Seiko Epson Corporation

Chiaki Miyajima

Satoshi Shinada

Taku Ishizawa

Hisashi Koike

Masahide Matsuyama

Yuichi Seki

Akihisa Wanibe

Takayoshi Katsumura

According to one aspect of the invention, a remanufacturing method of a liquid container forms an inlet in a certain area, for example, a buffer chamber, other than a specific section including liquid reservoirs and flow paths adjoining to and directly communicating with a bubble trap flow path in the liquid container. In the state of closing a liquid feeder and opening an air open structure, the remanufacturing method injects a liquid through the inlet to fill a space in the upstream of the inlet with the liquid. In the state of opening the liquid feeder and closing the air open structure, the remanufacturing method injects the liquid through the inlet to fill a space in the downstream of the inlet with the liquid. The remanufacturing process seals the inlet after completion of the injection of the liquid. This arrangement enables the liquid to be refilled into the liquid container without damaging the functions of the liquid container.

Liquid container, method of filling liquid into liquid container, and remanufacturing method of liquid container

A method of manufacturing a liquid container, the liquid container including a liquid containing chamber in which a liquid can be contained, an air communicating passage allowing the liquid containing chamber to communicate with the air, a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid contained in the liquid container to an outside, a liquid flow passage allowing the liquid container and the liquid supply port to communicate with each other, a valve accommodating chamber disposed in the liquid flow passage, a differential pressure valve which is disposed in the valve accommodating chamber, which is normally urged to a closed state, and which is changed from the closed state to an opened state when a differential pressure of a side of the liquid supply port and a side of the liquid containing chamber is equal to or more than a predetermined value, and a film member forming a part of the valve accommodating chamber, the method includes: pressing a valve body of the differential pressure valve in a direction in which the differential pressure valve is opened; and injecting the liquid from the liquid supply port to the liquid containing chamber via the liquid flow passage while maintaining the opened state of the differential pressure valve.

Method of manufacturing liquid container and liquid container

A method of injecting a liquid into a liquid container detachably mounted on a liquid consuming device, the liquid container including: a liquid containing chamber in which the liquid can be contained; a liquid supply hole connectable to the liquid consuming device; a liquid guide passage for guiding the liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber to the liquid supply hole; an air communicating passage communicating the liquid containing chamber with an air; and a liquid residual quantity sensor provided in the liquid guide passage and for outputting different signals between in a case where the liquid guide passage is filled with the liquid and in a case where the liquid guide passage includes air entered thereinto, wherein the liquid containing chamber including at least three liquid containing chambers, and wherein the liquid containing chambers are mutually connected so as to have a descending connection where a pair of the liquid containing chambers are mutually connected so that a liquid flow in the liquid guide passage is a descending flow from above to below and an ascending connection where a pair of the liquid containing chambers are mutually connected so that the liquid flow in the liquid guide passage is an ascending flow from below to above, the method includes: forming an injection port, which communicates with the liquid containing chamber, in the air communicating passage; injecting a predetermined amount of liquid through the injection port; and sealing the injection port after injecting the liquid.

Liquid injecting method and liquid container

According to one aspect of the invention, a remanufacturing method of a liquid container forms an inlet in a downstream wall surface of a second chamber, which defines part of a bottom face of the liquid container. In the state of closing a liquid feeder and opening an air open structure, the remanufacturing method injects a liquid through the inlet to fill the second chamber with the liquid. In the state of opening the liquid feeder and closing the air open structure, the remanufacturing method injects the liquid through the inlet to fill a space from the second chamber to the liquid feeder with the liquid. The remanufacturing process seals the inlet after completion of the injection of the liquid. This arrangement enables the liquid to be efficiently refilled into the liquid container without damaging the functions of the liquid container.

Liquid container and remanufacturing method of liquid container

A method of injecting a liquid into a liquid container detachably mounted on a liquid consuming apparatus, the liquid container including a liquid containing portion, a liquid supply portion connectable to a liquid ejecting portion of the liquid consuming apparatus, a liquid guide passage for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid containing portion to the liquid supply portion, an air communicating passage communicating the liquid containing chamber with air, a liquid detection unit provided in the liquid guide passage and for outputting different signals between in a case where the liquid guide passage is filled with the liquid and in a case where the liquid guide passage includes air entered thereinto, and a bubble trapping passage provided in the liquid guide passage between a detection position of the liquid detection unit and the liquid containing portion to trap bubbles in the liquid, the method includes: forming an injection port communicating with the liquid containing portion in the air communicating passage; injecting a predetermined amount of the liquid through the injection port; and sealing the injection port after injecting the liquid.

