Invalidity dossier
US 6739708
Fluid interconnect port venting for capillary reservoir fluid containers, and methods
Current assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
Added 9/23/2026, 10:56:45 PM
Active provider: DeepSeek · deepseek-flash
Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview: US 6,739,708 B2
Title: Fluid interconnect port venting for capillary reservoir fluid containers, and methods
Patent number: US 6,739,708 B2 (application US10/136,901; publication US2003/0202063 A1)
Inventors: Anthony D. Studer, Kevin D. Almen, David J. Benson
Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (original assignee per the listing; an earlier assignment to Hewlett-Packard Company is also recorded)
Key dates: Priority/filing date 2002-04-30; publication 2003-10-30; granted 2004-05-25; anticipated expiration 2022-04-30; status listed as "Expired – Fee Related"
Classification: B41J 2/175 and subclasses (ink jet ink supply systems, ink cartridges, outer/inner structure, refilling, pressure regulation)
Purpose: The patent addresses residual ink trapped in the sealed fluid interconnect port of a replaceable ink jet container substantially filled with capillary material. Residual ink may be deposited during the fill process or forced out of the capillary material during shipping and handling. When sealing tape is removed for installation, that ink can contact the user's fingers or clothing or be flung off the tape; it may also react with the tape adhesive, contaminating the ink, or cross-contaminate colors in a multi-color container. Residual ink in the port may resist re-adsorption into the capillary material.
Plain-language scope: The disclosed embodiments provide venting mechanisms that let air replace fluid in the sealed fluid interconnect port, enabling residual fluid to be absorbed back into the container's capillary material. The description covers an ink jet printing system with replaceable ink containers, a receiving station, a manifold, and printheads on a scanning carriage. Figures 4–7 illustrate the venting features during container fill and in cross-section. The text notes the invention "relates generally to replaceable fluid containers" and "more specifically to mechanisms for preventing residual ink from accumulating in the sealed fluid interconnect port of a replaceable ink container." No claim language is present in the supplied excerpt, so the precise claimed scope is not established here, nor are alternative embodiments, materials, dimensions, or the content of any figures.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:33:01 PM
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Litigation summary
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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