CN215620882U - Ink cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides an ink box and image forming equipment, relate to ink box technical field, when being used for solving among the prior art ink box and dismantling from the installation department, the structure of ink box damages easily and the more difficult technical problem of ink box takes out, this ink box includes the casing and sets up block portion on the casing and rather than the operating portion of being connected or butt, the inside directional protruding portion's of edge ink box direction, at least part operating portion is located the outside of casing, block portion and the protruding portion block of installation department, and the operating portion is located the outside of protruding portion, and at least part of operating portion and protruding portion between have the interval, so that press the operating portion. According to the ink box and the image forming device, the operation part is formed on one side of the ink box, the user does not need to stretch the hand into the middle part of the ink box for operation, and the ink box is convenient to take out from the installation part; and the ink box can not move downwards at the original loading position to damage the structure of the ink box.

Description

Ink cartridge and image forming apparatus

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to ink cartridges, and particularly to an ink cartridge and an image forming apparatus.

Background

An image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image on a medium (e.g., paper) by an image forming process technique, and includes an ink cartridge that is a consumable part and needs to be replaced with a new one after use; therefore, the ink cartridge is usually detachably mounted in the mounting portion.

The detachable installation mode of the existing ink box and the installation part is as follows: the left side and the right side of the ink box are respectively provided with a clamping block, and the mounting part is internally provided with a groove matched with the clamping block and a rotating lever used for dismounting the ink box. When a new ink box needs to be replaced, the rotating lever is pushed to release the clamping connection between the ink box and the mounting part; however, the end of the rotation lever also moves downward and drives the entire ink cartridge downward, so that the ink cartridge moves downward at the original loading position, which is likely to cause structural damage.

In order to solve the above problem, another mounting method of the ink cartridge and the mounting portion is provided in the prior art, for example, as disclosed in the publication of cn201720295399.x, a positioning groove is provided on a top portion of a side wall of the mounting portion, a sliding groove is provided on the top portion of the ink cartridge, and a notch of the sliding groove is disposed opposite to a notch of the positioning groove. The sliding groove is internally provided with a shifting plate and an inserting tongue positioned at the end part of the shifting plate, one side of the shifting plate is connected with the elastic piece, the shifting plate drives the inserting tongue to move towards the positioning groove under the elastic action of the elastic piece, and the inserting tongue is inserted into the positioning groove, so that the ink box is installed to the installation part. When the ink box needs to be replaced, the elastic force of the elastic piece is overcome, and the poking plate needs to be poked reversely, so that the tongue plate leaves the positioning groove, and the ink box is taken out.

However, when the ink cartridge is mounted to the mounting portion in the above manner, although the structure of the ink cartridge is not damaged when the ink cartridge is detached, the user needs to insert his or her hand into the middle of the ink cartridge to push the shifting plate, which is inconvenient for the user to operate, and makes it difficult to take out the ink cartridge.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide an ink cartridge and an image forming apparatus that can facilitate the removal of the ink cartridge from a mounting portion without damaging the structure thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions:

a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides an ink cartridge mounted on a mounting portion of an image forming apparatus, the mounting portion having a movable lever provided with a protruding portion protruding from a top of the mounting portion; the ink box comprises a shell, a clamping part and an operating part, wherein the clamping part and the operating part are arranged on the shell; along the direction that the inside of the ink box points to the protruding part, at least part of the operation part is positioned at one side of the shell, and the clamping part is connected with or abutted against the operation part; the engaging portion is configured to engage with the protruding portion, the operation portion is provided outside the protruding portion in a direction in which an inside of the ink cartridge is directed toward the protruding portion, and a space is maintained between at least a part of the operation portion and the protruding portion.

In an alternative embodiment, the operating portion has a first position and a second position; when the operating part is located at the first position, the clamping part is configured to be clamped with the protruding part; when the operating portion is located at the second position, the engaging portion is disengaged from the protruding portion.

In an alternative embodiment, the engaging portion is connected to the operating portion; the clamping part comprises two limiting arms which are opposite and arranged at intervals, one end of each limiting arm is connected with the shell to form a root part, and the other end of each limiting arm protrudes towards one side to form a limiting flange; the limiting flange is clamped with the bottom surface of the protruding part.

In an alternative embodiment, the operating portion includes a pressing plate disposed between the two stopper arms;

one end of the pressing plate is fixedly connected with the two limiting arms respectively, and the other end of the pressing plate is a pressing end and is provided with a movable space.

