Light-shielding member, and ink cartridge equipped with the light-shielding member

Abstract

To provide a light-shielding member that can block ultraviolet rays entering from around the dispensing area of ​​an ink pouch. [Solution] The light-shielding member (40) can be attached to the ink pouch (20) which is wrapped in the wrapping member (30). The ink pouch (20) has a bag portion (21) filled with ink that hardens when irradiated with ultraviolet light, and a discharge portion (27) provided at the opening (20a) of the bag portion (21) that can discharge the ink to the outside. The light-shielding member (40) has a hole (41) into which the discharge portion (27) fits, and an outer peripheral cover portion (42) that extends outward from the edge (41a) of the hole (41) and covers the outer peripheral portion (24) of the opening (20a) of the bag portion (21), thereby blocking ultraviolet light that enters the outer peripheral portion (24) of the opening (20a).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved light-shielding member and an ink cartridge provided with the light-shielding member.

Background Art

[0002] There is an inkjet printer that ejects ink onto media such as paper for printing. The inkjet printer includes an ink cartridge that is detachable from the printer body. The prior art regarding ink cartridges is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The ink cartridge disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an ink pouch filled with ink that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light, a wrapping member that wraps the ink pouch to block ultraviolet light, and a case that houses the wrapping member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The ink pouch has a flat bag portion filled with ink and a discharge portion provided at the opening of the bag portion and capable of discharging ink to the outside. Due to the structure of connecting the discharge portion to the ink suction port of the printer, it is not housed in the wrapping member and inevitably protrudes to the outside. The periphery of the base of the discharge portion is likely to be exposed. Ultraviolet light is likely to enter the ink inside the bag portion from the periphery of the opening of the bag portion, so there is room for improvement.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a light-shielding member capable of blocking ultraviolet light incident from the periphery of the discharge portion of the ink pouch and an ink cartridge provided with the light-shielding member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This disclosure provides an ink pouch that is enclosed in a wrapping member and includes a bag portion filled with an ink that hardens when irradiated with ultraviolet light, and a dispensing portion provided at the opening of the bag portion that is capable of dispensing the ink to the outside, and is attachable to the ink pouch that is enclosed in a wrapping member. The hole into which the discharge part fits, A light-shielding member is provided, comprising: an outer peripheral cover portion that extends from the edge of the hole to the surrounding area and covers the outer peripheral portion of the opening of the bag portion, thereby blocking ultraviolet rays incident on the outer peripheral portion of the opening.

[0008] This disclosure provides an ink pouch comprising: a bag portion filled with an ink that hardens when irradiated with ultraviolet light; a discharge portion provided at the opening of the bag portion, capable of dispensing the ink to the outside; The wrapping member enclosing the aforementioned ink pouch, An ink cartridge is provided, comprising a light-shielding member attached to the ink pouch, having a hole into which the discharge portion fits, and an outer peripheral cover portion that extends from the edge of the hole outward and covers the outer peripheral portion of the opening of the bag portion, thereby blocking ultraviolet rays incident on the outer peripheral portion of the opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present invention provides a light-shielding member that can block ultraviolet light incident from around the ejection part of an ink pouch, and an ink cartridge equipped with the light-shielding member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1A illustrates the insertion of a housing containing the cartridge body (ink cartridge) according to the embodiment into the printer. Figure 1B is an exploded perspective view of the housing containing the cartridge body. [Figure 2] This is a disassembled perspective view of the cartridge body (ink cartridge). [Figure 3] Figure 3A is a perspective view of the light-shielding member. Figure 3B is a perspective view of the area around the dispensing section of the ink pouch to which the light-shielding member is attached. [Figure 4] Figure 4A is a view taken along arrow 4A in Figure 3B. Figure 4B is a view taken along arrow 4B in Figure 3B. [Figure 5] Figure 5B is a magnified view of the area enclosed by line 5B in Figure 1B. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <Examples> An example will be described based on the attached diagram. Note that the example described herein is not intended to particularly limit the present invention. Also, in the diagram, Fr indicates front, Rr indicates back, Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom.

[0012] Refer to Figures 1A and 1B. The printer 10 is equipped with a removable ink cartridge 11 that fits into an opening 10a formed in the wall.

[0013] The ink cartridge 11 comprises a replaceable cartridge body 12 (corresponding to the ink cartridge of the present invention), a connection adapter 13 for connecting the cartridge body 12 to the printer 10, and a block-shaped housing 14 that houses the cartridge body 12 and the connection adapter 13.

[0014] The storage unit 14 comprises a box 15 having an opening 15a that opens upwards, and a plate-shaped lid 16 that can close the opening 15a of the box 15. When the ink runs out, the user replaces only the cartridge body 12 inside the ink cartridge 11.

[0015] Refer to Figure 2. The cartridge body 12 comprises an ink pouch 20 filled with ink that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light, and a wrapping member 30 that encloses the ink pouch 20 to block ultraviolet light.

