Ink cartridge and printer

Patent 5971533 Issued on October 26, 1999. Estimated Expiration Date:

December 29, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Residual ink detection mechanism
Patent #: 4415886
Issued on: 11/15/1983
Inventor: Kyogoku , et al.

Apparatus for cleaning a nozzle of an ink jet printer
Patent #: 4814794
Issued on: 03/21/1989
Inventor: Sato

Printhead ink supply device
Patent #: 5631682
Issued on: 05/20/1997
Inventor: Takata

Hand-held electronic printer
Patent #: 5634730
Issued on: 06/03/1997
Inventor: Bobry

5734401

Inventors

Assignee

Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Application

No. 998627 filed on 12/29/1997

US Classes:

347/86Cartridge

Examiners

Primary: Barlow, John
Assistant: Nghiem, Michael

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Oliff & Berridge, PLC

Foreign Patent References

0 553 535 EP. 08/13/1993
0 560 398 EP. 09/13/1993
0 604 235 EP. 06/13/1994
0 615 846 EP. 09/13/1994
0 720 915 EP. 07/13/1996
54-151033 JP. 11/13/1979
59-192574 JP. 10/13/1984
62-161544 JP. 07/13/1987
1-141752 JP. 06/13/1989
5-116326 JP. 05/13/1993
5-138895 JP. 06/13/1993
7-323559 JP. 12/13/1995
8-295096 JP. 11/13/1996
8-298568 JP. 11/13/1996
9-85994 JP. 03/13/1997

International Class

B41J 002/175

Foreign Application Priority Data

1997-01-07 JP

Abstract

An ink cartridge includes a bag filled with ink and sealed. The bag is housed in a cartridge case. The bag is formed out of a laminate including a ductile film and a rigid film which are laminated together. The case has a hole, through which a hollow needle can protrude from the outside into the case and pierce the bag to take out ink from the bag. The laminate has such a sealing effect that, when it is pierced by the needle, the pierced hole is blocked. The cartridge is suitable for an ink jet printer.