JP3245090B2 - Liquid container for applying negative pressure, ink jet cartridge integrating the container and ink jet recording head, and method of manufacturing the container - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid storage container utilizing a negative pressure for supplying a liquid to an external member of a liquid storage container such as a pen as a recording unit or an ink discharge unit or the like, and to manufacture the container. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method, an ink jet cartridge including an ink tank in which the container and an ink jet recording head are integrated, and an ink jet recording apparatus, and more specifically to an ink jet recording field using an epoch-making ink tank in which the ink tank itself is formed by blow molding. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a container for accommodating a liquid, there has been known a container for supplying a liquid while applying a negative pressure to the inside of the container when supplying the liquid to the outside. A feature of this type of container is that a proper liquid supply can be performed to a liquid using part connected to the container, such as a pen tip or a recording head, by a negative pressure applied by the container itself.

There are various types of such a theory that have been demonstrated in actual liquid storage containers, but the range of use of the various containers has been limited. This is because there is no manufacturing variation and there is no simple structure.

[0004] For example, in the field of ink jet recording which needs this negative pressure characteristic properly, there is a method in which a sponge as a negative pressure source is stored in an ink tank as a liquid storage container, or a bag of ink. Provide a spring in the storage section,
A device that forms a negative pressure by giving a force that resists inward deformation of a bag due to consumption of ink (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-67269,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-226993) is known. The rubber ink container disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 4,509,062 has a conical shape with a rounded conical portion, and the rounded conical portion is thinner than the thickness of the conical peripheral surface. It is a configuration of doing. The thin rubber bag structure with the rounded conical portion is a structure for the storage container to be preferentially displaced and deformed in accordance with ink consumption. These have been put to practical use as ink containers for ink jet devices, and are satisfactory at present.

However, since such a negative pressure generating structure is relatively expensive, it is not suitable for a writing implement having a pen tip such as a marker or a plotter. In particular, it is not preferable to have an extra complicated negative pressure generating structure as described above as a writing implement of this kind, because the writing implement itself becomes large in size.

[0006] Incidentally, the above-mentioned writing implement employs a form in which ink is supplied while air is introduced into the liquid storage container from the pen tip by using a felt capable of generating a negative pressure at the pen tip itself. ing. The biggest problem with the gas-liquid exchange structure in this ink supply mode is ink leakage from the pen tip. In order to solve this problem, as a mechanism for preventing ink leakage between the pen tip and the liquid storage container, many fins are stacked at a predetermined interval so as to intersect the ink supply direction, so that leakage occurs due to environmental changes etc. It has been proposed to provide an ink holding mechanism capable of holding the ink to be made. However, at present, this mechanism leaves unusable ink inside the writing implement.

Further, the ink supply system of this type of writing implement is generally open to the atmosphere, which causes the stored ink to evaporate and reduce the amount of ink used. It is preferable to perform ink evaporation suppression as a typical closed type.

Here, the field of ink jet recording using a substantially closed type will be briefly summarized. Generally, when a negative pressure source is not used as the ink supply system,
2. Description of the Related Art There is known an ink supply unit that supplies ink by a difference in elevation with respect to an ink using unit (ink ejection head) called a “head difference”. In this case, since no special conditions are required for the ink storage unit, an ink storage bag such as a normal bag is often used.

However, since the ink supply path is of a sealed type, a supply pipe such as a tube is required from the ink storage bag to an ink use section (ink discharge head) located above, resulting in a large-sized apparatus. Would. In order to minimize or eliminate the head difference in the ink supply path, an ink tank for applying a negative pressure to the ink ejection head has been proposed and implemented. The one in which the head and the ink tank can be integrated will be referred to as an ink jet cartridge.

The ink-jet cartridge is further classified into a structure in which a recording head and an ink container are always integrated, a structure in which a recording unit and an ink container are separate, and both can be separated from a recording apparatus. It can be divided into a configuration to be used integrally.

In any of the configurations, in order to increase the efficiency of use of the ink stored in the ink storage section, the coupling section of the ink storage section with the recording means is often provided below the center of the ink storage section. For this reason, in order to stably hold the ink in the ink storage section of the ink jet cartridge and to prevent ink leakage from a discharge section such as a nozzle provided in the recording section, the back pressure against the ink flow supplied to the recording section is reduced. Is required. This back pressure is called negative pressure because the pressure at the discharge port is made negative with respect to the atmospheric pressure.

One of the easiest methods for generating a negative pressure is a method utilizing the capillary force of a porous body as described above. The ink tank in the method is
Stored inside the ink tank for the purpose of storing ink,
Preferably, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a compressed and stored porous body such as a sponge, and an air communication port through which air can be introduced into the ink storage section to smoothly supply ink during printing.

However, a problem when using a porous member as an ink holding member is that the ink storage efficiency per unit volume is low. In order to solve this problem, a configuration in which a porous body is inserted into a part of the ink tank is used instead of the configuration in which the porous member is inserted into the entire ink tank. With this configuration, the ink storage efficiency per unit volume and the ink holding capacity can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the porous body is inserted into the entire ink tank.

From the viewpoint of further improving the ink storage efficiency, a bag-like container having a combination of a bag and a spring as described above, or a rubber ink container can be used.

[0015]

With the current ink tanks as described above, the demands of the current market are at a satisfactory level. However, the present inventors have come up with the following problems when considering ideal conditions required for a liquid container, particularly an ink-jet ink tank, from the perspective of the future.

The first point is that the ink storage efficiency is further improved (first problem). That is, by further increasing the ink storage efficiency of the ink tank occupying the same space,
This is to increase the ink storage capacity of the ink tank.

The second point is that the number of constituent parts is small and the structure of the parts themselves is simple (second problem). Further, as additional effects, there are advantages such as a reduction in product yield and a reduction in quality control items. Can be expected.

It is preferable to deal with environmental problems that have recently become a problem. One of the countermeasures is
The component parts of the ink tank are recyclable. To this end, it is desirable that the components of the ink tank be as small as possible and that the components can be easily separated and collected when collecting the components.

However, an ink tank containing a porous member cannot be sufficiently satisfied in terms of ink storage efficiency as described above. In addition, even with the current configuration using a bag-shaped container, those having a complicated mechanism such as a spring inside the ink storage unit or between the ink storage unit and the housing use a complicated mechanism, The number of parts is large and the assembly is complicated,
The above issues are not satisfactory.

In the above-mentioned conical rubber ink container, since the structure limitation as described above is important,
It is not possible to provide a maximum space in the desired space. In addition, the kind of ink that can be used is restricted from a material viewpoint. Therefore, the conical rubber ink storage bag has a complicated structure and manufacturing conditions, is complicated in terms of quality control, and has a poor product yield.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container capable of supplying a liquid while utilizing a stable negative pressure from the start of use, as one of the components of the liquid supply system. . The main object of the present invention is to
The present invention is also applicable to writing instruments and ink jet recording heads in the recording field, and another object in the ink jet field of the present invention is to provide the above liquid storage container which can be completely integrated with or separated from the ink jet head, and a method of manufacturing the same. It is.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid supply system capable of achieving downsizing of a liquid supply system based on a head difference by utilizing a negative pressure, a liquid storage container usable therefor, and manufacturing thereof. Is to provide a way.

Another object in the field of ink jet recording is to provide the above liquid storage container which can be completely integrated with or separated from a recording head.

[0024]

A liquid storage container according to the present invention has a substantially polygonal column shape having an air communication portion , and a housing having a corner formed by three extended portions of the polygonal column. With the inside of the housing
It has an outer surface of the same shape or similar shape, and a corner corresponding to the corner of the housing, and forms a liquid storage portion capable of storing a liquid therein and is detachable from the housing. A liquid storage container comprising: an inner package, a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid from the liquid storage unit to the outside, and a pinch-off unit in which a portion where the inner package is integrated is sandwiched by the outer wall. The casing and the inner package have a surface having a maximum area on a surface excluding a surface having the liquid supply portion and a surface having a pinch-off portion, and supply liquid to the outside from the liquid supply portion.
And the negative pressure is generated by the deformation of the inclusion body
In addition, the surface of the inclusion body that is the largest area surface is a variation of the surface.
A deformation regulating member for regulating the shape is provided.
It is provided in a region excluding a peripheral portion of the maximum area surface .

[0025]

The present invention is particularly applicable to ink tanks, head cartridges and ink jet recording apparatuses in the field of ink jet recording.

Further, the method for manufacturing a liquid container according to the present invention comprises a housing having a substantial air communication portion, an outer surface equivalent to the inner surface of the housing, and a liquid housing portion capable of storing a liquid therein. In a method for manufacturing a liquid container having a polygonal cross section, the liquid container has an inner packet having a liquid supply portion for supplying a liquid from the liquid container to the outside. Providing a corresponding mold, a first parison for a substantially cylindrical housing having a smaller diameter than the mold, and a second parison for the inclusion body, and injecting air into the first, Inflating the second parison to conform to the mold, and forming the housing and the inner enclosure of the liquid storage container in a separable and substantially similar shape to form an inner wall of the second parison for the inner enclosure. Composed of multiple layers of layers for forming and reinforcing members The layer serving as the inner wall is continuous in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction, and the layer serving as the reinforcing member is intermittent in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction. It is characterized by supplying.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, before describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, an example of the shape of a container to which the present invention can be applied will be described with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of the structure of an ink tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(A) is a sectional view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective view. The ink tank of the present invention is manufactured by a method in which the inner wall and the outer wall of the ink tank are simultaneously formed in one step by direct blow molding described later.

