Ink storage body

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of easily decoloring container information formed on an ink container or a packing material for housing the ink container.SOLUTION: An ink container comprises an ink container that internally houses ink, and a packing material for housing the ink container. Container information on the ink container is formed on a surface of an object member of at least either the ink container or the packing material. The container information is printed in printing ink capable of being decolored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ink container. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that ink cartridges installed in printers are affixed with labels to indicate the manufacturer's name and the color of the ink inside. It is also known that ink cartridges with affixed labels are packaged in packaging materials during transportation, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology characterized by a label that is difficult to peel off when affixed to an ink cartridge and is easily visible from outside the packaging material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-168216 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When recycling labels affixed to ink cartridges, it may be difficult to remove the ink printed on the label. This can lead to the problem of making it difficult to achieve material recycling, which involves manufacturing a new label from the old one. Note that the above-mentioned problem is not limited to ink cartridges to which labels are affixed, but is also a common problem when the label is affixed to an ink container that contains ink. Furthermore, the above-mentioned problem is not limited to the form of a printed label, but is also a common problem when container information is printed directly on the ink container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ink container comprising an ink container containing ink therein and a packaging material containing the ink container, wherein container information relating to the ink container is formed on a surface of at least one of the target members of the ink container and the packaging material, and the container information is printed with erasable printing ink. (2) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for recycling an ink container, the method comprising: (a) recovering the ink container, the ink container comprising an ink container containing ink therein and a packaging material containing the ink container, and container information relating to the ink container formed on a surface of at least one of the ink container and the packaging material, the container information being printed with printing ink that is erased by heating; and (b) heating the ink container to erase the printing ink. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an ink container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for recycling an ink container. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the configuration of an ink container and a label according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for making an ink container rewritable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A. First embodiment: 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink container 100 according to this embodiment. The ink container 100 is an ink pack whose volume decreases as the ink contained therein is consumed.

[0009] The ink container 100 includes a bag-shaped member 110 and a connecting member 120. The connecting member 120 forms one end portion of the ink container 100 in the longitudinal direction. The connecting member 120 is attached to one end portion of the bag-shaped member 110 in the longitudinal direction. Note that the ink container 100 is not limited to an ink pack, and may be in other forms such as an ink cartridge.

[0010] The bag-shaped member 110 contains ink. The bag-shaped member 110 is flexible. The bag-shaped member 110 may be flexible enough to bend under its own weight, or it may be flexible enough to maintain its shape under its own weight and bend when a load greater than its own weight is applied. The bag-shaped member 110 is formed by stacking four sheet members 111, 112, 113, and 114 and welding their outer peripheral edges. The four sheet members 111, 112, 113, and 114 form the surface 190 of the ink container 100.

[0011] The first sheet member 111 constitutes a first main surface of the bag-shaped member 110. The second sheet member 112 constitutes a second main surface of the bag-shaped member 110 and faces the first sheet member 111. The sheet members 111 and 112 have the same rectangular shape and size. The sheet members 111 and 112 do not have to be completely flat. It is desirable that the sheet members 111 and 112 are formed into a curved shape that gradually bulges toward the center of the bag-shaped member 110. The third sheet member 113 and the fourth sheet member 114 constitute the side surfaces of the bag-shaped member 110. The areas of the third sheet member 113 and the fourth sheet member 114 are smaller than the areas of the first sheet member 111 and the second sheet member 112. As ink in the ink container 100 is consumed, the first sheet member 111 and the second sheet member 112 move closer to each other, thereby reducing the volume of the bag-shaped member 110.

[0012] Each of the sheet members 111, 112, 113, and 114 is formed of a material that is flexible, gas-barrier, and liquid-impermeable. Each of the sheet members 111, 112, 113, and 114 may be formed of a film material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), nylon, or polyethylene. Each of the sheet members 111, 112, 113, and 114 may be formed by laminating multiple films made of the above-mentioned materials. In this case, for example, the outer layer may be formed of a PET or nylon film that has excellent impact resistance, and the inner layer may be formed of a polyethylene film that has excellent ink resistance. Furthermore, a layer on which aluminum or the like is vapor-deposited may be added to the laminated structure.

