WO2006068361A1

WO2006068361A1 - Suction kit for ink cartridge

Info

Publication number: WO2006068361A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/002579
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kwang-Choon Jeong; Nam-Boo Cho; Jeong-Kook Lee; Baek-Song Heo
Original assignee: InkTec Co Ltd
Current assignee: InkTec Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-12-20
Filing date: 2005-08-08
Publication date: 2006-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-20
Also published as: KR200378320Y1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a suction kit for ink cartridges, intended to easily expel a predetermined amount of air and ink from an ink cartridge after refilling ink into the ink cartridge. The suction kit includes a body (10), a slider (20), and a pad (40). The body stores air and ink expelled from the ink cartridge. The slider produces negative pressure while sliding in the body, and provides an ink suction path. The pad is attached to the slider, and is brought into close contact with an injection nozzle of the ink cartridge. Preferably, the suction kit further includes a housing cap (30) which is fitted over the body to cover the body and support the ink cartridge.

Description

Description SUCTION KIT FOR INK CARTRIDGE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates, in general, to a suction kit for ink cartridges and, more particularly, to a suction kit for ink cartridges, which is intended to easily expel a predetermined amount of air and ink from an ink cartridge after refilling ink into the ink cartridge. Background Art

[2] Generally, an ink cartridge used in an ink jet printer is constructed so that it is filled with ink and distributes ink through an ink injection nozzle provided at a predetermined position on the outer portion of the ink cartridge. When ink contained in the ink cartridge has been used up, the ink cartridge is replaced with a new one. Even though the whole amount of ink is exhausted under a normal condition, a printer head including the ink injection nozzle maintains its performance. Thus, if the ink cartridge is new, it may be used ten or more times by refilling ink into the ink cartridge. Therefore, many users prefer to reuse the used ink cartridge by refilling ink into the ink cartridge rather than replace the expensive ink cartridge with a new one.

[3] After ink is refilled into the ink cartridge, it is required to expel a predetermined amount of air and ink from the ink cartridge. The reasons for conducting the expelling operation vary slightly according to the kind of ink cartridge. That is, a pack- type ink cartridge is constructed so that its interior always maintains negative pressure. However, during an ink refilling process, external air flows into the ink cartridge, so internal pressure may become unbalanced. Thus, a predetermined amount of air must be expelled from the cartridge so as to maintain a preset negative pressure. A sponge- type ink cartridge is provided with an additional passage through which external air circulates. Thus, even though external air is fed into the ink cartridge during an ink refilling process, it is not necessary to consider the balance of internal pressure. However, impurities, such as fine dust or air drops, may remain in an injection nozzle. If the ink cartridge is used without getting rid of the impurities, print quality is deteriorated. Thus, the impurities must be removed by expelling a predetermined amount of ink through the injection nozzle.

[4] An conventional suction kit are shown in FIG. 1. The conventional suction kit 3 has a structure similar to a syringe used in hospitals. The suction kit includes a cylindrical body 4 having at a predetermined position thereof a suction port. A piston 5 is inserted into the body 4, and a packing member 7 is attached to an end of the piston 5. When the piston 5 is moved back, negative pressure is produced in the body 4. An elastic pad 6 is attached around the suction port with which the suction kit 3 and an ink injection nozzle 2 of the ink cartridge 1 are in close contact, thus preventing air from leaking out.

[5] After the ink cartridge 1 is placed on a flat surface, such as a desk, the suction kit 3 is compressed against the ink cartridge such that the elastic pad 6 is brought into close contact with the ink injection nozzle 2. In such a state, when the piston 5 is moved back, air and ink contained in the ink cartridge 1 are discharged into the body 4 by negative pressure produced in the body 4. However, a force F forcing the suction kit 3 to be in close contact with the ink cartridge 1 and a force F moving the piston 5 backward act in opposite directions, so that it is very inconvenient for a person to conduct the expelling operation. Further, since the force F is applied to the ink cartridge 1 standing on it's narrow side, the ink cartridge 1 may frequently fall down and ink may be spilt during the expelling operation.

[6] In order to solve the problem, an additional case 8 may be used, as shown in FIG. 2.

When the ink cartridge 1 is mounted in the case 8, the ink injection nozzle 2 comes into close contact with the elastic pad 6 attached to the front of the case 8, and the ink cartridge 1 can communicate with an exterior through a kit rod mounting part 9, having a passage therein. Thereafter, when the suction kit 3 is inserted into the kit rod mounting part 9 and the piston 5 is moved back, air and ink are easily expelled from the ink cartridge 1 by negative pressure produced in the body 4.

