The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 18, 2012
Filed:
Jun. 09, 2010
Lei Qin, Guangdong, CN;
Xiuyuan Xu, Guangdong, CN;
Xiaotian MA, Guangdong, CN;
Zhuhai Ninestar Management Co., Ltd., Guangdong, CN;
Abstract
An ink cartridge for an inkjet printer is provided. The ink cartridge includes a light detection portion, a first triangular prism and a second triangular prism, made of transparent material and disposed on the light detection portion, for receiving, deflecting, or refracting light emitted by a light emitting element on the printer. Two surfaces of the second triangular prism contact ink in the ink cartridge. When the ink cartridge has ink contained therein and is installed into a printer, the light emitted by the light emitting element is totally reflected by the first triangular prism and refracted by the second triangular prism into the ink, and will not be received by a light receiving element on the printer. When the ink in the ink cartridge is exhausted, the light is totally reflected by the second triangular prism onto the first triangular prism, and then is reflected onto the light receiving element, and thus the printer detects that the ink is exhausted.