[0013] The connecting member 120 has the function of fixing the ink container 100 to a case (not shown) that houses the ink container 100, and the function of supplying ink to the liquid ejection device. The function of supplying ink to the liquid ejection device is achieved by attaching a cylindrical liquid outlet 128 to one end of the bag-shaped member 110 in the longitudinal direction. The liquid outlet 128 connects the inside and outside of the bag-shaped member 110. The connecting member 120 also has the function of attaching the ink container 100 and the above-mentioned case to the liquid ejection device (not shown). The connecting member 120 is made, for example, by molding a resin member such as polypropylene.

[0014] The ink container 100 has a handle 130. The handle 130 is a part that the user can grip when moving the ink container 100, etc. The handle 130 is located in a position that is exposed when the ink container 100 is fixed to a case (not shown). The handle 130 is made by molding a resin member such as polypropylene.

[0015] In this embodiment, a label 140 on which container information Ia is printed is attached to the surface 190 of the ink container 100. The label 140 is a sheet-like member made of a synthetic resin film or the like. The container information Ia is information about the ink container 100, including product information, material indications, and cautionary notes. Product information includes, for example, the manufacturer's name, model name, and the color of the ink inside. In this embodiment, the container information Ia is information indicating the material. The container information Ia may be displayed using, for example, letters, numbers, symbols, or a combination of these. The container information Ia may also be displayed in an electronically readable manner. For example, a two-dimensional code such as a barcode or QR Code (registered trademark), or an electronic information medium such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag may be used. The RFID tag can be read by an RFID reader.

[0016] In FIG. 1 , a label 140 on which container information Ia is printed is attached to the surface 190 of the ink container 100, thereby forming the container information Ia on the surface of the ink container 100. Alternatively, the container information Ia may be formed on the surface 190 of the ink container 100 by directly printing it on the surface 190 of the ink container 100. In addition, in this embodiment, the container information Ia is printed with erasable printing ink. In this disclosure, "erasable printing ink" refers to ink that is unlikely to be unintentionally erased in a living environment. In other words, it does not include ink that erases when exposed to water, such as water-based ink. In addition, "erasable printing ink" may be either a reversible ink or an irreversible ink. However, in the case of reversible ink, it does not include ink that can be in either a colored state or an erased state in a living environment. Here, "ink that can be in either a colored state or a decolored state under the living environment" refers to ink that can be in either a colored state or a decolored state at, for example, the living environment temperature of 0 to 40°C. In this embodiment, the container information Ia is printed with printing ink that is decolorized when heated at a temperature higher than the living environment temperature. In the following description, heating to a temperature higher than the living environment temperature will simply be referred to as "heating."

[0017] Here, examples of erasable inks that can be applied to the present disclosure will be described. For example, the erasable ink described in Japanese Patent No. 3980247 can be used as the erasable ink of this embodiment. The erasable ink described in Japanese Patent No. 3980247 is produced by dissolving or dispersing at least a color former, a color developer, and a decolorizer in a solvent. Here, the color former is crystal violet lactone, the color developer is 4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol, and the decolorizer is N,N'-isophthaloyldi(N-cyclohexyl-N-methylamide). More specifically, the color former is, for example, 3,3-bis(p-dimethylaminophenyl)-6-dimethylaminophthalide (commonly known as crystal violet lactone), the color developer is, for example, ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate or benzoic acid, and the decolorizer is, for example, N-methyl-N'-phenylacetylpiperazine. This ink develops color at room temperature below 40°C due to the chemical bond between the color former and developer, and at 100°C or above, the chemical bond breaks down and the ink becomes colorless due to the chemical bond between the developer and decolorizer.

[0018] In addition, in the present disclosure, the erasable ink described in Japanese Patent No. 5,164,684 can be used as the erasable ink of this embodiment. The erasable ink described in Japanese Patent No. 5,164,684 comprises a fluoran derivative, an electron-accepting compound, and a reaction medium, and exhibits the characteristic of exhibiting a blue color when cooled and becoming colorless when heated. More specifically, the fluoran derivative is, for example, 3',6'-bis[phenyl(2-methylphenyl)amino]-spiro[isobenzofuran-1(3H),9'-[9H]xanthene]-3-one, the electron-accepting compound is, for example, phenol or o-cresol, and the reaction medium is, for example, decyl alcohol as an alcohol or ethyl caprylate as an ester. The inks described in the above two documents are characterized by being erasable by heating.

