CN1088011C - Ink tank cartridge for inkjet type recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink tank cartridge for an ink jet type recording apparatus, comprising: a plurality of cavities; a blotting element stored in at least one of said plurality of chambers; a cover mounted on the top of said case, at least one portion of said cover being openable, said openable portion of said cover corresponding to at least one of said plurality of chambers.

Description

Ink tank cartridge for inkjet type recording apparatus

technical field

The present invention relates generally to an ink-supplied printer that supplies ink from an ink storage tank, and more particularly to an ink storage tank that permits a continuous supply of ink to a printhead while avoiding temperature and atmospheric variations or fluctuations adverse effects. The present invention facilitates the storage of larger quantities of ink in the reservoir and the greater percentage of ink in the reservoir to be delivered to the printhead. In addition, the present invention includes a case with transparent sides, so the user can easily determine the remaining amount of ink, and is also meant to reduce undesired movement of ink in the ink reservoir.

In addition, the invention relates generally to an ink tank for an ink jet printer, and more particularly to a replenishable ink tank for supplying ink to a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus or the like , and relates to a replenishment container, a replenishment tool, an ink injection device, a replenishment device and a method for replenishing ink to an ink storage tank.

technical background

Various ink storage tanks for inkjet printers are known from the prior art. For example, Japanese patent (kokai) SHO 63-87242 discloses a kind of ink tank, wherein, in a lot of cavities, the ink-absorbing element that is made of porous material is housed respectively. Japanese patent (kokai) HEI 6-40043 discloses a kind of ink box, wherein, separates the sealed container by a partition, so that a cavity that ink absorbing element is housed and only the ink cavity that stores ink are juxtaposed.

In the ink tank of the aforementioned prior art example, the ink tank can store a large amount of ink so that the ink can be supplied to the recording head, thereby having a long print head life. However, when the previously injected ink is exhausted, the ink tank must be replaced with a new one. The replacement of the cartridge is cumbersome and has the further disadvantage that the replacement process can cause ink to stain the user's hands or the like. Furthermore, discarding the empty ink tanks generates large costs as well as environmental pollution.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an ink tank cartridge for an ink jet printer which reusable, quickly and cleanly fills an empty ink tank which overcomes other limitations of the prior art.

Contents of the invention

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ink tank for an ink jet type recording apparatus.

The present invention provides an ink tank case for an inkjet type recording apparatus, comprising: a plurality of cavities; an ink absorbing member stored in at least one of the plurality of cavities; an ink absorbing member mounted on the top of the case A cover, at least a portion of which is openable, the openable portion of the cover corresponding to at least one of the plurality of cavities.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of chambers of the ink tank box for an inkjet type recording apparatus include: a first chamber; a second chamber associated with the first chamber; the ink absorbing member stored in at least one of the first and second chambers; a bulkhead wall separating the first and second chambers.

Other objects, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustrative example but not limitation.

Accordingly, the present invention includes several steps and the relationship between one or more of the steps and each of the other steps, as well as apparatuses embodying the characteristics of structures, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts for effecting the steps , all of which will be explained in the following detailed disclosure and will point out the scope of the invention in the claims.

Description of drawings

For a complete understanding of the present invention, reference must be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which,

1 is a schematic diagram showing an ink supply system of an ink jet type recording apparatus according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an ink tank formed according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of the ink tank in Fig. 2;

4(a), 4(b) and 4(c) are schematic diagrams showing the steps of supplying ink to the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of an ink tank made according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the steps of supplying ink to the ink tank in Fig. 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of an ink tank made according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 (a) and Fig. 8 (b) are the schematic diagrams showing the step of supplying ink to the ink tank in Fig. 7;

Figure 9 is a sectional view of an ink tank constructed according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing a step of supplying ink to the ink tank in Fig. 9;

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a refill ink container constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the ink refill container of Figure 11 depicting a virtual representation of an ink hole;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of an ink tank and a tool for replenishing ink according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank constructed and replenished according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 15 is a front side view of an ink injection device formed according to the present invention;

Figure 16 is a partial enlarged front view of the supply needle of the ink injecting device of Figure 15;

Figure 17 is a top view of a replenishing ink unit constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 39-39 in Fig. 17 .

specific embodiment

The print head according to the present invention can be used on a four-color printing plotter or a color image printer, and has a four-color ink system and ink nozzles respectively corresponding to four ink colors. Four-color printing plotters apply black, red, green, and blue inks, move the printhead or the paper, or both, and then print at a predetermined position in the desired color as with conventional inkjet printheads The paper ejects ink to form ink dots. Desired characters and images are recorded by repeating the above cycle. The invention can be applied to all types of inkjet printers, including the use of heat from heating resistors or the like or piezoelectric transducers or transducers to eject ink drops from a chamber according to applied printing signals. The ink storage tank according to the present invention can continuously supply ink to the chamber through the capillary channel.

