CN103171291B - Printing fluid cartridge and recording device utilizing same - Google Patents

Abstract

A printing liquid cartridge and a recording apparatus using the printing liquid cartridge are disclosed. The printing liquid cartridge can be installed in the cartridge installation portion of the recording apparatus in the insertion direction. The printing liquid cartridge includes: a printing liquid chamber configured to store printing liquid; a printing liquid supply portion located at a front side of the printing liquid cartridge in an insertion direction and configured to be between inside and outside of the printing liquid chamber establishes fluid communication between them; a biasing member configured to bias the printing fluid cartridge in a removal direction opposite to the insertion direction; a stopper configured to resist the biasing force of the biasing member and prevent the printing fluid cartridge from moving in the removal direction; a release member configured to be movable between a first position that does not prevent the printing liquid cartridge from moving in the removal direction and a second position that prevents the printing liquid cartridge from moving in the removal direction; and A lock member configured to retain the release member at the first position.

Description

Printing fluid cartridge and recording device using the printing fluid cartridge

technical field

The present invention relates to a printing liquid cartridge mounted in a cartridge mounting unit and a recording apparatus having the cartridge mounting unit and the printing liquid cartridge.

Background technique

Recording apparatuses that record images on paper using ink are well known in the art. One such recording apparatus includes an inkjet type recording head having nozzles through which ink droplets are selectively ejected toward paper. The ink droplets impact the paper and form the desired image thereon. This type of recording apparatus is provided with an ink cartridge that stores ink. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head. The ink cartridge is detachably mounted in a mounting unit provided in the recording apparatus.

When the ink cartridge has run out of ink, the user removes the used ink cartridge from the mounting unit of the recording apparatus through an opening formed in the mounting unit and installs a new ink cartridge containing ink in the mounting unit. Here, a locking mechanism known in the art is provided in the mounting portion to position the ink cartridge and hold the ink cartridge in its mounted state. A biasing member well known in the art is also provided in the mounting portion to bias the ink cartridge outward in a direction of removing the ink cartridge from the mounting unit even when the ink cartridge is held by the locking mechanism. In order to remove the ink cartridge from the mounting unit, the user unlocks the locked cartridge held by the locking mechanism. At this time, the force applied to the ink cartridge by the biasing member moves the ink cartridge out through the opening in the mounting unit, thereby enabling the user to easily remove the ink cartridge from the mounting unit.

However, the force received from the biasing member often ejects the ink cartridge from the mounting unit in a forcible manner, which sometimes causes the ink cartridge to fall to the floor or the like and cause damage. In order to prevent such unnecessary damage, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-110577 proposes a structure for preventing the ink cartridge from being forcibly ejected from the mounting unit.

In this structure, when the operating lever 30 as a locking mechanism is provided in the mounting mechanism 29 , it is necessary to ensure that the user has a space sufficient to operate the operating lever 30 around the opening of the mounting mechanism 29 . This can be a drawback when trying to make recording devices more compact.

In addition, when the spring 36 tries to eject the ink cartridge 22 from the mounting mechanism 29, the above-mentioned conventional structure stops the movement of the ink cartridge 22 only by restricting the engaging portion 30b provided on the operating lever 30, thereby causing the ink supply needle to be ejected from the ink cartridge 22. Problems with ink dripping from the ink supply needle when withdrawing.

Contents of the invention

In view of the foregoing, it is an object to provide a printing liquid cartridge and a recording apparatus having such a printing liquid cartridge, which have a structure which can be achieved by making the apparatus more compact and/or when moving therefrom Preventing the printing liquid from dripping into the cartridge mounting unit when removing the printing liquid cartridge solves at least one of the problems in the prior art described above.

To achieve another object, the present invention provides a printing liquid cartridge mountable in a cartridge mount portion of a recording apparatus along an insertion direction. The printing liquid cartridge includes: a printing liquid chamber configured to store printing liquid; a printing liquid supply part located on a front side of the printing liquid cartridge in the insertion direction place, and the printing liquid supply portion is configured to establish fluid communication between the inside and outside of the printing liquid chamber; a biasing member, the biasing member is configured to move in a direction opposite to the insertion direction Biasing the printing liquid cartridge in the removal direction; a stopper configured to resist the biasing force of the biasing member to prevent the printing liquid cartridge from moving in the removal direction; a release member , the release member is configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the stopper does not prevent the printing liquid cartridge from moving in the removal direction at the first position, the A stopper prevents the printing liquid cartridge from moving in the removal direction at the second position; and a lock member configured to hold the release member at the first position.

Preferably, the printing fluid cartridge further comprises a protrusion at a front side of the printing liquid cartridge, and the protrusion protrudes away from the printing liquid chamber.

Preferably, the biasing member is located in the printing liquid supply part, the biasing member applies the biasing force to prevent the printing liquid from communicating between the inside and the outside of the printing liquid chamber.

Preferably, the stopper includes a surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

Preferably, the stopper has an elongated shape extending along the insertion direction, and the release member is configured to be movable relative to the stopper along the insertion direction, and the stopper has a release member capable of The working space that moves relative to the limiter. Preferably, the release member and the stopper are separate parts.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a recording apparatus including: a cartridge mounting portion in which the printing liquid cartridge can be mounted in an insertion direction; a biasing member configured to biasing the printing liquid cartridge in a removal direction opposite to the insertion direction; and a holding member configured to remain mounted on the cartridge against the biasing force of the biasing member Install the printing fluid cartridge described in the section. The printing liquid cartridge includes a stopper configured to be engaged with the holding member to hold the printing liquid cartridge in the holding member against the biasing force of the biasing member. In the cartridge mounting portion; a release member configured to release engagement between the stopper and the holding member. The biasing member biases the printing liquid cartridge so that the printing liquid cartridge is in the removal direction when the release member releases the engagement between the holding member and the stopper. move.

