Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HIGH CAPACITY INK SUPPLY APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a high capacity ink supply apparatus and
particularly to a high capacity ink supply apparatus for inkjet printers to
overcome the problems of limited ink capacity and high prices of ink
cartridges
used in the existing inkjet printers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Digital camera has become increasingly popular these days. Users can print
photos at home by themselves. As a result, printers, especially color
printers,
are widely used. The ink for printing the photos also is consumed quickly. The
present ink cartridges usually have limited capacity. They have to be replaced
frequently. It is not convenient. Moreover, the ink cartridge is quite
expensive.
To remedy this problem, A R.O.C. patent publication no. 538909 (called "the
reference" hereinafter) discloses an ink supply device that provides a greater
ink
capacity. However, that device has drawbacks during installation and use,
notably:
1. During transportation or not in use, the ink could flow reversely and air
could enter the duct due to siphonage and result in interruption of ink
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supply during printing. When not in use, the duct has to be clamped by a
clip to prevent reverse flow or flow interruption of the ink.
2. In the reference, the duct is extended upwards to the storage tank. The
ink in the storage tank cannot be fully depleted and use. It results in
waste of the ink.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforesaid disadvantages, the primary object of the present
invention is to provide a high capacity ink supply apparatus for inkjet
printers to
overcome the problem of ink supply limitation occurred to the conventional ink
cartridges, and also to reduce the cost of ink usage and alleviate the
inconvenience of frequently replacing the ink cartridge.
Another object of the invention is to provide a high capacity ink supply
apparatus with a standardized ink cartridge so that the standardized ink
cartridge
may be inserted into a core trough of an imitated outer cartridge which is
formed with a profile matching the original ink cartridge of a corresponding
brand thereby the fabrication cost of the ink cartridge may be reduced and the
applicability of the invention may increase.
In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the high capacity ink supply
apparatus according to the invention mainly includes a high capacity tank, a
duct and an ink cartridge. The high capacity tank includes an air intake
device
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for receiving air and a check valve to allow the ink to flow in one direction.
The
apparatus thus constructed can increase ink storage capacity and reduce the
cost
of ink usage.
The high capacity ink supply apparatus according to the invention further
has a standardized ink cartridge to be inserted into a core trough of an
imitated
outer cartridge which is formed with a profile matching the original ink
cartridge of a corresponding brand thereby the ink storage capacity may
increase, ink usage cost may be reduced and the applicability to various
brands
may increase.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the
invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed
description,
which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a first dock cavity and the air intake device of
the invention.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a second dock cavity and the check valve of
the invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the ink outflow device of the invention.
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FIG.6 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention showing
the high capacity tank equipped with an air inlet.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the invention showing the ink cartridge and
an imitated outer cartridge.
FIG. 8 is a cross section of yet another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention
showing the ink cartridge and the imitated outer cartridge coupled together.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the invention
showing the ink cartridge and the imitated outer cartridge coupled together.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the high capacity ink supply apparatus
according to the invention mainly includes a high capacity tank 1, a duct 2
and
an ink cartridge 3. The high capacity tank 1 is connected to the ink cartridge
3
through the duct 2.
The high capacity tank 1 has a closed container 12 for holding ink 121. It
includes an air intake device 13 for receiving air and a check valve 14 to
allow
the ink to flow in one direction. The air intake device 13 is located in a
first
dock cavity 123 on one side at the bottom of the closed container 12. The
check
valve 14 is located in a second cavity 124 on another side thereof. The check
valve 14 has an outlet end to couple with a duct connector 143 which is
connected to one end of the duct 2.
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The duct 2 is a hollow tube.
The ink cartridge 3 may be held in an ink cartridge housing of an inkjet
printer A. It has an ink chamber 31 which has one side extended to form a duck
connector 311 to connect one end of the duct 2. It further includes an ink
outflow device 32 on a lower side corresponding to an ink supply duck 5 of the
nozzle of the inkjet printer for the ink to flow out in one direction
(referring to
FIG. 5).
The closed container 12 of the high capacity tank 1 is made from a
transparent material (such as plastics, glass, or the like). It has an
extension 122
on one side of a lower section to couple with an outer casing 11 made from
opaque material (such as colored plastics). The outer casing 11 has an opening
111 corresponding to the extension 122 and a bore 112 to allow the duct 2 to
run through. The outer casing 11 may be coupled on the outer periphery of the
closed container 12. The extension 122 forms a window allowing users to see
the storing level of the ink 121.
