JP4898516B2 - Liquid storage container and liquid storage container package - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container and a package thereof, and more particularly to a liquid storage container and a package thereof suitable for storing a liquid such as a recording ink used in ink jet recording. The liquid container of the present invention can be applied not only to a general recording apparatus but also to an apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, and a word processor having a printing unit. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a liquid supply source of an industrial recording apparatus combined with various processing apparatuses.

  In general, an ink jet recording apparatus uses a recording head and a liquid storage container (hereinafter also referred to as an ink tank) that is connected to the recording head and supplies liquid such as recording ink. In recording, a desired image is formed by ejecting ink in accordance with image data from a fine ejection port provided in the recording head and adhering the ink to the recording medium.

  Ink is supplied to the recording head from an ink tank which is an ink supply source. As a method for supplying ink to the recording head, there is a method in which an ink tank for holding ink is mounted on a carriage and ink is directly supplied to the recording head. Further, ink is communicated between the ink tank disposed at the fixed portion of the apparatus and the recording head using a supply tube. In either method, the ink tank is generally detachable from the recording device so that the ink tank can be replaced with a new one when the ink remaining in the ink tank is substantially exhausted. is there.

  In recent years, inkjet recording technology has been applied to a wide range of fields. In addition to personal or home use or office use, it has been expanded to industrial uses such as printing, and ink jet recording tailored to the use. Equipment has been developed. In addition, ink that exhibits preferable characteristics according to the application is also employed.

  Inks are broadly classified into inks mainly containing dye components (hereinafter referred to as dye inks) as coloring materials and inks containing pigment components (hereinafter referred to as pigment inks). In particular, in applications that require light resistance and gas resistance of recorded materials, for example, for creating outdoor bulletins, sufficient image fastness may be ensured by using pigment ink. Many.

  However, pigment ink has various problems in terms of handling compared to dye ink. For example, the dispersibility of a pigment component which is a color material in ink is one of them.

  The pigment component is not dissolved in the ink solution like the dye component, and is suspended in a dispersed state. Therefore, if the ink tank is left standing for a while, the pigment particles in the ink tank gradually settle according to the action of gravity, causing a difference in the density distribution of the pigment particles in the vertical direction of the ink tank. That is, a layer having a high color material concentration is formed in a low portion, and a layer having a low color material concentration is formed in a high portion. When recording is started and continued in this state, a density difference occurs in the output image between the initial use stage and the late use stage of the ink tank.

  For example, consider a configuration in which an ink supply port is arranged at a bottom portion in the posture when the ink tank is mounted, and ink is supplied to the recording head. In this case, when recording is started with the ink tank mounted with the density distribution difference as described above, the ink is supplied from the lower layer having a higher color material density, so the density is higher than the required density. Correct image is output. Thereafter, as the recording is repeated and the ink in the ink tank is consumed, the image density gradually decreases. When the amount of ink became small, only ink with a color material density lower than the original color material density remained, and even if the recorded matter was recorded according to the same image data as the original, the density was expressed sufficiently. It may not be done. In particular, when the diameter and specific gravity of the pigment particles are large, the tendency of sedimentation is remarkable, and a density distribution difference that causes an influence on the image occurs only when the unused state continues for several days.

  In addition, in the case of a dye ink, if the ink freezes in a cold region or the like, the content components may be separated during the freezing process. In this case, the dye itself is also unevenly distributed in the ink tank, and although it is not as much as the pigment ink, there is a case where the density gradient occurs in the dye ink.

  As described above, the change in the color material density of the ejected ink not only causes a problem of causing a density difference in the output image between the initial use stage and the late use stage of the ink tank. In a color ink jet recording system that uses a plurality of color inks and expresses a desired hue based on a predetermined color balance, the color balance is lost. Therefore, there arises a problem that uneven image deterioration is recognized.

  The ink tanks disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are provided with a tubular member extending inward from the ink supply port of the tank. An ink absorber is included in the ink tank, and the tubular member is surrounded by the absorber. A plurality of holes for inflow of ink are provided on the side surface of the tubular member. Ink flows into the tube through a plurality of holes provided in the tube. That is, in addition to the hole close to the supply port position, the ink flows into the pipe from the hole far from the supply port, and the ink is led out of the tank from the supply port. As a result, the influence of the density gradient of the ink color material is mitigated, and the derived color material density of the ink is maintained within a desired range.

