Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6398354
-
Patent Number
6,398,354
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, June 30, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 4, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Sanderson; Michael T.
- LaRose; David E.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 347 93
- 347 92
- 347 85
- 347 86
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A cartridge body contains one or more printheads on a first surface thereof and one or more connection apertures in flow communication with the one or more printheads, each aperture having an opening on a second surface opposite the first surface, and one or more separate ink filtration devices, each having an ink outlet port connected to the second surface of the cartridge body through an opening so that each ink outlet port is in flow communication with at least one connection aperture. The separate devices enable production of a cartridge body made of a material which is effective for removing heat from the printheads.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to ink jet printers and in particular apparatus and methods for connecting a filter tower structure to a permanent or semi-permanent printhead.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ink jet printers and recorders are continually being improved to improve print speed and performance. However, some of the improvements cause difficulties in manufacturing and assembling of the components to one another. One area of improvement which has resulted in the need for different manufacturing techniques is the advent of high speed printheads which contain an increased number of nozzle holes and nozzle hole arrays as compared to earlier versions of such printheads. Such printheads are more costly to manufacture and thus are designed for longer life in order to reduce the cost of the consumable ink supply component of the printers. In the longer life printheads, one or more replaceable ink cartridges containing ink are attached to a cartridge body which contains one or more permanent or semi-permanent printheads.
The cartridge body may be made of a variety of materials including plastics, metals and composites containing ceramic or carbon components. A particularly preferred cartridge body is a metal cartridge body which is adapted to conduct heat away from the printheads during printing operations. The metal cartridge bodies contain a connection port or device in ink flow communication with the printheads for attaching a replaceable ink cartridge to the cartridge body. In order to protect the ink port from debris during ink cartridge replacement, a filtration device is used. Debris entering the ink port of the cartridge body has a detrimental effect on the operation of the printhead due to the size of ink passages leading to the nozzle arrays of the printheads. The ink filtration device is typically constructed separately from the cartridge body, and thus the filtration device must be attached to the cartridge body during a manufacturing operation.
An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for connecting an ink filtration device to a cartridge body.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for attaching a filtration device to a cartridge body which reduces the amount of debris which may occur during manufacturing steps therefor.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method for sealingly connecting a filtration device to a cartridge body for one or more printheads.
Still another object of the invention is to a relatively simple but effective means for aligning and connecting a filtration device to a cartridge body which enhances the manufacturing operation of permanent or semi-permanent printheads.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method which improves the operation of an ink jet printhead.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With regard to the foregoing and other objects and advantages, the invention provides a printhead apparatus which includes a cartridge body containing one or more printheads on a first surface thereof, one or more connection apertures in flow communication with the one or more printheads, each aperture having an opening on a second surface opposite the first surface and one or more ink filtration devices having an ink outlet port connected to the second surface of the cartridge body through the opening so that each ink outlet port is in flow communication with at least one connection aperture.
In another aspect the invention provides an ink jet printer including one or more permanent or semi-permanent printheads on a cartridge body containing one or more printheads on a first surface thereof, one or more connection apertures in flow communication with the one or more printheads, each aperture having an opening on a second surface opposite the first surface, one or more ink filtration devices having an ink outlet port connected to the second surface of the cartridge body through the opening so that each ink outlet port is in flow communication with at least one connection aperture and one or more removable ink cartridges attached to the cartridge body, each cartridge containing an ink feed port for connection to the filtration device attached to the cartridge body between the cartridge and the cartridge body for filtering ink flowing to at least one of the printheads.
In yet another aspect the invention provides a method for attaching an ink filtration device to an ink feed port of an ink jet printer for providing filtered ink to one or more permanent or semi-permanent ink jet printheads which includes providing a cartridge body containing one or more printheads disposed on one surface thereof and having an aperture on a second surface thereof for each printhead for flow of ink to the printheads, providing an ink filtration device having a filter element attached to an ink feed port, aligning the filtration device with the aperture and sealingly inserting the ink feed port of the filtration device in the aperture to provide a cartridge body containing the filtration device.
