CN211808460U

CN211808460U - Ink-injection cylinder, ink tank and ink-jet printer

Info

Publication number: CN211808460U
Application number: CN201921862250.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 田村光; 白野太一; 刑部吉记
Original assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-31
Filing date: 2019-10-31
Publication date: 2020-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2029-10-31

Abstract

The utility model provides an annotate an ink section of thick bamboo, china ink jar and ink jet printer. The ink filling cylinder is used for filling ink into the ink tank and is provided with a body part extending along the longitudinal direction. The body portion has a first end and a second end longitudinally opposite the first end. The body portion includes a first flow path pipe and a second flow path pipe; the first flow path pipe extends along the longitudinal direction and is provided with a first opening, a second opening and a first flow path formed between the first opening and the second opening, and the distance from the first opening to the first end is smaller than the distance from the second opening to the first end; the second flow path pipe extends along the longitudinal direction and is provided with a third opening, a fourth opening and a second flow path formed between the third opening and the fourth opening, the distance from the third opening to the first end is smaller than the distance from the fourth opening to the first end, and the distance from the fourth opening to the first end is smaller than the distance from the second opening to the first end; the first flow path tube also has a side opening that communicates with the first flow path and is disposed longitudinally between the first opening and the second opening.

Description

Ink-injection cylinder, ink tank and ink-jet printer

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a printing apparatus technical field specifically relates to an annotate black section of thick bamboo, china ink jar and ink jet printer.

Background

An inkjet printer generally performs printing by ejecting ink from a recording unit onto a recording medium (for example, printing paper).

Fig. 1 schematically shows an example of an existing ink jet printer 1. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a direction in which the ink jet printer 1 faces the user is defined as "front" and a direction opposite thereto is defined as "rear" with reference to a position at which the user uses the ink jet printer 1, and a left-hand side of the user is defined as "left" and a right-hand side of the user is defined as "right".

As shown in fig. 1, the inkjet printer 1 includes a printer body 2 and four ink tanks 10 provided on one side (e.g., the front side) of the printer body 2. The printer body 2 includes a frame portion 3, and four ink tanks 10 are provided in the frame portion 3. One of the ink tanks 10 is disposed in the front left of the frame portion 3, and the other three ink tanks 10 are disposed side by side in the front right of the frame portion 3. The ink tank 10 is for containing ink to be supplied to the recording portion 9. The ink tanks 10 at the front of the left side may contain black ink, and the three ink tanks 10 at the front of the right side may contain cyan, magenta, and yellow inks, respectively, so that the print content of the ink jet printer 1 has a richer color. Ink may be generally injected into the ink tank 10 through an ink bottle (not shown) containing ink.

As shown in fig. 2, the ink tank 10 mainly includes an ink tank body 30 and an ink filling cylinder 20, the ink filling cylinder 20 is detachably connected to the ink tank body 30, for example, the ink filling cylinder 120 may be snap-fitted to the ink tank body 130.

The ink tank body 30 mainly includes an ink storage chamber 31, an ink filling portion 33, an ink supply portion 35, and an atmosphere communication portion 36. Specifically, the ink tank body 30 may be constituted by two parts of a resin frame 19 and a coating film 39, the resin frame 19 may be molded from a resin material by an injection molding process, and the coating film 39 is covered on one side (e.g., the left side) of the resin frame 19. The resin frame 19 is provided with a number of cavities having an inner space for forming ink tanks 31 and the like. These cavities have a lateral opening (e.g. an opening that opens towards the left). The cover film 39 is connected to the resin frame 19 by a connection means such as adhesion or the like to cover the lateral opening, so that both the resin frame 19 and the cover film 39 can collectively form the ink reservoir 31 or the like. The ink filling portion 33, the ink supply portion 35, and the atmosphere communication portion 36 are provided in the resin frame 19.

The ink reservoir chamber 31 is for accommodating ink to be supplied to the recording portion 9. The ink injection portion 33 is located at the top of the ink reservoir 31 and has an ink injection port 32. Ink can be injected into the ink tank body 30 through the ink injection port 32 so as to be contained in the ink reservoir 31. The ink supply portion 35 is located above the ink reservoir 31, and is used to supply ink in the ink reservoir 31 to the recording portion 9. The atmosphere communication portion 36 is located at a lower position of the ink tank body 30, and includes an atmosphere communication port 37, and the atmosphere communication port 37 can communicate the ink reservoir 31 with the atmosphere.