The ink tank 100 shown in FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes an outer wall of the ink tank;
Is the inner wall of the ink tank. The ink is stored in the ink storage section, which is a region surrounded by the inner wall 102, and the inner wall is deformed as the ink flows. Further, the outer wall 101 protects the ink container so that the ink stored in the ink container does not leak to the outside due to inadvertent deformation of the inner wall. Reference numeral 103 denotes an ink supply unit from the inside of the container to the outside, and serves as a connection portion with an ink introduction unit (not shown) on the inkjet head side.

Here, since FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram,
Although the positional relationship between the outer wall 101 of the ink tank and the inner wall 102 of the ink tank is drawn with a space therebetween, it is sufficient that the outer wall 101 is actually in a separable state. It may be configured so as to be arranged with a simple space. Therefore, in any case, in the initial state (the initial state of use), the ink tank follows at least the outer wall 10 along the shape of the outer wall 101.
1 is formed so that the corners α2 and β2 of the inner wall 102 are located at positions corresponding to the corners α1 and β1 of the ink tank 1, so that the inner wall 102 of the ink tank becomes similar to the outer wall 101 of the ink tank. 102 can be made to conform to the shape of the ink tank outer wall 101 serving as a housing at a predetermined interval. That is, the dead space seen when a bag-shaped container is housed in the conventional housing can be eliminated, and the amount of ink stored per unit volume in the outer wall of the ink tank can be increased (increased ink storage efficiency). be able to.

Here, the corners are defined as intersections of at least three surfaces, more preferably three planes, or portions corresponding to the intersections of extended surfaces thereof, in an ink tank composed of a substantially polyhedron. That is, it is a bent portion from the beginning of molding. The meanings of the signs of the corners indicate that α is a corner formed by the surface having the ink supply port, β is the other corner, and that subscript 1 is an outer wall and subscript 2 is an inner wall. ing. Further, the ink supply portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. Here, when the intersection between the curved surface of the cylinder and the substantial plane is represented by γ, the outer wall and the inner wall are also at corresponding positions at this intersection. And they are respectively referred to as γ1 and γ2 below.

In addition, the ink tank of FIG. 1 will be described in detail. The ink tank 100 is composed of eight planes, and a cylindrical ink supply section 103 is added as a curved surface. Of these eight surfaces, the ink supply unit 10
3 has six corners (α1, β1, β1, β1, β1, β2,...) Described later.
1, α1), (α2, β2, β2, β2, β2, α2)
It is divided by.

The thickness of the inner wall surface that forms the maximum area is smaller at the corners than at the central area of each surface of the substantially polygonal column, and gradually increases from the central area of each surface toward each of the corners. And has a convex shape on the ink storage unit side. This direction is, in other words, the same as the surface deformation direction, and has the effect of promoting the deformation described later.

Here, since the corners of the inner wall are formed of three surfaces as described later, the strength of the entire corners of the inner wall is relatively higher than the strength of the central region. Further, when viewed from the extension of the surface, the thickness is smaller than that of the central region, so that the movement of the surface described later is permitted. It is desirable that the portions constituting the corners of the inner wall have substantially the same thickness.

In the ink supply section 103, γ1 and γ2, which are the intersections of the curved surface and the plane of the cylinder, are due to ink ejection from ordinary ink jet recording means because the ink supply section is substantially cylindrical. In addition, it has a characteristic that it is hard to be crushed against deformation of the inner wall due to derivation of ink. In the ink tank of the present embodiment, the ink supply unit is substantially cylindrical, but is not limited to a substantially cylindrical shape. Even in the case of the polygonal column shape, the size of the ink supply unit is sufficiently smaller than that of the ink storage unit, so that the characteristics that are hardly crushed by the deformation of the inner wall due to the derivation of the ink remain unchanged. Therefore, even when the consumption of the ink is completely completed, the inner wall and the outer wall of the ink supply unit maintain the initial state without being deformed.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a welding portion for forming the closed space by the inner wall 102. This welded portion is formed by sandwiching a parison for forming the wall of the ink tank with a mold during blow molding, which will be described later. The inner walls 102 are welded to each other and engage with the outer wall 101. Since they are in close contact with each other, they are also used as supporting portions for supporting the inner wall 102 as described later. In this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in (b), the shape of the welded portion 104 is a straight line when viewed from the side. However, if the ink tank can be easily extracted from the mold in a manufacturing process described later, it is simple. The shape need not be a straight line. Further, the length is not limited to the length presented in the present embodiment, and may be any length that does not protrude from the side.

Reference numeral 105 denotes an inner wall 102 when the inner wall 102 is reduced in volume and deformed due to consumption of ink therein.
It is an air intake port for introducing air between the outer wall 101 and the outer wall 101, and may be a simple opening or an opening and an air inflow valve. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a case of an air communication port having a simple opening is shown.

Reference numeral 106 denotes an ink lead-out permitting member having a function of preventing ink leakage from the ink supply unit when a slight vibration or external pressure is applied to the tank, which serves as a connection portion with the ink jet head. In this embodiment, a unidirectional fiber member made of an ink absorber is used, and a configuration having a meniscus holding force is provided.
The ink lead-out permitting member 106 substantially seals the ink containing part, and when the ink introduction part on the side of the inkjet head is inserted, the ink inside the ink containing part can be led out while maintaining the airtight state.

Depending on the combination of the ink tank 100 and the ink jet head, it is possible to use a rubber stopper, a valve-structured valve, or the like in place of the pressure contact member at the location of the ink lead-out permission member 106.

Next, each embodiment of the present invention applicable to the liquid container having the above-described configuration will be described in detail.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a liquid storage container according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
(A) and (b) are cross-sectional views of a plane orthogonal to the maximum area plane of the first embodiment of the present invention, and AA cross-sectional views, and (c) and (d) are modified examples of the first embodiment. 3A and 3B are a cross-sectional view of a plane orthogonal to the maximum area plane of FIG.

This embodiment has the basic configuration shown in FIG. 1 and includes an outer wall (housing) 101 and an inner wall 1.
02, a liquid lead-out part 103, a pinch-off part (not shown), an air intake (not shown), and a liquid lead-out permission member 106.

In this embodiment, a reinforcing member 109 is formed between the inner wall and the outer wall on the maximum area of the inner wall 102 of the liquid container 100. The reinforcing member 109 is formed from the central portion of the maximum area surface to the vicinity of the peripheral portion, but does not exist near the peripheral portion. Further, the thickness of the reinforcing member is formed such that it is thicker at the central portion and becomes thinner toward the peripheral portion. Although the material in each embodiment will be described later, the reinforcing member is made of a resin having excellent fusion property with the inner wall, and the reinforcing member is inseparable from the inner wall. When the above-mentioned inner wall and reinforcing member are collectively referred to as an inner package, the thickness of the inner package is also formed thinner at the peripheral portion than at the central region of each surface.

In the present invention, the reason why the above-described reinforcing member is provided on the maximum area surface will be described.

When the liquid is consumed from the liquid container shown in FIG. 2, the inner wall starts to be deformed from the most easily deformed portion under the condition of the above-described structure for restricting the deformation. In the present embodiment, of the substantially planar surface of the ink tank outer wall constituted by the polyhedron,
Regarding the peripheral part of the inclusion body corresponding to the surface with the largest surface area, the corners and reinforcing members are not provided and the strength is weak,
This portion tends to be deformed toward the liquid storage portion surrounded by the inner package. At this time, the outer wall functions to suppress the displacement of the corner of the inner wall. In this liquid container, since the position of the corners divided by the above-mentioned corners α2 and β2 hardly fluctuates, the liquid storage unit acts by the force of deformation due to ink consumption and the force of returning to the initial state. , Function to stabilize the negative pressure.

When the liquid inside is further consumed,
The portion having the reinforcing member of the opposing maximum area surface is deformed in a direction to reduce the interval while keeping substantially parallel. Since the portion having the reinforcing member has a substantially planar shape, the portion is uniformly and continuously deformed in the direction in contact with the opposing surface in accordance with the amount of ink reduction in the ink storage portion. Therefore, there is no discontinuous large deformation of the ink storage portion during ejection and non-ejection, and more stable holding of negative pressure and stability of negative pressure at the time of ink ejection, which is optimal for an ink tank used in an ink jet recording apparatus. Can be realized.

