Patent EP0519664A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0519664A2
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EP
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Spring-bag printer ink cartridge with volume indicator
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1992-06-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-06-15
Abstract
Abstract An ink jet pen supply cartridge having a spring biased ink bag with a visual indication of remaining ink quantity. The spring-bag reservoir tends to collapse laterally as the ink supply decreases due to differential pressure exerted thereto. The spring-bag is contained in a rigid cartridge and a pair of flexible tape members (13, 14) are cemented or welded, one to each side of the spring-bag, and extend generally parallel toward a narrow end surface of the cartridge at which they overlap and can be viewed through a window (25). The overlapping relationship of the tape members (13, 14) provide ink quantity indicia which change as the spring-bag collapse draws them past each other.
Inventors
- 👤 David S. Hunt
- 👤 W. Bruce Reid
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 09:49
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/17; B41J2/175; B41J2/17503; B41J2/17553; B41J2/17506; B41J2/17513; B41J2/1752; B41J2/17523; B41J2/17566; B41J2002/17516; B41J2002/17573; B41J2002/17586
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
195 words
A negative pressure ink reservoir cartridge comprising: a housing having a rigid wall (10) defining the perimeter of said cartridge; a flexible ink bag disposed in said housing inside said rigid wall, said bag having at least one side wall (11 a, 11b) moveable in a direction generally normal to said perimeter of said cartridge; at least one rigid panel (18, 19) engaged with said moveable side wall of said bag; spring means (20) biasing said panel and moveable wall apart from one other wall of the bag in said housing to establish said ink reservoir as a spring-bag in which said bag side walls move toward each other and the internal volume of said spring-bag decreases as ink is withdrawn; at least one flexible strip (13, 14) attached to the outward side of one (11 a) of said side walls and folded over an edge of said rigid housing wall, said strip having ink volume indicia thereon; and said housing having a stationary window (25) along said rigid perimeter wall (10) through which said indicia may be monitored as said strip (13,14) moves past said window during depletion of the ink in said bag.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
195 words
A negative pressure ink reservoir cartridge comprising: a housing having a rigid wall (10) defining the perimeter of said cartridge; a flexible ink bag disposed in said housing inside said rigid wall, said bag having at least one side wall (11 a, 11b) moveable in a direction generally normal to said perimeter of said cartridge; at least one rigid panel (18, 19) engaged with said moveable side wall of said bag; spring means (20) biasing said panel and moveable wall apart from one other wall of the bag in said housing to establish said ink reservoir as a spring-bag in which said bag side walls move toward each other and the internal volume of said spring-bag decreases as ink is withdrawn; at least one flexible strip (13, 14) attached to the outward side of one (11 a) of said side walls and folded over an edge of said rigid housing wall, said strip having ink volume indicia thereon; and said housing having a stationary window (25) along said rigid perimeter wall (10) through which said indicia may be monitored as said strip (13,14) moves past said window during depletion of the ink in said bag.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
134 words
The combination of claim 1 in which said bag has a pair (11 a, 11b) of opposed moveable walls secured at their periphery to the inside of said housing, a pair (18, 19) of said rigid panels respectively engaged with said moveable bag walls, said spring (20) being engageable with each of said panels (18, 19), and said at least one flexible strip comprises first and second flexible strips (13, 14) folded over opposite edges of said peripheral wall (10), said first strip (13) overlying said second strip (14), said second strip including visible indicia and said first strip including a moveable window(16) generally aligned with said indicia to provide a visual indication of residual ink in said spring-bag as a function of the relative translation of said first and second strips (13, 14).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The combination of claim 2 in which said stationary window (25) is elongated in the direction of movement of said first and second strips to ensure continuous view of said moveable first strip window (16) during relative translation of said first and second strips.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
The combination of claim 2 in which said second strip indicia comprises a colored area located to show through said moveable first strip window when said spring-bag is substantially full of ink and said first strip and said housing being of colors which contrast with the color of said colored area.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
The combination of claim 3 in which said second strip indicia comprises a colored area located to show through said moveable first strip window (16) when said spring-bag is substantially full of ink and said first strip (13) and said housing being of colors which contrast with the color of said colored area.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The combination of claim 2, wherein said spring means (20) is a double bowed spring.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The combination of claim 4, wherein said spring means (20) is a double bowed spring.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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