In a color image printer using four-color inks, that is, black, red, green, and blue inks, the print head scans a piece of printing paper along the feeding direction perpendicular to the printing paper to form a dot line in a scanning stroke, and the printing is supplied along the line spacing. paper to record images. In a seven-color printer, four-color inks, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, are used to form red, green, and blue on printing paper by overlapping two inks of three desired colors other than black, thus recording seven-color inks. color image.

The present invention relates primarily to printheads, particularly ink tanks, and is described in detail by way of example only of an integrated printer structure.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an ink supply system of an ink jet type recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The print head unit 1 of inkjet type is connected to an ink tank 3 through a connection member 2 . Ink is supplied from the ink tank 3 to the print head unit 1 through the hollow needle 2a and the ink supply channel 2b of the connection member 2, so that the print head unit 1 ejects ink droplets according to a printing signal.

The device shown in FIG. 1 also includes a cap member 4 located in the non-printing area, which is supported on the nozzle plate of the print head unit 1 through a driving mechanism (not shown) so as to prevent the nozzle openings from drying out. The cap element 4 is connected to the vacuum pump 5 through the tube 8, and the vacuum pump 5 is driven by the control device 6 to absorb ink from the print head unit through the cap element 4. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is also provided with a waste line 7 connected by a line 9 to the outlet of the vacuum pump 5 .

The recording head may be of any construction as described in European Patents 581,531, 609,863, 584,823, etc.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, they illustrate an ink tank 1000 constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, the ink tank 1000 having a partition 610 in the container 601 to form first and second chambers 611 and 612. In this ink tank 1000, two partition walls 613A and 613B are extended and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the partition 610, thereby forming three adjacent equal first cavities 611A, 611B and 611C with reference to 611, one second Cavities 612A, 612B, and 612C are connected to each of the first cavities 611A, 611B, and 611C, respectively, but are not shown in FIG. 3 . The structures and operations of the compartments 611A-611C are consistent, and a representative compartment 611 will be described below for ease of description.

In each first cavity 611 is housed an ink absorbing member 615A, 615B and 615C (collectively 615). In each ink-absorbing element, yellow, magenta or cyan ink is absorbed by the corresponding ink-absorbing element 615 . Each ink-absorbing element 615 is a porous element, such as may be foamed from a polyurethane material. The volume of each ink-absorbing member 615 is larger than that of each first chamber 611 , and therefore, is compressed into each first chamber 611 . At the bottom of the first chamber 611 is provided a corresponding ink supply hole element 620A, 620B or 620C (collectively 620).

The first chamber 611 has an ink supply hole member 620 through which an ink supply needle (shown in FIG. 1) of the recording head passes and is connected. The ink supply hole member 620 is formed in a tubular shape. The top 622 of the ink supply aperture element 620 covered by the filter 621 pushes against the ink absorber element 615, thereby slightly compressing the ink absorber element 615 in the vicinity of the ink supply aperture element 620, thus increasing the capillary force for ink flow. A filling member having an opening 624 is installed in the through hole 623 of the ink supply hole member 620 , through which a needle for supplying ink passes and a liquid seal is formed by the filling member 624 . Excess ink is stored in each of the second chambers 612A, 612B and 612C (612 in general), and the second chamber 612 passes through the connection hole 610' formed in the lower part of the partition 610 and is similar to a long slit. The first cavity 611 is connected. The reinforcing ribs extend around the container 601 .

A lid 630 is located at the top opening of the container 601 , the lid 630 seals the second chamber 612 and can be bent along the hinge portion 631 in order to open the lid 630 . An engaging portion 632 is formed around the cover 630 and directed inwardly. The engaging portion 632 is removably engaged on the reinforcing member at the top of the container 601 and directed outward, selectively closing the top opening of the first cavity 611 .