An advantage of the apparatus and method of the invention is that the cartridge body and ink cartridge and filter elements may be constructed of different materials in order to enable better ink filtration and better heat conduction away from the printheads. Despite the difference in materials used for components of the printing devices, the manufacturing operation is relatively simple and the components may be attached to one another with little risk of damaging or blocking intricate ink flow paths in the printhead.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements through the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a removable ink supply cartridge assembled to a cartridge body for use in an ink jet printer;
FIG. 2
is an exploded view in perspective of an ink supply cartridge, cartridge body and filtration device according to the invention,
FIGS. 3
,
4
and
5
are enlarged cross-sectional views of filtration devices connected to cartridge bodies according to the invention;
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of an alternative design of a filtration device connected to a cartridge body according to the invention;
FIG. 7 and 8
are partial cross-sectional views showing connection means for filtration device according to the invention;
FIG. 9
exploded view in perspective of a filter tower and connection device according the invention;
FIG. 10
cross-sectional view of a filtration device and connection to a cartridge body according to the invention; and
FIG. 11
is a perspective view of another filter tower design according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, there is shown, in perspective view, a replaceable ink cartridge
10
connected to a permanent or semi-permanent cartridge body
12
. The ink cartridge
10
may contain a single color ink, such as black, cyan, magenta or yellow or may contain multiple colors of ink. The cartridge body
12
may be configured to attach to a single cartridge
10
or may be expanded to hold multiple cartridges
10
. In the case of a single color ink cartridge
10
, the cartridge body
12
typically contains a single printhead
14
on a side of the cartridge body
12
opposite the cartridge connection side
16
thereof. In the case of multiple cartridges
10
or multicolor cartridges
10
, the cartridge body
12
may contain multiple printheads
14
, typically three or four printheads
14
.
In high speed, high quality printing operations, it is preferred that the cartridge body
12
be adapted to remove heat from the printhead. This may be accomplished by constructing the cartridge body
12
out of a heat conducting metal such as aluminum or zinc and/or by providing heat conducting fins
18
on the cartridge body
12
to conduct heat away from the printhead by conduction and convection.
With regard to the ink cartridge
10
, the cartridge
10
is typically made of a plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene and has an upper portion
20
containing a handle
22
and a lower portion
24
which is attached adjacent the cartridge body
12
. In the case of multi-color ink cartridges, the cartridge
10
may contain internal partitions which separate different color ink compartments from one another. In the alternative, as described above, multiple ink cartridges
10
, each containing a different color ink may be attached to the cartridge body
12
.
Another important feature of the invention is an ink filtration device
28
for filtering ink and minimizing the amount of debris that may enter the ink flow path adjacent printhead
14
(FIG.
3
). The ink filtration device
28
includes a body portion
30
which includes a chamber
32
containing a filtration member
34
which separates an unfiltered ink area
36
from a filtered ink area
38
. The filtered ink area
38
is in flow communication with a filtered ink outlet port
40
of filtration device
28
. The filtered ink outlet port
40
is also in flow communication with the ink flow path feeding ink to the printheads
14
.
In order to obtain a liquid and gas seal between a lower portion
42
of the filtration device
28
and the cartridge body
12
, a flexible sealing member
44
is preferably used. A preferred sealing member
44
is an o-ring made of an elastomeric material such as ethylene-propylene diene (EPDM) rubber, platinum cured silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomers or natural and synthetic rubbers which is resistant to ink used in an ink jet printer. Particular preferred sealing members are made of EPDM rubber or silicone rubber.
An alternative means for sealing between a filtration device
46
and cartridge body
48
is illustrated in FIG.
4
. As shown in
FIG. 4
, there is a groove or channel
50
in the lower portion
52
of the filtration device
46
for retaining a sealing member such as o-ring
54
. A corresponding groove or channel
56
is formed in the upper surface
58
of the cartridge body
48
for sealingly accepting o-ring
54
therein. The sealing member
54
is preferably made of the same material as sealing member
44
of
FIGS. 2 and 3
and provides a liquid and gas tight seal between the lower portion
52
of the filtration device
46
and the upper surface
58
of the cartridge body
48
when the filtration device
46
is connected to the cartridge body
48
.