Preferably, the recording apparatus further includes a hollow needle configured to introduce printing liquid from the printing liquid cartridge installed in the cartridge mounting portion.

Preferably, the holding member includes a shaft about which the holding member is movable, and the releasing member moves in the insertion direction, thereby moving the holding member to release the engagement.

Preferably, the releasing member has a rod-like shape extending in the insertion direction, the releasing member has a first end and a second end on the opposite side of the first end, the first An end portion can adjoin the retaining member, and the second end portion is arranged upstream of the first end portion in the insertion direction.

Preferably, said retaining member has a first magnet and said releasing member has a second magnet to attract said first magnet of said retaining member, since between said first magnet and said second magnet The printing liquid cartridge is held in the cartridge accommodating portion by magnetic attraction, and the releasing member moves in the insertion direction to release engagement between the holding member and the releasing member.

With these configurations, it is possible to release the engagement between the engaging member and the engaging portion by the sliding movement of the releasing member. As a result, the user can receive the ink cartridge ejected from the cartridge installation unit due to the external force (biasing force) applied from the cartridge installation unit.

Description of drawings

In the picture:

1 is a conceptual sectional view showing an internal structure of a printer provided with a cartridge mounting unit according to a first embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment;

3 is a vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment;

4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment;

5A is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is initially inserted into the cartridge installation unit;

5B is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is further inserted into the cartridge installation unit after the state of FIG. 5A;

6A is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is completely installed in the cartridge installation unit;

6B is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is initially removed from the cartridge installation unit;

7A is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is further removed from the cartridge installation unit after the state of FIG. 6B;

7B is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is further removed from the cartridge installation unit after the state of FIG. 7A;

8A is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the second embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is completely installed in the cartridge installation unit; and

8B is a sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge installation unit according to the second embodiment, illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is removed from the cartridge installation unit 110 .

Detailed ways

<First embodiment>

An ink cartridge 30 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7B.

<Overview of Printer 10>

First, the printer 10 housing the ink cartridge 30 therein will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . The terms "upward", "downward", "upper", "lower", "above", "below", "below", "right ", "Left", "Front", "Back", etc.

The printer 10 records images by selectively ejecting ink droplets onto recording paper using an inkjet recording system. As shown in FIG. 1 , the printer 10 includes an ink supply device 100 . A cartridge installation unit 110 is provided in the ink supply device 100 . The ink cartridge 30 can be installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 . An opening 112 is formed in one side surface of the cartridge installation unit 110 . The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into or removed from the cartridge installation unit 110 through the opening 112 . Here, the ink cartridge 30 corresponds to a printing liquid cartridge, and the printer 10 corresponds to a recording device.

The ink cartridge 30 stores ink that can be used by the printer 10 . When the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the printer 10 , the ink cartridge 30 is connected to the recording head 21 by the ink tube 20 . The recording head 21 is provided with a subtank 28 . The sub-tank 28 temporarily stores ink supplied from the ink cartridge 30 via the ink tube 20 . The recording head 21 selectively ejects ink supplied from the sub-tank 28 through nozzles 29 according to an inkjet recording method.

The printer 10 also includes a paper tray 15 containing sheets of recording paper and a feed roller 23 for feeding the paper sheets from the paper tray 15 . Feed rollers 23 feed the sheet of paper into conveyance path 24 . A pair of transport rollers 25 transports the sheet of paper along the transport path 24 over the platen 26 . At this time, when the paper passes over the platen 26, the recording head 21 selectively ejects ink droplets onto the recording paper, thereby recording an image on the paper. After the paper sheet passes over the platen 26 , a pair of discharge rollers 22 discharges the paper sheet into a discharge tray 16 provided on the downstream end of the transport path 24 .

Note that the general structure of the printer 10 according to the first embodiment is just an example. It is obvious that the printer 10 may adopt other configurations used in inkjet printers known in the art, such as different methods for feeding and conveying recording paper and different shapes for conveying paths.

<Ink supply device 100>

As shown in FIG. 1 , an ink supply device 100 is provided in the printer 10 . The ink supply device 100 is used to supply ink to the recording head 21 provided in the printer 10 . The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge installation unit 110 in which the ink cartridge 30 can be detachably installed. FIG. 1 shows the cartridge installation unit 110 when the ink cartridge 30 is installed therein.

<cartridge 30>

Next, the detailed configuration of the ink cartridge 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , an ink chamber 36 storing ink therein is defined in the ink cartridge 30 . The ink cartridge 30 has a cartridge body 31 defining an outer casing of the ink cartridge 30 . The ink chamber 36 may be defined inside the cartridge body 31 , or may be defined by a component separate from the cartridge body 31 but inside the cartridge body 31 , such as an ink bag. The ink chamber 36 corresponds to a printing liquid chamber.