In an alternative embodiment, one end of the pressing plate is connected with one end of the limiting arm close to the limiting flange, and the other end of the pressing plate extends towards the root of the limiting arm;

the limiting flange extends towards one side departing from the pressing plate in a protruding mode, and the limiting arm is located on the outer side of the protruding portion.

In an optional embodiment, a rib plate is arranged between the two limiting arms, and the rib plate is positioned at one end of the limiting arm close to the limiting flange;

the pressing plate is connected to the rib plate.

In an alternative embodiment, one end of the pressing plate is connected with one end of the limiting arm close to the root thereof, and the other end of the pressing plate extends towards one end of the limiting arm close to the limiting flange;

the limiting flange protrudes towards one side of the pressing plate, and the limiting arm is located on the inner side of the protruding portion.

In an alternative embodiment, at least a part of the operating portion is slidably mounted in the housing in a sliding direction in accordance with a direction in which the protrusion is directed along the inside of the ink cartridge;

the clamping part is positioned on the inner side of the protruding part and is arranged in the shell in a sliding mode; the sliding direction of the clamping part is consistent with that of the operation part, and the end part of the clamping part is inserted into the positioning groove of the protruding part;

the operating portion abuts against the engaging portion, and the engaging portion is configured such that an end of the engaging portion is disengaged from the positioning groove when an urging force is applied from the operating portion.

In an alternative embodiment, the operating portion includes an operating lever and a first elastic member;

the operating rod comprises a first rod body, a second rod body and a butting rod, the first rod body is slidably mounted at the top of the shell, and the second rod body is positioned on the outer side of the protruding part and is arranged opposite to the side surface of the protruding part;

one end of the abutting rod is arranged on the inner side of the second rod body and abuts against the clamping part;

one end of the first elastic element is abutted with the shell, and the other end of the first elastic element is abutted with the first rod body.

In an alternative embodiment, the engaging portion includes a catch lever and a second elastic member;

the clamping rod comprises a clamping rod body, a clamping tongue and an abutting part, and the clamping tongue and the abutting part are both provided with one side of the clamping rod body facing the protruding part;

the clamping rod body is slidably mounted in the shell, the clamping tongue is inserted into the positioning groove of the protruding part, and the abutting part abuts against the abutting rod;

one end of the second elastic element is abutted to the shell, and the other end of the second elastic element is abutted to the clamping rod body.

A second aspect of embodiments of the present application provides an image forming apparatus including the ink cartridge of the first aspect described above, a mounting portion having a movable lever.

Compared with the related art, the ink box and the image forming device provided by the embodiment of the application have the following advantages:

the ink cartridge comprises a shell, a clamping part arranged on the shell and an operating part connected or abutted with the clamping part, at least part of the operating part is located on the outer side of the shell along the direction of the inner pointing to the protruding part of the ink cartridge, the clamping part is clamped with the protruding part of the mounting part, the operating part is located on the outer side of the protruding part, and an interval is kept between the part of the operating part and the protruding part, so that the operating part can be pressed conveniently. When the ink box needs to be replaced, the operation part at one side of the ink box is pressed to deform the clamping part, so that the clamping state of the clamping part and the protruding part is released, and the ink box can be taken out from the mounting part.

Compared with the prior art, the ink box and the image forming device provided by the embodiment of the application have the advantages that the operation part is formed on one side of the ink box, the hand of a user does not need to stretch into the middle part of the ink box to carry out related operation, and the ink box does not damage the structure of the ink box due to downward movement at the original loading position.

In addition to the technical problems addressed by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical features constituting the technical solutions, and the advantages brought by the technical features of the technical solutions described above, other technical problems solved by the ink cartridge and the image forming apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, other technical features included in the technical solutions, and advantages brought by the technical features will be further described in detail in the detailed description.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a mounting portion provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another angle of the mounting portion according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a first schematic structural diagram of a movable rod according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a second schematic structural diagram of a movable rod according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an overall structure of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the connection between an ink cartridge and a mounting portion according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view taken at A in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the entire structure of another ink cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the connection of the ink cartridge of FIG. 8 to a mounting portion;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of another ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is an exploded view of the operation portion and the engagement portion in fig. 10.

