Patent Grant
8905527
This application claims priority to and the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-196341, filed Sep. 2, 2010, the entire disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid cartridge storing liquid such as ink, a liquid ejecting device including the liquid cartridge and a main body, a method of manufacturing a liquid cartridge, and a method of refurbishing a liquid cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
A known liquid cartridge, such as an ink cartridge, includes a non-volatile memory in which the number of times the liquid cartridge was inserted to and removed from a liquid ejecting device is stored as a guideline for replacement of the liquid cartridge.
It may be considered to store the maximum number of times a liquid cartridge is inserted to and removed from a liquid ejecting device, in a memory of the liquid ejecting device. When the liquid ejecting device finds that, based on information regarding the maximum number of times, the number of times the liquid cartridge was inserted and removed exceeds the maximum number of times, the liquid ejecting device may perform an error notification to reduce the potential of liquid leakage from the liquid cartridge.
Nevertheless, the liquid cartridges may vary in terms of durability of insertion and removal and thus the maximum number of times for insertion and removal may vary depending on a characteristic of the liquid cartridges. Thus, in a known liquid ejecting device, when replacing the known liquid cartridge with another known liquid cartridge, the user has to do troublesome operation, e.g., revise the information regarding the maximum number of times stored in the liquid ejecting device.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a liquid cartridge, a liquid ejecting device, a method for manufacturing the liquid cartridge, and a method for refurbishing the liquid cartridge, which methods are designed to reduce the potential of liquid leakage from the liquid cartridge.
According to an aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, a sealing member configured to selectively be penetrated and closed, and a storage. The storage comprises a first count storage area configured to store first count data corresponding to a number of times the sealing member has been penetrated at a first position and a first position sealing data corresponding to a first number that is comparable to the first count data.
According to another aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, a sealing member configured to selectively be penetrated and closed, and a storage. The storage comprises first position sealing data corresponding to a first number that is comparable to a number of times that the sealing member is penetrated at a first position only.
According to another aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, a sealing member configured to selectively be penetrated and closed, and a storage. The storage comprises a first count area configured to store data corresponding to a number of times the sealing member has been penetrated at a first position and a second count area configured to store data corresponding to a number of times the sealing member has been penetrated at a second position when the sealing member has been penetrated at each of the first position and the second position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, a sealing member configured to receive a particular object therethrough, and a storage. The storage comprises a first count storage area configured to store first count data corresponding to a number of times the sealing member has received the particular object, and a particular object area configured to store particular object data corresponding to the particular object.
According to another aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, a sealing member configured to selectively be penetrated and closed, and a storage. The storage comprises a liquid ejecting device number data corresponding to a total object number that is configured to be incremented each time the sealing member is penetrated by a unique object.
According to another aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, a sealing member configured to selectively be penetrated and closed, and a storage. The storage comprises a liquid ejecting device number data, from which the number of liquid ejecting devices in which the sealing member has been penetrated, can be derived.
According to another aspect of the invention, a liquid ejection device comprises a liquid cartridge and a main body. The main body comprises a receiving portion configured to removably receive the liquid cartridge and a particular object configured to selectively penetrate a sealing member of the liquid cartridge. The liquid cartridge comprises a liquid storing portion configured to store liquid therein, a liquid path configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid storing portion, the sealing member, and a storage. The storage comprises a particular count storage area configured to store particular count data corresponding to a number of times the sealing member has been penetrated by the particular object, and a particular sealing data corresponding to a first number that is compared to the particular count data.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a liquid cartridge having a liquid path attached to a liquid storing portion comprises attaching a sealing member to the liquid cartridge in the liquid path, and writing a particular sealing data into a storage, the particular sealing data corresponding to a maximum number of times the sealing member may be allowed to be penetrated by a particular object. The maximum number of times is at least partially related to a specification of the sealing member.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of refurbishing a liquid cartridge having a liquid path attached to a liquid storing portion and comprising a sealing member disposed in the liquid path comprises replacing the sealing member with a new sealing member, and writing a particular sealing data into a storage, the particular sealing data corresponding to a maximum number of times the new sealing member may be allowed to be penetrated by a particular object. The maximum number of times is at least partially related to a specification of the new sealing member.
In an embodiment of the invention, as the cartridge memory stores the maximum insertion number information, there is no need for the user to perform a troublesome operation, e.g., revise the maximum insertion number information stored in the liquid ejecting device. Thus, without the need to perform this troublesome operation on the liquid cartridge, the potential of causing or facilitating liquid leakage from the liquid cartridge may be reduced.