JP 2001-270131 A JP 2001-293880 A

  However, in the above conventional example, an absorber is provided inside the ink tank, and the absorber contains ink. In an ink tank that does not provide an ink absorber in order to increase the amount of ink stored and stores ink directly in the tank, there is nothing that prevents sedimentation of the color material component. Therefore, the color material concentration distribution difference in the tank is larger.

  The color material component settles because the ink tank is allowed to stand still is not only the period in which the ink is not used (hereinafter referred to as a non-use period) after the ink tank is mounted. During the period until the user obtains the manufactured tank and mounts it on the recording device, that is, the distribution period, the period for display for sale, and the period for storage by the user (hereinafter referred to as the unused period) This also causes the tank to stand still. In practice, the unused period is longer than the unused period, and the color material density distribution difference in the unused period may be larger.

  After being mounted on the recording apparatus, an appropriate stirring operation can be performed on the apparatus side. For example, the ink supply path such as a tube connected to the tank is pressurized and depressurized to cause the ink in the tank to flow or move so that the stirring operation is performed. According to this, the stirring effect acts on the entire ink stored in the tank, and a state where the density distribution difference is small inside the tank (a uniform dispersion state of the coloring material) is obtained.

  However, such an active stirring operation cannot be performed in the unused period. The sedimentation of the coloring material and the pigment component proceeds, and the concentration distribution difference in the vertical direction of the tank may be very large. In a state where such a large density distribution difference occurs, that is, in a state where color material components are concentrated in the vicinity of the ink supply port, it is more strict to improve the density distribution difference. Even when an ink supply path such as a tube connected to the tank is pressurized and depressurized in the initial stage of tank installation to perform the ink stirring operation inside the tank, the stirring effect may be insufficient. In particular, at the initial stage of use of the tank, a high-density ink in which a color material component has settled near the ink supply port of the tank is used, and an extremely high-density image may be formed.

  In general, therefore, it is recommended that the user perform an agitation operation called hand shaking prior to mounting the tank on the recording apparatus. Specifically, the operation is such that the user shakes the ink tank by himself and moves the entire tank. If such a stirring operation is forgotten or neglected and a tank is attached to the apparatus and the use is started, a high density image may be formed at the initial stage of printing. It is desirable to perform printing after the tank is stirred and the color material density distribution in the tank is improved. However, such an operation is performed by the user using his / her hand, but it is desirable that the effort is small. These are conflicting issues.

  In view of this point, the present invention naturally performs the stirring operation of the color material components in the tank in a series of procedures leading to the attachment to the apparatus even if the user is not particularly conscious, and the difference in concentration distribution is small. The object is to provide a liquid container.

  In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container package in which a color material component in an ink tank is agitated and a color material is uniformly distributed.

Therefore, the present invention provides a liquid container which retract and the air together with the liquid jet recording apparatus is used,
A first end having a liquid supply part for supplying a liquid to be stored to the inkjet recording apparatus;
A second end located opposite the first end;
Each, forming the container side surface connecting the first and the second end portion is composed of two opposite sides, a first opposing side face and the second opposing sides,
In order to divide the air when the air moves in the liquid storage container in accordance with an operation of reversing the relative positions of the first end and the second end of the ink storage container in the direction of gravity. A columnar portion extending from one side surface of the first opposing side surface toward the other side surface of the first opposing side surface;
The second opposing side surface from the shaft portion extending between the two opposing side surfaces of the first opposing side surface so that the divided air reaches the upper part in the gravity direction of the liquid storage container with a time difference. An extending part extending toward one of the side surfaces,
The equipped and wherein the Rukoto.
Further, the present invention is a liquid storage container storing air together with the liquid used by the ink jet recording apparatus,
A first end having a liquid supply part for supplying the liquid stored therein to the inkjet recording apparatus;
A second end located opposite the first end;
A first opposing side surface and a second opposing side surface, each comprising two side surfaces facing each other to form a container side surface connecting between the first and second ends;
Dividing the pre disappeared A when the air is moved by the liquid container with the operation of reversing the relative position in the gravity direction between the second end and the first end portion of the ink container A columnar portion extending from one side surface of the first opposing side surface to the other side surface of the first opposing side surface,
The second opposing side surface from the shaft portion extending between the two opposing side surfaces of the first opposing side surface so that the divided air reaches the upper part in the gravity direction of the liquid storage container with a time difference. An extending part extending toward one of the side surfaces,
It is characterized by comprising.

