Patent Application
20090066768
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge, for supplying ink, that is removably mounted on a carriage mounting a recording head for ejecting ink droplets from nozzle openings to print data such as an image, and to an ink jet recording apparatus.
An ink cartridge that is removably mounted on a carriage in fluid communication with a recording head must have a secure liquid-tight relationship with a flow path forming member, such as an ink supply needle, that itself communicates with the recording head. At the same time, the ink cartridge is required to be easily mountable and removable for replacement. In the case of an ink cartridge carrying a memory unit storing ink information therein, the ink cartridge is provided with an electrode for contact with a recording apparatus, and is required to be housed in a cartridge holder so as to enable secure contact with a contact unit of the recording apparatus.
For example, as taught by International Patent Publication No. 01/54910, an ink supply port is formed on a wall surface defining an ink container. At the same time, a memory unit and an electrode group (a plurality of electrodes) are provided on one of plural opposing wall surfaces facing this wall surface, and two first projections are provided across this electrode group. Also, a lever biased in the hinging-open direction is provided on the other wall surface. That is, this document teaches involves an ink container having, on a container wall, an electrical storage device that contains information about ink in the container and which container is installed in a receiving station. Projections extend outward from the container wall having the electrical storage device and the projections are located on the sides of the storage device. The memory device, which is flush with the wall, lies between the two projections. Projections on the sides of the container extend outwards beyond the width of the ink container.
Also, an ink container receptacle of the recording apparatus for cooperating with the ink container is provided with two second projections for engaging the first projections at the upper surface and side portions thereof, and a recessed portion for engaging the lever.
By using such a configuration, the container can be loaded obliquely onto the ink container receptacle such that the first projections are first engaged with the second projections, and subsequently the other side is pushed in. In this process, an ink supply port abuts a flow path forming member for ink supply. Also, the lever engages the recessed portion. Accordingly, the ink container is fixed to the ink container receptacle in the state where ink can be supplied.
In the state where the ink cartridge has been fixed to the ink container receptacle, the ink container is always pressed upward by a spring provided on the ink container receptacle. Therefore, the two first projections of the ink container and the two second projections of the ink container receiver are engaged with each other in two up-and-down and right-and-left directions. Thus, the upper-and-lower and right-and-left positions of the ink container are maintained in a predetermined reference position, so that an electrode group of the ink container securely contacts a contact group of the ink container receptacle.
However, two positioning projecting portions are needed on both sides of an electrode group of the ink container. The need for these projecting portions is creates a problem in that the ink container and ink container receptacle are complicated in structure and are increased in width.
Also, there is a problem that, since the lever is flexed open away from the cartridge body by its own elastic force, a strong elastic force cannot be exerted, that is, in a case where the lever is deformed toward the container side and compactly housed in a box or the like, the outward engaging force of the lever will be reduced and the cartridge will not be held as securely as is desirable.
Further, since the ink container must be pivoted about a point when the ink container is attached to the ink container receptacle, there is also a problem in that, when the flow path forming member for engaging the ink supply port is long in length, a large bending force is applied to the flow path forming member, which can break or damage the flow path forming member and damage a packing located in the ink supply port.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0085075 discloses an ink container having a parallelepipedal shape in which an electrode group is disposed on a side surface. The ink container is fixed at a predetermined position of a holder by using a loading lever. According to the disclosure of this publication, since the ink cartridge is held at the predetermined position of the holder by the pressing force of the loading lever, the structure of the loading lever must be devised in order to establish reliable contact of the electrode group, resulting in a complicated structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,780 discloses an ink jet cartridge and carriage in which, during cartridge installation, a projection at a rear, lower corner of the ink cartridge is received in an opening under a retainer bar in the carriage. The cartridge is pivoted about the projection until the upper corner of the cartridge, diagonally across from the projection, fully displaces and slips under a latch. The ink cartridge does not have any intelligence in the form of an electronic memory device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,984 describes an ink cartridge with a latching arm having a projection that cooperates with structure on the printer's carriage to secure the cartridge. In addition, during installation, a projection on the cartridge is received by a corresponding hole in the carriage. Again, the ink cartridge does not have any intelligence in the form of a electronic memory device.
European Patent Appln. No. 0 822 084 depicts several embodiments of an ink jet recording head, all of which have a holder member that receives ink tanks, as well as the recording device substrate, which itself includes recording elements driven through electrical contacts. The ink tanks are mounted in the holder member by a combination of a movable arm which engages an opening in the holder member and one or more projections which are received in corresponding openings in the holder member. The reference does not specifically explain how the assembled ink jet recording head is mounted on the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, nor is there mention of a memory device.
The invention has been made in view of and with the intent to overcome such problems, and an object of the invention is to provide an ink cartridge that enables simplification of the position regulating structure of an electrode group and reduction in size.
Also, another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge that can be mounted by moving an ink supply port parallel to a flow path forming member at least at mounting time.
Further, yet another object of the invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for receiving the aforesaid ink cartridge.
To solve such problems, the present invention encompasses an ink cartridge that, when used, is mounted on a recording apparatus having a pressing member and a receiving part, and this ink cartridge has an ink container with having an upper wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall intersecting the bottom wall and a second side wall intersecting the bottom wall and facing the first side wall; an ink supply port disposed on the bottom wall at an offset position closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall; a first projecting portion disposed on the second side wall and located closer to the bottom wall than to the upper wall, the first projecting portion having a plurality of side portions for being restricted in position when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus; a pressed portion disposed on the second side wall, the pressed portion having an upper surface for being pressed by the pressing member of the recording apparatus; a retaining member engageable with the receiving part of the recording apparatus; and a plurality of electrodes disposed on the first projecting portion, and electrically connected to a memory unit disposed on the ink container.
According thereto, the position of the second side wall where the electrodes are disposed is restricted by the side portions of the projecting portion in a lateral direction and by the pressed portion in a vertical direction. Therefore, the electrodes can be accurately positioned at their predetermined positions.
In this invention, the pressed portion can be formed as the upper surface of the projecting portion, and the upper surface of the projecting portion is pressed toward the bottom wall surface by a position restricting elastic piece formed on the recording apparatus.
