Ink cartridge with high flowrate, self sealing outlet
AssigneeSilverbrook Research Pty Ltd
InventorsKia Silverbrook, Norman Micheal Berry, Akira Nakazawa, Paul Ian Mackey, Garry Raymond Jackson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink cartridge that self seals its outlet opening with an outlet valve that connects to an inlet on the printhead. The outlet valve has a radially extending flange fixed within the outlet opening and an annular skirt of resilient material extending from the side of the outlet opening to the valve seat. The annular skirt is biased into sealing engagement with the radially extending flange to close the outlet valve until installment when the printhead inlet lifts the annular skirt off the flange so that ink flows around the flange into the printhead.
Claims14
An ink cartridge for an inkjet printhead, the ink cartridge comprising:
- an ink storage volume;
- an outlet opening with an outlet valve for connection to an inlet on the printhead, the outlet valve having a radially extending flange portion fixed within the outlet opening;
- and,
- an annular skirt of resilient material extending from the side of the outlet opening to the flange portion, the annular skirt being biased, due to the resilient material alone, into sealing engagement with the flange portion to close the outlet valve;
- wherein,
- the annular skirt is configured such that engagement with the inlet on the printhead during installation of the cartridge, axially compresses the annular skirt to cause side of the annular skirt to buckle radially outwardly to open the outlet valve such that ink flows from the ink storage volume around the radially extending flange portion to the printhead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.