Porous Reservoirs Formed From Side-By-Side Bicomponent Fibers

An ink jet printer cartridge, comprising:

• a housing defining a reservoir cavity;
• and
• a reservoir disposed within the reservoir cavity, the reservoir comprising a plurality of side-by-side bicomponent fibers, bonded to each other at spaced apart contact points to form a self-sustaining, three dimensional bonded fiber structure, wherein the plurality of side-by-side bicomponent fibers comprise:
• a first fiber component having a first softening temperature;
• and
• a second fiber component having a second softening temperature;
• wherein the first softening temperature is greater than the second softening temperature, wherein a cross sectional area of the first fiber component comprises between 40%-85% of a cross-sectional area of the side-by-side bicomponent fiber.

A writing instrument comprising:

• a housing defining a reservoir cavity;
• and
• a self-sustaining, three dimensional bonded fiber structure disposed within the reservoir cavity, the self-sustaining, three dimensional bonded fiber structure comprising a plurality of side-by-side bicomponent fibers, bonded to each other at spaced apart contact points, each of the plurality of side-by-side bicomponent fibers comprising a first fiber component having a first softening temperature and a second fiber component having a second softening temperature, the first softening temperature being greater than the second softening temperature,
• wherein a cross sectional area of the first fiber component comprises between 40%-85% of a cross-sectional area of the side-by-side bicomponent fiber, and
• wherein the self-sustaining, three dimensional bonded fiber structure is one of the set consisting of an ink reservoir, a wick, and a nib.