Bag-in-Box Print Liquid Supply Alignment Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pliable reservoirs used in printing devices are difficult to handle and couple to ejection devices due to their lack of rigid structure, leading to alignment issues and inefficient liquid supply replacement.
Innovation Solution
A bag-in-box print liquid supply system with a pre-positioned, secured dispensing spout and a rigid container that includes alignment structures to ensure proper alignment and secure the spout in place, preventing rotation, flexing, or translation during installation and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a pliable reservoir is used to hold print liquid, then the reservoir is easy to manufacture and flexible, but it is difficult to handle and couple to ejection devices due to lack of rigid structure
Solution Approach 1:
The pliable reservoir is nested within a rigid outer housing or carton, combining the manufacturing advantages of flexible materials with the handling benefits of rigid structure. The reservoir sits inside the rigid container which provides structural support for handling and coupling to ejection devices.
Solution Approach 2:
A rigid outer housing or carton acts as an intermediary between the pliable reservoir and the ejection device. This intermediary structure provides the rigid coupling interface needed for easy handling and precise alignment while the pliable reservoir remains simple to manufacture.
2Device complexity
If a pliable reservoir is used, then the reservoir is simple in structure, but alignment issues occur during installation and use due to lack of rigid structure
Solution Approach 1:
The pliable reservoir is nested within a rigid outer housing that provides precise alignment features. The rigid housing contains alignment structures such as guide rails, positioning pins, or keyed interfaces that ensure accurate alignment during installation, while the simple pliable reservoir maintains its structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Alignment structures are pre-formed on or within the rigid housing before the reservoir is installed. These pre-positioned features guide the reservoir into correct alignment during installation, eliminating alignment issues without complicating the reservoir structure.
3Reliability
If alignment structures are added to the box, then the spout position is stabilized and fluid path is secured, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment structures are added only at specific critical locations within the box where spout positioning is needed, rather than throughout the entire structure. This provides the necessary fluid path stability while minimizing overall device complexity by concentrating structural features only where required.
Data Source
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AI summary
A liquid supply, may include a bag and a box to maintain the bag therein, the box including a number of alignment structures formed along an edge of a first wall of the box to mate with a support element. A carton fold structure for a print liquid supply, the fold structure to support and hold a liquid bag including a liquid bag interface, the carton fold structure including multiple planes that, together, form a cuboid shape, each plane to form an outer wall of the carton fold structure, with edges between respective planes; a cut out in one of the edges, the cut out including: a channel extending inwards into a first plane to allow the liquid bag interface to pass through the first plane; and slots extending into the first plane between the channel and the edge associated with the first plane to align to a support element.