Other objects, features, and advantages will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the needs satisfied thereby, reference now is made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of the invention and their features and technical advantages may be understood by referring to
The sheet feed unit 1b may be disposed in the space B, and the ink unit 1c may be disposed in the space C. A sheet transport path, along which sheets P may be transported, may be formed in the housing 1a. The sheet transport path may extend from the sheet feed unit 1b toward the sheet discharge portion 31, as shown by the bold arrows in
The controller 100 may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM) such as a nonvolatile RAM, and an interface. The ROM may store programs to be executed by the CPU, and various fixed data. The fixed data may comprise a printer ID, which may be assigned to the printer as its unique label. The printer can be distinguished from other printers by reading its printer ID. In an embodiment of the invention, the printer ID may reveal other information regarding the characteristics of the printer. The RAM may temporarily store data, e.g., image data, which the CPU may use to execute programs. As shown in
Referring again to
The transport unit 21 may comprise two belt rollers 6 and 7, and an endless transport belt 8 may be wound around the belt rollers 6 and 7. In an embodiment of the invention, the belt roller 7 may be a driving roller configured to rotate in the clockwise direction when the printer is oriented as shown in
A platen 19 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape may be disposed within the loop of the transport belt 8. An outer surface 8a of the transport belt 8 at an upper portion of the loop may face lower surfaces 2a of the ink jet heads 2, and may extend substantially in parallel with the lower surfaces 2a with a slight gap formed between the lower surfaces 2a and the outer surface 8a. The platen 19 may support an inner surface of the transport belt 8 at the upper portion of the loop 8. The lower surface 2a of each ink jet head 2 may be a discharge surface where a plurality of discharge nozzles for discharging ink may be formed.
A silicone layer having a low adhesive property may be formed on the outer surface 8a of the transport belt 8. The sheet P that is fed out from the sheet feed unit 1b toward the transport unit 21 may be pressed by a pressing roller 4 against the outer surface 8a of the transport belt 8. While being held on the outer surface 8a by the adhesive property of outer surface 8a, the sheet P may be transported in a secondary direction as shown by the bold arrows in
The secondary direction may be substantially parallel with a transporting direction in which the transporting unit 21 transports the sheet P. The primary direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the secondary direction. As shown in
When the sheet P held on the outer surface 8a of the transport belt 8 passes immediately below the four ink jet heads 2, the ink jet heads 2 discharge inks of respective colors from the lower surfaces 2a sequentially, thereby forming an image, e.g., a color image, on the sheet P. A separating plate 5 may be configured to separate the sheet P from the outer surface 8a of the transport belt 8 when the sheet P is fed to the separating plate 5. The sheet P may be transported upward while being guided by guides 29a, 29b and while being nipped by two pairs of transport rollers 28, and may be discharged through an opening 30 formed at the top of the housing 1a onto the sheet discharge portion 31. Referring to
Referring again to
The ink unit 1c may comprise a cartridge tray 35, and a plurality of, e.g., four liquid cartridges 40 removably disposed in the liquid cartridge tray 35. The liquid cartridge 40 at the leftmost position in
Each liquid cartridge 40 may comprise a housing 41, a liquid storing portion, e.g., reservoir 42, an ink outlet tube 43, a sealing member, e.g., plug 50, a valve 60, the sensor unit 70, the memory 141, a contact 142, and an electric power input portion 147. As shown in
Referring to
As shown in
As shown in
Each protrusion 43p extends along the first cartridge direction within the area of ink outlet tube 43 in which the valve body 62 may be movable through. The valve body 62 may be held by the protrusions 43p and the top and bottom walls of the ink outlet tube 43 such that the valve body 62 may be positioned substantially at the center of the ink outlet path 43a when viewed in a cross-sectional view. A flow path may be defined by a gap between the valve body 62 and the ink outlet tube 43 at a portion where the valve body 62, the protrusions 43p and the top and bottom walls of the ink outlet tube 43 are separated from each other and do not contact with each other.
The O-ring 61 may comprise an elastic material, e.g., rubber. The O-ring 61 may be fixed to a surface of the valve body 62 facing the plug 50. A coil spring 63 may urge the valve 60 toward an opening 43y. The coil spring 63 may have a first end that is fixed to one end of the ink outlet tube 43, and a second end opposite to the first end that is in contact with the other surface of the valve body 62.
