JP2008132797A - Ink cartridge and inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge which is easy to handle, easy to be attached to and detached from a device without increasing the width of the device and an inkjet printer. <P>SOLUTION: The ink cartridge 1 is provided with a notch (a recessed part) 3 on the front surface thereof and a gripping part 5 between the angle part 4 and a protruding part 2 provided on the upper surface of the cartridge. Through pinching both ends (the protruding part 2 and the angle part 4) of the gripping part 5 with two fingers, a user can hold the cartridge tightly even dealing with a narrow-width thin-type cartridge, thereby ensuring easy attachment to and detachment from the printer main body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printer and an ink cartridge.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-305591

  2. Related Art Inkjet printers that perform recording by ejecting fine ink droplets from nozzles toward a recording medium such as paper are well known. In general, an inkjet printer includes a print head having nozzles and an ink cartridge that supplies ink to the print head. Many apparatuses that focus on personal use include an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage together with a head. On the other hand, there are many business use types in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body separately from the head (and carriage). In either type, when the ink in the cartridge is consumed, the cartridge is removed from the mounting portion and replaced with a new cartridge. In some models for individuals, an ink cartridge and a head are integrated, and when the ink is consumed, the cartridge is replaced with the head.

  Now, in the business model, the capacity of the ink cartridge is usually larger than that of the personal model. In particular, in recent years, ink cartridges have a tendency to increase in capacity in order to cope with an increase in ink consumption accompanying an increase in printing speed.

  However, in an ink jet printer, since the carriage on which the head is mounted moves to the left and right (in the paper width direction) on the top of the paper for recording, a space for the carriage to move is necessary above the paper passing area. Therefore, in the type in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, it is difficult to store the ink cartridge in the sheet passing width (the height of the apparatus becomes high), and the ink cartridge is mounted outside the sheet passing width. . The ink cartridge described in Patent Document 1 also has an ink cartridge arranged outside the sheet passing width.

  However, when the ink cartridge is positioned outside the paper passing width, the width of the apparatus is increased. In recent years, an ink jet printer is usually a color printer, and by installing ink cartridges of four or more colors (four or more) and increasing the capacity of the cartridge, the width of the apparatus increases. .

  In order to cope with this increase in the width of the apparatus, it has been proposed to reduce the thickness of the cartridge. However, when a plurality of thin ink cartridges are arranged side by side, the cartridge must be removed and removed (especially removed). ) Is difficult to perform, and there is a problem in that the width of the apparatus increases when the interval is increased.

  In order to facilitate the removal of a thin cartridge, it may be possible to adopt a so-called pop-up mechanism that moves the cartridge to a position where it can be easily grasped by operating a lever or pushing a notch. There is a problem of increase in size and cost.

  Also, even in one cartridge, the size of the cartridge is reduced, and the size in the vertical and / or front / rear direction (depth direction) increases, making it difficult for people with small hands to handle (hard to hold, hold). It is also difficult.

  Further, when the cartridge is attached / detached in the horizontal direction (the apparatus longitudinal direction), there is a problem that the cartridge is difficult to be attached / detached when the apparatus is installed at a low location. When the cartridge is attached / detached in the vertical direction, there is a problem that it is difficult to remove the cartridge if the apparatus is installed at a high location. The detachability of the cartridge is also related to the thinning of the cartridge. For example, if the way of holding the cartridge is restricted due to the thinning, the detachability in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction may be lowered due to the way of holding.

  The present invention provides an ink cartridge and an ink jet printer that solve the above-mentioned problems in conventional ink jet printers and ink cartridges thereof, do not increase the device width, are easy to handle and can be easily attached to and detached from the device. This is the issue.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an ink cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an ink jet printer according to the present invention, wherein an ink supply pipe is provided on the back surface of the cartridge, and a space is provided around the ink supply pipe. It is solved by being open to the outside on both sides of the direction.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes that the ink supply pipe is filled with rubber.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention proposes to have a guide member for guiding when the cartridge is mounted.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention proposes that the positioning at the time of cartridge mounting is performed by the guide member.

Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, this invention proposes having a positioning part which performs the positioning of an up-down direction.
Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, this invention proposes that the said guide member has a positioning part which positions in the front-back direction.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes that the guide member is provided at a different position corresponding to the ink color to be stored.
Moreover, the said subject is solved by the inkjet printer provided with the ink cartridge of any one of Claims 1-7 by this invention.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a color printer in which a plurality of the ink cartridges are mounted on the outside of the sheet passing width separately from the print head.
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a color printer in which a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted on a carriage together with a print head.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes that the holding member for holding the ink cartridge is positioned such that the upper member is retracted further toward the back of the apparatus than the lower member.

  According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, the ink supply pipe is provided on the back surface of the cartridge, the space is provided around the ink supply pipe, and the space is open to the outside on both sides in the cartridge width direction. Even in the thin cartridge, the protective member for protecting the ink supply needle of the printer main body can be released.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the ink supply needle is pulled out (the cartridge is removed), the rubber of the ink supply tube closes the hole of the needle and the ink does not leak.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the guide member for guiding the cartridge mounting is provided, the cartridge mounting operation to the printer main body is facilitated.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, positioning at the time of cartridge mounting is performed by the guide member, so that reliable ink supply is possible.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the guide member has the positioning portion that performs the vertical positioning, the vertical positioning of the ink cartridge is reliably performed.

With the configuration of the sixth aspect, since the guide member has the positioning portion that performs the positioning in the front-rear direction, the positioning of the ink cartridge in the front-rear direction is reliably performed.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the guide member is provided at a different position corresponding to the ink color to be stored, the wrong color ink cartridge is not mounted.

According to the configuration of the eighth aspect, an ink jet printer having a thin ink cartridge can be provided.
With the configuration of the ninth aspect, even in a color printer in which a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted outside the paper passing width separately from the print head, the apparatus width can be suppressed as much as possible.

  According to the configuration of the tenth aspect, even in a color printer in which a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted on the carriage together with the print head, the thin ink cartridge can be easily and reliably attached and detached.

  According to the configuration of the eleventh aspect, since the holding member for holding the ink cartridge is positioned so that the upper member is retracted to the back side of the apparatus with respect to the lower member, the degree of freedom in the cartridge attaching / detaching direction is increased, and the attaching / detaching operation is performed. It becomes easy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an ink jet printer to which an ink cartridge according to the present invention is mounted.

  An ink jet printer 100 shown in this figure includes a paper cassette 101 for storing a recording medium such as paper, and a carriage moving unit 102 for performing printing by a carriage (not shown) on which a print head is mounted reciprocally moves in the width direction of the paper. , A paper discharge unit 103 that discharges printed paper, a paper discharge tray 104 that can be pulled out toward the front of the apparatus, and the like. A cartridge mounting portion 105 for mounting an ink cartridge described later is provided on the right side of the printer main body. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cartridge mounting unit 105 can be accessed by opening the cover 106. The upper surface of the cartridge mounting unit 105 is an operation unit 107.

Since the configuration of the printing unit of this printer is the same as that of a conventionally known ink jet system, the description will focus on the ink cartridge.
In FIG. 2 showing a state where the cover 106 of the cartridge mounting unit 105 is opened, four (for four colors) ink cartridges 1 are arranged side by side. In this example, black (Bk), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) are arranged in order from the left. Each cartridge can be mounted at a predetermined position by a guide portion (not shown) of a set member 108 provided in the printer main body.

  3A and 3B show the appearance of the ink cartridge 1, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view, FIG. 3B is a side view, FIG. 3C is a perspective view, and FIG. As shown in this figure, the cartridge 1 basically has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, which is a view of the cartridge 1 as viewed from the front, the cartridge 1 is considerably thicker than its width and is a thin cartridge.