[0019] The erasable ink of the present disclosure is not limited to inks that are erasable by heating. The erasable ink of the present disclosure may be, for example, an ink that is produced by dissolving a cyanine-based erasable dye in an organic solvent and emulsifying and dispersing the resulting ink in a medium such as water or an organic solvent, as described in JP-A-5-287226, and that is erasable by absorbing near-infrared light. Specifically, this ink is produced by dissolving a cyanine-based erasable dye represented by Ph38-·nC4H9 in an aromatic solvent such as benzene, toluene, or xylene, and adding the resulting solution to water containing an emulsifier while stirring, thereby emulsifying and dispersing the resulting solution. In this case, a hydrophilic polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol may also be added as a protective colloid.

[0020] Furthermore, the erasable ink of the present disclosure may be an ink containing an additive that has the effect of erasing the colorant by ultraviolet irradiation, as described in JP 2001-049157 A. Here, the additive is, for example, methylene blue, lumiflavin, riboflavin, acridine orange, fluorescein, eosin, erythrosine, rose bengal, or rhodamine B.

[0021] Furthermore, as described in JP 2021-43818 A, the decolorizable ink in the present disclosure may be printed on a water-soluble printing primer layer made of a water-soluble resin for printing primer, and be removable by contact with neutral water at a predetermined temperature or higher. Here, the water-soluble resin for printing primer has a monomer unit A having a hydrophilic group other than the hydrophilic group constituting the polymerization involved in generating the resin, and a monomer unit B having no hydrophilic group, and is characterized in that the proportion of the monomer unit A relative to the total of all monomer units is 5 to 35 mol%. As the monomer unit A, a hydrophilic dicarboxylic acid monomer unit A is preferred, and as the monomer unit B, a hydrophobic dicarboxylic acid monomer unit B is preferred. In this case, the ink printed on the water-soluble printing primer layer may be a commonly used ink. In other words, the "decolorizable printing ink" in the present disclosure includes not only printing inks that are decolorizable themselves, but also printing inks that are removable under conditions other than living environments, even if the printing ink itself is not decolorizable.

[0022] In this embodiment, the container information Ia shown in Fig. 1 is printed in ink that is erased by heating. More specifically, as will be described later, the color is erased by heat in the heating process for recycling.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink container 200 in this embodiment. The ink container 200 includes an ink container 100 and a packaging material 160. The packaging material 160 houses the ink container 100. The packaging material 160 protects the ink container 100 from impacts during transportation and reduces ink leakage from the ink container 100. The packaging material 160 is formed, for example, from a laminate film of a polymer film with a metal layer such as aluminum interposed as an intermediate layer to improve gas barrier properties. More specifically, the laminate film is folded back and overlapped in the center, and three sides except for one short side are joined by heat welding or the like, and the remaining short side is sealed with an ink supply port forming member made of a plastic molded product.

[0024] In this embodiment, container information Ib is formed on the surface 192 of the packaging material 160. The container information Ib is printed directly on the surface 192 of the packaging material 160. Like the container information Ia described above, the container information Ib is information about the ink container 100, and includes product information, material indications, and cautionary information. In this embodiment, the container information Ib is information that indicates the material. The container information Ib may be displayed using, for example, letters, numbers, symbols, or a combination of these. The container information Ib may also be displayed in an electronically readable manner. For example, a two-dimensional code such as a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark), or an electronic information medium such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag may be used. The container information Ib may not be printed directly on the packaging material 160, but may be printed on a label and then affixed to the packaging material 160. In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the container information Ia and the container information Ib, they will simply be referred to as container information I.

[0025] In this embodiment, the ink container 200 has two pieces of container information: container information Ia formed on the surface 190 of the ink container 100, and container information Ib formed on the surface 192 of the packaging material 160. Both the container information Ia and the container information Ib represent information related to the material. In other embodiments, the container information I may be formed on the surface of at least one of the target components, the ink container 100 or the packaging material 160. When the ink container 200 has container information Ia and container information Ib, the container information Ia and the container information Ib may contain different pieces of information. For example, the container information Ia may represent the material, and the container information Ib may represent the name of the manufacturer and the color of the ink inside. The display positions of the container information Ia on the ink container 100 and the container information Ib on the packaging material 160 are not particularly limited.

[0026] Conventionally, when recycling labels affixed to ink containers, it can be difficult to remove the ink printed on the label. This can lead to the problem of label-to-label material recycling being difficult. Therefore, when recycling printed labels, it is common to perform down-recycling into product pallets or thermal recycling, which are not affected by color mixing due to ink. In this disclosure, "recycling" refers to the production of new products using the crushed pieces obtained by crushing used ink containers, packaging bags, labels, etc. Furthermore, "material recycling" refers to the production of a used product and a recycled product that are the same type, such as recycling used ink containers to produce new ink containers. Therefore, "material recycling" also refers to the production of new packaging bags by recycling used packaging bags or new labels by recycling used labels.

