JP5210149B2 - Ink container and ink supply method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink container for storing ink, a method for supplying ink from the contact and the ink container to the printer.

  In many inkjet printers, the ink used is stored in a replaceable ink container. For example, if a printer is used and ink runs out, the ink container is replaced and printing is resumed. Many of these ink containers are made from hard cases. Some of them can be exchanged as an ink container in the state of a flexible ink bag. Normally, these ink containers display the color of the stored ink, the date of manufacture, the serial number, the name of the manufacturer, the information of the corresponding printer and other ink and ink containers that are printed and pasted on the sheet. ing. Further, when ink is ejected, ejection failure may occur due to bubbles, and degassed ink is used.

For example, JP-A-7-304187 discloses a method for storing ink in an ink bag. According to this method, when storing ink in an ink bag having gas barrier properties, the ink bag is first filled with ink, then the upper part of the ink bag is sealed, and then the air bag is raised while the ink bag is raised. The ink is stored in the ink bag by performing secondary sealing at the lower part of the upper seal so as to sandwich the ink. As an example of performing replacement ink in an ink bag, International Publication No. WO2004 / 037541 discloses that a flexible ink bag fixes an ink container in which ink is stored to a tray and the tray is loaded into a printer. A printer for supplying ink is disclosed.
JP-A-7-304187 WO2004 / 037541

  When storing ink in the ink bag, if the ink spills, the ink bag becomes dirty. Therefore, it is necessary to remove dirt. After that, a label is attached to the ink bag. However, when the label is attached on the dirty bag, a problem such as peeling arises. Therefore, the stain needs to be removed. In addition, when ink is poured into an ink bag with a label attached in advance, the label becomes dirty when the ink spills. The problem arises that the label must be reapplied.

  An ink cartridge in which an ink bag is placed in a hard case can hide dirt on the ink bag, but the hard case is heavy and the hard case is expensive, so it is not suitable for providing an ink container at a low price.

  The printer user desires an ink container having a large ink capacity because he wants to perform continuous printing for a long time. On the other hand, the printer user also desires an ink container that is as small and light as possible in order to facilitate transport and handling.

  In order to increase the ink capacity, a structure in which the thickness of the ink bag is increased, such as making the side surface of the ink bag into a bellows shape, is considered.

  Further, in the above ink filling method, when ink is injected into the ink bag or when the ink bag is sealed, the ink may spill and adhere to the ink bag. When the ink bag is circulated without being put in the case, various problems such as contamination of the ink bag, cause of label peeling, misidentification of information written on the label, and erroneous insertion may occur.

The present invention relates to an ink container for storing ink, an ink bag having an ink outlet at an end portion of the sealed bag for storing the ink having a bent portion bent on the side, and a resin for storing the ink bag an opaque bag with manufacturing of flexible, has a bent portion corresponding to the bent portion of the side surface of said ink bag, possess a storage bag information about the ink on the surface is displayed, the said The storage bag has an opening for inserting the ink bag at one end in the short direction, the other end facing the one end is sealed, and the other end of the storage bag is sealed A fixing hole for engaging with a tray for storing the ink container, and an end portion of the ink bag facing the ink outlet is sealed by welding, and the sealed portion is bent. Between the bent portions of the ink bag Wherein the ink is an ink container, characterized in that it is fixed to the surface of the ink bag.

  The bent portion adjacent to the opening of the storage bag may have a cut.

  The ink information may be fixed to the ink bag, and the fixed information may have the same content as a part of the information about the ink displayed on the storage bag.

  Further, the fixed information may be color information of the ink.

  The ink container includes an adapter having an IC chip for storing information on the ink including at least color information, and the adapter is fixed by sandwiching an end portion of the ink bag or the ink bag and the storage bag. It can be characterized by being.