According thereto, the electrodes formed on the projecting portion are pressed via the pressed portion by the position restricting elastic piece toward the bottom wall surface. Therefore, the positions of the electrodes in a loading direction can be held reliably and securely.
Also, the pressed portion can be pressed toward the bottom wall surface by a cartridge holding mounting lever of the recording apparatus.
According thereto, when the ink cartridge is properly aligned, the cartridge holding mounting lever presses the electrodes formed on the projecting portion toward the bottom wall surface to reliably and securely hold the positions of the electrodes in the insertion direction.
In this invention, the pressed portion can be formed as a second projecting portion disposed at a rear side of the first projecting portion in the insertion direction of the cartridge into the recording apparatus.
According thereto, the rotational movement of the mounting lever can be converted into the linear motion as much as possible, and therefore the electrodes can be precisely positioned to predetermined positions without being subjected to a rotational force.
Another aspect of this invention involves a guide projecting portion extending in the loading direction of the container and which is located below the lever.
Thereby, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the ink supply port side can be securely guided to the flow path forming member. Also, at the time that mounting is completed, the widthwise position of the front and rear of the ink cartridge can be held at a predetermined position.
Additionally, a recessed portion can be formed in another wall surface adjacent to the wall surface that is formed with the projecting portion.
According thereto, in a case where the ink cartridge is removed by using the rotation, the rotation at the time of cartridge removal can be guided into a predetermined locus, and the external force applied to the flow path forming member and caused by lateral shifting can be reduced to the minimum possible.
Also, in a case where the ink cartridge is removed linearly, the ink cartridge is prevented from interfering with a cartridge holder rib provided for restricting the position of the ink cartridge in the arraying direction, even if rotational shifting occurs.
Also, a valve body that is normally kept in a closed valve state by a biasing member and an elastic sealing member that abuts the valve body and that elastically contacts an outer circumference of an ink supply member formed in the recording apparatus are housed in the ink supply port.
Shifting due to vibration can be prevented without the need for a biasing device on the recording apparatus, and the cartridge can be elastically fixed via the retaining member using the biasing member housed in the ink supply port. The leakage of ink can be prevented by the valve body when the ink cartridge is not mounted on the recording apparatus and by the sealing member when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus.
Additionally, the retaining member can be formed as a lever having an engagement portion engageable with the part of the recording apparatus. The lever has a projection that biases an upper portion of the lever outward as the cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus. Preferably, a plurality of the projections are respectively formed on side surfaces of the lever.
According thereto, the elasticity of the retaining member can be increased, to thereby provide more positive engagement. Also, during mounting, the resulting “click” can be made more perceptible. Further, even when the retaining member is deformed out of a predetermined configuration, the projection(s) can return the retaining member to a proper position to securely engage the engagement portion of the retaining member with the part of the recording apparatus.
This invention also provides that the projecting portion can be narrower in width than the ink container.
This way, the ink cartridge can be housed in close contact with a carriage, and while the carriage can be made compact, the ink cartridge still can be securely positioned in place. Further, a distance between adjacent ink cartridges can be reduced to the minimum possible.
This invention also provides that a region serving as the upper surface of the pressed portion when the cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus is formed as a flat surface.
According thereto, the secure contact of the pressed portion with the pressing member of the recording apparatus can be realized, and the amount of pressing toward the bottom wall surface can be precisely controlled.
This invention also provides that the electrodes are arranged in at least two rows, and the rows are perpendicular to an axis of the ink supply port.
According thereto, since the electrodes are arranged on the projecting portion in the widthwise direction in which the position of the projecting portion is restricted, the electrodes can be reliably positioned with respect to the contacts of the recording apparatus side.
Additionally, the retaining member can be formed as a lever having an engagement portion engageable with the part of the recording apparatus, and the lever can be configured to exert an elastic force for urging the ink container toward the projecting portion side.
Thereby, the electrode group on the projecting portion can be urged toward and securely contacted with the recording apparatus.
In another aspect of this invention, an elastic sealing member is housed in the ink supply port. The elastic sealing member engages the ink supply member of the recording apparatus when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus.
Thereby, the force applied to the ink cartridge is relieved by the elastic sealing member, thereby preventing a local force from acting on the ink supply member of the recording apparatus, so that damage of the ink supply member can be avoided.
Additionally, the second side wall can have at least one of a recess and a protrusion for pinching the ink cartridge.
According thereto, even if several ink cartridges, each having a narrow width, are disposed close to each other, a desired ink cartridge can be removed and replaced using the retaining member and the pinching recess or protrusion.
In another aspect of this invention, the second side wall is elongated in the cartridge insertion direction.
According thereto, since the projecting portion and the pressed portion can be disposed on the surface of the side wall elongated in the cartridge insertion direction, the surface of the side wall can be utilized efficiently. Further, the surface on which the projecting portion is disposed is elongated vertically, the width of the carriage (the width of the carriage in the carriage moving direction) for mounting a plurality of cartridges adjacent to each other can be made small.
In another aspect of this invention, the electrodes and the memory unit are disposed on a circuit board mounted on a surface of the projecting portion. The surface of the projecting portion is parallel to the cartridge insertion direction, and electrodes are formed on an exposed surface side of the circuit board.
According thereto, the electrodes can be appropriately disposed on the projecting portion without inclination. Further, the electrodes can be formed by circuit printing technology, while effectively utilizing the flatness of the circuit board. Therefore, the contact reliability can be enhanced. Moreover, a recess can be formed in the projecting portion to house therein the memory unit on the back surface of the circuit board. The entire exposed surface side can be used as a region on which the electrodes can be disposed.
Preferably, each of the electrodes has a vertically elongated shape.
According thereto, the electrodes can be concentrically disposed at a region that is in the vicinity of the projecting portion for laterally positioning the ink cartridge and that is high in positioning precision, and therefore the contact can be established with high reliability.
Another aspect of this invention provides that the electrodes and the memory unit are formed on a circuit board, and the electrodes are disposed on the circuit board at an offset position closer to the bottom wall surface.
According thereto, the electrodes can be disposed on a region of the ink cartridge where shifting is reduced to the minimum possible by engagement of the ink supply port with the ink supply needle.
