EP0778148B1

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Info

Publication number: EP0778148B1
Application number: EP19960306871
Authority: EP
Inventors: Susan Hmelar; David O. Merrill; Glen E. Schmidt; John A. Underwood; Mark J. Green; Thomas G. Cocklin
Original assignee: Hewlett Packard Co
Current assignee: HP Inc
Priority date: 1995-12-04
Filing date: 1996-09-20
Publication date: 2001-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 2016-09-20
Also published as: DE69617610T2; JPH09174879A; EP0778148A1; DE69617610D1

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for ensuring that areplaceable ink supply container is properly oriented when inserted into an ink-jetprinter.
A typical ink-jet printer has a pen mounted to a carriage which ismoved back and forth over a printing surface, such as a piece of paper. The pencarries a print head. As the print head passes over appropriate locations on theprinting surface, a control system activates ink jets on the print head to eject, orjet, ink drops onto the printing surface and form desired images and characters.
Some ink-jet printers use stationary ink supplies that are mountedaway from the carriage and that supply ink to a refillable ink reservoir built intothe pen. The ink may be supplied from the supply container to the pen through atube that extends between the pen and the container.
Color ink-jet printers typically combine four ink colors to create amultitude of colors on the printing surface. Such printers can include areplaceable supply container for each color (typically black, cyan, yellow andmagenta) used by the printer. A group of pens, each dedicated to a particularcolor, are mounted to the printer carriage. A separate ink delivery system foreach color of ink is required.
Specifically, the entire path for one color of ink from its supplycontainer to the pen and out the print head is dedicated for use by a single colorof ink. Accordingly, a four-color ink-jet printer is configured to incorporate fourdiscrete ink delivery systems, one for each color.
Some ink-jet printing systems provide for different classes or families ofink for use with different models of printers. For example, a printer designed toprovide a very high quality print output may use ink having chemical andphysical properties that are unlike the inks used with less-costly printer designsor families.
Contaminating one color ink with another, such as by introducing an inkof one color into the ink delivery system of another color, can ruin the color printquality. Moreover, directing the ink of one family into the delivery system ofanother family, can be disastrous for a printer. For example, if two black inksfrom different families were mixed together as a result of replacing one supplywith the other, the mixture could react to form a precipitate and clog the inkdelivery system, resulting in failure of the printer.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided anapparatus for locating an ink supply container in an inkjet printer as claimed inthe appended claims. According to a second aspect of the present inventionthere is provided a method of manufacturing an ink supply container as definedin the claims.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided an ink supply container as defined in the claims.
The present invention provides a keying system for ensuring that an inksupply container for a delivery system for a given family and color or ink willnot be connectable with the delivery system for ink of a different color or family.
Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the detailed description of the invention which is presentedby way of example and not as a limitation of the present invention.
Prior art document US patent no. 4,853,708 discloses an apparatus for locatingan ink supply container in an ink-jet printer including a plurality of ink supplycontainers, a docking station connected to the printer, the docking station having wallmembers that define a plurality of bays, each bay configured to mate with a supplycontainer that is inserted into the bay and that contains a colour of ink corresponding tothat particular bay, first keying components attached to the station and second keyingcomponents attached to the supply containers to define in conjunction with the firstkeying component a system that restricts the insertion of a container into a bay to only amating container that contains the colour of ink corresponding to that mating bay. Eachbay of the docking station includes an inlet and each container includes anoutlet that can couple with the inlet and wherein the first and second keying componentsare located to guide insertion of a mating container into its mating bay so that the inletof the mating bay couples with the outlet of the mating container.
Prior art document US patent no. 4,568,954 discloses a method ofmanufacturing an ink supply container including providing a cap, providing a shell forcontaining a reservoir of ink, the shell lacking any perceptible indicia of the type of inkto be contained in the reservoir and attaching the cap to the shell.
Prior art document US patent no. 4,907,019 describes a system which makes itpossible for a second series of cartridges containing a new ink formulation of improvedor different character than a first series of cartridges to be used with either a first orsecond type of ink-jet printer while prior cartridges of the first series are incapable ofbeing used in the second type of ink-jet printer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ink supply container that carries acomponent of a preferred embodiment of the keying system of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ink supply containerof Figure 1.