As shown in
The sensor unit 70 includes a Hall device 71 and a magnet 72. The magnet 72 produces a magnetic field. The Hall device 71 may comprise a magnetic sensor that detects a magnetic field of the magnet 72, converts the detected magnetic field into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the controller 100 via the contact 142. In an embodiment, the Hall device 71 may be configured to output a signal indicating a voltage proportional to the magnitude of a magnetic field. The magnitude of the magnetic field may vary in accordance with the movement of the valve body 62, to the controller 100. As shown in
When the valve 60 is in the closed position, the Hall device 71 and the magnet 72 may face each other, with the valve body 62 positioned therebetween, e.g., the valve body 62 may be interposed between the Hall device 71 and the magnet 72 when the valve 60 is in the closed position. In the closed position state, the magnetic field produced by the magnet 72 may more efficiently reach the Hall device 71 via the valve body 62 due to the alignment of valve body 62 with the magnet 72 in the third cartridge direction. Accordingly, when the valve 60 is in the closed position, the Hall device 71 may detect a high magnetic field magnitude and may output a signal indicating a high voltage.
While the valve 60 moves from the closed position shown in
During the course of operation, the liquid cartridge 40 may be mounted in a printer and then removed therefrom. After that, the liquid cartridge 40 may be mounted in the same printer again or mounted in another printer. For example, in an example, assume that there are two printers, a first printer 1 and a second printer 1, which are located away from each other. At the start, the liquid cartridge 40 may be mounted in the first printer 1. When the second printer 1 is used, the liquid cartridge 40 may be removed from the first printer 1 and mounted in the second printer 1. When the first printer 1 is used again, the liquid cartridge 40 may be removed from the second printer 1 and mounted in the first printer 1.
Each time the liquid cartridge 40 is mounted and removed from first printer 1 or second printer 1, the plug 50 elastically deforms. If the mounting and removing of the liquid cartridge 40 relative to one printer or among plural printers is frequently carried out, a significant load may be placed on the plug 50 of the liquid cartridge 40. When the number of times of the mounting and removing of the liquid cartridge 40 exceeds a predetermined number of times, a portion of the plug 50 of the liquid cartridge 40 may crack. Such a crack may form a hole from which ink may leak.
In an embodiment of the invention, memory 141 ma stores characteristic information that may reduce or prevent this situation from occurring. Referring to
In an example shown in
In order to mount the liquid cartridge 40 to the printer 1, referring to
As shown in
The electric power source 158 may be disposed in the housing 1a and may supply electric power to each component of the printer 1. The electric power output portion 157 may be electrically connected to the electric power source 158 and may be disposed on the wall surface defining the space C in the housing 1a at a position facing the electric input portion 147 of the liquid cartridge 40, as shown in
In a state shown in
As shown in
When the controller 100 detects that the liquid cartridge 40 is mounted in response to receipt of the ON signal from the mount detection switch 159, e.g., “YES” at Step S1, then, at Step S2, referring to
The plug 50 thus shifts from a closed state in which the ink outlet path 43a is closed, e.g., a state in which no hole is formed in the plug 50, to an open state in which the ink outlet path 43a is open, e.g., a state in which a hole is formed in the plug 50. Thus, an opening 153b that is formed near the tip of the hollow tube 153 may be disposed in the ink outlet path 43a, and the inlet path 153a in the hollow tube 153 may be placed in fluid communication with the ink outlet path 43a. Although a hole is formed in the plug 50 by the hollow tube 153, the elastic properties of the plug 50 may cause the plug 50 to close around the hollow tube 153 by elasticity. This closing around the hollow tube 153 may reduce or eliminate the potential for ink leakage between the hole in the plug 50 and the hollow tube 153.
The tip of the hollow tube 153 then may contact the valve body 62. As the hollow tube 153 is inserted further into the ink outlet path 43a, the valve body 62 may move together with the O ring 61, and the O ring 61 may separate from the valve seat 43z, to arrive at the position shown in
After Step S2 is completed, then at Step S3, the controller 100 may read the information stored in the memory 141 of the liquid cartridge 40. Referring to
After Step S3 is completed, then at Step S4, the controller 100 may calculate a number “a+1”, which is calculated by adding one to the number “a” representing the insertion number stored in the insertion number information read in Step S3. The controller 100 then may determine whether the calculated number “a+1” exceeds the number “X” representing the maximum insertion number stored in the maximum insertion number information.
