A method for ink cartridge regeneration

Abstract

The application provides a method for regenerating an ink cartridge and a regenerated ink cartridge formed by the method. The ink cartridge comprises a cartridge body and a gas guide assembly arranged on the cartridge body. The cartridge body has a cavity for containing ink. The gas guide assembly comprises an air inlet, a fluid passage and a communication port. The communication port is in communication with the cavity. The air inlet is in communication with the atmosphere. The fluid passage is in communication with the air inlet and the communication port. The method comprises a cleaning step of cleaning the ink cartridge, a removal step of removing at least a part of the fluid passage to form a buffer cavity in communication with the air inlet, a sealing step of sealing the buffer cavity and the air inlet by a sealing member, and an ink injection step of injecting ink into the cavity. Even if the ink flows from the cavity to the buffer cavity, the risk of the ink being ejected from the air inlet can be reduced due to the increased volume of the buffer cavity and the reduced hydraulic pressure of the ink in the buffer cavity.

Description

[0001] This invention is a divisional application filed by the applicant on December 22, 2022 with the Chinese Patent Office, application number 202211656265.8, entitled "Ink Cartridge Regeneration Method and Regenerated Ink Cartridge". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of inkjet imaging, and more particularly to a method for regenerating ink cartridges. Background Technology

[0003] Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is a perspective view of an existing ink cartridge. The ink cartridge 10 includes a first cartridge body 1 and a second cartridge body 2 connected to each other. The first cartridge body 1 includes a housing 11 and an ink outlet 12 disposed on the housing 11. The second cartridge body 2 and the housing 11 form a cavity for containing ink. The ink outlet 12 is used to discharge ink outward.

[0004] To control the ink flow rate, a sponge is installed inside the ink cartridge 10 as a negative pressure generator. Simultaneously, the second cartridge 2 is equipped with an air guide assembly 3 that communicates with the atmosphere and the cavity. The air guide assembly 3 includes an air inlet 31, a fluid channel 32, and a connecting port 33, all interconnected. The connecting port 33 is opposite the sponge and communicates with the cavity. The fluid channel 32 connects the air inlet 31 and the connecting port 33. The fluid channel 32 includes a straight section channel 32a and a curved section channel 32b, both interconnected. The straight section channel 32a is directly connected to the air inlet 31, and the curved section channel 32b is directly connected to the connecting port 33. When the ink in the cavity is consumed, external air enters the cavity through the air guide assembly 31 to maintain stable air pressure within the cavity.

[0005] However, when the external air pressure of the ink cartridge decreases, for example, when the ink cartridge is in a high-altitude environment, the ink in the cavity may flow back to the air inlet 31 through the connecting port 33. Generally, the air inlet 31 is set to be small in order to control the amount of air entering, but at this time, the ink that reaches the vicinity of the air inlet 31 may be ejected under the action of the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cavity.

[0006] Furthermore, to reduce the environmental pollution caused by empty ink cartridges (empty cartridges / original cartridges), there are methods to regenerate empty cartridges into regenerated cartridges for continued use. Therefore, addressing the aforementioned issues during the regeneration process of empty / original cartridges will help improve the user experience of regenerated cartridges. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides an ink cartridge regeneration method employing the following technical solution to prevent ink ejection, as detailed below:

[0008] A method for regenerating an ink cartridge, the ink cartridge including a cartridge body and an air guiding assembly disposed on the cartridge body, the cartridge body forming a cavity for containing ink, the air guiding assembly including an air inlet, a fluid channel, and a connecting port, the connecting port communicating with the cavity, the air inlet communicating with the atmosphere, and the fluid channel communicating with the air inlet and the connecting port; the regeneration method includes:

[0009] The cleaning procedure involves cleaning the ink cartridge.

[0010] The removal step involves removing at least a portion of the fluid passage to form a buffer chamber that can communicate with the air inlet.

[0011] The sealing step involves using sealing components to seal the buffer chamber and the air inlet.

