JPH09118019A - Ink cartridge and ink-jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form an ink cartridge for supplying ink to an ink-jet head so that the ink cartridge can be separated easily from a holder and manufactured inexpensively. SOLUTION: Ink cartridges 32-35 are arranged side by side and detachably mounted to a cartridge holder 31 of an ink-jet recording apparatus. Holding parts 32f-35f are formed at front wall parts of the ink cartridges to project forward. Each holding part has a considerably smaller width than a lateral width W of the ink cartridge, for example, a width (a) not larger than half the width W. The holding part is formed at a central part of the front wall part (or at a right part or left part). Accordingly, when the cartridge 34 is required to be detached while a plurality of ink cartridges are fitted, it is prevented that a thumb F pressing the holding part 34f touches the adjacent holding parts 33f, 35f thereby to detach the cartridges 33, 35 at the same time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges containing recording ink and a plurality of ink cartridges of different ink colors are arranged side by side in a detachable manner, and particularly, a plurality of ink cartridges adjacent to each other are attached. The present invention relates to an improved handle portion provided on an ink cartridge so that only a desired one of the ink cartridges can be reliably removed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink from a plurality of ejection nozzles provided on a recording head to print an image on a sheet, the recording head is provided on a carriage that can reciprocate. A cartridge holder is provided integrally with or separately from the recording head, and the recording head is provided with a cylindrical connecting cylinder portion (so-called manifold) in which an ink supply path communicating with the recording head is formed. The holder accommodates the recording ink to be supplied to the recording head through the connecting cylinder portion, and the ink cartridge provided with the ink outlet hole is detachably mounted.

Here, when the ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge holder, the tip of the connecting cylinder is inserted into the ink cartridge through the ink outlet.
Finally, by engaging the front wall portion of the ink cartridge opposite to the ink outlet hole with the engagement groove provided at the front end portion of the cartridge holder or the carriage, the ink cartridge is brought into close contact with the connecting cylinder portion. It can be attached, and the ink in the ink cartridge can be surely supplied to the recording head through the connecting cylinder portion without leaking to the outside.

By the way, in this type of ink jet recording apparatus, recently, one capable of color printing has been put into practical use. That is, a plurality of recording heads integrally formed with a connecting cylinder portion and a cartridge holder are provided on the carriage, and a plurality of ink cartridges having different ink colors corresponding to each recording head are mutually provided in the cartridge holder. Are removably attached in parallel with each other. Also in this case, similarly, by engaging the front wall portion of each ink cartridge with the engagement groove of the front end portion of the cartridge holder or the carriage, a plurality of ink cartridges are detachably attached to the cartridge holder. It is like this. When replacing an ink cartridge that runs out of ink, first push up only the handle provided on the front wall of the ink cartridge to be replaced with your finger (for example, thumb) to disengage the front wall. The ink cartridge.

By the way, in order to replace an ink cartridge that runs out of ink, when pushing up the handle portion of the desired ink cartridge with a finger, especially in the case of a miniaturized ink cartridge, the left and right sides of the ink cartridge are replaced. Since the width in the direction is as small as, for example, about 12 to 15 mm, the width of the handle portion is also narrowed, and the handle portion of the ink cartridge adjacent to the desired ink cartridge is also pushed up simultaneously with the finger to be removed. Then, the adjacent ink cartridge may be removed at the same time. In that case, even if the ink cartridge is accidentally removed, like the replaced ink cartridge, a suction process (a so-called purging process) is performed after the mounting to remove the air that has entered the connecting cylinder portion. Various ink cartridges have been proposed in which only a desired ink cartridge can be reliably removed because extra ink is wasted.

For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-68781, the height positions of the handle portions provided in each of the four ink cartridges detachably attached to the color ink jet recording apparatus are made different from each other so that they are adjacent to each other. An ink jet recording apparatus is described in which a sufficient distance between the handle portions of the ink cartridges is secured to prevent an erroneous operation of simultaneously removing an adjacent ink cartridge when a desired ink cartridge is removed.

[0007]

As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-68781, the handle portion of each of a plurality of ink cartridges mounted in parallel adjacent to each other. By making the height positions of the ink cartridges different from each other, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation for removing the ink cartridges other than the desired ink cartridge. Not being able to use common removal operations, and having to manufacture multiple types of ink cartridges corresponding to multiple colors, which not only complicates the ink cartridge manufacturing process and parts management, but also increases manufacturing costs. There are problems such as.

An object of the present invention is to reliably remove only one desired ink cartridge from a plurality of ink cartridges mounted side by side in the left-right direction, improve the operability of the removal operation, and manage the manufacturing process and parts. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge and an inkjet recording device that can simplify the above.