  The ink supply method of the present invention includes an ink jet head that discharges ink stored in the ink container, a carriage that reciprocates the ink jet head, a transport unit that transports a recording medium, and the ink that is supplied to the ink jet head. An ink supply unit for supplying ink to an ink jet printer, wherein the ink container is fixed to a tray for fixing the ink container, and the ink container and the ink supply unit are connected to each other The ink is supplied to the inkjet head.

  The present invention solves the problem caused by ink smear when manufacturing an ink container, facilitates transportation and handling, and provides a small and lightweight ink container.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a printer according to the present embodiment.

  The ink jet printer 1 is a kind of printing apparatus, and is a large printer that forms an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles. For example, it is used when printing an image on a large resin sheet having a width of several tens of inches.

  The ink jet printer 1 includes a Y rail 7, and the carriage 2 moves along the Y rail 7.

  An ink jet head is housed inside the carriage 2. The ink jet head includes a discharge mechanism using a piezoelectric element or the like, and ink can be discharged from the nozzles by driving the discharge mechanism.

  The ink jet printer 1 can be loaded with a recording medium wound in a roll shape. The recording medium is, for example, a resin sheet, paper, cloth, or the like.

  Then, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the recording medium onto the platen 5 using a feeding mechanism. In addition, a pulley 8 is provided at the end of the ink jet printer 1, a pulley for the pulley 8 is provided at the other end, and a belt 6 that is an endless belt is applied. The pulley 8 is rotationally driven by a driving device to rotate the belt 6. The carriage 2 is connected to the belt 6 and slides along the Y rail as the belt 6 moves. While the recording medium is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the feeding mechanism and the carriage 2 is reciprocated, ink of a predetermined color is ejected from the inkjet head onto the conveyed recording medium to print various images.

  The feeding mechanism, that is, the recording medium conveying means is configured by providing a plurality of pairs of rollers for sandwiching the recording medium.

  The paper guide 4 has a built-in heater, and the printed recording medium is heated while sliding on the paper guide 6 to solidify the ink.

  An ink storage box 3 is provided at one end of the ink jet printer 1, and a front cover is provided on the front surface thereof so as to be openable and closable.

  When the front cover is opened, a slot for inserting an ink cartridge is provided, and ink is supplied to the inkjet printer 1 by inserting the ink cartridge therein.

  Inkjet printers 1 include one that supplies ink from an ink cartridge directly to an inkjet head through a tube, and one that temporarily stores ink from an ink cartridge in a sub tank by a pump and supplies ink from the sub tank to the inkjet head.

  When the ink jet printer 1 is large, the difference in height between the ink cartridge and the head becomes large. Therefore, a method of appropriately adjusting the head values of the head and ink using a sub tank is generally used.

  Next, the ink cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the ink cartridge. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where the ink container is detached from the tray.

  The ink cartridge is one in which an ink container 10 is stored in a tray 9. The ink cartridge is inserted into the ink supply unit 47 shown in FIG. 10 or 11 and supplies ink to the inkjet printer 1.

  In the center of the end of the ink container 10, a spout 13 that is an ink outlet for taking out the built-in ink is provided. An ink supply port for supplying ink is provided at the center of the spout 13. The ink supply port is sealed when not in use, but when inserted into the ink supply unit 47, the needle 45 formed in the ink supply unit 47 communicates with the inside of the ink container 10, and ink is supplied to the inkjet printer 1. It has come to be.

  The tray 9 and the ink container 10 are detachable. The tray 9 is provided as a fixture provided in the inkjet printer 1 and repeatedly used, and the ink container 10 is provided as a consumable by an ink dealer.

  Conventionally, an ink cartridge in which an ink container is accommodated in a case is generally supplied from an ink dealer as a consumable item. However, in this embodiment, the ink container 10 and the tray 9 are separated and the ink is stored in the ink cartridge. Since the container 10 may be replaced, the cost can be reduced.

  The ink container 10 includes a liquid storage bag portion 18 that is an exterior and an adapter 14, and functions as an ink bag with an adapter.