In another aspect of this invention, the second projecting portion is located within a region defined by and between the outermost electrodes in a direction that is perpendicular to the cartridge insertion direction and that is parallel to the second side wall.
According thereto, when the second projecting portion is pressed by the member of the recording apparatus, the electrodes is not subjected to a rotational force and is precisely positioned.
In another aspect of this invention, a height of the second projecting portion from the second side wall is smaller than a height of the first projecting portion from the second side wall.
According thereto, a portion of the cartridge holder to be located in the vicinity of the second projecting portion can be arranged close to the ink cartridge, thereby preventing size increase of the cartridge holder. Further, the rigidity of the second projecting portion can be readily increased to such a degree that the second projecting portion can bear against the pressing of the mounting lever.
Another aspect of this invention provides an erroneous insertion preventive identification piece which is disposed between the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion.
According thereto, the cartridge holding mounting lever for pressing the second projecting portion can be made simple in structure, otherwise the structure of the mounting lever will be complicated in order to escape the identification piece. Further, the identification piece can be used as a guide, and in this case the identification piece also contributes to effective positioning of the electrodes formed on the first projecting portion.
Additionally, the identification piece can be constructed as a block, which is fixed to the ink container by a fixing member.
According thereto, the electrodes can be formed on the block which is small and can be easily handled in comparison to the ink container. Further, since the container can be commonly used regardless of kinds of liquid contained in the container, product fluctuation of the container can be reduced in comparison with a case in which containers are prepared depending on kinds of liquid.
Also, the identification piece and the first projecting portion can be constructed as a unitary block, which is fixed to the container by a fixing member.
According thereto, the identification piece and the projecting portion can be fixed to the ink cartridge simultaneously by a single assembly operation. Further, the manufacture can be conducted while confirming the conformity between the identification piece and the memory unit mounted on the circuit board of the projecting portion.
Another aspect of this invention provides a positioning system that is disposed on a back surface of the block and the second side wall of the ink container.
According thereto, the block can be assembled into the ink container with high precision even by an automated assembly device.
In another aspect of the invention, the pressed portion of the second projecting portion has a surface that extends perpendicular to a surface on which the electrodes are formed.
According thereto, the electrodes can be pressed in parallel to the electrode forming surface, the electrodes can be positioned precisely.
In another aspect of this invention, the side surfaces of the projecting portion are parallel to the cartridge insertion direction.
As a further aspect of this invention, one or both of the side portions of the first projecting portion can be provided with at least one of a projection, a ridge and a groove. The projection(s), ridge(s) and/or groove(s) can engage with corresponding structure in the printing apparatus to help hold the ink cartridge more securely.
According thereto, the position of the projecting portion can be securely restricted, and therefore the electrodes can be positioned precisely.
In another aspect of this invention, the lever receptacle portion is integral with the projecting portion on which the electrodes are formed.
According thereto, the lever receptacle portion and the projecting portion can be formed as a unitary member, resulting in a simple structure. Further, the rotational motion of the mounting lever can be entirely converted into the linear motion and therefore the electrodes can be positioned to a predetermined portion precisely without being subjected to a rotational force.
In another aspect of this invention, a distal end of the identification piece is protruded outward beyond a surface on which the electrodes are formed.
According thereto, the electrode forming surface can be protected by the identification piece. In a case where the electrodes are formed on a circuit board, and the circuit board further has a semiconductor memory element, these components can also be protected by the identification piece.
Preferably, a plurality of the identification pieces are provided.
According thereto, by selecting the number, position or the like of the identification pieces depending on kinds of cartridges, plural kinds of cartridges can be identified using a limited space.
The present invention also concerns an ink jet recording apparatus mounting an ink cartridge including: an ink supply port formed at a position, offset to one side, of a bottom wall defining in part an ink container; a projecting portion, formed on a lower portion of one wall out of two opposing walls adjacent to the bottom wall, the projecting portion having an upper surface and side portions that have specific and predetermined positions when the cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus, wherein the one wall is located further from the ink supply port than another wall, out of the two walls, is located; an elastically deformable lever formed on the other wall, the lever extending upwardly from the other wall to be spaced from the other wall, and having an engaging portion at an intermediate position, which engages a corresponding part of the recording apparatus; and a plurality of electrodes formed on the projecting portion and which are electrically connected to a memory unit disposed on the ink container. The ink jet recording apparatus has: a flow path forming member communicating with a recording head and formed at the opposite position to the ink supply port in the state where the ink cartridge is mounted; a width direction regulating projecting portion for abutting the side portions of the projecting portion; and a position regulating elastic piece for abutting the upper surface of the projecting portion.
According thereto, both sides of the projecting portion are regulated by the width direction regulating projecting portion, and the upper surface thereof is regulated by the elastic piece. Therefore, the position of the electrode group can be held at a predetermined position.
In this invention, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the position regulating elastic piece can be pressed by the lower portion of the ink cartridge's projecting portion and is elastically deformed, while thereafter, when mounting of the ink cartridge is completed, the elastic piece returns to its original position and abuts the upper surface of the projecting portion.
According thereto, the ink cartridge can also be mounted by pressing the ink cartridge inward in a direction parallel to the flow path forming member of the recording apparatus. Thus, an undesirably high level of force will not be applied to the flow path forming member or the ink supply port. This way, the elastic piece retreats in correspondence with the movement of the cartridge without hindering the mounting operation of the cartridge. Also, at the time mounting is completed, the cartridge is held at the position where contact with the electrode group can be securely maintained.
In this invention, a projecting portion is formed at the position of the width direction regulating projecting portion corresponding to a rotation assisting recessed portion formed in the ink cartridge.
According thereto, when the cartridge is removed, the rotation can be guided into a predetermined locus by the projecting portion, and the external force applied to the flow path forming member can be kept as low as is possible.
The recording apparatus according to the present invention can be configured to satisfy the equation: L≧H/tan θ+ΔL, where L is the distance from the upper surface of the projecting portion to a center of the ink supply port, wherein the upper surface of the projecting portion serves as a rotation center when the ink cartridge is removed from the recording apparatus, θ is a rotation angle required when the ink cartridge is removed from the recording apparatus, H is an entering length of the flow path forming member and ΔL is a positional displacement allowable range of the elastic sealing material.