The ink cartridge 30 is installed in and removed from the cartridge installation unit 110 in the upright state shown in FIG. 2 . More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 7B , while maintaining the upright state shown in FIG. The cartridge installation unit 110 is removed. This erected state corresponds to the installation orientation of the ink cartridge 30 when the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 . Hereinafter, description will be given assuming that the ink cartridge 30 is in an upright state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the box body 31 has a substantially flat rectangular shape with a small width (along the direction indicated by arrow 51 which will be referred to as the width direction or the horizontal direction), height (along the direction parallel to the vertical vertical direction and perpendicular to the width direction 51, will be referred to as the height direction, indicated by the arrow 52) and depth (along the direction perpendicular to both the height direction 52 and the width direction 51, will be referred to as the depth direction , the direction indicated by arrow 53), the height and depth are greater than the width. In other words, in the upright state, the depth direction 53 is parallel to the insertion direction 56 and the removal direction 55 , while the width direction 51 and the height direction 52 are orthogonal to the insertion direction 56 and the removal direction 55 , respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the box body 31 has a front wall 40 , a rear wall 42 , a pair of side walls 37 , 38 , an upper wall 39 and a lower wall 41 . When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge installation unit 110 , the front wall 40 and the rear wall 42 are located on the cranial side and the trailing side, respectively, along the insertion direction 56 . The front wall 40 and the rear wall 42 are separated by a prescribed distance along the depth direction 53 (along the insertion direction 56 ). The pair of side walls 37 , 38 extends along the depth direction 53 and is connected to the front wall 40 and the rear wall 42 . The side walls 37 , 38 are also separated by a specified distance along the width direction 51 . The upper wall 39 extends along the depth direction 53 to connect the upper ends of the front wall 40 , the rear wall 42 and the side walls 37 , 38 . The lower wall 41 extends along the depth direction 53 to connect the lower ends of the front wall 40 , the rear wall 42 and the side walls 37 , 38 . The upper wall 39 and the lower wall 41 are spaced apart from each other by a prescribed distance along the height direction 52 .

An ink supply portion 43 is provided on a lower end portion of the front wall 40 constituting the cartridge body 31 . The ink supply portion 43 has an outward cylindrical shape and protrudes from the front wall 40 in a direction away from the ink chamber 36 in the insertion direction 56 (ie, in the depth direction 53 ). The ink supply portion 43 has an outer end portion 72 on which an ink supply outlet 71 is formed to provide communication with the outside of the cartridge body 31 . As shown in FIG. 3 , an ink flow path 44 is formed inside the ink supply portion 43 . The ink flow channel 44 extends along the depth direction 53 and provides fluid communication between the ink supply outlet 71 and the ink chamber 36 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , within the ink supply portion 43 , a valve 70 configured to open and close an ink supply outlet 71 is provided. The valve 70 is movable within the ink flow channel 44 of the ink supply portion 43 in the depth direction 53 (in the insertion direction 56 and in the removal direction 55 ). A coil spring 73 is provided to bias the valve 70 toward the ink supply outlet 71 . When no external force is applied to the valve 70 , the coil spring 73 keeps the valve 70 in the closed position to tightly seal the ink supply outlet 71 . The inner end portion 72 of the ink supply portion 43 may have an elastic member such as rubber surrounding the ink supply outlet 71 . The elastic member elastically deforms when contacted by the valve 70 biased by the coil spring 73 , thereby tightly sealing the ink supply outlet 71 . In this state, a part of the valve 70 is exposed to the outside of the ink supply portion 43 , that is, the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the ink supply outlet 71 . However, the valve 70 and the coil spring 73 are not essential. A membrane, a rubber stopper, or the like may be provided instead of the valve 70 . The coil spring 73 corresponds to a biasing member.

An ink needle 122 is also provided in the cartridge installation unit 110 . When the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110, the ink needle 122 is inserted into the ink supply outlet 71, thereby elastically deforming the coil spring 73 and moving the valve 70 to the ink supply outlet against the biasing force of the coil spring 73. 71 (see FIG. 6A ) in the detached open position. In this state, the ink supply outlet 71 is opened and the ink in the ink chamber 36 can flow into the ink needle 122 through the ink flow channel 44 .

An air introduction unit (not shown) may also be provided in the case body 31 . Accordingly, when ink flows from the ink chamber 36 into the ink needle 122 , air is introduced into the ink chamber 36 via the air introduction unit. However, the air introduction unit is not an essential component. For example, the ink chamber 36 may be constituted by an ink bag whose volume decreases when the ink in the ink chamber 36 is consumed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the protrusion 32 is provided at the lower end of the front wall 40 below the ink supply portion 43 . The protrusion 32 protrudes forward along the insertion direction 56 and has a protruding length greater than that of the ink supply portion 43 along the insertion direction 56 . The protrusion 32 corresponds to a protrusion.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the upper wall 39 of the case body 31 is formed with a joint portion 45 at a substantially central position of the upper wall 39 in the depth direction 53 . The engaging portion 45 is a recess having a vertical engaging surface 46 . That is, the engagement surface 46 occupies a plane extending in the width direction 51 and the height direction 52 . Instead, the engagement surface 46 may be a plane extending along the insertion direction 56 and along the height direction 52 . When the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 , an engagement member 145 of the cartridge installation unit 110 (described later) engages the engagement surface 46 . The engagement portion 45 and the engagement surface 46 correspond to a stopper.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a part of the upper wall 39 located in front of the engaging portion 45 along the insertion direction 56 serves as a contact with the cartridge installation unit 110 when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge installation unit 110 or removed therefrom. The upper surface 47 that is contacted by the engagement member 145 of 110 . That is, the upper surface 47 is a plane extending along the width direction 51 and the depth direction 53 . The upper surface 47 and the front wall 40 are associated by an inclined surface 48 inclined relative to the upper surface 47 and the front wall 40 . The inclined surface 48 serves to guide the engaging part 145 onto the upper surface 47 . However, the inclined surface 48 may be omitted from this configuration. Alternatively, a protrusion similar to the protrusion 32 protruding in the insertion direction 56 may be provided instead of the inclined surface 48 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , near the top of the rear wall 42 in the height direction 52 , the release member 60 is provided at the rear wall 42 side of the box body 31 . The releasing member 60 has an elongated rod-like shape and extends along the depth direction 53 . An elongated hole 49 is formed in the upper wall 39 of the case body 31 to allow the release member 60 to be inserted. The elongated hole 49 extends in the depth direction 53 and penetrates through the outer surface of the rear wall 42 to the junction 45 .