A vent hole 633 is formed in the cap 630 so that ambient air corresponding to the amount of ink consumed flows into the container 601 .

In FIG. 2, reference numerals 634a and 634b denote pressers extending vertically from the inner surface of the cover 630, which press the ink absorbing member 615 toward the ink supply hole 620. In FIG. (Each cavity 611A, 611B and 611C has corresponding presser 634a and 634b. Generally will describe this structure, but can be applied to every similar container.) When lid 630 closes the top opening of container 601, pushes press The tighteners 634a and 634b thereby partially depress the ink absorbing member 615. The compressor 634a facing the ink supply hole member 620 is longer than the compressor 634b located away from the ink supply hole member 620 . These compactors together with the ink supply hole element 620 further compress the ink absorbing element 615 adjacent to the ink supply hole element 620 .

During printing, the method of applying the ink tank 1000 is similar to prior art ink tanks. However, when the ink in the container 601 is used up for a printing operation, the ink tank of the present invention can be refilled without being discarded. The process of refilling the container 601 will be described below with reference to Figures 4a to 4c.

When the ink cartridge is to be filled again, the cover 630 is manually pushed up in the direction of the arrow _a1 and opened around the hinged portion 631 used as a rotating shaft, so as to remove the portion of the cover 630 from the outward reinforcing rib 614 of the container 601 Engagement of the inward engaging portion 632 . Thereafter, the cover 630 is moved as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2, thereby opening the gap 611A. Thereafter, the emptied ink absorbing member 615A can be removed from the first chamber 611A if desired.

Next, the container 601 is rotated by 90° along the arrow c ₁ , so that the first chamber 611 is positioned above the second chamber 612 , as shown in FIG. 4( b ). After that, the injecting device 4000 is used to pass through the communication hole 610' of the partition 610 and put into the second chamber 612 in the direction of arrow _d1 .

As shown in FIG. 15 , the injection device 4000 includes a container 4100 which is transparent and has graduations 4200 formed thereon. In this way, the user can see the amount of ink injected into the second chamber 612 . The needle portion 4300 is connected to the capacity portion 4100 and is fluidly connected.

Then, the ink absorbing member 615A is inserted into the first chamber 611A, and, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the injecting means 4000 injects ink into the ink absorbing member 615A. If the ink absorbing member 615A is not initially removed, ink is injected into the first and second chambers while the ink absorbing member 615A remains in the first chamber 611A. This process will be repeated for each chamber 611 that requires replenishment.

Finally, the cover 630 is rotated in the direction of the arrow _f1 , and the inward engaging portion 632 is engaged with the outward reinforcing rib 614, thereby restoring the ink tank to the state shown in FIG. Ink work.

Reference is now made to Figures 5 and 6, which illustrate an ink tank constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals designate the same elements as those of the first embodiment, and description thereof will not be repeated here. The basic difference is the through hole that supplies ink to the interior of the ink tank.

A through hole 616A is formed in the side wall 616 of the partition 611A of the ink tank 2000, and a sealing wax 617 is applied thereto. During refilling, the lid 630 is opened, the emptied blotter 615A is removed, the tank is replaced with a new blotter 615A, and the lid 630 is closed as before.

Next, ink is loaded into the ink absorbing member 615A as described below. First, remove the sealing wax. Then, rotate ink tank 2000 90 °, so that first cavity 611 is above the second cavity 612 as shown in Figure 6, thereby can utilize the through-hole 616A that opens. The supply needle 4300 of the injection device 4000 is inserted into the space 611A through the through hole 616A, and then ink is injected into the box. In the best embodiment, firstly, the tip of the supply needle 4300 is located near the communication hole 610', and ink is injected into the second chamber 612. Thereafter, the supply needle is slightly retracted to inject ink into the ink absorbing member 615A, thereby effectively supplying ink to the first chamber 611A and the second chamber 612. However, the through hole 616A is closed by sealing wax. In another embodiment, the sealing wax 617 can be replaced by a rubber layer with a large elastic recovery force. Supply needles 4300 then pass through this layer to supply ink to the ink tank. Therefore, the seal 617 does not need to be removed and restored in the through hole 616A.

If it is not necessary to replace the ink absorbing element 615A with a new ink absorbing element, the ink tank can be replenished by supplying ink through the through hole 616A with the injection device 4000, while the lid 630 on the container 601 remains closed.