[0012] The ink-filling step involves injecting ink into the cavity;

[0013] This regeneration method creates a buffer cavity on the cartridge. Even if ink flows from the cartridge to the buffer cavity, the increased volume of the buffer cavity reduces the hydraulic pressure on the ink within it, thus lowering the risk of ink being ejected from the air inlet.

[0014] In some embodiments, the fluid channel includes a straight section channel and a curved section channel that are interconnected, wherein the straight section channel is directly connected to the air inlet, and the curved section channel is directly connected to the connecting port. In the removal step, the curved section channel is completely removed, and at least a portion of the straight section channel is retained. The buffer chamber is connected to the air inlet through the straight section channel.

[0015] In some embodiments, the housing includes a first housing and a second housing joined together in the vertical direction, a cavity located between the first housing and the second housing, the first housing located below the second housing, an opening at the top of the first housing, the second housing covering the opening, and an air guiding assembly located in the second housing.

[0016] Preferably, the buffer cavity is directly connected to the cavity body.

[0017] In some embodiments, during the removal step, at least a portion of the fluid channel and the connecting port are removed.

[0018] In some embodiments, the regeneration method further includes the step of installing an absorbent for absorbing ink into the buffer cavity prior to the sealing step.

[0019] Preferably, the absorbent element does not completely fill the buffer cavity.

[0020] Preferably, the seal includes a first seal for sealing the buffer cavity and a second seal for sealing the air inlet, wherein the second seal can be removed from the housing relative to the first seal after the seal is engaged with the housing.

[0021] Preferably, the ink cartridge also includes a negative pressure generating element disposed in the cavity, and the absorbing element does not contact the negative pressure generating element.

[0022] The present invention also provides a regenerated ink cartridge, which is regenerated according to the above-described ink cartridge regeneration method.

[0023] The regeneration method is used to regenerate a regenerated ink cartridge. Even if the external air pressure of the regenerated ink cartridge decreases, the ink in the chamber flows to the buffer chamber. Compared with the fluid channel of the original ink cartridge, the buffer chamber is larger in size, and the pressure of the ink entering the buffer chamber is reduced. Therefore, the risk of the ink cartridge being ejected from the air inlet can be effectively reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is a 3D diagram of an existing ink cartridge.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the state of an ink cartridge after the seal is separated from the cartridge body, according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the state of an ink cartridge after the sealing element and the absorber element have been separated from the cartridge body, according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of another existing ink cartridge according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the state of the regenerated ink cartridge after the cartridge body and the expansion component have been separated, according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] [Example 1]

[0031] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the state of an ink cartridge after the seal is separated from the cartridge body, according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the state of an ink cartridge after the sealing element and the absorber element have been separated from the cartridge body, according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0032] Compared to the ink cartridges described in the background technology, this embodiment only modifies some of their structures. For ease of understanding, components identical to those in the background technology will be directly referenced and numbered the same. The following description, in conjunction with... Figure 1A and Figure 1B The structure of ink cartridge 10 will be described in more detail.

[0033] The ink cartridge 10 (original ink cartridge) can be installed into the imaging device in a detachable manner. In order to ensure that the ink cartridge 10 is stably installed in the imaging device, the ink cartridge 10 also includes a first positioning member 41 and a second positioning member 42 provided on two opposite sides of the ink cartridge 10. The first positioning member 41 is configured to be movable relative to the housing 101 composed of the first housing 1 and the second housing 2. The first positioning member 41 is provided with a positioning boss 411. The ink cartridge is positioned in the imaging device by the positioning boss 411 and the second positioning member 42.