As described above, since the reinforcing member is used to reinforce the strength of the maximum area surface of the inner package,
It has strength compared to the inner wall. Therefore, unlike the case where the thickness of the entire inner wall is simply increased, the strength of only the region excluding the peripheral portion of the maximum area surface is increased to adjust the local strength with respect to the maximum area surface, which is the object of the present invention. Can be performed.

In general, a rectangular parallelepiped bag-like container as shown in FIG. 1 tends to be deformed from the central portion of the maximum area thereof as the liquid is led out. In this embodiment, the thickness of the reinforcing member is limited. Since the central portion is formed thicker and becomes thinner toward the peripheral portion, the strength against deformation at the center of the maximum area surface is increased, and the strength against deformation is reduced as the distance from the center increases. Therefore, particularly when the liquid crystal display is used from the initial state, it is possible to more reliably realize that the peripheral portion is positively deformed, and has an effect of promoting the above-described deformation accompanying the subsequent discharge of the liquid.

Although the above description has been made with reference to the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the reinforcing member may be provided inside the inner wall. FIGS. 2C and 2D show examples provided inside the inner wall.

The thickness of the reinforcing member in the present invention is
It depends on the material of the reinforcing member and the desired strength, and the strength can be reduced as long as the strength of the material is large. .

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of a liquid container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(B) and (c) to (d) are a cross-sectional view of a plane orthogonal to a maximum area plane and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the third embodiment of the present invention and its modification.

In this embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing members 109 formed in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are provided so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the maximum area surface of the inner package. 3A and 3B show an example in which a reinforcing member is provided between the inner wall and the outer wall, and FIGS. 3C and 3D show a modification in which the reinforcing member is provided on the inner wall side of the liquid container. It is shown.

In this embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. However, the inner wall has an outer surface which can cope with the inner surface of the housing without any gap due to the influence of the manufacturing method described later. If there is a reinforcing member between and the outer wall,
As shown in FIG. 3A, the inner wall comes around the reinforcing member. Therefore, when it is necessary to increase the thickness of the reinforcing member to some extent, it is desirable to provide the reinforcing member on the liquid storage portion side of the inner wall as shown in a modified example shown in FIGS. .

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of a liquid container according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
(B) and (c) to (d) are a cross-sectional view of a plane orthogonal to a maximum area plane and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the third embodiment of the present invention and its modification.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing members 109 formed in the second embodiment shown in FIG. It is provided so as to be small. FIGS. 6A and 6B show examples in which a reinforcing member is provided between an inner wall and an outer wall.
FIGS. 6C and 6D show a modified example in which the reinforcing member is provided on the liquid container side of the inner wall.

In this case as well, as in the second embodiment, when it is necessary to increase the thickness of the reinforcing member to some extent, it is desirable to provide the reinforcing member on the inner wall side of the liquid container.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of the liquid container according to the present invention, wherein (a) to (b) and (c) to (d) show the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Sectional view of a plane orthogonal to the maximum area plane of the embodiment and its modification, and A
It is -A sectional drawing.

Each embodiment has the basic structure described with reference to FIG.
1, an inner wall 102, a liquid lead-out part 103, a pinch-off part (not shown), an air intake (not shown), and a liquid lead-out permission member 106.

According to the third embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing members 109 formed in the second embodiment shown in FIG. Is provided to be wider.

By changing the interval at which the reinforcing members are provided, local strength adjustment can be performed more easily.

The effects of the first to fourth embodiments described above will be summarized below.

By forming the reinforcing member, the strength of the inner package against crushing can be locally adjusted, so that the state of negative pressure can be stabilized for a long time, and stable ink supply can be performed. it can. For the containers of the above embodiments, the size of the applicable container is
Although there is some variation due to the thickness and strength of the inner wall,
It can be applied up to about 1000 cm ³ .

Further, since the strength of the inner wall against crushing can be locally adjusted, it is possible to regulate the crushing of the inner wall according to the purpose.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention.
Each of (c) and (d) to (f) is a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6G is a top view, a plan view, and a side view of the embodiment and a modification thereof, and FIG. 6G is a cross-sectional view illustrating a shape of a convex portion formed in the liquid storage container of the embodiment.

The present embodiment has the basic configuration described with reference to FIG. 1, but FIG. 6 shows a supply port in order to explain the most important shape of the convex portion in the present invention more clearly. Is omitted. In this embodiment, instead of the reinforcing member used in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, by providing a convex portion, the local strength against the collapse of the maximum area surface is adjusted, and the reinforcing member and Similar effects can be obtained. Therefore, hereinafter, a member including a reinforcing member and a rib, which adjusts local strength against deformation of the maximum area surface, will be referred to as a deformation regulating member.

In the present embodiment and its modification, the liquid container 1
The ribs 1201 and 1202 are formed on the surface having the maximum area of 00, and the same rib is formed on the surface (not shown) opposite to the surface shown in FIGS. 6B and 6E. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 (g), the shape of the projections forming the ribs is such that the inner surface of the outer wall 101 and the outer surface of the inner wall 102 are equivalent or correspond to each other.
And is formed in a trapezoidal shape protruding toward the outer wall 101. The shape is not particularly limited, and may be a square (rectangular) shape.
May protrude toward the inner wall 102.
The ribs 1201 and 1202 are formed up to the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the maximum area surface, and the peripheral portion is curved so as to form a minute curved surface shape as described later.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6 (g), when the rib is formed so as to protrude toward the outside of the liquid container 100, as compared with the case where the rib is formed so as to protrude inward. When the inner wall 102 is deformed due to consumption of ink, the central portion thereof is hardly bent inward, and the inner wall 102 is hard to separate from the outer wall 101 at the protrusions forming the ribs. improves.

The ribs 1201 in the present embodiment and the ribs 1202 in the modified examples thereof are both lattice-shaped. ) Are combined with elongated projections that are equally arranged and have different widths.

By simply arranging the elongated projections in the vertical and horizontal directions evenly, the strength of the maximum area surface is improved even though no rib is provided. Although the local strength against the collapse of the surface cannot be adjusted, as described above, the closer to the center of the maximum area surface, the larger the width in the fifth embodiment. In the part near the center of the area surface, the arrangement interval is set to be sparser as the distance from the center increases, and the strength against deformation at the center of the largest area surface is increased, and the strength against deformation as the distance from the center decreases. is there.

Although increasing the width of the rib as in this embodiment does not directly increase the strength, the liquid container 100 of the present invention is manufactured by blow molding, 6 (g), the inner wall shape and the outer wall shape of the rib substantially correspond to each other, and as a result, the strength against deformation is improved. I do.

The shape of the rib in this embodiment will be described. The inner wall 102 has a thickness of 0.5 mm and the outer wall 101 has a thickness of 0.5 mm.
When the thickness of baking was 1.0 mm, a rib having a height of about 1.2 mm was formed. At this time, the minimum width of the rib is practically 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm.
It is. If the width is smaller than this, the wraparound of the resin becomes worse and molding becomes difficult. Therefore, it is desirable to form an elongated projection having a larger width. Also,
5-30% of the thickness of the liquid container
A degree is desirable.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a view showing the structure of a liquid container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Each of (c) and (d) to (f) corresponds to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
It is the top view, top view, and side view of an Example and its modification.

The present embodiment has the basic configuration described with reference to FIG. 1, but FIG. 7 shows a supply port in order to explain the most important shape of the projection in the present invention more clearly. Is omitted.

In the present embodiment, as the deformation restricting member, FIG.
Ribs 1201 and 120 formed in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG.
No. 2 has ribs 1203 and 1204 formed so that the thickness formed at the center of the maximum area surface is the largest and the thickness is gradually reduced toward the periphery. With such a shape, the strength against crushing in the central region of the maximum area surface can be increased.

As shown in the figure, in the sixth embodiment, the thickness is assumed to change linearly, and the variation is assumed to change gently. Well, it is not particularly limited.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention, and FIGS.
(C) and (d) to (f) each correspond to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.
It is the top view, top view, and side view of an Example and its modification.

This embodiment has the basic configuration described with reference to FIG. 1, but FIG. 8 shows a supply port in order to explain the most important shape of the projection in the present invention more clearly. Is omitted.

In this embodiment and its modifications, the ribs 1301 and 1302 are provided on the largest area surface of the liquid container 100.
Are formed. Each of the ribs 1301 and 1302 is formed by a plurality of elongated projections extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction in the drawing) of the maximum area surface. As in the fifth and sixth embodiments, similar ribs are formed on a surface (not shown) opposite to the illustrated surface.

Rib 1301 formed in this embodiment
The above-mentioned elongated projections are evenly arranged with respect to the center of the maximum area surface, and are formed so that the width decreases as the distance from the center increases, so that the strength against collapse at the center of the maximum area surface is increased. . Further, the ribs 1302 formed in the modification of the present embodiment have the same width of the elongated projections, but are densely arranged at the center of the maximum area plane, thereby providing strength against collapse at the center of the maximum area plane. Is high.

