Patent Application
20080238704
The present invention generally relates to ink tanks used in printing systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to ink comprising RFID components operable to identify whether an air vent of an ink tank is open or closed.
Imaging devices, such as printers, often employ a print head for printing on a printable medium, such as paper. Ink is usually supplied to the print head from an ink reservoir or ink tank via a flow passage. The ink tank and print head may form a single print cartridge unit or may comprise separate components. During printing, ink flows from the ink tank to the print head through some conduit.
Ink tanks are vented to atmospheric pressure to prevent excessive vacuum pressures within the reservoir that can reduce or prevent ink flow to the print head. In addition, venting relieves pressure buildups that can occur when an ink tank is exposed to extreme environmental conditions, e.g., that can be encountered during shipping, such as high temperature in motor vehicles or low pressures in airplanes at high altitudes.
During packaging and shipping, an ink tank is shipped to the customer in a package that seals the air vent using some type of sealing component. This ensures that the pressure differentials during altitude change, etc do not affect the internal components or operability of the ink tank. Once the ink tank is removed from a package, the user is instructed to remove the sealing component from the vent. If an ink tank with its air vent sealed is installed into a printer and the printer starts to print, the backpressure within the print head increases. As a result, the heater and nozzles in the print head chip may be overwhelmed and the print head may become de-primed. Once de-primed, the print head may catastrophically fail, and thereby may require replacement.
As a result, there is a need for ink tanks having components designed to prevent a print head from using a sealed ink tank and thereby prevent catastrophic failure.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an ink tank embodiment is provided. The ink tank comprises an ink tank housing, at least one air vent disposed on the housing, and at least one RFID tag disposed on the housing, wherein the is operable to communicate with an RFID reader. The ink tank further comprises a sealing component operable to close the air vent. The sealing component has a conductivity operable to interfere with the communication of the RFID tag and the RFID reader such that the RFID tag is incapable of communicating with the RFID reader when the vent is closed.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of producing a sealed ink tank, which is inoperable when sealed, is provided. The method comprises the steps of: providing an ink tank comprising an air vent and at least one RFID tag, wherein the RFID tag has a signal frequency tuned to the signal frequency of an RFID reader; and, applying a sealing component over the air vent and proximate the RFID tag. The sealing component comprises a conductive material having conductivity effective to detune the frequency of the RFID reader, wherein the detuning of the RFID reader prevents the use of the ink tank.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for detecting the presence of a sealing component of an air vent of an ink tank comprising the steps of: providing an ink tank comprising an air vent and at least one RFID tag, as well as an RFID reader in communicable range of the RFID tag; delivering a signal from the RFID tag; and, detecting the presence of a sealing component on the air vent when a signal delivered by the RFID tag is received by the RFID reader.
Additional features and advantages provided by the embodiments of the present invention will be more fully understood in view of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the drawings.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed the same will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The embodiments set for the in the drawings are illustrative in nature and not intended to be limiting of the invention defined by the claims. Moreover, individual features of the drawings and the invention will be more fully apparent and understood in view of the detailed description.
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like numeral indicate similar elements throughout the views.
Referring to
For proper communication, the RFID reader 30 and the RFID tag 20 are tuned to the same frequency. The RFID tag 20 and RFID reader 30 may be programmed according to various techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the RFID reader 30 receives a signal from the RFID tag 20 and, as described below, informs the printer and/or print head that the ink tank 1 is properly installed and ready for printing. Alternatively, the RFID reader 30 may be connected via a circuit to an output device 70, which, in turn, informs the user and/or the printer that the ink tank 1 is properly installed and ready for printing. The output device 70 may include, for example, and not by way of limitation, a lighting element, such as a lamp or a light emitting diode, a light pipe, a digital display, or combinations thereof.
RFID tags 20 are capable of storing various additional pieces of data regarding the ink tank. For example, and not by way of limitation, the RFID tag 20 may store and provide to the RFID reader 30: the ink tank model, the ink tank model number, the serial number, the shipping date, the shipping location, the ink volume, the ink color, as well as other data known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Referring to
The sealing component 40 may comprise any suitable components having an electrical conductivity operable to detune the frequency of the RFID reader 30. The closer the RFID reader 30 is to the sealing component 40, the greater the interference caused by the sealing component 40. In some embodiments, placing the sealing component directly over the RFID tag 20 maximizes this interference. For example, and not by way of limitation, the sealing component 40 may comprise an adhesive material, e.g., a tape strip comprising a metal conductor coupled therewith. In one exemplary embodiment, the sealing component 40 may comprises a tape strip comprising copper foil, wherein the copper foil has conductivity that detunes the frequency of the RFID reader 30. Other sealing embodiments known to one of ordinary skill in the art are contemplated herein.
When the RFID reader 30 and RFID tag 20 are detuned, the RFID reader 30 does not receive the signal from the RFID tag 20, and absent this signal, the printer is configured to assume that no ink tank 1 is present or that the ink tank is not properly installed. In either case, the printer does not print, which, in the case of an improperly installed tank, could lead to a de-primed print head. In embodiments in which an output device 70 is present, the absence of a signal received by the RFID reader 30 from the RFID tag 20 results in an indication from the output device 70 that an ink tank 1 is not properly installed. In some embodiment, the output device 70 may provide an indication to a user that the printer is not ready to print, while in other embodiments, the output device 70 may provide another means of communicating this information to the printer or a print head, as appropriate.
It is noted that terms like “specifically,” “generally” “optionally”, “preferably,” “typically”, “often”, and the like are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed invention or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the claimed invention. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present invention. It is also noted that terms like “substantially” and “about” are utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation.
Having described the invention in detail and by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. More specifically, although some aspects of the present invention are identified herein as preferred or particularly advantageous, it is contemplated that the present invention is not necessarily limited to these preferred aspects of the invention.
