Abstract: An enclosure for an ink reservoir bag in an ink delivery system for an ink cartridge comprises a tray and a cover for the tray. The tray includes a bottom wall having opposite ends and opposite sides, end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall at the opposite ends and side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall along the opposite sides. One of the end walls of the tray has a pair of openings therethrough between the side walls to receive fill and exit ports of the reservoir bag.

Abstract: An ink reservoir bag of flexible, plastic sheet material for an ink delivery system for an ink cartridge is constructed of two sheets of plastic material having peripheral edges bonded together to provide an ink chamber therebetween and has separate fill and exit ports opening into the chamber and respectively defined by a fill tube and an exit tube bonded to the bag between the peripheral edges thereof. Flexible tubing is connected to the exit port through a check valve interposed between the port and tubing, and a lure lock is interconnected with the fill tube to provide an injection sight for filling the bag. The bag is filled by connecting the tubing to a vacuum source, evacuating air from the bag and tubing, connecting the fill port to a source of ink and using the negative pressure to draw ink into the bag and tubing.

Abstract: An ink jet cartridge comprising an outer housing and an inner ink chamber has adjacent housing and chamber wall portions, and a coupling member for communicating the ink chamber with an external source of ink has an inner end extending through an oversized opening in the housing wall portion and into threaded interengagement with an opening through the chamber wall portion. The outer end of the coupling is outside the housing wall portion for connection to a source of ink.

Abstract: An ink jet cartridge for use in a continuous cartridge refill system has a top side, a front side, and a handle at the juncture therebetween. A flexible ink supply tube for connecting the cartridge with an ink reservoir extends through openings in the handle of the cartridge and is connected to a fitting on the top side of the cartridge which communicates the supply tube with the ink chamber of the cartridge. Routing of the tube through the handle provides strain relief for restraining the application of a pulling force on the tubing at the point of connection thereof with the coupling.

Abstract: A method of filling ink into a dual chamber ink-jet cartridge for use with an ink-jet printer includes applying a vacuum to the cartridge through a fill hole of the cartridge to substantially eliminate air within an ink absorbing member of the cartridge. The fill hole is sealed and then ink is pressure filled into the cartridge through the fill hole. A vacuum is again applied to the cartridge to substantially eliminate any residual air in the cartridge due to the pressure filling of the ink. The fill hole may be positioned over a free ink chamber or over the ink absorbing member of the cartridge. The vacuum includes applying a negative pressure of about 27.5 in/Hg. The negative pressure is applied at a cycle rate of 5-30 seconds.

Abstract: An aperture provided in a bottom wall of an ink cartridge is designed to break the surface tension of the ink as the ink proceeds toward an outlet port. For example, serrated edges, tapering conformations, cruciform dividing walls, different diameter regions in the outlet passage, etc. are all designed to prevent the formation of large bubbles or preclude the migration of air bubbles to the region of the outlet passage where the print needle of an associated printer extends.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge includes a housing with a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls forming a cavity. An ink supply member having a port extends from the housing. A seal member is inserted into the ink supply member for sealing the port. A retaining capis used to hold the seal member in place. The retaining cap has an opening to provide access to the seal member. An ink supply needle passes through the cap opening to pierce the seam member. The retaining cap has slots to receive ribs located on the outlet port.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge (A) includes a housing (10) having a bottom wall (28) and a plurality of side walls (12, 14, 16, 18) forming a cavity (20). A divider wall (22) is positioned within the cavity to divide the cavity into first and second chambers (24, 26). An ink supply port (42) projects from the bottom wall of the housing. A porous member (40) is accommodated in the chamber having the ink supply port. The other chamber is partially filled with ink. The divider wall has an opening (30) allowing ink to pass from one of the chambers to the other chamber. A cover (50) having a fill hole (94) is secured to the housing.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for an ink-jet type recording apparatus includes a housing with a plurality of walls forming a cavity and a bottom wall. A removable divider wall or spacer is inserted into the cavity which divides the cavity into first and second chambers. The spacer includes a wall section and a pair of legs extending from the wall which are spaced apart and are parallel to each other. The spacer is substantially U-shaped where the U-shape is formed by the legs and the wall section. A porous member is inserted into one of the chambers and resiliently abuts an opening of the supply port. The other chamber is at least partially filled with ink. The spacer has an opening to allow the ink to pass from the ink chamber to the foam chamber. The spacer is inserted into the chamber so that the opening is adjacent the bottom wall of the housing.