Referring now to Figures 7 and 8(a), 8(b), there is illustrated an ink tank 5000 constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. Like elements have like reference numerals and are not described again here.

The partition 6110 partitions the container 6100 into first and second chambers 6120 and 6120A, and the chambers 6120 and 6120A house the ink absorbing members 6200 and 6300, respectively. A cover 6130 is detachably mounted to the top opening of the container 6100 so that the first chamber 6120 and the second chamber 6120A are simultaneously opened. Inwardly directed engaging portions 6132 formed around the cover 6130 are detachably engaged with outwardly directed reinforcing ribs 6140 formed on the container 6100 .

To refill the ink tank, the engagement of the inwardly engaging portion 6132 and outwardly reinforcing rib 6140 is removed, and the cap 6130 is removed from the top of the container 6100 as shown in phantom. The emptied ink absorbing members 6200 and 6300 are taken out from the first and second chambers 6120 and 6120A, and then new ink absorbing members 6200 and 6300 are loaded into the chambers 6120 and 6120A, respectively. If each emptied blotter element 6200 or 6300 is undamaged and reusable, it is not necessary to replace the blotter element.

As in the first embodiment, the emptied ink tank 5000 may have no ink absorbing member in the second chamber 6120A. Additionally, during the refill process, the blotter element of the second chamber 6120A can also be replaced if desired.

Next, the ink refill shown in Figs. 7 and 8 will be described.

After the ink is emptied, in the ink tank 5000, the inward engaging portion 6132 is removed and the engagement of the outward reinforcing rib 6140 pushes up the cover 6130 in the direction of arrow a ₃ (FIG. 8(a)), so that the cover 6130 Remove from container 6100. This movement of the lid 6130 opens the first and second chambers 6120 and 6120A of the container 6100.

Then, if necessary, the ink absorbing members 6200 and 6300 are taken out from the first and second chambers 6120 and 6120A in the direction of arrow _b3 (FIG. 8(a)). Then, forcefully push the new ink absorbing members 6200 and 6300 into the first and second chambers 6120 and 6120A in the directions of arrows _c3 and _d3 , so that the ink absorbing members are packed into the chambers 6120 and 6120A in a compressed state. in (Fig. 8(b)).

Afterwards, a sufficient amount of ink is injected into the ink absorbing members 6200 and 6300 using the injection device 4000 . Finally, the lid 6130 contacts the top opening of the container 6100 downwards along arrow _e3 . The inward engaging portion 6132 engages the outward reinforcing rib 6140, thereby sealing the lid 6130 and completing the refilling process.

Reference is now made to Figures 9 and 10 which illustrate an ink tank constructed in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as in the previous embodiment have the same reference numerals, the basic difference being the movable partition used to define the single chamber. The ink tank 5000 includes a partition 6110' that separates the first chamber 6120 and the second chamber 6120A. As indicated by dashed line 6110", partition 6110' is removably and slidably mounted to container 6100. Partition 6110' can be removed to form a single chamber that is a combination of chambers 6120 and 6120A.

As shown in FIG. 10, to refill the ink tank, after removing the cap 6130, the emptied ink absorbing member 6400 is removed, and the spacer 6110' is also removed in the direction indicated by arrow _gA . Then, the complete ink absorbing member 6500 is loaded to fill the container 6100. Then, ink is injected into the ink absorbing member 6500 using the injecting device 4000 . Then cover 6130 again.

Reference is now made to Figures 11 and 12, which depict a refill container 7000 for use in conjunction with a fourth embodiment. Refill container 7000 facilitates clean removal of blotter element 6500.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the refill container 7000 includes a storage unit 6500 having at least a top wall 6511 and a bottom wall 6514, and contains an ink absorbing member 6500 filled with ink. The blotter member 6500 has previously been compressed and packed into a cuboidal empty storage unit 6510 . The unit 6510 is composed of a material that is impermeable to air, for example, thin layers of plastic or metal. A through hole 6512 is formed in the top wall 6511 . Removing the sealing wax 6513 can open the through hole 6512. Similarly, a through hole 6515 is formed on the bottom wall 6514 , and the through hole 6515 can be opened by removing the sealing wax 6516 .