[7] If the case 8 is used, the ink cartridge 1 is brought into close contact with the elastic pad 6 merely by mounting the ink cartridge 1 in the case 8. Thus, air and ink may be expelled from the ink cartridge 1 only by the force F moving backward the piston 5, without the necessity of applying an additional force to the suction kit 3. Further, since the ink cartridge 1 is stably held in the case 8, it is not necessary to worry about whether the ink cartridge 1 will fall down during the expelling operation. However, such a method is problematic in that several cases 8, as well as the suction kit 3, must be prepared according to the kind and shape of the cartridge, so that high costs are incurred.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[8] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a suction kit for ink cartridges, intended to conveniently expel air and ink from the cartridge merely by pressing the ink cartridge or the suction kit. Technical Solution

[9] In order to accomplish the object, the present invention provides a suction kit for ink cartridges, including a cylindrical body closed at an end thereof; a slider including a sealing block inserted into the body to maintain airtightness of body, a rod extending from the sealing block, and a suction path which is defined in the rod and extends to an upper end of the rod; an outlet hole which is formed in a lower portion of the rod and can communicates with the suction path; and a pad coupled to the upper end of the rod in such a way that the suction path of the rod can communicate with an injection nozzle of the ink cartridge being brought into close contact with the pad. Further, the body comprises an ink container closed at an end thereof and a rod support boss passing through the closed end of the container. The upper end of the rod is airtightly inserted into rod support boss.

[10] Preferably, the suction kit further comprises a housing cap which is fitted over the ink container to cover the closed end of the ink container and supports the ink cartridge. The housing cap includes a cylindrical cover closed at an end thereof and a rod mounting part formed through the closed end of the cover to support the end of the rod. Further, the pad includes an elastic plate attached to the closed end of the cover, and a suction hole formed on the elastic plate to communicate with the rod mounting part.

Advantageous Effects

[11] As described above, the present invention provides a suction kit for ink cartridges, which need not prepare various kinds of cases, unlike a prior art, and allows air and ink to be easily expelled from an ink cartridge merely by pressing the suction kit, thus affording a convenient operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings [12] The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiment thereof in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[13] FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional suction kit for ink cartridges;

[14] FIG. 2 is a view showing another conventional suction kit for ink cartridges;

[15] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a suction kit for ink cartridges, according to the present invention; [16] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of another suction kit for ink cartridges, according to the present invention; [17] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the suction kit for ink cartridges of FIG. 4; [18] FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the assembled state of the suction kit for ink cartridges of FIG. 4; and [19] FIGS. 7 to 9 are views showing the use of the suction kit for ink cartridges of FIG. [20] *Description of reference characters of important parts*

[21] 10: body 11: ink container

[22] 12: rod support boss 13: base plate

[23] 14: guide protrusion 20: slider

[24] 21 : sealing block 22: rod

[25] 23: suction path 24: outlet hole

[26] 25: step 26, 27: packing rings

[27] 30: housing cap 31: cover

[28] 32: pad seat 33: rod mounting part

[29] 34: guide groove 35: cartridge support plate

[30] 40: pad 41 : elastic plate

[31] 42: nozzle seat 43: suction hole

[32] 44: insert part

Mode for the Invention

[33] Hereinafter, the suction kit for ink cartridges according to the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction kit includes a body 10, a slider 20, and a pad 40. The body 10 stores air and ink which have been expelled from the ink cartridge. The slider 20 can produce negative pressure inside the body 10 while sliding therein, and provides an ink suction path 23 defined in the rod 22. The pad 40 which has a suction hole 43 is coupled to the upper end of the rod 22. Preferably, the pad 40 is made of an elastic material, such as rubber, so that the pad 40 can be in close contact with the injection nozzle of the ink cartridge, thus preventing air leakage.

[34] According to another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the suction kit further includes a housing cap 30 which is fitted over the body 10 to cover the body 10. The housing cap 30 provides a seat for the pad 40 to be stably mounted thereon, and supports the ink cartridge being in contact with the pad 40.