[0027] 3 is a flowchart showing a method for recycling the ink container 200 in this embodiment. Step S10 is a process for collecting the ink container 200. The ink container 200 is collected, for example, by a collection company. The user may take the used ink container 200 to a predetermined collection location, or may hand it over to a collection company that visits the user.

[0028] Step S20 is a process of peeling off the label 140 attached to the surface 190 of the ink container 100 in the ink container 200 shown in Fig. 2. The label 140 attached to the ink container 100 is peeled off, for example, by a waste sorting company. The waste sorting company peels off the label 140 from the ink container 100, for example, in the process of separating the collected ink container 200 into the ink container 100, the packaging material 160, and the label 140.

[0029] Step S30 is a process of decoloring the container information Ia formed on the label 140 and the container information Ib formed on the packaging material 160 by heating. In this embodiment, the process of decoloring the printing ink by heating is a process of subjecting the label 140 and the packaging material 160 to material recycling. For example, when the packaging material 160 is subject to material recycling, the used packaging material 160 is first crushed and washed (step 1). Then, the crushed pieces obtained by crushing are, for example, fed into an extruder (step 2) and melted by heating. The melted crushed pieces are extruded from the extruder (step 3) and cut into pellets. Finally, a new packaging material 160 is formed (step 4) using the pellets obtained by the re-pelleting process of steps 1 to 3. In this embodiment, the container information Ib formed on the packaging material 160 is formed with printing ink that is decolorized by heating as described above. Furthermore, the printing ink that is decolorized by heating is decolorized during the heating step by the extruder in step 2 described above. That is, the printing ink in this embodiment is decolorized at a temperature lower than the maximum temperature in the heating step of step 2. The printing ink in this embodiment may be decolorized at a temperature 10 to 20°C lower, or even 20 to 40°C lower, than the maximum temperature in the heating step of the re-pelletization process, for example. This allows the printing ink to be easily decolorized during the material recycling process of the target component. Furthermore, since the container information Ib is printed directly on the packaging material 160, the step of peeling off the label during recycling is unnecessary, improving work efficiency during recycling. Furthermore, eliminating the need for a label reduces the environmental impact. Furthermore, since the packaging material 160 can be manufactured with a color equivalent to that of a virgin product, the appearance quality of the packaging material 160 can be improved.

[0030] Furthermore, in addition to packaging material 160, the printing ink can also be erased during the material recycling process for labels 140. This allows for label-to-label material recycling without the need for a de-inking process to remove the ink printed on the label or a special process to erase the ink, thereby reducing the environmental impact.

[0031] According to the first embodiment described above, the container information I is printed with erasable printing ink, so there is no need to remove the ink when recycling the label 140 or packaging material 160 on which the container information I is formed. This makes it possible to recycle materials from label 140 to label 140 and from packaging material 160 to packaging material 160.

[0032] B. Second embodiment: FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink container 100c and a label 140c in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the ink container 100c is an ink cartridge. A label 140c, on which container information Ic and container information Id are printed, is affixed to a surface 190c of the ink container 100c. The container information Ic is information about the manufacturing date and expiration date of the ink container 100c. The container information Id is information indicating the material. In the second embodiment, the container information Ic is printed with printing ink that fades when heated, while the container information Id is printed with regular ink. In other words, the container information Id does not fade even when heated. Unless otherwise specified, the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. The container information Ic and container information Id are not limited to those described above.

[0033] 5 is a flowchart showing a method for making the ink container 100c rewritable. Step S40 is a process for collecting the ink container 100c. The ink container 100c is collected, for example, by the original manufacturer. The user may take the used ink container 100c to a predetermined collection location or may return it directly to the manufacturer.

[0034] Step S50 is a process of refilling the ink container 100c with ink. The process of refilling the ink container 100c with ink is performed, for example, by the manufacturer. Note that a process of cleaning the ink container 100c before refilling the ink container 100c with ink may also be included.