The supplementary container 7000 is used in the following manner. Remove the partition 6110' of the ink cartridge from the container 6100, and remove the removable sealing wax 6513 and 6516 from the storage unit 6510. Then, the storage unit 6510 is loaded into the container 6100 and the ink supply hole 620 is connected to supply ink to the printer. The storage unit 6510 may be connected to the ink supply hole 620 through a through hole 6515 formed on the bottom wall 6514, and a filter 621 composed of an elastic material such as plastic (see, for example, reference numeral 621 in FIG. 12 ) may be connected to the opening. .

When the ink-receiving element 6500 is compressed, pressure can be transmitted to the entire element, or in other words, pressure can be transmitted in a lateral or vertical direction in a selective manner.

A plurality of storage units 6510 can store a plurality of ink absorbing elements 6500 for respectively absorbing inks of different colors such as yellow, magenta and cyan. As shown in FIG. 3, a storage unit can be selectively attached or removed to each of the first chambers 611A, 611B, 611C.

Referring now to FIG. 13, an ink tank 8000 and ink replenishment tool 9000 constructed in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention are illustrated. Reference numerals indicate the same elements as in the previous embodiments.

The ink tank 8000 has a cap 1300 mounted on the container 1000. The container 1000 is divided into a first chamber 611 and a second chamber, which communicate with each other through a communication hole 610'. An ink absorbing element 615 is placed in the first cavity 611 . A vent hole 1330 is formed on the cover 1300 .

The container 1000 is refilled with a refill tool 9000 as shown in FIG. 13 . Supplemental kit 9000 includes a case 9100 for cooperating with a supply needle 9200 . A supply air hole 9300 is formed at the top of the supplementary box 9100, and a supply needle 9200 protrudes vertically downward from the supplementary box 9100. The supply air hole 9300 is sealed by a removable sealing wax 9400 . To replenish the ink, the supply needle penetrates the ink absorbing element 615 in the first cavity 611 . Then, the removable sealing wax 9400 is removed as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. In this way, air entering the supply needle 9200 causes ink to be released through the supply needle 9200 into the ink absorbing element 615 . In order to allow the air inside the ink absorbing element 615 to escape when refilled with ink, in a preferred embodiment, a small gap is formed between the vent hole 1330 and the supply needle 9200 or other parts of the cover 1300 are provided. a vent.

When using degassed ink, ink can be supplied to container 1000 more efficiently because the ink will absorb any small air bubbles contained in ink absorbing member 615 when dropped by gravity. In this way, ink can be supplied which increases the reliability of the recording head. In a preferred embodiment, an amount of ink less than about half the volume of the first chamber 611 is supplied.

Referring now to Figure 14, an ink tank constructed in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention is depicted. The same reference numerals designate the same elements as in the previous embodiment. The basic difference between this embodiment and the ink tank 8000 is that there is a replenishment hole in the cover above the second chamber.

The ink tank 1000 has a first cavity 611 of the container 1000 containing an ink absorbing member 615 . In order to directly supply ink to the second chamber 612 adjacent to the first chamber 611 and not containing the ink absorbing member 615, a replenishing hole 2410 is formed in the cap 2400 mounted on the container 1000. Referring to FIG. The replenishment hole 2410 can be selectively closed in an openable manner by a removable sealing wax 2420 . When the ink tank 10000 is to be refilled, the removable sealing wax 2420 is removed to open the replenishment hole 2410. Then, the supply needle 4300 of the injection device 4200 passes through the replenishment hole 2410 to supply ink into the second chamber 612 . In a preferred embodiment, a small gap is preferably formed between the replenishment hole 2410 and the supply needle 4300 or a vent hole 101000 is formed in the portion of the cover 2400 of the second chamber 612 to allow air to escape during replenishment.

The removable sealing wax 2420 can be replaced by a rubber layer with a large elastic recovery force. The supply needle 4300 supplies ink through the rubber layer as shown in FIG. 14 .

Reference is now made to Figures 15 and 16, which depict the aforementioned syringe-like injection device 4000. Scales 4200 are formed on the container portion 4100 of the injection device 4000, as shown in FIG. 16, and scales _M1 to _M7 are formed on the supply needle 4300 in the lengthwise direction. When using the injection device 4200, the viewing scale 4200 enables monitoring of the amount of ink supplied. The depth to which the supply needle 4300 has been inserted into the ink-absorbing element can be determined by the scales _M1 to _M7 to inject ink into the ink-absorbing element at a desired depth. Therefore, the entire volume of the ink-absorbing member can effectively absorb ink. Preferably, the pre-degassed ink loaded into the injection unit is packaged and stored in an airtight material such as aluminum or aluminum plate before the ink is used in the replenishment process. Improves print quality by removing air bubbles that may be trapped within the blotter. As required, the degassed ink is stored in a storage container (not shown) composed of an airtight material. A number of storage containers and a corresponding empty filling device 4000 can be supplied as a refilled ink tank.