The releasing member 60 is configured to move in the insertion direction 56 and the removal direction 55 while being guided by the elongated hole 49 . The release member 60 has a length that allows the front end 61 on the front wall 40 side of the release member 60 to reach the engagement portion 45 while the rear end 62 of the release member 60 protrudes outward from the rear wall 42 in the removal direction 55 . A disc plate 63 is provided on the rear end 62 of the release member 60 to prevent the release member 60 from being pushed further into the elongate hole 49 than necessary. The front end 61 corresponds to the first end. The rear end 62 and the disc plate 63 correspond to the second end. In other words, the engaging portion 45 (as a stopper) has a working space within which the releasing member 60 can move relative to the engaging portion 45 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the release member 60 is provided with a holding unit 65 . The holding unit 65 employs a ratchet mechanism, one example of which is a ballpoint pen, to restrict the movement of the release member 60 . More specifically, the holding unit 65 restricts the movement of the releasing member 60 in the insertion direction 56 to hold the front end 61 of the releasing member 60 in its most upstream position with respect to the insertion direction 56 . This location will be referred to as the "second location". In the second position, the front end 61 of the release member 60 is positioned away from the engagement end 146 of the engagement member 145 (described later) with respect to the insertion direction 56 . The holding unit 65 does not prevent the release member 60 from moving in the insertion direction 56 when the user squeezes the disk-shaped plate 63 of the release member 60 in the insertion direction 56 . When the release member 60 has been pressed as far forward as possible in the insertion direction 56 , the front end 61 of the release member 60 approaches the engagement surface 46 of the engagement portion 45 . This location will be referred to as the "first location". When the release member 60 is moved from the second position to the first position, the holding unit 65 with a ratchet mechanism is used to prevent the release member 60 from returning to the first position along the removal direction 55 . Then, when the disc-shaped plate 63 of the release member 60 is pushed again by the user in the insertion direction 56 , the holding unit 65 serves to allow the release member 60 to return to the first position in the removal direction 55 .

The ratchet mechanism has an internal construction using coil springs, gears and pawls (none of which are shown). In short, the ratchet mechanism utilizes the user's pressing of the release member 60 and its internal configuration along the insertion direction 56, thereby enabling a series of movements (sliding, holding and releasing) to be repeated as a cycle. In other words, when the user pushes the release member 60 once, the release member 60 moves along the insertion direction 56 and is held at its first position by the ratchet mechanism of the holding unit 65, that is, the release is prevented by the ratchet mechanism of the holding unit 65. The part moves along the removal direction 55 . When the release member 60 is pushed again in the insertion direction 56 , the release member 60 is released from the holding of the holding unit 65 and returns to the second position in the removal direction 55 . The holding unit 65 corresponds to a lock member.

<Box Mounting Unit>

As shown in FIG. 4 , the cartridge installation unit 110 has a housing 101 forming its cartridge-shaped housing. The housing 101 has an opening 112 formed in a side corresponding to the front of the printer 10 . The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into or removed from the housing 101 through the opening 112 . The housing 101 is capable of housing a plurality of ink cartridges 30 . In the present embodiment, the housing 101 accommodates four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to colors of, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. However, in the drawing, the cartridge installation unit 110 is illustrated so that the housing 101 can accommodate only one ink cartridge 30 .

The housing 101 has an end surface 102 that faces the inner space of the housing 101 and is located on the side of the inner space opposite to the opening 112 in the insertion direction 56 . As shown in FIG. 4 , a connector 103 is provided at a lower portion of a side wall constituting the housing 101 on which the end surface 102 is formed. Each connector 103 is provided at a position corresponding to the ink supply portion 43 of each ink cartridge 30 installed in the housing 101 .

The connector 103 includes an ink needle 122 and a cylindrical portion 121 . Although not illustrated in FIG. 4 , the ink needle 122 is connected to the ink tube 20 on the outer surface of the sidewall having the end surface 102 . The ink tube 20 connected to each ink needle 122 is also connected to the recording head 21 of the printer 10 and can deliver ink thereto.

A cylindrical portion 121 is formed in the end surface 102 of the housing 101 by hollowing out a part of the end surface 102 in a cylindrical shape. The ink needle 122 is provided coaxially at the cylindrical portion 121 and penetrates the side wall of the housing 101 having the end surface 102 along the insertion direction 56 . When the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 , as schematically shown in FIG. 6A , the cylindrical ink supply portion 43 is hermetically inserted into the cylindrical portion 121 . At this time, the outer circumferential surface of the ink supply portion 43 is in close contact with and adhered to the surface defining the cylindrical portion 121 . When the ink supply portion 43 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 121 , the ink needle 122 is also inserted into the ink supply outlet 71 formed in the ink supply portion 43 . The ink needle 122 inserted through the ink supply outlet 71 moves the valve 70 from its closed position to its open position against the biasing force of the coil spring 73 . Accordingly, the ink stored in the ink chamber 36 can now flow out. The ink flowing out of the ink chamber 36 flows into the ink needle 122 due to a head difference or the like and is delivered to the recording head 21 via the ink tube 20 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , an engaging member 145 is provided on the housing 101 . The engaging member 145 is used to hold the ink cartridge 30 in its mounted state in the cartridge mounting unit 110 . The engagement member 145 is provided at a position above the opening 112 formed in the housing 101 .