Further, the present invention is a liquid storage container package in which a liquid storage container storing air together with the liquid used by the ink jet recording apparatus is stored in a pack member,
The liquid container is
A first end portion having a liquid supply portion for supplying the liquid which is housed in the ink jet recording apparatus,
A second end located opposite the first end;
A first opposing side surface and a second opposing side surface, each comprising two side surfaces facing each other to form a container side surface connecting between the first and second ends;
Dividing the pre disappeared A when the air is moved by the liquid container with the operation of reversing the relative position in the gravity direction between the second end and the first end portion of the ink container A columnar portion extending from one side surface of the first opposing side surface to the other side surface of the first opposing side surface,
The pack member, the first end portion of the contained the liquid container is positioned has a notch on the outer edge of the pack member, position the second end portion opposite to the said outer edge characterized in that it has a hole for the lower hanging the outer edge of the pack member.

  According to the present invention, the air present in the container moves in accordance with the operation of reversing the side surface of the liquid storage container (ink tank) where the ink supply port is provided and the opposite surface. During this air movement process, air is divided by the structure in the tank. As a result, the stirring of the liquid (mainly pigment ink) is promoted by the movement of the divided air inside the tank. Thus, there is an effect that an improved state of distribution of components (mainly pigments) in the liquid storage container (ink tank) can be obtained with only a minimum stirring operation.

  The liquid storage container package of the present invention has an effect that the color material components in the container can be stirred in the course of a series of procedures from the state in which the liquid storage container is packaged to the mounting to the recording apparatus. . That is, in order to take out the liquid storage container from the package, there is an effect that the stirring operation is naturally performed in the implementation process of the procedure for breaking the packaging member and the procedure for attaching the taken out liquid storage container to the recording apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an ink tank according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  The ink tank 1 that is a liquid storage container stores, as a liquid, ink of a pigment ink (for example, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, etc.) of a color that matches the configuration on the recording apparatus side. The ink tank 1 is molded by, for example, injection / blowing of a resin such as PP or PE, and each component is assembled using techniques such as ultrasonic welding, thermal welding, adhesion, and fitting. In the ink tank 1, the tank exterior 3 functions as an ink container as it is. The tank exterior 3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the side surface shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, this is defined as the front surface) and the side surface (hereinafter referred to as the back surface) opposed to this have the maximum area of the rectangular parallelepiped shape. It is a surface to make.

  The ink tank 1 according to the present embodiment can be attached to and detached from the fixed portion of the recording apparatus, and the posture shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is also the posture when the recording apparatus is mounted. The ink supply unit 10 is in a posture facing the ink supply needle and the air communication needle on the recording apparatus side. As will be described later, the ink tank is in a packaged state and is suspended by holes provided in the package. In this posture, an ink supply unit 10 which is a liquid supply unit is provided on the bottom surface (first end) side which is the lowest part in the gravity direction. The ink supply unit 10 is provided at a position δ protruding in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 with respect to the γ position that is one bottom surface of the ink tank. As a result, when the remaining amount of ink is reduced, the ink is collected in the vicinity of the ink supply unit 10 and can be used up efficiently. Further, the ink supply unit 10 is arranged so as to be biased to one container side (on the right side in the state shown in FIG. 2) with respect to the central axis V extending in the longitudinal direction of the ink tank 1 (vertical direction in FIG. 2). Has been.

