(54) INK-JET RECORDING APPARATUS
CAPABLE OF LIMITEDLY USING ONLY
GENUINE INK CARTRIDGE, INK
CARTRIDGE USABLE IN THE SAME, AND
INK REFILLING MEMBER
(75) Inventors: Kenji Kobayashi; Kazutami Noguchi;
Kenzo Ito, all ol Tokyo; Masayuki Ikeda, Saitama; Kenji Igarashi, Tokyo, all of (JP)
(73) Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/496,701
(22) Filed: Feb. 2, 2000
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data
Feb. 4, 1999 (JP) 11-027140
(51) Int. C I. B41J 2 17
(52) U.S. CI 347/86; 347/7
(58) Field of Search 347/7, 85, 86,
347/87; 503/200; 62/3.3; 219/216, 229
(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
Re. 33,517 * 1/1991 Shibata et al 503/200
4,933,536 * 6/1990 Lindemann et al 235/375
5,502,967 * 4/1996 Nakagawa et al 62/3.3
5,847,735 * 12/1998 Betschon 347/86
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
0 778 144 6/1997 (EP) .
0 782 053 7/1997 (EP) .
0 812 693 12/1997 (EP) .
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 017, No. 673 (P-1658), Dec. 10, 1993 & JP 05 224479 A (Toshiba Corp), Sep. 3, 1993. Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 1998, No. 04, Mar. 31, 1998 & JP 09 314828 A (Ricoh Co Ltd), Dec. 9, 1997. Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 1996, No. 06, Jun. 28, 1996 & JP 08 039824 A (Canon Inc), Feb. 13, 1996.
* cited by examiner
Primary Examiner—N. Le
Assistant Examiner—Anh T. N. Vo
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Frishauf, Holtz, Goodman, Langer & Chick, PC.
Three ink storage chambers stored into a main body case of an ink cartridge is isolated from four surfaces of this main case body by way of a partition and depressing partition portions projected from this portion. Also, these ink storage chambers are isolated from a bottom portion of the main body case by a stepped portion of a lower cylindrical portion, and is arranged by forming space between a lid and the own ink chambers. Only refilling hole portions of an upper cylindrical portion are communicated with an external portion via holes of the lid. A label on which a trademark "ABC" is printed is attached onto the upper portions of the three refilling hole portions. A label reading apparatus is provided on the side of an ink-jet printer, and a printing operation by any ink cartridge other than the genuinelabeled in cartridge is not carried out. As a genuine ink refilling member, at least ink bottles and a label are employed as a set of such a genuine ink refilling member. The ink cannot be refilled via a hole formed in any portion of an ink cartridge, except for the refilling hole portion.
20 Claims, 13 Drawing Sheets