Figures 3A-3D are bottom views of the supply container capsshowing various key and keyway components of a preferred embodiment of thekeying system of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of a printer docking station thatincludes another component of a preferred embodiment of the keying system ofthe present invention.
Figure 5 is a top partial view of one wall of the docking stationdetailing part of the keying system of the present invention.
Figure 6 shows the ink supply of Figure 1 being inserted into adocking bay of a docking station.
Figure 7 is a cross sectional view showing the ink supply of Figure 1fully inserted into the docking bay.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

An ink supply container that carries a component of the keyingsystem of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 asreferencenumeral 20. The ink supply container 20 (occasionally referred to merely as ink"supply") has achassis 22 that carries anink reservoir 24 for containing ink.The chassis also carries apump 26, and afluid outlet 28. Thechassis 22 fitswithin the lower open end of a hardprotective shell 30. Acap 32 is affixed tothe lower end of the shell. Thecap 32 is provided with anaperture 34 to allowaccess to thepump 26 and anaperture 36 to allow access to thefluid outlet 28.
Theink supply 20 is inserted into theappropriate bay 38 of adockingstation 132 of an ink-jet printer, as illustrated in Figures 6-7 (and described morefully below). Upon insertion of theink supply 20, anactuator 40 within thedocking bay 38 is brought into contact with thepump 26 throughaperture 34. Inaddition, afluid inlet 42 within thedocking bay 38 is coupled to thecontainerfluid outlet 28 throughaperture 36, thereby to create an ink delivery path fromtheink supply 20 to the corresponding pen on the printer carriage. Operation oftheactuator 40 causes thepump 26 to draw ink from the reservoir and deliverthe ink through thefluid outlet 28 and thefluid inlet 42 to the ink-jet pen througha tube, as discussed below.
Upon depletion of the ink from thereservoir 24, or for any otherreason, theink supply 20 can be easily removed from thedocking bay 38. Uponremoval, thefluid outlet 28 on the container and thefluid inlet 42 of the dockingstation close to prevent any residual ink from leaking into the printer or onto theuser. The ink supply container may then be discarded or stored for reinstallationat a later time. In this manner, theink supply 20 provides a user of an ink jetprinter a simple, economical way to provide a reliable, and easily replaceablesupply of ink to an ink-jet printer.
As illustrated in Figures 2 and 7, thechassis 22 has amain body 44.Extending upward from the top of thechassis body 44 is aframe 46 which helpsdefine and support theink reservoir 24. In the illustrated embodiment, theframe46 defines a generallysquare reservoir 24. Each side of theframe 46 isprovided with aface 48 to which a sheet ofplastic 50 is attached to enclose thesides of thereservoir 24. The illustrated plastic sheet is flexible to allow thevolume of the reservoir to diminish as ink is depleted from the reservoir. This helps to allow withdrawal and use of all of the ink within the reservoir byminimizing the amount of backpressure created as ink is depleted from thereservoir. The illustratedink supply 20, is intended to contain about 30 cubiccentimeters of ink when full.
In the illustrated embodiment, theplastic sheets 50 are heat staked tothefaces 48 of the frame in a manner well known to those in the art. Theplasticsheets 50 are, in the illustrated embodiment, multi-ply sheets having a an outerlayer of low density polyethylene, a layer of adhesive, a layer of metallizedpolyethylene terephthalate, a layer of adhesive, a second layer of metallizedpolyethylene terephthalate, a layer of adhesive, and an inner layer of low densitypolyethylene. The layers of low density polyethylene are about 0.0127mm (0.0005 inches)thick and the metallized polyethylene terephthalate is about 0.0122 mm (0.00048 inches) thick.The low density polyethylene on the inner and outer sides of the plastic sheetscan be easily heat staked to the frame while the double layer of metallizedpolyethylene terephthalate provides a robust barrier against vapor loss andleakage. Of course, in other embodiments, different materials, alternativemethods of attaching the plastic sheets to the frame, or other types of reservoirsmight be used.
Thebody 44 of thechassis 22, as seen in Figures 2 and 7, isprovided with afill port 52 for filling thereservoir 24. After filling thereservoir, aspherical plug 54 is inserted into thefill port 52 to prevent theescape of ink through the fill port. In the illustrated embodiment, the plug is apolypropylene ball that is press fit into the fill port.
