JP3048802U - Refill ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a refill ink cartridge capable of quickly supplying an optimal amount of ink to a printing ink cartridge having an ink occluding body. SOLUTION: A relay core for supplying replenishment ink is provided in a printing ink cartridge having an ink storage body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber for storing ink and having an ink discharge port (printing head). The relay core is inserted into a refill ink cartridge storing the refill ink, and the ink holding force d by the capillary of the relay core and the capillary of the porous body or the fiber bundle are added. When the ink holding force D is d <D
When the ink is replenished, the tip of the relay core is brought into contact with the ink occluding body of the ink cartridge so that the ink is replenished by the capillary force of the relay wick and the ink occluding body. Refill ink cartridge.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for ink jet printing (hereinafter referred to as a printing ink cartridge) having an ink occluding body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber and having an ink discharge port (printing head). The present invention relates to a refill ink cartridge capable of replenishing an optimal amount of ink.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, to replenish ink to a printing ink cartridge that has an ink storage body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle in the ink storage chamber, ink is dropped directly into the storage body with a dropper, or the ink is stored with a syringe. Means such as injection into the body were taken.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 However, with the conventional ink replenishment method, it is difficult to determine the optimal amount of ink to be replenished due to the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge. Ink could overflow from the part of the cartridge where ink was being replenished, or ink could leak from other openings (air holes, ink discharge ports, etc.) of the ink cartridge.

Further, an ink cartridge for color printing usually has a plurality of ink storage chambers for each color, and the amount of ink consumed by printing varies depending on the ink storage chamber for each color. Conventionally, as a method of refilling ink into an ink cartridge for color printing, a fixed amount of ink is replenished with a dropper or the like only in the ink storage chamber where the normal ink has been completely consumed, and is used for printing again. However, since ink is not supplied to other ink storage chambers that consume ink to some extent, the optimum amount of ink is not always supplied to each ink storage chamber, and in many cases, The ink in the ink storage chamber, which had not been refilled, had run out of ink. In addition, it is difficult to replenish the ink storage chamber with the optimal amount of ink even if the other ink storage chambers are to be refilled with ink after the ink has been replenished. Was that.

In view of such a situation, the present invention provides a replenishing ink capable of quickly supplying an optimal amount of ink to a printing ink cartridge having an ink occluding body formed of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber. The purpose is to provide cartridges.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 As a result of intensive studies, the present inventor has found that when refilling ink from a refill ink bottle to an ink cartridge having an ink storage body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber for storing ink via a relay core. The above problem can be solved by setting the holding force d of the ink by the capillary of the relay core and the holding force D of the ink by the capillary of the porous body or the fiber bundle so that d <D. This led to the present invention based on this finding.

That is, according to the present invention, a relay core is provided in an ink cartridge for ink-jet printing that has an ink storage body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle and is provided with an ink discharge port (printing head) in an ink storage chamber for storing ink. The relay core is inserted into a refill ink cartridge storing the refill ink, and the ink holding force d by the capillary of the relay core and the porous body or fiber are replenished. The holding force D of the ink by the bundle of capillaries is set so that d <D, and when the ink is replenished, the outer tip of the relay core is inserted from the opening of the ink cartridge to abut on the ink occluding body. The refill ink cartridge is configured to replenish the ink by the capillary force of the relay core and the ink occluding body. In the present invention, the outer tip of the relay core is brought into contact with the ink occluding body from below so as to maintain a positional relationship such that the water head (head) pressure of the ink in the refill ink cartridge is not applied to the ink occluding body. Is preferred. In the present invention, the lower end of the relay core is inserted into the refill ink cartridge so that it can contact the stored refill ink.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. In the present invention, when a refill ink is supplied via a relay core to a printing ink cartridge having an ink occluding body formed of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber for storing ink, a capillary of the relay core is used. Means for setting the ink holding force d and the ink holding force D by the capillary of the porous body or the fiber bundle so as to satisfy d <D include a difference in material between the relay core and the ink occluding body (material Of course, the difference in the porosity or porosity of each material (or the difference in porosity and porosity) is also an effective means. . By making full use of both, it is possible to obtain an ink cartridge for replenishment that is optimal for a printing ink cartridge for replenishing ink.

Here, examples of the material of the relay core include a material made of a fiber bundle and a porous body having open cells made of resin or the like. In addition, for ink cartridges for color printing that have multiple ink storage chambers, replenishment ink cartridges that are divided into multiple ink storage chambers for each color allow printing of the optimum amount of ink for multiple colors at once. It can be refilled into the ink cartridge.