  Two end joints 12A and 12B made of rubber are disposed on the end face of the ink supply unit 10. The hollow needle 212B provided in the recording apparatus can penetrate into the ink tank 1 through one joint 12B. After recording the tank, at the time of recording, ink in the ink tank is supplied from the tank to the recording head via the hollow needle 212B. With respect to the other joint 12A, a hollow needle 212A provided at the end of the atmosphere communication pipe having the atmosphere opening portion can be inserted. The periphery of the entry area is surrounded by the tubular member 14. As a result, ink is supplied from the ink tank 1 to the head in accordance with the ink ejection operation of the recording head. At the same time, air corresponding to the amount of ink supplied is introduced into the ink tank 1 from the atmosphere opening portion, and the internal pressure of the ink tank 1 is kept substantially constant. In addition, a buffer chamber is provided in the middle of the air communication pipe. When a pressure change occurs in the ink tank due to an environmental change or the like, the pressure change can be absorbed so that the supply tube and thus the recording head side are not affected by the pressure fluctuation. The buffer chamber can perform a function of temporarily holding ink overflowing from the tank due to expansion of the air in the ink tank. Furthermore, this configuration is also effective in absorbing the pressure change in the ink tank during the stirring operation (increasing / depressurizing the ink supply path) performed using the configuration on the apparatus side. Although not shown, the ink supply path connecting the recording head and the ink tank is constituted by a tube or the like.

  The exterior 3 of the ink tank 1 is provided between the opposing front side and the back side, that is, between the opposing side parts having the largest area among the container side parts connecting the first end part and the second end part which is the surface facing the first end part. Two air dividers 16 and 18 having a columnar structure extending are provided. As will be described later, these function to perform air division and to promote stirring of ink by individually guiding each divided air. Each of the air dividing portions 16 and 18 may have a structure in which the hatched portion shown in the outline shown in FIG. 2 is not a space (structure filled with a tank exterior member). Or the structure which makes the recessed part may form a recessed part with respect to the tank exterior wall of a front side and a back side, and the structure penetrated between the front and the back may be sufficient as the shaded part in an outline. The point is that the entire air dividing portions 16 and 18 or the peripheral wall portion that defines the outline of the air dividing portions 16 and 18 extend continuously between the tank exterior wall on the front side and the tank exterior wall on the back side. Good. Further, by configuring the air dividing sections 16 and 18 in such a configuration, the air dividing sections 16 and 18 can also function as a reinforcing section that prevents deformation of the ink tank due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink tank.

  The air dividing portion 16 is provided in a biased manner in the direction of the surface (second end) opposite to the surface (first end) where the ink supply unit 10 is provided on the central axis V shown in FIG. It has a circular cross section. The air dividing portion 18 is provided on the central axis V so as to be biased toward the side surface on which the ink supply unit 10 is provided, and has a substantially circular cross-section portion 18A located on the central axis V and an inclined portion extending therefrom. 18B. The inclined portion 18B will be described. With respect to the horizontal direction of the tank shown in FIG. 2 (the left-right direction of the tank), the upper area of the ink supply unit is covered in the same direction as the direction in which the ink supply unit 10 deviates from the central region of the container (right side in the drawing). It is the structure extended toward the side part of the container. In addition, the inclined portion 18B extends in the vertical direction (up and down direction of the tank) shown in FIG. 2 so as to incline in a direction opposite to the ink supply unit 10, that is, in a direction away from the ink supply unit 10. For this reason, the distance α between the tip of the inclined portion 18B and the exterior inner wall on one side of the ink tank facing the tip is narrower than the distance β between the circular cross-section portion 18A and the inner wall on the other side (α <β It has become. In the following, the portion α which forms the former interval is referred to as a narrow portion.

  Hereinafter, the stirring phenomenon of the ink tank and the user's operation according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The ink tank 1 is manufactured not in a state in which the tank is completely filled with ink but in a state in which a predetermined amount of air is also filled. In the posture shown in FIG. 2, a gas-liquid interface (ink liquid surface) is formed at a position higher than the air dividing unit 16, and the pigment component in the ink settles in the vicinity of the ink supply unit.

  The ink tank 1 according to the present embodiment is agitated by a user's hand prior to mounting on the recording apparatus. The stirring operation referred to in this example means that the ink tank 1 is rotated or rotated so that an end surface (first end portion) provided with the ink supply unit 10 and an end surface (second end portion) opposed to the end surface are provided. Is to perform an operation that reverses the top and bottom (hereinafter referred to as a turnover operation). In the present embodiment, the pre-existing air and ink positions are switched in accordance with the ink tank turnover operation. In the process of exchanging the position of the air and the ink, appropriate air division is performed by the air dividing units 16 and 18, and the stirring of the ink is promoted by guiding each divided air individually.