Description of reference numerals:

10-mounting a bracket;

11-a bottom wall; 111-installation site; 12-a first side wall; 121-card slot; 13-a second side wall;

20-a movable rod;

21-a shaft body; 22-a protrusion; 221-a limiting surface; 222-groove surface of the positioning groove; 23-a rotating shaft;

30-an ink supply tube;

40-an electrical connection;

51-a housing; 511-card table; 512-ink outlet;

52-a cover body; 53-a chip holder; 531-chip;

60-an operating part;

61-pressing plate; 62-an operating lever; 621-a first rod; 622-second rod; 623-a butt joint rod; 63-a first elastic element;

70-a clamping part;

71-a spacing arm; 711-a stop flange; 712-rib plate; 72-a clamping rod; 721-a jamming rod body; 722-an abutment; 723-tongue block; 73-a second elastic element;

100-a mounting portion;

200-ink cartridge.

Detailed Description

As described in the background art, the prior art provides a detachable mounting method of an ink cartridge and a mounting portion, when a new ink cartridge needs to be replaced, a rotating lever needs to be pushed to release the clamping between the ink cartridge and the mounting portion; however, the entire ink cartridge is moved downward by the rotation lever, so that the ink cartridge is moved downward at the original loading position, which is likely to cause structural damage. In order to avoid the structural damage of the ink box, the prior art provides another detachable installation mode of the ink box and the installation part, the operation position of the detachable installation mode is located in the middle position of the top of the ink box, the hand of a user needs to go deep into the middle part of the ink box to perform corresponding operation, and the detachable installation mode is inconvenient for the user to operate, so that the ink box is difficult to take out.

In view of the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an ink cartridge and an image forming apparatus, where the ink cartridge includes a housing, and a snap-fit portion and an operation portion provided on the housing, at least a part of the operation portion is located outside the protrusion, and a space is maintained between the part of the operation portion and the protrusion, so as to press the operation portion.

When the ink box needs to be replaced, the operating part on one side of the ink box is pressed and the clamping part is deformed, so that the clamping state of the clamping part and the protruding part is released, and the ink box can be taken out from the mounting part; need not user's hand and stretch into the ink horn middle part and operate, can not make the ink horn at former loading position downstream yet and the structure causes the damage, consequently, the ink horn that this application embodiment provided, the joint state of convenience of customers operation and release ink horn and installation department is convenient for take out the ink horn in the installation department to no damage to the structure of ink horn.

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more comprehensible, embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely a few embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2 in combination with fig. 5, the image forming apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application may also be a printer, and the image forming apparatus includes a mounting portion 100 and an ink cartridge 200, where the mounting portion 100 includes a mounting bracket 10, the mounting bracket 10 has a mounting groove for accommodating the ink cartridge 200, and at least one ink cartridge 200 can be detachably mounted on the mounting bracket 10. When the ink in the ink cartridge 200 is used up, a new ink cartridge 200 may be replaced; thus, the image forming apparatus can continue to execute the print job.

For convenience of description of the present embodiment, the directions or directions related to the present embodiment are defined by referring to the coordinate systems in fig. 1 and fig. 2. For example, the mounting groove of the mounting portion may be a rectangular groove, and a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system is set, and the X-axis direction of the coordinate system may be defined as the width direction of the mounting groove; the Y-axis direction is the length direction of the mounting groove and is the arrangement direction of the plurality of ink cartridges 200 in the mounting groove; the Z-axis direction is a groove depth direction of the mounting groove or a height direction of the ink cartridge 200.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the mounting portion 100 includes not only the mounting bracket 10, but also the ink supply tube 30, the movable rod 20, and the like, wherein the mounting bracket 10 may be a rectangular housing with an open top end, and the mounting groove is disposed inside the mounting bracket 10. The mounting bracket 10 includes a bottom wall 11, and a first side wall 12 and a second side wall 13 disposed opposite to each other, and the first side wall 12 and the second side wall 13 are respectively disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the bottom wall 11 along the X-axis direction.

Referring to fig. 2, at least one mounting position 111 is disposed on the bottom wall 11, each mounting position 111 is correspondingly mounted with one ink cartridge 200, the ink supply tubes 30 can be disposed at the positions of the mounting positions 111, the ink supply tubes 30 are disposed on the bottom wall 11, and the ink supply tubes 30 are communicated with the ink outlets of the ink cartridges 200 to provide ink for the printer.