[0016] (Ink Pouch) The bag portion 21 of the ink pouch 20 includes a rectangular first sheet 22 and a second sheet 23 formed by overlapping a plurality of films. The peripheral edge 22a of the first sheet 22 and the peripheral edge 23a of the second sheet 23 are overlapped and welded except for the opening 20a that serves as an inlet / outlet for ink. The opening 20a is provided at one end (front end) 21a in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the bag portion 21. Note that the bag portion 21 of the ink pouch 20 may be, for example, a block-shaped container or the like.

[0017] A discharge portion 27 capable of discharging ink to the outside is provided at the opening 20a of the bag portion 21. The discharge portion 27 has a base portion 28 that is inserted into and welded to the opening 20a of the bag portion 21, and a protruding portion 29 that is fitted to the connection adapter 13 and protrudes from the opening 20a of the bag portion 21.

[0018] (Wrapping Member) The wrapping member 30 is formed by bending a single plate-shaped (sheet-shaped) member into a box shape. For example, it can be made of coated cardboard, but the material can be appropriately changed. The wrapping member 30 may also be composed of a plurality of plate-shaped (sheet-shaped) members.

[0019] The wrapping member 30 has a sandwiching portion 31 that can cover and sandwich the end portion 21a of the bag portion 21 in the thickness direction (up-down direction) of the bag portion 21. The sandwiching portion 31 has a lower portion 32 that covers the first sheet 22 and an upper portion 33 that covers the second sheet 23.

[0020] (Through-Hole) A through-hole 35 through which the discharge portion 27 can pass when the ink pouch 2 is wrapped is formed on the boundary 34 (bending line) between the upper portion 33 and the lower portion 32.

[0021] Note that the shape of the wrapping member 30 may be a box 15 such as the storage body 14. The wrapping member 30 is an inner case, and the storage body 14 (see FIG. 1B) can also be said to be an outer case.

[0022] (Light-shielding material) Refer to Figures 2, 3A, and 3B. The cartridge body 12 is attachable to the ink pouch 20 and is equipped with a light-shielding member 40 that blocks ultraviolet light from entering the interior of the wrapping member 30 from around the through-hole 35 of the wrapping member 30. The light-shielding member 40 is used in conjunction with the wrapping member 30 to block ultraviolet light together with the wrapping member 30.

[0023] (Hole in the light-shielding material) Refer to Figures 3A to 4B. The light-shielding member 40 is provided with a hole 41 into which the base 29a of the protrusion 29 (the part adjacent to the opening 20a of the ink pouch 20) fits. The inner diameter of the hole 41 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the base 29a of the protrusion 29.

[0024] (Outer cover section) The light-shielding member 40 extends outward from the edge 41a of the hole 41 and includes an outer peripheral cover portion 42 that can block ultraviolet rays incident on the outer peripheral portion 24 of the opening 20a of the bag portion 21 (an example is shown by a dashed line). The outer peripheral portion 24 of the opening 20a has a first outer peripheral portion 25 on the first sheet 22 side (lower side) and a second outer peripheral portion 26 on the second sheet 23 side (upper side).

[0025] The light-shielding member 40 is constructed by folding a flexible sheet. As the material of the sheet, for example, the same paper as the wrapping member 30 can be used, but any well-known flexible material may also be used. The outer peripheral cover portion 42 has a first cover portion 44 that covers the first outer peripheral portion 25, a second cover portion 45 that covers the first cover portion 44 and the second outer peripheral portion 26, and a boundary 43 (fold line of the sheet) between the first cover portion 44 and the second cover portion 45.

[0026] (Notch) The first cover portion 44 has a notch portion 46 that is connected to the hole 41 (a portion on the outer circumference of the hole 41 that is not connected). The notch portion 46 can be formed at any position on the outer circumference of the hole 41, as long as it does not overlap with the boundary 43. For example, the notch portion 46 may be formed in the second cover portion 45.

[0027] Refer to Figure 5A. When the sheet-like light-shielding member 40 and the sheet-like wrapping member 30 are superimposed before folding, in a plan view, the edge 40a of the light-shielding member 40 surrounds the edge 35a of the through-hole 35 of the wrapping member 30. The outer shape of the light-shielding member 40 matches the shape of the through-hole 35. The first cover portion 44 is triangular including the boundary 43, and the second cover portion 45 is rectangular including the boundary 44.

[0028] Refer to Figure 5B. The outer peripheral cover portion 42 closes the through hole 35 of the wrapping member 30 so that the bag portion 21 is not exposed from the edge 35a of the through hole 35.

