# US 10,870,281 B2 · Liquid absorber, ink absorbing device, and liquid droplet ejection apparatus

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- Number: US 10,870,281 B2
- Document ID: US10870281B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/744,313
- Filed: 2020-01-16
- Published: 2020-07-23
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-18
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Yoichi Miyasaka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870281B2

## CPC

- B01J 20/267: {Cross-linked polymers}
- B41J 2/1721: {Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor}
- B01J 20/28028: {Particles immobilised within fibres or filaments}
- B01J 20/28035: {with more than one layer, e.g. laminates, separated sheets}
- B41J 2/16523: {Waste ink transport from caps or spittoons, e.g. by suction (Collecting or collectors of waste ink B41J2/1721)}
- B41J 2/1728: {Closed waste ink collectors}
- B41J 2/16508: {connected with the printer frame}
- B41J 2/1742: {Open waste ink collectors, e.g. ink receiving from a print head above the collector during borderless printing}
- B41J 2/185: Ink-collectors; Ink-catchers
- B41J 2002/1856: {waste ink containers}
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A liquid absorber includes a plurality of small parts each including a first layer containing fibers, a second layer containing fibers, and a third layer which contains a water absorbing resin and which is provided between the first layer and the second layer. When the water absorbing resin is measured in accordance with a plastic thermogravimetric measurement method defined by JIS K 7120: 1987 under measurement conditions in which a sample amount is 5 to 15 mg, a temperature increase rate is 10.0° C./min, and a measurement atmosphere is nitrogen, from a TG curve obtained thereby, the ratio of a weight decrease amount of the water absorbing resin at 400° C. with respect to an initial weight thereof is 0.050 to less than 0.500.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid absorber comprising:
a plurality of small parts each including a first layer containing fibers, a second layer containing fibers, and a third layer which contains a water absorbing resin and which is provided between the first layer and the second layer, wherein
when the water absorbing resin is measured to obtain a TG curve in accordance with a plastic thermogravimetric measurement method defined by JIS K 7120: 1987 under measurement conditions in which a sample amount is 5 to 15 mg, a temperature increase rate is 10.0° C./min, and a measurement atmosphere is nitrogen, from the TG curve, the ratio of a weight decrease amount of the water absorbing resin at 400° C. with respect to an initial weight thereof is 0.050 to less than 0.500.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein
in the TG curve, the ratio of a weight decrease amount of the water absorbing resin at 200° C. with respect to the initial weight thereof is 0.001 to less than 0.080.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein
the ratio of the total weight of the water absorbing resin with respect to the total weight of the fibers is 0.15 to 1.75.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein
the fibers are cellulose fibers.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein
the small parts each have two primary surfaces in a front-rear relationship, and
a1/2/b>5.0 and 0.05≤b≤10.0 hold, wherein a represents the area of the primary surface [mm2], and b represents the thickness of the small part in a direction normal to the primary surface thereof [mm].

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

An ink absorbing device comprising:
the liquid absorber according to claim 1; and
a container receiving the liquid absorber.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

A liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprising:
a recovery portion recovering a waste ink liquid, wherein
the ink absorbing device according to claim 6 is provided in the recovery portion.