Reference is now made to Figures 17 and 18, which illustrate a replenishment ink unit 11000 constructed in accordance with the present invention. In the ink replenishment unit 11000, as shown in FIG. 17, inks of different colors are respectively contained in each of the ink injection units 4000A, 4000B, 4000C. The injection device is arranged on the substrate 11100 . The ink absorbing member 12000 is also placed on the substrate 11100 . These components may be covered by a cover plate 11200 which is recessed 11300 to 11600 corresponding to the outer shapes of the injecting unit 4000 and the ink absorbing member 12000, thereby constituting the ink replenishing unit 11000. When using the device, the cover plate 11200 is removed from the base plate 11100, and one of the injection device 4000 and the ink absorbing member 12000 is taken out from the recess and used for replenishing ink.

In addition, the ink injecting unit 4000 and the ink absorbing member 12000 containing the ink may also be installed in separate ink replenishing units instead of being installed in a single ink replenishing unit. If the black ink tank and the colored ink tank are of different volumes, a plurality of ink absorbing elements may be provided, each corresponding to a corresponding ink tank of a corresponding volume. These different ink absorbing elements are provided in the same or different replenishment ink units. The corresponding ink injection device can also have enough ink to supplement the corresponding ink tank and ink absorbing element.

As mentioned above, the ink filling device may already contain ink. However, it is also possible to contain ink in the storage container, and it is also possible to provide an empty ink filling means. These may be provided in the same or different supplementary devices. It is also possible to provide any combination of inks, ink tanks, ink filling means and ink absorbing members without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The above invention produces the following advantages:

(1) The ink tank can be reused.

Since the ink or the ink-absorbing member can be easily supplied to the cavities separated from each other by the partition in the container of the ink tank, the ink tank can be used for a long time. Environmental contamination is prevented because there is no requirement to discard an emptied ink tank. Therefore, the present invention has high efficacy.

(2) Perform the ink replenishment process in a clean manner.

By opening the lid of the container of the ink tank, ink can be replenished to the ink absorbing member in a clean manner without contaminating anything outside the ink tank. In other words, since the ink is supplied by the ink filling device or the ink refilling tool, the user avoids ink contamination.

(3) The process of replenishing ink is efficiently performed.

The use of replenishing containers, filling means or replenishing means is effective in supplying accurate amounts of ink into the chamber containing the ink absorbing element or ink. Therefore, the effectiveness of supplementary work can be improved.

It will thus be seen that the foregoing objects can be effectively achieved because certain variations are possible in the implementation of the structures described above, and the method is illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All objects represented by the drawings, but not limited thereto.

It should also be understood that the following claims attempt to capture all of the general and specific nature of the invention described herein, since a matter of language, the description of the scope of the invention can be said to fail.

Claims (27)