[0009]

An ink cartridge according to a first aspect of the present invention is detachably attached to a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus to supply ink to the recording head. In the ink cartridge, a handle portion is provided on the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having a lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head so as to project forward, and a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the cartridge holder. In this condition, you can operate only one desired ink cartridge.
The handle is formed to have a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and is formed in the center of the front wall in the left-right direction.

The operation will be described. In the ink cartridge mounted on the cartridge holder, the handle portion provided forwardly on the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having the lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head. Is formed in a width that is significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and is formed in the center of the front wall in the left-right direction. When only one desired ink cartridge is removed and operated, the distance between the handle portions of the two ink cartridges adjacent on the left and right sides is the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and the width of the handle portion is subtracted from the width in the left-right direction. Expansion as a large operation allowance space by adding the space and two spaces between ink cartridges When the thumb of the desired ink cartridge is pressed against the handle of the desired ink cartridge, the thumb will not come into contact with either of the left and right handles, so remove the left or right ink cartridge at the same time. It is possible to reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge by preventing such an erroneous operation.

That is, since the handle portion having a width much smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction is formed in the central portion of the front wall portion in the left-right direction, a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the left-right direction. When only one desired ink cartridge is removed with a finger, a large operation allowance space can be secured so that the finger does not touch any of the left and right handle parts, and the left or right ink cartridge is removed at the same time. By preventing erroneous operation, it is possible to remove only the desired ink cartridge with certainty, and a plurality of ink cartridges provided with handles can be manufactured in the same shape, which simplifies the ink cartridge manufacturing process and parts management. Since the height position of the handle provided for each ink cartridge is the same,
The removal operation of the ink cartridge can be made common.

An ink cartridge according to a second aspect is an ink cartridge which is detachably attached to a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus and supplies ink to the recording head. A handle part is provided on the front wall part opposite to the rear wall part having a lead-out hole for the ink supplied to
With a plurality of ink cartridges mounted side by side in the cartridge holder, the handle is formed to have a width much smaller than the width of the ink cartridge so that only one desired ink cartridge can be operated. It is formed on the left or right part of the front wall in the left-right direction.

Explaining the operation, substantially the same operation as in claim 1 is performed, but in the ink cartridge mounted in the cartridge holder, the front wall opposite to the rear wall portion having the lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head is provided. Since the handle portion provided in the front portion in a protruding shape is formed to have a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and formed on the left or right portion of the front wall portion in the left-right direction, When multiple ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the horizontal direction and only one desired ink cartridge is removed with a finger, a large operation allowance space is provided so that the finger does not touch any of the left and right handle parts. Can be secured,
It is possible to prevent accidental operation such as removing the left or right ink cartridges at the same time, and to reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge, and it is possible to manufacture a plurality of ink cartridges with handle parts in the same shape. The manufacturing process and parts management can be simplified, and since the height positions of the handles provided for each ink cartridge are the same, the ink cartridge removal operation can be made common.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge according to the first or second aspect, the width of the handle portion in the left-right direction is about 1/2 of the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction.
It is set as follows. To explain the effect,
Although the same operation as in claim 1 or claim 2 is achieved, since the width of the handle portion in the left-right direction is set to about 1/2 or less of the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, only one desired ink cartridge is provided. When performing the removal operation, set the distance between the handle parts of the two ink cartridges on the left and right sides
It is possible to secure a large operation allowance space that is enlarged to about 1.5 times the width in the left-right direction of the ink cartridge, and it is possible to more reliably prevent an erroneous operation such as simultaneously removing the left or right ink cartridge.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges containing inks of different ink colors are detachably attached to a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from the recording head. In the recording apparatus, a handle portion is provided on the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having a lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head of each of the plurality of ink cartridges so as to project forward, and a plurality of cartridge holders are provided. In order to operate only one desired ink cartridge in a state where the ink cartridges are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, each handle is formed to have a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and It is formed at the center in the left-right direction.

To explain the operation, in each of the plurality of ink cartridges mounted in the cartridge holder, the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having the lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head is projected forward. Since the provided handle portion is formed in a width much smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction and is formed in the center portion in the left-right direction of the front wall portion, a plurality of ink cartridges can be placed in the cartridge holder in the left-right direction. When only one desired ink cartridge is to be removed while being mounted side by side, the distance between the handle parts of two ink cartridges that are adjacent on the left and right sides is the width of the ink cartridge in the horizontal direction, Space less the width of
It can be expanded as a large operation allowance space by adding two spaces between ink cartridges, and even if a thumb is pressed against a desired ink cartridge handle, the thumb can be placed on both left and right handle parts. Since they do not come into contact with each other, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation such as removing the left or right ink cartridge at the same time, and to reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge.

