Fluid Storage Container Air Channel Design for Waste Ink Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink cartridges used in printing devices, such as inkjet printers, face issues with waste ink storage and removal, leading to increased recycling costs and environmental impact due to the need for disassembly and replacement of absorbent materials.
Innovation Solution
A fluid storage container design that allows for easy removal and reuse without disassembly, featuring a fluid storage unit with a fluid path and outside air channel configuration that prevents backflow and leakage, enabling efficient introduction and removal of waste fluid without the use of absorbent materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an ink cartridge is refilled with ink after use, then the cartridge can be reused, but the waste ink remains in the cartridge making it unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The ink cartridge is divided into separate functional components: a reusable cartridge body and a replaceable waste ink absorber. This segmentation allows the cartridge body to be reused while the waste ink absorber is replaced, solving the problem of waste ink contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The waste ink absorber is designed to be discarded after absorbing waste ink, while the cartridge body is recovered and reused. This principle separates the disposable component (absorber) from the reusable component (cartridge body), enabling cost-effective recycling.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ink cartridge is disassembled and the ink absorbing member is replaced, then the cartridge can be reused, but the recycling cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ink cartridge is divided into separate functional components: a reusable cartridge body and a replaceable waste ink absorber. This segmentation allows the cartridge body to be reused while the waste ink absorber is replaced, solving the problem of waste ink contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The waste ink absorber is designed as a cheap, disposable component that absorbs waste ink and is then replaced. This allows the expensive cartridge body to be reused multiple times, reducing overall recycling costs compared to complete disassembly and replacement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ink cartridge is disassembled for recycling, then the cartridge can be reused, but the environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ink cartridge is divided into separate functional components: a reusable cartridge body and a replaceable waste ink absorber. This segmentation allows the cartridge body to be reused while the waste ink absorber is replaced, solving the problem of waste ink contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The waste ink absorber is designed to be discarded after absorbing waste ink, while the cartridge body is recovered and reused. This principle separates the disposable component (absorber) from the reusable component (cartridge body), enabling cost-effective recycling.
4Quantity of substance
If fluid is introduced into the fluid storage unit, then the storage unit can be filled, but air pressure may cause backflow
Solution Approach 1:
The air channel is positioned at a higher vertical dimension than the fluid inlet/outlet opening. This dimensional arrangement uses gravity to prevent backflow, as air naturally rises and fluid naturally falls, creating a one-way flow path that prevents fluid from flowing back into the air channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The air channel acts as an intermediary pathway that allows air to escape during fluid filling while its elevated position and one-way communication prevent fluid from flowing back. The air channel mediates between the fluid storage unit and the external environment, enabling pressure equalization without compromising fluid containment.
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
The design facilitates smooth fluid introduction and removal, preventing backflow and leakage, thus allowing for cost-effective and environmentally friendly reuse of the fluid storage container.
Implementation Method 1
As a result, it can be difficult to increase the pressure inside the fluid storage unit. Thus, the fluid can be smoothly introduced into the fluid storage unit without the internal pressure causing the fluid to backflow.
Implementation Method 2
The second end of the outside air channel can be at a position that is further from the first chamber than the second chamber... the fluid in the fluid storage unit can be prevented from flowing to the outside environment through the outside air channel, regardless of the orientation of the fluid storage container.
Implementation Method 3
the fluid can be removed by suction through the fluid inlet/outlet opening. As a result, the fluid in the fluid storage unit can be drawn from the second end of the fluid path, into the fluid path, and can be subsequently removed.
Data Source
AI summary
In one exemplary embodiment of a fluid storage container or cartridge that can be reused, the ink cartridge can have an ink storage unit that stores waste ink, an ink inlet/outlet disposed in a frame part that can be the outside wall of the ink storage unit, an ink path of which one end communicates with the ink inlet/outlet and the other end is disposed opening into the ink storage unit, wall parts that divide the ink storage unit into an upper air chamber and a lower fluid chamber that communicate with each other through a communication path, and an outside air channel, of which one end communicates with the air chamber and the other end enables communication with the outside at a position further from the air chamber than the fluid chamber. Other embodiments of fluid storage containers and methods of removing fluid therefrom are also disclosed.