When the number “a+1” exceeds the number “X,” e.g., “YES” at Step S4: Yes, then controller 100 may transition to Step S5, and, with reference to
When the controller 100 determines that the valve 60 is in the open position, e.g., “YES” at Step S7, then at Step S9, the controller 100 may write the number “a+1” representing the insertion number “a,” stored in the insertion number information read in Step S3, plus one (1), into the RAM area of the memory 141 as new insertion number information. The controller 100 then may transition to Step S8. At Step S8, if the controller 100 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed with the valve 60 remaining in the closed position, e.g., “YES” at Step S8, then the controller 100 may transition to Step S5 to execute error notification as described above, and at Step S6, the controller 100 may stop the operation of each of components of the printer 1, as described above. In an embodiment of the invention, the controller 100 assumes that if the valve 60 remains closed while the entire predetermined time has elapsed, then the liquid cartridge 40 may have a problem in, e.g., the sensor unit 70, the plug 50, or the valve 60, or the printer 1 has a problem in, e.g., the hollow tube 153 or the moving mechanism 155.
After Step S9, the controller 100 may execute a recording control at Step S10 for recording a color image on a sheet P, and then controller 100 may end processing for this routine. At Step S10, in the recording control, the controller 100 may perform operations in accordance with an image recording direction, e.g., a color image recording direction received from an external device, e.g., referring to
In order to remove the liquid cartridge 40 from the printer 1, the liquid cartridge tray 35 is removed from the housing 1a. At this time, each of the four liquid cartridges 40 is separated from the corresponding base portion 154, the corresponding contact 152, and the corresponding electric power output portion 157. Electric connections between the contact 142 and the contact 152 and between the electric power input portion 147 and the electric power output portion 157 thus may be canceled. This disables transmission and reception of signals between the liquid cartridges 40 and the printer 1 and stops electric power supply from the electric power source 158 to the sensor unit 70 and the memory 141. At this time, the signal output from the mount detection switch 159 may transition from ON to OFF. In addition, the ink outlet tube 43 may move rightward in
When the controller 100 detects that the liquid cartridge 40 is removed in response to receipt of the OFF signal from the mount detection switch 159, the controller 100 may control the moving mechanism 155 to move the hollow tube 153 from the insertion position, e.g., the position shown in
Referring to
In the another embodiment, the controller 100 may execute a Step S21, which is similar to Step S1 of
In the yet another embodiment, each printer may have a printer ID that uniquely identifies the printer, and the printer ID of the printer 1 may be stored in the ROM of the controller 100. In an embodiment of the invention, the printer ID of the printer 1 may be stored in a particular object area, and printer IDs of subsequent printers may be stored in a further object area and a third object area. Specifically, the printer ID may correspond to particular object data, referring to a particular object, e.g., the hollow tube 153 of printer 1. The number of printers to which the liquid cartridge 40 was mounted may be equal to the total number of printer IDs stored in the first table. In the yet another embodiment of the invention, the “printers” of “the number of printers to which the liquid cartridge 40 was mounted” must be unique and different from each other. For example, in the yet another embodiment, if the liquid cartridge 40 were mounted in the same printer again and again, the memory 141 would store the number of printers to which the liquid cartridge 40 has been mounted as 1.
The position of a hole to be formed in the plug 50, or the position of the plug 50 into which the hollow tube 153 is inserted, may vary between different printers because there may be printer-to-printer variation in the hollow tube position and the position where the cartridge is mounted. Thus, each printer ID relatively corresponds to a position of the plug 50 into which the hollow tube 153 is inserted. The number of printer IDs corresponds to the number of printers and the number of positions of the plug 50 into which the hollow tube 153 is inserted. Thus, for example, a first printer 1 may create a hole in plug 50 at a first position, and a second printer 1 may create¥ a hole in plug 50 at a second position. If the first position and the second position are sufficiently different, then the elasticity of plug 50 may change at different rates based on use of the first position and the second position, so that, with many uses of the first printer 1, the elasticity of plug 50 at the first position may be relatively less able to seal the hole than the elasticity of plug 50 at the second position.
In an example shown in
As shown in
After executing Step S34, then at Step S35, controller 100 may determine whether the information read in Step S33 includes an ID stored in the ROM of the controller 100. When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S33 includes the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “YES” at Step S35, then the controller 100 transitions to Step S37. When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S33 does not include the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “NO” at Step S35, the controller 100 executes Step S36. At Step S36, the controller 100 calculates a number obtained by adding one (1) to the number of IDs calculated in Step S34, and then transitions to Step S37.