[0034] Taking the position of the ink cartridge 10 installed in the imaging device as a reference, the direction from the first positioning member 41 to the second positioning member 42 is defined as rear, and the opposite is defined as front. The ink outlet 12 is located below the ink cartridge 10 and communicates with the cavity to discharge ink outward. The side opposite to the ink outlet 12 is the top of the ink cartridge 10. When viewing the ink cartridge 10 from a forward perspective, the left side of the line of sight is the left side of the ink cartridge 10, and the right side of the line of sight is the right side of the ink cartridge 10. The ink cartridge 10 is installed downward in the vertical direction.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first cartridge 1 and the second cartridge 2 are connected vertically, with the cavity 102 located between the first cartridge 1 and the second cartridge 2. The first cartridge 1 is located below the second cartridge 2. Specifically, the first cartridge 1 has an open top, and the second cartridge 2 covers the open top to form the cavity 102. Therefore, the first cartridge 1 can be considered as the bottom shell of the ink cartridge 10, and the second cartridge 2 can be considered as the top cover of the ink cartridge 10. In existing ink cartridges, the air guiding component 3 is disposed on the second cartridge 2, and the fluid channel 32 in the air guiding component 3 connects the air inlet 31 and the connecting port 33. In this embodiment, the air guiding component 3 is replaced by the control component 6. Therefore, the control component 6 is also disposed on the second cartridge 2, and the volume of the cavity 102 is not changed. The control component 6 is used to allow external air to enter the cavity 102 and to prevent ink from spraying out of the cavity. In practice, the control component 6 can be disposed on either the first cartridge 1 or the second cartridge 2. Therefore, the control component 6 can be simplified as being disposed on the cartridge 101, which will be described in detail below.

[0036] Furthermore, the ink cartridge 10 also includes an ink filling port 5 disposed on the second cartridge body 2. Through the ink filling port 5, the user can directly inject ink into the cavity. Understandably, the ink filling port 5 should not be limited to the position shown in the figure, but can be set in other positions of the ink cartridge 10 according to design requirements. The ink filling port 5 can even be eliminated, and the user can inject ink into the cavity through the ink outlet 12.

[0037] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the control component 6 includes a buffer cavity 61, an absorber 62, an air inlet 31, and a seal 63 disposed on the cartridge 101 / second cartridge 2. The buffer cavity 61 is formed as a groove-shaped body communicating with the cavity. In the vertical direction, the buffer cavity 61 is located above the cavity 102 and opposite to the cavity 102. The buffer cavity 61 is directly connected to the cavity 102. The atmosphere entering the buffer cavity 61 can quickly enter the cavity 102. Conversely, due to the decrease in the external air pressure of the ink cartridge 10, the ink flowing from the cavity 102 to the buffer cavity 61 is either absorbed by the absorber 62 or directly returned to the cavity 102, and will not remain in the curved section channel 32b. When the ink in the ink cartridge 10 is consumed, after the user removes the ink cartridge 10, there will be no ink remaining in the curved section channel 32b flowing out and polluting the environment or the user's hands.

[0038] The absorber 62 is installed in the buffer chamber 61. The seal 63 is used to seal the buffer chamber 61 and the air inlet 31 at the same time. The absorber 62 does not contact the sponge (negative pressure generating element) 15 in the cavity 102, which can prevent the ink in the sponge 15 from being absorbed by the absorber 62 and causing the absorber 62 to become saturated prematurely. The buffer chamber 61 and the air inlet 31 are connected through the fluid channel 32. Specifically, the buffer chamber 61 is connected to the air inlet 31 through the straight section channel 32a. The external atmosphere can enter the buffer chamber 61 through the air inlet 31, and then enter the cavity 102 through the buffer chamber 61. Therefore, the buffer chamber 61, the straight section channel 32a and the air inlet 31 together form the air guiding channel of the ink cartridge.

[0039] Furthermore, the buffer cavity 61 is divided into a first part 61a near the air inlet 31 / straight section channel 32a and a second part 61b away from the air inlet 31 / straight section channel 32a. The first part 61a and the second part 61b are interconnected, and the absorber 62 is installed in the second part 61b. According to the shape of the buffer cavity 61 and the air inlet 31, the sealing member 63 includes a first sealing member 631 and a second sealing member 632 formed integrally or separately. The first sealing member 631 is used to seal the buffer cavity 61, and the second sealing member 632 is used to seal the air inlet 31. The sealing member 63 can be bonded or welded to the housing 101. When the sealing member 63 is bonded to the housing 101, the control component 6 is not connected to the atmosphere, and the second sealing member 632 can be removed from the housing 101 relative to the first sealing member 631.

