ES2364224T3 - INK CARTRIDGE. - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink cartridge adapted to be inserted into a recording apparatus, the ink cartridge comprising: an upper wall, a lower wall (3; 103), a front wall (7; 107) that intersects the lower wall, a wall rear (8; 108) that intersects the bottom wall and faces the front wall, a first side and a second side facing the first side, in which a distance between the first and second side defines the thickness of the cartridge ink; an ink supply port (4; 104) disposed on the bottom wall in a position displaced closer to the front wall than to the rear wall; a first projecting part (12; 112) located more near the lower wall than the upper wall; a base plate (15, 115) fixed on the first projecting part and being parallel to the rear wall; a plurality of electrodes (14; 114) formed on the base plate; a memory unit (18) connected to the hands of some of the plurality of electrodes and mounted on the base plate; and in which the first projecting part has flat side surfaces (12b, c; 112a, b) that project from the rear wall and that are parallel to the first and second side, characterized in that the first projecting part is arranged on the rear wall and the distance between the flat side surfaces in the thickness direction is smaller than the thickness of the ink cartridge, so that the flat side surfaces are located near the respective end of the base plate in the direction of the thickness of the ink cartridge , and one of the flat side surfaces is substantially aligned with the first side.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Ink cartridge

Background of the invention

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for supplying ink, which is removably mounted on a carriage that fixes a recording head to eject ink droplets from the nozzle openings to print data such as an image.

An ink cartridge that is removably mounted on a carriage in fluid communication with a recording head must have a secure waterproof relationship with a member that forms a flow path, such as an ink supply needle, which by itself communicates with the recording head. At the same time, it is required that the ink cartridge can be easily mounted and removable for replacement. In the event that an ink cartridge has a memory unit that stores ink information in it, the ink cartridge is provided with an electrode for contacting a recording apparatus, and is required to be housed in a media holder. cartridge to allow safe contact with a contact unit of the recording device.

For example, as International Patent Publication No. 01/54910 shows, an ink supply port is formed on a wall surface defining an ink container. At the same time, a memory unit and a group of electrodes (a plurality of electrodes) are provided on one of the many opposite wall surfaces oriented towards this wall surface, and first two projections are provided on this entire group of electrodes. Also, a biased lever is provided in the opening direction hinged on the other wall surface. That is, this document shows an ink container that has, on a wall of the container, an electrical storage device that contains information about the ink in the container and this container is installed in a receiving station. The projections extend outwardly from the wall of the container that has the electrical storage device and the projections are located on the sides of the storage device. The memory device, which is aligned with the wall, is located between the two projections. Projections on the sides of the container extend outwardly beyond the width of the ink container.

Also, a receptacle of the ink container of the recording apparatus is provided to cooperate with the ink container with two second projections for connecting with the first projections on the upper surface and the side portions thereof, and a recessed part for connecting with the lever.

Using such a configuration, the container can be loaded obliquely into the ink container receptacle so that the first projections are connected first with the second projections, and then the other side is pushed. In this process, the ink supply port is adjacent to the member that forms the flow path for the ink supply. Also, the lever is connected to the recessed part. Accordingly, the ink container is attached to the ink container receptacle in the state in which the ink can be supplied.

In the state in which the ink cartridge has been attached to the ink container receptacle, the ink container is always pressed upwards by a spring provided in the ink container receptacle. Therefore, the first two projections of the ink container and the second two projections of the ink container of the ink container receiver are connected to each other in two directions up and down and right and left. In this way, the upper and lower and right and left positions of the ink container are maintained in a predetermined reference position, so that a group of electrodes of the ink container securely contacts a contact group of the container of the container for ink

However, two projecting parts of positioning on both sides of a group of electrodes of the ink container are needed. The need for these projecting parts creates a problem due to the fact that the ink container and the ink container receptacle are complicated in structure and increase in width.

There is also a problem due to the fact that, because the lever is flexed open away from the body of the cartridge by its own elastic force, a strong elastic force cannot be exerted, that is, in the case where the lever is It deforms towards the side of the container and is compactly housed in a box or the like, the external connecting force of the lever will be reduced and the cartridge will not be kept as safe as desired.

In addition, because the ink container must rotate around a point when the ink container is coupled to the ink container receptacle, there is also a problem because, when the member that forms the flow path to connect With the ink supply port being long in length, a great flexural force is applied to the member that forms the flow path, which can break or damage the member that forms the flow path and damage a packaging located in the port of ink supply

US Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0085075 discloses an ink container having a parallel pipedal shape in which a group of electrodes is disposed on a side surface. The ink container is fixed in a predetermined position of a support using a loading lever. According to the disclosure of this publication, because the ink cartridge is maintained in a predetermined position of the support by means of the force with pressure of the loading lever, the structure of the loading lever must be conceived in order to establish reliable contact of the electrode group, resulting in a complicated structure.

US Patent No. 6,276,780 describes an inkjet cartridge and carriage in which, during the installation of the cartridge, a projection in the lower rear corner of the ink cartridge is received in an opening under a retainer bar in the car. The cartridge rotates around the projection until the upper corner of the cartridge, diagonally in front of the projection, moves completely and slides under a pin. The ink cartridge has no intelligence in the form of an electronic memory device.

US Patent No. 6,460,984 describes an ink cartridge with a pin arm that has a projection that cooperates with the structure on the printer carriage to secure the cartridge. In addition, during installation, the corresponding hole in the carriage receives a projection on the cartridge. Again, the ink cartridge has no intelligence in the form of an electronic memory device.

European Patent Application No. 0 822 084 represents several embodiments of an inkjet recording head, all of them having a support member that receives the ink tanks, as well as the recording device substrate, which itself includes elements of Recording that are operated through the electrical contacts. The ink tanks are mounted on the support member by a combination of a movable arm that is connected to an opening in the support member and one or more projections that are received in the corresponding openings in the support member. The reference does not specifically explain how the assembled inkjet recording head is mounted on the carriage of the inkjet recording apparatus, nor is there any mention of a memory device. In addition, EP-A-1 247 651 discloses an ink cartridge having the characteristics of the preamble of claim 1.

Summary of the Invention

The invention has been made in view of and with the intention of overcoming such problems, and an object of the invention is to provide an ink cartridge that allows the simplification of the position regulating structure of a group of electrodes and the reduction in size. .

Also, another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge that can be mounted by moving an ink supply port in parallel to a member that forms the flow path at least at the time of assembly.

Furthermore, even another object of the invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus suitable for receiving the aforementioned ink cartridge.

To solve such problems, the present invention suggests an ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1. Preferred optional features are described in the dependent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

Figs. 1A and 1B are perspective views, each showing different parts of a first embodiment of an ink cartridge according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an ink supply port of the ink cartridge shown in Figs. 1A and 1B;

Figs. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing, respectively, the structure of the front and rear of a base plate that has electrodes and can be mounted on a projecting part of the ink cartridge shown in Figs. 1A and 1B, and Fig. 3C is a schematic view showing the locations of the contacts that will contact the electrodes;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a carriage of a recording apparatus suitable for receiving the ink cartridge shown in the preceding Figures;

Fig. 5 is an elevation view showing a state in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage;

Fig. 6A is a top plan view showing the state in which the ink cartridge of Figs. 1A and 1B is mounted on the carriage, and Fig. 6B is an enlarged view showing the proximity of a projecting part defining a fixing surface of the base plate;

Fig. 7A is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a recessed part of a member forming the contact and an elastic part unit, and Fig. 7B is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the upper end of a channel of Fig. 7A;

Figs. 8A and 8B are perspective views showing embodiments of the member that forms the contact and the elastic piece unit, respectively;

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view showing a state in which the ink cartridge is aligned with a predetermined carriage position;

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view showing a state in which an ink cartridge is pushed by a projecting part until an elastic part deforms;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view showing a procedure for removing the ink cartridge;

Fig. 12 is a schematic view showing a place of rotation during removal of the ink cartridge;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a modification of the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of this invention;

Figs. 14A-14H are perspective views showing an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the exterior of an embodiment of a carriage of a recording apparatus, which is suitable for receiving the ink cartridge of the second embodiment;

Fig. 16 is a top plan view, showing the ink cartridge of the second embodiment mounted on the carriage with a mounting lever being removed;

Fig. 17 is a side elevational view showing the ink cartridge of the second embodiment mounted on the carriage and fixed in place by the mounting lever;