  A convex portion 2 with rounded corners is formed on the front side of the upper surface of the cartridge, that is, on the left end portion of the upper surface in FIG. The convex portion 2 is a first finger-hanging portion on which a finger is hooked when holding the cartridge 1. Further, a notch 3 is formed in a shape recessed from the cartridge side to the inside slightly below the center of the front side of the cartridge (left side of FIG. 3B). A corner portion 4 on the front upper end side of the notch portion 3 is a second finger hook portion on which a finger is hooked when the cartridge 1 is held. A portion from the convex portion 2 to the inner end portion of the corner portion 4, that is, a portion indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 3D is a grip portion 5 for holding the cartridge 1.

  That is, when the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment is attached to and detached from the cartridge mounting portion 105, as shown in FIG. 4, the thumb is placed on the convex portion 2 at the front end portion of the upper surface of the cartridge, and the notch portion on the front surface of the cartridge is used. The index finger is put into 3 and a finger is put on the corner 4, and the cartridge 5 is supported as if the grip 5 is pinched with two fingers from above and below. Although it is the left hand in the figure, the same applies to the right hand, and the grip 5 is supported by pinching with the thumb and forefinger. When removing the cartridge, it is pulled forward, and when it is attached, it is pushed into the back of the apparatus. Note that the size of the grip portion 5 (the size in the vertical direction) is set so as to be an interval when a standard adult lightly spreads the thumb and index finger.

  Such a method of holding the cartridge (supporting method) in which the thumb is hung on the convex portion 2 at the front end of the cartridge upper surface and the index finger is hung on the corner 4 of the notch 3 in the middle of the front surface of the cartridge is as follows. This is a support method that is very easy to operate when the ink cartridge 1 is moved back and forth (toward and behind the apparatus) with a person of average height standing.

  The cartridge can be supported by removing the cartridge by first pulling the ink cartridge 1 toward the front and pulling it out of the mounting portion 105 (the set member 108), and then lifting it obliquely upward. Making it very easy. From the structure of the human body, pulling the elbow back from the state where the thumb is up and the index finger is down and the hand is pushed forward (holding the grip 5 with two fingers) This is an operation for removing the cartridge 1), and the elbow moves naturally diagonally upward and bends gradually. As a result, the hand moves up slightly while moving so as to approach the body.

  The ink cartridge 1 in the present embodiment is provided with a convex portion 2 as a first finger-hanging portion on the upper surface of the cartridge, and a notch portion 3 is formed in the middle of the front surface of the cartridge. By providing the corner portion 4 as the second finger-hanging portion, the natural operation of the human is an operation of removing the cartridge 1.

  Similarly, when the cartridge 1 is set in the mounting portion 105, when standing in front of the printer 100, it is felt that the cartridge mounting portion 105 is looked down from an obliquely upper side on the front side of the apparatus, and the hand holding the replacement cartridge is placed on the back side of the apparatus. When the elbow is extended so as to extend into the position, the hand and the cartridge naturally move forward (at this time, move slightly downward). Therefore, a natural human operation is also an operation of mounting the cartridge 1.

  By the way, the ink jet printer 100 may not be placed on a desk but may be installed in a slightly higher place, such as a shelf. In such a case, the attachment / detachment operation can be easily performed by changing the way the ink cartridge 1 is held.

  When the installation place of the ink jet printer 100 is high, an index finger is put on the convex portion 2 at the front end of the cartridge upper surface, and a belly of the thumb is put on the corner portion 4 of the cutout portion 3 in the middle of the cartridge front surface. Pinch part 5. When removing the cartridge, pull it forward, and when inserting the cartridge, push it back.

  The holding part 5 that holds the index finger on the convex part 2 and the belly of the thumb on the corner part 4 is a way to carry out the cartridge attaching / detaching operation when the printer installation place is high. From the structure of the human body, from the state where the index finger is up and the thumb is down (holding the gripping part 5 with two fingers), you can lift your hand up or down, of course It is very easy to move left and right.