Abstract: An ink supply tank has a plurality of walls forming a cavity and a bottom wall formed with an ink outlet port. An ink absorbing member is disposed within the cavity positioned adjacent the ink outlet port. A plurality of grooves are recessed within the bottom wall and have a depth which gradually increases toward the ink outlet port. The grooves are approximately parallel to and are equally spaced apart from each other. The grooves extend along the longitudinal axis of the tank and are of the same width. A pair of grooves also extend along a transverse axis of the tank and are positioned on opposed sides of the ink outlet port and are parallel to each other. The transverse grooves have a width greater than the width of the longitudinal grooves.

Abstract: An ink cartridge (10) for dispensing ink (IK) having a housing (12) with a cavity (22) therein for storing a quantity of ink, and a dispensing port (26) for delivering the ink to an output recordation device, such as a printer. The housing further having one or more additional ports (32, 34) extending through the housing in fluid communication with the cavity, and a self-sealing plug (16) received in one of the additional ports. The self-sealing plug being pierceable by a hollow instrument (H), such as a needle, to form a fluid passage therethrough, the self-sealing plug re-forming a fluid-tight seal in the port upon the removal of the hollow instrument.

Abstract: An ink cartridge (10) for dispensing ink (IK) having a housing (12) with a cavity (22) therein for storing a quantity of ink, and a dispensing port (26) for delivering the ink to an output recordation device, such as a printer. The housing further has one or more additional ports (32, 34) extending through the housing in fluid communication with the cavity, and a check valve (16) received in one of the additional ports. The check valve is adapted to permit fluid flow in substantially one direction.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge has a housing with a bottom wall and first and a divider that separates a housing cavity into second chambers. An ink supply port with an opening extends through and projects from the bottom wall. A porous member is accommodated in one of the chambers and abuts the opening in the ink supply port. The other chamber is partially filled with ink to a pre-determined level. The predetermined level is approximately 2 millimeters above the opening in the bottom wall in a preferred arrangement. The predetermined level is used to prevent excessive flow of ink through the opening in the bottom wall. A groove is formed in the bottom wall to direct and transfer ink from the porous member to the ink supply port.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge (A) for an ink-jet type recording apparatus includes a housing (10) with a plurality of walls (12, 14, 16, 18) forming a cavity and a bottom wall (28). A removable divider wall or spacer (22) is inserted into the cavity which divides the cavity into first and second chambers (24, 26). The spacer includes a wall section (29) and a pair of legs (25, 27) extending from the wall which are spaced apart and are parallel to each other. The spacer is substantially U-shaped where the U-shape is formed by the legs and the wall section. A porous member (40) is inserted into one of the chambers and resiliently abuts an opening (44) of the supply port (42). The other chamber is at least partially filled with ink. The spacer has an opening (30) to allow the ink to pass from the ink chamber to the foam chamber. The spacer is inserted into the chamber so that the opening is adjacent the bottom wall of the housing.

Abstract: An aperture provided in a bottom wall of an ink cartridge is designed to break the surface tension of the ink as the ink proceeds toward an outlet port. For example, serrated edges, tapering conformations, cruciform dividing walls, different diameter regions in the outlet passage, etc. are all designed to prevent the formation of large bubbles or preclude the migration of air bubbles to the region of the outlet passage where the print needle of an associated printer extends.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge (A) has a housing (10) with a bottom wall (28) and a divider (22) that separates a housing cavity (20) into first (24) and second chambers (26). An ink supply port (42) with an opening (46) extends through and projects from the bottom wall. A porous member (40) is accommodated in one of the chambers and abuts the opening in the ink supply port. The other chamber is partially filled with ink to a pre-determined level. The predetermined level is approximately 2 millimeters above the opening in the bottom wall in a preferred arrangement. The predetermined level is used to prevent excessive flow of ink through the opening in the bottom wall. A groove (62) is formed in the bottom wall to direct and transfer ink from the porous member to the ink supply port.

Abstract: A hanging-folder file frame for hanging folders which have two rigid top edge members with end hooks, and a web which extends downwardly from one top edge member to a fold line and extends upwardly from the fold line to the other top edge member, comprises a first U-shaped end frame member which has a base portion with two legs that extend upwardly from the base portion and terminate in top portions, a second U-shaped end frame member which has a base portion and two legs that extend upwardly from the base portion and terminate in top portions, a pair of side rails that extend between the first and second U-shaped end frame members, and corner caps which connect the ends of the rails to the top portions of the end frame legs. The corner caps have key holes that receive keys formed in the top portions of the legs to present rotation of the corner caps. The top edge members of the hanging folders cross brace the file frame.