Thepump 26 on thechassis 22 serves to pump ink from the reservoirand supply it to the printer via thefluid outlet 28. In the illustrated embodiment, thepump 26 includes apump chamber 56 that is integrally formed with thechassis 22. The pump chamber is defined by a skirt-like wall 58 which extendsdownwardly from thebody 44 of thechassis 22.
Apump inlet 60 is formed at the top of thechamber 56 to allow fluidcommunication between thechamber 56 and theink reservoir 24. Apump outlet62 through which ink may be expelled from thechamber 56 is also provided. Avalve 64 is positioned within thepump inlet 60. Thevalve 64 allows the flow ofink from theink reservoir 24 into thechamber 56 but limits the flow of ink fromthechamber 56 back into theink reservoir 24. In this way, when the chamber isdepressurized, ink may be drawn from the ink reservoir, through the pump inletand into the chamber. When the chamber is pressurized, ink within the chambermay be expelled through the pump outlet.
In the illustrated embodiment, thevalve 64 is a one-way flapper valvepositioned at the bottom of the pump inlet. Thevalve 64 is a rectangular pieceof flexible material positioned over the bottom of thepump inlet 60 and heatstaked to thechassis 22 at the midpoints of its short sides (the heat staked areasare darkened in Figure 7). When the pressure within the chamber dropssufficiently below that in the reservoir, the unstaked sides of the valve each flexdownward to allow the flow of ink around thevalve 64, through thepump inlet60 and into thechamber 56.
Aflexible diaphragm 66 encloses the bottom of thechamber 56. Thediaphragm 66 is slightly larger than the opening at the bottom of thechamber 56and is sealed around the bottom edge of thewall 58. The excess material in theoversized diaphragm allows the diaphragm to flex up and down to vary thevolume within the chamber. In the illustrated ink supply, displacement of the diaphragm allows the volume of thechamber 56 to be varied by about 0.7 cubiccentimeters. The fully expanded volume of the illustratedchamber 56 is betweenabout 2.2 and 2.5 cubic centimeters.
Apressure plate 68 and aspring 70 are positioned within thechamber 56. Thepressure plate 68 is positioned within thechamber 56 with thelower face 72 adjacent theflexible diaphragm 66. The upper end of thespring70, which is stainless steel in the illustrated embodiment, is retained on aspike82 formed in the chassis and the lower end of thespring 70 is retained on thespike 78 on thepressure plate 68. In this manner, the spring biases the pressureplate downward against the diaphragm to increase the volume of the chamber.
Aconduit 84 joins thepump outlet 62 to thefluid outlet 28. In theillustrated embodiment, the top wall of theconduit 84 is formed by the lowermember of theframe 46, the bottom wall is formed by thebody 44 of thechassis, one side is enclosed by a portion of the chassis and the other side isenclosed by a portion of one of the plastic sheets.
As illustrated in Figures 2 and 7, thefluid outlet 28 is housed withina hollowcylindrical boss 99 that extends downward from thechassis 22. Thetop of theboss 99 opens into theconduit 84 to allow ink to flow from theconduit into the fluid outlet. Aspring 100 and sealingball 102 are positionedwithin theboss 99 and are held in place by acompliant septum 104 and acrimpcover 106. Theseptum 104 is inserted into theboss 99 and compresses thespring 100 slightly so that the spring biases the sealingball 102 against theseptum 104 to form a seal. Thecrimp cover 106 fits over theseptum 104 andengages anannular projection 108 on theboss 99 to hold the entire assembly inplace.
In the illustrated embodiment, both thespring 100 and theball 102are stainless steel. The sealingball 102 is sized such that it can move freelywithin theboss 99 and allow the flow of ink around the ball when it is not in thesealing position. Theseptum 104 is formed of polyisoprene rubber and has aconcave bottom to receive a portion of theball 102 to form a secure seal. Theseptum 104 is provided with a slit 110 so that it may be easily pierced withouttearing or coring. The slit is normally closed. Ahole 112 is provided so thatthecrimp cover 106 does not interfere with the piercing of theseptum 104.
With thepump 26 andfluid outlet 28 in place, theink reservoir 24can be filled with ink. To fill theink supply 24, ink can be injected through thefill port 52. As ink is being introduced into the reservoir, a needle (not shown)can be inserted through the slit 110 in theseptum 104 to depress the sealingball102 and allow the escape of any air from within the reservoir.