  Therefore, when removing the cartridge 1 when the printer is installed at a high place, the index finger is hung on the convex portion 2, the belly of the thumb is hung on the corner portion 4, the grip portion 5 is pinched with two fingers, and the cartridge is pulled forward. Then you can lower your hands. When the cartridge 1 is mounted, the index finger is placed on the convex portion 2 of the replacement cartridge, the belly of the thumb is hung on the corner portion 4, the grip portion 5 is pinched with two fingers, and the hand is lifted to lift the mounting portion 108. Just push it inward. Work can be done with natural human movement, both during removal and installation.

  As described above, the ink cartridge 1 according to the present embodiment forms the grip portion 5 across two adjacent surfaces of the cartridge (the upper surface and the front surface in the embodiment), so that the cartridge can be attached and detached with natural operation. It can be said that it is a shape that can be easily attached and detached in view of ergonomics or human mechatronics.

  In particular, in the case where the cartridge can be supported by providing the grip portion 5 extending over two adjacent surfaces of the cartridge and pinching the grip portion 5 with the fingers from above and below, the cartridge is thin. However, it can be firmly supported and can be easily detached.

  Conventional ink cartridges have two fingers sandwiching the cartridge from the left and right (from the thickness direction), and the two fingers hold the front and rear (front and rear) or top and bottom (top and bottom) of the cartridge Yes. In the case of supporting two opposing surfaces of such a cartridge, when the cartridge becomes thin, it becomes unstable when it is held, and it becomes difficult to hold it. In addition, when the cartridge is held in the front, back, top, or bottom, it becomes difficult to hold (especially for people with small hands) if the cartridge is enlarged. Furthermore, in the form in which the cartridge is pinched from the left and right, it cannot be pinched if there is no space between the adjacent cartridges, and the width of the apparatus increases in a color printer having a plurality of cartridges. However, in the cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the cartridge can be reduced without sacrificing the ease of the detaching operation, so that the apparatus width is not increased even in the color printer.

  In addition, by providing the grips 5 on the two adjacent surfaces of the cartridge, it is easy to visually recognize where to place the finger to hold the cartridge when attaching or detaching the cartridge. I'm making things. For example, in the conventional ink cartridge, the support method is such that the left side surface and the right side surface of the cartridge are sandwiched and the upper surface and the lower surface of the cartridge are sandwiched. In such a support method, that is, a cartridge having a shape like a simple rectangular parallelepiped, it is not clear where to hold the cartridge for the attaching / detaching operation. However, as described above, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the convex portion 2 provided at the front end portion of the cartridge upper surface, which is both ends of the grip portion 5, and the corner portion 4 provided in the middle of the front surface, indicate the two points. Anyone can understand that it is sufficient to hold the cartridge with the cartridge, and the cartridge shape visually assists the detaching operation. For example, as is clear from FIG. 3C or FIG. 2, since the recess (notch 3) is provided on the front surface of the cartridge, the grip 5 appears to protrude forward, and the user can It is easily associated with the necessity to have both ends of the gripping part 5, that is, the convex part 2 and the corner part 4.

  Furthermore, the ink cartridge 1 in the present embodiment is provided with the notch 3 on the front surface of the cartridge, and the corner 4 as the second finger-hanging portion is provided there, so that the finger is put into the notch 3. It is easy to imagine that it would be necessary to have a cartridge, and the cartridge shape is such that the method of supporting the cartridge can be visually understood.