One aspect of the invention is directed to a remanufacturing method of a liquid container constructed to store a liquid, which is to be supplied to a liquid ejection device. The remanufacturing method provides the liquid container structured to include: a liquid reservoir assembly configured to store the liquid; a liquid feeder configured to supply the liquid stored in the liquid reservoir assembly to the liquid ejection device; a sensor unit located in the upstream of the liquid feeder and configured to detect a level of the liquid stored in the liquid container; and a bubble trap module located in the upstream of the sensor unit and in the downstream of the liquid reservoir assembly and configured to trap bubbles included in the liquid. The remanufacturing method forms an inlet to communicate either with the bubble trap module or with a pathway of the liquid in the downstream of the bubble trap module. The remanufacturing method injects the liquid through the inlet, and seals the inlet after the injection of the liquid. This arrangement enables the liquid to be readily and efficiently refilled into the liquid container without damaging the functions of the liquid container.

The liquid delivery system includes a liquid receptacle () installable on the liquid jetting device, a liquid supply device (), and a liquid flow passage member (). The liquid receptacle () has a liquid storage chamber for storing liquid, an air flow passage connecting the liquid storage chamber to the outside air, a liquid delivery port for delivering the liquid to the liquid jetting device, an intermediate flow passage leading from the liquid storage chamber to the liquid delivery port, and a sensor disposed in the intermediate flow passage to sense whether the liquid is present or not. The liquid storage chamber includes a top storage chamber that is located at an uppermost position in the liquid storage chamber. The intermediate flow passage has a buffer chamber disposed downstream of the sensor, at a location adjacent to the top storage chamber. The liquid flow passage member () is connected to the top storage chamber, and a communication hole is formed in a wall that lies between the top storage chamber and the buffer chamber.

Liquid delivery system and manufacturing method for the same

A method of injecting a liquid into a liquid container detachably mounted on a liquid consuming device, the liquid container comprising: a liquid containing chamber containing the liquid; a liquid supply port connectable to the liquid consuming device; a liquid guide path for guiding the liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber to the liquid supply port; an air communicating path communicating the liquid containing chamber with air and having a communicating passage portion that is narrower than at least a part of other communicating paths in the air communicating path and can store some liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber by a meniscus; and a liquid residual quantity sensor provided in the liquid guide path for outputting different signals in accordance with a residual amount of the liquid in the liquid containing portion, wherein the liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber can be blocked from the air by the liquid stored in the communicating passage portion, the method comprising: forming an injection port on a more upstream side than an upstream end of the communicating passage portion; injecting a predetermined amount of liquid from the injection port; and sealing the injection port after injecting the liquid.

A method of manufacturing a liquid container, the liquid container including a liquid containing chamber in which a liquid can be contained, an air communicating passage allowing the liquid containing chamber to communicate with air, a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid contained in the liquid container to an outside, a liquid flow passage allowing the liquid container and the liquid supply port to communicate with each other, a differential pressure valve which is disposed in the liquid flow passage, which is normally urged to a closed state, and which is changed to an opened state when a differential pressure between a side of the liquid supply port and a side of the liquid containing chamber is equal to or more than a predetermined value, and a blocked portion formed by closing a bypass flow passage allowing a supply port side flow passage that is closer to the liquid supply port than the differential pressure valve to communicate with a containing chamber side flow passage that is closer to the liquid containing chamber than the differential pressure valve, so as to bypass the differential pressure valve, the method includes; opening at least a part of the blocked portion so as to form the bypass flow passage; injecting the liquid into the liquid containing chamber from the liquid supply port via the supply port side flow passage, the bypass flow passage, and the containing chamber side flow passage; and blocking the bypass flow passage after injecting the liquid.

A method of manufacturing a liquid container, the liquid container including a liquid containing chamber in which a liquid can be contained, an air communicating passage allowing the liquid containing chamber to communicate with air, a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid contained in the liquid container to an outside, a valve mechanism disposed in the liquid supply port, a liquid flow passage allowing the liquid container and the liquid supply port to communicate with each other, and a differential pressure valve which is disposed in the liquid flow passage, which is normally urged to be a closed state, and which is changed from the closed state to an opened state when a differential pressure between a side of the liquid supply port and a side of the liquid containing chamber is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the method includes: removing at least a part of the valve mechanism; inserting a jig from the liquid supply port; forcibly opening the differential pressure valve using the jig against an urging force for urging the differential pressure valve to the closed state; and injecting the liquid from the liquid supply port to the liquid containing chamber through the liquid flow passage while forcibly maintaining the opened state of the differential pressure valve.

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Matsumoto, Japan

Chiaki Miyajima