For example, the bottom wall 11 may be provided with a plurality of mounting locations 111, and a plurality of ink cartridges 200 may be mounted in the mounting portion 100. The ink colors of the plurality of ink cartridges 200 may be the same, for example, all black; alternatively, the ink colors of the plurality of ink cartridges 200 are different, for example, the ink colors of the plurality of ink cartridges 200 are black, blue, red, yellow, light blue, light red, and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The inner surface of the first side wall 12 is provided with a catching groove 121, and the catching groove 121 may be a blind hole formed on the first side wall 12, or the catching groove 121 may be a through hole formed on the first side wall 12. The clamping grooves 121 correspond to the mounting positions 111 one by one, namely, one clamping groove 121 corresponds to one ink box 200, one end, facing the first side wall 12, of the ink box 200 is provided with a clamping table 511, the clamping groove 121 and the clamping table 511 are arranged in a matched mode, so that one end of the ink box 200 can be inserted into the clamping groove 121 through the clamping table 511 to limit the ink box 200.

The bottom end of the second side wall 13 is provided with an electrical connection portion 40, the electrical connection portion 40 is configured to be connected to an internal circuit of the printer, and when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the mounting portion 100, the electrical connection portion 40 is electrically connected to the chip 531 of the ink cartridge 200 and identifies information of the chip 531.

The movable lever 20 is mounted on the top end of the second side wall 13 and is rotatable with respect to the mounting bracket 10. As shown in fig. 3, the movable lever 20 provided in this embodiment includes a lever main body 21, a protrusion 22, and a rotation shaft 23, wherein the rotation shaft 23 is located at both sides of the lever main body 21 in the Y-axis direction, the rotation shaft 23 may be formed by protrusions provided at both sides of the lever main body 21, and the axial direction of the rotation shaft 23 is arranged parallel to the Y-axis direction of the mounting bracket 10 and is mounted at the top end or upper portion of the second side wall 13 through the rotation shaft 23.

The protrusion 22 is provided above the rotation shaft 23 in the Z-axis direction, the protrusion 22 is inclined toward the + X-axis direction side with respect to the lever main body 21, and the protrusion 22 protrudes from the second side wall 13, that is, in the + X-axis direction, the protrusion 22 is located outside the inner wall of the second side wall 13, so that the movable lever 20 is engaged with the ink cartridge 200.

As shown in fig. 4, the bottom surface of the protrusion 22 is provided with a stopper surface 221 and a groove surface 222 provided with a positioning groove on the back surface (i.e., on the-X axis side) of the protrusion 22, and the stopper surface 221 may also be the end surface of the-Z end of the protrusion 22, and the back surface of the protrusion 22 is the side surface of the protrusion 22 on the-X axis. The groove surface 222 and the limiting surface 221 of the positioning groove can be used for being clamped with the ink box 200, so that when the mounting part 100 and the ink box 200 adopt different clamping modes, the movable rod 20 can be applied, and the applicability of the movable rod is improved.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the ink cartridge 200 provided in this embodiment includes a housing 51, the housing 51 has an ink accommodating chamber therein, an ink outlet 512 is provided at the bottom of the housing 51 along the Z-axis direction, and the ink cartridge 200 is connected to the ink supply tube 30 of the mounting portion 100 through the ink outlet 512, and can supply ink to the printer.

A clamping table 511 is arranged on one side end face of the shell 51 along the X-axis direction, and is clamped with the clamping groove 121 of the mounting part 100 through the clamping table 511; the other side surface of the case 51 is provided with an engaging portion 70, an operation portion 60, a chip holder 53, and the like, the chip holder 53 may be provided near the bottom of the case 51, and the chip 531 electrically connected to the electrical connection portion 40 is provided on the chip holder 53.

The engaging portion 70 and the operating portion 60 are provided on one end surface of the housing 51 in the X-axis direction, and at least a part of the operating portion 60 is located outside the housing 51. For example, a part of the operation portion 60 is located outside the engaging portion 70 so that the user can press the operation portion 60. The engaging portion 70 and the operating portion 60 are both disposed near the top of the housing 51, and the engaging portion 70 is connected to or abutted against the operating portion 60, so that when the operating portion 60 is pressed, the engaging portion 70 is deformed and changes its position.