[35] Hereinafter, the most preferred embodiment of this invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[36] The body 10 includes an ink container 11, which is closed at an end thereof to store ink therein, and a rod support boss 12, which passes through the closed end of the ink container 11. The simplest structure of the body is as follows. That is, the body 10 includes only the ink container 11 closed at an end thereof, and a rod 22, which will be described later, airtightly passes through the closed end of the body 10. However, it is preferable that the rod support boss 12 be provided so as to allow the rod 22 to smoothly slide. The rod support boss 12 extends from the interior of the ink container 11 to the exterior thereof to have a predetermined length, so that the rod 22 can be stably inserted into the rod support boss 12 and slide along the rod support boss 12.

[37] Meanwhile, it is preferable that a base plate 13 be provided along the outer circumference of the open end of the ink container 11, thus allowing the ink container 11 to be stably placed on the surface. Further, a guide protrusion 14 is provided on the outer surface of the ink container 11. The guide protrusion 14 moves along a guide groove 34, which is provided on the inner wall of a cover 31, thus preventing undesirable rotation of the housing cap 30 when the housing cap 30 fitted over the ink container 11 slides.

[38] The slider 20 includes a sealing block 21 and a rod 22. The sealing block 21 is inserted into the ink container 11 to keep air tightness of the ink container 11. The rod 22 extends from the sealing block 21, and is airtightly inserted into the rod support boss 12. In order to prevent ink expelled from the ink cartridge from leaking out of the ink container 11, the junction of the sealing block 21 and the inner wall of the ink container 11 and the junction of the rod 22 and the rod support boss 12 must be kept airtight. To this end, a packing ring 27 is mounted around the sealing block 21 to maintain airtightness between the sealing block 21 and the ink container 11. Further, packing rings 26 are mounted around the rod 22 to maintain airtightness between the rod 22 and the rod support boss 12.

[39] Two or more packing rings 26 are mounted around the rod 22 in such a way as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. The interval is set such that at least one of the two packing rings 26 is located in the rod support boss 12 when the slider 20 is positioned at the uppermost position and the lowermost position.

[40] An outlet hole 24 which communicate with the suction path 23 is formed in the lower portion of the rod 22. Therefore, the ink discharged from the ink cartridge can flow into the ink container 11 from the suction path 23. The outlet hole 24 is stationed between the closed end of the ink container 11 and the sealing block 21. A step 25 is provided on the upper end of the rod 22, and is inserted into a rod mounting part 33 of the housing cap 30, which will be described later.

[41] The housing cap 30 includes the cover 31 and the rod mounting part 33. The cover

31 has the shape of a cylinder which is closed at an end thereof, and is fitted over the body 10 to cover the body 10. The rod mounting part 33 is formed through the closed end of the cover 31 to support the upper end of the rod 22. The ink cartridge is brought into close contact with the closed end of the cover 31 through the medium of the pad 40 which is mounted on the cover 31. The rod is inserted into the rod mounting part 33.

[42] Preferably, part of a sidewall of the cover 31 may be cut out so that a person can see the interior of the cover 31 and observe the discharging state of ink. Further, a cartridge support plate 35 protrudes from the closed end of the cover 31 to support the sidewall of the ink cartridge. The guide groove 34 having a predetermined length is formed on the inner wall of the cover 31, so that the guide protrusion 14 provided on the outer surface of the ink container 11 is inserted into and moved along the guide groove 34. In this way, the sliding motion of the housing cap 30 is guided.

[43] The pad 40 includes an elastic plate 41 having a suction hole 43, and an insert part

44. The suction hole 43 is formed through the elastic plate 41 so that the injection nozzle 2 being brought into close contact with the upper side of the elastic plate 41 can communicate with the suction path 23 of the rod 20 via the suction hole 43. Preferably, the insert part 44 which communicate with the suction hole 43 is provided on the lower side of the elastic plate 41. The upper end portion of the rod 22 is inserted into the insert part 44 and becomes into contact with the lower side of the elastic plastic 41. The insert part 44 is inserted into a pad seat 32 which is provided on the closed end of the cover 31. Thereby, the pad 40 can be firmly secured on the cover 31. A nozzle seat 42 is provided around the suction hole 43 and provides space to make it easy for the suction hole 43 to communicate with the injection nozzle of the ink cartridge. Also, the nozzle seat 42 allow negative pressure to be effectively supplied into the injection nozzle of the ink cartridge.

[44] According to such a construction, the suction kit has an expelling passage, namely, the ink expelled from the ink cartridge is fed into the ink container 11 through the suction hole 43, the suction path 23, and the outlet hole 24 of the slider 20.