As shown in fig. 3, the ink cartridge 20 has a body portion 21 extending in the longitudinal direction. The body portion 21 includes a first flow path tube 40 and a second flow path tube 50 extending in the longitudinal direction. The first flow path pipe 40 has a first opening 41, a second opening 42, and a first flow path 43 formed between the first opening 41 and the second opening 42. The second flow path tube 50 has a third opening 51, a fourth opening 52, and a second flow path 53 formed between the third opening 51 and the fourth opening 52. The ink feed barrel 20 may extend through the ink feed port 32 of the ink tank body 30 and be mounted on the ink tank body 30 such that the first and

third openings

41, 51 are located above the top of the ink feed port 32 and the second and

fourth openings

42, 52 are located in the ink reservoir 31 and spaced from the bottom wall of the ink reservoir 31.

Referring back to fig. 2, after the ink cartridge 20 is mounted on the ink tank body 30, the bottle opening of the ink bottle may be inserted into the ink filling part 33 of the ink tank body 30 to cover the top end of the ink cartridge 20. In this way, ink in the ink bottle can enter the first flow path 43 or the second flow path 53 through the first opening 41 or the third opening 51, and then enter the ink reservoir 31 through the second opening 42 or the fourth opening 52. Meanwhile, air in the ink reservoir 31 can enter the ink bottle through the other of the first flow path 43 and the second flow path 53. In this case, the flows of ink and air are simultaneously generated in the two flow paths, respectively, and "gas-liquid replacement" is performed.

When either one of the flow of ink or the flow of air is stopped, the gas-liquid replacement process is stopped. Ideally, the priming process stops when the ink in reservoir 31 is full (the ink level reaches or is higher than the two openings of the ink cartridge 20 located in reservoir 31) or the ink in the ink bottle is completely filled into reservoir 31.

The applicant found that the ink tank 10 shown in fig. 2 is susceptible to a phenomenon in which the ink supply is temporarily stopped during actual use. That is, only a small amount of ink is filled from the ink bottle into the ink tank body 30, and when the supply is temporarily stopped, the ink bottle still contains ink, and a large amount of space in the ink reservoir 31 is still not filled with ink. The applicant speculates that during the ink replenishment process, a meniscus (meniscus) is formed in the first and second flow paths of the ink cartridge 20 by the ink, preventing further flow of the ink.

Therefore, there is a need for an ink cartridge, an ink tank and an ink jet printer that at least partially solve the above problems in the prior art.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In the summary section a series of concepts in a simplified form is introduced, which will be described in further detail in the detailed description section. The inventive content does not imply any attempt to define the essential features and essential features of the claimed solution, nor is it implied to be intended to define the scope of the claimed solution.

In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge for injecting ink into an ink tank having an ink injection port, the ink cartridge having a body portion extending in a longitudinal direction, the body portion having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the longitudinal direction, the body portion including:

a first flow path pipe extending in the longitudinal direction and having a first opening, a second opening, and a first flow path formed between the first opening and the second opening, a distance from the first opening to the first end being smaller than a distance from the second opening to the first end; and

a second flow path tube extending in the longitudinal direction and having a third opening, a fourth opening, and a second flow path formed between the third opening and the fourth opening, a distance from the third opening to the first end being smaller than a distance from the fourth opening to the first end being smaller than a distance from the second opening to the first end;

wherein the first flow path tube further has a side opening that communicates with the first flow path and is disposed between the first opening and the second opening in the longitudinal direction.

According to the utility model discloses an annotate an ink section of thick bamboo through set up the lateral part opening on first flow path pipe, can balance the atmospheric pressure in first flow path and the china ink jar body for gas-liquid replacement in first flow path and the china ink jar body reduces the possibility of forming the meniscus at the second opening part at the in-process of annotating black, thereby avoids appearing the phenomenon that ink supply in-process stops temporarily.

Optionally, the side opening is disposed between the second opening and the fourth opening along the longitudinal direction.

According to the present aspect, the possibility of meniscus formation at the second opening during ink supply can be further reduced, so that a temporary stop during ink supply can be avoided.

Optionally, the distance from the side opening to the first end is equal to the distance from the fourth opening to the first end.