In this embodiment, the ribs are formed only by the elongated projections extending in the vertical direction, so that the crushing in the vertical direction becomes almost the same, and the deformation of the liquid container 100 can be restricted. For example, although not shown in the figure, by determining the width or arrangement of the ribs so that the strength against collapse near the supply port is increased,
Since the deformation starts from the portion of the liquid storage container 100 far from the supply port, the stored ink can be efficiently taken out.

The shape of the projection of the elongated projection is shown in FIG.
Although a trapezoidal shape as shown in FIG.
8 (g), a square (rectangular) shape as shown in FIG. 8 (h), a shape protruding from the inner wall 102 toward the outer wall 101, and a shape protruding from the outer wall 101 toward the inner wall 102. May be combined. By forming a shape protruding from the outer wall 101 toward the inner wall 102 as shown in FIG. 8 (h), the deformation can be carried out at an early stage.
The deformation as described above is performed, and the efficiency of taking out the ink is improved.

(Eighth Embodiment) FIGS. 9 and 10 show the structure of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention.
9 (a) to 9 (c), 9 (d) to 9 (f) and 10 (a)
(C) is a top view, a plan view, and a side view of the eighth embodiment of the present invention and its modified example.

The present embodiment has the basic structure described with reference to FIG. 1. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the most important shape of the convex portion in the present invention is described in order to make it easier to understand. The supply port is omitted.

In the eighth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the maximum area of the liquid container 100 is
Ribs 1401 made of concentrically arranged elliptical projections having different diameters are formed. In the modified examples shown in FIGS. 9D to 9F, the ribs are rectangular with curved corners, A rib 1402 in which a plurality of different projections are arranged concentrically is formed. In the modification shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, a plurality of projections having a rectangular shape and different sizes are arranged concentrically. Rib 1501 is formed. Note that, similarly to the above-described embodiment, similar ribs are formed on the opposite surface (not shown) of the illustrated surface in the present embodiment and its modifications.

Each of the ribs 1401, 1402 and 1501 is arranged concentrically with respect to the center of the plane of the largest area, thereby increasing the strength against deformation at the center of the plane of the largest area. And For this reason, the deformation is generated in the order of the projections provided from the projection far from the center to the center of the maximum area surface. In addition, about the interval of these ribs, as it approached the center of the maximum area surface as described in the above-described embodiment,
It may be narrower.

(Ninth Embodiment) FIG. 11 is a view showing the structure of a liquid container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(A) to (c) and (d) to (f) are a top view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of the ninth embodiment of the present invention and its modification.

The present embodiment has the basic configuration described with reference to FIG. 1, but FIG. 11 shows a supply port for explaining the most important shape of the convex portion in the present invention more clearly. Is omitted.

In this embodiment and its modifications, the ribs 1601 and 1602 are formed on the largest area surface of the liquid container 100. Each of the ribs 1601 and 1602 is formed by a plurality of elongated projections extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction in the drawing) of the maximum area surface. Similar ribs are formed on the surface (not shown) opposite to the illustrated surface, as in the above-described embodiment.

The rib 1601 formed in this embodiment
Is composed of a plurality of columnar protrusions having different sizes, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged so that the size gradually decreases as the distance from the center of the maximum area surface increases.

On the other hand, the rib 1602 formed in the modification of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 11D to 11F is constituted by a plurality of columnar projections having different sizes. Are arranged so that their size gradually decreases as the distance from the center of the maximum area surface increases.

In the present embodiment and its modifications, the above-described configuration increases the strength against collapse at the center of the maximum area surface. In addition, by arranging a plurality of small projections in the periphery, the lines connecting these outer peripheral portions have the same strength against crushing, so that the arrangement can restrict the crushing.

In the present embodiment, the deformation occurs along the broken line shown in FIG. 11B, and the deformation is the same as in the eighth embodiment. In the modification, FIG.
The deformation occurs along the broken line in (e).

The shape of the projections of the columnar projections formed in this embodiment may be trapezoidal as shown in FIG. 11 (g), but may be as shown in FIG. 11 (i). It may be a hemispherical shape. Further, the shapes of the projections of the columnar projections formed in the modified examples shown in FIGS. 11D to 11F are as shown in FIG. 11H, and their aspect ratios (x : Y), the strength against crushing can be adjusted.

(Tenth Embodiment) FIG. 12 is a view showing the structure of a liquid container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(A) to (c) and (d) to (f) are a top view, a plan view, and a side view of the tenth embodiment of the present invention and its modification.

Although the present embodiment has the basic configuration described with reference to FIG. 1, in FIG. 12, the supply port is illustrated in order to explain the most important shape of the convex portion in the present invention more clearly. Is omitted.

In this embodiment and its modifications, the elliptical projections having different diameters or the rectangular projections having curved corners and having different sizes in the eighth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9 are used. The ribs 1801 and 1802 which are provided concentrically without being provided concentrically restrict the collapse. In the present embodiment and its modification, similar ribs are formed on the opposite surface (not shown) of the illustrated surface. The ribs 18 are formed so as to be offset in the
01, 1802.

In this embodiment and its modifications, the plurality of projections are all offset to the left in the drawing, and the strength against crushing in the left direction is higher than the strength against crushing in the right direction. In such a case, the deformation occurs from the right in the drawing and gradually occurs to the left. Although not shown in the drawing, by arranging the respective protrusions so as to increase the strength against crushing near the supply port, the deformation can be started preferentially from a portion far from the supply port, and the ink stored therein can be reduced. It can be taken out efficiently.

(Eleventh Embodiment) FIG. 13 is a view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention.
(A) to (c) and (d) to (f) are a plan view, a side view, and a rear view, respectively, of an eleventh embodiment of the present invention and its modification.

The present embodiment has the basic configuration described with reference to FIG. 1, but FIG. 13 shows a supply port for explaining the shape of the most important projection in the present invention more clearly. Is omitted.

In the present embodiment and its modification, the convex portions 1901 and 19 having different shapes are respectively provided on the opposing maximum area surfaces.
02 is provided. The protrusion 1901 formed in the eleventh embodiment has one vertex, and the protrusion 1902 formed in the modification has two vertices. FIG. 13 (a),
The curves in (c), (d), and (e) do not represent a narrow shape, but are contour lines that connect portions having the same maximum surface area height.

While each of the above-described embodiments has a deformation restricting member in which a projection is formed at the same position when the opposing maximum area surface is viewed in a perspective view, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 1901 is provided. In each of the projections 1902 and the projections 1902, when the opposing maximum area plane is viewed in a perspective view, the vertices are shifted from the center, and the lowest point of the projections is different. It has been. Therefore, even when the opposing maximum area surfaces come into contact with each other, the ink flow path is reliably ensured.

The effects of providing a rib as a deformation restricting member described in the fifth to eleventh embodiments are summarized below.

As in the first to fourth embodiments, by forming the ribs, the strength against the collapse of the inner wall can be locally adjusted, and the state of the negative pressure can be stabilized for a long time. Stable ink supply can be performed. Regarding the container of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the size of the applicable container varies somewhat depending on the thickness and strength of the inner wall, but can be applied up to about 1000 cm ³ . Furthermore, since the strength against crushing of the inner wall can be locally adjusted, the crushing of the inner wall can be regulated according to the purpose.

Further, since the strength of the outer wall is also improved by forming the rib, the outer wall can be made thinner, the material for forming the outer wall can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, when it is mounted on the carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus, the design becomes easy because the weight addition is reduced, and even a material having low mechanical strength can be used. Also the design becomes ready.

(Other Application Examples) The embodiments of the main part of the liquid container according to the present invention have been described above. Hereinafter, embodiments which can be preferably applied to these embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. . However, in the following description, any embodiment is applicable unless otherwise specified. In each of the drawings, a deformation regulating member (a reinforcing member or a rib) is omitted.

<Manufacturing Method> First, the manufacturing method of each of the above-described embodiments will be described in detail.

The ink tank provided by the present invention employs a double-walled structure made of a molded resin material. The outer wall (housing) is made thick to have strength, while the inner wall is made of a soft material. By further reducing the thickness, it is possible to follow the fluctuation in the volume of the ink contained therein. In addition, a non-separable reinforcing member is provided on the inner wall. Therefore, as the material used for each wall, the inner wall should have ink resistance, the outer wall should have impact resistance, etc., and for those having reinforcing members, the reinforcing members should have strength. Is desirable.

The reinforcing member is the first member of the present invention.
In each of the fourth to fourth embodiments, when provided between the outer wall and a non-liquid, it is desirable that the material has no fusion property with the outer wall. On the other hand, when the inner wall is provided on the liquid storage portion side. Is required to have good liquid contact with the liquid to be expropriated.

In the present embodiment, blow molding using blowing air was employed as a method of manufacturing an ink tank. This is because the wall forming the ink tank is formed of a resin that is not substantially stretched, and thereby the inner wall of the ink tank forming the ink container can withstand a substantially uniform load in any direction. Like that. Therefore, even if the ink contained in the ink tank inner wall oscillates in any direction while the ink is consumed to some extent, the ink tank inner wall can reliably hold the ink, and the overall ink tank durability can be improved. Have improved.