In Step S37, the controller 100 may identify a maximum insertion number that is associated with the number calculated in S34 or S36 from the maximum insertion number information read in S33. For example, when the printer has ID1 and the liquid cartridge 40 having the memory 141 that stores the information shown in
After Step S37, then in Step S38, controller 100 may determine whether a number “a+1”, which is calculated by adding one (1) to the number “a” representing the insertion number stored in the insertion number information read in Step S33, exceeds the maximum insertion number identified in Step S37. The controller 100 then executes Steps S39-S42, which are similar to Steps S5-S8.
In Step S41, the controller 100 may determine the state of valve 60. When the controller 100 determines that the valve 60 is in the open position, e.g., “YES” at Step S41, then at Step S43, the controller 100 may determine whether the information read in Step S33 includes the ID stored in the ROM of the controller 100. When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S33 includes the ID stored in the ROM, e.g. “YES” at Step S43, the controller 100 then may transition to Step S45. When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S33 does not include the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “NO” at Step S43, then at Step S44, the controller 100 may write the ID stored in the ROM in the first table of the memory 141, and then may transition to Step S45. The controller 100 then may execute Steps S45 and S46, which are similar to Steps S9 and S10 respectively, and then may end the routine.
In the yet another embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
The still another embodiment is different from the yet another embodiment in timing to move the hollow tube 153. The timing to move the hollow tube 153 is similar to the timing to move the hollow tube 153 described in the another embodiment above.
Specifically, in an example shown in
For example, in
In another example shown in
In the further embodiment, as shown in
When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S73 includes the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “YES” at Step S78, then in Step S79, controller 100 may set a number made by adding one (1) to an insertion number associated with the ID read in Step S73, as a new insertion number “n.” For example, when the printer has ID1 and the liquid cartridge 40 having the memory 141 storing the information shown in any one of
When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S73 does not include the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “NO” at Step S78, then at Step S80, controller 100 may set a new insertion number “n” to 1. After executing either Step S79 or Step S80 as above, then at Step S81, controller 100 may determine whether the insertion number “n” set in Step S79 or Step S80 exceeds the maximum insertion number identified in S77. Then, the controller 100 may execute Steps S82-S86, which are similar to Steps S39-S43, respectively.
When the controller 100 determines that the information read in S73 includes the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “YES” at Step S86, then at Step S87, controller 100 may write the number “a+1”, “b+1” or “c+1”, which is made by adding one (1) to the insertion number “a”, “b” or “c” associated with the printer ID read in Step S73, as a new insertion number associated with the printer ID, into the memory 141. When the controller 100 determines that the information read in Step S73 does not include the ID stored in the ROM, e.g., “NO” at Step S86, then in Step S88, the controller 100 may write the ID stored in the ROM and “1” as an insertion number associated with the printer ID into the first table of the memory 141. After executing Step S87 or Step S88, the controller 100 then may execute Step S89, which is similar to Step S46 and then controller 100 may end the routine.
In the further embodiment, as shown in
Controller 100 may read the information stored in the memory 141 before starting to move the hollow tube 153. After executing Step S92, the controller 100 then may execute Steps S93-S102, which are similar to Steps S74-S83. When the controller 100 determines that the new insertion number “n” set in Steps S98 or S99 does not exceed the maximum insertion number identified in S96, e.g., “NO” at Step 100, then the controller 100 may execute Step S103, which is similar to Step S72. After executing Step S103, the controller 100 may execute Steps S104-S109, which are similar to Steps S84-S89, and then the controller 100 may end the routine. The yet further embodiment is different from the further embodiment in timing to move the hollow tube 153. Specifically, the timing of moving the hollow tube 153 of the yet further embodiment is similar to the another embodiment and the still another embodiment described above.
In the still further embodiment, as shown in
In the still yet further embodiment, as shown in
A liquid cartridge of the still yet another further embodiment may be substantially identical in structure to the liquid cartridge 40 of the first described embodiment except that valve unit 750 is provided instead of the plug 50, the valve 60, and the coil spring 63. In addition, the Hall element 71 and the magnet 72 may be disposed in different positions, and an ink outlet tube 743 may be different in shape from the ink outlet tube 143. The valve unit 750 may comprise a valve seat 751, a valve body 752, and a coil spring 753. The valve seat 751 may comprise of an elastic material, e.g., rubber, and may be formed by providing a through hole 751a in the center of the plug 50. The through hole 751a may have a diameter smaller than an outside diameter of the hollow tube 153. The valve body 752 may have a substantially cylindrical shape magnetic member formed by excluding the O ring 61 from the valve body 62. The coil spring 753 is identical in structure to the coil spring 63 and may be configured to contact the rear side of the valve body 752 to urge the valve body 752 toward the valve seat 751.
