Claims
- 1. An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink supply needles communicating with a print head, comprising:a housing having at least a bottom wall, a front wall, and a back wall; a plurality of ink chambers arranged so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a top view the ink chambers are arranged in an M×N array, where M is an integer having a value of at least 3 and N is an integer having a value of 1, the ink chambers being arranged in succession along a widthwise direction that is parallel to the front wall for respectively containing different inks accommodated in said housing, each of said ink chambers extending from an inner surface of the front wall to an inner surface of the back wall of the housing; and a number of ink supply portions, where the number is M, formed in the bottom wall of said housing within respective said ink chambers and arrayed so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a front view the ink supply portions are arranged in the widthwise direction, each of said ink supply portions having an inner opening and an outer opening for receiving a respective one of the needles, wherein, when the ink cartridge is seen in the front view, a first center-to-center distance from said inner opening of a first ink supply portion to that of a second ink supply portion adjacent to said first ink supply portion is different from a second center-to-center distance from said outer opening of said first ink supply portion to that of said second ink supply portion.
- 2. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein said first center-to-center distance is greater than said center-to-center second distance.
- 3. The ink cartridge of claim 1, further comprising:a plurality of ink supply passages respectively at least partly defining said ink supply portions, each of said ink supply passages projecting inward into said housing from a bottom wall of said housing, said ink supply passages communicating with said respective ink chambers at an inner end thereof; and a plurality of porous members each impregnated with ink and respectively fitted in each of said ink chambers and engaging with said ink supply pardon through said ink supply passage.
- 4. The ink cartridge of claim 3, wherein each of said ink supply passages is disposed at substantially a center in a widthwise direction of said respective ink chamber when said ink cartridge is seen in a front view.
- 5. The ink cartridge of claim 3, wherein each of said ink supply portions protrudes inward into respective said ink chambers and compresses said respective porous members.
- 6. The ink cartridge of claim 5, wherein an inner surface of said ink supply portion is entirely angled.
- 7. The ink cartridge of claim 5, wherein at least one said ink supply portions has an angled surface that is arcuate.
- 8. The ink cartridge of claim 7, wherein the ink supply portion has a protrusion member and the height of said protrusion member is greater than a height of a projecting edge when a filter is secured onto said projecting edge.
- 9. The ink cartridge of claim 7, wherein the ink supply portion has a protrusion member that includes at least two elongated protrusions.
- 10. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein one of said ink chambers comprises three chambers separated from one another.
- 11. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein said ink chambers comprise five chambers separated from one another.
- 12. An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink supply needles communicating with a print head, the ink cartridge comprising:an ink cartridge main body having a bottom wall, a front wall and a back wall; at least two inner partition walls dividing the ink cartridge main body into a plurality of ink chambers arranged so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a ton view the ink chambers are arranged in an M×N array, where M is an integer having a value of at least 3 and N is an integer having a value of 1, the ink chambers being arranged in succession along a widthwise direction that is parallel to the front wall, each of said ink chambers extending from an inner surface of the front wall to an inner surface of the back wall of the housing, the ink chambers having respective ink outflow ports; a number of ink supply ports, where the number is M, formed in the bottom wall and adapted to receive and connect to the respective ink supply needles, arrayed so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a front view the ink supply ports are arranged in the widthwise direction and disposed on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge main body so that ink in the ink chambers flaws from the ink outflow ports to the ink supply ports, respectively, wherein, when the ink cartridge is seen in the front view; each of the ink outflow ports is disposed substantially on a central line of the corresponding ink chamber in a widthwise direction thereof; the ink supply ports of the ink chambers are arrayed with an array pitch that is different from an array pitch of the corresponding ink outflow ports; and one of the ink supply ports, located at an end of the array, is disposed substantially on the central line of the corresponding ink chamber in the widthwise direction thereof.
- 13. An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink supply needles communicating with a print head, the ink cartridge comprising:an ink cartridge main body having a bottom wall, a front wall and a back wall; at least two inner partition walls dividing the ink cartridge main body into a plurality of ink chambers arranged so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a top view the ink chambers are arranged in an M×N array, where M is an integer having a value of at least 3 and N is an integer having a value of 1, the ink chambers being arranged in succession along a widthwise direction that is parallel to the front wall, each of said ink chambers extending from an inner surface of the front wall to an inner surface of the back wall of the housing, the ink chambers having respective ink outflow ports; a number of ink supply ports, where the number is M, formed in the bottom wall and adapted to receive and connect to the respective ink supply needles, arrayed so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a front view the ink supply ports are arranged in the widthwise direction and disposed on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge main body so that ink in the ink chambers flows from the ink outflow ports to the ink supply ports, respectively, a plurality of through-holes, at least one of the through-holes including a plurality of recessed portions offset one from another to compensate for a difference in array pitch in the widthwise direction between the ink supply ports and the ink outflow ports when the ink cartridge is seen in the front view, wherein the ink outflow ports communicates via the through-holes with the ink supply ports, respectively.
- 14. The ink cartridge of claim 13, wherein in each of the through-holes, a central axis of the recessed portion closer to the ink chamber is offset from a central axis of the recessed portion closer to the ink supply port.
- 15. The ink cartridge of claim 13, wherein each one of said ink supply ports contacts adjacent said ink supply ports.