  The liquid containing bag portion 18 is fixed with a label 20 describing at least the ink color contained therein. In addition to this, information corresponding to the built-in ink, that is, various types of information such as a compatible model, a cautionary note, a serial number, and a manufacturing date are described on the label 20.

  The liquid storage bag portion 18 is obtained by covering the outside of a flexible sealed container having a spout 13 at one end with a flexible storage bag. When the ink is fully filled, it is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape according to the shape of the tray 9, and when the ink is consumed, it is deformed so as to contract in accordance with it.

  The rear end portion of the liquid storage bag portion 18 is formed with a flat rear end joint portion in which the sheet material is sealed by heat welding or the like, and two fixing holes 11 are formed there.

  On the other hand, an adapter 14 is attached to the front end of the ink container 10.

  The tray 9 is a rigid container having an upper surface opening made of a resin and having a recess for accommodating the ink container 10 and having rigidity. An ink cartridge is inserted along the storage table 48 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 so that the needle 45 of the ink supply unit 47 can be inserted into the spout 13. Guide protrusions 19 are linearly provided on both sides of the tray 9. Although not shown in the figure, it is possible to slide while engaging with a groove provided in the storage table 48.

  Two claws 12 are formed at the rear end portion of the tray 9 corresponding to the fixing holes 11, and the rear end portion of the ink container 10 is positioned and fixed by engaging with the fixing holes 11. Yes.

  On the other hand, a slot-like adapter insertion portion 22 for inserting and fixing the adapter 14 is formed at the front end portion of the tray 9. When the adapter 14 is inserted into the adapter insertion portion 22, the front end portion of the ink container 10 is positioned and fixed with respect to the tray 9.

  Since the portion corresponding to the spout 13 of the adapter 14 is recessed at the front portion of the tray 9, the spout 13 is exposed from the tray 9 when the adapter 14 is attached to the adapter insertion portion 22. Further, the adapter 14 can be mounted with an IC chip storing individual information of ink, and the front surface of the tray 9 is arranged so that the terminal 21 as the electrode is exposed and is in contact with the electrode of the inkjet printer 1. Is provided with a recess in a portion corresponding to the terminal 21. Since the adapter 14 is positioned with respect to the tray 9, the electrode 21 and the spout 13 are also positioned with respect to the tray 9.

  In addition to this, the tray 9 is formed with an abutting convex portion 16 that abuts against the ink supply unit 47 when the ink cartridge is mounted. Further, the adapter 14 is formed with a first protrusion 15 indicating the color of the internal ink, a second protrusion 17 indicating the ink type indicating whether the ink corresponds to the device to be used, or the like. As described above, the adapter 14 is formed with a protrusion having a different shape corresponding to the type of ink contained therein.

  With respect to the position of the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is mounted on the ink jet printer 1, the guide protrusion 19 and the abutting protrusion 16 of the tray 9 can be mounted at a predetermined position by contacting the ink jet printer. A plurality of colors of ink are used. When the ink cartridge is used, the tray 9 can commonly use any color ink container 10.

  As for the ink supplied to the inkjet printer 1, the suitable ink supply unit 47 differs depending on the first protrusion 15, the second protrusion 17, and the IC chip provided in the adapter 14, thereby preventing erroneous mounting of ink cartridges of different colors doing.

  In addition, the adapter 14 arranges the arrangement directions of the first protrusion 15 for replacing the information about the color and the second protrusion 17 for replacing the information about the corresponding model separately from the lower side and the front side, respectively, and has different shapes. This makes it easy to understand and prevents misidentification by visual recognition.

  Next, a process of filling the ink bag with ink will be described. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a process of filling the ink bag with ink. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a process of sealing the ink bag. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a process of bending the sealing portion of the ink bag. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a process of bending the sealing portion of the ink bag.

