JPH0687221A - Storage box for ink jet cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable ink to be discharged from a waste ink tank or enable an ink absorption body to be taken out of the waste ink tank to be replaced. CONSTITUTION:In a storage box 10 provided with a waste ink chamber 15 loaded with an ink absorption body 16, an ink jet cartridge 1 can be contained. This storage box 10 is provided with an ink release means ink squeezing member 30 capable of releasing ink from the ink absorption body 16 by deforming the ink absorption body 16 and a discharge port for discharging the released ink to the external.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage box for an ink jet cartridge, and more particularly to a storage box for storing a replaceable disposable ink tank integrated ink jet head cartridge (hereinafter referred to simply as IJC) for reuse. Regarding the box.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, disposable IJCs have been widely used in ink jet recording apparatuses. Further, in such an ink jet recording apparatus, the IJC installed may be removed for the convenience of recording by changing the type of ink, and a storage box for storing the IJC is considered in preparation for reuse in such a case. Has been. It should be noted that such a storage box can be used not only when it is reused, but also when storing an unused new product, and it can be disposable together with the ink-consumed IJC.

FIG. 10 shows an outline of the conventional IJC as described above. Where 1 is IJC and 2 is the IJC
A recording head unit 3 integrated with 1 is an ink ejection surface provided on the front surface of the recording head unit 2 and having a plurality of ink ejection ports 4, and is supplied to the recording head unit 2 inside the IJC 1. An ink storage unit (not shown) that stores ink is provided.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a conventional ink jet recording apparatus (IJRA) for recording by mounting such an IJC. Here, the carriage HC is a drive motor 501.
Driving force transmission gears 5011, 50
09 has a pin (not shown) that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 rotating through
The lead screw is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b as the lead screw rotates. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a presser plate (sheet presser plate) for recording material (hereinafter referred to simply as a sheet) P such as paper, OHP film, and the like, and presses the sheet P against the platen 5000 in the carriage movement direction. 5007,5
Reference numeral 008 denotes a photocoupler, which is home position detection means for detecting the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage HC and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013 when the lever 5006 is guided to this area. Reference numeral 5016 denotes a member that supports a cap member 5022 that caps the ink ejection surface 3 on the front surface of the recording head unit, and 5015 is a suction unit that sucks the inside of the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. Reference numeral 5017 is a wiping blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Reference numeral 5021 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor moves by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. Controlled.

The capping, wiping, and suction recovery can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage HC is positioned in the home position side area.

By the way, as a storage box for storing the IJC1 as described above, the IJC1 is stored while the IJC1 is being stored.
In order to prevent ink from leaking from the ink discharge port 4, it is desirable to incorporate a cap member. Furthermore, it has been considered that a pumping operation for sucking ink from the ink ejection surface that abuts the cap member in the stored state is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the case lid of the storage box. In such a storage box, the recording head unit 2 is pumped every time the IJC is taken out of the storage box.
The recovery operation on the IJRA side can be lightened by that much, but instead, it is necessary to provide a waste ink chamber in the storage box itself. An ink absorber is loaded in the ink chamber to hold the discharged ink.

Further, in performing the pumping operation in the storage box as described above, it has been considered to interlock the piston pump with the opening / closing operation of the case lid.

[0008]

However, when the waste ink chamber is provided in the IJC storage box as described above, if the waste ink chamber is sufficiently large, the storage box itself becomes large. It also becomes heavy and inconvenient to store and carry. In addition, IJ
Although C itself is in a reusable state, the waste ink chamber of the storage box becomes full and must be discarded.

A first object of the present invention is to make it possible to discharge ink from the waste ink tank in an IJC storage box equipped with a waste ink tank, or to open the waste ink tank to absorb the ink. Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage box for an ink jet cartridge that can prolong life by enabling replacement of the above.