The filtration device
46
may be attached to the upper surface
58
of the cartridge body
48
by means of flexible tab
60
and hook
62
. Upon attachment of the filtration device
46
to the cartridge body
48
, sealing member
54
is compressed so as to form a liquid and gas tight seal to prevent leakage of air into or ink out of ink flow path
64
.
FIG. 5
illustrates another embodiment of the invention for connecting a filtration device
64
to a cartridge body
48
. In this embodiment, the filtration device
66
is sealed to the top surface
58
of the cartridge body
48
using an adhesive
68
such as an epoxy, thermoplastic adhesive, urethanes and the like so wherein the adhesive
68
is disposed between the lower portion
70
of the filtration device
66
and the upper surface
58
of the cartridge body
48
around the periphery of the filtered ink flow path
40
and printhead ink flow path
64
. Curing the adhesive provides a gas and liquid tight seal between the filtration device
66
and the cartridge body
48
.
A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
FIGS. 6-11
. In this embodiment, the filtration device
80
is a generally cylindrical tower
82
which is inserted into an aperture in the cartridge body
84
. The filter tower
82
comprises cylindrical body portion
86
having an upper peripheral edge
88
and a filter element
90
attached adjacent the upper peripheral edge
88
. Several means which are described hereinafter may be used to attach the filter tower
82
to the cartridge body
84
.
As shown in
FIGS. 7-11
, the filtration device
80
preferably includes a cylindrical stem
92
attached to the body portion
86
, the stem
92
being in fluid flow communication with the body portion
86
as described in more detail below. The stem
92
of the filtration device
80
is preferably adapted for insertion into an aperture
94
in the cartridge body
84
(FIG.
6
). The stem
92
is preferably sealed in the aperture
94
by applying a foam sealant material
96
such as an expandable urethane foam sealant available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) Corporation of Minneapolis, Minn. under the tradename ULTRAPRO. A lower surface
98
of body portion
86
is preferably attached by means of an adhesive
100
to an upper surface
102
of the cartridge body
84
(FIG.
6
). A suitable adhesive
100
may be a dry film adhesive such as a thermoplastic bonding film available from 3M Corporation under the tradename Polyester #M615 EG, a thermoset bonding film available from National Starch and Chemical Corporation of Bridgewater, N.J. under the tradename ABLEFILM 550, an epoxy adhesive available from Emerson & Cuming, Inc. of Canton, Mass. under the tradename ECCOBOND 1962-31 or a thermally activated adhesive such as a phenol-formaldehyde resin adhesive such as BAKELITE BKS-2600 adhesive available from Georgia Pacific Resins, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga.
Another means for sealingly connecting a filtration device
80
to a cartridge body is illustrated in FIG.
8
. In this embodiment, the lower surface
98
of the body portion
86
contains projections
104
which protrude from the lower surface
98
and encircle the stem
92
. The projections may be in the form of protrusion rings
104
which align with grooves disposed in the upper surface
102
of the cartridge body
84
around the aperture
94
therein. A combination of heat and pressure and/or ultrasonic vibration are applied to the filtration device
80
to soften the protrusion rings
104
in order to form a mechanical bond between the lower portion of the body
86
and the upper surface
102
of the cartridge body
84
. The number of protrusion rings
104
on the lower surface may range from 1 to 3 or more and is preferably at least about 2. The temperature applied to soften the protrusions preferably ranges from about 110° to about 290° C. and the pressure preferably ranges from about 0.5 to about 120 psig or higher. The protrusion rings
104
may also provide alignment of the filtration device
80
with the cartridge body
84
.
FIGS. 9 and 10
illustrate yet another means for attaching a filtration device
80
to a cartridge body
84
. As shown in exploded view, the filtration device
80
is a tower-like structure which includes a cylindrical upper body
86
having an upper peripheral edge
88
to which a mesh-like filter element
90
is attached. The filter element
90
may be made from stainless steel, woven fiberglass, nylon mesh or any other suitable filtration media which is resistant to chemical attack of the ink and is attached to the upper peripheral surface
88
by means of adhesives, heat staking, ultrasonic welding and the like. The mesh size of the filter element
90
is preferably selected to allow particles having an effective diameter ranging from about 0.1 μm to about 50 μm, most preferably from about 5 μm to about 10 μm to pass through the filter element.
