Ink box

Abstract

The utility model relates to an ink cartridge for an ink jet printer. In some embodiments, the ink box comprises a box body provided with an ink storage cavity and an ink outlet hole, an air inlet communicated with the ink storage cavity is formed in the inner surface of the ink outlet hole, a sealing film for sealing the ink outlet hole is arranged on the outer end face of the ink outlet hole, one or more trace lines are arranged on the surface of the sealing film, and the depth of the trace lines is smaller than the thickness of the sealing film. When the ink box is installed on the ink-jet printer, the ink supply needle of the ink-jet printer pierces the sealing film, and the trace line position on the sealing film can be broken to form an airflow gap when the ink supply needle is pierced, so that the ink storage cavity can be stably communicated with external air.

Description

[0001] This utility model claims the priority of a prior Chinese application with an application date of August 29, 2023, an invention title of "Ink Cartridge", and an application number of 202322338531.9. All the contents of the prior application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to an ink cartridge used in an inkjet printing device. Background Art

[0003] An ink cartridge is usually installed in an inkjet printer in a detachable manner to supply ink for printing to the inkjet printer.

[0004] In some prior arts, the air inlet of the air guiding channel of the ink cartridge is arranged on the inner surface of the ink outlet hole. When the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the sealing film of the ink outlet hole is pierced by the ink supply needle on the inkjet printer, so that the air guiding channel is communicated with the external gas, and the ink cartridge can supply ink to the inkjet printer. Since the sealing films used in the prior arts for sealing the ink outlet holes are all gum films with good ductility, the gum film may adhere to the air inlet when being pierced by the ink supply needle, making the external gas unable to flow stably from the air inlet to the air inlet channel and the ink storage cavity, thus affecting the normal operation of the ink cartridge. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide an ink cartridge that can stably communicate the ink storage cavity with the external gas when the ink cartridge is installed in an inkjet printer.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, in some embodiments of this application, the ink cartridge includes a cartridge body provided with an ink storage cavity and an ink outlet hole. An air inlet communicating with the ink storage cavity is arranged on the inner surface of the ink outlet hole. A sealing film for sealing the ink outlet hole is arranged on the outer end face of the ink outlet hole. One or more trace lines are arranged on the surface of the sealing film, and the depth of the trace lines is less than the thickness of the sealing film.

[0007] Preferably, at least one trace line passes through the air inlet.

[0008] Further, the number of the trace lines is multiple; the multiple trace lines all extend from the central area of the sealing film to the edge or intersect at the central area of the sealing film.

[0009] Further, with reference to the posture when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the air inlet is arranged at the upper part of the ink outlet hole.

[0010] Further, the sealing film is a metal film, a plastic film or a combination of the two.

[0011] Further, the outer end face of the ink outlet hole forms an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the ink outlet hole.

[0012] Further, when the ink supply needle of the inkjet printer pierces the sealing film, the sealing film folds inward into the ink outlet hole, and the trace line on the sealing film ruptures, resulting in a second gap between the folded parts, allowing air to flow from the second gap of the folded parts to the air inlet.

[0013] In the above technical solution, a sealing film provided with a trace line is used to seal the ink outlet hole. When this sealing film is pierced by the ink supply needle, it can rupture along the trace line to generate a second gap, so that the air inlet is not completely covered by the sealing film, ensuring that external air flows steadily into the air guide channel and the ink storage cavity through the second gap and the air inlet when the ink cartridge is working.

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the ink outlet hole of the ink cartridge sealed by the sealing film in Embodiment 1;

[0016] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of the ink outlet hole of the ink cartridge before being sealed by the sealing film in Embodiment 1;

[0017] Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the ink cartridge in Embodiment 1;

[0018] Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the sealing film of the ink cartridge in Embodiment 1 after being pierced by the ink supply needle;

[0019] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of the sealing film in Embodiment 1;

[0020] Figure 6 is a schematic overall structure diagram of the ink cartridge in Embodiment 2;

[0021] Figure 7 is a partial structural exploded view of the ink cartridge in Embodiment 2;

[0022] Figure 8 is a schematic overall structure diagram of the insulating seat part in Embodiment 2;

[0023] Figure 9 is a first structural exploded view of the insulating seat part in Embodiment 2;

[0024] Figure 10 is a second structural exploded view of the insulating seat part in Embodiment 2;

[0025] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of the electrical connector in the inkjet printer;

[0026] Figure 12It is a structural diagram of the cooperation between the cartridge conductive member and the inkjet printer electrical connector when the cartridge in Embodiment 2 is installed in the inkjet printer;

[0027] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the cartridge in the modified manner of Embodiment 2;

[0028] Figure 14 It is an exploded view of the partial structure of the cartridge in the modified manner of Embodiment 2. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] In the following description, many specific details are elaborated in combination with the embodiments to fully understand the present utility model. However, it should be understood that the following embodiments and detailed descriptions are only for the purpose of illustration and do not limit the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0030] Embodiment 1

[0031] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the cartridge 100 of Embodiment 1 includes a cartridge body 110 provided with an ink storage chamber and an ink outlet hole 120. The cartridge body 110 has a front side wall 111 located on the front side in the installation direction M when the cartridge 100 is installed in the inkjet printer. The ink outlet hole 120 is provided on the front side wall 111 and is located at the lower part of the front side wall 111 when the cartridge 100 is in the installed state. The ink outlet hole 120 can also be provided at other positions of the cartridge body 110, and the present application does not limit this.