[0035] Step S60 is a process of decoloring the container information Ic formed on the label 140c shown in FIG. 4 by heating. As described above, in this embodiment, the container information Ic is printed with printing ink that is decolorized by heating, while the container information Id is printed with normal ink. Therefore, by heating the label 140c, it is possible to decolor only the container information Ic of the container information Ic and Id formed on the label 140c. Note that the label 140c may be a thermal rewritable medium or a rewritable medium that generates heat by absorbing laser light. Furthermore, the process of heating the label 140c may use, for example, a hot air blower or the like. Alternatively, if the label 140c is a rewritable medium that generates heat by absorbing laser light, a laser irradiator or the like may be used.

[0036] Step S70 shown in FIG. 5 is a process of rewriting the container information Ic erased in step S60. New container information Ic is printed directly in the area of the label 140c shown in FIG. 4 where the decolorized container information Ic was printed. In this case, the new container information Ic is also printed with printing ink that is decolorized when heated, allowing the container information Ic to be repeatedly updated. In this embodiment, information regarding the manufacturing date and expiration date of the ink refilled in step S50 is printed as the new container information Ic. The ink container 100c with the new container information Ic attached is then shipped by the manufacturer.

[0037] In the second embodiment described above, there is no need to re-attach the label 140c when refilling the ink container 100c with ink, which improves work efficiency. Furthermore, the label 140c can be reused, which reduces the environmental impact.

[0038] C. Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0039] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ink container comprising an ink container containing ink therein and a packaging material containing the ink container, wherein container information relating to the ink container is formed on a surface of at least one of the target members of the ink container and the packaging material, and the container information is printed with erasable printing ink. According to this embodiment, since the ink printed on the target material is erasable, there is no need to remove the ink when recycling the target material, which makes it possible to recycle material from one target material to another.

[0040] (2) In the above embodiment, the printing ink may be decolorized by heating. According to this aspect, the ink can be erased by heating.

[0041] (3) In the above embodiment, the container information may be formed on the surface of the target member by being printed directly on the surface. According to this embodiment, the ink can be erased in the process of material recycling the target member.

[0042] (4) In the above aspect, a label on which the container information is printed may be attached to the surface of the target member, so that the container information is formed on the surface. According to this embodiment, the ink can be erased in the process of material recycling from label to label.

[0043] (5) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for recycling an ink container, the method comprising: (a) recovering the ink container, the ink container comprising an ink container containing ink therein and a packaging material containing the ink container, and container information relating to the ink container formed on a surface of at least one of the ink container and the packaging material, the container information being printed with printing ink that is decolorized by heating; and (b) heating the ink container to decolorize the printing ink. According to this embodiment, the ink can be erased during the process of recycling the target component, which makes it possible to recycle the target component as a material.

[0044] (6) In the above embodiment, in the ink container recovered in step (a), a label having the container information printed thereon is attached to the surface of the target member, so that the container information is formed on the surface, and between step (a) and step (b), there may be a step (c) of peeling off the label attached to the surface. According to this embodiment, by peeling the label from the target component, material recycling from label to label becomes possible.

[0045] The present disclosure can be realized in various forms, and in addition to the forms described above, can also be realized in the form of a method for manufacturing an ink container, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 100, 100c... ink container, 110... bag-shaped member, 111... first sheet member, 112... second sheet member, 113... third sheet member, 114... fourth sheet member, 120... connection member, 128... liquid outlet port, 130... handle, 140, 140c... label, 160... packaging material, 190, 190c, 192... surface, 200... ink container, I... container information

Claims

1. An ink container, an ink container containing ink; a packaging material that houses the ink container, container information relating to the ink container is formed on a surface of at least one of the ink container and the packaging material; The ink container has the container information printed in erasable printing ink.

2. The ink container according to claim 1 , The ink container is configured such that the printing ink is decolorized by heating.

3. The ink container according to claim 1 , The ink container is formed on the surface of the target member by being directly printed on the surface.

4. The ink container according to claim 1 , The ink container includes a label having the container information printed thereon, the label being attached to the surface of the target member, whereby the container information is formed on the surface.

5. A method for recycling an ink container, comprising: (a) a step of recovering the ink container, the ink container comprising an ink container containing ink therein and a packaging material for housing the ink container, and container information relating to the ink container is formed on a surface of at least one of the target members of the ink container and the packaging material, the container information being printed with printing ink that is erased by heating; (b) heating the ink container to erase the printing ink.

6. The recycling method according to claim 5, In the ink container collected in step (a), a label on which the container information is printed is attached to a surface of the target member, so that the container information is formed on the surface; The recycling method further comprises, between the steps (a) and (b), a step (c) of peeling off the label attached to the surface.

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