Ink Cartridge Face Cover With Multi-Port Flow Return

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Solution Overview

Problem

During positive pressure detection in recycled ink cartridges, ink is squeezed into the chamber, reducing the amount supplied to the ink detection chamber, leading to false ink exhaustion prompts and increased inflation counts, and potential ink overflow causing environmental pollution.

Innovation Solution

A consumable cartridge design with a face cover featuring multiple communicating parts that connect the ink storage chamber to supplementary chambers, allowing ink to refill from supplementary chambers back into the storage chamber during pressure testing, ensuring sufficient ink supply and preventing overflow.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If a single communication hole is carved between the chamber and ink storage chamber, then ink can be refilled into the chamber, but ink cannot flow back into the ink storage chamber during positive pressure test, causing ink level reduction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveink amount in ink storage chamberVSAvoidstructure of communication hole
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single communication hole is divided into multiple communication holes. This segmentation allows different holes to serve different functions: some holes allow ink to flow into the chamber during refilling, while other holes allow ink to flow back into the ink storage chamber during positive pressure testing, thereby resolving the one-way flow limitation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The solution transitions from a single-point communication (one hole) to multi-point communication (multiple holes distributed in space). By adding spatial dimensionality to the communication path, the system enables bidirectional ink flow between the chamber and ink storage chamber, overcoming the limitation of the original single-hole design

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If the consumable cartridge is inflated multiple times to supply sufficient ink, then the ink detection chamber can detect adequate ink, but the inflation count exceeds the rated threshold, causing printer error

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveink detection accuracyVSAvoidnumber of inflations
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The communication holes are pre-configured during cartridge manufacturing to establish proper ink flow pathways. This preliminary action ensures that during the first positive pressure test, ink can immediately flow back from the chamber to the ink storage chamber through the communication holes, preventing ink level reduction and eliminating the need for repeated inflations to achieve proper ink detection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If the face cover is cut to expose the chamber, then the chamber can be filled with ink, but poor sealing between the cover plate and face cover causes ink overflow during positive pressure test

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechamber access for refillingVSAvoidink overflow and pollution
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The communication holes serve as controlled intermediary pathways for ink flow between the chamber and ink storage chamber. During positive pressure testing, these pre-configured holes provide a designated route for ink to return to the storage chamber, preventing uncontrolled overflow from the chamber while maintaining the ease of manufacturing benefits from the cut face cover

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Ensures normal cartridge function by maintaining ink levels within specified thresholds, avoiding false prompts and environmental pollution, thus reducing waste and user costs.

Implementation Method 1

during the positive pressure test, due to the increase in the internal pressure of the consumable cartridge, the ink stored in the ink storage chamber is squeezed into the chamber... it is difficult for the ink squeezed into the chamber to flow back into the ink storage chamber

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure differential: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP4659960A1Consumable cartridge
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 ZHUHAI NINESTAR MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP4659960A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4659960A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4659960A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The embodiment of the present application provides a consumable cartridge, which relates to the field of printing technology. The consumable cartridge includes a main body and a face cover; the main body includes a partition, an ink storage chamber and a supplementary chamber; a plurality of communicating parts are arranged on the side of the face cover facing the partition. By arranging a plurality of communicating parts on the side of the face cover facing the partition, the number of times the printer inflates the consumable cartridge during the positive pressure detection process is within the specified threshold range, ensuring that a sufficient amount of ink is supplied to the ink detection chamber of the printer through the ink outlet. This avoids the situation in the prior art where during the positive pressure detection process, the ink detection chamber fails to detect the specified amount of ink, leading to a false prompt that the ink in the consumable cartridge is exhausted, or the printer reports an error because the number of inflations to the consumable cartridge exceeds the threshold. It ensures the normal use of the consumable cartridge, brings convenience to users, avoids waste, reduces the user's usage cost, prevents ink overflow, and avoids environmental pollution.