Examples of the blow molding method include a method using an injection blow, a method using a direct blow, and a method using a double wall blow.

Regarding the method using the direct blow molding of the present invention, the manufacturing steps in the structure having the reinforcing member shown in the first to fourth embodiments will be described in detail.

FIGS. 14 (a) to 14 (d) are views showing a process of manufacturing an ink tank according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a diagram in which a reinforcing member is manufactured intermittently when manufacturing the first embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the parison included, (a) is sectional drawing by the plane orthogonal to the supply direction of a parison, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a) which shows the clamping part of a parison and a metal mold | die. is there.

In FIG. 14, 211 is a main accumulator for supplying the inner wall resin, 212 is a main extruder for extruding the inner wall resin, and 213a is a sub accumulator for supplying an auxiliary member resin.
21a is a sub-extruder for extruding the auxiliary member resin, 21a
3b is a sub-accumulator for supplying the outer wall resin, 214b
Is a sub-extruder for extruding the outer wall resin.

First, using the injection nozzle as a multi-layer nozzle, a resin (outer resin) 217a forming the housing is formed.
(Inside resin) 217b and 2 forming an inclusion body
17c are simultaneously injected into the mold to prepare a substantially cylindrical parison 217 in which the first and second parisons are integrated. At this time, the layer 217a forming the housing and the layer 217 forming the inner wall are formed.
c is continuous in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction, and the layer 217b serving as a reinforcing member is intermittently supplied in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction.

FIG. 15 shows a parison for manufacturing the liquid container of the first embodiment. As in the modification of the first embodiment, a reinforcing member exists on the inner wall side of the liquid container on the side of the liquid container. In such a case, the separation layer 217b may be disposed inside the parison 217c for the inner wall, the sub-accumulator 213a and the sub-extruder 214a of the manufacturing apparatus are used for the inner wall, and the sub-accumulator 211 and the sub-extruder 212 are used as auxiliary members. The layer 217c serving as an inner wall is continuous in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction, and the layer 217b serving as a reinforcing member is used.
May be intermittent in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction.

In the case where a plurality of reinforcing members are provided on the maximum area as in the second to fourth embodiments, FIG.
The reinforcing member may be divided at the cross section shown in FIG.
In this case, it can be easily realized by changing the extrusion method of the extruder.

As described above, since the resin of the reinforcing member is supplied in parallel to the supply direction of the parison, when a plurality of reinforcing members are provided on the maximum area surface, the maximum area area is reduced due to the ease of mold separation. In the parison supply direction and the direction of the reinforcing member. In the above-described second to fourth embodiments, in consideration of the above-mentioned open weather, a plurality of reinforcing members are provided in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tank, but the parison supply direction and the longitudinal direction of the maximum area plane are perpendicular to each other. With such a change, it is also possible to provide a rib perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tank.

The supply of the resin may be such that the inner resin and the outer resin are in contact with each other, not all of them are in contact with each other, or a structure in which a part of the resin contacts.
In the case of contact, the surface where the inner resin and the outer resin contact each other should be made of a material that does not fuse with each other,
When supplying to a mold, it is necessary to add a compound to either one of the resins and to mold the resin to be separable. When the same type of material is required depending on the liquid contact property and the shape with respect to the ink, the resin may be supplied such that the inner material or the outer material has a multilayer structure so that different materials are located on the contact surface. .

After preparing the parison 217 as described above,
The mold 218 disposed so as to sandwich the parison 217 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 14B to the state shown in FIG.
And the parison 217 is sandwiched. Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
Air is injected from 19 and blow-molded into a shape suitable for the mold 218. At this time, the inner package and the housing are in close contact with each other without any gap. It is more preferable that the temperature of the mold is controlled within a range of about ± 30 ° C. with respect to the reference temperature at the time of molding, because variations due to individual differences in the thickness of each wall of the ink tank at the time of manufacturing can be reduced. .

FIG. 16 is a supplementary explanatory view of the mold shown in FIGS. 14B to 14D viewed from the side, and FIG.
1), (b1), and (c1) are diagrams as viewed from a mold splitting direction, and (a2), (b2), and (c2) are diagrams as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the mold splitting.

In FIG. 16, (a1) and (a2) are states before the parison is sandwiched by the molds, and (b1) and (b2)
2) shows a state where the parison is sandwiched between the molds. At this time, the portion sandwiched between the molds is flattened by the collapse of the circular parison, and is wider than the other portions. This sandwiched portion becomes a pinch-off portion and remains. 16 (c1), (c)
2) shows the shape after molding with blowing air.

After that, the tank is separated from the mold, and the inner wall other than the ink supply section is separated from the outer wall. As a method of peeling, a method of using materials having different thermal expansion coefficients (shrinkage rates) for the molding resin forming the inner wall and the outer wall besides performing the evacuation is used. In this case, after the blow molding, the temperature of the molded product decreases, so that the molded product can be automatically peeled, and the number of steps can be reduced. Similarly, at the time of blow molding, an external force is applied to a portion where the parison is sandwiched between the molds to separate the inner body and the outer wall, and the gap is communicated with air, so that the space can be used as an air communication port. Is more preferable because the number of steps can be reduced.

After the inner package and the housing are separated,
Inject ink. At this time, before the ink is injected, the ink container may be made to have substantially the same shape as the initial state by the pressurized air, and then the ink may be injected. Further, when the ink container is formed in the same shape as the initial state, the ink may be injected by pressurization. The ink tank at this time is in a state where the inner package and the housing can be separated by drawing out the ink. After the ink is injected, the lid including the liquid lead-out permission member 106 is attached.

In the above blow molding, the parison 217 is processed in a viscous state, so that the inner wall resin, the outer wall resin, and the reinforcing member resin have no orientation.

The use of blow molding not only reduces the number of steps in manufacturing and improves the yield by reducing the number of parts, but also reduces the outer wall of the liquid container (ink tank) as shown in FIG. According to the shape of the inner wall, the shape of the inner inclusion body can be formed so that the corner of the inner wall comes to a position corresponding to the corner of the outer wall.

That is, in the initial state where the ink is filled,
Since the inner body becomes similar to the outer wall and the inner body can be made to conform to the inner surface shape of the housing at predetermined intervals,
It is possible to eliminate the dead space seen when a bag-shaped container is housed inside the conventional housing, and to increase the ink storage amount per unit volume in the ink tank housing (to increase the ink storage efficiency). it can.

In addition, the case and the inner package which can be separated from each other and which are formed by the above-mentioned direct blow manufacturing method are such that a cylindrical parison is uniformly inflated by air blow with respect to a substantially polygonal column mold. Has a similar configuration. That is, the above-described inner package is formed to be thinner in the vicinity of the corner portion than in the vicinity of the center of the surface constituting the container. Similarly, the thickness of the housing near the corner is thinner than that near the center of the surface constituting the container.

Further, with respect to the housing (outer wall), the inner package is formed by being laminated on an outer wall having a thickness distribution that gradually decreases from a central portion of each surface toward a corner of each surface. ing. As a result, the inner package has an outer surface that matches the inner surface of the outer wall. Since the outer surface of the inner package follows the thickness distribution of the outer wall, the outer surface protrudes toward the liquid container formed by the inner wall.

Since these structures exhibit the above-mentioned functions particularly at the maximum area, the present invention only needs to have such a convex shape at least at the maximum area, and the convex shape also has the inner wall surface. May be 2 mm or less, and 1 mm or less on the outer surface of the inner wall. Although this convex shape may be within the measurement error range in the small area portion, it is one factor that gives a priority to deformation on each surface of the substantially polygonal column ink tank, so it is one of the preferable conditions for the present invention. Become.

Here, considering the reinforcing member,
Since the reinforcing member is laminated between the outer wall and the inner wall or on the side of the inner wall where the ink is stored, the thickness distribution is thicker at the central portion as with the outer wall and gradually decreases toward the peripheral portion. Above, it is convex toward the liquid container side of the inner wall. Therefore, when the parison of the reinforcing member is supplied, it is possible to easily realize the local adjustment of the local strength with respect to the maximum surface area, which is the object of the present invention, without performing a special control on the thickness. It is very desirable.

In the case of using a rib as the deformation restricting member shown in the fifth to eleventh embodiments, the shape of the mold may be modified. The parison supplied at this time is
The layer 217a forming the housing and the layer 217c serving as the inner wall are continuously supplied in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction, and the layer 217b serving as the reinforcing member is formed without being supplied. Has become.

<Molding resin> Next, the molding resin constituting the ink tank of the present invention will be described.

[0136] The ink tank of the present invention has a double structure of an inner package for storing ink and an outer wall covering the inner wall. In addition, in the inner packet of the first to fourth embodiments, an inseparable reinforcing member is provided on the inner wall forming the ink container.