As shown in fig. 6, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted in the mount portion 100, the chip 531 at the bottom of the ink cartridge 200 contacts the electrical connection portion 40, and the ink outlet 512 at the bottom of the ink cartridge 200 communicates with the ink supply tube 30 in the mount portion 100. One side of the ink cartridge 200 is inserted into the insertion groove 121 of the mounting part 100 through the insertion platform 511, the other side of the ink cartridge 200 is close to the movable rod 20, the engagement part 70 of the ink cartridge 200 is engaged with the protrusion 22, and along the direction (along the + X axis direction) in which the inside of the ink cartridge 200 is directed to the protrusion 22, at least a part of the operation part 60 is located outside the protrusion 22, and a space is provided between the operation part 60 and the protrusion 22 to provide a deformation space for the operation part 60.

When the operation unit 60 is at the first position, the engagement unit 70 is engaged with the protrusion 22, and the ink cartridge 200 is engaged with the mounting unit 100; when a new ink cartridge 200 needs to be replaced, the engagement between the ink cartridge 200 and the mounting portion 100 is released, the operating portion 60 is pressed to place the operating portion 60 in the second position, and the engaging portion 70 is deformed or changed in position, so that the engagement between the engaging portion 70 and the protrusion 22 is released and disengaged, and the ink cartridge 200 is ejected upward by the urging force of the electrical connection portion 40 and the ink supply tube 30, and the ink cartridge 200 can be removed.

According to the ink box and the image forming device provided by the embodiment of the application, the operation part 60 is formed on one side of the ink box 200, at least part of the operation part 60 is positioned on the outer side of the protruding part 22, the user does not need to stretch hands into the middle part of the ink box 200 to operate, and the ink box 200 does not move downwards at the original loading position to damage the structure of the ink box; therefore, the ink cartridge 200 provided in the embodiment of the present application facilitates the user to operate and release the engagement between the ink cartridge 200 and the mounting portion 100, facilitates the removal of the ink cartridge 200 from the mounting portion 100, and does not damage the structure of the ink cartridge 200.

In the present embodiment, the cover 52 is provided on the top of the case 51 to close the ink inlet of the ink cartridge 200, but the cover 52 may be provided on other positions such as the end surface of the case 51. The present embodiment is described by taking an example in which the engaging portion 70 and the operating portion 60 are formed on the cover 52, and the engaging portion 70 and the operating portion 60 are provided in different manners, and the engaging portion 70 and the protruding portion 22 of the movable lever 20 are connected in different manners, which will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, and fig. 7, the engaging portion 70 is connected to the operating portion 60, and the engaging portion 70 is engaged with the bottom limiting surface 221 of the protruding portion 22.

The engaging portion 70 includes two limiting arms 71, and the two limiting arms 71 can extend downward from one side of the cover 52 to the outer end surface of the housing 51, and are opposite to the end surface of the housing 51 and keep a certain distance, and the distance can form an insertion space of the protrusion 22.

Along the Y-axis direction, two limiting arms 71 are arranged on the cover 52 at intervals and oppositely, one end of each limiting arm 71 is connected with the cover 52 to form a root of the limiting arm, the other end of each limiting arm 71 extends outwards and extends to a position opposite to the end face of the shell 51, one end of each limiting arm 71, which is far away from the cover 52, protrudes towards one side and forms a limiting flange 711, namely, one end of each limiting arm 71, which is close to the protruding portion 22, protrudes towards one side to form a limiting flange 711, and the limiting flange 711 is used for being clamped with the limiting surface 221 of the protruding portion 22.

The operation unit 60 includes a pressing plate 61, and the pressing plate 61 is disposed between two stopper arms 71 in the Y-axis direction. One end of the pressing plate 61 is fixedly connected to the stopper arm 71, and the other end of the pressing plate 61 is a free end, and a space is provided between the free end of the pressing plate 61 and the protrusion 22, so that the pressing plate 61 can be deformed by operating the pressing plate 61, thereby driving the stopper arm 71 to deform and releasing the engagement between the stopper flange 711 and the stopper surface 221.

Referring to fig. 7, in one possible embodiment, the restricting flange 711 protrudes toward the side facing away from the pressing plate 61, that is, the restricting flange 711 is located on the-X-axis side of the restricting arm 71 and protrudes toward the-X-axis direction. One end of the pressing plate 61 is connected to one end of the position-limiting flange 711 close to the position-limiting arm 71, that is, the bottom end of the pressing plate 61 is connected to one end of the position-limiting arm 71 away from the root thereof, the free end of the pressing plate 61 extends toward the root of the position-limiting arm 71, and can also extend vertically upward, and one side of the free end of the pressing plate 61 facing the protruding portion 22 has a deformation space.

