Pressurized ink supply and delivery system for an ink jet printer

Abstract

An ink supply and delivery system for a printer cartridge including a printer cartridge having an interior, at least one air inlet to the interior, and at least one ink outlet from the interior. An air pump is connected to the air inlet of the printer cartridge and creates a positive pressure in the interior of the printer cartridge. The system further includes an ink source, including ink, in the interior of the printer cartridge, the ink source in fluid communication with the ink outlet of the printer cartridge whereby the positive pressure created by the air pump in the interior of printer cartridge forces ink to flow from the ink source in the interior of the printer cartridge through the ink outlet. The ink source is preferably in a resilient container, and the system alternately includes a resilient air container either within, next to, or encapsulating the resilient container of the ink source. The printer cartridge alternately includes a vent to partially vent any accumulated pressure that has escaped from the resilient air container into the interior. There is further disclosed a method of supplying ink from a printer cartridge in a printer that prints upon a media, where the printer cartridge has an interior, at least one air inlet to the interior, and at least one ink outlet from the interior, with a positive pressure created in the interior of the printer cartridge from an air pump connected to the air inlet, and the printer cartridge further has an ink source, including ink, in the interior. The method preferably includes the steps of placing the printer cartridge into a printer, creating positive pressure in the interior of the printer cartridge through activation of the air pump, supplying ink from the ink source in the interior of the printer cartridge through the ink outlet, and printing on a media with the supplied ink.