1. An ink tank cartridge for an inkjet type recording apparatus, comprising: multiple cavities; an ink absorbing element stored in at least one of said plurality of chambers; a cover mounted on top of the box, at least a portion of the cover being openable, the openable portion of the cover corresponding to at least one of the plurality of cavities. 2. The ink tank case for an inkjet type recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of chambers comprises: a first chamber, a second chamber associated with said first chamber; the blotter is stored in at least one of the first and second chambers; A bulkhead wall separates the first and second chambers. 3. The ink tank according to claim 2, wherein an openable portion of said cover corresponds to said first chamber containing said ink absorbing member. 4. The ink tank case of claim 2, wherein said bulkhead wall is removably mounted within the case. 5. The ink tank according to claim 4, wherein when said partition wall is removed, an ink absorbing member is also contained in said ink tank. 6. The ink tank box according to claim 2, further comprising a supply ink hole and a supplementary ink supply hole formed on a wall of the first chamber to deliver the ink to the outside of the box. The refill ink container contains an ink-absorbing member containing ink, the refill ink container has at least a top wall and a bottom wall, and a first selectively openable opening is formed on the top wall thereof. through-hole, and a second selectively openable through-hole is formed in said bottom wall thereof, said refill ink container is made at least of a size to fit it into said first chamber of said ink tank box and receive the supply ink hole through the through hole in the bottom wall of the replenishment ink container. 7. The ink tank according to claim 6, wherein said partition wall is removably mounted within said tank, said refill ink container being sized to substantially fill said first one chamber and the second chamber. 8. The ink tank according to claim 2, wherein said ink absorbing member is located in said first chamber, said ink absorbing member having a volume greater than said first chamber before being inserted into said first chamber. cavity volume. 9. The ink tank case of claim 2, further comprising a supply ink hole extending through a wall of said first cavity and protruding from said wall, said supply ink hole communicating from Ink of said ink-absorbing element, which is partially compressed by said ink-supply orifice adjacent to said ink-absorbing element. 10. The ink tank box according to claim 2, further comprising a protrusion formed on an inner wall of said first chamber, said protrusion being located between one of said first chamber and said supply chamber. On the surface opposite the ink well, the protrusions also assist in compressing the ink absorbing member towards the ink supply well. 11. The ink tank cartridge of claim 10, wherein said ink absorbing member has a volume greater than that of said first chamber before being inserted into said first chamber. 12. The ink tank box as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: it also includes a plurality of said first cavity and said second cavity and said partition wall, each of said first cavity and its corresponding One of said second chambers is separated by one of said partition walls, each of said first chambers is equipped with a corresponding ink-absorbing element, and a portion of said cover corresponds to each of said first chambers is openable. 13. An ink tank according to claim 12, wherein said bulkhead wall is removably mounted within the tank. 14. The ink tank case of claim 13, further comprising an ink absorbing member in said ink tank case when said partition wall is removed. 15. The ink tank box according to claim 12, further comprising a supply ink hole formed in a wall of said first chamber and a refill ink container, said refill ink container containing a The ink-absorbing member of the said replenishing ink container has at least a top wall and a bottom wall, and a first selectively openable through-hole is formed on said top wall thereof, and a first selectively openable through hole is formed on said bottom wall thereof A second selectively openable through-hole is formed on the upper part of the container, and the refill ink container is made to be at least sized to fit into the first chamber of the ink tank box, and can pass through the refill ink container The through-holes in the bottom of the receiving the corresponding ink supply hole. 16. An ink tank case as claimed in claim 15, wherein said bulkhead wall is removably mounted within said case, said refill ink container being sized to substantially fill all associated The first chamber and the second chamber. 17. The ink tank cartridge of claim 12, wherein said ink absorbing member has a volume greater than that of said first chamber prior to insertion into said first chamber. 18. The ink tank case of claim 12, further comprising a supply ink hole extending through a wall of said first chamber and protruding from said wall of said first chamber, wherein The ink supply hole delivers ink from the ink absorbing member which is partially compressed by the ink supply hole in its vicinity. 19. The ink tank box according to claim 18, further comprising a protrusion formed on an inner wall of each of said first chambers, said protrusion being located between one of said first chambers and said first chamber. On the surface opposite to the ink supply hole, the protrusion also assists in compressing the ink absorbing member towards the ink supply hole. 20. The ink tank cartridge of claim 18, wherein each of said ink absorbing members has a volume greater than that of said first chamber before being inserted into said first chamber. 21. The ink tank case according to claim 2, further comprising a selectively openable through hole formed in one wall of said case through which ink can be injected. 22. The ink tank cartridge of claim 21, wherein said ink absorbing member has a volume greater than the volume of said first chamber prior to insertion into said first chamber. 23. The ink tank case of claim 21, further comprising a supply ink hole extending through a wall of said first chamber and protruding from said wall of said first chamber, wherein The ink supply hole delivers ink from the ink absorbing member which is partially compressed by the ink supply hole in its vicinity. 24. The ink tank box as claimed in claim 23, further comprising a protrusion formed on an inner wall of said first cavity, said protrusion being located between one of said first cavity and said first cavity. On the surface opposite the ink supply hole, the protrusion also assists in compressing the ink absorbing member towards the ink supply hole. 25. The ink tank cartridge of claim 24, wherein said ink absorbing member has a volume greater than the volume of said first chamber prior to insertion into said first chamber. 26. The ink tank according to claim 2, wherein said ink tank is configured to be removably mounted on said recording device such that a needle thereof is received in said ink supply hole. middle. 27. An ink tank cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein said cavity stores at least one ink.

Images