A printing ink cartridge to which these ink replenishment methods can be applied is one having an ink discharge port (printing head) and an air communication port (air replacement hole). The end of the relay core is provided with an opening that can come into contact with the ink occluding body, and it has a hole that can be replaced with air. This is desirable because the ink filling speed is not reduced when performing air replacement.

[0011] Furthermore, it is necessary to provide an air replacement section in the refill ink cartridge so that air can be communicated with the refill ink cartridge when the ink is refilled. In addition to opening air holes in the refill ink cartridge bottle, the shape of the insertion hole of the relay core of the refill ink cartridge and the outer shape of the relay core are different, and the gap is used as the air replacement hole. You can also.

In addition, when refilling the ink, the relay core is made detachable from the refill ink cartridge so that the ink in the refill ink cartridge is not used up and the remaining ink is set aside for the next ink refill. None, after removing the relay core, a cap can be placed on the insertion port of the relay core of the refill ink cartridge to prevent the ink from volatilizing. In addition, by doing this, it is possible to avoid problems such as the air in the refill ink cartridge expanding due to changes in temperature and air pressure during storage and transport, and ink blowing out from the relay core and the air communication port. it can. At this time, the ink is soaked in the relay core once used, and even if the relay core is reused in that state, the relay core is dry with ink and the capillary force changes, causing ink to change. When the refill ink cartridge is reused after storage, a new relay core may be removably inserted into the insertion hole of the relay core of the refill ink cartridge. It is desirable to use it.

[0013]

[Action]

 The ink stored in the refill ink cartridge is sucked out into the relay core and replenished into the ink storage body in the printing ink cartridge. At this time, the ink holding force d of the capillary of the relay core is increased by the ink storage body. Since the holding power D of the ink in the capillary is smaller than that of the ink cartridge for replenishment, the optimal amount of ink is reliably supplied from the ink cartridge for replenishment to the ink occluding body in the ink cartridge for printing, and exceeds the ink holding power of the ink occluding body. The printing ink cartridge is not filled, and the ink does not overflow from the printing cartridge during ink supply. Here, the outer tip of the relay core is positioned from below so as to maintain a positional relationship such that the water head pressure of the ink in the refill ink cartridge does not apply to the ink occluding body in the printing ink cartridge. If the ink is replenished by being brought into contact with the occluding body, the risk that the replenishing ink exceeds the ink holding power of the ink occluding body and is filled in the printing ink cartridge is further reduced.

Further, since the ink holding force d of the capillary of the relay core is smaller than the ink holding force D of the capillary of the ink occluding body, the ink once refilled into the ink occluding body in the printing ink cartridge is It does not return to the refill ink cartridge by going back through the relay core.

The replenishment of the ink by the refill ink cartridge according to the present invention has the above-described effect. In particular, the replenishment of the ink from the refill ink cartridge to the printing ink cartridge according to the present invention is performed by relaying. This is performed by the capillary force between the core and the ink occluding body, and does not depend on the head pressure. Therefore, when replenishing the ink, the positional relationship between the refill ink cartridge and the printing ink cartridge is It does not require any special restrictions, and printing is performed by providing the relay core, the atmosphere communication port that is a means for adjusting the pressure in the refill ink cartridge, and the adjustment function for the amount of ink in the refill ink cartridge. Ink can be supplied from above the ink cartridge for As ink cartridges, it is possible to use printing ink cartridges of which many types are available.

Further, as described above, even in a printing ink cartridge having a plurality of ink storage units, it is very easy to replenish the optimum amount of ink at once by using the principle of the present invention. Can be.

[0017]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the ink occluding body of the printing ink cartridge is made of a porous body having continuous cells, and the holding power of the ink by the capillary of the relay core was performed by adjusting the porosity of the fiber bundle. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, an ink occlusion body 3 is built in a printing ink cartridge 2, and a replenishing ink cartridge is provided in an opening 9 which can abut an ink relay section (not shown) of an ink discharge section (not shown). The outer tip of the relay core 1 extended from the bottom 4 is inserted from below and is in contact with the ink storage body 3. Here, the relay core 1 is made of a fiber bundle having a larger porosity than the ink storage body 3, and the ink 5 in the refill ink cartridge 4 sucked up by the capillary force of the relay core 1 is absorbed by the ink storage body 3. . The printing ink cartridge 2 and the replenishment ink cartridge 4 are provided with air communication ports 8 and 7, respectively.