The ink outlet tube 743 may omit the valve seat 43z of the first described embodiment. The ink outlet tube 743 of the still yet another further embodiment may have a constant diameter from the inner surface, facing the valve body 752, of the valve seat 751 toward one end of the ink outlet tube 743 opposite to the valve seat 751. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In order to remove the liquid cartridge 40 from the printer 1, the liquid cartridge tray 35 may be removed from the housing 1a. At this time, as the ink outlet tube 743 moves rightward in
In the still yet another further embodiment, the controller 100 may execute the similar controls of the first described and the another embodiments, except that the controller 100 does not execute the control for moving the hollow tube 153 at Steps S2 of the first described embodiment, and Step S26 of the another embodiment.
After executing Step S201, in Step S202, the manufacturing device may determine a maximum insertion number adequate to the specification of the plug 50 determined in S201 In Step S202, the manufacturing device may perform experiments in consideration of the specifications determined in S201 and a moving speed of the hollow tube 153 inserted into the plug 50, in order to determine how many times the hollow tube 153 may be inserted into the plug 50 until ink leaks due to deterioration of the plug 50. The manufacturing device may determine the number of times to prevent ink leakage as the maximum insertion number.
To manufacture the liquid cartridge 40 according to the yet another embodiment through the still yet further embodiment, the manufacturing device determines the number of times to prevent ink leakage for each of the number of printers or printer IDs as maximum insertion number information by the number of printer IDs, in consideration of the position of the plug 50 to which the hollow tube 153 is inserted, which may be different according to the specifications of the different printers.
After executing Step S202, at Step S203, the manufacturing device may cause the controller to write the maximum insertion number information representing the maximum insertion number determined in Step S202 in the ROM area of the memory 141. After S203, then at Step S204, the manufacturing device may activate the part assembling unit to assemble parts constituting the liquid cartridge 40, e.g., the case 41, the reservoir 42, the ink outlet tube 43, the valve 60, the sensor unit 70, the memory 141, and the contact 142, except for the plug 50 and the cap 46. After Step S204, then in Step S205, the manufacturing device may actuate the injector (not shown) to inject ink into the reservoir 42. In Step S205, the manufacturing device may move the valve 60 from the closed position to the open position by inserting a needle of the injector into the ink outlet path 43a from the opening 43b such that the needle contacts the valve body 62 to move and press the valve body 62 against the urging force of the coil spring 63. The manufacturing device then may actuate an injector pump to inject ink into the reservoir 42 via the needle while maintaining the valve 60 in the open position.
After ink is injected into the reservoir 42, the manufacturing device may remove the needle from the ink outlet path 43a. Accordingly, the valve 60 moves from the open position to the closed position because of the urging force of the coil spring 63. After Step S205, while maintaining the valve 60 in the closed position, then at Step S206, the manufacturing device may actuate the part assembling unit to attach the plug 50 and the cap 46 to the opening 43b. Thus, manufacturing of the liquid cartridge 40 according to an embodiment of the invention may be completed.
At Step S300, the refurbishing device may prepare a spent cartridge 40. Used cartridges are not limited to the ones to which the hollow tube 153 has been inserted into their respective plugs 50. After executing Step S300, at Step S301, the refurbishing device may determine the specifications of a new plug 50 to be newly attached to the liquid cartridge 40 prepared in S300, e.g., material, and thickness of the plug 50 relative to the insertion direction of the hollow tube 153. After Step S301, then a Step S302, the refurbishing device may determine the maximum insertion number adequate to the specifications determined in Step S301, in the same manner as described with respect to Step S202. After Step S302, then at Step S303a, the refurbishing device may cause the controller to write the maximum insertion number determined in Step S302 in the ROM area of the memory 141.
In S303a, the controller may overwrite the maximum insertion number stored in the memory 141. Alternatively, the controller may read the maximum insertion number stored in the memory 141 in advance. In this embodiment, when the maximum insertion number stored in the memory 141 is equal to the maximum insertion number determined in Step S302, the controller may not overwrite the maximum insertion number stored in the memory 141, and when the maximum insertion number stored in the memory 141 is not equal to the maximum insertion number determined in S302, the controller may overwrite the maximum insertion number stored in the memory 141.