Further, in the storage of the IJC as described above, when the piston of the piston type suction pump is moved up and down by the opening / closing operation of the case lid, the circular movement due to the opening / closing of the case lid causes the piston to move in the connecting portion. Since it is converted into a linear motion of the case and there is a restriction on the connecting position of the piston rod provided on the case lid, a large unreasonable force acts on the connecting portion, which may cause damage. Workability in the assembly part of the connecting part is poor.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a storage box for an ink jet cartridge in which the connection is released only when an excessive force acts on the connection portion and which can be easily connected at the time of assembly. is there.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above first object, a first aspect of the present invention is a recording head section for ejecting ink and an ink supply section for supplying the ink to the recording head section. A waste ink chamber that stores an ink that is discharged from the recording head unit by a recovery operation, and an ink absorber that holds the ink that is discharged to the waste ink chamber. An ink-jet cartridge storage box including: an ink discharging unit that is operated from the outside to discharge ink from the ink absorbing unit by deforming the ink absorbing unit; and ink discharged by the ink discharging unit. A discharge port for discharging the waste ink from the waste ink chamber to the outside.

Another means according to the first aspect of the present invention is a replaceable ink jet cartridge in which a recording head section for ejecting ink and an ink supply section for supplying the ink to the recording head section are integrated. A storage box for an ink jet cartridge having a waste ink chamber that stores ink discharged from the recording head unit by a recovery operation, and an ink absorber that holds the ink discharged into the waste ink chamber. The lid member that can replace the ink absorber is detachable.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned second object, in the second aspect of the present invention, a recording head portion for ejecting ink and an ink portion for supplying the ink to the recording head are integrated. An ink jet cartridge storage box for storing a replaceable ink jet cartridge, wherein ink is sucked for recovery from the recording head portion by a pumping operation of a piston member that is interlocked with an opening and closing operation of a case lid that is held openable and closable. And the connecting portion between the piston member and the case lid for interlocking is released when an excessive load is applied to the piston member, and the lid closing operation of the case lid is performed. It is characterized by having an elastic coupling structure so that the connection is restored by.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ink held in the ink absorber in the waste ink chamber can be discharged by the operation of the ink discharging means and discharged from the discharge port. Even when the ink is full, the cartridge can be reused without being discarded. Further, according to another configuration of the first embodiment, since the lid member can be opened and the ink absorber can be replaced, the lid member can be reattached, so that the storage box can be continuously used. You can

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a recovery operation for discharging ink to the ink jet cartridge stored by the pumping operation of the piston member interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the case lid is possible. , The connecting portion of the case lid and the piston member involved in the interlocking operation is elastically released when the piston member is subjected to an excessive load during the opening operation of the case lid, and the connected state is released. Can be prevented from being damaged. Further, the elasticity can be applied again by the closing operation to restore the connecting portion to the original connecting state.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings in the order of the first and second embodiments.

1 to 3 show an IJ according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The structural example of C storage box is shown. First, the overall configuration of the storage box 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In these figures, 11 is the case, 12 is the case lid, and 13 is the ink holding chamber that abuts the ink ejection surface 3 of the housed IJC 1 to prevent ink leakage and temporarily holds the ink discharged from the IJC 1. 13B is a cap member, 14 is a hinge pin for rotatably holding the case lid 12 to the case 11, 15 is a waste ink chamber, 1
An ink absorber 6 is loaded in the waste ink chamber 15.

In the case of this example, the case inner lid 17 is welded or adhered to the case 11 with a cylinder member 18, between the inner case lid 17 and the case 11.
The waste ink chamber 15 is formed while the piston member and the cap member 13 which are slidably fitted therein are held. Reference numeral 20 is an O-ring provided on the piston member 19, 21 is a pump chamber, and 21 is a connecting member between the piston member 19 and the case lid 12 for reciprocating the piston member 19 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the case lid 12. A connecting pin, 22 is an orifice for communicating the ink holding chamber 13B of the cap member 13 with the pump chamber 21, and 23 is a check valve for discharging the ink sucked into the pump chamber 21 to the waste ink chamber 15. Is.