The engagement member 145 is supported to the housing 101 in a pivotally movable manner by a support shaft 147 . A support shaft 147 is provided at an end of the engagement member 145 closest to the opening 112 and mounted on the housing 101 . With this configuration, the engagement member 145 is pivotably movably supported above and adjacent to the opening 112 of the housing 101 , and pivots about the support shaft 147 to approach the opening 112 or to be separated from the opening 112 . An engagement end 146 is formed on the other end of the engagement member 145 opposite to the support shaft 147 . The engagement end 146 is engageable with the engagement portion 45 formed in the ink cartridge 30 . Engagement end 146 holds ink cartridge 30 in its installed position against an external force applied to ink cartridge 30 from a biasing member (coil spring 126 ) provided in housing 101 by engaging engagement portion 45 . The position of the engagement member 145 (see FIG. 6A ) when the engagement end 146 is engaged with the engagement portion 45 will be referred to as a “locked position”, and another position of the engagement member 145 when the engagement end 146 is not engaged in the engagement portion 45 (see Figure 6B) will be referred to as the "unlocked position". The engagement part 145 corresponds to a holding part.

The engagement member 145 is further formed with a protrusion 148 between the engagement end 146 and the support shaft 147 on a bottom surface of the engagement member 145 , ie, a side surface opposite to the engagement portion 45 of the ink cartridge 30 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the protrusion 148 has a triangular shape when viewed from the side. The protrusion 148 has a surface opposite to the front end 61 of the release member 60 , which is inclined to form an acute angle with the insertion direction 56 . This inclined surface will be referred to as a first surface 149 .

Although not shown in the drawings, a coil spring is attached to the engagement member 145 in the present embodiment. The coil spring biases the engagement member 145 vertically downward. When the user moves the disc-shaped plate 63 of the releasing member 60 toward the front wall 40 side, the engaging member 145 moves upward around the support shaft 147, thereby moving from the locked position to the unlocked position. Furthermore, although not illustrated in the drawings, the pivoting range of the engaging member 145 is limited so that the engaging member 145 cannot move further downward than the locked position (state shown in FIG. 4 ). Note that the engagement member 145 does not have to be biased downward. Even if not biased, the engagement member 145 can move downward due to its own weight to achieve its engagement with the engagement surface 46 of the ink cartridge 30 . Also in this case, when the user pushes the release member 60 in the insertion direction 56 , the engagement between the engagement member 145 and the engagement surface 46 can be released.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the inner space of the cartridge installation unit 110 expands in the insertion direction 56 below the end surface 102 . In this enlarged space, a slide member 123 is movably provided. The slide member 123 is movable (horizontally) along the insertion direction 56 and the removal direction 55 . The sliding member 123 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The slide member 123 has a top surface from which the protruding piece 124 protrudes upward. The protruding piece 124 stands up in the insertion path of the protrusion 32 provided on the ink cartridge 30 so that the protrusion 32 can abut against and be biased by the protruding piece 124 while the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge installation unit 110 .

An enlarged space in which the slide member 123 is accommodated is defined by the end surface 125 and the front surface 127 which are opposed to each other along the insertion direction 56 . The sliding member 123 is interposed between the end surface 125 and the front surface 127 . The coil spring 126 is disposed between the end surface 125 and the slide member 123 in a compressed state, and biases the slide member 123 in the removal direction 55 . When no external force is applied to the sliding member 123 , the sliding member 123 is placed in contact with the front surface 127 due to the biasing force of the coil spring 126 . Front surface 127 limits the range of motion of slide member 123 away from end surface 125 . When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the cartridge installation unit 110 after the protrusion 32 of the ink cartridge 30 contacts the protruding piece 124 , the slide member 123 moves toward the end surface 125 together with the protruding piece 124 , thereby compressing the coil spring 126 . The coil spring 126 corresponds to a biasing member.

It should be noted that the protrusion 32 may not be provided at the ink cartridge 30 . In the absence of the protrusion 32, during the installation process of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge installation unit 110, since the ink cartridge 30 is provided with the coil spring 73 provided in the ink supply portion 43, it is still possible to exert force on the ink cartridge 30 along the movement. Divide the bias force acting in direction 55.

<Installing ink cartridges>

Next, operations for installing and removing the ink cartridge 30 in and from the cartridge installation unit 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 7B .

As shown in FIG. 5A , the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge installation unit 110 through the opening 112 with the front wall 40 of the ink cartridge 30 sideways. At this time, the holding unit 65 holds the release member 60 at its second position. When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge installation unit 110 , the inclined surface 48 of the cartridge body 31 contacts the engagement member 145 . When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the cartridge installation unit 110 , the engagement member 145 slides upward onto the upper surface 47 along the inclined surface 48 . Accordingly, the engagement member 145 pivots about its axis (about the support shaft 147 ) in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5A , thereby moving from the locked position to the unlocked position.

When the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110, the ink supply portion 43 contacts the cylindrical portion 121, and the ink needle 122 is inserted into the ink supply outlet 71 of the ink supply portion 43, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. At this time, the engaging member 145 has not been engaged in the engaging portion 45 of the case body 31 . The ink needle 122 inserted into the ink supply outlet 71 contacts the valve 70 . When the ink cartridge 30 is moved further along the insertion direction 56, the valve 70 is pressed by the ink needle 122, thereby moving from its closed position to its open position against the biasing force of the coil spring 73, as illustrated in FIG. 6A . After ink supply portion 43 is inserted into cylindrical portion 121 and ink needle 122 is further inserted into ink supply outlet 71 , ink cartridge 30 is mounted in its prescribed position (mounted position) relative to cartridge mounting unit 110 . Although not shown in the drawings, an ink inlet is formed on the tip of the ink needle 122 . Accordingly, the ink in the ink chamber 36 flows through the ink flow channel 44 and into the ink needle 122 via the ink inlet.

