Folded Nozzle Ink Pouch for Stable Refill Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink storage pouches are flexible, making it difficult to align the nozzle with an ink refill receptacle, leading to potential misalignment and liquid leakage during refilling.
Innovation Solution
The ink storage pouch is designed with a nozzle having a folded structure that includes a piping portion and a tip piping portion extending in intersecting directions, allowing stable positioning and alignment with the ink supply receptacle, and incorporates a valve mechanism to control ink flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an ink storage pouch is made flexible to use less material, then environmental friendliness and material efficiency are improved, but alignment between the nozzle and ink refill receptacle becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is divided into multiple segments including a piping portion, a tip piping portion, and a folded portion. This segmentation allows the nozzle to be flexible yet maintainable in position, resolving the contradiction between flexibility for environmental friendliness and alignment stability for ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle incorporates a folded portion that provides dynamic flexibility while maintaining overall structural stability. This allows the pouch to be flexible and environmentally friendly while the folded structure ensures the nozzle remains aligned with the refill receptacle during operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If the pouch is made flexible for material efficiency, then manufacturing simplicity and material reduction are improved, but positioning stability during refilling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is segmented into a piping portion, tip piping portion, and folded portion. This segmentation enables simple pouch manufacturing while the folded portion provides inherent stability to maintain nozzle positioning during the refilling process.
Solution Approach 2:
The folded portion of the nozzle is pre-configured to provide stability before refilling begins. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when refilling occurs, the nozzle is already positioned stably despite the pouch's flexibility.
3Ease of manufacture
If the nozzle structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then production cost is reduced, but alignment precision with the refill receptacle deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is divided into manufacturable segments (piping portion, tip piping portion, folded portion) that can be produced separately and assembled, maintaining manufacturing ease while achieving precise alignment through the folded structure's inherent positioning capability.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An ink storage pouch for refilling a liquid discharge apparatus with ink, including: a pouch portion for storing ink; and a nozzle which is provided in the pouch portion and which is equipped with a discharge path that discharges ink from inside of the pouch portion, wherein the nozzle includes a first part in which the discharge path extends in a first direction and a second part in which the discharge path extends in a second direction that intersects with the first direction. The technologies described in this specification have the potential to contribute to the achievement of a sustainable society, such as a decarbonized society/circular society.