Fig. 18 is a side elevational view showing the ink cartridge of the second embodiment placed in the carriage with the ink supply port adjoining the ink supply needle;

Fig. 19 is a side elevational view showing the ink cartridge of the second embodiment set in a position where a lever retains the ink cartridge, and the ink cartridge is released from the mounting lever;

Fig. 20 is a side elevational view showing a state in which the ink cartridge of the second embodiment connects with the ink supply needle and the lever is disconnected from the carriage;

Figs. 21A and 21B are perspective views showing modifications of the second embodiment;

Figs. 22A and 22B are perspective views showing a color ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of this invention;

Figs. 23A, 23B and 23C are side elevational views and a bottom plan view of the color ink cartridge of the third embodiment;

Figs. 24A and 24B are perspective views showing a black ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of this invention;

Figs. 25A, 25B and 25C are side elevational views and a bottom plan view of the black ink cartridge according to the third embodiment;

Figs. 26A, 26B, 26C and 26D are a top plan view, front, side and rear elevation, respectively, of an embodiment of a block to be mounted on the color ink cartridge shown in Figs. 22 and 23;

Figs. 27A, 27B, 27C and 27D are a top plan view, front, side and rear elevation, respectively, of another embodiment of the block to be mounted on another color ink cartridge;

Figs. 28A, 28B, 28C and 28D are a top plan, front, side and rear elevation view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a block to be mounted on the black ink cartridge of the third embodiment; Y

Figs. 29A and 29B are perspective views showing an embodiment of a fixing system formed in each of the color ink cartridge and black ink cartridge to fix the block therein.

Description of the preferred embodiments

Next, the details of the invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

Figs. 1A and 1B individually show an embodiment of an ink cartridge according to this invention. In this embodiment, an ink cartridge 1 includes a flat container that includes a container body 2a and a lid body 2b (which could also be referred to as the first and second side), and an ink supply port 4 that is provided on a wall surface (the bottom wall) 3 of the container body 2a and connecting with an ink supply needle, which is part of a member that forms the flow path of a recording head, to supply ink to the head of recording. In addition, the ink supply port 4 is disposed in a position shifted from the central plane of the cartridge to one side, in the longitudinal direction (ie, on the side of a wall surface ("side wall") formed with a lever 9 serving as a retaining member). The ink cartridge 1 also has an upper surface (upper wall). The ink supply port 4 is configured to define a path of the ink flow passing through the bottom wall 3 and which is connected to the ink supply needle for fluid communication by means of the ink flow path between the ink supply needle and an ink chamber of the ink cartridge 1. In this embodiment, a part of the ink supply port 4 projects outwardly from the wall surface 3 of the container body 2a as illustrated, but the Ink supply port according to the present invention is not limited to this design.

As shown in Fig. 2, the ink cartridge 1 includes a valve body 6 that is normally held closed by a spring 5, which exerts a diverting force on the valve body. The valve body 6 and the spring 5 are arranged on the side of the main end of the ink supply port 4. An annular elastic sealing member 6a for connecting in a sealed manner with the member that forms the flow path (not shown) it is loaded on the outer side, that is, the side of the main end, of the valve body 6.

With reference again to Figs. 1A and 1B, the lever 9 serving as the elastically deformable retaining member is formed on a surface of the wall 7 on the side closest to the ink supply port 4 outside the two opposite wall surfaces 7, 8 that are substantially orthogonal to the wall surface 3 having the ink supply port 4. The wall surface 7 can be considered the front wall, and the wall surface 8 can be considered the back wall (those skilled in the art will appreciate that this terminology could invert) The lever 9 extends upward so that its lower end is located on the wall surface 7, and its upper part is separated from the wall surface 7. A guide projecting portion 10 is formed on the lower part of the surface of wall 7.

Also, a projecting part 12 having a surface 12a, for example, a flat surface, which can support an elastic piece or a pressure member of the recording apparatus (discussed in detail below) is formed on a part of the lower end of the other wall surface 8 to be narrower in width than the width of the ink container that includes the container body 2a and the lid body 2b. As shown in Fig. 5, the surface 12a of the projecting part 12 acts as an upper surface of a part pressed in this embodiment to be pressed by an elastic piece or a pressure member 40 of the recording apparatus. Going back to Figs. 1A and 1b, a recessed part 2c having a size suitable for receiving a user's thumb is formed on the upper part of the wall surface 8. A plurality of electrodes 14 for making electrical contact with the elastic contacts 41 of a recording apparatus (shown in Fig. 5) are formed on a surface 13 of the projecting part 12 parallel to the wall surface 8. In this embodiment, the electrodes 14 are formed in two interleaved rows (three electrodes in the row upper and four electrodes in the lower row) so that a set of electrodes 14 are horizontally arranged in each row. It will be appreciated that this invention encompasses the use of any other suitable electrode configuration.

The electrode disposed in the center of the upper row is located on a plane that crosses the central axis of the ink supply port 4 and is also perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes 14 are formed. Other electrodes are arranged with reference to this centrally arranged electrode. By this arrangement of the electrodes in this embodiment, the positional displacement of the electrodes can be reduced even when the ink cartridge moves into the ink supply port during the assembly of the ink cartridge.

As shown in Fig. 3A, these electrodes 14 are formed on the front surface of a base plate 15 and are arranged by fixing the base plate 15 to the surface 13 of the projecting part 12. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3B, a memory unit 18 such as a semiconductor read and write memory element, such as an EEPROM, which stores information about the ink contained in the ink container, is mounted on the back surface of the base plate 15, and it is electrically connected to at least some of the electrodes 14.

Because the memory unit 18 is mounted on the rear surface of the base plate 15 in this manner, an inlet 13a (see Fig. 1B) can be formed preliminary on the surface 13 of the projecting part 12 using the thickness of the part developer 12 to store the memory unit 18 therein. This arrangement also makes it possible to fully use the entire surface side of the base plate 15 as an area over which the electrodes 14 can be arranged. In addition, the electrodes 14 can be formed by a circuit printing technology, while effectively using the uniformity of the base plate 15, to thereby provide better contact reliability.

Referring now to Fig. 1A, a recessed portion is provided that aids rotation 17 to help remove the ink cartridge from the carriage, as discussed below. The recessed part 17 cooperates with a carriage positioning member, and is formed on the side of the part where the projection part 12 is formed. This recessed part supporting the rotation 17 has an inclined surface 17a, whose bottom part is positioned on the side of the wall surface 8, and whose upper part narrows inward towards the side facing the wall surface 7 of the ink cartridge 1.

A lever 9 is provided on the wall surface 7 of the container body 2a with a fulcrum, a pivot point, 9a on the bottom of the lever 9 and is elastically deformable. A clamp part, or projection, 19 that serves as a connection part connectable with and detachable from a connection part with the suitable shape 38 of the carriage projects outwardly over the fulcrum 9a. Another projection 20 is formed between the fulcrum 9a and the clamp portion 19, to project laterally outward from the lever body, and preferably such a projection is formed on each side of the lever body.

Figs. 4 and 5 show the carriage structure of an embodiment of a recording device suitable for receiving the aforementioned ink cartridge. A cartridge 30 is configured as a cartridge holder and is designed with a substantially box shape so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted thereon from above. The lateral surface around the bottom of the cartridge 30 is formed by a recessed part 31 that is connected with a guide member formed by plate processing a structure of the recording apparatus or the like and regulating the mobile travel of the cartridge 30, and a surface guide 32 that slides on the flat surface of a second guide member (not shown).

As shown in Fig. 6, a portion of the storage of the ink cartridge 30 is divided into channels 33 (seen in Fig. 4), and channels 34 to separate one cartridge from another, each channel serving both as a member regulating the width direction as a member that helps rotation, to store a plurality of ink cartridges. In this embodiment, the cartridge receives three color ink cartridges, all of them formed with the same shape and a black ink cartridge that is wider than the other ink cartridges, but which otherwise has the same shape. Particularly, while the lower parts of the channels 34 have the same width, the side of the central part of the upper part of each channel 34 is formed with an inclined surface part 34a to cooperate with the recessed part that helps rotation 17 of cartridge 1 (this can also be seen in Fig. 7B). Since the channel 34 has such a structure, the lateral surface at the bottom of the channel 34 is adjacent to the lateral surface of the positioning projecting part 12 of the cartridge to regulate the position in relation to the width of the cartridge. Also, when it is time to remove the ink cartridge, the point around which the rotated cartridge can be controlled by the shape and position of the inclined surface part 34a and the recessed part that helps rotation 17.