[0032] The air inlet 121 of the air guiding channel communicated with the ink storage chamber is provided on the inner surface of the ink outlet hole 120. For example, it can be provided on the upper surface of the ink outlet hole 120, but it is not limited thereto. A sealing film 130 for sealing the ink outlet hole 120 is provided on the outer end surface 122 of the ink outlet hole 120. Preferably, the outer end surface 122 of the ink outlet hole 120 forms an inclined surface inclined with respect to the axial direction of the ink outlet hole 120, but it is not limited thereto. With such a setting, when the cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the inclined surface can form a first gap between the inkjet printer and the outer end surface 122 of the ink outlet hole 120, and the outside air can more easily flow through the outer end surface 122 of the ink outlet hole 120 into the air inlet 121. In the present application, the sealing film 130 can be a metal film, a plastic film or a combination of the two. Preferably, a sealing film with poor ductility is used.

[0033] Specifically, the metal film can use aluminum foil, titanium foil, stainless steel foil, aluminum alloy foil or other alloy foils. An adhesive layer can be provided on the metal film to achieve the bonding connection with the outer end surface 122. The plastic film can use polyethylene terephthalate (PET), nylon, polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate copolymer, ethylene acrylate copolymer film or other films, and can also use composite films made of these films; the plastic film can also be equipped with other coatings or layers, such as adhesive layers, inorganic deposition layers and / or barrier layers, etc.

[0034] Further, at least one surface of the two surfaces of the sealing film 130 (for example, the outer surface facing away from the outer end surface 122) is provided with a trace line 131, and the depth of the trace line 131 is less than the thickness of the sealing film 130. Specifically, the depth of the trace line 131 may be 1 / 4 to 3 / 4 of the thickness of the sealing film 130, but is not limited thereto. In the present application, the trace line 131 may be substantially S-shaped as shown in Figure 2 shown, or may be linear as shown in Figure 5 shown, or may be other shapes not shown, and the present application does not limit this.

[0035] The inner diameter of the ink outlet hole 120 is larger than the outer diameter of the ink supply needle on the inkjet printer. When the ink cartridge 100 is installed on the inkjet printer, a space allowing air flow is formed between the ink supply needle 320 and the inner surface of the ink outlet hole 120. Specifically, a seal is provided inside the ink outlet, and the seal has a through hole. When the ink supply needle is inserted into the through hole of the seal, the inner wall of the through hole abuts against the outer wall of the ink supply needle to prevent ink from flowing out through the gap between the through hole and the ink supply needle.

[0036] Further, when the ink cartridge 100 is installed on the inkjet printer, as shown in Figure 4 shown, the ink supply needle 320 of the inkjet printer pierces through the sealing film 130 and enters the ink outlet hole 120. When the sealing film 130 is pierced, the sealing film 130 folds inward into the ink outlet hole 120, and the trace line 131 on the sealing film 130 ruptures, resulting in a second gap 132 between the folded parts, so that air can flow from the second gap 132 of the folded parts to the air inlet 121 to enter the air guide channel.

[0037] The setting of the trace line 131 is conducive to the formation of the second gap 132 when the sealing film 130 is pierced along the trace line 131. The number of the trace lines 131 is one or more. Preferably, at least one trace line 131 passes through the air inlet 121. In this way, it can better ensure the formation of the second gap 132 at the air inlet 121 when the sealing film 130 is pierced.

[0038] Preferably, the number of the trace lines 131 is multiple, and the multiple trace lines 131 all extend from the central area of the sealing film 130 to the edge or intersect at the central area, so that when the sealing film 130 is pierced, a relatively ideal folding shape can be formed, thereby making the air intake of the air guide channel smoother.

[0039] Embodiment 2

[0040] As shown in Figure 6 and 7As shown, the ink cartridge 200 of Embodiment 2 includes a cartridge body 210, an insulating seat 220, a chip 230, and a plurality of conductive members 240. When the ink cartridge is installed in an inkjet printer, the conductive members 240 can establish an electrical connection between the chip 230 and the inkjet printer, enabling the inkjet printer to read / identify the information of the chip 230.