Referring to fig. 6, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted to the mounting portion 100, the position-limiting arm 71 and the pressing plate 61 are both located outside the protrusion 22, i.e., the position-limiting arm 71 is engaged with the + X-axis side of the protrusion 22, and the position-limiting flange 711 is engaged with the position-limiting surface 221 of the protrusion 22.

When the ink cartridge 200 needs to be taken out, a user pushes the upper end (i.e., the free end) of the pressing plate 61 along the-X axis, the upper end of the pressing plate 61 moves along the-X axis, the limiting arm 71 drives the limiting flange 711 to move due to the connection between the pressing plate 61 and the limiting arm 71, the limiting arm 71 moves towards the + X axis for a certain distance, the limiting flange 711 can be separated from the limiting surface 221 of the protruding part 22, and further, the ink cartridge 200 bounces upwards under the action force of the electrical connection part 40 and the ink supply tube 30, so that the ink cartridge 200 can be taken out.

With continued reference to fig. 7, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, in order to facilitate the connection between the pressing plate 61 and the arm 71 and to increase the structural strength between the two arms 71, in this embodiment, a rib 712 is provided between the two arms 71, the rib 712 is located at one end of the arm 71 close to the stop flange 711, and the bottom end of the pressing plate 61 is fixed on the rib 712. With this arrangement, not only the structural strength of the engaging portion 70 can be increased, but also the reliability and synchronism of deformation between the operating portion 60 and the engaging portion 70 can be ensured.

As shown in fig. 8, in another possible embodiment, the restricting flange 711 protrudes toward one side of the pressing plate 61, that is, the restricting flange 711 is located on the + X-axis side of the restricting arm 71 and protrudes toward the + X-axis direction; one end of the pressing plate 61 is connected to an end near the root of the stopper arm 71, that is, the tip of the pressing plate 61 is connected to an end of the stopper arm 71 near the root, and the free end of the pressing plate 61 extends in a direction away from the root of the stopper arm 71 and is close to the stopper flange 711 of the stopper arm 71. An insertion space of the projection 22 is formed between the free end of the pressing plate 61 and the stopper arm 71, that is, the stopper arm 71 is located on the back side of the projection 22, and the pressing plate 61 is located on the outer side of the projection 22.

As shown in fig. 9, when the ink cartridge 200 is mounted to the mounting portion 100, the stopper arm 71 is positioned inside the protrusion 22, the pressing plate 61 is positioned outside the protrusion 22, that is, the stopper arm 71 is engaged from the side of the-X axis of the protrusion 22, and the stopper flange 711 of the stopper arm 71 is engaged with the stopper surface 221 of the protrusion 22.

When the ink cartridge 200 needs to be taken out, a user pushes the lower end of the pressing plate 61 along the-X axis, the lower end of the pressing plate 61 moves towards the-X axis, the pressing plate 61 is connected with the limiting arm 71, the limiting arm 71 drives the limiting flange 711 to move, the limiting arm 71 moves towards the-X axis for a certain distance, the limiting flange 711 is separated from the limiting surface 221 of the protruding part 22, and the ink cartridge 200 bounces upwards under the action force of the electric connection part 40 and the ink supply tube 30, so that the ink cartridge 200 can be taken out.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the embodiment of the present application provides another scheme for matching the engaging portion with the operating portion, which is specifically as follows:

the operation portion 60 is slidably mounted in the housing 51, part of the operation portion 60 is located outside the housing 51, and the operation portion 60 slides in the same direction along the-X axis, i.e., part of the operation portion 60 is slidably mounted on the bottom surface of the cover 52 facing the inside of the housing 51 and can move along the direction of the protrusion 22 toward the inside of the ink cartridge 200, and part of the operation portion 60 is located on one side of the housing 51 and outside the protrusion 22, and the operation portion 60 can move along the-X axis by pressing the operation portion 60 located outside the housing 51.

The engaging part 70 is slidably mounted in the housing 51 and is located inside the protruding part 22; the sliding direction of the engaging portion 70 coincides with the sliding direction of the operating portion 60. The end of the engaging portion 70 facing the protruding portion 22 can be inserted into the positioning groove on the back of the protruding portion 22 and engaged with the groove surface 222 in a contacting manner, one end of the engaging portion 70 close to the protruding portion 22 contacts the operating portion 60, when the operating portion 60 moves toward the housing 51, the engaging portion 70 can contact the protruding portion 22 and move the operating portion 60 continuously, and the end of the engaging portion 70 is disengaged from the positioning groove.

