JPH08230204A - ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To prevent the filled ink container from being damaged by the vibration and shock caused by transportation, or the shock caused by inadvertent drop. [Structure] The embodiment is different from the conventional example in that six ribs (rib members) 4a are integrally formed on the upper inner surface of the case upper portion 4, and these ribs 4a are formed in the middle four. A shape is formed along the vertical cross section of the upper surface of the ink container 1 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the base portion 2, and two pieces on the left and right sides are vertical cross sections of the upper surface of the ink container 1 in the axial direction of the base portion 2. It is to form a shape along the. Therefore, the upper surface of the ink container 1 can be partially contacted and supported at six places. On the other hand, the flat plate 5 is inserted between the lower surface of the ink container 1 and the bottom surface of the case lower portion 3, and is partially adhered and fixed to the lower surface of the ink container 1. As a result, the ink container 1 is supported against vibrations and shocks from above and below, and is prevented from moving laterally, so that the ink container 1 is prevented from being damaged.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention stores a flexible flat bag-shaped ink container so that it is placed on the bottom surface of the case and is fixedly supported on the case side at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral edge. In particular, the present invention relates to an ink cartridge in which a filled ink container is provided with preventive measures so as not to be damaged even if it receives a vibration / shock caused by transportation or a drop accident due to carelessness.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink container. The ink container 1 is a container for accommodating ink to be supplied to the inkjet recording head, and is formed into a flat bag shape by sealingly joining flexible rectangular sheets at their peripheral portions. The stored ink is led out through the mouthpiece portion 2 attached to the peripheral portion of the ink container 1. Further, the base portion 2 serves to fix and support the ink container 1 in the case, as described later. The sheet material is a three-layer laminated film, and the outer layer is a polymer film such as nylon, which has mechanical strength to withstand vibration and impact. The intermediate layer is a thin aluminum film that completely shields the contained ink from the outside air to prevent evaporation of the components, and also shields ultraviolet rays and light from the outside to prevent deterioration of the ink. In addition, the inner layer is a polymer film such as polyethylene to prevent the deterioration of the ink and also to prevent the middle layer and the outer layer from being deteriorated by the ink.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional example. The ink container 1 is unitized as a cartridge in order to facilitate its handling and prevent damage. That is, the ink container 1 is stored in a case that is vertically separable and is composed of a case lower portion 6 and a case upper portion 7, and is fixed in such a manner that the cap portion 2 is sandwiched at the joint between the case lower portion 6 and the case upper portion 7. To be done. The base portion of the mouthpiece portion 2 including the rubber stopper is
In the initial state, the ink is hermetically sealed to seal the ink, which is broken by inserting a needle (not shown) at the tip of the supply pipe at the time of use, and the ink can be supplied. The flat plate 8 is used for detecting ink shortage and is inserted between the lower surface of the ink container 1 and the bottom surface of the case, and is partially fixed to the lower surface of the ink container 1 with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like. The flat plate 8 is
It is lightly pushed upward from below through a hole 6a in the case lower portion 6 by the force of a spring (not shown). When the ink is about to run out, the total weight of the ink container 1 decreases, the displacement of the spring as a weight scale reaches a set value, and, for example, a limit switch is operated to notify that effect.

[0004]

In the conventional example, when the filled ink container is subjected to vibration or impact, as shown in FIG.
It is relatively strong because it is sandwiched between the inner surfaces of the case upper part 7, but relative movement between the ink container 1 and the case may occur in the lateral direction, causing damage to the joint portion of the ink container 1 and the ink container 1. The surface of 1 may be rubbed and damaged. Even a slight damage to the surface of the ink container 1 causes collapse of the negative pressure balance (difference in ink level between the nozzle of the ink jet recording head and the ink container 1) due to invasion of bubbles and ink leakage. For the function of the inkjet recording head, not only the print quality is deteriorated, but also a fatal defect that ink cannot be ejected may occur.

