Seiko Epson Corporation

Yukiharu Suda

Hisashi Koike

Satoshi Shinada

Michinari Tsukahara

Mutsuhiko Ota

Hisashi Miyazawa

Seiji Mochizuki

Takao Kobayashi

Yoshinori Miyazawa

Yasuto Sakai

Koichi Otsuki

Noboru Asauchi

Yuichi Nakamura

Takashi Suzuki

Kazuo Koshino

Satoshi Sinada

An ink cartridgeis detachably connected to a head of a record apparatus and has a container main bodyhaving an ink tank chamberopened to the atmosphere in a state in which the head and the cartridge are connected and a first openingthrough which ink can be injected into the ink tank chamber (second ink storage chamber, etc.,). Such an intermediate wallpartitioning the ink tank chamberinto two space partsandplaced side by side in an ink injection direction is disposed in the ink tank chamberand is formed with a through partthrough which ink can be injected.

Ink cartridge and method of ink injection thereinto

An ink cartridgeis detachably connected to a head of a record apparatus and has a container main bodyhaving an ink tank chamberopened to the atmosphere in a state in which the head and the cartridge are connected and a first openingthrough which ink can be injected into the ink tank chamber (second ink storage chamberetc.,). Such an intermediate wallpartitioning the ink tank chamberinto two space partsandplaced side by side in an ink injection direction is disposed in the ink tank chamberand is formed with a through partthrough which ink can be injected.

An ink filling apparatus is constituted by an access unit () for reading an amount of ink consumed in an ink cartridge () which needs to be refilled from a storage unit () provided on the relevant cartridge and a filling controlling unit () for determining an amount of ink on the basis of the data. Ink in an amount corresponding to the amount of ink consumption stored in the storage unit of the ink cartridge () is filled by a filling apparatus ().

Method of filling recording material in recording material container and filling apparatus

An ink cartridge has a container main body [] having a through hole [] for making an ink storage chamber and an atmospheric open chamber [] to communicate with each other, and an atmospheric open valve [] having a valve body [] capable of opening and closing the through hole [] of the container main body [] and an elastic member [] capable of pressing the valve body [] in a closed direction. In an assembling structure of the atmospheric open valve [] in the atmospheric open chamber [], the valve body [] is placed at such a position blocking the opening of the through hole [], the elastic member [] is positioned in the atmospheric open chamber [] as a bend piece shaped like &#x3c; is expanded, and the elastic member [] in the positioned state presses at one end part the valve body [] in the closed direction and is fixed at an opposite end part to the inside of the atmospheric open chamber [

Ink cartridge and assembling method of atmospheric open valve in ink cartridge

An ink cartridgeis detachably connected to a head of a record apparatus and has a vessel main bodyhaving an ink tank chamberopened to the atmosphere in a state in which the head and the cartridge are connected and an ink end chamber (second ink storage chamberetc.,) communicating with the ink tank chamberand leading to the head. The vessel main bodyis formed with a first openingcommunicating with the ink tank chamberand a second openingcommunicating with the ink end chamber.

An ink cartridge storage structure and method provide consistent print density and quality by mixing the ink when the cartridge is removed from the packaging and installed to a printer for use. An ink-filled ink cartridge with an ink supply port installable to the head of a printer is stored inside an individual box made to hold the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge is stored inside the individual box so that the ink supply port is at the top when the box is in the normal upright position.

Ink cartridge storage structure and method

Ink is filled in an ink cartridge having a housing communicating with ambient air through an air communicating hole, a porous member impregnating with ink, an ink supply port, and a valve device including a valve body always urged by a spring and a valve seat abutting against the valve body, and ink is filled in the housing of the ink cartridge through the ink supply port.

Method of filling an ink cartridge with ink and an apparatus thereof

An ink tank cartridge for an ink-jet type recording apparatus is provided. The ink tank cartridge comprises a first chamber and a second chamber formed adjacent the first chamber. A porous member is housed in the second chamber. A partition wall separates the first chamber from second chamber, which communicate through a communication hole therethrough which extends along a portion of the width of the partition wall. An ink supply port extends through a wall of the first chamber and supplies ink to the exterior of the cartridge from the porous member. An air vent is spaced from the ink supply port provides ambient air to the second chamber. The pressure in the first chamber and the second chamber is at a value less than normal atmospheric pressure, and a pressure difference which retains the ink in the first chamber is also maintained between the first and second chambers by the surface tension of the porous member in the vicinity of the communicating hole. The first and second chambers, partition wall, communicating hole, air vent port and ink supply port are positioned and dimensioned so that a pressure difference between the chambers is not maintained as ink is transmitted through the ink supply port, and ink is supplied from the first chamber to the porous member in the second chamber as required until the pressure difference between the chambers is restored.

Ink supplied printer head and ink container

A method, for recycling an ink cartridge used for a recording apparatus, comprises the steps of: discharging residual ink from an ink cartridge wherein a porous member is retained for the absorption of ink; using a cleansing fluid to clean the porous member; discharging the cleansing fluid from the porous member; and impregnating the porous member with ink.

Method for recycling ink cartridge used for recording apparatus

Ink-supplied printer head and ink container

An ink tank cartridge for an ink-jet type recording apparatus is provided. The ink tank cartridge comprises a plural number of first chambers and a plural number of second chambers adjacent to and associated with a first chamber, each pair of first and second chambers being formed as an integral unit. The ink tank cartridge also has a partition wall disposed in the cartridge which separates each second chamber from an associated first chamber, the two chambers communicating through a communicating hole positioned near the bottom of the partition wall disposed between the associated chambers. The communicating hole extends only a portion of the width that the partition wall. Finally, a plural number of ink supply ports, each extending through a wall of a respective one of the plural number of first chambers, supply ink to the exterior of the ink cartridge from each respective porous member of the plural number of porous members.

An ink tank cartridge for an ink-jet type recording apparatus being removably mounted onto an ink supply needle of a recording body is provided. The ink tank cartridge is provided with a first chamber for storing ink and a second chamber for storing a porous member having ink impregnated therein. The second chamber communicates with the first chamber through a passageway formed within the cartridge between the first and second chambers. An ink supply port extends through and projects from a wall of the second chamber. The ink supply port supplies inks to the ink-jet recording apparatus through said porous member. A funnel-shaped packing member is provided within the ink supply port. The packing member is formed with a hole therethrough having a wide end and a narrow end and is dimensioned to receive the ink supply needle and to resiliently abutt against an outer periphery of the ink supply needle. The packing member is formed for preventing the flow of ink through the ink supply port other than through the ink supply needle when the needle is positioned in the ink supply port. The wide end of the hole is disposed away from the porous member.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Yukiharu Suda