Of course, there are a variety of other methods which might also beused to fill the present ink supply. In some instances, it may be desirable toflush the entire ink supply with carbon dioxide prior to filling it with ink. In thisway, any gas trapped within the ink supply during the filling process will becarbon dioxide, not air. This may be preferable because carbon dioxide maydissolve in some inks while air may not. In general, it is preferable to removeas much gas from the ink supply as possible so that bubbles and the like do notenter the print head or the trailing tube. To this end, it may also be preferable touse degassed ink to further avoid the creation or presence of bubbles in the inksupply.
Although theink reservoir 24 provides an ideal way to contain ink, itmay be easily punctured or ruptured and may allow a small amount of water loss from the ink. Accordingly, to protect thereservoir 24 and to limit water loss,thereservoir 24 is enclosed within theprotective shell 30. In the illustratedembodiment, theshell 30 is made of polypropylene. A thickness of about onemillimeter has been found to provide robust protection and to preventunacceptable water loss from the ink. However, the material and thickness ofthe shell may vary in other embodiments.
The top of theshell 30 has contoured gripping surfaces 114 (Figure6) that are shaped and textured to allow a user to easily grip and manipulate theink supply 20. Avertical rib 116 having adetent 118 formed near its lower endprojects laterally from each side of theshell 30. The base of theshell 30 is opento allow insertion of thechassis 22. Astop 120 extends laterally outward fromeach side ofwall 58 that defines the chamber 56 (Figure 2). These stops 120abut the lower edge of theshell 30 when thechassis 22 is inserted.
After the reservoir is filled, theprotective cap 32 is fitted to thebottom of theshell 30 to maintain thechassis 22 in position. Thecap 32 isprovided withslots 128 which receive thestops 120 on thechassis 22. In thismanner, the stops are firmly secured between the cap and the shell to maintainthe chassis in position. Thecap aperture 34 allows access to thepump 26, andaperture 36 allows access to thefluid outlet 28. Thecap 32 obscures thefill port52.
In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom of theshell 30 is providedwith twocircumferential grooves 122 which engage twocircumferential ribs 124formed on thecap 32 to secure the cap to the shell. Sonic welding or someother mechanism may also be desirable to more securely fix the cap to the shell.In addition, a label can be adhered to both the cap and the shell to more firmly secure them together. A pressure sensitive adhesive is used to adhere the labelin a manner that prevents the label from being peeled off and to help secure thecap to the shell.
The attachment between the shell and the cap should, preferably, besnug enough to prevent accidental separation of the cap from the shell and toresist the flow of ink from the shell should the ink reservoir develop a leak.However, it is also desirable that the attachment allow the slow ingress of airinto the shell as ink is depleted from the reservoir to maintain the pressure insidethe shell generally the same as the ambient pressure. Otherwise, a negativepressure may develop inside the shell and inhibit the flow of ink from thereservoir. The ingress of air should be limited, however, in order to maintain ahigh humidity within the shell and minimize water loss from the ink.
In the illustrated embodiment, the shell 12 and the flexible reservoir14 which it contains have the capacity to hold approximately thirty cubiccentimeters of ink. The shell is approximately 73 millimeters wide, 15millimeters thick, and 60 millimeters high. Of course, other dimensions andshapes can also be used depending on the particular needs of a given printer.
Theshell 30 is substantially symmetrical about its vertical central axis.Accordingly, the shell may be joined with the cap in either of two orientations ofthe shell, thereby simplifying the container assembly process.
In accordance with the present invention, it is contemplated that thecomponents of the ink supply container, except for theprotective cap 32, may beused to contain any of a number of different types of ink. One can divide typesof ink, for example, into two subcategories: family and color. A family of inkrefers to the particular chemical and physical properties of the ink, such as its viscosity or solubility in water. Ink-jet pens and print heads that are designed towork with ink of a particular family will malfunction if ink of a different familyis used. The ink color relates to one of four colors that are typically used incolor printing and combined on the printing medium to yield the sought-aftercolor output. In this regard, the ink delivery system for providing ink to theprint head is limited to use with only one color and, therefore, must not becontaminated with ink of another color.
Theprotective cap 32 of the present invention includes featuresformed thereon to provide indicia of the particular single family and color of theink contained in the reservoir. Similar features are provided in the dockingstation bays. These features on the ink container and in the docking station baysare the primary components of a system that prevents insertion of any inkcontainers into a particular bay, except for the single ink supply container thathas a cap bearing the appropriate features for mating with corresponding featuresof the particular bay.