When the ink cartridge 30 reaches its mounted position shown in FIG. 6A , the engaging surface 46 formed on the engaging portion 45 of the cartridge body 31 has passed the engaging end 146 of the engaging member 145 along the insertion direction 56 . Therefore, because the engaging end 146 of the engaging member 145 is no longer supported on the upper surface 47 of the case body 31, the engaging member 145 rotates clockwise in FIG. Pivotably moves into joint 45 . The engagement member 145 engaged in the engagement portion 45 holds the ink cartridge 30 in its mounted position against the biasing forces of the coil spring 73 and the coil spring 126 . This completes the operation for installing the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge installing unit 110 .

The external force (due to the biasing force caused by the coil spring 73 provided in the ink cartridge 30 and/or the coil spring 126 provided in the cartridge mounting unit 110) applied to the cartridge body 31 acts on the front wall of the cartridge body 31. On the protrusion 32 provided on the 40. Instead of the coil spring 73 used to open and close the valve 70, a coil spring may be provided on the outside of the case 31 as an external force. The coil spring may be positioned such that its end contacts the end surface 102 of the cartridge mounting unit 110 , the photosensor, etc., and biases the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 55 .

The first surface 149 of the engagement member 145 may or may not be in contact with the front end 61 of the release member 60 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the installed position. Even if the first surface 149 is separated from the front end 61 of the release member 60 , the ink cartridge 30 is held by the engagement between the engagement surface 46 of the engagement portion 45 and the engagement end 146 of the engagement member 145 .

When the ink in the ink chamber 36 of the ink cartridge 30 is exhausted, the user removes the exhausted ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge installation unit 110 and installs a new ink cartridge 30 . As described above, when the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 , the front end 61 of the release member 60 is located on the downstream side of the engagement end 146 constituting the engagement member 145 with respect to the insertion direction 56 .

To remove the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge installation unit 110 , the user presses the disc-shaped plate 63 of the release member 60 against the biasing force of the coil spring 64 towards the rear wall 42 , ie along the insertion direction 56 . Since the disc-shaped plate 63 of the release member 60 is located downstream of the rear wall 42 in the insertion direction 56 , the user can operate the release member 60 from the rear wall 42 side of the ink cartridge 30 . When the user squeezes the disc-shaped plate 63 of the release member 60 , as illustrated in FIG. 6B , the front end 61 contacts the first surface 149 of the engagement member 145 . As the release member 60 is pressed further inward, the front end 61 of the release member 60 approaches the engagement surface 46 and as the first surface 149 rides over the front end 61 of the release member 60, the engagement member 145 is pushed upwards. By this operation, the engagement member 145 pivots counterclockwise about its axis in FIG. 6B until the engagement end 146 moves above the engagement surface 46 and separates from the engagement surface 46 . That is, the engagement member 145 moves about its axis from the locked position to the unlocked position, thereby releasing its hold on the ink cartridge 30 .

When the engagement end 146 of the engagement member 145 is separated from the engagement surface 46, an external force applied to the cartridge 31 (specifically, the biasing force of the coil spring 73 and/or the coil spring 126) moves the cartridge along the removal direction 55 31. At the same time, the user squeezes the release member 60 in the insertion direction 56 . Therefore, the user's hand absorbs the biasing force of the coil springs 73 and 126 through the coil spring 64 and the release member 60 .

The holding unit 65 can maintain the releasing member 60 at the first position even after the user takes his finger away from the releasing member 60 . Therefore, the engaging end 146 of the engaging member 145 is prevented from coming into contact with the engaging surface 46 of the engaging portion 45 again.

In addition, when the user releases the release member 60, the biasing force of the coil spring 126 acting on the sliding member 123 moves the case 31 along the removal direction 55 until the sliding member 123 contacts the front surface 127 of the housing 101, as shown in FIG. 7B shown in . This movement is slight and is achieved only by the biasing force of the coil spring 126 acting on the case 31 . Therefore, the ink cartridge 30 is not forcibly ejected from the cartridge installation unit 110 . Furthermore, when the user releases the release member 60 , the biasing force of the coil spring 64 causes the release member 60 to slide outward until the disc plate 63 reaches its maximum separation position from the rear wall 42 of the case 31 . Subsequently, the user pulls the cartridge body 31 in the removal direction 55 , thereby removing the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge installation unit 110 .

Even in the case where no protrusion 32 is provided in the ink cartridge 30, due to the biasing force applied from the coil spring 73 of the ink supply portion 43, it is still possible to push the ink cartridge in the removal direction 55 after the user releases the release member 60 30. The user is thus able to pull the ink cartridge 30 along the removal direction 55 without the protrusion 32 to remove the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge installation unit 110 .

Instead of a sliding movement, the release part 60 can be configured such that the release part 60 can rotate about its axis extending in the insertion direction 56 , or the release part 60 can move like a swing between the engagement part 145 and the release part 60 . joints are provided. In either case, the release member 60 may be configured to be prevented from being re-engaged with the engagement portion 45 even after the user releases the release member 60 once the engagement is released.

