into the ink end chamber to about 100% of the volume thereof.  Excessively injected
ink may be discharged through the ink supply port 4.
After ink injection using the nozzles 100a, 100b, and 100c is ended, the first opening 85, the second opening 86, and the ink supply port 4 are hermetically sealed.  The ink injection operation is now complete.
Thus, in the embodiment, ink injection is executed in the ink tank chamber at a deeper position than the opening of the case (in the vicinity of the through part 301a).  In this case, in the beginning of injecting ink, the distance between the
ink injection position and the bottom of the ink tank chamber is small, and the height difference between the ink injection position and the ink liquid level is small still after ink is injected (after the ink liquid level rises).
Therefore, air mixing into ink at the ink injection time can be prevented and bubbles can be prevented from occurring in the ink tank chamber.  In this case, if ink degassed by a degassing module, etc., is injected, bubbles can be more
effectively prevented from occurring when ink is injected.  Particularly, this point is preferred for ink easily bubbled.
In the embodiment, the case where the atmosphere filling percentage in the first ink storage chamber 11 is set to 50% has been described, but the invention is not limited to it and the percentage can be changed appropriately in response to
injected ink amount.
As seen in the description made above, according to the ink cartridge and the ink injection method thereinto according to the invention, it is possible to prevent air from mixing into ink at the ink injection time, and bubbles can be prevented
from occurring in the ink tank chamber.
In addition, two or more intermediate walls 301 parallel to each other and each having a through part 301a may be provided so that the intermediate walls 301 partition the first ink storage chamber 11 into three or more space parts 11a and 11b
placed side by side in the ink injection direction.  In this case, it is preferable that a tip of the ink injector is moved step by step from the deepest space part during ink injection in accordance with ink level in the first ink storage chamber.
Ink cartridge and method of ink injection thereinto, et al., Mutsuhiko Ota, Yukiharu Suda, Hisashi Koike, Satoshi Shinada, Michinari Tsukahara, Hisashi Miyazawa, Yasuto Sakai, Application number 11 610-360, Incremental Printing Of Symbolic Information, Ink cartridge, ink tank, chamber 11, ink supply, partition wall, ink jet, communication port, differential pressure, storage chamber, RECORDING HEAD
This invention relates to an ink cartridge for supplying ink to a head of a record apparatus and a method of ink injection thereinto.An ink jet record apparatus generally comprises a record head mounted on a carriage and moving in the width direction of record paper, and paper feed means for moving the record paper relatively in a direction orthogonal to the move direction ofthe record head.Such an ink jet record apparatus prints on record paper by ejecting ink droplets from a record head based on print data.A record head capable of ejecting black ink, yellow ink, cyan ink, and magenta ink, for example, is mounted on a carriage and in addition to text print in black ink, full-color print is made possible by changing the ink ejection percentage.Thus, ink cartridges for supplying black ink, yellow ink, cyan ink, and magenta ink to the record head are placed in the main unit of the apparatus.In the ordinary ink jet record apparatus, the ink cartridges for supplying black ink, yellow ink, cyan ink, and magenta ink are mounted on a carriage and are moved together with the carriage.In the recent record apparatus, the carriage has been moved at high speed for the purpose of increasing the record speed.In such a record apparatus, pressure fluctuation occurs in internal ink as an ink supply tube is extended and bent with acceleration and deceleration of the carriage, making unstable ejecting of ink droplets from the record head.Thus, such an ink cartridge is proposed, that comprises a lower ink storage chamber (ink tank chamber) opened to the atmosphere side, an upper ink storage chamber (ink end chamber) for head connection, connected via an ink flow passage to thelower ink storage chamber, and a differential pressure regulating valve placed at midpoint in a passage connecting the upper ink storage chamber and a head supply port.According to the ink cartridge, a negative pressure is generated on the head side by negative pressure generation means and the differential pressu
Ink Cartridge Ink Cartridge_Install Ink Cartridges.Ink Cartridge US Patent 7285159 Ink jet ink_ ink set_ ink jet recording method_ ink cartridge_ recording unit_ and ink jet recording apparatus
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