In accordance with the present invention, one end of thecap 32 isprovided with features comprising projectingkeys 130 that can identify thefamily of ink contained within the ink supply. For example, if the ink supply isfilled with ink suited for use only with a particular printer or family of printers,a cap having keys of a selected number and spacing (in the illustratedembodiment, three evenly spacedkeys 130 are shown) for indicating that inkfamily is contained in the supply. The other end of the cap is provided with afeature, akeyway 131, that is indicative of a certain color of ink, such as cyan,magenta, etc. As will be explained below, the docking station in the printer carries features that mate with those on a cap to control the insertion of thecontainers into the station.
It is notable here that thechassis 22 andshell 30 can bemanufactured, assembled and stored without regard to the particular type of inkthey will contain. Then, after the ink reservoir is filled, a cap bearing featuresindicative of the particular ink type within the reservoir is attached to the shell.This allows for manufacturing economies because a supply of empty shells andchassis can be stored in inventory. When there is a demand for a particular typeof ink, that ink can be introduced into the ink supply and an appropriate capfixed to the ink supply. Thus, this scheme reduces the need to maintain highinventories of ink supplies containing every type of ink.
Alternative or supplementary ink content indicia may be incorporatedinto the cap. For example, when the ink supply is filled with a particular colorof ink, a cap that is colored to match that color may be used. The color of thecap may also be used to indicate the family of ink contained within the inksupply.
The illustratedink supply 20 is ideally suited for insertion into adocking station 132 like that illustrated in Figures 4-7. Thedocking station 132illustrated in Figure 4, is intended for use with a color printer. Accordingly, ithas four side-by-side docking bays 38, each of which can receive oneink supplycontainer 20 of a different color. The structure of the illustrated ink supplyallows for the supply to be relatively narrow in width. This allows for four inksupplies to be arranged side-by-side in a compact docking station without undulyincreasing the "footprint" of the printer.
Thedocking bays 38 reside between opposingwalls 134, 136 of thestation. Each wall respectively defines four inwardly facingvertical channels138a-d, 140a-d. Each bay 38 (the upper boundary of one bay is shown in dashedlines in Figures 4-6) receives oneink supply 20.
Aleaf spring 142 having anengagement prong 144 is positionedwithin the lower portion of eachchannel 138a-d, 140a-d. Theengagement prong144 of eachleaf spring 142 extends inwardly into thedocking bay 38 and isbiased inward by the leaf spring.
Each of thechannels 138a-d formed in onewall 134 of the station(for convenience referred to as the left wall) is shaped to define features thatmate with akeyway 131 formed in theprotective cap 32. Figure 5 bestillustrates the configuration of the features in theleft wall 134, where theindividual channels 138a-d each have discrete keying characteristics.
Turning to anexemplary channel 138d in theleft wall 134, it is seenthatchannel 138d has a protruding key 133 defined between itssidewalls 135.With reference to Figure 6, the protrudingkey 133 is a generally elongatedmember extending in the vertical direction between theparallel side walls 135 ofthechannel 138d. In a preferred embodiment, the key 133 is in two parts: anupper part that is located at the upper end of thewall 134, and a lower part thatextends from the bottom of thewall 134 to a location just beneath theprong 144that resides in thechannel 138d.
The thickness (measured vertically in Figure 5) of the key 133, andthe spacing of that key between thesidewalls 135 of thechannel 138d, isestablished to mate with akeyway 131 formed in the end of a particularprotective cap 32. In this regard, attention is directed to Figure 3D, which is a bottom view of thecap 32 depicted in Figure 1. That cap is configured on oneend (the left end in Figure 3D) so that the width of that end part between thesidewalls 139 is just slightly less than the space between thesidewalls 135 of thechannel 138d. Moreover, the width of thekeyway 131 is just slightly wider thanthe thickness of the key 133 in thatchannel 138d. Put another way, theconfiguration of the cap end illustrated in Figure 3D is essentially the mirrorimage of the configuration ofchannel 138d (Figure 3D is a bottom view andFigure 5 is a top view). Accordingly, the left end of the version of thecap 32shown in Figure 3D will mate with, and only with, thechannel 138d in theleftwall 134.