Illustratively, the operating portion 60 in this embodiment includes an operating rod 62, and the operating rod 62 includes a first rod 621, a second rod 622 and an abutting rod 623 connected together, wherein the first rod 621 is slidably mounted on the bottom surface of the cover 52, that is, the first rod 621 is slidably mounted on the top of the housing 51.

One end of the second rod 622 is connected to the first rod 621, the other end extends to the outside of the housing 51, and one end of the second rod 622 away from the first rod 621 is bent to form a bent portion, the bent portion is opposite to one side end face of the housing 51, and a space is formed between the bent portion and the one side end face of the housing 51; the bent portion may form a pressing portion of the operating lever 62.

One end of the abutting rod 623 is disposed on the inner surface of the first rod 621 or the second rod 622, the extending direction of the other end of the abutting rod 623 is the same as the sliding direction of the second rod 622, and the abutting rod 623 can abut against the engaging portion 70.

The operating portion 60 further includes a first elastic member 63, and the first elastic member 63 may be a coil spring; one end of the first elastic element 63 abuts against the end of the first rod 621, or is sleeved on the end of the first rod 621, and the other end of the first elastic element 63 abuts against the inside of the housing 51, so that the operating lever 62 can provide a restoring force.

The engaging portion 70 includes a rod 72 and a second elastic element 73, the rod 72 includes a rod body 721, a latch 723 and an abutting portion 722, wherein the latch 723 body is slidably mounted in the housing 51, the second elastic element 72 may be a coil spring, one end of the second elastic element 73 abuts against the housing 51, the other end abuts against the rod body 721, and can provide an elastic force for the engaging portion 70, the direction of the elastic force is consistent with the sliding direction of the rod body 721, and the same direction is consistent with the sliding direction of the first rod 621, so that the end of the engaging portion 70 and the protruding portion 22 can maintain an engaging state.

Further, the latch 723 and the abutting portion 722 are both provided on the side of the latch body 721 facing the protruding portion 22, the abutting portion 722 is provided opposite to the abutting rod 623, and the abutting portion 722 abuts against the abutting rod 623 and receives the urging force from the operating portion 60. The latch 723 is engaged with the groove surface 222 of the positioning groove on the back side of the protruding portion 22, and under the action of the second elastic element 73, the latch 723 can be inserted into the positioning groove.

When the ink cartridge 200 is mounted to the mounting portion 100, the engaging portion 70 is located at the back side of the protruding portion 22, the latch 723 is inserted into the positioning groove, and under the action of the second elastic element 73, the latch 723 and the groove surface 222 of the positioning groove maintain a locking state, and accordingly, the operating portion 60 is located at the first position, that is, the engaging portion 70 and the protruding portion 22 maintain a locking state.

When the ink cartridge 200 needs to be taken out, the user pushes the pressing portion of the second rod 622 along the-X axis, and overcomes the elastic force of the first elastic element 63, and the first rod 621 moves towards the-X axis direction under the driving of the second rod 622. Since the connecting rod 623 is connected to the first rod 621 or the second rod 622, the connecting rod 623 is driven to move toward the-X axis direction, and the connecting rod 623 is connected to the connecting portion 722 of the engaging portion 70.

Continuously pushing the second rod 622, overcoming the elasticity of the second elastic element 73, moving the latch 723 of the engaging portion 70 a distance along the-X axis direction, and releasing the latch 723 from the positioning groove; further, the ink cartridge 200 is ejected upward by the force of the electrical connection portion 40 and the ink supply tube 30, and the ink cartridge 200 can be taken out.

In the ink cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application, the operation portion 60 is formed on one side of the ink cartridge 200, and at least a part of the operation portion 60 is located outside the protrusion 22, so that the user does not need to stretch his hand into the middle of the ink cartridge 200 to operate, and the ink cartridge 200 does not move downward at the original loading position to damage its structure, therefore, the ink cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application facilitates the user to operate and release the clamping state between the ink cartridge 200 and the mounting portion 100, facilitates the ink cartridge 200 to be taken out from the mounting portion 100, and does not damage the structure of the ink cartridge 200.

The embodiments or implementation modes in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on differences from other embodiments, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments may be referred to each other.

