Fluid delivery devices having improved efficiency in delivering fluid with reduced wastage of fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9878894-B1
Application number	US-201615205587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 8, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A fluidic delivery device includes a fluid supply containing a fluid, the fluid supply has a fluid reservoir and a pair of fluid permeable compressible bodies located in the fluid reservoir. One of the fluid permeable compressible bodies has an effective greater density than the other fluid permeable compressible body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluidic delivery device, comprising:
a one-piece fluid container providing a fluid supply containing a fluid, the fluid supply having a fluid reservoir defining an upper reservoir portion and a lower reservoir portion that is contiguous with the upper reservoir portion;
an upper fluid permeable compressible body located in the upper reservoir portion and a lower fluid permeable compressible body located in the lower reservoir portion, the lower fluid permeable compressible body having an effective greater density than the upper fluid permeable compressible body;
a dispensing pool area located at a lower portion of the one-piece fluid container and having a volume below and segregated from the lower fluid permeable compressible body for pooling of fluid; and
a fluid ejector located within a bottom of the one-piece fluid container in flow communication for receiving fluid from the dispensing fluid for ejection of fluid from the device.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a grate having a thickness, and wherein unusable area of the fluid container corresponding to volumetric inefficiency is reduced by reducing the thickness of the grate and the volume of the dispensing pool to minimize the amount of fluid maintained there yet still enable operation of the device.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the lower fluid permeable compressible body has a greater material density than the upper fluid permeable compressible body.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the lower fluid permeable compressible body has an effective greater density than the upper fluid permeable compressible body by virtue of compression.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the upper fluid permeable compressible body is a foam body and the lower fluid compressible body is a foam body.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the lower reservoir portion is smaller in volume than the upper reservoir portion.

7. A method of providing a fluidic delivery device having a one-piece fluid container providing a fluid supply containing a fluid within a fluid reservoir in flow communication with a fluid ejector located within a bottom of the one-piece fluid container, the method comprising the steps of: providing a pair of fluid permeable compressible bodies, comprising an upper fluid permeable compressible body and a lower fluid permeable compressible body, locating the pair of fluid permeable compressible bodies within the fluid reservoir of the fluidic delivery device in a stacked configuration with the upper fluid permeable compressible body overlying the lower fluid permeable compressible body, wherein lower fluid compressible body has an effective greater density than the upper fluid permeable compressible body and the compressible bodies retain the fluid at a back pressure achieved by capillary forces between the compressible bodies and the fluid, wherein the compressible bodies cooperate to provides a motive force that promotes voiding of the fluid from fluid reservoir via the fluid ejector during use of the fluidic delivery device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the lower fluid permeable compressible body has an effective greater density than the upper fluid permeable compressible body by virtue of compression during location within the fluid reservoir.

Assignees

• Funai Electric Co

Inventors

• Anderson Jr James D
• Frasure Tim
• Weaver Sean
• Bernard David
• Graham David
• Mcnees Andrew

Classifications

• B67D7/0216 Primary

  by squeezing collapsible or flexible storage containers (B67D7/0255 takes precedence; for dispensing beverages on draught B67D1/0001) · CPC title

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17503 Primary

  Ink cartridges · CPC title