[0040] Before using ink cartridge 10, the user needs to remove the second seal 632 to allow the air inlet 31 to communicate with and be exposed to the atmosphere. As the ink in the cavity is consumed, the external atmosphere can enter the cavity through the air inlet 31, thereby maintaining the air pressure in the cavity in a stable state.

[0041] When the external air pressure around the ink cartridge 10 decreases, the ink inside the chamber will flow into the buffer chamber 61. However, due to the following design within the buffer chamber 61, the risk of ink ejection can be significantly reduced:

[0042] 1. An absorber 62 is installed in the buffer chamber 61. The ink that reaches the buffer chamber 61 can be absorbed by the absorber 62, which is equivalent to setting an absorber 62 that can absorb ink on the air guide channel of the ink cartridge 10.

[0043] 2. The size of the first part 61a in the buffer cavity 61 is much larger than the size of the air inlet 31 and the connecting port 33 in the existing air guide assembly 3. Even if the ink that reaches the buffer cavity 61 is not completely absorbed by the absorber, the remaining ink can be contained in the first part 61a.

[0044] 3. Since the size of the first part 61a described in Article 2 is much larger than the size of the air inlet 31 and the connecting port 33 in the existing air guide assembly 3, when ink of the same volume arrives at the air guide assembly 3 and the control assembly 6 respectively, it is obvious that the hydraulic pressure in the control assembly 6 is much smaller.

[0045] In other embodiments, the absorber 62 may also be disposed in the first part 61a, so that as long as the ink tends to flow toward the air inlet 31, the ink can be absorbed by the absorber 62, thereby greatly reducing the risk of ink ejection.

[0046] Therefore, the absorber 62 can be placed in either the first part 61a or the second part 61b. That is, the buffer cavity 61 is not filled with the absorber 62. After the absorber 62 is installed, the buffer cavity 61 will always form a space where the absorber 62 is not installed (one of the first part 61a and the second part 61b). The formation of this space not only helps to reduce the hydraulic pressure in the control component 6, but also prevents the ink entering the buffer cavity 61 from the cavity from being completely absorbed by the absorber 62, thereby avoiding premature saturation of the absorber 62 and extending its service life.

[0047] Based on the inventive concept of this embodiment, the technical solution is also applicable to regenerating existing ink cartridges 10, reducing the risk of ink in the regenerated ink cartridge 10' being ejected from the air inlet 31.

[0048] The regeneration method includes the following steps:

[0049] The cleaning procedure involves cleaning the existing ink cartridge 10.

[0050] The removal step involves removing at least a portion of the fluid channel 32 of the air guide assembly in the existing ink cartridge, so that the original location of the fluid channel 32 forms the buffer cavity 61, and the buffer cavity 61 is simultaneously connected to the ink-containing cavity and the air inlet 31.

[0051] The installation steps for absorbent 62 are as follows: Install absorbent 62 in buffer cavity 61;

[0052] In the sealing step, the sealing element 63 is combined with the housing 101 so that the sealing element 63 can simultaneously seal the buffer cavity 61 and the air inlet 31.

[0053] In the ink filling step, a predetermined amount of ink is injected into the cavity 102.

[0054] The cleaning and removal steps can be interchanged, but if the cleaning step is performed first, it should be performed again after the removal step. In the removal step, specific removal methods can be used, such as using a cutting blade / laser beam to cut off the target (at least a portion of the fluid channel 32 and / or the connecting port 33), or using heat to burn / scald the target. When the connecting port 33 is not removed, the buffer cavity 61 can be connected to or not connected to the connecting port 33. When the connecting port 33 is removed, the buffer cavity 61 also includes the area formed after removing the connecting port 33, and the buffer cavity 61 can be considered as a connecting port 33. Preferably, at least a portion of the fluid channel 32 and the connecting port 33 are removed, which helps reduce the difficulty of removal and simplifies the ink cartridge regeneration process. In the ink filling step, ink can be injected into the cavity 102 through the ink filling port 5 or the ink outlet 12.