It should be noted that references in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

In general, terms should be understood at least in part by their use in context. For example, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in the plural, depending, at least in part, on the context. Similarly, terms such as "a" or "the" may also be understood to convey a singular use or to convey a plural use, depending at least in part on the context.

It should be readily understood that "on … …", "above … …" and "above … …" in this disclosure should be interpreted in its broadest sense such that "on … …" means not only "directly on something", but also includes the meaning of "on something" with intervening features or layers therebetween, and "above … …" or "above … …" includes not only the meaning of "above something" or "above" but also includes the meaning of "above something" or "above" with no intervening features or layers therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's illustrated relationship to another element or feature. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly as well.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used for illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (11)

1. An ink cartridge is mounted on a mounting portion of an image forming apparatus, the mounting portion having a movable lever provided with a protruding portion protruding from a top of the mounting portion; the ink cartridge is characterized by comprising a shell, a clamping part and an operating part, wherein the clamping part and the operating part are arranged on the shell;

along the direction that the inside of the ink box points to the protruding part, at least part of the operation part is positioned at one side of the shell, and the clamping part is connected with or abutted against the operation part;

the engaging portion is configured to engage with the protruding portion, the operation portion is provided outside the protruding portion in a direction in which an inside of the ink cartridge is directed toward the protruding portion, and a space is maintained between at least a part of the operation portion and the protruding portion.

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the operation portion has a first position and a second position;

when the operating part is located at the first position, the clamping part is configured to be clamped with the protruding part;

when the operating portion is located at the second position, the engaging portion is disengaged from the protruding portion.

3. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is connected to the operating portion;

the clamping part comprises two limiting arms which are opposite and arranged at intervals, one end of each limiting arm is connected with the shell to form a root part, and the other end of each limiting arm protrudes towards one side to form a limiting flange;

the limiting flange is clamped with the bottom surface of the protruding part.

4. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the operation portion includes a pressing plate provided between the two stopper arms;

one end of the pressing plate is fixedly connected with the two limiting arms respectively, and the other end of the pressing plate is a pressing end and is provided with a movable space.

5. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 4, wherein one end of the pressing plate is connected to one end of the stopper arm near the stopper flange, and the other end extends toward a root of the stopper arm;

the limiting flange extends towards one side departing from the pressing plate in a protruding mode, and the limiting arm is located on the outer side of the protruding portion.

6. The ink box according to claim 5, wherein a rib is arranged between the two limit arms, and the rib is positioned at one end of the limit arm close to the limit flange;

the pressing plate is connected to the rib plate.

7. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 4, wherein one end of the pressing plate is connected to one end of the stopper arm near a root thereof, and the other end extends toward one end of the stopper arm near the stopper flange;

the limiting flange protrudes towards one side of the pressing plate, and the limiting arm is located on the inner side of the protruding portion.

8. The ink cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a part of the operating portion is slidably mounted in the housing in a direction coincident with a direction in which the protrusion is directed along an inside of the ink cartridge;

the clamping part is positioned on the inner side of the protruding part and is arranged in the shell in a sliding mode; the sliding direction of the clamping part is consistent with that of the operation part, and the end part of the clamping part is inserted into the positioning groove of the protruding part;

the operating portion abuts against the engaging portion, and the engaging portion is configured such that an end of the engaging portion is disengaged from the positioning groove when an urging force is applied from the operating portion.

9. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 8, wherein the operating portion includes an operating lever and a first elastic member;

the operating rod comprises a first rod body, a second rod body and a butting rod, the first rod body is slidably mounted at the top of the shell, and the second rod body is positioned on the outer side of the protruding part and is arranged opposite to the side surface of the protruding part;

one end of the abutting rod is arranged on the inner side of the second rod body and abuts against the clamping part;

one end of the first elastic element is abutted with the shell, and the other end of the first elastic element is abutted with the first rod body.

10. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 9, wherein the engaging portion includes a catch lever and a second elastic member;

the clamping rod comprises a clamping rod body, a clamping tongue and an abutting part, and the clamping tongue and the abutting part are both provided with one side of the clamping rod body facing the protruding part;

the clamping rod body is slidably mounted in the shell, the clamping tongue is inserted into the positioning groove of the protruding part, and the abutting part abuts against the abutting rod;

one end of the second elastic element is abutted to the shell, and the other end of the second elastic element is abutted to the clamping rod body.

11. An image forming apparatus, characterized by comprising the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a mounting portion having a movable lever.

Images