Ink flowing through the filter element
90
enters the cylindrical upper body
86
and flows through a filtered ink flow path
110
extending axially from the upper portion of body
86
through a stem portion
92
and out an exit port
112
. The exterior of the stem
92
preferably contains palls or barbs
114
which urge an elastomeric member
116
in the shape of a bushing or collar against the inside walls
118
of aperture
94
(
FIG. 10
) to form a gas and liquid tight seal therebetween. As shown in
FIG. 10
, the palls or barbs
114
depress into the elastomeric material of the bushing or collar
116
thereby further sealing against liquid and gas flow therebetween. The elastomeric member
116
is preferably made of an elastomeric material, including, but not limited to, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethane foam, EPDM rubber, silicone rubber and the like, provided the material selected for the elastomeric member
116
is resistant to the ink and. effectively forms a seal to prevent ink or air leakage therethrough.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, it is preferred that the filter element
90
be disposed at an angle relative to an axis through filtered ink flow path
110
. Accordingly, one side
120
of the upper body portion
86
is configured to provide a greater distance from the upper peripheral edge
88
to the upper surface
102
of the cartridge body than the distance from the upper peripheral edge
88
to the upper surface
102
on an opposing side
122
of the upper body portion
86
. The angled filter element
90
is provided to assist in air removal from the filtered ink flow path
110
which may accumulate when the ink cartridge is run dry and/or upon replacement of the ink cartridge. Upon flow of ink into the filtration device
80
, the ink is filtered to remove particles and debris by filter element
90
and the purified ink flows into the filtered ink flow path
110
for flow to an ink flow path
124
adjacent to printhead
126
.
Connection of the filtration device
80
to a cartridge body
84
may be effected by inserting the stem
92
into opening or aperture
94
in the cartridge body
84
which contains an elastomeric bushing or collar
116
. In order to properly align the filtration device
80
with the cartridge body
84
upon insertion of the filtration device
80
into aperture
94
, it is preferred that the body portion
86
contain one or more alignment tangs or prongs
130
which are adapted for mating with one or more alignment grooves
132
in the upper surface
102
of the cartridge body
84
. The tangs or prongs
130
may also be used during assembly to press the filtration device
80
into the cartridge body
84
by use of an insertion tool which engages the tangs or prongs
130
of the filtration device
80
. Such an insertion tool may include a rigid tube having a diameter larger than the outer peripheral diameter of the upper body portion
86
. The alignment tangs or prongs
130
may also be adhesively attached or welded to the alignment grooves
132
to further fixedly attach the filtration device
80
to the cartridge body
84
.
Another preferred method of sealing the filtration device
80
in the aperture
94
of the cartridge body
84
is by means of elastomeric o-rings as described with reference to
FIGS. 2
,
3
and
4
above or by disposing one or more o-rings around the stem
92
in one or more grooves
134
(FIG.
11
). Like the collar or bushing
116
, elastomeric o-rings disposed in grooves
134
engage the inside walls
118
of aperture
94
(
FIG. 10
) to form a gas and liquid tight seal therebetween.
Having described various aspects and embodiments of the invention and several advantages thereof, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skills that the invention is susceptible to various modifications, substitutions and revisions within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A printhead apparatus which comprises a cartridge body containing one or more printheads on a first surface thereof, a single connection aperture in flow communication with each of the one or more printheads, said aperture having an opening on a second surface opposite the first surface and at least one separate ink filtration device containing an angled filter element, the filtration device having a tubular ink outlet port connectable to said aperture through the opening on the second surface of the cartridge body so that said ink outlet port is in flow communication with one of the one or more printheads wherein the filtration device is constructed of a different material than the cartridge body.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tubular ink outlet port further comprises barbs or palls.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a resilient sealing member is disposed in said connection aperture for sealingly engaging said barbs or palls.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tubular ink outlet port is sealingly attached in said connection aperture by means of an adhesive.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said aperture contains an elastomeric o-ring disposed therein for sealingly engaging said tubular ink outlet port.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said aperture further comprises one or more alignment grooves disposed around the periphery thereof.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each ink filtration device further comprises at least one tongue for connective alignment with at least one of the one or more grooves.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each ink filtration device is sealingly connected to the second surface of the cartridge body by means of an adhesive.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each ink filtration device further comprises an elastomeric o-ring seal for sealingly engaging the second surface of the cartridge body.