As a countermeasure against vibration / shock, there is a method of uniformly filling the space inside the ink cartridge with a cushioning material to absorb the vibration force due to the vibration / shock.
In this method, not only the number of manufacturing steps is increased, but also the work itself is troublesome, which causes a cost increase. The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art so that the filled ink container will not be damaged even if it is subjected to vibration / shock due to transportation or shock due to inadvertent drop. It is to provide an ink cartridge having a preventive measure.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a flexible, flat bag-shaped ink container is accommodated in a manner to be placed on the bottom surface of a case, and is fixedly supported on the case side at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral edge portion. In the ink cartridge described above, a plurality of ribs (ribs) having a shape along the vertical cross section of the upper surface of the ink container are provided on the upper inner surface of the case, and the upper surface of the ink container can be partially abutted and supported by these ribs. Configure Further, in the present invention, the flat plate for detecting ink shortage may be inserted between the lower surface of the ink container and the bottom surface of the case and partially bonded to the lower surface of the ink container.

[0007]

According to the present invention, since a plurality of ribs are provided on the inner surface of the upper side of the case in a shape along the vertical cross section of the upper surface of the ink container, these ribs make the upper surface of the ink container (when full) filled. The ink container can be partially supported by contact, and the lower surface of the ink container is placed on the bottom surface of the case directly or through an ink shortage detection flat plate. Therefore, it is supported from above and below against vibrations and impacts, and is prevented from moving laterally.

[0008]

Embodiments of the ink cartridge according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment. Figure 2
As shown in FIG. 2, the embodiment comprises an ink container 1 having a base portion 2, a case lower portion 3 having an ink dead detection hole 3a, a case upper portion 4, and an ink dead detection flat plate 5. This embodiment is different from the conventional example in that six ribs (ribs) 4a (some of which have different shapes, but common reference numerals are attached) are integrally formed on the upper inner surface of the case upper portion 4. Is Rukoto. The lower surface of the rib 4a has a shape along the vertical cross section of the upper surface of the ink container 1 in the direction perpendicular to both sides with respect to the axis of the base portion 2 with respect to the middle four, and with respect to the left and right both sides. A shape is formed along the vertical cross section of the upper surface of the ink container 1 in the axial direction of the base 2. Therefore, the upper surface of the ink container 1 can be partially contacted and supported at six places. By the way, in order to bring the upper surface of the ink container 1 into contact with and support it, Japanese Patent Publication No.
As in the prior art described in No. 2, it is possible to do it entirely on the dome-shaped supporting surface, but as will be described later, there is not much difference in supporting effect, and in terms of resource saving and weight saving. Since it is slightly inferior, the rib method was adopted.

The case lower part 3 and the flat plate 5 are the same as the case lower part 6 and the flat plate 8 of the conventional example, respectively. Therefore, the flat plate 5 is inserted between the lower surface of the ink container 1 and the bottom surface of the lower case 3 and is partially fixed to the lower surface of the ink container 1 by double-sided adhesive tape or the like, and the hole 3a of the lower case 3 is formed. It is also the same as in the conventional example that it is slightly pushed upward from below through the force of a spring (not shown).

Due to such a constitution, the ink container 1
Is placed on the bottom surface of the case lower portion 3 through a flat plate 5 for detecting ink shortage, and the upper surface thereof is partially supported by abutment with six ribs 4a. Therefore, it is supported from above and below against vibration and shock,
The lateral movement is also suppressed, and as a result, the ink container 1 is provided with a damage prevention measure against vibration and impact.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be expected. (1) The lower surface of the ink container is placed directly on the case bottom surface or through the ink shortage detection flat plate, and the upper surface can be partially contacted and supported by a plurality of ribs. Even in the state, when it receives a vibration / shock due to transportation or a drop accident due to carelessness, it is supported from above and below, and it is prevented from moving laterally so that it is not damaged. (2) Since it is not the surface that presses and supports the upper surface of the ink container but the rib, there is less material to prevent damage,
It is possible to reduce costs by reducing material costs, save resources, and reduce the weight of the entire cartridge.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an ink container.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ink Container 2 Base Part 3 Case Lower 3a Hole 4 Case Upper 4a Rib 5 Flat Plate (For Ink Out Detection)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A flat bag-shaped ink container having flexibility,
In an ink cartridge that is stored on the bottom of the case and is fixedly supported on the case side at a predetermined location on the outer peripheral edge, a plurality of ribs shaped along the vertical cross section of the upper surface of the ink container are provided on the upper inner surface of the case. An ink cartridge characterized in that the upper surface of the ink container can be partially contacted and supported by these ribs. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a flat plate for detecting ink shortage is inserted between the lower surface of the ink container and the bottom surface of the case and is partially bonded to the lower surface of the ink container. Ink cartridge to do.