  In the ink tank of the embodiment, an air dividing unit is provided so as to connect the front side and the back side of the ink tank. Therefore, in the turnover operation, it is preferable to rotate or rotate the ink tank 1 in the normal direction of these surfaces. Specifically, it is preferable to rotate or rotate about the horizontal rotation axis H of FIG. According to the shape of the ink tank, the air dividing section can be provided in an appropriate number and an appropriate shape in an appropriate portion where effective air division or the like can be performed. Of course, the direction of rotation or rotation during the turnover operation is not limited to this example. In the structure of the ink tank shown in FIG. 2 as described in the first embodiment, the structure shown in FIGS. 16 and 18 is effective for efficient stirring.

  The ink tank shown in FIG. 2 is in a posture at the time of mounting on the recording apparatus, and the ink supply unit 10 is in an attitude facing the ink supply needle and the air communication needle on the recording apparatus side. As will be described later, the ink tank is in a packaged state and is suspended by holes provided in the package. In this posture, the ink supply unit 10 is provided on the bottom surface (first end) side which is the lowest part in the gravity direction. FIG. 3 shows a state at the moment when the turnover operation is performed from the state of FIG. FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the air that has been temporarily positioned at the lowest position of the ink tank by the turnover operation as shown in FIG. 3 rises in the ink storage container (in the liquid storage container). The air reaches the air dividing unit 16 and is divided here. 5 and 6 show a process in which the divided air is rising. One of the divided air continues to rise through the region without the inclined portion 18B and tries to reach the uppermost portion in the gravity direction of the ink stored in the ink tank 1 first. The other divided air once hits the inclined portion 18B, then rises through the narrowed portion α, and reaches the uppermost portion.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the divided air that has risen earlier reaches almost the vicinity of the uppermost portion, while the divided air that passes through the narrow portion α is about to reach after a time difference. Even when the turnover operation is performed, the pigment component that has initially settled near the ink supply unit does not immediately move downward with the ink, but slowly descends toward the surface opposite to the surface where the ink supply port is provided. Come. Therefore, the divided air rises to the uppermost part in the gravitational direction of the ink stored in the ink tank 1 with a time difference, thereby contributing to the diffusion of the pigment component.

  FIG. 8 shows a state when all the air has risen after the turnover operation. In this way, air gathers on the surface on the ink supply unit side, which is the highest level. The ink supply unit 10 is biased to one side wall (biased to the right in FIG. 8), and the position of the ink supply unit 10 is in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The configuration is in the protruding position δ. Since the ink tank has such a configuration, the air amount existing on one end side of the central axis V is larger than the air amount existing on the other end side. Specifically, air is located in the upper right direction in FIG. Accordingly, when the turnover is further performed from this state, as shown in FIG. 9, the air that has been positioned at the lowest portion of the ink tank rises momentarily. As shown in FIG. 9, the air first collides with the air dividing portion 18, but the amount of the divided air that tries to pass through the narrowed portion α becomes larger. Further, the inclined portion 18B forms a surface inclined upward toward the narrow portion when viewed from the side where air is present, and an inclined surface inclined downward from the narrow portion when viewed from the side where ink is present. Forming. Therefore, most of the air tends to rise through the narrow portion, while a part of the air tends to rise through the wide gap portion on the opposite side of the narrow portion. Both airs attempt to rise through both sides of the air dividing portion while resisting the ink that is going to descend in the ink tank by the turnover operation.

  Large-capacity divided air that passes through the narrow portion does not pass through at once, and is further divided as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, a part of the divided air that has passed through the narrow part first, a part of the divided air that has passed through the wide gap part, and a part of the divided air that has passed through the narrow part later rises sequentially. That is, since the divided air rises inside the tank with a time difference, it is possible to contribute to the diffusion of the pigment component at a plurality of locations as in the turnover operation described above.

  In FIGS. 5 to 7 and FIGS. 9 to 11, the air is shown as being largely divided. However, according to experiments, many relatively small divided air are generated along with relatively large divided air, and the divided air moves irregularly and in a complicated manner during the ascending process due to the turnover operation. Was confirmed. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the ink stirring operation is promoted by the movement of such divided air (bubbles).