  First, the ink bag 27 before ink injection will be described. Prior to ink injection, the ink bag 27 is a substantially rectangular bag having a spout 13 at one end and an opening 28 at the other end for injecting ink. The ink bag 27 is a cylindrical container in which four film-like sheets are welded to the sides in the longitudinal direction. A bending portion is provided on each of the two sheets on both sides of the two opposing sheets to form a bellows. Along the one side in the short direction of the two non-bellows-shaped sheets, the spout 13 is sandwiched and the side in the short direction of the bellows-shaped sheet is also bent, The sealing portion 31 is sealed by welding so as to be sandwiched. It is a bag-like container having an opening on the side facing the spout 13. Ink is injected from the opening 28.

  The ink bag 27 has at least a resin film such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, and copolymer ethylene vinyl alcohol in order to have strength, ink resistance, and gas barrier properties. One type is used. In order to give stronger gas barrier properties, a metal foil such as aluminum or a metal vapor deposition film may be provided on the intermediate layer.

  When air bubbles are included in the ink, in the recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer, the air bubbles are clogged in the ink flow path, causing ejection failure. In order to prevent this problem, it is desired to eliminate bubbles in the ink.

  The ink tank 23 stores ink to be injected into the ink bag 27. The valve 24 is disposed in the middle of a pipe 25 for supplying ink from the ink tank 23 to the ink bag 27.

  The valve 24 controls the flow rate of the ink flowing through the tube 25 and puts a predetermined amount of ink 30 into the ink bag 27. Ink is injected from the tube 25 into the ink bag 27 in the direction indicated by the arrow 26. The ink supplied from the ink tank 23 is injected into the ink bag 27 through the opening 28. When ink is injected up to the draft 29 line of the ink bag 27, the ink injection stops.

  Thereafter, the ink bag 27 filled with ink is put into the vacuum chamber 32, and the atmospheric pressure in the vacuum chamber 32 is lowered. When the vacuum is sufficiently high to some extent, it is left for a predetermined time. The dissolved gas in the ink becomes bubbles 33, and the ink is degassed. Depending on the nature of the ink, leave it for several minutes to several hours. Thereafter, the sheets are welded to each other at the welding portion 34 at a position higher than the draft 29 of the ink in the ink bag 27 and sealed so as to confine the ink. Even if the ink bag 27 is sealed at a position higher than the draft 29, gas is not confined in the ink bag 27 because it is welded in the vacuum chamber 32. Preferably, the ink is not spilled during welding. In order to improve workability, the vacuum tank 32 uses a different vacuum tank for a tank for degassing ink and a tank for welding.

  Further, when the ink capacity of the ink container is large, the welding strength may not be maintained by one welding. Then, after welding by the welding part 34, it takes out from the vacuum chamber 32 and further welds between the welding part 34 and the opening part 28 one or more places. By the multiple times of welding, the strength of the ink bag 27 can be maintained even if the ink 30 in the ink bag 27 is large. For example, in order to weld one or more times after the first welding, it is preferable that the distance from the welded portion 34 to the opening is larger than the width of the welded portion 34.

  A process of bending the sealed portion after welding and sealing the ink bag 27 will be described. FIG. 5A is a view from above. FIG. 5B is a side view. The ink bag 27 is bent from the bent portion 35. The bent portion 35 is a base portion of the welded portion 34. A portion bent by the bent portion 35 is fixed by a tape 36. Or you may fix with another fixing means, such as a double-sided tape. The bent portion 38 is a bent portion for forming the side surface of the ink bag 27 in a bellows shape. In order to increase the ink capacity, to increase the area of the side surface of the ink bag 27, and to prevent the ink bag 27 from bending other than the position determined when the ink is consumed and contracted.

  A temporary label 37 on which information on the injected ink is written is fixed to the ink bag 27 filled with the ink 30. The borrowed label has at least information on ink color. Preferably, a label including a bar code describing individual information for the ink bag 27 is good. Corresponding to the barcode, various types of information such as ink color, manufacturing date, and corresponding model for the ink bag 27 are stored in a computer that manages the manufacturing process. If the bar code is read out by a bar code reader and the corresponding information can be displayed on the computer screen, the information about the ink incorporated can be easily confirmed.