As shown in Fig. 4, a member forming the flow path 36 (in this embodiment, a hollow needle having a conical main end part and a continuous cylindrical part extending therefrom) to connect with the port The ink supply for supplying ink to a recording head 35 provided on the lower surface of the carriage is located in each storage region of the ink cartridge. A plurality of fine through holes, each of which can maintain a meniscus, are formed through a conical surface of the conical part of the hollow needle 36, so that the ink can be supplied from these through holes to the recording head. by means of the cylindrical part of the hollow needle.

As shown in Fig. 5, the carriage 30 has a wall surface opposite to the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1 which is formed with a slot 37 to connect to the projection 20, and also a connecting part 38 (a part embedded in this embodiment) to connect with the clamp part 19. The slot 37, which can be considered as a retaining member, is formed with an inclined surface 37a, the upper part of which widens towards the side of the cartridge. During loading of the ink cartridge in the carriage 30, the inclined surface 37a cooperates with the ink cartridge as follows. In the initial stage of loading the cartridge, the projection 20 on each side safely contacts this inclined surface 37a due to the wide mouth of the inclined surface, regardless of how open the lever 9 is. Also, once the cartridge of ink has been mounted, the inclined surface 37a forces the lever 9 to rotate open towards the side of the wall surface of the cartridge, that is, outward. Particularly when the projection 20 is formed on each side, the lever can be firmly guided to a preferred position, even when the lever is rotated.

Also, a second slot 39 is formed under the slot 37. This second slot 39, which can be considered as a retaining member, is connected to the guide projecting part 10 of the ink cartridge just before the end of loading, and prevents The ink cartridge moves in the direction in relation to the width when assembly is complete. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide projecting part 10 and the slot 37 are provided in the ink cartridge and in the storage part of the ink cartridge, respectively, in order to increase the volume of the ink cartridge as much as possible. It will be appreciated that the same benefits can be obtained by guiding the ink cartridge if the slot 37 is formed in the ink cartridge and the projecting part 10 is formed in the storage part of the ink cartridge, although the storage capacity of the ink cartridge Ink could be reduced.

As shown in Fig. 5, each ink cartridge storage region on the opposite surface of the cartridge 30 is formed with an elastic positioning piece 40, which can also be considered as a pressure member, an upper end 40a serving as a rotation fulcrum, and a lower end 40b that is contiguous with the flat surface 12a of the projecting part of the ink cartridge 12. The elastic contact 41 (which may include a plurality of electrical contacts) for electronically contacting the electrodes 14 formed on the projecting part 12 is arranged under this elastic piece 40.

It should be understood that it is preferred that the ink cartridge is mounted on carriage 30 with only a small amount of rotation, as shown in Figs. 5, 9 and 10, as this will limit the forces that are being applied to any of the parts of the ink cartridge and the recording apparatus.

Fig. 7A shows an embodiment of the structure in the region of the carriage 30 having the elastic part 40 and the elastic contacts 41. As shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 7B, the region opposite the ink cartridge 1 is formed with an open top slot or opening 34c that is defined between adjacent channels 34, and each channel has a slot 34 on both of its sides. A member forming the contact 42 has an elastically deformable clamp (projection) 41a on each side as shown in Fig. 8A. The member that forms the contact 42 includes a substrate 41b that mounts the elastic contacts 41 and the member that forms the contact is inserted into the bottom side of each slot 34c. A plurality of elastic parts 40, as shown in Fig. 8B, are respectively mounted on the upper slots of the openings 34c. In this embodiment, an elastic piece unit 50 formed with four elastic pieces 40 is mounted thereon. In the elastic piece unit 50, a projecting part 51 for connecting with the groove 34b is formed on each side of each elastic piece 40 and a clamp (projection) 52 limits the vertical movement of the elastic piece 40. Because these parts elastic 40 are arranged to cover respectively the members that form the contact 42, each elastic piece 40 also has the function of protecting the member that forms the contact 42. In addition, the reference number 53 represents the guide projecting part.

In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 is aligned in position with a predetermined region of the cartridge 30, as shown in Fig. 9, the projecting part 12 is adjacent to the elastic piece 40. When the ink cartridge 1 is pushed down in this orientation, as shown in Fig. 10, the elastic piece 40 is compressed by the projecting part 12 and deformed in the direction shown by the arrow B. Therefore, the ink cartridge 1 moves ahead of elastic piece 40 and continue down.

In this process, the projection 20 on each side of the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1 contacts the inclined surface 37a that forms the part of the widening. Also, the guide projecting part 10 enters the slot 39. When the cartridge 1 advances further, both sides of the positioning projecting part 12 are guided by the channels 34, and the ink supply needle 36 enters the supply port of ink 4 to raise the valve body 6 against the force of the spring 5.

It is preferred that the width of the projection or projections 20, taken together with the width of the lever 9, is not greater than the distance in the direction in relation to the width between the container body 2a and the lid body 2b. In this way, since the positioning structure is not wider than the ink cartridge itself, adjacent tub cartridges can be arranged closely, because the projections of adjacent ink cartridges will not interfere with each other.

Therefore, the ink cartridge 1 is placed in a predetermined position. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the lever 9 rotates around a region that serves as a pivot point at an external position predetermined by the action of the inclined surface 37a of the carriage, and the clamp 19 moves against the connecting part 38 under a strong elastic force applied, thereby generating a perceptible "click" that the user can hear or feel. In this way, the user can easily determine that the cartridge has been firmly mounted on the carriage.

As depicted in Figs. 1A and 1B, the lever 9 is an elongate member coupled to the wall surface 7 by a flexible hinge. Those skilled in the art will understand that this structure is shown by way of example only, and without limitation, and that other binding combinations could also be used without departing from this invention.

Also, almost simultaneously, the elastic piece 40 is no longer subjected to the force exerted by the projecting part 12 and therefore returns to its previous state by its own elasticity. Therefore, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 is adjacent to the flat surface 12a at the top of the projecting part 12. At this time, the ink cartridge 1 is driven against the elastic contacts 41. Accordingly, the electrodes 14 can be placed in electrical communication with the elastic contacts 41 without substantial friction between the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 41. This not only eliminates wear and damage of the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 12, but also prevents damage to data stored in an EEPROM (memory device), which could otherwise result from inappropriate contact.

In this state, in the vertical direction, the side near the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the projecting part 12 and the lower end of the elastic part 40, and the rear side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the clip 19 and the connecting part 38. Also, in the horizontal direction (width direction), the location of the near side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated on both sides of the projecting part 12 and the projecting part that regulates the width direction 34 , and the position of the rear side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the guide groove 39 and the guide projecting part 10. Because the position of the ink cartridge can be precisely controlled, the electrodes 14 are correctly positioned to establish the electrical contact with each elastic contact 41.

Due to this arrangement, the mounted ink cartridge is held diagonally by the lower part of the near side and the upper part of the rear side. Therefore, the mounted ink cartridge can be held firmly in a predetermined position without reducing its operability.

Also, since the strong elastic force acting on the lever 9 drives the ink cartridge towards the elastic contacts 41, the electrodes 14 press hard against the elastic contacts to maintain the electrically conductive relationship between them. Furthermore, since the elastic member 6a of the ink supply port 4 has a smaller diameter opening than the ink supply needle 36, due to its elasticity, the elastic sealing member 6a of the ink supply port 4 is elastically deforms to some extent while maintaining an airtight relationship with the ink supply needle 36 therein, to release local contact with the ink supply needle 36, thereby preventing damage that could otherwise be caused by the action of a local force applied to the ink supply needle 36. Furthermore, it is preferred to use the elastic member 6a that has such an ability to automatically align that the portion of the elastic member 6a, which elastically contacts the ink supply needle 36 , is movable in relation to a part of the elastic member 6a, which is fixed to the cartridge.

Also, the projecting part 12 is formed with a width that is not greater than that of the container body 2a. therefore, even when each space in the direction of the selection between adjacent ink cartridges is reduced to the minimum possible, that is, even when the plurality of ink cartridges are stored in a substantially contact arrangement against each other, the Position of the ink cartridges in the direction of the matrix can be precisely regulated. In other words, because projecting part 12 is narrower than the ink cartridge itself, adjacent ink cartridges may be arranged close together, since these positioning projecting parts will not interfere with each other.