<Effect of the first embodiment>

With the printer 10 according to the first embodiment, the user disengages the engagement member 145 from the ink cartridge 30 by pushing on the release member 60 to slide the release member 60 in the insertion direction 56 . At this time, the user's hand stops the movement of the ink cartridge 30 along the removal direction 55 caused by the external force, thereby slowing down the speed of the ink cartridge 30 moving along the removal direction 55 . Therefore, the ink cartridge 30 can be prevented from being ejected from the cartridge installation unit 110 , and when the ink cartridge 30 is replaced, ink can be prevented from dripping from the ink needle 122 .

Furthermore, with this structure, there is no need to provide a user operating member for operating the engaging member 145 in the cartridge mounting unit 110 , making it possible to produce a more compact ink supply device 100 .

In addition, as described above, since the releasing member 60 for disengaging the engagement between the engaging portion 45 and the engaging member 145 is not provided at the cartridge installation unit 110 but at the ink cartridge 30, the user follows the Pushing the release member 60 in the insertion direction 56 can be used to slow down the velocity of the ink cartridge 30 being moved in the removal direction 55 . On the contrary, in the conventional configuration in which the cartridge installation part is provided with a part for disengaging the engagement between the cartridge installation part and the ink cartridge, when the ink cartridge is disengaged, the external force acting along the removal direction 55 wholly and solely is applied to the cartridge, causing the cartridge to fall to the ground. The ink cartridge 30 according to the first embodiment can prevent such accidental ejection of the ink cartridge.

When the user pushes the release member 60 in the insertion direction 56 and thereafter releases it, the holding unit 65 holds the release member 60 at the first position. The holding unit 65 that maintains the releasing member 60 at the first position leaves a sufficiently small space for accommodating the engaging member 145 therein in the engaging portion 45 . As a result, even if the user releases his finger from the releasing member 60 after moving the releasing member 60 in the insertion direction 56 , the engaging member 145 cannot be engaged in the engaging portion 45 again when the user releases the releasing member 60 .

As described above, the release member 60 is held at the second position as long as the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 . When the disk-shaped plate 63 is pressed in the insertion direction 56 , the release member 60 moves from the second position to the first position, and the holding unit 65 holds the release member 60 at the first position. In other words, since the engagement member 145 cannot be engaged with the engagement portion 45 of the ink cartridge 30 as long as the release member 60 is in the first position, the ink cartridge 30 cannot be installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 . In this way, the user can visually confirm whether the ink cartridge 30 is correctly installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 by looking at the position of the release member 60 .

<Second Embodiment>

In the first embodiment described above, the holding unit 65 holds the release member 60 at the first position to maintain the engagement member 145 in the unlocked position. However, the holding unit 65 may be omitted. 8A and 8B show an ink cartridge 230 and a cartridge installation unit 210 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, similar parts and members are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment to avoid duplication of description.

Instead of the holding unit 65 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , the release member 260 according to the second embodiment is provided with a magnet 266 . An engagement member 250 having a magnet 251 is pivotally supported at the housing 201 of the cartridge installation unit 210 . The magnet 251 is provided on a lower portion of the engagement member 250 so as to face the magnet 266 of the release member 260 when the ink cartridge 230 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 210 . The magnet 251 has a south pole on the end surface 102 side and a north pole on the opening 112 side of the housing 201 .

The front end 261 of the release member 260 extends below the engagement portion 245 such that the front end 261 is aligned with the engagement surface 46 of the engagement portion 245 with respect to the insertion direction 56 . A magnet 266 is arranged near the front end 261 and at an upper portion of the release member 260 . The magnet 266 has a north pole positioned closer to the front wall 40 and a south pole positioned closer to the rear wall 42 . That is, the arrangement of the north and south poles of magnet 266 is opposite to that of magnet 251 . The release member 260 does not slide into the engagement portion 245 as in the first embodiment, but is provided below the engagement portion 245 so that the release member 260 can slide in the insertion direction 56 and the removal direction 55 .

As shown in FIG. 8A , when the ink cartridge 230 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 210 , the engagement member 250 is engaged with the engagement portion 245 . At this time, the front end 261 of the release member 260 is in its furthest downstream position (ie, the second position) along the insertion direction 56 . The magnet 266 of the releasing member 260 and the magnet 251 of the engaging member 250 are in contact with each other such that the north pole of the magnet 266 is opposed to the south pole of the magnet 251 and the south pole of the magnet 266 faces the north pole of the magnet 251 . Due to the magnetic attraction generated between the magnet 266 and the magnet 251 , the engagement member 250 remains engaged with the engagement portion 245 of the ink cartridge 230 . Accordingly, the ink cartridge 230 is held in its installed position against the biasing forces of the coil springs 73 and 126 . The magnet 251 corresponds to a first magnet, and the magnet 266 corresponds to a second magnet.

When removing the ink cartridge 230 from the cartridge installation unit 210, the user squeezes the disk-shaped plate 263 of the release member 260 in the insertion direction 56 to move the release member 260 from the second position to the first position. When the release member 260 slides onto the upper surface 47 along the insertion direction 56, the magnet 266 also moves along the insertion direction 56 so that its south pole now faces the south pole of the magnet 251 and the north pole of the magnet 266 moves away from the south pole of the magnet 251. As a result, due to the magnetic repulsion between the magnet 266 and the magnet 251 , the engagement member 250 pivots counterclockwise about its axis in FIG. 8B to separate from the engagement portion 245 of the ink cartridge 230 . When the engagement member 250 is disengaged from the engagement portion 245 , the ink cartridge 230 is moved in the removal direction 55 due to the biasing force of the coil springs 73 and 126 .