[0055] Using this regeneration method, a buffer chamber 61 is formed in the regenerated ink cartridge 10', thereby effectively reducing the risk of ink ejection from the air inlet 31. In some embodiments, for example, in environments where the external air pressure of the ink cartridge 10 does not drop significantly, the absorber 62 can be omitted. Even if ink reaches the buffer chamber 61, the ink will not eject from the air inlet 31 because the size of the buffer chamber 61 is much larger than the size of the air inlet 31 and the connecting port 33 in the existing air guide assembly 3. In some embodiments, for example, in environments where the external air pressure of the ink cartridge 10 drops significantly, the absorber 62 needs to be installed so that the ink reaching the buffer chamber 61 can be absorbed by the absorber 62, preventing ink from ejecting from the air inlet 31.

[0056] Furthermore, in the removal step, fluid channel 32 can be completely removed, or at least a portion of the straight segment channel 32a can be retained, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the buffer chamber 61 is connected to the air inlet 31 through the straight section channel 32a. At least a part of the straight section channel 32a is retained, but the curved section channel 32b is no longer retained. Thus, the external atmosphere can quickly enter the chamber, which is beneficial to maintaining the air pressure stability inside the chamber.

[0057] [Example 2]

[0058] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of another existing ink cartridge according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the state of the regenerated ink cartridge after the cartridge body and the expansion component have been separated, according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0059] In this embodiment, the existing ink cartridge 10 includes a first housing 1 and a second housing 2 joined together, forming a cavity between the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 to accommodate ink. Taking the ink cartridge 10 in its position when installed in the imaging device as a reference, the ink cartridge 10 has... Figure 4 As shown in the front-back direction, up-down direction, and left-right direction, the cartridge 101 formed by the combination of the first cartridge 1 and the second cartridge 2 has a front side wall 10a, a rear side wall 10b, an upper side wall 10c, and a lower side wall 10d as shown in the figure. The front side wall 10a and the rear side wall 10b are opposite each other in the front-back direction, and the upper side wall 10c and the lower side wall 10d are opposite each other in the up-down direction. The ink outlet (not shown) for discharging ink outward can be set on either the front side wall 10a or the lower side wall 10d of the ink cartridge 10.

[0060] Along the front-to-back direction, the cavity of the ink cartridge 10 is divided into a front cavity 10g and a rear cavity 10h by a partition 10b'. The volume of the front cavity 10g is larger than that of the rear cavity 10h, and the front cavity 10g is connected to the ink outlet.

[0061] To meet the needs of different users, there are already examples of ink cartridges with basically the same structure designed for use in two different types of imaging devices. This has resulted in a large number of empty shells of small-capacity ink cartridges that have run out of ink, while there are fewer empty shells of large-capacity ink cartridges on the market. On the one hand, to reduce the environmental impact of empty ink cartridge shells, and on the other hand, to meet users' demand for large-capacity ink cartridges, it is a direction that ink cartridge manufacturers need to consider: regenerating the shells of small-capacity ink cartridges to form large-capacity ink cartridges.

[0062] This embodiment provides a method for regenerating small-capacity ink cartridges to form large-capacity ink cartridges. The regeneration method includes:

[0063] The steps of modifying the original ink cartridge 10 form the modified cartridge body 101';

[0064] Steps for preparing expansion component 7;

[0065] The steps for fixing the expansion component 7 to the box body 11'.

[0066] In the step of modifying the original ink cartridge 10, the rear cavity 10h is removed along the partition 10b' while the front cavity 10g is retained. At this time, the partition 10b' becomes the rear side wall of the modified cartridge 101'. Then, a gas outlet 13 and a liquid inlet 14 are provided on the new rear side wall 10b'. In the vertical direction, the gas outlet 13 is located above the liquid inlet 14.