Optionally, the side opening is closed in shape on the outer surface of the first flow path tube and comprises at least two end points.

According to the scheme, the ink injection cylinder is simple in structure, convenient to manufacture and capable of reducing production cost.

Alternatively, the first flow path pipe may include a curved wall portion extending in the longitudinal direction, and a cross section of an outer surface of the curved wall portion on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be a curved surface, the side opening being provided on the curved wall portion.

According to the scheme, the volume of the first flow path can be increased, the flow rate of ink passing is increased, the replenishment speed is increased, and the possibility of temporary stopping in the ink replenishment process is reduced.

Optionally, the body portion further comprises an extension extending outwardly from an outer surface of the first flow path tube around the side opening, the extension having a fifth opening and a third flow path formed between the fifth opening and the side opening.

According to the scheme, the ink can be prevented from flowing out from the side opening, so that the gas in the first flow path flows out from the third flow path through the side opening, the gas-liquid replacement speed in the first flow path and the ink tank body is increased, and the possibility of meniscus formation in the first flow path in the ink injection process is reduced.

Optionally, the fifth opening is disposed between the side opening and the first end along the longitudinal direction.

According to this scheme, the ink can be further prevented from flowing out from the side opening.

Optionally, the cross-sectional shape of the third flow path in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is closed and comprises at least two end points.

According to this aspect, the possibility of the ink forming a meniscus in the third flow path can be reduced, and the gas-liquid replacement rate in the first flow path and the ink tank can be increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink tank for an ink jet printer, the ink jet printer including a recording portion, the ink tank comprising:

an ink tank body, the ink tank body comprising:

an ink reservoir for containing ink to be supplied to the recording portion; and

an ink injection port in communication with the ink reservoir; and

the ink cartridge according to any one of the above first aspects, the ink cartridge extending through the ink injection port, the first opening and the third opening each being located outside the ink reservoir, the first flow path communicating with the ink reservoir through the second opening, the second flow path communicating with the ink reservoir through the fourth opening.

According to the utility model discloses an ink tank through set up the lateral part opening on annotating the first flow path pipe of an ink section of thick bamboo, can balance the atmospheric pressure in first flow path and the ink tank body for the gas-liquid replacement in first flow path and the ink tank body reduces the possibility of forming the meniscus at the second opening part at the in-process of annotating black, thereby avoids appearing the phenomenon that ink supply in-process stops temporarily.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer including a recording portion and the ink tank according to the second aspect described above.

According to the utility model discloses an ink jet printer sets up the lateral part opening through setting up on the first flow path pipe of the notes china ink section of thick bamboo at china ink jar, can balance the atmospheric pressure in first flow path and the china ink jar body for the gas-liquid replacement in first flow path and the china ink jar body reduces the possibility of forming the meniscus at the second opening part at the in-process of annotating black, thereby avoids appearing the phenomenon of ink supply in-process temporary stop.

Drawings

The above and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional inkjet printer, which is also used to illustrate an external structure of an inkjet printer according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink tank of a conventional ink jet printer;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge of FIG. 2 taken along line A-A;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an ink cartridge of an ink tank according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge of FIG. 4 taken along line B-B;

fig. 6 is a perspective assembly view of an ink tank according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge of an ink tank according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge of fig. 7 taken along line C-C.

Description of reference numerals:

1/100: ink-jet printer

2/102: printer body

3/103: frame part

9/109: recording unit

10/110: ink tank

19/119 resin frame

20/120/220: ink filling tube

21/121/221: body part

23/123/223: first end

24/124/224: second end

30/130: ink tank body

31/131: ink storage chamber

32/132: ink injection port

33/133: ink injection part

35/135: ink supply part

36/136: atmosphere communicating part

37/137: atmosphere communication port

39/139: film coating

40/140/240: first flow path pipe

41/141/241: first opening

42/142/242: second opening

43/143/243 first flow path

50/150/250 second flow path pipe

51/151/251: third opening

52/152/252: the fourth opening

53/153/253: second flow path

122/222: mounting part

181/281: side opening

182/282: curved wall part

283: extension part

284: fifth opening

286: third flow path

187: straight wall part

L: longitudinal direction

P11/P12/P21/P22: endpoint

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present invention.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", and the like are used herein for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting.