Further, in the present embodiment, there is a knob 30A exposed on the side wall 11A of the case 11 which is in contact with the waste ink chamber 15, and the waste ink is rotated by rotating the knob 30A from the outside of the case with, for example, a coin. An ink throttle member 30 capable of squeezing ink from the ink absorber 16 in the chamber 15 is pivotally supported. The ink diaphragm member 30 has a diaphragm plate 30B as shown in FIG.
The knob 30A is integrated with the knob 30A.
The shaft portion 30C concentric with A (see FIG. 1) is the side wall 1
Liquid-tightly supported by 1A. Furthermore, in FIG. 3A, 11B is an ink outlet, 31 is an ink outlet 1.
In the usual case, 1B is a sealing plug provided for sealing, for example, an elastic body.

In the IJC storage box 10 thus constructed, the case lid 12 is pulled up by rotating it around the hinge pin 14 so that the piston member 19 connected to the case lid 12 is pulled up. Pump room 2
1 can be a negative pressure. Further, when the IJC 1 is stored in the storage position of the case 11 in such an opened state, the spring force of the spring portion 11S provided on the case 11 causes
The ink ejection surface 3 of the JC 1 can be biased toward the cap member 13 to keep the periphery of the ejection surface 3 in close contact with the cap member 13.

Furthermore, when the IJC 1 stored in the IJC storage box 10 is to be taken out, the IJC 1 is placed in the pump chamber 21 kept at a negative pressure by the above-mentioned opening operation prior to the taking out.
Ink can be sucked from JC1. Therefore,
The piston member 19 is lowered by the closing operation after the IJC 1 is taken out from the case 11, and the ink retained in the pump chamber 21 is opened by opening the check valve 23 to remove the waste ink chamber 15
Can be discharged.

By the way, when the above-mentioned storage / removal is repeated with respect to the stored IJC1, the ink is discharged as a recovery operation for each removal, so that the waste ink chamber 15 is finally filled. According to the present embodiment, when it is determined that such a state or a state close thereto, the sealing plug 31 is removed, and the storage box 10 is tilted so that the ink discharge port 11B faces downward as much as possible. By swinging 30 with its knob 30A, the diaphragm plate 30B is tilted as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3 (A), and the ink absorber 16 is compressed on that surface to store the squeezed ink. Can be discharged outside the box.

FIG. 3B shows another example of the ink diaphragm member 30. In this example, the ink discharge port 11B provided on the wall forming the waste ink chamber 15 of the case 11 is connected to the ink diaphragm member 30.
It is configured to be closed by an elastic plug body 32 provided at the tip of the. That is, when the ink squeezing member 30 is not operated, the stopper 32 keeps the ink discharge port 11B sealed. When the ink throttle member 30 is operated, the plug body 32 can be easily removed from the ink ejection port 11B by utilizing its elasticity, and the ink squeezed out from the ink absorber 16 by the operation of the ink throttle member 30 is opened. The ink can be easily ejected from the ejected ink ejection port 11B.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the ink diaphragm member 30 that can be operated from the outside is provided in the portion of the storage box 10 that is related to the waste ink chamber 15, the waste ink chamber 15 can be discharged. Even when it is almost full, it can be discharged and continued to be used. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case of the storage box having the waste ink chamber has been described. However, the waste ink chamber is provided on the recording apparatus side together with the recovery means, and such a waste ink chamber has the above-mentioned structure. It goes without saying that it is possible to provide such an ink diaphragm member. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the swing type ink throttle member is used, but the ink throttle means is not limited to this, and, for example, a plate for pressing the ink absorber by a push rod is required. It goes without saying that any form may be used as long as it has a means for deforming the ink absorber in the waste ink chamber and a port for discharging the squeezed ink.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the first mode of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the storage box 10, the case inner lid 1
7 can be freely sealed and opened with respect to the case 11,
Here, 17A is a locking portion that is provided around the portion of the case inner lid 17 that is associated with the waste ink chamber 15 to ensure liquid tightness. Case 11 main body and case inner lid 1
Since both 7 are made of an elastic resin material, the elastic force can be provided by integrally forming the locking portion 17A with the case inner lid 17. An engaging groove 11D matching the shape of the engaging portion 17A is also formed in the peripheral portion of the case 11 side corresponding to the engaging portion 17A. Also,
Although not shown here, the case lid 12 is openably and closably attached to the support bracket of the case inner lid 17 via a hinge pin 14.