According thereto, the ink cartridge can be removed by rotating the ink cartridge without applying excessive force to the flow path forming member.
The present invention also provides a recording apparatus, which receive an ink cartridge including: an ink container having first, second and third wall surfaces, the second and third wall surfaces being adjacent to the first wall surface and opposing each other; an ink supply port disposed on the first wall surface; a retaining member disposed on the second wall surface, the retaining member having an engagement portion elastically engageable with a part of a recording apparatus; a lever-pressed portion disposed on the third wall surface, and which can be pressed by a cartridge holding mounting lever of the recording apparatus; a projecting portion, which is disposed closer to the ink supply port than the lever-pressed portion, the projecting portion having side portions that are to be restricted by the recording apparatus; and a plurality of electrodes disposed on the projecting portion, and electrically connected to a memory unit disposed on the ink container. The ink jet recording apparatus has a flow path forming member communicating with a recording head, and formed at a position which opposes the ink supply port of the ink cartridge which is received the recording apparatus; and the mounting lever has a rotation fulcrum on a side of the lever-pressed portion, wherein when the engagement portion of the retaining member is properly engaged with the part of the recording apparatus, the mounting lever rotates about the rotation fulcrum and presses the lever-pressed portion to a lever-pressed portion's predetermined position and is retained in a mounting lever's predetermined position.
According to this arrangement, the surface opposite to the surface fixed by the retaining member can be securely retained by the mounting lever. Further, since the lever-pressed portion is pressed by a rotation fulcrum side of the mounting lever, the position of the lever-pressed portion in the mounting direction can be held with a small force when the mounting lever is retained.
Additionally, when the ink cartridge is not mounted properly, the mounting lever is prevented from moving to the mounting lever's predetermined position.
In this fashion, errors in mounting the ink cartridge can be prevented with assurance.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application Nos. 2002-341826 (filed on Nov. 26, 2002), 2003-76890 (filed on Mar. 20, 2003), 2003-76891 (filed on Mar. 20, 2003), 2003-128049 (filed on May 6, 2003) and 2003-204804 (filed on Jul. 31, 2003), each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Now, the details of the invention will be described below based on illustrated embodiments.
As shown in
With reference again to
Also, a projecting portion 12 having a surface 12a, e.g. a flat surface, that can support an elastic piece or pressing member of the recording apparatus (discussed in detail below) is formed on a lower end portion of the other wall surface 8 so as to be narrower in width than the width of the ink container including the container body 2a and lid body 2b. As depicted in
The electrode disposed at the center of the upper row is located on a plane that intersects the central axis of the ink supply port 4 and is also perpendicular to the surface where the electrodes 14 are formed. Other electrodes are arranged with reference to this centrally-disposed electrode. By this arrangement of the electrodes in this embodiment, the positional offset of the electrodes can be reduced even when the ink cartridge shifts about the ink supply port during the mounting of the ink cartridge.
As shown in
Since the memory unit 18 is mounted on the rear surface of the circuit board 15 in this fashion, a recess 13a (see
With reference now to
The lever 9 is provided on the wall surface 7 of the container body 2a with a fulcrum, or pivot point, 9a on the lower portion of the lever 9 and is elastically deformable. A claw portion, or projection, 19 serving as an engaging portion engageable with and disengageable from a suitably-shaped engaging portion 38 of the carriage projects outward above the fulcrum 9a. Another projection 20 is formed between the fulcrum 9a and the claw portion 19, so as to project laterally outward from the lever body, and preferably one such projection is formed on each side of the lever body.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Also, a second groove 39 is formed below the groove 37. This second groove 39, which can be thought of as a retaining member, engages the guide projecting portion 10 of the ink cartridge just before the end of loading, and prevents the ink cartridge from shifting in the widthwise direction as mounting concludes. In addition, in this embodiment, the guide projecting portion 10 and the groove 37 are provided on the ink cartridge and in the ink cartridge storage portion, respectively, in order to increase the volume of the ink cartridge as much as possible. It will be appreciated that the same benefits in guiding the ink cartridge can be obtained if the groove 37 is formed in the ink cartridge and the projecting portion 10 is formed on the ink cartridge storage portion, although the storage capacity of the ink cartridge may be reduced.
As shown in
It should be understood that it is preferable for the ink cartridge to be mounted to the carriage 30 with only a small amount of rotation, as shown in
In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 is aligned in position with a predetermined region of the carriage 30, as shown in
In this process, the projection 20 on each side of the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1 contacts the inclined surface 37a forming the widening portion. Also, the guide projecting portion 10 enters the groove 39. When the cartridge 1 is further advanced, both sides of the positioning projecting portion 12 are guided by the ribs 34, and the ink supply needle 36 enters the ink supply port 4 to raise the valve body 6 against the force of the spring 5.
It is preferable that the width of the projection(s) 20, taken together with the width of the lever 9, be no greater than the distance in the widthwise direction between the container body 2a and the lid body 2b. This way, since this positioning structure is no wider than the ink cartridge itself, adjacent ink cartridges can be closely arranged, as the projections of the adjacent ink cartridges will not interfere with one another.
The ink cartridge 1 is thus pushed into a predetermined position. Then, as shown in
As depicted in
Also, almost concurrently, the elastic piece 40 is no longer subjected to the force that had been exerted by the projecting portion 12 and is therefore restored to its previous state by its own elasticity. Thus, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 abuts the flat surface 12a in the upper portion of the projecting portion 12. At this time, the ink cartridge 1 is urged against the elastic contacts 41. Accordingly, the electrodes 14 can be brought into electrical communication with the elastic contacts 41 without substantial rubbing between the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 41. This eliminates not only wear of and damage to the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 12, but also prevents damage of data stored in an EEPROM (memory device), which may otherwise result from inappropriate contact.
In this state, in the vertical direction, the near side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the projecting portion 12 and the lower end of the elastic piece 40, and the back side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the claw 19 and the engaging portion 38. Also, in the horizontal direction (width direction), the location of the near side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by both sides of the projecting portion 12 and the width direction regulating projecting portion 34, and the position of the back side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the guide groove 39 and the guide projecting portion 10. Because the position of the ink cartridge can be precisely controlled, the electrodes 14 are properly positioned to establish electric contact with each elastic contact 41.