  Further, by folding the ink bag 27, unnecessary portions can be reduced, the overall length of the ink container can be shortened, and the size can be reduced. Since it is bent at the base of the welded portion 34, it does not affect the deformation caused by the shrinkage of the ink bag 27 when the ink is consumed.

  Next, the storage bag will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a storage bag. The storage bag 39 has a bent portion 41 so as to fit the ink bag 27 and has a side surface formed in a bellows shape. Further, a flat-shaped rear end joint portion 40 is formed, and two fixing holes 11 are formed. The storage bag 39 is an opaque resin bag having an opening 42 into which the ink bag 27 can enter. By using an opaque bag, the dirt of the ink bag 27 can be hidden. Further, since the resin bag can be deformed by using a flexible resin bag, the ink bag 27 can be easily stored. The storage bag 39 is desirably made of a material that hardly changes in quality even when it comes into contact with the ink attached to the ink bag 27. For example, it is a resin bag made of polyethylene or nylon, has flexibility, and is lightweight.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the storage bag. The opening portion 42 is different from the storage bag 39 shown in FIG. A cut 43 is formed in the bent portion 41 adjacent to the opening 42. By providing the notch 43, the bent portion 41 of the storage bag 39 can avoid the sealing portion 31 portion of the ink bag 27 when the end of the storage bag 39 and the end of the ink bag 27 are aligned. The bent portion 41 of the storage bag 39 can be folded while being matched with the bent portion 38 of the ink bag 27.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process of storing the ink bag in the storage bag. The ink bag 27 to which the adapter 14 is attached is stored in the storage bag 39 to which the label 20 on which the ink information is displayed is fixed.

  The ink bag 27 is inserted from the opening 42 of the storage bag 39. A double-sided tape 43 is attached to the ink bag 27 in the vicinity of the adapter 14 to fix the storage bag 39. In addition to the double-sided tape, the storage bag 39 and the ink bag 27 may be fixed by an adhesive or welding as a fixing means. Preferably, the ink bag 27 and the storage bag 39 are fixed while the adapter 14 and the storage bag 39 are in contact with each other. Then, the ink bag 27 cannot be seen from the storage bag 39. Further, the side surface of the opening 42 in a bellows shape is folded into the side surface of the ink bag 27 and sandwiched.

  By bending the ink bag 27 and fixing it with the tape 36 as a fixing means, when the ink bag 27 is inserted into the storage bag 39, damage to the storage bag 39 due to the sharp corners of the ink bag 27 can be prevented. The ink bag 27 to which the adapter 14 is attached is stored in the storage bag 39 to form the ink container 10.

  Further, on the surface of the storage bag 39, for example, ink color, capacity, manufacturer, date of manufacture, product name, compatible model, serial number, manufacturer, handling, etc. injected into the ink bag 27, etc. The label 20 on which the information about the ink and the ink container is displayed is fixed.

  When fixing the information about ink after the ink bag 27 is stored in the storage bag 39, since the ink bag 27 is contained, the surface of the storage bag 39 is uneven, and the workability is deteriorated. Therefore, the workability is improved when the ink bag 27 is stored in the storage bag 39 in which the information about the ink is fixed.

  Before storing the ink bag 27 in the storage bag 39, it is preferable to compare the display contents of the temporary label 37 and the label 20 to check whether there is a difference in color or other information.