In the present embodiment, the case inner lid 1 is provided at the time when the ink discharged into the waste ink chamber 15 is full.
7 can be removed from the case 11 and the ink absorber 16 inside can be replaced. In addition, in the case of this example, since the case inner lid 17 and the case lid 12 are connected via the connection between the case lid 12 and the piston member 19, when the case inner lid 17 is removed, the piston member 19 is moved to the cylinder. The case 11 is pulled out from the member 18 and is together with the case lid 12.
Removed from the side. The locking means for maintaining a hermetically sealed state between the case inner lid 17 and the case 11 is of a type generally called a patching stop.
By reversing the above removing operation at the time of mounting 7, it is possible to reassemble into an integral storage box.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the first mode of the present invention. In this example, instead of forming the waste ink chamber 15 as an independent sealing section by welding or adhering the case inner lid 17 to the case 11, the ink absorber 16 is provided on the side wall 11A of the case forming the waste ink chamber 15. A take-out window frame portion 11W is provided, and an elastic detachable window 40 is attached to the window frame portion 11W by patching. The attachment / detachment window 40 may be made of a resin material having elasticity.
The elasticity of the case itself and the elasticity of the case 11 enable the engagement in a liquid-tight state. 40A is a locking part of the attachment / detachment window 40, and 11E is an engaging frame part provided around the window frame part 11W. In this example, by forming the attaching / detaching window 40 with a transparent elastic resin material, it is possible to visually confirm the state of the accumulated ink discharged from the waste ink tank 15 through the attaching / detaching window 40.

Next, an embodiment according to the second mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the following drawings.

In each of the embodiments according to the second embodiment, when an unreasonable force acts on the piston member 19 during the opening operation of the case lid 12, the elasticity of the piston member 19 is utilized to engage the piston member 19 and the case lid 12. The mating state is released, and the characteristic feature is that it can be easily restored to the original engaged state by utilizing the lid closing operation.

FIG. 6 shows a first embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention. 6, 19A is a rod portion of the piston member 19, 19B is a connecting claw formed on the top of the rod portion 19A, and 19C is a rod portion 19 as shown in FIG.
A notch groove cut axially from the top of A, and 51 is a bottomed hole (hereinafter referred to as a bottom hole) formed in a recess 12A of the case lid 12 for connecting the piston member 19 to the case lid 12. It is called a connection hole). The connecting claw 19B
As shown in FIG. 6, its lower surface is formed in an arc shape and has an arc shape, and its cross-sectional shape is formed so as to have a smooth slope as shown in FIG. 7 (A). The lower end of the surface that is shown in FIG.
(A) is engaged.

Therefore, when the lid opening operation is performed in the storage box 10 thus configured, the case lid 12 is lifted around the hinge pin 14 as shown by an arrow A in FIG. Then, by the lifting operation, the case lid 12
The piston member 19, which is engaged with the edge of the connecting hole 51 while maintaining tangential contact, is pulled upward along the cylinder chamber 18A of the cylinder member 18. At this time, the connecting claw 19
B is configured such that its fine movement is allowed in the direction along the paper surface of FIG. 6 while maintaining circular arc contact within the bottom surface of the case lid recess 12A, so that the connecting portion is up to a certain degree of pulling up of the rod portion 19A. There will be no unreasonable interference between them.