- 10. An ink jet printer comprising a cartridge body constructed of a heat conducting material for conducting heat away from one or more permanent or semi-permanent printheads mounted on a first surface of the cartridge body, at least one connection aperture in flow communication with each of the one or more printheads, said aperture having an opening on a second surface opposite the first surface, at least one ink filtration device having a tubular ink outlet port connectable to said aperture through the opening on the second surface of the cartridge body so that each ink outlet port is in flow communication with one of the one or more printheads, said filtration device having an angled filter element, and at least one removable ink cartridge attached to the cartridge body, each cartridge containing an ink feed port for connection to said filtration device attached to the cartridge body between the cartridge and the cartridge body for filtering ink flowing to at least one of the one or more printheads.
- 11. The printer of claim 10 wherein said aperture further comprises one or more alignment grooves disposed around the periphery thereof.
- 12. The printer of claim 11 wherein said ink filtration device further comprises one or more tongues for connective alignment with the one or more grooves.
- 13. The printer of claim 10 wherein said tubular ink outlet port further comprises barbs or palls.
- 14. The printer of claim 13 wherein a resilient sealing member is disposed in said aperture for sealingly engaging said barbs or palls.
- 15. The printer of claim 10 wherein said tubular ink outlet port is sealingly attached by means of an adhesive.
- 16. The printer of claim 10 wherein said aperture contains an elastomeric o-ring disposed therein for sealingly engaging said tubular ink outlet port.
- 17. The printer of claim 10 wherein said ink filtration device is sealingly connected to the cartridge body by means of an adhesive.
- 18. The printer of claim 10 wherein said ink filtration device further comprises an elastomeric o-ring seal for sealingly engaging said cartridge body.
- 19. A method for attaching an ink filtration device to an ink feed port of an ink jet printer for providing filtered ink to at least one permanent or semi-permanent ink jet printhead which comprises providing a cartridge body containing at least one printhead disposed on one surface thereof and having an aperture on a second surface thereof for said printhead for flow of ink to said printhead, providing an ink filtration device containing an angled filter element attached thereto and a tubular ink feed port, aligning the filtration device with said aperture and sealingly inserting the ink feed port of the filtration device in said aperture to provide a cartridge body containing the filtration device, wherein the filtration device is constructed of a different material than the cartridge body.
- 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising inserting a resilient sealing member in said aperture of the cartridge body for sealingly engaging the tubular ink feed port.
- 21. The method of claim 20 wherein said tubular ink feed port contains barbs or palls for compressing the resilient sealing member against an inside surface of said aperture.
- 22. The method of claim 19 further comprising attaching said tubular ink feed port to said aperture by means of an adhesive.
- 23. The method of claim 19 wherein said aperture contains an elastomeric o-ring disposed therein for sealingly engaging said tubular ink feed port.
- 24. The method of claim 19 wherein said aperture contains one or more alignment grooves in the second surface of the cartridge body disposed around the periphery of said aperture.
- 25. The method of claim 24 wherein said ink filtration device contains one or more tongues, the method further comprising aligning the one or more tongues with a corresponding groove while connecting said ink filtration device to the cartridge body.
- 26. The method of claim 19 further comprising connecting said ink filtration device to the second surface of the cartridge body by means of an adhesive.
- 27. The method of claim 19 wherein said ink filtration device contains an elastomeric o-ring seal on a sealing surface adjacent the second surface of the cartridge body, the method further comprising sealingly connecting said ink filtration device to the cartridge body by compressing the o-ring seal between the second surface of cartridge body and the sealing surface of ink filtration device.
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