Therefore, the inner wall is made of a material which is flexible when thinned, has excellent liquid contact properties, or has a low gas permeability, and the outer wall is made of a material which is strong to protect the inner wall. Each of the reinforcing members is preferably a member having excellent adhesion to the inner wall and a member having high strength. Specifically, in the case of the material used as the inner wall, the tensile elastic modulus is 15
It preferably satisfies the condition of about 0 to 3000 (kgf / cm ² ). In the case of a material used as a reinforcing member, if a material having a higher tensile elastic modulus than the material used for the inner wall is used, the reinforcement will be achieved. This is desirable because the thickness of the member can be reduced.

For example, as the material of the outer wall, an amorphous material such as a noril resin (registered product of GE) is used, the inner wall is made of crystalline low density polyethylene (LDPE), and the reinforcing member is made of high density polyethylene (HDPE). ) Can be used. In this case, the non-crystalline resin generally has a small heat shrinkage, and the crystalline resin generally has a large heat shrinkage, so that the resin removability can be improved.
In addition, LDPE and HDPE are excellent in the fusibility between materials, and HDPE has a higher tensile elastic modulus than LDPE, so that the thickness of the reinforcing member can be reduced.

Examples of the amorphous material include polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride and the like. In addition, as the crystalline material, a crystal part is formed at a certain ratio under a predetermined environment for crystallization, and examples thereof include polypropylene, polyethylene, polyacetal, and polyamide.

As described above, in addition to using materials having different heat shrinkage rates for the outer wall and the inner wall, the non-polar resin and the combination of the non-polar resin and the polar resin improve the releasability of the resin. Is also good.

In the above description, the outer wall, the inner wall, and the reinforcing member are described as having a single layer. However, in order to enhance impact resistance and the like, these may be formed as a multilayer structure of different materials. For example, by making the outer wall have a multilayer structure, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of breakage during transportation or installation. In addition, when a material that does not have an adhesive property with the inner wall is used for the reinforcing member, the reinforcing member may have a multilayer structure, and an adhesive layer that is inseparably integrated with the inner wall may be used at a joint with the inner wall. .

<Shape of Atmosphere Communication Port> As an application example of the atmosphere communication port, the configuration shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 can be mentioned.

In the application example shown in FIG. 17, a small gap 1 of about several tens μm between the outer wall and the inner wall generated near the welded portion 104.
07 is used as an air intake. This gap is easily formed by selecting a material having low adhesiveness to the outer wall 101 for the inner wall 102, thereby applying an external force to the welded portion 104 and peeling the inner wall 102 from the outer wall 101.

In the application example shown in FIG. 18, the inner wall is peeled off from the outer wall in the same manner as in the application example shown in FIG. 11 by utilizing the residual stress caused by forming the outer wall 101 and the inner wall 102 with different materials. Has formed. A valve 108 that opens to the outside is provided on the outer wall of the ink tank to assist the pressure balance on the inner wall of the ink tank. In normal ink supply, the outer wall 101 and the inner wall 10
Although the pressure can be adjusted sufficiently by drawing and introducing air into the space between the two, the valve 108 is provided so that the rapid pressure change caused by dropping etc. can be absorbed more quickly. It is.

<Pinch Off Portion> FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the ink tank as another application example of the present invention. 19A shows a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 19B shows a side view. This application example is different from the application example described above in that the diameter of the parison described above is increased to substantially the entire width of the tank to form an ink tank.

A description will be given of different points from the foregoing embodiment.

The ink tank 104 shown in FIG. 19A is formed over almost the entire width of the ink tank 100 in the height direction.

The production method will be described. First and second parisons 217 (see FIG. 14) are connected to extruders 212 and 214.
a and 214b, the diameter of the parison
By making the diameter substantially equal to the diameter of 18, the amount of expansion at the time of air injection is reduced. As described above, by reducing the expansion of the parison, the distance from the parison to the corners of the ink tank can be substantially reduced, and the thickness of each corner can be formed as equal as possible. Can be made equal in intensity.

Further, by providing a pinch-off portion substantially over the entire width of the side surface of the tank as in this application example, the support portion of the inner wall can be more stably maintained, and the generation of a negative pressure against the discharge of ink can be prevented. It can be held more stably.

Furthermore, by forming the pinch-off portion widely at the position facing the ink tank, the ink tank itself can be further strengthened, and the reliability against an external impact or the like can be increased.

In this application example, a similar effect can be derived without being particularly limited to the shape of the ink tank. However, the pinch-off portion has a substantially symmetric shape as in this application example, and the pinch-off portion is adjacent to the surface having the maximum area of the ink tank. By being located at a position facing the set surface, a more stable negative pressure can be generated. More specifically, by supporting the deformation of the inner wall at a position opposed to the surface having the maximum area, it is possible to regularly regulate the deformation of the maximum surface due to ink derivation. It is possible to generate more stable negative pressure compatible with deformation regulation.

<Shape of Corner> FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the ink tank as another application example of the present invention. 20A shows a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 20B shows a side view.

This application example is different from the above-described embodiment in that the corners and the intersections between the surfaces are minute curved surfaces as compared with the above-described ink tank.

By forming the parison into a minute curved surface shape as in this application example, when the parison is expanded with respect to the mold and molded,
The corners and the intersections of the surfaces can be formed more thinly but more stably. By forming the corners and intersections as minute curved surfaces, the occurrence of pinholes can be largely prevented.

Looking further at the corners of the minute curved surface, the configuration of this application example enables the outer and inner walls to be formed with a substantially uniform film thickness as compared with the edge-shaped configuration, and provides a stable surface. Can be moved. Further, by making the film thickness at that portion uniform, it is possible to achieve stable strength.

In addition, since the corners and the intersections of the surfaces are spherical (curved) when viewed locally, the strength of the portion itself is increased, and the shape is locally collapsed. It becomes a difficult configuration. As a result, it is possible to more stably achieve the crushing of the surface.

The method of manufacturing the configuration of this application example is such that the corners of the mold 218 (see FIG. 14) and the portions corresponding to the intersections of the surfaces can be easily manufactured by forming them into minute curved surfaces. Become.

In the formation of the mold, the production of the mold becomes easier and the productivity is improved, so that the production of the ink tank can be provided at substantially lower cost.

Such a configuration is not limited to the shape of the ink tank of the present embodiment, but the shape of the ink tank and the shape of the liquid container in each of the above-described embodiments, and the embodiment of the single container described later. A similar effect can be achieved by adopting a minute curved surface shape.

<Container Shape> Next, another application example having a different container shape will be described.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the ink tank as another application example of the present invention. In this application example, the shape of the tank and the positional relationship between the ink supply unit and the inner wall support unit are different from those of the other embodiments.

As in the other embodiments, ink evaporation prevention,
In order to make the pressure in the tank uniform and to prevent ink leakage, the ink tank has a double wall so as to freely follow internal pressure fluctuations caused by a decrease in the amount of ink contained inside. In addition, at least one of the corners α formed by the surface having the ink supply unit is substantially a right angle, so that it serves as an auxiliary regulating unit for the inner wall. .

In this embodiment, the shape of the ink tank 110 is slightly closer to a cubic shape than in each embodiment, and the ink supply unit 113 is provided on the bottom surface. Further, the surface having the ink supply portion 113 and the surface having the welding portion 114 are not opposed to each other, and the gap 11 generated near the welding portion is formed.
7 is used as an air intake.

Further, the outer wall 11 having a substantially planar shape
Although it is the same as the first embodiment in that at least one outer wall surface having the largest surface area among the one surface does not have a joint portion with the inner wall 112 and the inner wall can be easily separated from the outer wall. In the present embodiment, instead of satisfying the same conditions on the surface facing this surface, an ink supply unit 113 is provided.

In the ink tank of this embodiment, the ink in the ink container is used and the inner wall 11 of the ink tank is used.
When 2 is deformed, the deformation starts from the ceiling surface of the ink tank, instead of the pair of opposing surfaces being simultaneously deformed. The direction of this deformation is vertically downward, and coincides with the direction of ink supply from the ink supply unit to the recording head. Therefore, also in this embodiment, although the configuration is different from each of the above-described embodiments, it is possible to easily realize the same stable ejection of the ink and the maintenance of the negative pressure.

The manufacturing method of the present ink tank is the same as the manufacturing method of the above-described embodiment by blow molding. However, the ink tank of the above-described embodiment has an ink supply section in the parison supply direction, and has an air supply section. In the ink tank of this application example, since the ink supply unit 113 is different from the parison supply direction, the step of welding the air supply port and the step of providing the ink supply unit Is necessary. The air blowing port may be any of the welded portions 114a and 114b, but in this application example, 114b is used as the air blowing port, and the inner wall is welded at 114b after molding.

When the ink supply unit is aligned with the parison supply direction, as in the above-described embodiment, the maximum surface area of the ink tank is set in a direction perpendicular to the parison supply direction, that is, in a direction having a welded portion. This is because the ink tank of this application example can be manufactured more easily by increasing the number of steps of welding the air blowing port and providing the ink supply unit than providing the surface.