Ordinal words such as "first" and "second" are referred to herein merely as labels, and do not have any other meaning, e.g., a particular order, etc. Also, for example, the term "first component" does not itself imply the presence of "second component", and the term "second component" does not itself imply the presence of "first component".

An ink jet printer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. The ink jet printer according to the present invention has substantially the same configuration as the ink jet printer 1 according to the background art. Ink jet printer in addition to having the printing function, can also have various functions such as image scanner function, facsimile function, copying function. As for the printing function, a double-sided image recording function of recording images on both sides of the recording medium may be provided. Of course, the function other than the printing function is arbitrary.

First embodiment

Fig. 1 and 4 to 6 schematically show an ink cartridge 120, an ink tank 110, and an inkjet printer 100 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the inkjet printer 100 includes a printer body 102 and an ink tank 110.

The printer body 102 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape. The printer body 102 is provided with a paper feed cassette for feeding a recording medium and a paper discharge cassette for discharging the recording medium. The printer body 102 is also provided with a recording portion 109 including a plurality of nozzles, for example, and the recording portion 109 can eject ink onto a recording medium. An operation panel on which a display unit for displaying various information and setting contents and operation keys for performing various operations or inputting setting contents are arranged may be further provided on the upper surface of the printer body 102. In some embodiments, the display unit may not be provided, and only some of the operation keys may be provided, and these operation keys may be provided at appropriate positions of the printer body 102, for example, on the front surface.

The ink jet printer 100 preferably includes 4 ink tanks 110, wherein one ink tank 110 is provided at the left front portion of the printer body 102, which is generally used to contain black ink, and the other three ink tanks 110 are provided at the right front portion of the printer body 102, which are used to contain three color inks of cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively, from left to right, so that the ink jet printer 100 can record a color image using four color inks of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Of course, it is understood that other numbers of ink tanks 110 may be provided, and that the ink tanks 110 may be provided at other locations of the printer body 102, as desired. Further, the ink tanks 110 may be fixedly mounted to the printer body 102, or may be configured to be detachably mounted to the printer body 102, as the actual need arises.

The ink tank 110 according to the first embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the ink tank 10 according to the background art, wherein structures having similar functions are given similar reference numerals.

As shown in fig. 6, the ink tank 110 mainly includes an ink tank body 130 and an ink filling cylinder 120, and the ink filling cylinder 120 is detachably connected to the ink tank body 130 and is used to fill the ink tank body 130 with ink. The ink tank body 130 mainly includes an ink reservoir 131, an ink injection port 132, an ink injection portion 133, an ink supply portion 135, an atmosphere communication portion 136, and an atmosphere communication port 137. The inkjet printer 100 may further include an atmosphere communication pipe (not shown). An opening at one end of the atmosphere communication tube is connected to the atmosphere communication portion 136, and an opening at the other end of the atmosphere communication tube is provided in the vicinity of the ink filling portion 133. The large air communication portion 136 communicates with the outside of the ink tank body 130 through an opening of the other end of the large air communication pipe. The ink tank body 130 may be constituted by two parts of the resin frame 119 and the cover film 139. The ink storage chamber 131 is for containing ink to be supplied to the recording section 109, and the ink injection port 132 communicates with the ink storage chamber 131. In the present embodiment, the ink injection port 132 is located on the upper surface of the ink injection portion 133. The ink tank body 130 according to the first embodiment has substantially the same structure as the ink tank body 30 according to the background art, and for the sake of brevity, description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the ink cartridge 120 has a body portion 121 extending in the longitudinal direction L. The body portion 121 has a first end 123 and a second end 124 opposite the first end 123 in the longitudinal direction L. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction L is disposed in the vertical direction, and the first end 123 is disposed above the second end 124. Specifically, first end 123 may be defined as the uppermost end of ink cartridge 120, and second end 124 may be defined as the lowermost end of ink cartridge 120.

The body portion 121 includes a first flow path tube 140 and a second flow path tube 150. In the present embodiment, the first flow path pipe 140 and the second flow path pipe 150 are arranged side by side, and the second flow path pipe 150 is arranged at an upper position of the first flow path pipe 140. The first flow path pipe 140 may be a liquid flow path pipe, and the second flow path pipe 150 may be a gas flow path pipe. Preferably, the first and second

flow path tubes

140 and 150 are integrally formed. Of course, the first flow path pipe 140 and the second flow path pipe 150 may be provided separately as necessary.