The second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a refill ink cartridge having no air communication port. Here, the relay core 1 is rectangular in cross section, and the hole of the relay core hole 6 is circular. The gap between the relay core 1 and the relay core hole 6 is an air communication port.

FIG. 4 showing a third embodiment of the present invention is a perspective view showing a case where ink is refilled from below into an ink cartridge 2 ′ used for color printing having an ink discharge port (printing head) 10. It represents. The ink cartridge 2 'is divided into a plurality of ink storage chambers, and each of the ink storage chambers has an ink discharge port (printing head) 10. The replenishment ink cartridge 4' is also provided with a plurality of ink cartridges of the ink cartridge 2 '. It is divided into colors corresponding to the storage rooms, and has a plurality of ink storage rooms and a relay core 1.

[0021]

[Effect of the invention]

 As described in detail above, according to the refill ink cartridge of the present invention, a printing head provided with an ink discharge port (printing head) containing a porous or fiber bundle ink storage in the ink storage chamber. When refilling the ink cartridge, it is possible to replenish the optimal amount of ink to be replenished based on the amount of ink remaining in the printing ink cartridge without excessive replenishment of the ink. It is possible. Further, since the relay core has a smaller holding power of the ink by the capillary tube than the ink occluding body, the ink once refilled in the printing ink cartridge does not flow back to the refilling ink cartridge.

In addition, even in an ink cartridge for color printing, which usually has a plurality of ink storage chambers for each color, it is extremely easy to supply an optimal amount of ink according to the remaining amount of ink in each ink storage chamber. Is possible. Further, by not providing a hole for air circulation in the refill ink cartridge and closing the relay core hole with a hermetic seal, it is possible to prevent the ink from volatilizing and reducing even during long-term storage of the refill ink cartridge. In this case, by making the shapes of the relay core and the relay core hole different, it is possible to perform air replacement with a gap formed between the relay core and the relay core hole.

The refill ink cartridge is also capable of refilling the ink in the ink storage section of the ink ribbon cassette.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refill ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where ink is being refilled.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refill ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a refill ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a refilling ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which an ink cartridge for ink-jet printing having a plurality of ink storage chambers is provided by using the refilling ink cartridge of the present invention; Represents the state of replenishment.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 relay core 2 printing ink cartridge 2 ′ ink jet printing ink cartridge having a plurality of ink storage chambers 3 ink occluding body 4 refill ink cartridge 4 ′ refill ink for an ink jet printing ink cartridge having a plurality of ink storage chambers Cartridge 5 Refill ink 6 Relay core hole 7 Atmosphere communication port of refill ink cartridge 8 Atmosphere communication port of ink jet printing ink cartridge 9 Opening of ink cartridge for ink jet printing 10 Ink ejection port (printing head)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Fujisawa 2-12-12 Irie, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama R & D Center, Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. An ink cartridge for ink-jet printing having a built-in ink storage body made of a porous body or a fiber bundle in an ink storage chamber for storing ink and having an ink discharge port (printing head) via a relay core. The relay core is inserted into a refill ink cartridge storing the refill ink, and the ink holding force d by the capillary of the relay core and the capillary of the porous body or the fiber bundle are added. Ink holding power D
Is set so that d <D, and when the ink is replenished, the outer tip of the relay core is inserted from the opening of the ink cartridge and is brought into contact with the ink occluding body, whereby the ink is stored in the relay core. A refill ink cartridge that replenishes ink by the capillary force of the body. 2. An outer leading end of the relay core is brought into contact with the ink occluding body from below so as to maintain a positional relationship such that a water head (head) pressure of the ink in the refilling ink cartridge is not applied to the ink occluding body. Item 7. A refill ink cartridge according to Item 1. 3. The relay core is detachable from the refill ink cartridge storing the refill ink, and a cap is provided at an insertion opening of the relay core provided in the refill ink cartridge after the relay core is removed. Or a refill ink cartridge according to claim 2. 4. The refill according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the insertion opening of the relay core provided in the refill ink cartridge is different from the outer shape of the relay core, and the gap is formed as a hole for air replacement. For ink cartridge. 5. The refill ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the shape of the insertion opening of the relay core is circular, and the outer shape of the relay core is square in cross section.