<Structure of Outer Wall> FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an ink tank according to another application of the present invention. FIG.
2A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a bottom view. This application example has a configuration in which a separation layer is provided between the inner wall and the outer wall.

The ink tank 12 shown in FIG.
At 0, reference numeral 121 denotes an outer wall of the ink tank;
Reference numeral 2 denotes an inner wall of the ink tank.

The outer wall 121 and the inner wall 122 are configured so that a part thereof is disposed with the separation layer 129 therebetween, but the other parts are integrated and are made of the same material except for the thickness. It is configured. Further, the separation layer 1
Since 29 is made of a material having no adhesiveness to the outer wall 121 and the inner wall 122, the separation between the inner and outer walls and the separation layer is easily realized.

The separating layer 129, the outer wall 121, and the inner wall 122 only need to be configured to be separable from each other. Even if the separating layer, the outer wall, and the inner wall are in contact with each other, they can be separated from each other by a minute space. You may comprise so that it may be arrange | positioned. In any case, only the space between the separation layer 129 and the outer wall 121 communicates with the outside through the air intake port 125 provided in the outer wall 121. The inner wall 122 and the separation layer 129 may be integrated.

Accordingly, when the ink inside the ink tank is consumed, the inner wall 122 is deformed, the volume of the area surrounded by the inner wall is reduced, and the inner wall is subjected to elastic deformation to exert a force to return to the initial state. work. At this time, since the separation layer is thinner than the inner wall, it is deformed simultaneously with the deformation of the inner wall, and follows the inner wall. Also, the separation layer 12
Atmosphere is introduced between 7 and the outer wall. The introduction of the atmosphere helps the inner wall to be deformed and serves to maintain a stable negative pressure when the ink is used.

Reference numeral 123 denotes an ink supply section from the inside of the container to the outside, which serves as a connection section with an ink introduction section (not shown) on the ink jet head side. Reference numeral 126 denotes an ink lead-out permission member serving as a connection portion with the ink jet head.

Here, since the outer wall 121 and the inner wall 122 are integrated near the ink supply unit 123, it is possible to easily improve the moldability of the ink supply unit 123 in the manufacturing process by blow molding. . If the formability of the ink supply unit 123 is good, the connection with the ink jet recording head is reliably performed, so that ink does not leak from the connection unit, and the ink tank and the ink jet recording head are repeatedly attached and detached. Is more desirable. Further, since the outer wall and the inner wall are integrally formed in the vicinity of the ink supply section 123, the ink supply section 123 is formed.
The strength in the vicinity can be increased.

Reference numeral 124 denotes an inner wall welded portion in which the inner wall 122 is engaged with the outer wall 121 with the separation layer 129 interposed therebetween, and supports the inner wall 122 by engaging with the outer wall.

The manufacturing method of this application example can be easily realized by making the parison more multi-layered.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an ink tank according to still another application example of the present invention.

In FIG. 23, (a) is a sectional view, and (b)
Is a side view, and (c) is a perspective view.

In this application example, the above-described outer wall is removed, or only the inner package is formed into a tank structure.

As in the above-described embodiments and application examples, blow molding using blowing air was employed. In this application example, in the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 14, the resin can be easily manufactured by not preparing the resin constituting the outer wall.

When manufactured by this method, there is no need to provide an atmosphere communication port, and there is no outer wall for restricting the movement of the corner from the outside.

Although not shown in the drawings, the pinch-off portion is not formed in the maximum area, so that the thickness of the maximum area forming the ink tank is changed from the central area of the maximum area to the corner. It is continuously thinner toward.
Also, the distribution of the thickness of the outer wall molded when there is an outer wall,
The central area of the maximum area of the inner wall has a shape protruding toward the inside of the container. The surface having the maximum area with respect to the change of the negative pressure inside the ink tank due to the distribution of the concave shape and the thickness is deformed while forming the convex curved surface more smoothly.

The portion forming the corner moves toward the central area of the maximum area surface following the decrease of the ink in the ink tank, but the opposite maximum area is maintained while maintaining the shape of the corner. From the central area of the surface, they come into close contact with each other in order.

Due to the regularity of such deformation, the ink tank has characteristics as an ink tank and can be used as an ink tank.

In addition, the structure of the outer wall will be supplemented. One of the functions of the outer wall described above is to regulate the deformation of the corners of the inner wall. However, as a structure exhibiting this function, the shape can be maintained against the deformation of the inner wall and the periphery of the corners can be maintained. What is necessary is just to have a structure (corner surrounding member) which covers. Therefore, the outer wall or the inner wall may be covered with a material such as plastic, metal, or cardboard. The outer wall may be the entire surface, or only the corners may have a surface structure, and the surface structure may be connected with a rod of metal or the like. Further, the outer wall may have a mesh structure.

<Inkjet Cartridge> Next, the case where the ink tank according to the present invention is connected to a recording head will be described.

FIG. 24A is a schematic view of a recording head which is a recording means connectable to the ink tank of the present invention, and FIG. 24B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of connection between the recording head and the ink tank. The figure is shown.

In FIG. 24A, reference numeral 401 denotes a recording head unit serving as recording means, and recording heads for black, yellow, cyan, and magenta are integrated so that full-color printing can be performed. Assembled. These recording heads have a liquid flow path having an ejection port for ejecting ink, and a heating resistor element for ejecting ink from the ink ejection port.

Reference numeral 402 denotes an ink supply tube as an ink introduction unit for introducing ink into each recording head unit. At the end of the ink supply tube 402, a filter 403 for trapping air bubbles and dust is provided. Is provided.

When the above-described ink tank 100 is attached to the recording head unit 401, FIG.
As shown in (b), the ink can be supplied by connecting the ink supply pipe 402 to the pressure contact body 106 provided in the ink tank 100.

After the ink tank is mounted, the ink inside the ink tank is introduced into the recording head by a recovery means or the like provided in a recording apparatus (not shown), and an ink communication state is formed. Thereafter, during the printing operation, ink is ejected from the ink ejection unit 404 provided in the recording head, and the ink held in the ink tank inner wall 102 is consumed.

Here, in the ink tank of the present invention, the ink supply section is provided below the center of the ink tank. As a result, it is not necessary to adjust the ejection force on the recording head side in accordance with a change in the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, and it is possible to increase the use efficiency of ink that can be actually used.

Further, since the ink tanks in the respective embodiments of the present invention have the ability to generate and maintain a negative pressure in the inner package surrounded by the inner wall of the ink tank, the pressure contact members provided in the ink supply section The ink lead-out permitting member, such as a valve or a rubber stopper, is only required to hold the ink when separated from the recording head.

<Ink Jet Recording Apparatus> Finally, an ink jet recording apparatus which carries out recording by mounting the ink tank described in each embodiment and each application example will be described. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink tank according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 25, the head unit 401 and the ink tank 100 are fixedly supported on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus by a positioning means (not shown), and are detachably mounted on the carriage.

The forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor 513 is transmitted to the lead screw 504 via the drive transmission gears 511 and 509 to rotate the lead screw 504, and the carriage is rotated by a pin (not shown) engaged with the spiral groove 505 of the lead screw 504. )
Having. Thereby, the carriage is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus.

Reference numeral 502 denotes a cap for capping the front surface of each recording head in the recording head unit, and is used for performing suction recovery of the recording head through an opening in the cap by a suction unit (not shown). Cap 502 is gear 5
08 and the like, and can move to cover the ejection opening surface of each recording head. Cap 502
A cleaning blade (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of, and this blade is supported movably in the vertical direction in the figure. The blade is not limited to this form, and it goes without saying that a known cleaning blade can be applied to this embodiment.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that desired operations can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 505 when the carriage moves to the home position.
If a desired operation is performed at a known timing, any of the embodiments can be applied.

The connection pad 452 of the recording head unit mounted on the carriage is connected to the connection pad 531 when the connection plate 530 provided on the carriage is rotated around a predetermined axis, and is electrically connected. . Since no connector is used for this connection, no unnecessary force acts on the recording head.

[0200]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By providing a deformation restricting member on the maximum area surface of the inner package, locally adjusting the strength against crushing, and further restricting the crushing, liquid can be supplied while using a stable negative pressure. .

By applying the above structure to an ink tank in the field of ink jet recording, the inner wall is deformed delicately following environmental changes such as negative pressure of ink supply, external mechanical force, temperature and pressure. Therefore, the pressure of the ink tank becomes constant, and the supply of ink to the inkjet head is performed smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to provide an inkjet cartridge that can be completely integrated with or separated from the inkjet head having the above-described effects.

Further, when used in a liquid supply system using a head difference, it is possible to provide a liquid supply system whose size has been reduced by using negative pressure and a liquid storage container that can be used in the liquid supply system. .