Coincidentally, the terms "selection address" refer to a line along which successive ink cartridges mounted on the carriage are arranged. As shown in Fig. 6, this line is parallel to the scanning direction along which the carriage is returned during printing.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is to be removed from the carriage 30, the ink cartridge 1 is maintained, for example, with the index of the operator on the lever 9 and the thumb on the recessed part that presses 2c, and lever 9 is pressed and deformed to move towards the near side, that is, the side of the main container body (it should be understood that other fingers could also be used). When the lever 9 is elastically deformed, the clamp 19 is disconnected from the connecting part 38. The ink cartridge, which has lost the support previously provided by the connecting part 38, moves slightly up in response to the polarization force exerted by the spring 5 in the ink supply port, and the clamp 19 on the lever 9 moves to a position outside the region of connecting part 38.

The ink supply port 4 is arranged in a location displaced towards the wall surface 7 where the lever 9 is arranged. Therefore, during the removal of the cartridge, the ink supply port 4 can be disconnected from the member forming the flow path, that is, the ink supply needle 36 by rotating the cartridge around a large radius of rotation L in the direction shown by the direction of the arrow G around a buttress point F of the ink cartridge with the end bottom of the elastic piece 40, as schematically shown in Fig. 12. This arrangement can reduce the adverse effects of any bending force (torque) applied to the ink supply needle 36 in cooperation with a damping function of the elastic sealing member 6a which elastically contacts the cylindrical part of the ink supply needle 36.

When the ink cartridge is rotated during removal of the cartridge, the channel 34, in particular, the part of the inclined surface 34a, attempts to interfere with the side surface of the main body of the ink cartridge container 2a, but the presence of the recessed part 17 in this part can prevent interference from channel 34 to allow easy and convenient removal of the cartridge.

The amount of displacement between the center of the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be expressed by Δ L = L - (H / tanθ), where L is the distance between the buttress point F with which the elastic piece 40 contacts to restrict a center of rotation, and the lower end of the central axis C of the ink supply port 4, H is the maximum value of the incoming length of the ink supply needle 36, and θ is the angle of rotation required during ink cartridge removal.

The rotation angle θ is the angle of rotation of the ink cartridge needed from the state in which the ink supply needle 36 is connected with the ink supply port 4 to the state in which the center point of the main end of The ink supply needle 36 is positioned outside the surface of the end of the ink supply port 4.

The maximum value for H is defined as approximately the length from the lower end of the ink supply port 4 to the intersection point E where the central axis C of the ink supply port 4 crosses a line drawn to extend from the buttress point F (shown as the reference number F in Fig. 12) and parallel to the bottom surface of the ink cartridge (to be perpendicular to the central axis C).

Since the ink cartridge has an ink supply needle (36) that mounts the length H of approximately 5 mm, the rotation radius L is approximately 28.8 mm and the rotation angle θ is approximately 10 degrees, the amount of displacement Δ L between the center of the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be calculated to be approximately 0.4 mm.

In other words, an amount of deformation whereby the elastic sealing member 6a installed in the ink supply port 4 can be deformed by a force that does not cause damage to the ink supply needle 36 is defined as ΔL, and the radius of rotation L can be set as L> H / tanθ

image 1 Δ L.

Furthermore, since the rotational force is applied to the distal end of the lever 9, which is the furthest from the projecting part 12 diagonally, the ink cartridge can be easily removed.

Furthermore, by rotating in this manner, the electrodes 14 can be put in electrical communication with the elastic contacts 41 without substantial friction between the electrodes 14 and those elastic contacts 41. This eliminates not only wear and damage to the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 12, but also the damage to the data stored in an EEPROM (the memory device) that could otherwise be caused by improper contact.

In addition, a projecting part that can be easily adjusted to the user's thumb can be provided instead of the recessed part that squeezes 2c in order to provide the same effect.

On the other hand, the opposite side of the ink cartridge is constructed such that the projecting part 12 is prevented from moving along the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40. Therefore, when the side of the lever 9 is raised, as shown in Fig. 4, the cartridge rotates in the direction of arrow C, as shown in Fig. 11, around the upper surface of the projecting part 12, which serves as a rotation fulcrum, while at the same time it is guided by channel 34 which serves as the projecting part that regulates the width direction. At the same time, the channel 34 that divides the storage region of the cartridge enters the recessed portion that assists the rotation 17 formed on the side surface of the ink cartridge 1 so that the ink cartridge 1 rotates at a predetermined angle, that is, the position in which the flat surface 12a of the projecting part 12 is disconnected from the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40. Therefore, at this stage, the ink cartridge 1 has been disconnected from the carriage 30 and can rise obliquely for removal from carriage 30.

Fig. 13 shows another embodiment of an ink cartridge according to this invention. Although the container body 2a of this ink cartridge 1 'differs in depth D and therefore in storage capacity of the aforementioned ink cartridge 1, the other structures such as the lid body 2b of the ink cartridge 1' have the same configuration as those of the corresponding structures of the aforementioned ink cartridge 1. Taking into account this difference in the width of the ink cartridge, the projecting part 12 is formed in a position shifted in the width direction to one side of a container body 2a '. The center in relation to the width of the group of electrodes 14 is suitably arranged to be positioned on a line C 'parallel to a central axis C of an ink supply port 4' as in the aforementioned ink cartridge 1 (the line C 'corresponding to a line obtained by projecting the central axis C perpendicularly on the surface on which the electrodes 14) are formed.

Again, it will be appreciated that in the aforementioned embodiment, the assembly operation is effective because it employs a linear movement of the ink cartridge. When the projecting part 12 is positioned first, and then the ink cartridge is mounted by rotating the lever 9 with the projecting part 12 serving as a fulcrum, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 is still contiguous with the flat surface 12a of the projecting part 12. Then, with this buttress region that serves as a center of rotation, in the direction in relation to the width, the near side is regulated by the projecting part that regulates the width direction 34, and the rear it is regulated by the guide groove 39. Due to the precise control of the position of the ink cartridge, the electrodes 14 establish an appropriate electrically conductive relationship with the elastic contacts 41 without substantial friction.

An additional benefit of this invention is that the ink supply port 4 is located on the side of the lever 9 in a position separated from the projecting part 12, which serves as a rotation fulcrum. Due to this arrangement, during the assembly and removal of the cartridge the ink supply port 4 moves as parallel as possible to the axis of the ink supply needle 36, thereby preventing the generation of undesirable forces that would tend to deform undesirably the elastic sealing member 6a disposed in the ink supply port 4.

Then, the structures of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and a cartridge adapted for use with the ink cartridge of the second embodiment will be analyzed.

Figs. 14A and 14B individually show a second embodiment of an ink cartridge according to this invention. The ink cartridge 101 is constructed in a manner substantially similar to the first embodiment. That is, the ink cartridge 101 includes a flat container that includes a container body 102a and a lid body 102b (which can also be referred to as the first and second sides), and an ink supply port 104 that is provided on a wall surface (the bottom wall) 103 of the container body 102a that is connected with a needle of the ink supply, configuring a member that forms the flow path of a second head, to supply ink to the recording head.

In more detail, the ink cartridge 101 is sized so that the width W1 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which a plurality of cartridges are presented is the longest, the height of the cartridge H1 is slightly shorter than the width W1, and the thickness (depth) D1 in the direction parallel to the direction of the presentation of the cartridges is set at approximately 1/5 of the height H1. This sizing of the ink cartridge 101 is intended to make the entire length in the direction of the presentation as minimal as possible when a plurality of ink cartridges is presented.

In addition, the ink supply port 104 is disposed in a position displaced from the central plane of the ink cartridge to one side, in the longitudinal direction, (i.e., on the side of a wall surface (side wall) formed with a lever 109 serving as a retaining member). The ink cartridge 1 also has an upper surface (upper wall). The ink supply port 104 is configured to define a path of the ink flow passing through the bottom wall 103 and to connect with the ink supply needle for fluid communication through the path of the ink flow between the ink supply needle and an ink chamber of the ink cartridge 101. In this embodiment, a portion of the ink supply port 104 projects outwardly from the wall surface 103 of the container body 102a as illustrated, but the port Ink supply according to the present invention is not limited to this design.