The first flow path pipe 140 extends in the longitudinal direction L, and has a first opening 141, a second opening 142, and a first flow path 143 formed between the first opening 141 and the second opening 142, the distance from the first opening 141 to the first end 123 being smaller than the distance from the second opening 142 to the first end 123. Specifically, the first flow path 143 may extend substantially in the longitudinal direction L, and the first opening 141 is located at an upper surface of the first flow path pipe 140 and the second opening 142 is located at a lower surface of the first flow path pipe 140.

The second flow path tube 150 extends in the longitudinal direction L, and has a third opening 151, a fourth opening 152, and a second flow path 153 formed between the third opening 151 and the fourth opening 152, the third opening 151 being located at a distance from the first end 123 smaller than the fourth opening 152, and the fourth opening 152 being located at a distance from the first end 123 smaller than the second opening 142, and the first end 123. Specifically, the second flow path 153 may extend substantially in the longitudinal direction L, and the third opening 151 is located at an upper surface of the second flow path pipe 150, the fourth opening 152 is located at a lower surface of the second flow path pipe 150, and the height of the fourth opening 152 is higher than the height of the second opening 142.

As shown in fig. 4, the ink cartridge 120 further includes a mounting portion 122 integrally formed with the body portion 121, and the ink cartridge 120 is fixed to the ink tank body 130 by the mounting portion 122. The mounting portion 122 is provided outside the body portion 121, and may be configured as a snap structure to be snapped to the ink tank body 130. Fig. 4 exemplarily shows two mounting portions 122, and the two mounting portions 122 are disposed at the same height position of the body portion 121 and are disposed at a predetermined distance apart. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the number of the mounting portions 122 is not limited to the present embodiment, and the number of the mounting portions 122 may be one or more than two, for example, three, as required.

As shown in fig. 6, the ink feed barrel 120 extends through the ink feed port 132 such that the first end 123 of the body portion 121 is located above the ink feed port 132, the second end 124 of the body portion 121 enters the ink reservoir 131, and the mounting portion 122 extends into the ink reservoir 131 and snaps to the ink tank body 130. Therefore, the first opening 141 and the third opening 151 are both located outside the ink reservoir 131, the first flow path 143 communicates with the ink reservoir 131 via the second opening 142, and the second flow path 153 communicates with the ink reservoir 131 via the fourth opening 152.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the first flow path pipe 140 further has a side opening 181, and the side opening 181 communicates with the first flow path 143 and is disposed between the first opening 141 and the second opening 142 in the longitudinal direction L, i.e., the side opening 181 has a height higher than the second opening 142 and lower than the first opening 141. Therefore, the air pressure in the first flow path 143 and the ink tank body 130 can be balanced, the gas-liquid replacement in the first flow path 143 and the ink tank 110 can be accelerated, and the possibility of meniscus formation at the second opening 142 in the ink filling process can be reduced, so that the phenomenon of temporary stop in the ink filling process can be avoided.

Preferably, the side opening 181 is disposed between the second opening 142 and the fourth opening 152 in the longitudinal direction L, i.e., the height of the side opening 181 is higher than the second opening 142 and lower than the fourth opening 152. Optionally, the distance from the side opening 181 to the first end 123 is equal to the distance from the fourth opening to the first end 123.

Preferably, the shape of the side opening 181 on the outer surface of the first flow path pipe 140 is closed and includes at least two end points, for example, the shape of the side opening 181 may be semicircular or polygonal, etc. Since the end points of the side openings 181 can break the surface of the bubbles or droplets formed at the side openings 181, the bubbles or droplets are not able to maintain their state and break down to reduce the possibility of their meniscus forming at the side openings 181.

Specifically, the first flow path pipe 140 includes a curved wall portion 182, the curved wall portion 182 extends in the longitudinal direction L, and a cross section of an outer surface of the curved wall portion 182 on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L is a curved surface. That is, the outer surface of the curved wall portion 182 is curved in section on a horizontal plane. This arrangement can increase the volume of the first flow path 143 to increase the flow rate of ink passing therethrough. In an embodiment, the side opening 181 is formed on the curved wall portion 182. As shown in fig. 4, the side opening 181 has a closed semicircular shape on the outer surface of the first flow path pipe 140 and includes two end points, i.e., an end point P11 and an end point P12.