FIG. 7B shows a second embodiment of the second mode of the present invention. In the first embodiment of the second mode, as shown in FIG. 7 (A), the pair of connecting claws 19B, 19B has the cut groove 1
9C, the lower surfaces of the arcuate claws formed outwardly from each other are engaged with the edge portion 51A of the connecting hole 51 in a tangential contact manner, while the second embodiment is different. The shape is such that the connecting claws 19B, 19B face each other inwardly. Here, the shape of the connection claw 19B itself has an arcuate lower surface as shown in FIG. 6, but in this embodiment, the opening 12B is formed without forming a recess in the case lid 12.
And a supporting beam for connection (hereinafter referred to as a connecting beam) 12C that is supported around the opening 12B, and the arcuate lower surfaces of the connecting claws 19B and 19B are in tangential contact with the upper surface of the connecting beam 12C. Is maintained. FIG. 8 shows the external appearance of the storage box 10 according to the second embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

In the above-described first and second embodiments of the second aspect of the present invention, the opening angle increases as the piston member 19 is pulled upward by the opening operation of the case lid 12, and Take piston member 1
The connecting claws 19B and 19B of 9 are shown in FIGS.
Then, it shifts in a direction at right angles to the paper surface and operates so as not to apply an unreasonable force to the connecting portion. Then, if the lid opening angle required for the pumping operation by the piston member 19 is exceeded and an attempt is made to perform an unreasonable or useless lid opening operation, in FIGS.
When a force is exerted on the connecting claws 19B, 19B having a smooth shape, the connecting claws 19B and 19B having a smooth shape are bent inward in the case of (A) and in the case of (B). Bends outward.

Thus, the piston member 19 and the case lid 1
The connection state between the two is released. Also, the case lid 12
By moving the lids in the closing direction, the elasticity of the linking claws 19B, 19B is used in the vicinity of the final step of the lid closing operation to return to the original linking state as shown in FIG. 7A or 7B. Can be easily returned.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment according to the second mode of the present invention. In this example, the case lid 12 itself absorbs the difference in the movement in the paper surface direction between the case lid 12 and the piston member 19 at the time of the lid opening operation, and at the time of the lid opening operation of a required angle or more. The connection state is released so that an unreasonable force does not act on the connection portion. That is, 12C is a hinge pin 14 support hole of the case lid 12, which is formed as a long hole having a long axis in the horizontal direction. In this example, the support hole 1 on the case lid 12 side
Although 2C is a long hole, a supporting hole (not shown) provided on the case 11 main body side may be a long hole instead.

Further, in this example, the cross-sectional shape of the beam 12D supported around the opening 12B formed in the case lid 12 is circular so that the sliding resistance is small, and the beam 12D is formed.
The direction of D is perpendicular to the paper surface. Furthermore, 1
9D is a notch groove formed in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface from the tip end portion of the rod portion 19A of the piston member 19, 19E, 19
E is a gripping arm for connection formed in a shape facing each other through the cut groove 19D, and the cut groove 19D side is formed in a semicircular shape in accordance with the shape of the beam 12D described above. The circular beam 12D is held in a state of being gripped from both sides by the elastic force of 19E.

In the storage box 10 thus constructed, the piston member 19 is opened when the case cover 12 is opened.
The case lid 12 itself moves within the allowable movement range of the hinge pin 14 in the support hole 12C in accordance with the upward stroke of the, so that an unreasonable force is not applied to the connecting portion between the piston member 19 and the case lid 12. Act on. If the limit is exceeded, the elasticity of the gripping arms 19E, 19E separates them from the circular beam 12D,
Release the connected state. Furthermore, in the vicinity of the final step of the closing operation of the case lid 12, the connection state can be restored in the same manner as described in the above embodiments.

(Others) The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating heat energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system. The present invention brings about excellent effects in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the type in which the state of ink is changed by the heat energy. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any of the continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling is caused on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal in a one-to-one correspondence
It is effective because bubbles can be formed inside. Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, further excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The structure using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration corresponding to the ejection portion is disclosed in JP-A-59-138461. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be surely and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Regarding the type or number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of pieces may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but it may be either the recording head is integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full-color recording modes by color mixing.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, besides the one used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and further a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. It may be a form or the like.