As discussed with reference to Fig. 2 in the first embodiment, the ink cartridge 101 includes a valve body 106 that is normally held closed by the spring 5, which exerts a diverting force on the valve body. The valve body 6 and the spring 5 are arranged on the side of the main end of the ink supply port 104. An annular elastic sealing member 6a for connecting in a sealed manner with the member forming the flow path (not shown) it is loaded on the outer side, that is, the side of the main end, of the valve body 6.

With continued reference to Figs. 14A and 14B, the lever 109 serving as the elastically deformable retaining member is formed on a wall surface 107 on the side closest to the ink supply port 104 of the two opposite wall surfaces 107, 108 that are substantially orthogonal to the wall surface 103 having the ink supply port 104. The lever 109 is provided on the wall surface 107 of the container body 2a to have a fulcrum, a pivot point, 109a on the bottom of the lever 109 and to be elastically deformable. A clamp part, a projection, 119 that serves as a connecting part that can be connected to and disconnected from a connecting part with the appropriate shape 136 of the carriage is projected outwardly over the fulcrum 109a. A pair of projections 120 are formed between the fulcrum 109a and the clamp portion 119, so that they project laterally outward from a lever body, and preferably such projection is formed on each side of the lever body. A projecting part 110 that has a guiding function and that prevents the movement of the cartridge is formed on the lower part of the wall surface 107 below the lever 109.

A lever receptacle part, a projecting part 111 in this embodiment, is formed on the other wall surface 108 at a location where a carriage mounting lever (discussed in detail below) can lower the receptacle part lever A projecting part 112 having surfaces, for example, flat front surface 113 and flat side surfaces 112a and 112b, is formed on a part of the lower end of the other wall surface 108 below the projecting part 111. The projecting part 112 it is arranged to protrude from the wall surface 108 of the cartridge, and to be restricted on both sides by the recording apparatus when mounted therein. The surfaces 113, 112a and 112b of the projecting part 112 are parallel to the direction of insertion of the ink cartridge into the recording apparatus (the axial direction of the ink supply port). A plurality of electrodes 114 for making electrical contact with an elastic contact member 140 of the recording apparatus are formed on this surface 113 of the projecting portion 112. In this embodiment, the electrodes 114 are formed in two interleaved rows, an upper row and a bottom row, so that a plurality of electrodes is horizontally arranged in each row along a line.

The flat side surfaces 112a, 112b of the first projecting part 112 and the receiving structure of the printing apparatus can be sized so that there is a free space between these structures, since this can facilitate the assembly of the ink cartridge 101 in the carriage of the recording device This free space can be made of any suitable size, as long as it is not so large that the ink cartridge 101 can move in position to such an extent that the electrical contact between the electrodes on the ink cartridge and the contacts on the ink is lost. printing apparatus (that is, too large a space will lead to misalignment).

Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 14C-D, the flat side surfaces 112a, 112b of the projecting part 112 may be provided with a shaped surface structure so as to facilitate the precise and safe assembly of the ink cartridge 101. By way of non-limiting example, the sides 112a and 112b may respectively have projections with suitable shapes 112a ', 112b' formed therein. As shown in FIGS. 14C-D, each of these projections 112a ’, 112b’, may be hemispherical in shape. Any other suitable form, such as oval or rectangular, could also be used. As an additional alternative, sides 112a, 112b may have raised channels or crests 112a ’, 112b’ ’that extend along their length; as depicted in FIGS. 14E-F, those channels or ridges can be triangular in shape. Any other suitable transverse shape, such as hemispherical, oval or rectangular, could also be used. And, in addition, as shown in FIGS. 14G-H, projecting part 112 could be formed with holes or slots 112a ’’ ’, 112b’ ’’ formed on sides 112a, 112b. As before, any suitable shape could be used for the hollow, such as hemispherical, oval or rectangular.

The carriage of the printing apparatus (not shown) can be constructed to house the projections, ridges or grooves formed on the projecting part 112 of the ink cartridge 101, as discussed above. For example, projections 112a ', 112b' and crests 112a '', 112b '' can be received in suitably sized slots (not shown), and slots 112a '' ', 112b' '' can be connected to projections or channels properly sized (not shown). Alternatively, a distance between the lateral surfaces 112a and 112b of the lower projecting part 112 may be set slightly smaller than D2 so that a distance between the apexes of the projections 112a 'and 112b' (the crests 112a '' and 112b '' ) is set equal to D2. Figs. 14D and 14F show the last case in which the distances between the apexes of projections 112a ’and 112b’ (the crests 112a ’and 112b’) are set equal to D2.

Again, it will be appreciated that some free space can be provided between the structure of the printing apparatus and the side portions 112a, 112b, projections 112a ', 112b', ridges 112a '', 112b '', or slots 112a '' ' , 112b '' 'of the ink cartridge 101, as long as this space allows adequate electrical contact between the electrodes on the ink cartridge and the contacts on the printing apparatus (too large a space will lead to misalignment).

Since the wall surface 108 is narrow in relation to the width (thickness) direction, the electrodes 114, each having a vertically elongated shape to ensure a necessary area, are arranged vertically and laterally in a set of columns and rows, whereby electrodes 114 can be concentrically arranged in a region that is around surfaces 112a and 112b that serves as a positioning part in the right and left direction of ink cartridge 101 and that is precisely controlled in position with high accuracy . This arrangement improves reliable contact between electrodes 114 and elastic contact members.

140.

Like the base plate 15 and the electrodes 14 formed therein as discussed with reference to Fig. 3A, the electrodes 114 are formed on the front surface of a base plate 115 and are arranged by fixing the base plate 115 to the surface 113 of the projecting part 112. In addition, as shown in Fig. 3B, a memory unit such as a semiconductor read and write memory element, such as an EEPROM, which stores information about the ink contained in the ink container, is mounted on the rear surface of the base plate 115, and electrically connected to at least some of the electrodes 114.

The projecting part 111 is arranged to receive a downwardly applied positioning exerted on the ink cartridge 101 at a location that is not very displaced from (which is substantially located on) an imaginary surface that extends upward from the surface of the plate base 115 on which a plurality of electrodes 114 are arranged. This arrangement eliminates the positioning error of electrodes 114, which would otherwise be caused by torsion of the ink cartridge during the assembly of the ink cartridge, and makes precise contact between electrodes 114 and elastic contact members 140.

Figs. 15 to 17 show the carriage structure of an embodiment of a recording device suitable for receiving the aforementioned ink cartridge. Fig. 15 shows the external appearance of the car, and Figs.

16 and 17 show a state in which the ink cartridges are correctly mounted. A carriage 130 is configured by a main part of the cartridge holder 131 and a mounting lever 132. The main part of the cartridge holder 131 is formed in a substantially box-shaped manner so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted into the Same from above. The mounting lever 132 is substantially formed as a frame structure having an opening in its upper part. The mounting lever 132 is rotatably supported by an axis 133 (separate hinges could also be used) on the part of the main body of the support 131 so that one side of the end of the main body of the support 131, that is, a side oriented towards the projecting parts 111 of the cartridges 101, it is located at the bottom.

The main body of the cartridge holder 131 is divided by channels 134 to accommodate a plurality of ink cartridges. A wall surface opposite to the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 is formed with slots 153 for receiving and connecting with the projections 120 located on both sides of the lever 109, and a connecting part 136 (a recessed part in this embodiment) for receive and connect or the part of the clamp 119.

The groove 135 is formed with an inclined surface 135a, whose upper part widens towards the side of the cartridge. During loading of the ink cartridge, the inclined surface 135a cooperates with the ink cartridge as follows. In the initial stage of loading the cartridge, the projections 120 on each side contact this inclined surface 135a safely due to the wide mouth of the inclined surface, regardless of how open the lever 109 is. Also, once the cartridge of ink has been mounted, the inclined surface 135a forces the lever 109 to rotate open towards the side of the carriage wall surface, that is, out of the ink cartridge 101. Particularly when the projections 120 are formed on both sides , the lever 109 can be firmly guided to a preferred position, even when the lever 109 is rotated.

Also, a second slot 137 is formed below slot 135. This slot 137 receives and connects to the guide projecting part 110 of the ink cartridge just before the end of loading, and prevents the ink cartridge from moving in the width direction when the assembly concludes. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide projecting part 110 and the slot 137 are provided on the ink cartridge and on the storage part of the ink cartridge, respectively, in order to increase the volume of the ink cartridge as much as possible. It will be appreciated that the same benefits can be obtained in the ink cartridge guide if the slot 137 is formed in the ink cartridge and the projecting part 110 is formed on the storage part of the ink cartridge.