By virtue of this arrangement, the mounted ink cartridge is held diagonally by the lower portion on the near side and the upper portion on the back side. Therefore, the mounted ink cartridge can be held securely at a predetermined position without reducing operationality.
Also, since the strong elastic force acting on the lever 9 urges the ink cartridge toward the elastic contacts 41, the electrodes 14 firmly press against the elastic contacts to maintain the electrically conductive relationship therewith. In addition, since the elastic member 6a of the ink supply port 4 has an opening smaller in diameter than the ink supply needle 36, owing to its elasticity, the elastic seal member 6a of the ink supply port 4 is elastically deformed to some extent while maintaining an airtight relationship with the ink supply needle 36 inserted therein, so as to relieve local contact with the ink supply needle 36, thus preventing damage which could otherwise be caused by the action of a local force applied to the ink supply needle 36. In addition, it is preferable to use the elastic member 6a having such an automatic alignment ability that a portion of the elastic member 6a, which is elastically contacted with the ink supply needle 36, is movable relative to a portion of the elastic member 6a, which is fixed to the cartridge.
Also, the projecting portion 12 is formed with a width no greater than that of the container body 2a. Therefore, even when each gap in the array direction between adjacent ink cartridges is reduced to the minimum possible, i.e., even when the plurality of ink cartridges are stored in a substantially contacting arrangement against each other, the position of the ink cartridges in the array direction can be accurately regulated. In other words, because the projecting portion 12 is narrower than the ink cartridge itself, adjacent ink cartridges can be closely arranged, since these positioning projecting portions will not interfere with one another.
Incidentally, the term “array direction” refers to a line along which successive ink cartridges mounted in the carriage are arranged. As shown in
On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is to be removed from the carriage 30, the ink cartridge 1 is held, for example, with the operator's forefinger on the lever 9 and thumb on the pinching recessed portion 2c, and the lever 9 is squeezed and deformed so as to be moved toward the near side i.e. the container main body side (it should be understood that other fingers also could be used). As the lever 9 is elastically deformed, the claw 19 disengages from the engaging portion 38. The ink cartridge, having lost the support formerly provided by the engaging portion 38, moves slightly upward in response to the biasing force exerted by the spring 5 in the ink supply port, and the claw 19 on the lever 9 is displaced to a position outside the region of the engaging portion 38.
The ink supply port 4 is disposed at a location offset toward the wall surface 7 where the lever 9 is disposed. Therefore, during cartridge removal, the ink supply port 4 can be disengaged from the flow path forming member, i.e. ink supply needle 36 by turning the cartridge about a large rotation radius L in the direction shown by arrow G direction about an abutment point F of the ink cartridge with the lower end of the elastic piece 40, as schematically shown in
When the ink cartridge is turned during the cartridge removal, the rib 34, in particular, the inclined surface portion 34a, attempts to interfere with the side surface of the container main body 2a of the ink cartridge, but the presence of the recessed portion 17 at this portion can avoid the interference of the rib 34 to enable the easy and smooth removal of the ink cartridge.
The amount of displacement between the center of the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be expressed by ΔL=L−(H/tan θ), where L is the distance between the abutment point F which the elastic piece 40 contacts to restrict a rotation center, and the lower end of the central axis C of the ink supply port 4, H is the maximum value of the entering length of the ink supply needle 36, and θ is the rotation angle required during removal of the ink cartridge.
The rotation angle θ is the rotation angle of the ink cartridge required from the state in which the ink supply needle 36 is engaged with the ink supply port 4 to the state in which the center point of the leading end of the ink supply needle 36 is positioned outside the end face of the ink supply port 4.
The maximum value for H is defined as approximately the length from the lower end of the ink supply port 4 to the intersecting point E at which the central axis C of the ink supply port 4 intersects a line drawn to extend from the abutment point F (shown as reference numeral F in
Since the ink cartridge has an ink supply needle (36) mounting length H of about 5 mm, the rotation radius L is about 28.8 mm and the rotation angle θ is about 10 degrees, the displacement amount ΔL between the center of the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be calculated to be about 0.4 mm.
In other words, a deformation amount by which the elastic seal member 6a installed in the ink supply port 4 can be deformed by a force that does not cause damage to the ink supply needle 36 is defined as ΔL, and the rotation radius L can be set as L≧H/tan θ+ΔL.
Further, since the rotation force is applied to the distal end of the lever 9, which is the furthest from the projecting portion 12 diagonally, the ink cartridge can be removed easily.
Moreover, by rotation in this manner, the electrodes 14 can be brought into electrical communication with the elastic contacts 41 without substantial rubbing between the electrodes 14 and those elastic contacts 41. This eliminates not only wear of and damage to the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 12, but also damage to data stored in an EEPROM (the memory device), which could otherwise be caused by improper contact.
In addition, a projecting portion that can easily conform to a user's thumb may be provided in place of the pinching recessed portion 2c in order to provide the same effect.
On the other hand, the opposite side of the ink cartridge 1 is constructed so that the projecting portion 12 is restricted from moving by the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40. Thus, when the lever 9 side is lifted, as shown in
Again, it will be appreciated that in the aforesaid embodiment, the mounting operation is effective because it employs linear movement of the ink cartridge. When the projecting portion 12 is positioned first, and then the ink cartridge is mounted by rotating the lever 9 with the projecting portion 12 serving as a fulcrum, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 still abuts the flat surface 12a of the projecting portion 12. Then, with this abutment region serving as a rotation center, in the widthwise direction, the near side is regulated by the width direction regulating projecting portion 34, and the back side is regulated by the guide groove 39. By virtue of the precise control of the position of the ink cartridge, the electrodes 14 establish a proper electrically conductive relationship with the elastic contacts 41 without substantial rubbing.
A further benefit of this invention is that the ink supply port 4 is located on the lever 9 side at a position spaced apart from the projecting portion 12, which serves as a rotation fulcrum. Owing to this arrangement, during cartridge mounting and removal the ink supply port 4 moves as parallel as possible to the axis of the ink supply needle 36, thus preventing the generation of undesirable forces that would tend to deform undesirably the elastic seal member 6a disposed in the ink supply port 4.