- 16. The ink cartridge of claim 15, wherein a frame member is formed around an outer periphery of the ink supply ports, and connected to the ink supply ports by ribs.
- 17. The ink cartridge of claim 13, wherein the though-holes are formed such that the plurality of recessed portion having respective different are arranged with their axes not coincident with one another, in order to compensate for the difference in array pitches between the ink supply ports and the ink outflow ports.
- 18. The ink cartridge of claim 17, wherein the though hole for communication between the ink supply port and the ink outflow port that is offset from the ink supply port includes the recess which is adjacent to the ink outflow port and which is oval in section having a major diameter in the offset direction.
- 19. The ink cartridge of claim 17, wherein the through-holes are formed by abutting an upper molding die and a lower molding die against each other.
- 20. The ink cartridge of claim 17, wherein at least one of the recesses increases in size at portions of the recess that are closer to the ink supply port.
- 21. An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink supply needles communicating with a print head, the ink cartridge comprising:an ink cartridge main body having a bottom wall, a front wall and a back wall; at least two inner partition walls dividing the ink cartridge main body into a plurality ink chambers arranged so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a top view the ink chambers are arranged in an M×N array, where M is an integer having a value of at least 3 and N is an integer having a value of 1, the ink chambers being arranged in succession along a widthwise direction that is parallel to the front wall each of said ink chambers extending from an inner surface of the from wall to an inner surface of the back wall of the housing, the ink chambers having respective ink outflow ports; a number of ink supply ports, where the number is M, formed in the bottom wall and adapted to receive and connect to the respective ink supply needles, arrayed so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a front view the ink supply ports are arranged in the widthwise direction and disposed on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge main body so that ink in the ink chambers can flow from the ink outflow ports to the ink supply ports, respectively, wherein, when the ink cartridge is seen in the front view; an array pitch of the ink outflow ports is different from an array pitch of the ink supply parts; the ink chambers communicates with the ink supply ports via respective through-holes, each formed as continuous recessed portions; wherein the recessed portions are vertically arranged and are disposed so that their axes are offset in the widthwise direction from one another to compensate for a difference in array pitch in the widthwise direction between the ink supply port and the ink outflow port for at least one of the ink supply ports.
- 22. The ink cartridge of claim 13 or 21, wherein the axes of the recessed portion are offset in the my direction of the ink supply ports.
- 23. The ink cartridge of claim 12, 13 or 21, wherein a protruding portion is formed in each of the ink chambers, a porous member is accommodated within each of the ink chambers so as to contact corresponding one of the protruding portions, and each of the outflow ports is opened at an apex portion of corresponding one of the protruding portions.
- 24. The ink cartridge of claim 13 or 21, wherein each of the ink outflow ports is located substantially on a central line of corresponding one of the ink chambers in a width direction thereof.
- 25. The ink cartridge of claim 13 or 21, wherein the recessed portion located just below each of the ink chambers is located on a central line of the each ink chamber in a width direction thereof.
- 26. The ink cartridge of claim 12, 13 or 21, wherein the ink supply ports are arrayed in the same array pitch, and are offset toward an end of the array.
- 27. The ink cartridge of claim 26, wherein each one of said ink supply ports contacts adjacent said ink supply ports.
- 28. The ink cartridge of claim 27, wherein a frame member is formed around an outer periphery of the ink supply ports, and connected to the ink supply ports by ribs.
- 29. The ink cartridge of claim 21, wherein a positioning protrusion is formed on a side wall of the ink chambers.
- 30. An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink supply needles communicating with a print head, the ink cartridge comprising:an ink cartridge main body having a bottom wall, a front wall and a back wall; at least two inner partition walls dividing the ink cartridge main body into a plurality of ink chambers arranged so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a to view the ink chambers are arranged in an M×N array, where M is an integer having a value of at least 3 and N is an integer having value of 1, the ink chambers being arranged in succession along a widthwise direction that is parallel to the front wall, each of said ink chamber extending from an inner surface of the front wall to an inner surface of the back wall of the housing, the ink chambers having respective ink outflow ports; a number of ink supply ports, where the number is M, formed in the bottom wall and adapted to receive and connect to the respective ink supply needles, arrayed so that when the ink cartridge is seen in a front view the ink supply ports are arranged in the widthwise direction and disposed on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge main body so that ink in the ink chambers can flow from the ink outflow ports to the ink supply ports, respectively, wherein when the ink cartridge is seen in the front view; each of the ink outflow ports is disposed substantially on a central line of the corresponding ink chamber in the widthwise direction thereof; one of the ink supply ports, located at an end of the array is disposed substantially on the central line of the corresponding ink chamber in the widthwise direction thereof; and at least another one of the ink supply ports is disposed offset from the central line of the corresponding ink chamber in the widthwise direction thereof.
Priority Claims (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
10-130630 |
May 1998 |
JP |
|
10-130631 |
May 1998 |
JP |
|
10-131483 |
May 1998 |
JP |
|
10-175340 |
Jun 1998 |
JP |
|
11-22036 |
Jan 1999 |
JP |
|
11-23300 |
Jan 1999 |
JP |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 09/312,073, filed on May 13, 1999.
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Entry |
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