The other wall surface of the cartridge holder is formed, in each cartridge storage region, with elastic contacts 140 that electrically contact electrodes 114 formed on the base plate 115 fixed to the projecting part 112 when the mounting lever 132 closes to a predetermined position.

In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 101 is aligned in position with a predetermined region of the carriage 130, as shown in Fig. 18, the ink cartridge 101 stops at a predetermined position where the delivery port of ink 104 of the ink cartridge is adjacent to the ink supply needle 138 of the carriage

130. When the ink cartridge 101 moves further down in this orientation, as shown in Fig. 9, the projections 120 on each side of the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 contact the inclined surface 135a that forms the part of the esanche. Also, the guide projecting part 110 enters slot 137. Also, the ink supply needle 138, which serves as an ink supply member that communicates with the recording head 139, enters the ink supply port 104 to raise the valve body 6 against the action of the spring 5.

When the ink cartridge 101 is thus placed in a predetermined position (Fig. 19), the lever 109 rotates around a region that serves as a pivot point or a fulcrum to an external position predetermined by the surface action inclined 135a of the carriage 130, and the clamp 119 moves against the connecting part 136 under a strong applied elastic force. In this state, since the other side of the ink cartridge 101, that is, one side on which the wall 108 exists, is free to some extent, the ink cartridge 101 pressed by the spring 5 can rotate slightly by Δ θ around the fulcrum, that is, a contact point of the clamp 119 with the connecting part 136.

In this state, when the mounting lever 132 rotates and closes, as shown in Fig. 20, the rotatably supported side of the mounting lever 132 moves down to a predetermined position and then lowers the projecting part 111 so that electrodes 114 and elastic contacts 140 establish a suitable electrically conductive relationship as shown in Fig. 17. At the same time, in this condition, both sides (both side surfaces) of the lower projecting part 112 are restricted by channels 134 arranged on the carriage as shown in Fig. 16 (and, if the side surfaces have projections, channels

or slots, by the associated structure of the carriage of the recording apparatus), and the movement in the orthogonal direction, that is, the vertical direction of this embodiment, is restricted by the mounting lever 132 through the projecting part 111. Consequently , precise and reliable contact can be maintained between the plurality of electrodes 114 and the plurality of elastic contacts 140. Furthermore, in the case where the lateral surfaces of the lower projecting part 112 have projections, if a distance between the apexes of the projections 112a 'and 112b' are set equal to D2 (that is, a distance between the lateral surfaces of the lower projecting part 112 is slightly lower than D2) as shown in Fig. 14D, the flat surfaces of the channels 134 As shown in Fig. 16, they can cooperate with and restrict projections 112a 'and 112b'. That is, the flat surfaces of the channels 134 as shown in Fig. 16 without having properly sized grooves can serve as the associated carriage structure of the recording apparatus in this modification. Similarly, in the case where the lateral surfaces of the lower projecting part 112 have channels, if a distance between the apexes of the projections 112a '' and 112b '' is set equal to D2 (that is, a distance between the lateral surfaces of the lower projecting part 112 slightly lower than D2) as shown in Fig. 14F, the flat surfaces of the channels 134 as shown in Fig. 16 can cooperate with and restrict projections 112a '' and 112b '' That is, the flat surfaces of the channels 134 as shown in Fig. 16 without having properly sized grooves can serve as the associated carriage structure of the recording apparatus in this modification. In the case where the lateral surfaces of the lower projecting part 112 have grooves, the planar surfaces of the channels 134 as shown in Fig. 16 can cooperate with and restrict the parts 112aa and 112bb of the lateral surfaces 112a and 112b , the parts 112aa and 112bb being adjacent to the slots 112a '' 'and 112b' '' and having a distance D2 between them as shown in Fig. 14H. That is, the flat surfaces of the channels 134 such as those shown in Fig. 16 without having properly sized projections or channels can serve as the associated carriage structure of the recording apparatus in this modification.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 101 has to be removed from the carriage 130, the mounting lever 132 is released from the part of the main body 131 as shown in Fig. 19. This action places the other side of the ink cartridge. 101, that is, the side on which the wall 108 exists, in a slightly free state in the vertical direction since the projecting part 111 on the wall 108 is released from the depression of the mounting lever 132.

In this state, the ink cartridge 101 is maintained, for example, with the index of the operator on the lever 108 and the thumb on the recessed part that squeezes 102c, and the lever 109 is pressed and deformed to move towards the side of the cartridge (Other fingers could also be used to grab the ink cartridge 101). As the lever 109 is elastically deformed, the clamp 119 is disconnected from the connecting part 136 of the main body part of the support 131. The ink cartridge, having previously lost the support provided by the connecting part 136, moves slightly downwards. for a distance ΔL in response to the diverting force exerted by the spring 5 (not shown) in the ink supply port 104, and the clamp 119 on the lever 109 moves to a position outside the region of the connecting part 136. In this phase, the ink cartridge 101 can be lifted upwards and removed from the carriage 130.

Therefore, during the replacement of a cartridge, other cartridges are also released from the depression of the mounting lever 132. That is, each of the ink cartridges rotates by a slight angle Δ θ being pressed by the spring 5 in each of the ink supply ports 104, and the cartridges and ink are pressed again and moved in the reverse direction by the mounting lever 132 when the assembly is complete. Consequently, the plurality of electrodes 114 move against the respective contacts 140 to prevent a contact error that would otherwise be caused by dust and rust.

In the case where the ink cartridge is not properly mounted, that is, in a state in which the projections 119 of the lever 109 do not connect with the connecting part 136, if the user tries to close the mounting lever 132 , the mounting lever 132 collides with the cartridge 101 as shown in Fig. 20, so that the mounting lever 132 cannot move to a position where the lever 132 can be retained. That is, in the case where the projection 119 of the lever 109 is connected to the connecting part 136, the mounting lever 132 can be placed in connection with the carriage by rotation of the small angle θ, but in the case in the that lever 109 is disconnected, the ink cartridge is raised by ΔL and therefore the mounting lever 132 which attempts to rotate the ink cartridge in this state causes a large movement in the position of the ink cartridge with respect to the carriage, resulting in a buttress of the wall surfaces of the ink cartridge 107 and 108 that strike the cartridge. For this reason, the mounting lever 132 cannot move with a normal force of pulsation. Consequently, the user notices the fact that the ink cartridge is not mounted in the correct position, and therefore reassembles the ink cartridge by changing it to a position where a click is heard or felt.

In the aforementioned embodiment, the projecting part 111, that is, the part of the lever receptacle that the mounting lever 132 squeezes to hold the ink cartridge, is constructed as a separate member of the projecting part 112 serving as the electrode forming part, in order to save material and reduce weight. However, as shown in Fig. 21A, the projecting part 112 serving as the electrode-forming part may be constructed such that its upper surface 111 'is located in a position where the upper surface 111' receives the mounting lever pressure 132, in order to provide the same effect.

According to this embodiment, the projecting part 112 can be extended to an upper part as shown in Fig. 21B to increase the size of the surface 113 on which the electrodes 114, etc. are formed, and arrange the electrodes 114 with more space This can eliminate the short circuits that the presence of ink or the like could cause, and can provide reliable contact with the elastic contact members 140 of the recording apparatus.

The characteristics of the aforementioned ink cartridges according to the first and second embodiments will be analyzed in more detail.

With continued reference to Figs. 14A-B, the ink cartridge 1, 101 is constructed such that the side surface 8, 108, which must be substantially parallel to the direction of the selection when the ink cartridge 1, 101 is mounted on the cartridge holder, It is vertically elongated in the cartridge mounting direction. The color ink cartridge according to each of the first and second embodiments is sized so that the atura H1 is approximately five times larger than the width of the cartridge (thickness) D1. By this structure, the width of the cartridge holder for mounting a plurality of ink cartridges can be made small in the direction of the selection as shown in Figs. 6 and 16. Again, other proportions could be used.