[0067] The expansion component 7 includes an expansion body 71 for containing ink, and a gas inlet 72 and a liquid outlet 73 protruding from the expansion body 71. The gas inlet 72 corresponds to the gas outlet 13, and the liquid outlet 73 corresponds to the liquid inlet 14. By simultaneously inserting the gas inlet 72 into the gas outlet 13 and the liquid outlet 73 into the liquid inlet 14, the modified cartridge 101' is in fluid communication with the expansion component 7.

[0068] Furthermore, the gas inlet 72 and the gas outlet 13, as well as the liquid outlet 73 and the liquid inlet 14, are both interference fits. In this way, the modified box 101' can also form a stable connection with the expansion member 7 without the aid of other auxiliary components.

[0069] Preferably, the gas outlet 13 and the liquid inlet 14 are spaced apart from each other, so that even if the gas inlet 72 and the gas outlet 13 and the liquid outlet 73 and the liquid inlet 14 are both cylindrical and circular holes, the expansion member 7 and the modified box 101' will not rotate relative to each other.

[0070] Preferably, the regenerated ink cartridge 10' further includes sealing components disposed between the gas inlet 72 and the gas outlet 13 and between the liquid outlet 73 and the liquid inlet 14 to prevent gas and liquid leakage.

[0071] As described above, by removing the small-capacity rear cavity 10h from the original ink cartridge 10, a modified cartridge body 101' is formed by including a large-capacity front cavity 10g. The expansion component 7 is then fluidly connected to the cartridge body 101' to form a regenerated ink cartridge 10', thereby realizing the regeneration of a large-capacity ink cartridge from a small-capacity ink cartridge.

Claims

1. A method for regenerating an ink cartridge, the ink cartridge comprising a cartridge body and an air guiding component and an ink outlet disposed on the cartridge body, the cartridge body having a cavity for containing ink, the air guiding component comprising an air inlet, a fluid channel and a connecting port, the connecting port communicating with the cavity, the air inlet communicating with the atmosphere, the fluid channel communicating with the air inlet and the connecting port, and the ink outlet for discharging ink outwards. Its features are, The regeneration method includes: The cleaning procedure involves cleaning the ink cartridge. The removal step involves removing at least a portion of the fluid passage to form a buffer chamber that can communicate with the air inlet, the buffer chamber being located where the fluid passage was originally situated. The sealing step involves using sealing components to seal the buffer chamber and the air inlet. The ink-filling step involves injecting ink into the cavity.

2. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fluid passage includes interconnected straight section passages and curved section passages. The straight section passage is directly connected to the air inlet, and the curved section passage is directly connected to the connecting port. In the removal step, the curved section passage is completely removed, and at least a portion of the straight section passage is retained. The buffer chamber is connected to the air inlet through the straight section passage.

3. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes a first housing and a second housing that are joined together in the vertical direction. A cavity is located between the first housing and the second housing. The first housing is located below the second housing. The top of the first housing is open. The second housing covers the open. An air guiding assembly is located in the second housing.

4. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buffer chamber is directly connected to the cavity.

5. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the removal step, at least a portion of the fluid channel and the connecting port are removed.

6. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the ink cartridge also includes an ink filling port on the cartridge body, ink is injected into the cavity through the ink filling port or ink outlet during the ink filling step.

7. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The regeneration method further includes the step of installing an absorbent for absorbing ink into the buffer cavity prior to the sealing step.

8. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the absorber is installed, a space without the absorber is formed in the buffer cavity.

9. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The seal includes a first seal for sealing the buffer cavity and a second seal for sealing the air inlet. When the seal is engaged with the housing, the second seal can be removed from the housing relative to the first seal.

10. The ink cartridge regeneration method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The ink cartridge also includes a negative pressure generating element disposed in the cavity, and the absorbing element does not contact the negative pressure generating element.

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