Next, the structures of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and a carriage adapted for use with the ink cartridge of the second embodiment will be discussed.
In more detail, the ink cartridge 101 is dimensioned such that the width W1 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which a plurality of cartridges are arrayed is the longest, the cartridge height H1 is slightly shorter than the width W1, and the thickness (depth) D1 in the direction parallel to the arraying direction of the cartridges is set at about ⅕ of the height H1. This dimensioning of the ink cartridge 101 is meant to make the entire length in the arraying direction as minimal as possible when a plurality of ink cartridges are arrayed.
In addition, the ink supply port 104 is disposed at a position offset from the central plane of the cartridge toward one side, in the longitudinal direction, (i.e. on the side of a wall surface (side wall) formed with a lever 109 serving as a retaining member). The ink cartridge 1 also has a top surface (top wall). The ink supply port 104 is configured to define an ink flow path passing through the bottom wall 103 and to engage the ink supply needle for fluid communication via the ink flow path between the ink supply needle and an ink chamber of the ink cartridge 101. In this embodiment, a part of the ink supply port 104 is protruded outward from the wall surface 103 of the container body 102a as illustrated, but the ink supply port according to the present invention is not limited to this design.
As discussed with reference to
With continued reference to
A lever receptacle portion, a projecting portion 111 in this embodiment, is formed on the other wall surface 108 at a location where a mounting lever of the carriage (discussed in detail below) can depress the lever receptacle portion. A projecting portion 112 having surfaces, e.g. flat face surface 113 and flat side surfaces 112a and 112b, is formed on a lower end portion of the other wall surface 108 below the projecting portion 111. The projecting portion 112 is arranged to protrude from the wall surface 108 of the cartridge, and to be restricted at its both sides by the recording apparatus when mounted thereon. The surfaces 113, 112a and 112b of the projecting portion 112 are parallel to the insertion direction of the ink cartridge into the recording apparatus (the axial direction of the ink supply port). A plurality of electrodes 114 for making electrical contact with an elastic contact member 140 of the recording apparatus are formed on this surface 113 of the projecting portion 112. In this embodiment, the electrodes 114 are formed in two staggered row, an upper row and a lower row, such that a plurality of the electrodes 114 are horizontally arranged in each row along a line.
The flat side surfaces 112a, 112b of the first projecting portion 112 and the receiving structure of the printing apparatus can be dimensioned so that there is a clearance space between these structures, since this may help facilitate mounting of the ink cartridge 101 in the carriage of the recording apparatus. This clearance can be made of any suitable size, as long as it is not so great that the ink cartridge 101 can shift in position to an extent such that electrical contact between the electrodes on the ink cartridge and the contacts on the printing apparatus is lost (that is, too large a clearance will lead to misalignment).
Optionally, as shown in
The carriage of the printer apparatus (not shown) may be constructed to accommodate the projections, ridges or grooves formed on the projecting portion 112 of the ink cartridge 101, as discussed above. For example, the projections 112a′, 112b′ and ridges 112a″, 112b″ can be received in suitably-dimensioned slots (not shown), and the grooves 112a′″, 112b′″ can engage with suitably dimensioned projections or ribs (not shown). Alternatively, a distance between the side surfaces 112a and 112b of the lower projecting portion 112 may be set slightly smaller than D2 so that a distance between apices of the projections 112a′ and 112b′ (the ridges 112a″ and 112b″) is set equal to D2.
Again, it will be appreciated that some clearance space may be provided between the printing apparatus structure and the side portions 112a, 112b, projections 112a′, 112b′, ridges 112a″, 112b″, or grooves 112a′″, 12b′″ of the ink cartridge 101, as long as this clearance allows for proper electrical contact between the electrodes on the ink cartridge and the contacts on the printing apparatus (too large a clearance will lead to misalignment).
Since the wall surface 108 is narrow in the widthwise (thickness) direction, the electrodes 114, each having a vertically elongated shape to ensure a required area, are disposed vertically and laterally in plural columns and rows, whereby the electrodes 114 can be disposed concentrically at a region that is in the vicinity of the surfaces 112a and 112b serving as a right-and-left-direction positioning portion of the ink cartridge 101 and that is precisely controlled in position with high accuracy. This arrangement enhances the reliable contact between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contact members 140.
Much like the circuit board 15 and the electrodes 14 formed thereon as discussed with reference to
The projecting portion 111 is arranged to receive an applied downward positioning exerted on the ink cartridge 101 at a location that is not largely offset from (that is substantially located on) an imaginary surface extending upward from the surface of the circuit board 115 on which the plurality of electrodes 114 are disposed. This arrangement eliminates the positioning error of the electrodes 114, which could otherwise because caused by torsion of the ink cartridge during mounting of the ink cartridge, and realizes the precise contact between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contact members 140.
The cartridge holder main body 131 is partitioned by ribs 134 so as to accommodate a plurality of ink cartridges. A wall surface opposite the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 is formed with grooves 135 for receiving and engaging the projections 120 located on both sides of the lever 109, and an engaging portion 136 (a recessed portion in this embodiment) for receiving and engaging the claw portion 119.
The groove 135 is formed with an inclined surface 135a, the upper portion of which widens toward the cartridge side. During ink cartridge loading, the inclined surface 135a cooperates with the ink cartridge as follows. At the initial stage of loading the ink cartridge, the projections 120 at each side assuredly contact this inclined surface 135a by virtue of the inclined surface's wide mouth, regardless how far open the lever 109 is. Also, once the ink cartridge has been mounted, the inclined surface 135a forces the lever 109 to pivot open toward the wall surface side of the carriage i.e. toward the outside of the ink cartridge 101. Particularly when the projections 120 are formed on both sides, the lever 109 can be securely guided to a preferred position, even when the lever 109 is twisted.
Also, a second groove 137 is formed below the groove 135. This groove 137 receives and engages the guide projecting portion 110 of the ink cartridge just before the end of loading, and prevents the ink cartridge from shifting in the width direction as mounting concludes. In addition, in this embodiment, the guide projecting portion 10 and the groove 137 are provided on the ink cartridge and on the ink cartridge storage portion, respectively, in order to increase the volume of the ink cartridge as much as possible. It will be appreciated that the same benefits in guiding the ink cartridge can be obtained if the groove 137 is formed in the ink cartridge and the projecting portion 110 is formed on the ink cartridge storage portion.