That is, for each of the plurality of ink cartridges mounted on the cartridge holder, the handle portion having a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction is formed in the center portion of the front wall in the left-right direction. When multiple ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the horizontal direction and only one desired ink cartridge is removed with a finger, a large operation allowance space is provided so that the finger does not touch any of the left and right handle parts. Can be secured,
It is possible to prevent accidental operation such as removing the left or right ink cartridges at the same time, and to reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge, and it is possible to manufacture a plurality of ink cartridges with handle parts in the same shape. The manufacturing process and parts management can be simplified, and since the height positions of the handles provided for each ink cartridge are the same, the ink cartridge removal operation can be made common.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges containing inks of different ink colors are detachably attached to a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from the recording head. In the recording apparatus, a handle portion is provided on the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having a lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head of each of the plurality of ink cartridges so as to project forward, and a plurality of cartridge holders are provided. In order to operate only one desired ink cartridge in a state where the ink cartridges are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, each handle is formed to have a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and It is formed on the left or right part in the left-right direction.

Explaining the operation, substantially the same operation as in claim 4 is carried out, but in each of the plurality of ink cartridges mounted in the cartridge holder, the side opposite to the rear wall portion having the outlet for the ink to be supplied to the recording head is provided. The front projection of the front wall is formed to have a width much smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and is formed on the left or right side of the front wall in the left-right direction. Therefore, when only one desired ink cartridge is removed with a finger while a plurality of ink cartridges are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, it is so large that the finger does not touch any of the left and right handle parts. You can secure an operation allowance space, prevent erroneous operations such as removing the left or right ink cartridge at the same time, and ensure only the desired ink cartridge. In addition to being able to remove the ink cartridge, it is possible to manufacture multiple ink cartridges with a handle part in the same shape, which simplifies the manufacturing process and parts management of the ink cartridge, and the height position of the handle part provided for each ink cartridge Since they are the same, the removal operation of the ink cartridge can be made common.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, the width of each of the handle portions in the left-right direction is set to about 1/2 or less of the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction. Is. The operation is the same as in claim 4 or claim 5, but the width of the handle portion in the left-right direction is set to about 1/2 or less of the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction.
When removing and operating only one ink cartridge,
The distance between the handle parts of two ink cartridges that are adjacent on both the left and right sides is approximately 1.5
It is possible to secure a large operation allowance space that is expanded to more than double, and it is possible to more reliably prevent an erroneous operation such as simultaneously removing the left or right ink cartridge.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is a case where the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording apparatus capable of full-color printing by ejecting four color inks.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 basically includes a main body frame 3 provided in a main body cover 2, a rubber platen 10, a carriage drive mechanism 20 for driving a carriage 21, and four inks. Cartridge 32-
The recording ink contained in the recording head 35
And an ink ejecting mechanism 30 that ejects from each of a plurality of ejecting nozzles formed on the recording sheet P and prints on the recording paper P.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the platen 10 is disposed in the left-right direction, and the platen shaft 11 has sidewall plates 3a, 3 of the body frame 3 at both left and right ends thereof.
The platen gear 12 is mounted on the left end of the platen shaft 11 so as to be rotatably supported by the respective members c. Then, the side wall plate 3c is provided with a first member that meshes with the platen gear 12.
A composite gear 13 having a gear 14 and a second gear 15 is rotatably supported, and a drive gear 16 meshing with the second gear 15 is attached to a feed motor 17. That is, when the feed motor 17 is driven in the predetermined rotation direction and the drive gear 16 rotates, the platen 10 is driven to rotate in the predetermined paper feed direction via the composite gear 13 and the platen gear 12.

Next, regarding the carriage drive mechanism 20,
A description will be given based on FIGS. A carriage 21 is horizontally arranged on the front side of the platen 10, and the carriage 21 is arranged at its rear end portion in parallel with the platen 10 and supported by the body frame 3.
Is supported by the guide rail portion 3d at the front end of the main body frame 3 so as to be movable in the left and right directions.

On the other hand, a driven pulley 23 is rotatably supported by the side wall plate 3b on the left side of the moving range of the carriage 21, and a carriage drive motor 25 is provided on the right side thereof, and a drive shaft of the carriage drive motor 25 is provided. An endless timing belt 26 is stretched over a drive pulley 24 and a driven pulley 23 attached to the carriage 21.
Is connected to the timing belt 26 at the lower end thereof. When the carriage drive motor 25 is rotationally driven, the carriage 21 is supported by the guide rod 22 and the guide rail portion 3d through the pulleys 23 and 24 and the timing belt 26, and reciprocatingly driven. To be done. That is, printing is executed as the carriage 21 reciprocates.