In addition, the provision of the notch 3 on the front surface of the cartridge facilitates the cartridge detachment operation in a state where a plurality of thin cartridges are arranged.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the index finger is placed horizontally on the corner 4, the finger naturally does not fit in the thickness of the cartridge and protrudes to both sides. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the cutout portions 3 of the respective cartridges are arranged side by side with a plurality of cartridges mounted in the mounting portion 105. Therefore, when the index finger is placed sideways, the finger can enter the plurality of cutout portions 3, and in this state, the finger can be easily hung on the corner portion 4 provided in the cutout portion of the target cartridge. it can. Since human fingers are dexterous, even when a plurality of cartridges 1 (notch portions 3) are arranged, it is possible to easily put a finger on the corner portion 4 of the target cartridge to be removed. it can. For the convex portion 2 that is the upper finger-hanging portion, the thumb is simply placed on the convex portion 2 at the front end of the cartridge upper surface from above (with the thumb belly down). The thumb can be hung on the target cartridge (convex portion 2). When mounting the cartridge, with the thumb 5 and the index finger supporting the grip 5, the back side of the cartridge is inserted into a slot 115 (FIG. 8) to be described later, and then the finger is released from the grip 5. The cartridge can be easily mounted by pushing the front surface of the cartridge.

  Further, even when the index finger is placed on the convex portion 2 and the thumb is put on the corner portion 4 (when the holding direction is reversed), it is easy to put the index finger on the convex portion 2 and when the thumb is put on the corner portion 4. Even if the finger protrudes from the cartridge, the protruding portion can escape to the cutout portion 3 of the adjacent cartridge, so that the cartridge is easily supported and can be easily removed and attached.

  As described above, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the notch 3 is provided on the front surface of the cartridge, thereby improving the handling in the thin cartridge and facilitating the attachment / detachment to the mounting portion.

  By the way, the corner | angular part 4 provided in the upper end part of the notch part 3 is formed in the acute angle in the present Example. Thereby, the space part 3a (FIG. 5) is formed inside the corner | angular part 4, a finger | toe fits well and a finger slip is prevented. Therefore, it is easy to pull the cartridge upward at the time of taking out the cartridge.

  And the lower end part of the notch part 3 is formed in the obtuse angle as shown by angle (beta) in the figure. This facilitates the entry of a finger into the notch 3. At the same time, the hypotenuse 3b formed by the obtuse angle β is an introduction that guides the finger to the notch 3 visually.

  Incidentally, a notch 6 is provided on the back surface of the ink cartridge 1 as shown in FIG. An ink supply pipe 7 connected to an ink bag 8 incorporated in the cartridge is provided so as to be positioned in the notch 6. The ink supply pipe 7 is filled with rubber, and the ink supply needle 110 (FIG. 7) protruding from the printer body penetrates the ink supply pipe 7 and the tip of the needle enters the ink bag 8. Ink can be supplied. When the ink supply needle 110 is pulled out (the cartridge is removed), the rubber of the ink supply tube 7 closes the hole of the needle and the ink does not leak.

  As shown in the rear view on the left side of FIG. 6, the notch 6 has a substantially circular cross section in which both side surfaces of the cassette are vacant (notched). An ink supply pipe 7 having a cylindrical cross section is provided concentrically with the notch 6.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, an ink supply needle 110 whose periphery is protected by a protection pipe 109 is provided on the main body side of the printer 100. Four ink supply needles 110 are provided corresponding to the four color cartridges. The length of the protective pipe 109 is shorter than the ink supply needle 110, and the protective pipe 109 is disposed at the back of the cartridge mounting portion 105 with the ink supply needle 110 protruding from the tip of the protective pipe 109. When the ink cartridge 1 is completely mounted on the set member 108 (FIG. 2) of the cartridge mounting portion 105, as shown in FIG. 7, the ink supply needle 110 penetrates the ink supply tube 7, and the tip of the needle is the ink bag. Enter 8 Then, the ink in the cartridge (in the ink bag 8) is supplied to the print head during printing.