  This means that it is sufficient to perform a few turnover operations to obtain a state in which the pigment component is preferably diffused, that is, a state in which there is no concentration gradient distribution in the vertical direction of the tank. That is, the user need only repeat the turnover operation a few times, and does not need to shake the ink tank vigorously or perform the operation many times. In addition, this is to allow the agitation operation to be performed in a series of procedures performed for mounting the ink tank without the user being particularly conscious. This point will be described below.

  FIG. 12 shows a package in which the ink tank 1 of this embodiment is packed. Here, what is indicated by reference numeral 30 is a bag-shaped pack member (packing member), which accommodates an unused ink tank 1 in a sealed state. A hole 32 is provided in the vicinity of one edge, and the pack member 30, that is, the package can be suspended by inserting a hook or the like therethrough. The ink tank 1 is accommodated so that the ink supply unit 10 is located at the edge opposite to the hole 32. By inserting a hook or the like into the hole 32 and suspending the pack member 30, the ink tank 1 is displayed or stored in a posture in which the supply port faces downward in the vertical direction, as in the posture when mounted or used. The In this state, the pigment component has settled near the ink supply unit 10.

  A notch 34 for facilitating the operation of tearing the pack member 30 in order to take out the ink tank in use is formed at the edge portion on the ink supply portion 10 side at the outer edge portion of the pack member. In order to take out the ink tank, the user first performs an operation of turning the notch 34 upward. With this operation, the ink supply port is directed upward in the gravity direction. After the pack member 30 is broken and the ink tank is taken out, the ink supply port is directed downward in the gravity direction so that the ink tank is mounted on the recording apparatus. This naturally involves a turnover operation of the ink tank 1. By mounting on the recording apparatus after the turnover, the ink supply port is directed downward in the gravity direction.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the pack member that accommodates the ink tank including the positions of the hanging hole 32 for storage and the notch 34 for taking out the ink tank is appropriately determined, and the ink tank 1 is properly determined. As a result, a turnover operation is performed in a series of procedures for mounting, and ink agitation proceeds. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce a user's burden.

  It is not always necessary to have a hole for suspension. When the notch is opened, the supply port may be upward in the direction of gravity, and may be downward after mounting.

(Second Embodiment)
The ink tank is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can have various configurations.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 are a side view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing an ink tank according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment are configured and arranged. The code | symbol is attached | subjected.

  Also in the ink tank 100 of this embodiment, the tank exterior functions as an ink chamber as it is, and a predetermined amount of air is present. The ink tank 100 of this embodiment also has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the end facing the end where the ink supply unit 10 is provided has a torus structure and can be gripped by the user during handling. . The torus is hollow, and fluid can exist inside the torus, and this torus structure also functions as one of the air dividing portions in the second embodiment.

The other air dividing portion 118 can be configured in the same manner as the air dividing portion 16 of the first embodiment, but in this example, in the mounting posture shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. It has a flat, substantially isosceles triangular shape with an apex angle.
The posture at the time of mounting means that the ink supply needle or the air communication needle provided in the recording apparatus main body and the ink supply unit 10 of the ink tank are in a position facing each other.

  Hereinafter, the stirring operation of the ink tank according to the present embodiment and the operation accompanying this operation will be described.

  The ink tank 100 is manufactured in a state where a predetermined amount of air is present rather than being completely filled with ink. In this state, the gas-liquid interface is formed at a position higher than the bottom of the cavity portion 116A of the torus structure of the air dividing unit 116 in the posture shown in FIG. 14, while the pigment component in the ink is in the vicinity of the ink supply unit 10. It is sinking.

  FIG. 15 shows a state in which air is separated and raised from the air dividing unit 116 by performing a turnover operation from the state of FIG. The air dividing portion 118 is formed in the tank in the substantially center in the left-right direction in FIG. Since the structure of the torus part is bilaterally symmetric, air is divided into the left and right parts of the torus part. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the divided air continues to rise as it passes through the two gaps α and β formed by the air dividing portion 118 as a side wall almost simultaneously. However, since the ink supply unit 10 is biased to one side wall and has a supply pipe inside, as shown in FIG. 17, the divided air reaches the uppermost portion in the gravity direction of the ink in the ink tank. The arrival time and the amount of air vary. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the divided air reaches the uppermost portion with a time difference, thereby contributing to the diffusion of the pigment component.

