Ink Refill Container Valve Positioning for Spillage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ink refill process for recording devices is prone to incorrect refilling and ink spillage, as the user manually performs the refilling operation, leading to inefficiencies and potential contamination.
Innovation Solution
An ink refill container with a valve and positioning portion that ensures correct alignment and sealing during refilling, featuring a slit valve and convex/concave portions for precise connection with the ink tank, preventing incorrect refilling and spillage by ensuring stable and accurate ink flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a valve is provided in the ink outlet-forming portion to seal the ink outlet, then ink spillage is prevented, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is constructed from an elastic member that forms a flexible seal at the ink outlet. This flexible membrane structure effectively prevents ink spillage while maintaining a simple overall design, avoiding the need for complex mechanical valve mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member valve automatically opens when the needle pierces it during refilling and closes automatically when the needle is removed. This self-operating mechanism eliminates the need for additional control components, reducing structural complexity while ensuring ink spillage prevention.
2Reliability
If the valve is positioned closer to the ink outlet to improve sealing, then sealing performance is enhanced, but the positioning precision required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member valve is positioned to overlap with the needle opening, creating an effective seal. The flexibility of the elastic material compensates for minor positioning variations, achieving reliable sealing without requiring extremely high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve structure is designed with asymmetric positioning where the elastic member extends slightly beyond the needle opening in one direction. This asymmetric design ensures that the valve effectively seals the ink outlet while accommodating normal manufacturing tolerances.
3Device complexity
If the ink refill container is designed with a simple structure and few components, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but alignment precision during refilling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ink refill container and ink tank are designed with color coding (e.g., colored rings or markings) that visually indicate proper alignment and compatibility. This simple visual guidance system ensures precise alignment during refilling without adding mechanical complexity to the container structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle opening and valve are positioned asymmetrically relative to the container body, creating a unique orientation that guides correct alignment during refilling. This asymmetric configuration ensures precise positioning while maintaining a simple overall structure with few components.
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 solution enables precise and stable refilling of ink tanks, reducing the risk of ink spillage and incorrect refilling, while maintaining a simple and efficient structure with few components, ensuring proper alignment and easy recognition of compatible ink containers.
Implementation Method 1
the valve is provided with at least one or more slits in an elastic member configured to seal the ink outlet, and opens when the slit is pushed inward from outside the ink outlet
Data Source
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AI summary
An ink refill container 63 includes a container main body 64 including an ink storage chamber 76, an ink outlet-forming portion 66 provided on an end portion of the container main body forming an ink outlet 65 that allows the ink to flow out from the ink storage chamber, and a valve 74 provided in the ink outlet-forming portion configured to openably seal the ink outlet, in which the ink outlet-forming portion includes a positioning portion 73 on an outer side of the ink outlet-forming portion, in which the positioning portion 73 is closer to the container main body than the valve 74 is to the container main body in a central axis direction of the ink outlet, and in which the positioning portion partially abuts against an ink tank 41-45 when the valve is opened for refilling the ink to the ink tank, to thereby position the valve relative to the ink tank.