After executing Step S303a, then at Step S303b, the refurbishing device may cause the controller to erase information regarding the insertion number information and printer IDs previously stored in the RAM area of the memory 141 prior to refurbishing. After executing Step S303b, then in Step S304, refurbishing device may actuate the part attaching/detaching unit to remove the plug 50 and the cap 46 from the opening 43b. After executing Step S304, then in Step S305, the refurbishing device may actuate the injector (not shown) to inject ink into the reservoir 42, similarly to as described in Step S205. After executing Step S305, then in Step S306, the refurbishing device may actuate the part attaching/detaching unit to attach a new plug 50 having the specifications determined in Step S301 and a cap 46 to the opening 43b. At this time, the cap 46 to be attached in Step S306 may be the same cap 46 as the cap 46 removed in Step S304, or it may be a new cap 46. After cap 46 is attached, refurbishing of the liquid cartridge 40 is completed.
In order to manufacture or refurbish the liquid cartridge 40 of the still yet another further embodiment, the above manufacturing method and refurbishing method may be read by replacing the plug 50 with the valve unit 750. In Steps S201 and S301, the manufacturing device and the refurbishing device may determine the specifications of the valve unit 750, especially for the valve seat 751, e.g., material and thickness of the valve seat 751 relative to the insertion direction of the hollow tube 153.
The controller 100 of the printer may execute controls shown in
According to the above-described embodiments, the memory 141 of the liquid cartridge 40 may further store the insertion number information, e.g., as shown in
In the yet another embodiment to the still yet further embodiment, the memory 141 of the liquid cartridge 40 may store the maximum insertion number information in association with the number of IDs, e.g., as shown in
In
In the further and yet further embodiments, the memory 141 of the liquid cartridge 40 may be configured to store the insertion numbers associated with the printer IDs in a one-to-one relationship, e.g., as shown in
According to the above-described embodiments, the liquid cartridge 40 may comprise the Hall device 71. Based on the signal from the Hall device 71, the controller 100 of the printer may determine a number of times the hollow tube 153 has been inserted into the plug 50 or the valve unit 750. According to the another and still another embodiments, when the controller 100 determines that the number representing the insertion number read from the memory 141 of the liquid cartridge 40 plus one (1) does not exceed the maximum insertion number read from the memory 141 of the liquid cartridge 40, the controller 100 causes the hollow tube 153 to move from the non-insertion position to the insertion position, e.g., as shown in Steps S23 and S26 of
According to the still further and still yet further embodiments, the controller 100 may determine whether at least one of the insertion numbers “n”, which may be set based on the insertion number associated with the current printer ID, and an insertion number associated with a printer ID that is not the current printer ID, e.g., an ID of a printer to which the ink cartridge 40 has been previously mounted, exceeds the maximum insertion number. This is shown, for example, in Step S81 of
In addition, other modifications of the above-described embodiments may be performed. For example, the still another to still yet further embodiments may be modified such that the total number of printer IDs, e.g., a total object number may be stored in the memory of the ink cartridge 40, e.g., as liquid ejecting device number data. Specifically,
The above embodiments describe a magnetic sensor, e.g. the Hall device 71, as a sensor for detecting an object in a liquid path of a liquid cartridge, e.g. a liquid cartridge 40. In other embodiments, however, a magnetic sensor may be replaced with another type of sensor. For example, instead of the magnetic sensor, various types of sensors, e.g., a reflecting type photo sensor, a transparent type photo sensor, and a mechanical sensor for detecting an object in contact therewith, may be used.
The sensor may be configured to detect an object directly or indirectly. For example, the Hall device 71 is used for detecting the position of the valve 60 and the valve unit 750 in the above embodiments. When a hollow member (object) is inserted into a sealing member, e.g., the plug 50 disposed in the liquid path, at substantially the same time when the liquid cartridge is mounted in a mounting portion as shown in the still yet another further embodiment, a mount detection sensor for detecting that the liquid cartridge is mounted may be used. As the mount detection sensor, the mount detection switch 159 shown in the above embodiments, a photo sensor, and a mechanical sensor, e.g., for detecting that a protrusion formed on a surface of a cartridge case is pressed by a wall surface of the mount portion when the cartridge is mounted, and withdrawn toward the cartridge, for example may be used.
The components of the cartridge, e.g., the housing 41, the reservoir 42, the ink outlet tube 43, the plug 50, the valve 60, the sensor unit 70, the memory 141, and the valve unit 750, may be modified according to the specific needs of the application. Alternatively, different components may be added, and some of the above components or other components not listed here may be omitted while maintaining functionality of the liquid cartridge.