[0041] This application does not limit the connection manner between the insulating seat 220 and the cartridge body 210; preferably, the insulating seat 220 is detachably mounted on the cartridge body 210. Combining Figure 7 and 9 As shown, in an alternative embodiment, one side of the insulating seat 220 is provided with a positioning protrusion 221, and the opposite side is provided with an elastic buckle 222. The positioning protrusion 221 is inserted into the positioning hole / slot 211 on the cartridge body 210, and the elastic buckle 222 forms a snap-fit with the slot 212 on the cartridge body 210 to detachably fix the insulating seat 220 on the cartridge body 210.

[0042] The chip 230 can be disposed on the insulating seat 220. In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 9 shown, two oppositely disposed insertion slots 223 are formed on the insulating seat 220, and opposite sides of the chip 230 form an insertion fit with the corresponding insertion slots 223. The chip 230 can also be disposed on the insulating seat 220 using other mounting structures, and this application does not limit this.

[0043] The conductive members 240 are disposed on the insulating seat 220 and are electrically connected to the chip 230. Specifically, as Figure 10 shown, the conductive members 240 can include a main body portion 243, an elastic portion 241, and an elastic portion 242. The elastic portion 241 is used to form an external electrical connection, and the elastic portion 242 is electrically connected to the conductive electrode 231 of the chip 230. Preferably, the elastic portions 241 of the plurality of conductive members 240 form a simple linear arrangement, but this is not limited thereto.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment, the main body portion 243 of the conductive member 240 has a U-shaped structure, with one end forming the elastic portion 241 and the other end forming the elastic portion 242. Preferably, a limiting slot 224 is provided on the insulating seat 220, and at least a part of the main body portion 243 is disposed in the limiting slot 224 to reliably limit the mounting position of the conductive member 240 on the insulating seat 220.

[0045] As Figure 11 shown, the electrical connector 320 of the inkjet printer is provided with a plurality of conductive pins 321, and the conductive pins 321 have a flat portion 322 and a raised portion 323. As Figure 12As shown, when the ink cartridge 200 is installed in the inkjet printer, the elastic portion 241 of the conductive member 240 contacts the flat portion 322 of the conductive contact pin 321, which is conducive to forming a more stable electrical connection.

[0046] In the prior art, the protrusions 323 of the plurality of conductive contact pins 321 on the electrical connector 320 are arranged in a non-linear arrangement, for example Figure 11 As shown, they are arranged in two rows; accordingly, the multiple conductive electrodes on the ink cartridge chip also adopt a corresponding nonlinear arrangement and are respectively in contact with the protrusions 323 of the multiple conductive contact pins 321. Due to the limitation of the chip area, the surface area of ​​the chip electrode is generally small, which not only increases the difficulty of aligning the chip electrode with the protrusion 323, but also increases the manufacturing cost accordingly. The present application uses multiple conductive members 240 to achieve electrical connection between the chip 230 and the electrical connector 320, especially the conductive member 240 contacts the flat portion 311, which is conducive to ensuring the alignment accuracy and electrical connection reliability between the two.

[0047] As a variation of Embodiment 2, the chip 230 may be disposed on the box body 210. Figure 13 and 14 As shown, in an optional embodiment, two oppositely disposed insertion slots 213 are formed on the box body 210, and opposite sides of the chip 230 are plugged into the corresponding insertion slots 211. The chip 230 can also be arranged on the box body 230 using other mounting structures, which is not limited in the present application.

[0048] It should be noted that, unless there are any contradictions or exclusions, the different embodiments disclosed above may be quoted, referenced or combined with each other, and the technical features / components of different embodiments may also be combined and / or replaced with each other.

[0049] Although the present invention is described above through embodiments, it should be understood that the above embodiments are only used to exemplarily describe the feasible implementation methods of the present invention, and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. That is, any replacement or change made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the present invention should also be covered by the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge, comprising a cartridge body provided with an ink storage chamber and an ink outlet hole, wherein an air inlet communicating with the ink storage chamber is provided on an inner surface of the ink outlet hole; characterized in that: A sealing film for sealing the ink outlet hole is provided on the outer end surface of the ink outlet hole. One or more trace lines are provided on the surface of the sealing film, and the depth of the trace lines is less than the thickness of the sealing film.

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the trace lines passes through the air inlet.

3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The number of the trace lines is multiple; the multiple trace lines all extend from the central area of the sealing film to the edge or intersect at the central area of the sealing film.

4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: With reference to the attitude when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the air inlet is arranged above the ink outlet hole.

5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing film is a metal film, a plastic film or a combination of the two.

6. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The outer end surface of the ink outlet hole forms an inclined surface which is inclined axially with respect to the ink outlet hole.

7. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the ink supply needle of the inkjet printer pierces the sealing film, the sealing film is folded inward into the ink outlet hole, and the trace lines on the sealing film are broken so that there is a second gap between the folded parts, allowing air to flow from the second gap of the folded parts to the air inlet.

Images