Apparatus for refilling an ink cartridge
AssigneeMitsubishi Pencil Corporation of America
InventorSakae Hayao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for refilling ink into a used, empty ink cartridge for ink-jet printers using an ink refill station and an ink refill adapter, the ink refill station accommodating the cartridge so that the head section of the cartridge is separated by a pressing or shearing force applied by a threaded screw that is provided in the refill station, and the ink refill adapter being placed on the main section of the cartridge after the head section is removed so that ink is transferred from an ink container to the main section of the cartridge via needles provided in the ink refill adapter.
Claims15
An apparatus for refilling an ink cartridge which comprises a main section having therein an ink reservoir and a head section attached to said main section, said apparatus comprising:
- an ink refill station having an empty space therein so as to accommodate said main section of said ink cartridge in said empty space, said ink refill station being provided with at least one separation means for separating said head section from said main section;
- and
- an ink refill adapter comprising a base plate which covers said empty space of said ink refill station, said ink refill adapter having at least one ink transfer means provided in said base plate so as to connect an ink container to said ink reservoir of said ink cartridge.
An apparatus for refilling ink in an ink cartridge used in ink-jet printers, said ink cartridge comprising a main section having therein a plurality of ink reservoirs and a head section attached to said main section, said refilling apparatus comprising:
- an ink refill station which is substantially in a box shape with an empty space therein so as to accommodate said main section of said cartridge in said empty space, said ink refill station being provided with a plurality of longitudinal ribs formed on an inner surface that defines said empty space and provided with at least one separation means for separating said head section from said main section of said cartridge;
- and
- an ink refill adapter to be fitted on one end surface of said main section of said ink cartridge accommodated in said empty space of said ink refill station, said ink refill adapter having a plurality of ink transfer means for connecting ink containers and said ink reservoirs.
An apparatus for holding an ink cartridge used in ink-jet printers, said ink cartridge comprising a main section having therein a plurality of ink reservoirs and a head section attached to said main section, characterized in that said apparatus is substantially a box with an empty space therein so as to accommodate said main section of said cartridge in said empty space, said box being provided with a plurality of longitudinal ribs formed on an inner surface that defines said empty space and provided with at least one separation means for separating said head section from said main section of said cartridge and further comprises slanted surfaces provided on said ribs so that said main section of said ink cartridge is held between said slanted surfaces.
A method for refilling ink into an ink cartridge which comprises a main section having an ink reservoir therein and a head section attached to said main section, said method comprising the steps of:
- placing said ink cartridge into an empty space of an ink refill station which is substantially a box having said empty space therein so as to accommodate said main section of said cartridge in said empty space, said ink refill station being provided with a plurality of longitudinal ribs formed on an inner surface that defines said empty space and provided with at least one separation means;
- operating said separation means so as to come into contact with said cartridge, thus separating said head section from said main section so that said main section of said ink cartridge remains in said ink refill station;
- placing an ink refill adapter on a top end of said main section of said ink cartridge which is in said ink refill station so that one end of an ink transfer means provided in said ink refill adapter is inserted in an ink reservoir of said main section of said ink cartridge;
- and
- connecting an outlet of an ink container to another end of said ink transfer means so that ink contained in said ink container is transferred from said ink container into said ink reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.