  Thereafter, the air gathers at the end on the ink supply unit side, which is the highest level. Since the ink supply unit 10 is biased to one side wall, the air amount existing on one end side (upper right side in FIG. 17) of the center axis is on the other end side (upper left side). More than quantity. Therefore, when the turnover operation is further performed, the air is divided by the air dividing unit 118, and the amount of divided air passing through the gap α formed by the air dividing unit 118 and the side wall on the one end side becomes larger. . This divided air does not pass through the gap at once, and is further divided. As a result, the divided air rises with a time difference, and can further contribute to the diffusion of the pigment component.

(Air amount in the ink tank)
As described in the first and second embodiments above, the present invention effectively divides air existing in unused ink tanks and guides them individually to perform efficient ink agitation. The configuration is adopted. Therefore, the initial air amount, that is, the initial ink filling amount existing in the ink tank at the time of manufacture or when it is not installed is an important factor in designing and manufacturing the ink tank. 18 and 19 show a state in which at least one of an ink supply pipe that is a constituent member of the ink supply section or an air communication pipe that is also a constituent member of the ink supply section is in contact with air. The space where the mesh is applied is the space where air exists. In FIG. 18, 20 is an ink supply pipe, and 21 is an air communication pipe. In FIG. 19, 22 indicates an ink supply pipe, and 23 indicates an air communication pipe.

  In the present invention, it is assumed that air is present in the ink tank in advance. There must be a sufficient amount of air to achieve an effective stirring action. If the amount of air is small, sufficient air division and a preferable moving state cannot be obtained, and a pigment component having a large specific gravity does not diffuse into the ink, but only flows from a high place to a low place in the ink tank. . In the ink tanks shown in the first and second embodiments, the minimum value of the initial air amount is the amount of air in which at least one of the above-described ink supply unit constituting members is in contact with the air.

  The maximum amount of air must be able to achieve the desired stirring effect.

  The definition of the initial air amount or the initial ink filling amount is, for example, the definition of the initial height of the gas-liquid interface formed in the ink tank when taking the same posture as during storage or mounting. The posture at this time is a case where the ink supply unit corresponds to the posture facing the needle on the recording apparatus side and the supply unit is directed downward in the gravity direction. The air amount and the initial ink filling amount are amounts by which effective air division and movement should be efficiently performed by the air dividing unit when the turnover operation is performed. The height of the initial gas-liquid interface can be determined in relation to the position of the air dividing portion.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the air is preferably divided when the air rises due to the turnover operation, when the gas-liquid interface is at a position higher than the air dividing portion before the turnover operation. If the position is less than the height of the air dividing portion, that is, if the air surrounds the air dividing portion, the air may not be divided even by the turnover operation. That is, there is a possibility that the operation in which the plurality of divided air reaches the uppermost portion in the gravity direction of the ink contained in the ink tank with a time difference, that is, effective ink agitation may not be performed. It is important that the initial air amount, that is, the initial ink filling amount is defined so that the gas-liquid interface is at a position higher than the height of the air dividing portion before the turnover operation.

  The height regulation of the gas-liquid interface will be described in accordance with the ink tank configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, there are two air dividing portions 16 and 18 along the vertical direction in the posture during storage or mounting. Each of them is at a high position and a low position relative to the ink supply unit. At this time, if the gas-liquid interface exists at a position higher than the air dividing unit 16, when the turnover operation is performed, the two air dividing units 16 and 18 can efficiently divide the air as described above. Is realized. However, if a certain stirring effect can be obtained even with only one air dividing section when the turnover operation is performed, an air-liquid interface is formed at a position between the air dividing sections 16 and 18 as shown in FIG. An initial air amount, i.e., an initial ink fill amount, may be defined to be present.

  The same applies to the configuration of the second embodiment. That is, the initial air amount, that is, the initial ink filling amount can be defined so that a gas-liquid interface exists between the air dividing unit 116 having the torus structure and the air dividing unit 118.

