Ink cartridge, and ink-jet recording apparatus using the same
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsTaku Ishizawa, Toshio Kumagai, Masanori Kamijyo
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Abstract
There is provided an ink cartridge which is formed from an ink-filled ink pack and a hermetic outer shell case for housing the ink pack and which supplies ink to a recording head by means of application of air pressure to a space between the outer shell case and the ink pack. The outer shell case is formed by coupling an upper case and a lower case together. The ink-filled ink pack is housed in the lower case, and the upper case is laid on the lower case from above. The upper and lower cases are hermetically sealed by vibratory welding or heat welding, thus constituting the ink cartridge.
Claims6
An ink cartridge comprising:
- a flexible ink pack storing ink therein and having an ink outlet port normally closed, wherein said ink outlet port is integral with said flexible ink pack;
- an outer shell housing the flexible ink pack and having an air inlet port normally open, the ink outlet port being at least partially exposed outside the outer shell, wherein said air inlet port is integral with the outer shell;
- a sealing member provided between the ink outlet port and the outer shell;
- and
- a valve member disposed at said ink outlet port, wherein, when the ink cartridge is mounted in a recording apparatus, the valve member comes into contact with a connection section of the recording apparatus and recedes in an axial direction, thus becoming open;
- and wherein, when the ink cartridge is removed from the recording apparatus, the valve member advances in the axial direction, thus sustaining a closed state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.