1. An ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising:
an ink storing chamber;
an atmosphere communicating connecting port communicated with the ink storing chamber;
an ink supplying connection port communicated with the ink storing chamber, and which closes automatically when the ink cartridge is detached from the recording apparatus; and
a negative pressure generating system which supplies ink to the ink supplying connection port while maintaining a predetermined negative pressure state,
wherein said ink storing chamber comprises a recessed portion of a base member and an air impermeable film which seals an open end of the recessed portion and deforms to accommodate pressure variation of ink.
2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port communicates with the atmosphere via a capillary formed on a recording apparatus side when the ink cartridge is attached to the recording apparatus.
3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein each of the atmosphere communicating connection port and the ink supplying connection port comprises a biasing spring and a valve which closes a corresponding one of the ports when the ink cartridge is detached from the recording apparatus, and opens the corresponding one of the ports when the ink cartridge is attached to the recording apparatus.
4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port automatically closes when the ink cartridge is detached from the recording apparatus.
5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port opens before the ink supplying connection port opens during attachment of the ink cartridge to the recording apparatus.
6. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge supplies ink to a recording head via a connection unit comprising a negative pressure generating system.
7. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port opens before the ink supplying connection port is opened during attachment of the ink cartridge to the recording apparatus.
8. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port communicates via a capillary to the atmosphere, and
the capillary comprises a narrow groove on a surface of a casing member of the cartridge and a film sealing the narrow groove.
9. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, further comprising a flow passage, formed in a region on an upper face of the ink cartridge, that has such an interstice not to guide ink to a capillary by a capillary force and that communicates the atmosphere communicating connection port with the capillary.
10. The ink cartridge according to claim 9, wherein an ink trap is provided between the flow passage and the capillary.
11. The ink cartridge according to claim 8, further comprising:
a recessed portion connected to an end portion of the capillary; and
an ink repellent and air permeable film sealing the recessed portion to define an ink trap.
12. The ink cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the ink repellent film has an ink repellent ability higher than an ink holding force of meniscus at a nozzle opening of the recording head.
13. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, further comprising a recessed portion communicated with the ink supplying connection port, and located in a lower part of the ink cartridge when attached to the recording apparatus.
14. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the ink supplying connection port comprises:
a tubular portion having a truncated conical spring seat in a central part thereof;
a coiled spring guided by the spring seat; and
a cylindrical valve having a partition wall urged by the spring.
15. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port comprises:
a tubular portion having a through-hole communicated with a capillary, and an opening opened to the ink storing chamber; and
a coiled spring which urges a valve to close the opening.
16. A connection unit for an ink jet recording apparatus, which connects an ink cartridge according to claim 1 to a recording head, the connection unit comprising:
an ink reserving chamber extending vertically;
a negative pressure generating system;
an atmosphere communicating connection port provided to an upper part of the ink reserving chamber and connected to an atmosphere communicating connection port of the ink cartridge;
an ink inflow connection port provided to a lower part of the ink reserving chamber and connected to an ink supplying connection port of the ink cartridge; and
an ink flow port which supplies ink in the ink reserving chamber to the recording head,
wherein the connection ports are respectively provided with valves which maintain a normally closed condition and which establish an open condition when the ink cartridge is attached to the connection unit.
17. The connection unit according to claim 16, wherein the ink reserving chamber comprises a narrow portion for holding ink under the action of a capillary force.
18. The connection unit apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the negative pressure generating system protrudes into a region where the ink reserving chamber maintains a minimal ink level, thereby defining the narrow portion in the region.
19. The connection unit according to claim 16, wherein a narrow portion which retains a floating member is formed in a region where the ink reserving chamber maintains a minimal ink level, and the minimal ink level is maintained by a capillary force produced cooperatively by the narrow portion and the floating member.
20. The connection unit according to claim 16, wherein the negative pressure generating system comprises a differential pressure valve comprising a valve chamber communicated with the ink reserving chamber and a diaphragm valve accommodated in the valve chamber, and that is opened when ink pressure in the ink flow port is less than a specified pressure.