Although the above-described embodiments and application examples have been described as ink tanks in the field of ink jet recording, for example, a liquid is supplied to an external member of a liquid container such as a pen as a recording unit or an ink ejection unit or to the outside. Therefore, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a liquid storage container using a negative pressure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a liquid container to which the present invention is applied, (a) is a cross-sectional view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective view.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views showing a configuration of an embodiment of a liquid storage container according to the present invention, wherein FIGS.
Are a cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, respectively, of the first embodiment of the present invention and its modified example, which are orthogonal to the maximum area plane.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing the configuration of an embodiment of a liquid storage container according to the present invention, wherein FIGS.
Are a cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view taken along a line AA, respectively, of the second embodiment of the present invention and a modification thereof, which are orthogonal to the maximum area plane.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the liquid container according to the present invention, wherein (a) to (b) and (c) to (d).
Are a cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, respectively, of the third embodiment of the present invention and a modification thereof, which are orthogonal to the maximum area plane.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a liquid storage container according to the present invention, and (a) to (b) and (c) to (d).
Are a cross-sectional view taken along a plane orthogonal to the maximum area plane and a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the fourth embodiment of the present invention and its modification.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention, wherein (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) show a fifth embodiment of the present invention and its components, respectively. It is a top view, a top view, and a side view of a modification, and (g) is a sectional view showing the shape of the convex part formed in the liquid container.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention, wherein (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) show a sixth embodiment of the present invention and its components, respectively. It is a top view, a plan view, and a side view of a modification.

FIGS. 8 (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) are a top view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a seventh embodiment of the present invention and its modification; (H) is a sectional view showing a shape of a convex portion formed on the liquid storage container.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the liquid container according to the present invention, wherein (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) show the eighth embodiment of the present invention and its components, respectively. It is a top view, a plan view, and a side view of a modification.

10 (a) to 10 (c) show an eighth embodiment of the present invention.
It is the top view, top view, and side view of the modification of an Example.

FIGS. 11 (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) are a top view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a ninth embodiment of the present invention and its modification; (I) is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of a convex portion formed on the liquid storage container.

12 (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) are top views of the tenth embodiment of the present invention and its modification,
It is a top view and a side view.

FIGS. 13 (a) to (c) and (d) to (f) are top views of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention and its modification,
It is a top view and a rear view.

FIGS. 14A to 14D are explanatory diagrams illustrating an ink tank manufacturing process to which the present invention is applied.

15A and 15B are explanatory views of a parison intermittently including a reinforcing member, wherein FIG. 15A is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane orthogonal to the parison supply direction, and FIG. It is an AA sectional view of (a).

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the liquid container in a manufacturing process of the liquid container to which the present invention is applied.

17A and 17B are schematic diagrams of another example of the liquid container to which the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 17B is a side view.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are schematic diagrams of another example of the liquid container to which the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view and FIG.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of another example of the liquid container to which the present invention is applied, (a) is a cross-sectional view, and (b) is a side view.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are schematic diagrams of another example of the liquid storage container to which the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 20A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 20B is a side view.

FIGS. 21A and 21B are schematic diagrams of another example of a liquid container to which the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 21A is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 21B is a plan view, and FIG. It is a perspective view.

FIGS. 22A and 22B are schematic diagrams of another example of the liquid container to which the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 22A is a cross-sectional view and FIG.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of another example of the liquid container to which the present invention is applied, (a) is a cross-sectional view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective view.

FIG. 24A is a schematic perspective view showing an ink tank to which the present invention is applied and a recording head connectable to the ink tank, and FIG. 24B is a connection state between the recording head and the ink tank. FIG.

FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink tank to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Liquid container (ink tank) 101 Case (outer wall) 102 Inner wall 103 Ink supply port 104 Welding section 105 Air intake 106 Ink lead-out permission member 107 Gap 108 Valve 109 Reinforcement member 217 Parison 218 Mold 401 Recording head unit 402 Ink Supply pipe 403 Filter 404 Ink ejection section

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-297725 (JP, A) JP-A-59-204566 (JP, A) JP-A-5-254144 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175 B65D 85/84

Claims (18)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substantially polygonal column having an air communication portion ,
A housing having a corner formed by three extended portions of the polygonal prism; an outer surface having a shape similar to or similar to the inner surface of the housing; and a corner corresponding to the corner of the housing. An inner package that forms a liquid storage portion capable of storing a liquid therein and that can be peeled off from the housing; a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid from the liquid storage portion to the outside; And a pinch-off portion sandwiched between the outer walls, wherein the housing and the inner package have a maximum surface except for a surface having the liquid supply portion and a surface having the pinch-off portion. An inner surface having a surface having an area, and supplying liquid to the outside from the liquid supply unit.
As a result of the deformation, a negative pressure is generated, and the surface of the inclusion body that is the maximum area surface regulates the deformation of the surface.
A deformation restricting member for controlling the area except for a peripheral portion of the maximum area surface.
A liquid storage container provided in a region . Wherein said liquid container has a surface to be the set of maximum area where the said inclusion body over the entire said housing for releasable face, strange to each of maximum area side to the opposite
The liquid container according to claim 1, further comprising a shape regulating member . 3. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the deformation restricting members are present on the maximum area surface. 4. The liquid container according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the deformation restricting members is located at a central portion of the maximum area surface. 5. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the deformation restricting member is thinner near a corner portion than near a center of the maximum area surface. 6. The liquid container according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the deformation restricting member gradually decreases from a central area of the maximum area surface toward each corner. 7. The deformation restricting member is a reinforcing member which is provided on the inner wall so as to be inseparable and is thinner near a corner portion than at a central portion made of a material different from the inner wall. 7. The liquid container according to 6. 8. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the deformation restricting member is a projection provided on the housing and the inner package. 9. The liquid container according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of convex portions having the same shape and different sizes are present substantially concentrically on the maximum area surface. 10. The deformation restricting member is a protrusion provided on the housing and the inner package, and the protrusion on each surface is located at a position opposed to both central regions having a maximum area. 3. The liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the liquid container is present. 11. The liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the deformation restricting member is a protrusion provided on the housing and the inner package, and the shape of the protrusion on each surface is different. . 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein corners of the inner package and the housing are minute curved surfaces.
A liquid storage container according to claim 1. 13. A separating layer for preventing the inner package from being exposed to the air is provided at a part between the inner package and the housing, and air can be introduced between the separating layer and the housing. 2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid container has a simple air intake. 14. A housing having a substantially polygonal column shape having an air communication portion and having a corner formed by three extended portions of the polygonal column, and an outer surface having a shape similar to or similar to the inner surface of the housing. An inner package body having a corner corresponding to the corner of the housing, forming a liquid housing portion capable of housing a liquid therein, and being peelable from the housing; and the liquid housing portion. A liquid supply unit for supplying liquid from the outside to the outside, and a pinch-off unit in which a part where the inner package is integrated is sandwiched by the outer wall, and the housing and the inner package have the liquid supply unit A surface having a maximum area on a surface excluding a surface and a surface having a pinch-off portion ;
A negative pressure is generated by the deformation, and in a region excluding the peripheral portion of the surface that is the maximum area surface of the internal body , a material different from the internal body provided inseparably on the internal body is used. A liquid storage container provided with a reinforcing member. 15. A housing having a substantially polygonal column shape having an air communication portion and having a corner formed by three extended portions of the polygonal column, and an outer surface having a shape similar to or similar to the inner surface of the housing. An inner package body having a corner corresponding to the corner of the housing, forming a liquid housing portion capable of housing a liquid therein, and being peelable from the housing; and the liquid housing portion. A liquid supply unit for supplying liquid from the outside to the outside, and a pinch-off unit in which a part where the inner package is integrated is sandwiched by the outer wall, and the housing and the inner package have the liquid supply unit A surface excluding the surface and the surface having the pinch-off portion, a surface having a maximum area, and the inclusion body and the housing are arranged around the surface having the maximum area.
Each of the regions excluding the portion has a convex portion, and the convex portion of the
Has the same shape as the inner surface of the convex part of the corresponding housing
A liquid storage container, characterized in that: 16. An ink jet cartridge, comprising: the liquid container according to claim 1; and an ink jet head which is joined to the ink supply unit of the liquid container and discharges ink. 17. An enclosure having a housing having an atmosphere communication portion , an outer surface having a shape equivalent to the inner surface of the housing, and a liquid storage portion capable of storing a liquid therein, and from the liquid storage portion to the outside. A liquid supply unit for supplying a liquid; and a method for manufacturing a liquid storage container having a polygonal cross section, comprising: a mold corresponding to the outer periphery of the liquid storage container; and a substantially smaller diameter than the mold. Providing a first parison for the cylindrical housing and a second parison for the inner package; injecting air into the interior to inflate the first and second parisons and to conform to the mold; Forming the casing and the inner package of the liquid storage container into separable and substantially similar shapes, and forming a layer for forming an inner wall of the second parison for the inner package and a reinforcing member. A plurality of layers, and the layer serving as the inner wall is arranged in the supply direction. A liquid container that is continuous in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and that the layer serving as the reinforcing member is intermittently supplied in both the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the supply direction. Method. 18. A process of preparing the parison, according to claim 17, characterized by providing an adhesive layer between the layers for forming the reinforcing member and a layer for forming the inner wall Manufacturing method of liquid storage container.