The other wall surface of the cartridge holder is formed, at each cartridge storage region, with elastic contacts 140 that electrically contact electrodes 114 formed on the circuit board 115 fixed to the projecting portion 112 when the mounting lever 132 is closed to a predetermined position.
In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 101 is aligned in position with a predetermined region of the carriage 130, as shown in
When the ink cartridge 101 is thus pushed into a predetermined position (
In this state, when the mounting lever 132 is rotated and closed, as shown in
On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 101 is to be removed from the carriage 130, the mounting lever 132 is released from the main body portion 131 as shown in
In this state, the ink cartridge 101 is held, for example, with the operator's forefinger on the lever 109 and thumb on the pinching recessed portion 102c, and the lever 109 is squeezed and deformed so as to be moved toward the cartridge side (other fingers also could be used to grasp the ink cartridge 101). As the lever 109 is elastically deformed, the claw 119 is disengaged from the engaging portion 136 of the holder main body portion 131. The ink cartridge, having lost the support formerly provided by the engaging portion 136, moves slightly upward by a distance ΔL in response to the biasing force exerted by the spring 5 (not shown) in the ink supply port 104, and the claw 119 on) the lever 109 is displaced to a position outside the region of the engaging portion 136. At this stage, the ink cartridge 101 can be lifted upwardly and removed from the carriage 130.
Therefore, during replacement of one cartridge, other cartridges are also released from the depression of the mounting lever 132. That is, each one of the ink cartridges is rotated by a slight angle Δθ by being pressed by the spring 5 in each one of the ink supply ports 104, and the ink cartridges are again pressed and moved in the reverse direction by the mounting lever 132 when the mounting is complete. Consequently, the plurality of electrodes 114 are moved against respective contacts 140 to prevent a contact error that otherwise could be caused by dust and rust.
In a case where the ink cartridge is not properly mounted, i.e. in a state in which the projection 119 of the lever 109 does not engage with the engagement portion 136, if the user attempts to close the mounting lever 132, the mounting lever 132 collides with the cartridge 101 as shown in
In the aforementioned embodiment, the projecting portion 111, i.e. the lever receptacle portion to be pressed by the mounting lever 132 for holding the ink cartridge, is constructed as a separate member from the projecting portion 112 serving as the electrode forming portion, in order to save material and reduce the weight. However, as shown in
According to this embodiment, the projecting portion 112 can extend to the upper portion as shown in
Features of the aforementioned ink cartridges according to the first and second embodiments will be discussed in more detail.
With continued reference to
Further, the circuit board 15, 115 is disposed on the vertically elongated side surface 8, 108 at a location as close to the bottom surface 3, 103 as possible, and the electrodes 14, 114 of the circuit board 15, 115 are disposed on the surface of the circuit board 15, 115 at a location (a lower portion side) close to the bottom surface 3, 103 in an offset fashion. The electrodes 14, 114 are further arranged at this location to be close to each other. In each of the first and second embodiments, the plural electrodes 14, 114 (the second electrodes 14, 114 in each of the first and second embodiments) are disposed concentrically and in a staggered manner such that the lower row of the electrodes 14, 114 at the bottom surface is longer in length than the upper row of the electrodes 14, 114. Since the plural electrodes 14, 114 are disposed in a staggered manner, when the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the recording apparatus abut against the electrodes 14, 114, the elastic contacts 41, 140 to be contacted with the upper side electrodes 142 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the upper row being referred to as the electrodes 142) pass through clearances or gaps between the lower side electrodes 141 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the lower row being referred to as the electrodes 141) as shown by loci R in
In each of the first and second embodiments, a large number of electrodes 14, 114 are efficiently disposed to be close to each other on the side surface 8, 108 having the narrow cartridge width (thickness) D1, and the circuit board 15, 115 is to be positioned at the deepest location side of the cartridge holder where shifting of the ink cartridge in the cartridge insertion direction is reduced. Accordingly, the electrodes 14, 114 can be precisely positioned. In this arrangement, since the bottom surface of the cartridge is located at the deepest location side and the ink supply port 4, 104 is disposed on the bottom surface, it is preferable to dispose the electrodes 14, 114 on one of the side surfaces in order to prevent ink from adhering thereto from the ink supply port 4, 104. More preferably, the electrodes 14, 114 are disposed on the side surface 8, 108 away from the ink supply port 4, 104, not on the side surface 7, 107 closer to the ink supply port 4, 104 in view of eliminating the ink adhering problem.
The side walls 12b, 12c, 112a, 112b of the projecting portion 12, 112 are respectively located as close to the cartridge widthwise left and right ends of the circuit board 15, 115 as possible, and preferably are located close to the ends of the electrode row. By this arrangement, the electrodes 14, 114 can be precisely positioned against the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the cartridge holder 30, 130.
In the second embodiment, the projecting portion 111 serving as the lever receptacle portion is disposed at least above the projecting portion 112 (at the rear side of the projecting portion 112 in the cartridge insertion direction) on which the electrodes 114 are disposed, so as to precisely position the electrodes 114 without applying a rotational force to the electrodes 114. The projecting portion 111 is preferably located within the width of the electrode row, and more preferably located on the center of the electrode row and symmetrically with respect to the center of the electrode row.
The projecting portion 111 serving as the lever receptacle portion is dimensioned such that the projecting height h1 from the side surface of the cartridge is smaller than the projecting height h2 of the projecting portion 112, as can be seen in
At least the surface of the projecting portion 111 to be contacted with the lever is formed to extend in the direction perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed. By this arrangement, the cartridge pressing direction of the lever can be set parallel to the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed, so that the secure connection between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contacts 140 can be realized. In the cartridge according to the second embodiment, the surface of the projecting portion 111 to be contacted with the lever is set substantially parallel to the bottom surface or substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the projecting portion 111 is formed, and the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed is set substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface or substantially parallel to the side surface on which the projecting portion 111 is formed.