The right end of the cap, as mentioned earlier, includes three evenlyspaced projectingkeys 130 that may be indicative of a particular family of inkused with the illustrated docking bay. Thechannels 140a-d in thewall 136 ofthe docking station are constructed at their tops and bottoms (see Figure 4) todefine three evenly spaced apartkeyways 143 that mate with thefamily keys 130on the cap. Specifically, thekeyways 143 are defined as the spaces betweenupper and lower protrusions extending between the sidewalls of thechannels140a-d. Like thekeys 133 in the opposingwall 134, these protrusions are in twoparts, at the top and bottom of the channels, as shown in Figure 4.
Turning to Figures 3A-C and Figure 5, it will be appreciated that,with the foregoing in mind, the configurations of theother channels 138a-c in theleft wall 234 of the docking station define features that will mate only thecontainer caps that have correspondingly shaped features on the associated end ofthe caps. For example, the end of the cap depicted in Figure 3A (for referencecalled the "black ink" cap) is constructed so that the gap between thesidewalls 139 of that end is relatively narrower than that dimension of other caps. The endof the black ink cap (Figure 3A) fits snugly within a correspondinglynarrowchannel 138a in theleft wall 134 of the docking station. The black ink cap doesnot include a keyway in the end of thatcap 32, and thechannel 138a does notinclude a distinct key.
The ends of the caps depicted in Figures 3B and 3C illustratealternative arrangements of cap configurations that includekeyways 131 locatedand sized for mating with only one of thechannels 138b or 138c, respectively.
It is contemplated that more than just four different caps, associatedwith four different colors, can be employed with the keying system of the presentinvention. In this regard, the width of the associated end of the cap and thelocation of keyways on the cap (and keys in the docking bay channels) may bedesigned in any of a multitude of configurations, provided that the configurationfor a particular cap is unique to a pen color, and that the keying system permitsthefluid outlet 28 of thesupply 20 and thepump 26 to respectively align withthefluid inlet 42 andactuator 40 of the docking bay.
In addition to controlling insertion of a particular ink container intoits corresponding, mating, bay, it will be appreciated that the above-describedkey features also serve to guide movement of the container into and out of thebay. In this regard, the vertical length of the keys and keyways are selected sothat as the container is moved into the bay the container is limited to slidingtranslational motion to facilitate precise interconnection between thefluid outlet28 andfluid inlet 42.
As illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the upper end of each actuator 40extends upward through theaperture 148 in thebase plate 146 of thestation 132 and into thedocking bay 38. The lower portion of theactuator 40 is positionedbelow the base plate and is pivotably coupled to one end of alever 152 which issupported on apivot point 154. The other end of thelever 152 is biaseddownward by a compression spring (not shown). In this manner, the force of thecompression spring urges theactuator 40 upward. Acam 158 mounted on arotatable shaft 160 is positioned such that rotation of the shaft to an engagedposition causes the cam to overcome the force of the compression spring andmove theactuator 40 downward. Movement of the actuator causes thepump 26to draw ink from thereservoir 24 and supply it through thefluid outlet 28 andthefluid inlet 42 to the printer.
As seen in Figure 7, thefluid inlet 42 is positioned within thehousing 150 carried on thebase plate 146. The illustratedfluid inlet 42 includesan upwardly extendingneedle 162 having a closed bluntupper end 164, ablindbore 166 and alateral hole 168 near the blunt end. A trailing tube (not shown)is connected to the lower end of theneedle 162 such that theblind bore 166 is influid communication therewith. The trailing tube 169 leads to a print head (notshown).
A slidingcollar 170 surrounds theneedle 162 and is biased upwardlyby aspring 172. The slidingcollar 170 has a compliant sealing portion 174 withan exposedupper surface 176 and alower surface 178 in direct contact with thespring 172. In addition, the illustrated sliding collar includes a substantiallyrigidportion 180 extending downwardly to partially house thespring 172. Anannularstop 182 extends outward from the lower edge of the substantiallyrigid portion180. Theannular stop 182 is positioned beneath thebase plate 146 such that itabuts the base plate to limit upward travel of the slidingcollar 170 and define an upper position of the sliding collar on theneedle 162. In the upper position, thelateral hole 168 is surrounded by the sealing portion 174 of the collar to seal thelateral hole, and theblunt end 164 of the needle is generally even with theuppersurface 176 of the collar.
