Flexible Ink Container Tag Layout for Stable Non-Contact Reading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink storage containers in ink ejection apparatuses rely on plastic materials for maintaining the shape and position of information members, which contradicts the growing demand for minimizing plastic use in favor of a sustainable society.
Innovation Solution
Ink storage containers are designed with flexible materials like PET or nylon for the main body and use non-contact reading mechanisms such as optical or RFID systems to maintain the position and stability of information tags, eliminating the need for plastic components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plastic materials are used to maintain the shape and position of information members in ink storage containers, then the electrical contacts and information members can be reliably positioned, but plastic waste increases and sustainability goals are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the plastic housing component from the ink storage container structure. Instead of using a plastic container body with integrated positioning features, the patent employs a flexible bag structure where the information member (storage element) is directly attached to the flexible material, eliminating the need for separate plastic positioning structures and reducing overall plastic usage while maintaining functional reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces rigid plastic container structures with flexible bag materials that can inherently maintain shape and position through their material properties. The flexible film or bag structure provides the necessary form factor and positioning capability for electrical contacts and information members without requiring additional plastic reinforcement or housing, thus achieving both reliability and reduced plastic waste.
2Loss of substance
If flexible materials are used for ink storage containers, then handling is facilitated and plastic usage is reduced, but maintaining constant shape for reliable electrical contact connection becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of the container body, positioning structure, and information member mounting into a single integrated flexible bag structure. The flexible material itself is designed to provide the necessary positioning features for electrical contacts and storage elements, combining multiple functions that were previously separated between the plastic housing and the container body, thereby achieving both flexibility and positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the flexible material to achieve the desired positioning precision. By selecting flexible materials with specific mechanical properties (such as controlled stiffness, thickness, or memory characteristics), the bag structure can maintain adequate shape stability for electrical contact connection while remaining flexible enough for easy handling and reduced plastic usage.
Data Source
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AI summary
An ink storage container attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body of an ink ejection apparatus includes: a storage portion that stores ink, the storage portion including an ink discharge portion capable of discharging the stored ink to an outside of the storage portion; and an information member that stores information capable of being read from the outside. In the ink storage container, the information member is provided in a flexible part of the storage portion and is configured to enable the information to be read in a non-contact manner from the outside and the information member is configured such that the information readable by an optical reading device or an RFID-based reading device. The technology described in this specification have the potential to contribute to the achievement of a sustainable society, such as a decarbonized society / circular society.