In addition, the base plate 15, 115 is disposed on the vertically elongated side surface 8, 108 at a location as close as possible to the bottom surface 3, 103, and the electrodes 14, 114 of the base plate 15, 115 are disposed on the surface of the base plate 15, 115 at a location (one side of the bottom) near the bottom surface 3, 103 in a displaced manner. Electrodes 14, 114 are further arranged in this location to be close to each other. In each of the first and second embodiments, the electrode assembly 14, 114 (the second electrodes 14, 114 in each of the first and second embodiment) are concentrically arranged and in a staggered manner so that the bottom row of the electrodes 14, 114 on the lower surface is longer in length than the upper row of electrodes 14, 114. Since the electrode assembly 14, 114 are arranged in a staggered manner, when the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the apparatus of recording are adjacent to electrodes 14, 114, elastic contacts 41, 140 that will contact the electrodes of the upper side 142 (electrodes 41, 140 of the upper row referred to as electrodes 142) pass through spaces or gaps between the electrodes of the lower side 141 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the lower row referred to as the electrodes 141) as shown by the locations R in Fig. 3C. That is, even when the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the recording apparatus move along the base plate 15, 115 while contacting the base plate 15, 115 until the correct electrical connection is established, the contacts can be prevented Elastic 41, 140 for contact with the electrodes 142 contact the electrodes 141 during the movement of the elastic contacts 41, 140. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the damage of the data stored in the memory device 18, which otherwise it would cause improper contact of the elastic contact 41, 140 with electrode 41, 140. In addition, each of the electrodes 14, 114 is designed to have a longer elongated shape in the direction of insertion of the cartridge in order to prevent short circuits between adjacent electrodes 14, 114 and to establish reliable electrical communication.

In each of the first and second embodiments, a large number of electrodes 14, 114 are efficiently arranged to be close to each other on a side surface 8, 108 having the narrow width (thickness) of the cartridge D1, and the base plate 15 , 115 will be positioned on the side of the deepest location of the cartridge holder where the movement of the ink cartridge in the direction of cartridge insertion is reduced. In this arrangement, since the lower surface of the cartridge is located on the deeper location side and the ink supply port 4, 104 is disposed on the lower surface, it is preferred to arrange the electrodes 14, 114 on one of the surfaces sides in order to prevent the ink from adhering thereto from the ink supply port 4, 104. More preferably, the electrodes 14, 114 are disposed on the lateral surface 8, 108 away from the ink supply port 4 , 104, not on the side surface 7, 107 closer to the ink supply port 4, 104 in view of eliminating the problem of ink adhesion.

The side walls 12b, 12c, 112a, 112b of the projecting part 12, 112 are respectively located as close as possible to the left and right ends of the cartridge in relation to the width of the base plate 15, 115, and are preferably located close to the ends of the electrode row. By this arrangement, the electrodes 14, 114 can be accurately positioned against the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the cartridge holder 30, 130.

In the second embodiment, the projecting part 111 serving as part of the lever receptacle is disposed at least above the projecting part 112 (on the rear side of the projecting part 112 in the cartridge insertion direction) on which electrodes 114 are arranged, to accurately position electrodes 114 without applying rotational force to electrodes 114. The projecting part 111 is preferably located within the width of the electrode row, and more preferably it is located above the center of the electrode row and symmetrically with respect to the center of the electrode row.

The projecting part 111 serving as part of the lever receptacle is sized such that the projecting height h1 from the side surface of the cartridge is smaller than the projecting height h2 of the projecting part 112, as can be seen in Fig. 14B. This arrangement makes it possible to design a part of the cartridge holder around the projecting part so that it is closer to the cartridge, thereby preventing the increase of the size of the cartridge holder. In addition, the stiffness of the projecting part 111 can be increased to ensure that the projecting part 111 does not deform excessively when the ink cartridge is positioned by the lever of the cartridge holder. In addition, the projecting part 111 is formed integrally with the main body of the box, thereby increasing its rigidity and allowing the formation of the projecting part 111 with high positional accuracy. This arrangement also helps ensure the connection between the electrodes and the elastic contacts.

At least the surface of the projecting part 111 that is to contact the lever is formed to extend in the direction perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed. By this arrangement, the direction that presses the lever cartridge can be fixed parallel to the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed, so that a secure connection can be made between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contacts 140. In the cartridge according to the second embodiment, the surface of the projecting part 111 which will be connected with the lever is fixed substantially parallel to the lower surface or substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the projecting part 111 is formed, and the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed is fixed substantially perpendicular to the lower surface or substantially parallel to the lateral surface on which the projecting part 111 is formed.

In each of the first and second embodiments, the width D2 of the projecting part 12, 112 is smaller than the width D1 of the main body of the cartridge, and a space Δ d1 (see Figs. 6B and 14B) between the projecting part 12, 112 and the lateral surface of the cartridge is used as a region to insert into it a channel 34, 134, formed in the cartridge holder 30, 130, to position the electrodes 14, 114 of the cartridge as shown in Figs. 6A and 16. This makes it possible to form a member to precisely position the electrodes 14, 114 in the cartridge holder 30, 130 without unnecessarily increasing a distance L between adjacent ink cartridges, as shown in Fig. 6B.

Preferably, the projecting part 112 is displaced to one side in the direction in relation to the width of the cartridge 1, 101. This makes it possible to fix a lateral surface 12c, 112b of the projecting part 12, 112 substantially aligned with the side wall of the main body of the cartridge, and therefore the side wall facing the adjacent ink cartridge can also be used to position the ink cartridge. Furthermore, by this arrangement, in the event that the ink cartridge constructed by the main body of the container 2a, 102a and the lid 2b, 102b are joined together in accordance with the first and second embodiment of the present invention, a part of fixing to fix the projection part 12, 112 can be formed on the main body of the container 2a, 102a, and therefore the projecting part 12, 112 can be attached to or fixed to the main body of the container 2a, 102a with high precision.

In the second embodiment, preferably, the location of the projecting part 111 is substantially at the same level in the direction of the insertion of the cartridge as the location of the part of the clamp 119 of the lever 109 formed on the opposite side wall of the wall side on which the projecting part 111 is formed. By this arrangement, the ink cartridge is not subjected to unnecessary force in the rotational direction or the like, especially the ink supply port 104, and this prevents damaging the supply needle Ink support ink.

Figs. 22A, 22B, 23A and 23B show a third embodiment of a color ink cartridge according to the present invention, which generally adopts the same structure as that of the ink cartridge analyzed in the second embodiment with reference to Fig. 14. A feature of the third embodiment is an identification piece 60 provided to prevent incorrect mounting of the ink cartridge.

The preventive identification part of the erroneous assembly 60 prevents the erroneous insertion in cooperation with a slot formed on one side of the opening for the insertion of the ink cartridge of the carriage. If the user tries to mount the wrong ink cartridge, the identification part or pieces 60 could not enter the slot or slots, and thus prevent the ink supply port of the ink cartridge from moving to a position connecting with The ink supply needle. Also, electrodes 114 could not establish contact with elastic contact members 140.

These identification pieces 60 preferably extend beyond the surface 113 on which the electrical contacts are arranged. In this way, if the ink cartridge 101 is placed against another surface, the identification pieces 60 prevent the other surface from hitting the electrical contacts, and thus projecting beyond the plane of the electrical contacts the identification pieces help prevent objects hit and damage electrical contacts.

Another benefit of having one or more identification pieces 60 is that they can be arranged to extend in planes approximately parallel to the sides of the projection 112 of the ink cartridge 101 (these are the sides parallel to the large sides of the ink container), and thus they can also help secure the ink cartridge 101 in a desired position and prevent lateral movements thereof. This effect is noticeable when a set of identification pieces 60 are provided.

Figs. 24A-B and 25A-C show another embodiment of the ink cartridge of the invention. Similar to the black ink cartridge 1 'analyzed with reference to the first embodiment, the container body 102a' of the ink cartridge 101 'differs in depth (thickness) d3 and thus its capacity from the aforementioned ink cartridge 101 , but the other structures such as the cover body 102b of the ink cartridge 101 'have the same configuration as those of the aforementioned ink cartridge 101. Given this difference in the width of the ink cartridge, the projecting part 112 is formed in a position shifted in the width direction to one side of the container body 102a 'by Δ d2. The center in relation to the width of the group of electrodes 114 is properly arranged to be positioned on a line C 'that is parallel to a central axis C of an ink supply port 104' as in the aforementioned ink cartridge 101.

