Canon Pixma MX330 has proved the perfect addition to home office as the printer can fax, copy, scan, and print on a wide variety of media. This cheap $110 printer boosts productivity by adding an automatic document feeder and a full color 1.80-inch LCD.
The body of Canon Pixma MX330 is streamlined with all of the buttons conveniently placed on the front panel. The bright 1.8-inch LCD screen sits prominently in the middle of the control panel. Overall, the Canon Pixma MX330 measures a maneuverable 7.8 inches tall by 18.1 inches wide by 16.2 inches deep. At such a low price range this printer also include an auto document feeder which help in easier scanning and copying stacks of documents.
To keep costs low, the Canon Pixma MX330 only uses two ink cartridges: one for black and one for tricolors. The package also includes a driver CD with all the installation files needed to customize the prints. The driver also automatically installs Canon’s Easy Photo Print EX software onto the computer that flaunts all the creative features of the MX330.
The MX330 prints color text at the speed of 5.54 pages per minute in a tie with the HP Office jet J6480 that’s almost two times the cost of the Canon. The Black text obtained from the cheap black cartridge of this printer is nicely darkened on standard 20-pound paper. The MX330 will definitely satisfy households where cost and robust features are more of an issue than just output quality.
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Protector for ink cartridge Description
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-333922 filed on Nov. 18, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protector that can prevent leakage of ink from an ink cartridge before the cartridge is attached to a recording device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-113723 or its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,581B1 discloses an ink cartridge having an ink supply hole in which a valve member is provided. In a state of the ink cartridge before it is attached to an inkjet recording device, a compression spring elastically presses the valve member against a tubular packing member provided in the ink supply hole, so as to prevent leakage of ink from the ink supply hole. Meanwhile, when the ink cartridge is attached to the inkjet recording device, a tubular ink-supply needle pushes the valve member against the biasing force of the compression spring, so as to open the ink supply hole and thereby allow the ink to be supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording device.
However, the above-described valve member communicates with an outside space via the ink supply hole. Therefore, if the valve member is erroneously assembled in a tilted state when the ink cartridge is manufactured, or if the valve member is tilted by being interfered with by a foreign matter or a working person when the ink cartridge is manufactured or shipped, the ink may leak through the valve member tilted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve at least one of the above-indicated problems. It is another object of the present invention to provide a protector that can protect a valve member of an ink cartridge and thereby prevent leakage of ink from the cartridge.
The above objects may be achieved according to the present invention. According to the present invention, there is provided a protector for use with an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge includes an ink chamber which stores an ink; an ink supply hole through which the ink is supplied from the ink chamber to an outside of the ink cartridge and which opens in a hole-open portion of an outer surface of the ink cartridge; and a valve member which is provided between the ink chamber and the ink supply hole, which selectively permits the ink to flow from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole and inhibits the ink from flowing from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole, and which communicates with the outside via the ink supply hole. The protector comprises a main portion including an engaging portion which is adapted to engage a portion of the ink cartridge so that the protector is detachably attached to the ink cartridge. The main portion has a rigidity assuring that the main portion can substantially maintain an original shape thereof. The main portion further includes an access-restraining portion which is adapted to be located, in a state in which the protector is attached to the ink cartridge, outside the ink supply hole so as to at least partly cover the hole-open portion of the outer surface of the ink cartridge and thereby restrain an external access to the valve member via the ink supply hole.