[45] Hereinafter, the method of using the suction kit for ink cartridges, according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. The usage method will be described with reference to the above-mentioned sponge-type ink cartridge. In the case of a pack-type ink cartridge, if it is turned upside down, air contained in the ink cartridge flows up, so it is impossible to remove air through the injection nozzle of the ink cartridge. Thus, the suction kit must be placed on the ink cartridge and be pressed against the ink cartridge, unlike the method shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. However, the operating structure of the suction kit remains the same as that shown in the drawings.

[46] After ink is refilled into the ink cartridge 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the suction kit according to this invention is placed such that the open end of the ink container 11 contacts a flat surface, such as a desk. Next, the ink injection nozzle 2 of the ink cartridge 1 is aligned to be in close contact with the suction hole 43 of the pad 40.

[47] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, when the ink cartridge 1 is pressed downwards, the housing cap 30 and the slider 20 slide downwards together. At this time, the space defined by the inner wall of the ink container 11 and the sealing block 21 is enlarged, and negative pressure is produced in the enlarged space. By such negative pressure, air and ink stored in the ink cartridge 1 are forcibly discharged into the ink container 11 through the suction path 23 and the outlet hole 24 of the rod 22.

[48] In such a state, when a user further presses the ink cartridge 1, the ink cartridge 1 is moved until the rod mounting part 33 provided in the cover 31 comes into contact with the rod support boss 12 provided on the closed end of the ink container 11, as shown in FIG. 9. At this time, the internal space of the ink container 11 is further enlarged and negative pressure is increased. Thereby, air and ink are continuously discharged from the ink cartridge 1 into the ink container 11. However, usually, it is not necessary to expel a large amount of air or ink and a satisfactory result can be achieved simply through the process described in FIG. 8.

[49] As described above, negative pressure for expelling ink is produced merely by placing the ink cartridge on the suction kit according to the present invention and pressing the ink cartridge downwards. Industrial Applicability

[50] The present invention provides a suction kit for ink cartridges, which allows air and ink to be easily expelled from an ink cartridge, thus affording a convenient ink refilling operation.

Claims

[1] A suction kit for ink cartridges, comprising: a body 10 comprising an ink container 11 closed at an end thereof and a rod support boss 12 passing through the closed end of the container 11; a slider 20, comprising: a sealing block 21 inserted into the container 11 to maintain airtightness of the container 11, a rod 22 which extends from the sealing block 21 and is airtightly inserted into rod support boss 12, and a suction path 23 which is defined in the rod 22 and extends to an upper end of the rod; an outlet hole 24 which is formed in a lower portion of the rod 22 and can communicates with the suction path 23; and a pad 40 coupled to the upper end of the rod 22 in such a way that the suction path 23 of the rod 22 can communicate with an injection nozzle 2 of the ink cartridge 1 being brought into close contact with the pad.

[2] The suction kit according to claim 1, wherein the suction kit further comprises a housing cap 30 which is fitted over the ink container 11 to cover the closed end of the ink container 11 and supports the ink cartridge 1, the housing cap comprises a cylindrical cover 31 closed at an end thereof and a rod mounting part 33 formed through the closed end of the cover 31 to support the end of the rod 22, and the pad 40 comprises an elastic plate 41 attached to the closed end of the cover 31, and a suction hole 43 formed on the elastic plate 41 to communicate with the rod mounting part 33.

[3] The suction kit according to claim 2, wherein a pad seat 32 is provided on the closed end of the cover 31 in such a way as to communicate with the rod mounting part 33, an insert part 44 is provided on an inner surface of the elastic plate 41 in such a way as to communicate with the suction hole 43 formed in the surface of the elastic plate and is inserted into the pad seat 32, and a nozzle seat 42 is provided around the suction hole 43 to provide an ink suction space.

[4] The suction kit as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a packing ring 27 is mounted to the sealing block 21 to airtightly seal a gap between the sealing block and the ink container 11, and a packing ring 26 is mounted to the rod 22 to airtightly seal a gap between the rod and the rod support boss 12.

[5] The suction kit as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a base plate 13 is provided along an outer circumference on an open end of the ink container 11 to allow the ink container 11 to be stably placed on a surface.

[6] The suction kit as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a guide protrusion 14 is provided on an outer surface of the ink container 11, and a guide groove 34 is provided on a sidewall of the cover 31 so that the guide protrusion 14 is inserted into the guide groove to be moved along the guide groove.

[7] The suction kit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein part of the sidewall of the cover 31 is cut out to allow a person to see an interior of the cover, and a cartridge support plate 35 protrudes from the closed end of the cover to support a sidewall of the ink cartridge.