  Here, in order for the ink supply needle 110 protected by the protection pipe 109 to be inserted into the ink supply pipe 7, it is necessary that the protection pipe 109 can enter the cartridge up to a predetermined position without coming into contact with the cartridge case. However, if all the space for receiving the protective pipe 109 is provided in the cross section of the cartridge (the thickness of the cartridge), the thickness of the cartridge increases. However, in the cartridge 1 of this embodiment, as shown in the rear view on the left side of FIG. 6, since the cartridge cases are cut out on both the left and right sides of the ink supply pipe 7, the thickness of the cartridge is reduced (thinned). Even in this case, the protective pipe 109 can be received. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the protection pipe 109 enters the cartridge until the tip of the protection pipe 109 comes into contact with the back end surface of the notch 6 of the cartridge, at which time the ink supply needle 110 penetrates the ink supply pipe 7. And enters the ink bag 8.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge 1 of this embodiment is provided with guide members 9 and 10 on the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The guide members 9 and 10 are guide members when the ink cartridge 1 is set on the set member 108 (FIG. 2) of the mounting portion. In order for the above-described ink supply needle 110 to enter the ink supply tube 7 accurately, when the cartridge is set on the set member 108, accurate positioning must be performed. The members for positioning the cartridge are guide members 9 and 10.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the holding members 113 and 114 of the set member 108 are provided with slits 111 and 112 into which the guide members 9 and 10 enter. When the cartridge 1 is set in the mounting slot 115, the upper guide member 9 of the cartridge enters the upper slit 111 and the lower guide member 10 enters the lower slit 112, and positioning in the vertical and horizontal directions is performed.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, the upper and lower guide members 9, 10 each have a height h <b> 2 at the front end portion that is greater than a height h <b> 1 other than the front end portion. Therefore, when the upper and lower guide members 9 and 10 enter the upper and lower slits 111 and 112, the slits smoothly enter the slits up to the front end portion, and the cartridge 1 is held by the holding member 113 at the front end portion (at the height h2) of the guide member. , 114 is firmly held, and accurate vertical positioning is performed. Positioning of the cartridge 1 in the left-right direction (width direction) is performed by holding the guide members 9 and 10 with the width of the slits 111 and 112. The upper guide member 9 includes a front member 9a, a rear member 9b, and a recess 9c therebetween, and a small protrusion (not shown) is formed at a predetermined position in the upper slit 111. The small protrusion is fitted into the recess 9c of the guide member, whereby the cartridge 1 is positioned in the front-rear direction (device depth direction).

  In this way, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted while being accurately positioned at a predetermined set position of the set member 108, the ink supply needle 10 described above is inserted into the ink supply tube 7, and the ink in the cartridge is placed in the main body. Supplied.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of a set member to which the ink cartridge 1 is mounted. Also in the set member 108B shown in this figure, a holding member having a slit similar to the holding members 113 and 114 in FIG. 8 is provided, but is omitted in the figure. The set member 108B has a shape in which the upper surface portion is retracted toward the back of the apparatus, and the upper front side corner portion of the rectangular parallelepiped is cut. Corresponding to the shape, the depth of the upper holding member (not shown) is shortened.

  In the setting member 108B of this example, when the mounted ink cartridge 1 is removed, if the cartridge 1 is slid forward to some extent (the front member 9a (see FIG. 9) of the upper guide member is removed from the slit). ), And can be extracted in an obliquely upward direction. Also, when the cartridge is mounted, the cartridge 1 may be first inserted obliquely downward into the slot and then pushed inward in the horizontal direction. As described above, in the setting member 108B of this example, the degree of freedom in the direction of attaching and detaching the ink cartridge 1 is increased, and the operability can be improved.

FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view showing an example of a guide member provided corresponding to the ink color to be stored.
As shown in this figure, the position of the upper guide member 9 provided on the upper surface of the cartridge is formed at a different position as shown by a solid line or a dotted line according to the ink color stored in the cartridge. Of course, it goes without saying that the slit 111 (see FIG. 8) into which the guide member 9 is inserted is formed at a different position corresponding to the position of the upper guide member 9. Thereby, for example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridges can be set only in the correct slots 115 (see FIG. 8) corresponding to the respective colors, and mounting of wrong color cartridges is prevented.