  Next, another form of the ink container 10 will be described. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a side view of another embodiment of the process for storing the ink bag in the storage bag. FIG. 9B is a view showing the upper surface of another process for storing the ink bag in the storage bag. The adapter 14 can be mounted after the ink bag 27 is inserted into the storage bag 39. By doing so, the end portion of the storage bag 39 is sandwiched between the adapters 14, and the storage bag 39 is difficult to remove. Further, the ink bag 27 can be completely stored in the storage bag 39 and can be made invisible. The ink bag 27 is inserted into the storage bag 39. Double-sided tape 44 is applied in the vicinity of the end of the side of the ink bag 27 where the spout 13 is provided, and the end of the storage bag 39 is fixed. It is preferable to provide the double-sided tape 44 over the entire length of the ink bag 27 in the short side direction, which prevents peeling. The double-sided tape 44 is a means for fixing the ink bag 27 and the storage bag 39 and may be a means such as an adhesive or welding. According to the storage bag 39 provided with the cut 43, the bent portion 42 of the storage bag 39 can be bent and inserted into the bent portion 38 of the ink bag 27 while the portion where the spout 13 is welded is released by the cut 43. The ink bag 27 and the storage bag 39 can be fitted and fixed. Further, the adapter 14 sandwiches and fixes the ink bag 27, the double-sided tape 44, and the storage bag 39. Moreover, since the fixing hole 11 and the label 20 are provided in the storage bag 39 which has been formed into a bag shape in advance, the workability is good. For example, in the step of providing the fixing hole 11 after the ink bag 27 is put in the storage bag 39, it is difficult to handle the bag containing ink.

  The adapter 14 is attached with an IC chip that stores information on stored ink, for example, information such as ink color, ink capacity, date of manufacture, manufacturer, and serial number.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method of mounting the ink container on the printer. The ink jet printer 1 includes an ink storage box 3 that stores an ink cartridge. An ink supply unit 47 that supplies ink to the inkjet head is provided in the ink storage box 3. In order to receive ink supply from the ink container 10, the ink supply unit 47 includes a pin 45 for connecting the needle 45 to be inserted into the spout 13, the IC chip of the adapter 14, and the control unit of the inkjet printer 1. ing. When the ink cartridge is inserted, the pin 46 and the terminal 21 come into contact with each other, and the control unit of the ink jet printer 1 obtains information on the ink in the ink container 10. Further, the needle 45 is connected to the spout 13 so that ink can be supplied to the inkjet printer 1. The ink cartridge is inserted by sliding the bottom surface of the tray 9 and the guide protrusion 19 along the storage base 48, and stops when the abutting protrusion 16 contacts the ink supply unit 47. In this state, the pin 46 and the terminal 21 come into contact with each other, and the needle 45 is inserted into the spout 13.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another method of mounting the ink container on the printer. The storage base 48 is inclined and provided in the ink storage box 3. The ink jet printer 1 may generate bubbles in the ink as the dissolved gas in the ink is vaporized. The bubble causes a problem that ink cannot be ejected from the ink jet head, so it is desired to prevent the bubble from being generated. Although ink in a sufficiently deaerated state has entered the ink container 10, bubbles may be generated. By supplying ink to the ink jet printer 1 with the spout 13 of the ink container 10 facing down, bubbles generated in the ink container 10 can be guided to the end opposite to the spout 13. By doing so, bubbles can be prevented from being mixed when ink is supplied from the spout 13 through the needle 45 to the inkjet printer 1. It is preferable that the spout 13 is disposed on the lower side of the ink container 10 on the side where the spout 13 is not attached. That is, when the angle from the horizontal position of the storage base 48 is θ, the height 50 when ink is stored in the ink container 10 to the maximum, and the length 49 from the spout 13 to the end of the ink bag 27, sin θ Is preferably set to an angle θ that is between ((length 49) / (height 50)) and 1.

  Since the ink container 10 has the fixing hole 11 in the claw 12, even if the tray 9 is tilted and fixed, the ink container 10 does not slide down and does not deform abnormally and can supply ink stably. When the ink container 10 is tilted, a means for fixing the periphery of the ink container 10 is necessary. If there is no means for fixing, an unexpected deformation occurs due to the weight of the ink stored in the ink container 10 and the supply of ink stops. As an example of fixing means, the combination of the claw 12 and the fixing hole 11 has been illustrated. However, the tray 9 may be provided with a clip, and the end of the ink container 10 may be sandwiched between the clips, and may be fixed with a hook or adhesive. You can also.