In each of the first and second embodiments, the width D2 of the projecting portion 12, 112 is smaller than the width D1 of the cartridge main body, and a space Δd1 (see
Preferably, the projecting portion 112 is offset to one side in the widthwise direction of the cartridge 1, 101. This makes is possible to set one side surface 12c, 112b of the projecting portion 12, 112 substantially flush with the side wall of the cartridge main body, and therefore the side wall facing the adjacent ink cartridge can be also used to position the ink cartridge. Further, by this arrangement, in case of the ink cartridge constructed by the container main body 2a, 102a and the lid 2b, 102b joined together according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, a fixing portion for fixing the projecting portion 12, 112 can be formed on the container main body 2a, 102a, and therefore the projecting portion 12, 112 can be jointed to or fixed to the container main body 2a, 102a with high precision.
In the second embodiment, preferably, the location of the projecting portion 111 is substantially the same level in the cartridge insertion direction as the location of the claw portion 119 of the lever 109 formed on the side wall opposite from the side wall on which the projecting portion 111 is formed. By this arrangement, the ink cartridge is not subjected to unnecessary force in the rotational direction or the like, especially the ink supply port 104, and so this avoids damaging the ink supply needle of the cartridge holder.
The erroneous mounting preventive identification piece 60 prevents erroneous insertion in cooperation with a groove formed in an ink cartridge insertion opening side of the carriage. Were a user to attempt to mount the incorrect ink cartridge, the identification piece(s) 60 could not enter the groove(s), and thereby would prevent the ink supply port of the ink cartridge from moving to a position engaging the ink supply needle. Also, the electrodes 114 could not establish contact with the elastic contact members 140.
These identification pieces 60 preferably extend beyond the surface 113 on which the electrical contacts are disposed. This way, if the ink cartridge 101 is placed against another surface, the identification pieces 60 prevent that other surface from striking the electrical contacts, and so by projecting beyond the plane of the electrical contacts the identification pieces help to prevent objects from striking and damaging the electrical contacts.
Another benefit to having one or more identification pieces 60 is that they can be arranged to lie in planes approximately parallel to the sides of the projection 112 of the ink cartridge 101 (these are the sides parallel to the large sides of the ink container), and so they also can help to secure the ink cartridge 101 in a desired position and prevent sideways shifting thereof. This effect is remarkable when plural identification pieces 60 are provided.
Since the shape of the container body used in the black ink cartridge 101′ differs from the shape of the container body used in the color ink cartridge 101, it is not essential to use the identification piece 60 for preventing erroneous insertion of the black ink cartridge 101′ and so this structure can be omitted. However, it is preferable to retain the identification piece(s) 60 on the black ink cartridge 101′ because the identification piece(s) serves as a guide member operating in a manner similar to the projecting portion 110, and so does not just have an identification function.
Further, in order to realize high quality printing, it is possible to use two kinds of black inks, dark black ink and light black ink. In this case, the identification piece(s) 60 can be used as a member that identifies whether the ink in the cartridge is dark or light black ink.
In this embodiment, the erroneous mounting preventive identification piece(s) 60 and the projecting portion 112 having the surface 113 onto which the aforementioned circuit board 115 is fixed are formed as an integral block 61. The block 61 preferably is a separate member discrete from the ink cartridge (101) components, i.e. the container main body 102a, the lid member 103, the ink supply port 104, the lever 109 and the projecting portion 111. The block 61 is mounted onto the ink cartridge below the projecting portion 111 that is pressed by the cartridge holding mounting lever 132.
Since the projecting portion 112 for fixing the circuit board 115 and the identification piece 60 are formed as a block 61 which is a discrete member from the ink cartridge in this fashion, an ink cartridge corresponding to an ink color can be constructed by simply mounting, onto the container main body 102a, a suitable block 61 selected from an existing collection of different blocks 61 prepared to correspond to the different ink colors even when the ink cartridge components, such as the container main body 102a, the lid member 103, the ink supply port 104, the lever 109 and the projecting portion 111, are formed with standardized shapes by injection molding using the same molding dies.
The projecting portion 112 on which the circuit board 115 is fixed is formed on the block 61 which is the discrete member. Therefore, the block 61, which is easily held in comparison to the container main body constructing the ink cartridge, can be set on an automated assembly device, and the circuit board 115 can be attached to the block 61 in an automated fashion.
Further, it is possible to check ink color information and so on to be written into the memory element of the circuit board, while confirming the erroneous insertion preventive identification piece, thereby eliminating non-conformity between the identification piece and the data of the memory element.
A rear surface 63 of the block 61 is formed with a positioning protrusion 63a which is to be inserted into a corresponding positioning recess formed at a predetermined position in the container main body 102a. Recessed portions 64 are formed in a front surface of the block 61, which are respectively provided with engagement holes 64a through which protrusions 102e (shown in
With this arrangement, the block 61 is fixed in place by inserting the positioning protrusion 63a into the positioning recess 102d (
To designate the color of ink in a cartridge, the number of the identification pieces 60 may be changed color-by-color. Alternatively, as shown in
As shown in
The number of ink cartridges that can be identified can be increased by changing the width of the identification piece 60 per se, changing the number of the identification pieces disposed thereon, and changing the distance between mutually adjacent identification pieces 60 to correspond to the different kinds of inks.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the block is constructed while taking into account the fixing of the circuit board thereon. In case of an ink cartridge that does not require the circuit board, the block can be constructed to only have the identification piece(s). It is clear that this construction also provides the same benefits.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being defined only by the terms of the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-341826 | Nov 2002 | JP | national |
| 2003-076890 | Mar 2003 | JP | national |
| 2003-076891 | Mar 2003 | JP | national |
| 2003-128049 | May 2003 | JP | national |
| 2003-204804 | Jul 2003 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 11/619,494, filed Jan. 3, 2007, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/122,552, filed May 5, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,883, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/649,806, filed on Aug. 26, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,979,079.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11619494 | Jan 2007 | US |
| Child | 12258960 | US | |
| Parent | 11122552 | May 2005 | US |
| Child | 11619494 | US | |
| Parent | 10649806 | Aug 2003 | US |
| Child | 11122552 | US |