The second embodiment having the above configuration can achieve the same operations and effects as those of the printer 10 according to the first embodiment.

Various modifications are conceivable.

In the above-described preferred embodiment, when the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 , the coil springs 73 and 126 apply an external force to the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 55 . However, a bias member provided on the ink cartridge 30 may be used to apply an external force to the ink cartridge 30 in its mounted state. For example, a helical spring extending along the insertion direction 56 may be provided on the front wall 40 of the case 31 . When the ink cartridge 30 is installed in the cartridge installation unit 110 , the coil spring contacts the end surface 102 of the housing 101 and is compressed to apply an external force to the cartridge body 31 in the removal direction 55 .

Furthermore, although the user manually inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge installation unit 110 of the printer 10 in the above-described embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a cartridge installation unit in which the ink cartridge can be mechanically installed.

Although a detection unit for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 30 has been omitted in the preferred embodiment, such a detection unit may be provided on the ink cartridge 30 . For example, the remaining ink detection unit may be provided on the front wall 40 of the ink cartridge 30 and protrude from the front wall 40 in a direction away from the ink chamber 36 . The remaining ink detection unit is formed of light-transmitting resin. The amount of remaining ink in the ink chamber 36 of the ink cartridge 30 can be detected manually by looking at the ink chamber 36 by the remaining ink detection unit or automatically using a photoelectric sensor. When a photoelectric sensor is used, the distance between a pair of side walls constituting the remaining ink detection unit is set to be smaller than the gap between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the photosensor. A light shielding plate that moves based on the remaining ink amount may be provided in the remaining ink detection unit. Alternatively, the light shielding plate may be replaced with a device capable of reducing the amount of light reaching the light receiving element by reflecting, diffracting, or attenuating all or part of the light emitted from the light emitting element based on the amount of ink in the ink chamber 36 .

Although the preferred embodiment has described the printing liquid as ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 for use with the inkjet printer 10, the printing liquid is not limited to ink. The present invention can also be applied to, for example, a cartridge storing toner as a printing liquid used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. a printing fluid box, described printing fluid box can be arranged in the box mounting portion of recording equipment in an insertion direction, and described printing fluid box comprises:

Printing fluid chamber, described printing fluid chamber is constructed to store printing fluid;

Printing fluid supply section, described printing fluid supply section is positioned at the front side place along described direction of insertion of described printing fluid box, and described printing fluid supply section is constructed between the inner side and outer side of described printing fluid chamber, set up fluid connection;

Biasing member, described biasing member is constructed to remove printing fluid box described in bias voltage on direction contrary with described direction of insertion;

Stop, described stop is constructed to resist the biasing force of described biasing member and prevents described printing fluid box from moving up in the described side of removing;

Remove parts, described releasing parts are constructed to move between the first position and the second position, described stop does not prevent described printing fluid box from moving up in the described side of removing in described primary importance, and described stop prevents described printing fluid box from moving up in the described side of removing in the described second place; With

Lock assembly, described lock assembly is constructed to described releasing parts to remain on described first position.

2. printing fluid box according to claim 1, comprises projection further, and described projection is positioned at the front side place of described printing fluid box, and described projection is left described printing fluid chamber and stretched out.

3. printing fluid box according to claim 1, wherein said biasing member is positioned at described printing fluid supply section, and described biasing member applies described biasing force, is communicated with between the inner side and outer side of described printing fluid chamber to prevent described printing fluid.

4. the printing fluid box any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said stop is included in the surface that the direction vertical with described direction of insertion extends.

5. the printing fluid box any one of claims 1 to 3,

Wherein said releasing parts are constructed to move in described direction of insertion relative to described stop, and described stop has working space, and in described working space, described releasing parts can move relative to described stop.

6. the printing fluid box any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said releasing parts and described stop are the parts be separated.

7. a recording equipment, comprising:

Box mounting portion, printing fluid box can be arranged in described box mounting portion in an insertion direction;

Biasing member, described biasing member is constructed to remove printing fluid box described in bias voltage on direction contrary with described direction of insertion; With

Holding member, the described printing fluid box that the biasing force and keeping that described holding member is constructed to resist described biasing member is installed in described box mounting portion,

Described printing fluid box comprises:

Stop, described stop is constructed to be engaged by with described holding member, remains in described box mounting portion to resist the described biasing force of described biasing member by described printing fluid box; With

Remove parts, described releasing parts are constructed to remove the joint between described stop and described holding member,

Wherein when described releasing parts remove the joint between described holding member and described stop, printing fluid box described in described biasing member bias voltage, moves up in the described side of removing to make described printing fluid box.

8. recording equipment according to claim 7, comprises hollow needle further, and printing fluid introduced by the described printing fluid box that described hollow needle is constructed to from being installed in described box mounting portion.

9. recording equipment according to claim 7, wherein said holding member comprises axle, and described holding member can move around described axle, and described releasing parts move in described direction of insertion, thus mobile described holding member is to remove described joint.

10. the recording equipment any one of claim 7 to 9, wherein said releasing parts have the staff-like shape extended in described direction of insertion, described releasing parts have first end and are positioned at the second end of opposition side of described first end, described first end can adjoin with described holding member, and described the second end is arranged on the upstream along described direction of insertion of described first end.

11. recording equipments according to claim 7, wherein said holding member has the first magnet, and described releasing parts have the second magnet, to attract described first magnet of described holding member, due to the magnetic attraction between described first magnet and described second magnet, described printing fluid box is maintained in described box mounting portion, and described releasing parts move in described direction of insertion, to remove the joint between described holding member and described releasing parts.