The first flow path pipe 140 may further include a straight wall 187 extending in the longitudinal direction L. The straight wall portion 187 may have a substantially flat plate shape. The curved wall portion 182 and the straight wall portion 187 are connected to form the first flow path 143 therearound. The second flow path pipe 150 is provided in connection with the straight wall portion 187.

Second embodiment

Fig. 7 and 8 schematically show an ink cartridge 220 of an ink tank of an ink jet printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the ink cartridge 220 according to the second embodiment having substantially the same configuration as the ink cartridge 220 according to the first embodiment, wherein structures having similar functions are given similar reference numerals.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the ink cartridge 220 also includes a body portion 221 extending in the longitudinal direction L and a mounting portion 222 integrally formed with the body portion. The body portion 121 likewise has a first end 223 and a second end 224 opposite the first end 223 in the longitudinal direction L, and likewise includes a first flow path tube 240 and a second flow path tube 250. The first flow path pipe 240 also has a first opening 241, a second opening 242, and a first flow path 243 formed between the first opening 241 and the second opening 242, and also has a side opening 281 provided between the first opening 241 and the second opening 242 in the longitudinal direction L. The second flow channel pipe 250 also has a third opening 251, a fourth opening 252, and a second flow channel 253 formed between the third opening 251 and the fourth opening 252.

Unlike the first embodiment, the body portion 221 of the ink-jet cartridge 220 further includes an extension portion 283. The extension part 283 extends outward from the outer surface of the first flow path pipe 240 around the side opening 281, and the extension part 283 has a fifth opening 284 and a third flow path 286 formed between the fifth opening 284 and the side opening 281. The extension part 283 may be configured to extend obliquely upward from the first flow path pipe 240. In the present embodiment, the fifth opening 284 is located on the upper surface of the extension portion 283. The fifth opening 284 is disposed between the side opening 281 and the first end 223 along the longitudinal direction L. That is, the height of the fifth opening 284 is higher than the height of the side opening 281 and lower than the height of the first end 223.

Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the third flow path 286 in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L is closed and includes at least two end points. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the third flow path 286 on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L may be semicircular, polygonal, or the like. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the third flow path 286 on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L is a closed semicircle and includes two end points, namely, an end point P21 and an end point P22.

Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Terms such as "component" and the like, when used herein, can refer to either a single part or a combination of parts. Terms such as "mounted," "disposed," and the like, as used herein, may refer to one component as being directly attached to another component or one component as being attached to another component through intervening components. Features described herein in one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment, either alone or in combination with other features, unless the feature is otherwise inapplicable or otherwise stated in the other embodiment.

The present invention has been described in terms of the above embodiments, but it is to be understood that the above embodiments are for purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended to limit the invention to the described embodiments. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that many more modifications and variations can be made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge for injecting ink into an ink tank having an ink injection port, the ink cartridge having a body portion extending in a longitudinal direction, the body portion having a first end and a second end opposite the first end in the longitudinal direction, the body portion comprising:

2. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein the side opening is disposed between the second opening and the fourth opening along the longitudinal direction.

3. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein a distance from the side opening to the first end is equal to a distance from the fourth opening to the first end.

4. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein the side opening is closed in shape on an outer surface of the first flow path tube and includes at least two end points.

5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the first flow path tube includes a curved wall portion that extends in the longitudinal direction, and a cross section of an outer surface of the curved wall portion on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is curved, the side opening being provided on the curved wall portion.

6. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein the body portion further includes an extension extending outwardly from an outer surface of the first flow tube around the side opening, the extension having a fifth opening and a third flow path formed between the fifth opening and the side opening.

7. The ink cartridge of claim 6, wherein the fifth opening is disposed between the side opening and the first end along the longitudinal direction.

8. The ink cartridge of claim 6, wherein the third flow path is closed in cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and includes at least two end points.

9. An ink tank for an ink jet printer including a recording portion, characterized by comprising:

an ink tank body, the ink tank body comprising:

an ink injection port in communication with the ink reservoir; and

the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 8, extending through the ink injection port, the first opening and the third opening each being located outside the ink reservoir, the first flow path communicating with the ink reservoir through the second opening, the second flow path communicating with the ink reservoir through the fourth opening.

10. An ink jet printer characterized by comprising a recording portion and the ink tank according to claim 9.