Ink supply container for ink writing systems

Claim 1

An ink supply device for a jet ink writing system comprising in combination: a movable writing carriage having a writing head thereon, the writing head having a plurality of writing set orifices at a writing face of the writing head, conduit means within the writing head in communication with the orifices, a removable ink supply container, means on the carriage for mounting the ink supply container on the carriage, the conduits being in communication with the interior of a hollow needle member carried by the carriage, the container comprising a preformed plastic part having housing walls defining a recess, the recess having a bottom wall portion with an elastomeric seal member closing an opening through the wall portion, the recess closed at a top portion thereof by a flexible foil membrane, additional wall portions of the housing extending upwardly above the flexible membrane, a pressure button positioned between said additional wall portions, spring means urging the pressure button away from the membrane, the spring means having a free length sufficient to maintain a bottom face of the pressure button out of contact and opposed to the membrane, the pressure button being movable against the spring means to cause contact between the bottom of the pressure button and the membrane, a space between the bottom wall and the membrane being filled with ink and comprising an ink bag, the hollow needle member positioned to pierce the seal upon mounting of the container to the carriage, the container, when mounted to the carriage, being located with respect to the writing head orifices such that the ink supply within the recess is positioned below the writing orifices whereby there will not exist a pressure flow from the ink supply to the orifices, the orifices and conduits dimensioned to provide a capillary action flow of ink from the hollow needle to the orifices, the pressure button effective to increase pressure with the recess by movement of the pressure button against the membrane to cause a positive pressure flow of ink through the conduits, means carried by the writing head providing a deflection shield in front of the orifices for deflecting waste ink from the orifices to a discharge channel, the discharge channel formed within the writing head and carriage, the discharge channel having an open end adjacent the deflector means and a second open end adjacent the container carried by the carriage, the container having a waste ink collector chamber having an absorbent mass therein, the waste ink collector chamber having an entrance opening adjacent the second open end of the channel.