The insertion number information may be stored in a cartridge memory or a main unit memory. The maximum insertion number information may include the maximum insertion numbers by the number of positions, or the number of IDs, from 1 to n, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, as the maximum insertion number information by the number of positions (IDs). Specifically, in the yet another embodiment to the still yet further embodiment, the maximum insertion number information also may comprise maximum insertion numbers associated with the number of positions or IDs from 1 to 3, but may include maximum insertion numbers associated with the number of positions or IDs from 1 to 2 or greater than or equal to 4. In addition, the maximum insertion numbers indicated in the maximum insertion number information by the number of positions (the number of IDs) are not limited to the numbers indicated in the above embodiments.
The maximum insertion number information and the insertion number information are not limited to the number of times, but may be information that may lead the number of times. Moreover, the maximum insertion number information and the insertion number information may be replaced with maximum detection number information and detection number information, respectively. In other words, the above embodiments show that the maximum insertion number information and the insertion number information are specified in view of the insertion of the hollow members into the open/close unit. However, the maximum insertion number information and the insertion number information also may be specified in view of detection of an object in the liquid path of the liquid cartridge by the sensor, in other embodiments of the invention.
A time to transmit and receive signals between the cartridge and the liquid ejecting device and a time to supply electric power from the liquid ejecting device to the cartridge are not limited to descriptions in the above embodiments, but may be changed as appropriate. The positions of the contact and the electric power input portion in the cartridge and the positions of the contact and the electric power output portion of the liquid ejecting device may be changed as appropriate in other embodiments.
A time when each section implements capability, e.g., a time when the reading section reads information stored in the cartridge memory, a time when the writing section writes in the cartridge memory, a time when the moving control section moves the hollow member, and a time when the determining section makes a determination may be changed as appropriate.
The liquid ejecting device may omit the notifying control section. For example, instead of notifying a user, in another embodiment of the invention, the liquid ejecting device may merely stop each component. The above embodiments show, but the disclosure is not limited to, as the mount detection section, the mount detection switch 159 that outputs an ON signal when the printer 1 and the liquid cartridge 40 are electrically connected. Instead, a photo sensor, a mechanical sensor or other sensor may be used. In another embodiment, this mount detection switch 159 may be omitted completely.
Movement of the hollow member from the non-insertion position to the insertion position may be performed by moving at least one of the hollow member and the liquid cartridge. The above-described embodiments, except for the still yet another further embodiment show, but the disclosure is not limited to, that the hollow tube 153 may be moved by the moving mechanism 155. In another embodiment of the invention, the liquid ejecting device may include a motor and gears to move the liquid cartridge 40 to the hollow tube 153 in a fixed position. In other embodiments, the liquid ejecting device may not include the moving control section as shown in the still yet another embodiment.
In each of the methods for manufacturing and refurbishing the cartridge, a step for determining specifications may be carried out after a step for determining the maximum insertion number. In other words, after the maximum insertion number is determined, the specification appropriate to the maximum insertion number may be determined and the open/close member having the specifications may be used.
A time to execute a step for determining the maximum insertion number and a step for writing, and a time to execute a step for injecting ink and a step for assembling components may be changed as appropriate. For example, the step for determining the maximum insertion number and the step for writing may be executed after the step for injecting ink and the step for assembling components.
In the method for refurbishing the cartridge, time to execute a replacement step, e.g., corresponding to Steps S304 and S306 in the above embodiment in which the sealing member is removed and replaced with a new one, and a time to execute the step for determining the maximum insertion number and the step for writing may be changed as appropriate in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the step for determining the maximum insertion number and the step for writing may be executed after the replacement step. Alternatively, the step for determining the maximum insertion number and the step for writing may be executed before the replacement step in which the sealing member is removed and replaced with a new one.
The above embodiments show, but the disclosure is not limited to, that the hollow member has a pointed end like a needle. In addition, liquid stored in a liquid storing portion is not limited to ink. For example, a liquid for improving quality of image formed on a recording medium may be stored in the liquid storing portion in other embodiments, and a liquid for washing the transport belt may be stored in the liquid storing portion in other embodiments.
The number of liquid ejecting heads included in the liquid ejecting device is not limited to four. The liquid ejecting device may include one or more liquid ejecting heads in other embodiments. In addition, in other embodiments, the liquid ejecting device may be a line type device or a serial type device. Further, the liquid ejecting device is not limited to a printer. The liquid ejecting device may be a facsimile, a copier, a multifunction machine, or any other similar type of device, in other embodiments.
Although an illustrative embodiment and examples of modifications of the present invention have been described in detail herein, the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the embodiment and examples of modifications disclosed herein are merely illustrative. It is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be so limited thereby, but is to be determined by the claims which follow.
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