[0044]

As described above, the first aspect of the present invention
According to the aspect of the present invention, a replaceable ink jet cartridge in which a recording head unit that ejects ink and an ink supply unit that supplies the ink to the recording head unit are integrated is stored, and a recovery operation from the recording head unit is performed. A storage box of an ink jet cartridge having a waste ink chamber containing the discharged ink and an ink absorber holding the ink discharged into the waste ink chamber, which is operated from the outside to deform the ink absorber. Or a discharge port for discharging the ink discharged by the ink discharging device to the outside from the waste ink chamber. Since the lid member that can replace the absorber is removable, the waste ink chamber provided in the storage box can be made as compact as possible. It is Rukoto, need to be disposed of is no longer this in just because of that waste ink chamber is full.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, ink for recovery is sucked from the recording head portion by the pumping operation of the piston member which is interlocked with the opening and closing operation of the case lid which is held openable and closable. In addition, the connection portion between the piston member and the case lid for interlocking is disconnected when an excessive load is applied to the piston member, and is connected by a closing operation of the case lid. Since the elastic coupling structure is used so that the case can be restored, there is no fear that the connecting portion between the case lid and the case main body will be damaged due to an unreasonable force when the case lid is opened. Not only the connected state can be easily restored, but also the assembling work of the storage box can be facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a structure of a storage box according to a first embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the storage box shown in FIG.

3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing configurations of an ink squeezing member in the storage box shown in FIG. 1 in two examples (A) and (B).

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the storage box according to the first embodiment and second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a structure of a storage box according to a third embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a storage box according to the first embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 6 showing (A) and (B), respectively, a connecting portion structure of a storage box according to a first embodiment and a second embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention. .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a storage box according to a second embodiment, a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the storage box according to the second embodiment, third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an outline of an inkjet cartridge (IJC) applied to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a conventional inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Inkjet Cartridge (IJC) 3 Ink Ejection Surface 4 Ink Ejection Port 10 Storage Box 11 Case 11A Sidewall 11B Ink Discharge Port 11D Engagement Groove 11E Engagement Frame 11W Window Frame 12 Case Lid 12A Lid Recess 12B Opening 12C Connecting Beam 12D (Circular) Beam 13 Cap member 14 Hinge pin 15 Waste ink chamber 16 Ink absorber 17 Case inner lid 17A Locking part 18 Cylinder member 19 Piston member 19B Connecting claw 19C Cut groove 19E Grip arm 21 Pump chamber 30 Ink throttling member 31 Sealing Plug 32 Plug 40 Attachment / Detachment Window 51 Connection Hole 51A Edge

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hitoshi Nakamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A replaceable ink jet cartridge, in which a recording head section for ejecting ink and an ink supply section for supplying the ink to the recording head section are integrated, is housed and ejected from the recording head section by a recovery operation. A storage box of an ink jet cartridge having a waste ink chamber containing the ink to be stored and an ink absorber holding the ink discharged into the waste ink chamber, which is operated from the outside to deform the ink absorber. Thus, the ink jet printer is provided with an ink discharging unit capable of discharging the ink from the ink absorber, and a discharge port for discharging the ink discharged by the ink discharging unit to the outside from the waste ink chamber. Cartridge storage box. 2. A replaceable ink jet cartridge in which a recording head unit for ejecting ink and an ink supply unit for supplying the ink to the recording head unit are housed together and discharged from the recording head unit by a recovery operation. A storage box for an ink jet cartridge having a waste ink chamber containing the ink to be stored and an ink absorber holding the ink discharged to the waste ink chamber, the lid member being capable of replacing the ink absorber. A storage box for inkjet cartridges that is removable. 3. A storage box of an ink jet cartridge for accommodating a replaceable ink jet cartridge in which a print head portion for ejecting ink and an ink portion for supplying the ink to the print head are integrated. Ink for recovery is sucked from the recording head portion by the pumping operation of the piston member which is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the case lid which is kept, and the piston member and the case lid for interlocking are also provided. The inkjet cartridge is characterized in that the connecting portion is elastically coupled so that the connection is released when an excessive load is applied to the piston member and the connection is restored by the closing operation of the case lid. Storage box.