21. The connection unit according to claim 16, further comprising a filter disposed at an upstream side with respect to the negative pressure generating system.
22. The connection unit according to claim 16, wherein the ink inflow connection port comprises:
a tubular member having a peripheral face and extending in a direction of inserting and extracting the cartridge; and
an ink inflow window provided to the peripheral face of the tubular member,
wherein the valve which maintains the normally closed condition for the ink inflow connection port further comprises a removal preventing portion guided by and moved along the window when the ink cartridge is attached to the connecting unit.
23. The connection unit according to claim 16, wherein the atmosphere communicating connection port comprises:
a tubular member having a peripheral and extending in a direction of inserting and extracting the cartridge;
an ink inflow window provided to the peripheral face of the tubular member; and
wherein the valve which maintains the normally closed condition for the atmosphere communicating connection port further comprises a removal preventing portion guided by and moved along the window when the ink cartridge is attached to the connecting unit.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A base station (BS), comprising:
a radio; and
a processing element communicatively coupled to the radio;
wherein the radio and the processing element are configured to:
establish a radio bearer with a wireless user equipment (UE) device according to a first RAT;
determine whether the radio bearer supports offloading to a second RAT and whether the radio bearer supports a split bearer configuration between the first RAT and the second RAT;
if the radio bearer supports offloading to the second RAT and radio resources according to the second RAT are available to the UE, offload the radio bearer from the first RAT to the second RAT; and
if the radio bearer supports a split bearer configuration between the first RAT and the second RAT and radio resources according to the second RAT are available to the UE, split the radio bearer such that some data of the radio bearer is exchanged between the base station and the UE via the first RAT and some data of the radio bearer is exchanged with the UE via the second RAT.
2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the radio and the processing element are further configured to:
receive an indication from the UE that radio resources according to the second RAT are available to the UE; and
determine that radio resources according to the second RAT are available to the UE based on the indication from the UE.
3. The base station of claim 2,
wherein the base station operates according to the first RAT,
wherein the indication from the UE further indicates an access point device from which radio resources according to the second RAT are available to the UE,
wherein to offload the radio bearer to the second RAT, the base station is configured to redirect data of the radio bearer to and from the UE by way of the access point device,
wherein to split the radio bearer, the base station is configured to exchange some data of the radio bearer with the UE directly by the base station and exchange some data of the radio bearer with the UE indirectly by way of the access point device.
4. The base station of claim 1,
wherein the radio bearer provides a portion of a first network connection between the UE and a network,
wherein to establish the radio bearer, the base station is configured to receive an indication of whether the radio bearer supports offloading to the second RAT and an indication of whether the radio bearer supports a split bearer configuration between the first RAT and the second RAT from at least one of the network and the UE,
wherein the radio and the processing element are further configured to determine whether the radio bearer supports offloading to a second RAT and whether the radio bearer supports a split bearer configuration between the first RAT and the second RAT based on the indication of whether the radio bearer supports offloading to the second RAT and the indication of whether the radio bearer supports a split bearer configuration between the first RAT and the second RAT.
5. The base station of claim 4,
wherein the indication of whether the radio bearer supports offloading to the second RAT and the indication of whether the radio bearer supports a split bearer configuration between the first RAT and the second RAT are based at least in part on Quality of Service considerations for the network connection.
6. The base station of claim 1,
wherein the first RAT is one of LTE or UMTS, wherein the second RAT is Wi-Fi.
7. A method, comprising:
by a base station:
establishing a first radio bearer with a wireless user equipment (UE) device, wherein the first radio bearer utilizes a cellular radio interface;
receiving an indication to aggregate, at the base station, for the UE, radio resources of an access point that utilizes a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio interface; and
redirecting downlink data for the UE to the access point to be transmitted to the UE using the WLAN radio interface.
8. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising:
receiving uplink data of the UE from the access point, wherein the uplink data is received by the access point from the UE using the WLAN radio interface.
9. The method of claim 7,
wherein establishing the first radio bearer comprises receiving an indication that the first radio bearer is offloadable to the WLAN radio interface,
wherein redirecting downlink data for the UE to the access point to be transmitted to the UE using the WLAN radio interface comprises offloading the first radio bearer to the WLAN radio interface.
10. The method of claim 7,
wherein establishing the first radio bearer comprises receiving an indication that the first radio bearer is splitable between the cellular radio interface and the WLAN radio interface;
wherein redirecting downlink data for the UE to the access point to be transmitted to the UE using the WLAN radio interface comprises redirecting a first portion of downlink data of the first radio bearer to the WLAN radio interface, wherein a second portion of downlink data of the first radio bearer is transmitted to the UE utilizing the cellular radio interface such that the first radio bearer is split between the cellular radio interface and the WLAN radio interface.
11. The method of claim 7,
wherein the downlink data is redirected to the access point at a non-access stratum layer of the base station.
12. The method of claim 7,
wherein the downlink data is redirected to the access point at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of the base station.
13. The method of claim 7,
wherein the downlink data is redirected to the access point at a radio link control (RLC) layer of the base station.
14. A wireless user equipment (UE) device comprising:
a radio; and
a processing element communicatively coupled to the radio;
wherein the radio and the processing element are configured to:
establish a first radio bearer with the base station using radio resources provided according to a first radio interface, wherein to establish the first radio bearer the UE is configured to determine whether the first radio bearer supports use of radio resources provided according to a second radio interface;
determine that radio resources provided according to the second radio interface are available to the UE;
indicate to the base station that radio resources provided according to the second radio interface are available to the UE; and
offload at least a portion of uplink andor downlink data of the first radio bearer to the radio resources provided according to the second radio interface if the first radio bearer supports use of radio resources provided using the second radio interface.
15. The UE of claim 14,
wherein to offload at least a portion of data of the first radio bearer to the radio resources provided according to the second radio interface, the UE is configured to split the first radio bearer such that data of the first radio bearer is exchanged between the base station and the UE by way of both radio resources provided according to the first radio interface and radio resources provided according to the second radio interface.
16. The UE of claim 14,
wherein to offload at least a portion of data of the first radio bearer to the radio resources provided according to the second radio interface, the UE is configured to provide uplink data of the first radio bearer from a cellular modem of the UE to a Wi-Fi chipset of the UE for uplink transmission according to the second radio interface.
17. The UE of claim 14,
wherein to offload at least a portion of data of the first radio bearer to the radio resources provided according to the second radio interface, the UE is configured to redirect uplink data from a non-access stratum layer of a cellular protocol stack of the UE to an internet protocol layer of a Wi-Fi protocol stack of the UE.
18. The UE of claim 16,
wherein to offload at least a portion of data of the first radio bearer to the radio resources provided according to the second radio interface, the UE is configured to redirect uplink data from a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of a cellular protocol stack of the UE to a logical link control (LLC) layer of a Wi-Fi protocol stack of the UE.
19. The UE of claim 14,
wherein to offload at least a portion of data of the first radio bearer to the radio resources provided according to the second radio interface, the UE is configured to redirect uplink data from a radio link control (RLC) layer of a cellular protocol stack of the UE to a logical link control (LLC) layer of a Wi-Fi protocol stack of the UE.
20. The UE of claim 14, wherein to determine that radio resources provided according to the second radio interface are available to the UE, the radio and the processing element are further configured to:
receive an indication of at least one access point that provides radio resources according to the second radio interface from the base station;
detect an access point of the indicated at least one access point;
measure at least one of signal strength, loading, and estimated throughput of the access point;
wherein if the at least one of signal strength, loading, and estimated throughput of the access point meet predetermined threshold requirements, the UE is configured to determine that radio resources provided according to the second radio interface are available to the UE by way of the access point.