  When the ink container 10 is used in the ink jet printer 1, the information regarding the ink displayed on the label 20 of the ink container 10 is not smudged and is not mistaken. The ink container 10 is composed of a resin ink bag 27, a resin storage bag, and a resin adapter, and is easy to handle because the container itself is lightweight. In addition, since the ink bag 27 is welded a plurality of times after the ink is filled, the strength is improved and the impact becomes strong, so that the container is easy to handle. When such an ink container 10 is used in the ink jet printer 1, the adapter insertion portion 22 and the adapter 14 are combined, and the claw 12 and the fixing hole 11 are combined to fix the ink container 10 to the tray 9. Since the ink container 10 fixed to the tray 9 is handled, it can be easily mounted on the ink jet printer 1, and further, by tilting the tray 9 and mounting on the ink jet printer 1, the print quality can be improved. .

  The present invention relates to an ink container that stores ink. In particular, it can be used for an ink container of an ink jet printer.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of a printer. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of an ink cartridge. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where an ink container is detached from a tray. (A) is a figure which shows the process of filling an ink bag with ink. (B) is a figure which shows the process of sealing an ink bag. (A) is a figure which shows the process of bending the sealing part of an ink bag. (B) is a figure which shows the process of bending the sealing part of an ink bag. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a storage bag. It is a perspective view which shows another example of a storage bag. It is a figure which shows the process of accommodating an ink bag in a storage bag. (A) is a figure which shows the side surface of the process of another form which accommodates an ink bag in a storage bag. (B) is a figure which shows the upper surface of the process of another form which accommodates an ink bag in a storage bag. It is a figure which shows the method of mounting an ink container in a printer. It is a figure which shows the method of another form which mounts an ink container in a printer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Carriage 3 Ink storage box 9 Tray 10 Ink container 11 Fixing hole 13 Spout 14 Adapter 20 Label 27 Ink bag 34 Welding part 39 Storage bag 45 Needle

Claims (6)

An ink container for storing ink,
An ink bag provided with an ink outlet at the end of the sealed bag for storing the ink having a bent portion on the side surface that bends inward;
A non-transparent plastic flexible bag for storing the ink bag, the storage bag having a bent portion corresponding to a bent portion on a side surface of the ink bag, and information on the ink is displayed on the surface. and, the possess,
The storage bag has an opening for inserting the ink bag at one end in a short direction, and the other end facing the one end is sealed,
A fixing hole for engaging with a tray for storing the ink container in a sealed portion of the other end of the storage bag;
The end portion of the ink bag facing the ink outlet is sealed by welding, and the sealed portion is bent and fixed to the surface of the ink bag sandwiched between the bent portions of the ink bag. ink container, characterized in that.   The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion adjacent to the opening of the storage bag has a cut.   3. The ink container according to claim 2, wherein the ink information is fixed to the ink bag, and the fixed information has the same content as a part of the information related to the ink displayed on the storage bag. .   The ink container according to claim 3, wherein the fixed information is color information of the ink.   An adapter having an IC chip for storing information on the ink including at least color information;
  The ink container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the adapter is fixed by sandwiching an end portion of the ink bag or the ink bag and the storage bag.   An ink jet head that discharges ink stored in the ink container according to claim 1, a carriage that reciprocates the ink jet head, a transport unit that transports a recording medium, and the ink that is supplied to the ink jet head A method of supplying ink to an ink jet printer having an ink supply unit,
  Fixing the ink container to a tray for fixing the ink container;
  Connecting the ink container and the ink supply unit;
  An ink supply method for supplying the ink to the inkjet head.

Images