The air intake device 13 located in the first dock cavity 123 of the closed
container 12 may be a check valve (referring to FIG. 3) to allow air to enter
the
closed container 12 so that the air can replenish the void space when the ink
121
is used and diminished to balance the internal pressure of the closed
container
12. Moreover, the air intake device 13 has one or more annular leak-proof
groove 131 formed on the outer periphery to couple with a leak-proof ring 132.
The air intake device 13 also has a housing chamber 136 to house a spring 133
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and a leak-proof plug 134. The housing chamber 136 has a plurality of
channeling flutes 135 on a side wall and anther side coupled with a plug 137
which has a conical aperture formed thereon. The check valve 14 located in the
second dock cavity 124 (referring to FIG. 4) allows the ink 121 in the closed
container 12 to be sucked and flow out when the inkjet printer A is printing.
The ink 121 flows into the ink cartridge 3 through the duct 2 and is prevented
from flowing back. The check valve has at least one annular leak-proof groove
141 on the outer periphery to couple with a leak-proof ring 142. The check
valve 14 has one end coupling with a duct connector 143 and a housing
chamber 146 to house a spring 144 and a leak-proof plug 145. The housing
chamber 146 has a plurality of channeling flutes 147 on a side wall and anther
side coupled with a plug 148 which has a conical aperture formed thereon.
The ink cartridge 3 has an ink outflow device 32 to enable the ink 121
contained in the ink cartridge 3 to flow to an ink supply duct 5 of a nozzle
of the
inkjet printer A. The ink outflow device 32 has a check valve 33 (referring to
FIG. 5) which has a housing chamber 333 to house a spring 331 and a
leak-proof plug 332. The housing chamber 333 has a plurality of channeling
flutes 334 on an upper side wall and a lower section coupled with a plug 335
which has a conical aperture formed thereon.
By means of the construction set forth above, the high capacity tank 1 and
the ink cartridge 3 are connected through the duct 2. The ink cartridge 3 is
inserted in an ink cartridge housing (not shown in the drawings) of the inkjet
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printer A. The ink outflow device 32 of the ink cartridge 3 coupled with the
ink
supply duct 5 of the inkjet printer A. When the inkjet printer is operating, a
suction force will be generated to draw the ink 121 contained in the ink
cartridge 3 to the nozzle of the inkjet printer for ejection. Thus the ink 121
in
the closed container 12 will continuously flow through the duct 2 to the ink
chamber 31 of the ink cartridge 3 (the ink chamber 31 constantly contains a
small amount of the ink 121 to prevent the nozzle from drying and clogging.
The air intake device 13 aims to balance the internal pressure of the closed
container 12. Meanwhile it also controls air intake corresponding to flowing
out
of the ink 121 to replenish the space being voided). When the printer is not
in
use, the check valve 14 in the closed container 12 can prevent the ink from
flowing back.
The air intake device 13 of the invention may adopt a simpler structure.
Referring to FIG. 6, it may be an air inlet 13' located on the top end of the
high
capacity tank 1 to allow the air to enter and replenish the air diminished due
to
use of the ink 121 thereby to balance the internal pressure of the closed
container 12.
Moreover, the outlet of the ink outflow device 32 may be sealed by a
membrane 321 to replace the check valve 33 so that the ink 121 may be
prevented from flowing out before the ink cartridge 3 is installed to couple
with
the nozzle of the inkjet printer A.
In addition (referring to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9), the ink cartridge 3 of the
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invention may be formed in a standard profile. And an imitated outer cartridge
4
may be made with a core trough 41 formed therein to house the ink cartridge 3.
The imitated outer cartridge 4 matches the original ink cartridges of a
corresponding brand. Thus only one standardized ink cartridge 3 may be
fabricated. By coupling with the imitated outer cartridge 4, it can be used on
the
printers of different brands and vendors. Hence compatibility may be improved
to reduce the production cost of the ink cartridge. The imitated outer
cartridge 4
has a profile matching the original ink cartridges of a corresponding brand.
It
has a core trough 41 to house the standardized ink cartridge 3. It also has an
aperture 42 corresponding to the ink outflow device 32 to enable the ink
outflow device 32 to extend outwards. Moreover, to suit mufti-color ink
cartridges, the imitated outer cartridge 4' may contain a plurality of core
troughs
41' (referring to FIG. 10) to house the standard ink cartridges of various
colors.
In summary, the invention can overcome the drawbacks of insufficient ink
capacity and high prices occurred to the conventional ink cartridges. The cost
may be reduced, and applicability increases.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for
the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the
invention as well as other embodiment thereof may occur to those skilled in
the
art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments
which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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