  Note that each color cartridge may be set at an appropriate position by changing the position of the lower guide member 10 instead of the upper guide member 9. Alternatively, each color cartridge may be set at an appropriate position by combining the positions of both the upper guide member 9 and the lower guide member 10.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the example of illustration, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the convex part 2 which is the first finger-hanging part has a semicircular stepped surface shape as shown in FIG. 3B in this example, but may have an angular shape having a corner part. Alternatively, it may have a slope shape whose height decreases as it goes to the back side of the cartridge. Further, the convex portion 2 is not limited to the front end portion of the upper surface of the cartridge as in the illustrated example, and may be provided somewhat on the back side. Moreover, the corner | angular part 4 which is a 2nd finger-hanging part can also be made into the rounded shape. Further, the notch 3 on the front surface of the cartridge is not limited to the shape having a corner as in this example, but can be a notch having a rounded shape (without a corner).

  Further, the guide member provided for positioning the cartridge is not limited to a flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 3, but may be a box shape having a greater thickness. The shape and material of the ink supply tube on the cartridge side, or the shape and configuration of the ink supply needle and protection member on the apparatus main body side can be changed as appropriate.

  In the illustrated example, the ink cartridge 1 is basically detachable in the horizontal direction (moved in the horizontal direction in the initial stage of detachment). However, the ink cartridge 1 may be configured to be detachable vertically or obliquely. it can. Even in this case, the cartridge of the present invention can be easily attached and detached. Further, the ink supply pipe 7 and the surrounding notch 6 or the guide members 9 and 10 may be provided at a position suitable for the attaching / detaching direction.

  Further, in this embodiment, the ink cartridge is a type that is mounted on the apparatus main body separately from the print head (and the carriage). However, the present invention is also applied to an ink cartridge that is mounted on the carriage together with the head. be able to. Further, it can be used in combination with a pop-up mechanism (mechanism for moving the cartridge to the removal position) on the main body side.

1 is a front view illustrating an example of an ink jet printer to which an ink cartridge according to the present invention is mounted. It is a perspective view which shows the ink cartridge mounting part of the printer. FIG. 3 is a front view, a side view, a perspective view, and a partial view showing an example of an ink cartridge according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where an ink cartridge is attached to and detached from the cartridge mounting portion of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view showing a part of the ink cartridge of FIG. 3 in detail. FIG. 4 is a partial detail view showing an ink supply tube of an ink cartridge. FIG. 6 is a partial detail view showing a state where an ink supply needle 110 of the printer main body is inserted into the ink supply pipe. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ink cartridge mounting portion of a printer main body. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a guide member provided in the ink cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows another example of the set member in which an ink cartridge is mounted | worn. It is a partial enlarged view showing an example of a guide member provided corresponding to the ink color to be stored.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 2 Convex part (1st finger hook part)
3 Notch (recess)
4 corners (second finger rest)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Holding part 7 Ink supply pipe 8 Ink bag 9,10 Vertical guide member 100 Inkjet printer 101 Paper cassette 105 Cartridge mounting part 108 Set member 109 Protection pipe 110 Ink supply needles 111, 112 Slit 113, 114 Holding member 115 Installation slot

Claims (11)

In an ink cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an inkjet printer,
An ink cartridge comprising an ink supply pipe on the back surface of the cartridge, a space provided around the ink supply pipe, and the space being open to the outside on both sides in the cartridge width direction. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink supply pipe is filled with rubber. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member that guides when the cartridge is mounted. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein positioning at the time of cartridge mounting is performed by the guide member. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the guide member has a positioning portion that performs vertical positioning. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the guide member has a positioning portion that performs positioning in the front-rear direction. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the guide member is provided at a different position corresponding to the ink color to be stored. An ink jet printer comprising the ink cartridge according to claim 1. 9. The ink jet printer according to claim 8, wherein the ink jet printer is a color printer in which a plurality of the ink cartridges are mounted outside the sheet passing width separately from the print head. 9. The ink jet printer according to claim 8, wherein the ink jet printer is a color printer in which a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted on a carriage together with a print head. 11. The ink jet printer according to claim 7, wherein the holding member that holds the ink cartridge is positioned such that the upper member is retracted to the back side of the apparatus with respect to the lower member. .

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