Since the shape of the container body used in the black ink cartridge 101 'differs from the shape of the container body used in the color ink cartridge 101, it is not essential to use the identification piece 60 to prevent erroneous insertion of the 101 'black ink cartridge and thus this structure can be omitted. However, it is preferred to retain the identification piece or pieces 60 on the black ink cartridge 101 'because the identification pieces or pieces serve as guiding members that operate in a manner similar to the projecting part 110, and thus do not have only one identification function

In addition, in order to perform high quality printing, it is possible to use two types of black ink, dark black ink and light black ink. In this case, the identification piece or pieces 60 can be used as a member that identifies whether the ink in the cartridge is dark or light black ink.

In this embodiment, the preventive identification part or pieces of the wrong assembly 60 and the projecting part 112 having the surface 113 on which the aforementioned base plate 115 is fixed are formed as a complete block 61. The block 61 is preferably a separate separate member of the ink cartridge components (101), that is, the main body of the container 102a, the cover member 103, the ink supply port 104, the lever 109 and the projecting part 111. The block 61 it is mounted on the ink cartridge below the projecting part 111 which is pressed by the cartridge holder mounting lever 132.

Since the projecting part 112 for fixing the base plate 115 and the identification piece 60 are formed as a block 61 which is a differentiated member of the ink cartridge in this way, an ink cartridge corresponding to an ink color can simply be constructed by mounting, on the main body of the container 102a, a suitable block 61 selected from an existing collection of different blocks 61 prepared to correspond to the different ink colors even when the components of the ink cartridge, such as the main body of the container 102a, The cover member 103, the ink supply port 104, the lever 109 and the projecting part 111, are formed in standardized forms by injection molding using the same molding dies.

The projecting part 112 on which the base plate 115 is fixed is formed on the block 61 which is a differentiated member. Therefore, block 61, which is easily maintained compared to the main body of the container that builds the ink cartridge, can be fixed on an automated mounting device, and the base plate 115 can be coupled to block 61 in an automated manner .

In addition, it is possible to check the information with color ink and others to be written to the memory element of the motherboard, while confirming the piece of preventive identification of the erroneous insertion, thus eliminating the lack of conformity between the Identification piece and memory element data.

Figs. 26A-D shows an embodiment of block 61 for the aforementioned color ink cartridge. One end of block 61 is formed with the identification pieces 60 in predetermined positions, that is, positions corresponding to the grooves formed in the carriage to designate a particular color of ink. The other end of block 61 is formed with a projecting part 62 that defines the surface on which the base plate 15 is to be fixed.

A rear surface 63 of the block 61 is formed with a positioning protrusion 63a that is to be inserted into a corresponding positioning hole formed in a predetermined position in the main body of the container 102a. The recessed parts 64 are formed on a front surface of the block 61, which are respectively provided with connecting holes 64a through which the protrusions 102e (shown in Figs. 29A and 29B) of the main body of the container 102a can pass.

With this arrangement, the block 61 is fixed in place by inserting the positioning protrusions 63a into the positioning recess 102d (Figs. 29A and 29B) formed in the main body of the container 102a and thermally joining the protuberances 102e of the main body of the container 102 protruding through through holes 64a. In addition, the same effect can be obtained even if the bonding of the block is performed using an adhesive, or by installation with pressure of the protruding and recessed parts.

To designate the color of the ink in a cartridge, the number of identification pieces 60 can be changed color by color. Alternatively, as shown in Figs. 27A-D, a distance between the two identification pieces 60 can be changed color by color, so that each color ink has a particular arrangement of the identification pieces, even if the number of identification pieces 60 is the same.

As shown in Figs. 28 A-D, block 61 for the black ink cartridge differs in the number of identification pieces 60 formed at one end thereof, and because the identification piece 60 has a greater width

5 w than the identification piece 60 shown in Figs. 27A-D. Other structures are constructed similarly to those of the color ink cartridge, that is, the projecting part 62 that forms the surface 113 on which the base plate 115 is fixed, the protrusions 63a formed on the rear surface 63 and the through holes 64a in which the protrusions 102e of the main body of the container 102a are introduced.

10 The number of ink cartridges that can be identified can be increased by changing the width of the identification piece 60 by itself, changing the number of identification pieces disposed thereon, and changing the distance between the mutually adjacent identification pieces 60 to correspond with the different types of inks.

In the aforementioned embodiment, the block is constructed while taking into account the fixing of the base plate therein. In the case where an ink cartridge does not require the base plate, the block can be constructed to have only the identification part or pieces. It is clear that this construction also provides the same benefits.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that it is only by way of illustration and example and should not be taken by way of limitation, the scope of the present invention being defined only by the terms of the accompanying claims.

Claims (13)

one.

An ink cartridge adapted to be inserted into a recording apparatus, the ink cartridge comprising: an upper wall, a lower wall (3; 103), a front wall (7; 107) that intersects the lower wall, a rear wall (8; 108) that intersects the bottom wall and faces the front wall, a first side and a second side facing the first side, in which a distance between the first and second side defines the thickness of the ink cartridge; an ink supply port (4; 104) disposed on the bottom wall in a position displaced closer to the front wall than the rear wall; a first projecting part (12; 112) located more near the lower wall than the upper wall; a base plate (15, 115) fixed on the first projecting part and being parallel to the rear wall; a plurality of electrodes (14; 114) formed on the base plate; a memory unit (18) connected to the hands of some of the plurality of electrodes and mounted on the plate base; and in which the first projecting part has flat side surfaces (12b, c; 112a, b) that project from the rear wall and which are parallel to the first and second sides, characterized in that the first part projector is arranged on the rear wall and the distance between the flat side surfaces in the direction of the thickness is smaller than the thickness of the ink cartridge, so that the flat side surfaces are located near the respective end of the motherboard in the direction of the thickness of the ink cartridge, and one of The flat side surfaces are substantially aligned with the first side.

2.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a first guide projecting part (10, 110) which extends in the direction of insertion of the ink cartridge and is located on the wall lead.

3.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a retaining member (9, 109) provided on the front wall and having a connecting part (19, 119).

Four.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the retaining member is a lever (9, 109) which has a projection (20, 120) that deflects an upper part of the lever out when the cartridge Ink is inserted into the recording device.

5.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the projection is provided on both sides of the lever.

6.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising an identification piece preventive insertion error (60), in which the identification piece and the first projecting part are formed as an integral block (61) and the entire block is fixed to the rear wall by a member of fixation (64a, 106e).

7.

 The ink cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a second projecting part (111) arranged in relation to the lower wall above the first projecting part and that has a surface that extends from the rear wall in a plane parallel to the bottom wall (3, 103) and perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes are arranged, the surface being able to be connected by a mounting lever that holds the cartridge (132) that is part of the recording device when the cartridge Ink is inserted into the recording device.

8.

The ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the electrodes are arranged in at least one row in the direction of the ink cartridge thickness and the second projecting part (111) is located within the row of electrodes in the direction of the thickness of the ink cartridge.

9.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the surface of the second projecting part is located on the center of the row of electrodes in the thickness direction.

10.

 The ink cartridge according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the surface of the second projecting part it is located symmetrically with respect to the center of the row of electrodes in the thickness direction.

eleven.

 The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein a height of the second projecting part (111) of the rear wall (8) is smaller than a height of the first part projector (12; 112) of the rear wall (8).

12.

 An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a storage part of the cartridge that has an ink supply needle (36; 138) for supplying ink to a recording head (35; 139) and a channel (34; 134) to regulate a position in a direction of the thickness of the ink cartridge; an ink cartridge (1, 1 ’; 101, 101’) according to any of the preceding claims inserted in the cartridge storage part;

where the distance between the flat side surfaces in the thickness direction (D2) is narrower than the thickness of the ink cartridge, and the channel is inserted into a space (Δd1) between the respective flat side surface and the second side (2b ; 102b). The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a plurality of ink cartridges are inserted into the storage portion of the cartridge. 14. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, comprising an ink cartridge having the characteristics of any one of claims 7 to 11 and further comprising a 10 mounting lever (132) for contacting and pressing the surface of the second projecting part in the direction of the lower wall of the ink cartridge, in which the electrode assembly of the ink cartridge contacts a plurality of contacts of the part cartridge storage when the mounting lever closes to a predetermined position. 15. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, comprising an ink cartridge having the characteristics of claim 2 and further comprising a slot (39, 137) provided in the storage part of the cartridge, in which the slot receives and connects to the first projecting part guiding the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is inserted into the storage part of the cartridge.