To install anink supply 20 within adocking bay 38, a user cansimply place the lower end of the mating ink supply container between theopposingwalls 134 and 136 that define a mating bay 38 (Figure 6). The inksupply is then pushed downward into the installed position, shown in Figure 7, inwhich the bottom of thecap 32 abuts thebase plate 146. As the ink supply ispushed downward, thefluid outlet 28 andfluid inlet 42 automatically engage andopen to form a path for fluid flow from the ink supply to the printer. Once thesupply is installed, the actuator may enter theaperture 34 in thecap 32 topressurize the pump.
Once in position, the engagement prongs 144 on each side of thedocking station engage thedetents 118 formed in theshell 30 to firmly hold theink supply in place. The leaf springs 142, which allow the engagement prongs tomove outward during insertion of the ink supply, bias the engagement prongsinward to positively hold the ink supply in the installed position. Throughout theinstallation process and in the installed position, the edges of theink supply 20are captured within the vertical channels 138 and 140 which provide lateralsupport and stability to the ink supply. The above-described keying componentsformed in bottom parts of thechannels 138a-d and 140a-d are configured toprovide clearance for thedetents 118 and the centralvertical ribs 116 formed ineach side of the shell. In a preferred embodiment, the depth (measured left-to-rightin Figure 5) is sufficient to provide clearance for thedetent 118 andrib 116, which may protrude outwardly slightly farther than the end of thecap 32.Similarly, the depth of the central one of the threekeyways 143 in therightstation wall 136 is sufficiently deep to provide clearance for thedetent 118 andrib 116 on that side of the supply container.
To remove theink supply 20, a user simply grasps the ink supply,using the contouredgripping surfaces 114, and pulls upward to overcome theforce of the leaf springs 142. Upon removal, thefluid outlet 28 andfluid inlet42 automatically disconnect and reseal leaving little, if any, residual ink and thepump 26 is depressurized to reduce the possibility of any leakage from the inksupply.

Claims

An apparatus for locating an ink supply container in an ink-jet printer, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of ink supply containers (20) each of which includes an end capattached to a shell defining on one end of the cap a first keyingcomponent (130) indicative of the family of ink to be contained in the containerand defining on the other end of the cap a second keying component (131)indicative of the colour of the ink to be contained in the container;
a docking station (132) connected to the printer, the docking station having wallmembers that define a plurality of bays (38), each bay configured to mate with the first and second keying components of said supply container (20) that is inserted into the bay(38) and that contains a keyed colour and family of ink corresponding to that particularbay (38);
wherein, each bay (38) of the docking station includes an inlet (42) and whereineach container includes an outlet (28) that can couple with an inlet, and wherein the firstand second keying components are provided on the end caps of the containers located toindex both the correct colour and family of ink contained in the container and to guideinsertion of a mating container into its mating bay so that the inlet of the mating baycouples with the outlet of the mating container.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second keying componentscomprise elongated members that constrict movement of the mating container within amating bay to sliding transitional movement.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the keying system further comprises a detentmember (118) on each container and a prong member (144) on each bay (38), the prongmember engaging the detent member to resist removal of the container from the bay.
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location and configuration of the detentmembers on each container and the prong members on each bay are substantiallyidentical irrespective of variations in the location and configuration of the first andsecond keying components among the containers and bays.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first keying component (130)comprises at least one key and wherein the second keying component (131)comprises a keyway.
A method of manufacturing an ink supply container to include featuresindicative of the type of ink contained in the container, the method comprisingthe steps of:
providing a cap (32);
forming on the cap a feature (130, 131) at a predetermined location on thecap, wherein the location is indicative of both the family and colour of aparticular type of ink;
providing a shell (30) for containing a reservoir of ink, the shell lackingany perceptible indicia of the type of ink to be contained in the reservoir, andattaching the cap to the shell.
The method of claim 6, wherein the attaching step includes covering with thecap (32) a port that is used for filling the reservoir.
An ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink-jet printer, comprising:
a cap (32);
a feature (130,131) at one or more predetermined locations on the cap,wherein the locations are indicative of the family and colour of a particular inktype; and
a shell (30) for containing a reservoir of ink, the shell lacking anyperceptible indicia of the type of ink to be contained in the reservoir, the shellbeing attached to the cap.