  Note that both the first and second embodiments have two air dividing portions. However, in general, when a plurality of air dividing portions are provided, it is sufficient that the initial air amount, that is, the initial ink filling amount is determined so that the gas-liquid interface exists at a position higher than at least one height. It is.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the outer shape of the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the ink tank according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank immediately after a turnover operation is performed from the state of FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank explaining the state which air rises. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank explaining the state which air passes the (alpha) part and goes up. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank for explaining a state in which air further increases from the state of FIG. 5. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank for demonstrating the state which air rises further from the state of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank for demonstrating the state which air rise was complete | finished. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank for demonstrating the state where air rises when the turnover operation is performed again from the state of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank for explaining a state where air further rises from the state of FIG. 9. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank for demonstrating the state which division | segmentation air goes up. It is a front view which shows the package which packed the ink tank of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external front view of an ink tank according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of an ink tank according to a second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank immediately after a turnover operation is performed from the state of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the ink tank explaining the state which division | segmentation air goes up. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank for explaining a state where air rises from the state of FIG. 16. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of an ink supply part of the ink tank according to the first embodiment in a cutaway manner. It is a perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows the ink supply part vicinity of the ink tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the regulation of the amount of air existing in the ink tank.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,100 Ink tank 3 Tank exterior 10 Ink supply part 12A Joint 12B Joint 16, 18, 116, 118 Air division part 30 Pack member 32 Suspension hole 34 Notch

Claims (8)

Together with the liquid jet recording apparatus using a liquid container to retract and the air,
A first end having a liquid supply part for supplying a liquid to be stored to the inkjet recording apparatus;
A second end located opposite the first end;
Each, forming the container side surface connecting the first and the second end portion is composed of two opposite sides, a first opposing side face and the second opposing sides,
In order to divide the air when the air moves in the liquid storage container in accordance with an operation of reversing the relative positions of the first end and the second end of the ink storage container in the direction of gravity. A columnar portion extending from one side surface of the first opposing side surface toward the other side surface of the first opposing side surface;
The second opposing side surface from the shaft portion extending between the two opposing side surfaces of the first opposing side surface so that the divided air reaches the upper part in the gravity direction of the liquid storage container with a time difference. An extending part extending toward one of the side surfaces,
The comprising liquid container according to claim Rukoto. The liquid supply portion is provided to protrude from the first end portion at a position biased toward one side surface of the second opposing side surface with respect to the center of the first end portion. Item 2. A liquid container according to Item 1. The extension portion extends from the central region of the container toward one side surface of the second opposing side surface so as to cover the upper region of the liquid supply portion, and is inclined in a direction away from the liquid supply portion. a container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized and Turkey.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of an ink supply pipe or an air communication pipe which is a constituent member of the liquid supply section is in contact with air in a state where the liquid supply section is directed downward in the gravity direction. The liquid container described. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid is ink. The liquid container according to claim 5 , wherein the liquid is an ink containing a pigment component. A liquid storage container storing air together with the liquid used by the ink jet recording apparatus,
A first end having a liquid supply part for supplying the liquid stored therein to the inkjet recording apparatus;
A second end located opposite the first end;
A first opposing side surface and a second opposing side surface, each comprising two side surfaces facing each other to form a container side surface connecting between the first and second ends;
Dividing the pre disappeared A when the air is moved by the liquid container with the operation of reversing the relative position in the gravity direction between the second end and the first end portion of the ink container A columnar portion extending from one side surface of the first opposing side surface to the other side surface of the first opposing side surface,
The second opposing side surface from the shaft portion extending between the two opposing side surfaces of the first opposing side surface so that the divided air reaches the upper part in the gravity direction of the liquid storage container with a time difference. An extending part extending toward one of the side surfaces,
A liquid container characterized by comprising: A liquid storage container package in which a liquid storage container storing air together with a liquid used by an ink jet recording apparatus is stored in a pack member,
The liquid container is
A first end portion having a liquid supply portion for supplying the liquid which is housed in the ink jet recording apparatus,
A second end located opposite the first end;
A first opposing side surface and a second opposing side surface, each comprising two side surfaces facing each other to form a container side surface connecting between the first and second ends;
Dividing the pre disappeared A when the air is moved by the liquid container with the operation of reversing the relative position in the gravity direction between the second end and the first end portion of the ink container A columnar portion extending from one side surface of the first opposing side surface to the other side surface of the first opposing side surface,
The pack member, the first end portion of the contained the liquid container is positioned has a notch on the outer edge of the pack member, position the second end portion opposite to the said outer edge liquid container package, characterized in that it has a hole for the lower hanging the outer edge of the pack member.

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