[0029] Refer to Figures 2 to 3B. Firstly, the light-shielding member 40 has a bag portion 21 filled with ink that hardens when irradiated with ultraviolet light, and a discharge portion 27 provided at the opening 20a of the bag portion 21 that can discharge the ink to the outside, and is attachable to the ink pouch 20 which is wrapped in the wrapping member 30. The hole 41 into which the discharge section 27 fits, The bag portion 21 includes an outer peripheral cover portion 42 that extends from the edge 41a of the hole 41 outwards and covers the outer peripheral portion 24 of the opening 20a of the bag portion 21, thereby blocking ultraviolet rays that enter the outer peripheral portion 24 of the opening 20a.

[0030] By attaching the light-shielding member 40 in addition to the wrapping member 30, ultraviolet light entering from around the ejection part 27 of the ink pouch 20 can be blocked when replacing the cartridge body 12.

[0031] Secondly, the first light-shielding member 40 is constructed by folding a flexible sheet. The light-shielding member 40 may be, for example, a resin member that has a predetermined rigidity and conforms to the shape of the outer circumference 24 of the opening 20a of the bag portion 21, but by using a flexible sheet, the shape of the light-shielding member 40 can be easily matched to the shape of the bag portion 21, and manufacturing costs can also be reduced.

[0032] Thirdly, in the second light-shielding member 40, the outer peripheral cover portion 42 has a notch portion 46 connected to the hole. Providing the notch makes it easier to attach to the ink pouch 20. If the light-shielding member 40 does not have a notch portion 46, the light-shielding member 40 is attached to the discharge portion 27 before welding the discharge portion 27 to the opening 20a of the bag portion 21, and the discharge portion 27 with the light-shielding member 40 attached is then welded to the opening 20a of the bag portion 21.

[0033] Refer to Figure 2. Fourthly, the cartridge body 12 (ink cartridge) is, An ink pouch 20 having a flat bag portion 21 filled with ink that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light, and a discharge portion 27 attached to the opening 20a of the bag portion 21 that can discharge the ink to the outside, The wrapping material 30 encloses the ink pouch 20, The light-shielding member 40 is attached to the ink pouch 20 and has a hole 41 into which the discharge portion 27 fits, and an outer peripheral cover portion 42 that extends outward from the edge 41a of the hole 41 and covers the outer peripheral portion 24 of the opening 20a of the bag portion 21, thereby blocking ultraviolet rays that enter the outer peripheral portion 24 of the opening 20a.

[0034] By attaching the light-shielding member 40 in addition to the wrapping member 30, ultraviolet light entering from around the ejection part 27 of the ink pouch 20 can be blocked when replacing the cartridge body 12.

[0035] The ink pouch 20 is covered by two components: a wrapping member 30 and a light-shielding member 40. If the light-shielding member 40 were not used and the through-hole 35 of the wrapping member 30 were made smaller, it would become difficult to wrap the ink pouch 20. On the other hand, if the light-shielding member 40 is used in conjunction with the wrapping member 30, even if the opening 20a of the wrapping member 30 is set wide, it will be covered by the light-shielding member 40. Because the opening 20a of the wrapping member 30 is wide, the wrapping member 30 does not interfere with the process of wrapping the ink pouch 20.

[0036] Fifth, in the fourth cartridge body 12, the wrapping member 30 has a through hole 35 through which the discharge part 27 passes, and the through hole 35 is covered by a light-shielding member 40. This allows for more reliable blocking of ultraviolet rays. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 12…Cartridge body (ink cartridge) 20... Ink pouch 20a...Opening of the bag 21…Fukuro part 24…Outer perimeter 27…Discharge part 30... Wrapping material 35…Through hole 40…Light-shielding material 41...hole 42... Outer cover section

Claims

1. It has a bag portion filled with ink that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light, and a discharge portion provided at the opening of the bag portion that can discharge the ink to the outside, and is attachable to an ink pouch that is wrapped in a wrapping member. The hole into which the discharge part fits, A light-shielding member comprising: an outer peripheral cover portion that extends from the edge of the hole outward and covers the outer peripheral portion of the opening of the bag portion, thereby blocking ultraviolet rays incident on the outer peripheral portion of the opening.

2. It is constructed by folding a flexible sheet. The light-shielding member according to claim 1.

3. The outer peripheral cover portion has a notch that is connected to the hole. The light-shielding member according to claim 2.

4. An ink pouch comprising: a bag portion filled with ink that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light; a dispensing portion provided at the opening of the bag portion, capable of dispensing the ink to the outside; The wrapping member enclosing the aforementioned ink pouch, An ink cartridge comprising a light-shielding member attached to the ink pouch, having a hole into which the discharge portion fits, and an outer peripheral cover portion that extends from the edge of the hole outward and covers the outer peripheral portion of the opening of the bag portion, thereby blocking ultraviolet light incident on the outer peripheral portion of the opening.

5. The wrapping member has a through hole through which the discharge portion passes, The through hole is blocked by the light-shielding member. The ink cartridge according to claim 4.

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