Next, an ink jetting mechanism 30 for jetting four colors of inks of "black", "cyan", "magenta", and "yellow" onto the recording paper P for color printing will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 will be described. On the carriage 21, a box-shaped cartridge holder 31 that is open upward and forward is fixed in a substantially horizontal shape. A black ink cartridge 32, a cyan ink cartridge 33, a magenta ink cartridge 34, and a yellow ink cartridge 35 are detachably attached to the cartridge holder 31 in this order from the left side. Then, at the front end of the carriage 21,
A supporting portion 21a for supporting the front end portions of the ink cartridges 32 to 35 mounted on the cartridge holder 31 is provided upright, and the upper end portion of the supporting portion 21a is
Engagement portions 32a to 35a of the ink cartridges 32 to 35
An engaging groove 21b that engages with each of the above is formed over the entire width of the supporting portion 21a.

Standing wall portion 31a of the cartridge holder 31
Is provided with four recording heads 36 to 39 corresponding to each of these four ink cartridges 32 to 35, and a connecting cylinder portion 35 connected to these recording heads 36 to 39 is provided. Then, in order to prevent ink leakage from the mounted ink cartridges 32 to 35, a rubber annular seal member 44 (illustrated only for magenta in FIG. 4) is attached to each of the connecting cylinders 40 to 43. It is fitted. As a result, the recording head 36 to which the inks of the ink cartridges 32 to 35 correspond
4 to the recording paper P that has been ejected from 39 to 39 respectively.
Full-color printing is performed with color inks.

Next, four ink cartridges 32 to 3
5 will be described with reference to FIGS. here,
Since the ink cartridges 32 to 35 have the same configuration, the magenta ink cartridge 34 will be described with reference to FIG. The magenta ink cartridge 34 contains an ink containing material 34b made of a porous material such as urethane foam in which a "magenta" recording ink is sufficiently impregnated in a synthetic resin container 34a,
The lid member 34c is adhered. Further, the container body 34
A circular ink lead-out hole 34d that can be externally fitted to the connecting cylinder portion 42 is formed in the rear wall portion of a.

Further, at the lower end portion of the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion where the ink lead-out hole 34d is formed, a protrusion-shaped engaging portion that can engage with the engaging groove 21b formed in the carriage 21. Three
4e is formed, and at the upper end portion of the front wall portion thereof, a handle portion 34f extending in the vertical direction and having a predetermined width is formed so as to project forward at the center portion in the width direction of the ink cartridge 34. By pushing the handle portion 34f upward with a finger, the engagement portion 34e of the ink cartridge 34 and the engagement groove 21b of the carriage 21 are disengaged, and the handle portion 34f can be removed from the cartridge holder 31. The engaging groove 21b is formed with a projection for engaging the upper shoulder of the projection-like engagement portion 34e with a click to prevent accidental disengagement. The ink cartridge 34 can be removed by lifting the front part of the ink cartridge 34 so as to exceed the position.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the handle portion 3
The width dimension a of 4f is the width dimension W of the ink cartridge 34.
The size is set to about 1/3, which is significantly smaller than the above. That is, each space b from the left end and the right end of the handle portion 34f to the left end and the right end of the ink cartridge 34 is similarly provided corresponding to about 1/3 of the width W of the ink cartridge 34. By the way, the black ink cartridge 32, the cyan ink cartridge 33, and the yellow ink cartridge 35, as well as the magenta ink cartridge 34, have the engaging portions 32.
e, 33e, 35e are provided respectively, and handle parts 32f, 33f, 35f are provided respectively.

As a result, of the four ink cartridges 32 to 35 mounted in parallel on the cartridge holder 31 so as to be adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, for example, only one desired ink cartridge 34 that runs out of ink is removed. In this case, normally, the thumb F is pressed against the front end portion of the handle portion 34f from the lower side upward, and the thumb F is pushed upward. At this time, the index finger is pressed against the upper end portion of the support portion 21a from above. By being good, the engaging portion 34e
The engagement between the engaging groove 21b and the engaging groove 21b is released.

Here, the distance between the two handle portions 33f and 35f of the ink cartridges 33 and 35 adjacent on the left and right sides is the width dimension W of the ink cartridge 34, and the width a of the handle portion 34f is subtracted from the width dimension W. The space F, that is, two spaces b, and two spaces α between the ink cartridges can be enlarged as a large allowable space S. In order to remove the desired ink cartridge 34, the thumb F is attached to the handle 34f. Even when pressed, since the thumb F does not come into contact with any of the handle portions 33f, 35f of the ink cartridges 33, 35 on the left and right sides, only the desired ink cartridge 34 can be reliably removed.

Next, these four ink cartridges 3
The operation of removing the cartridges 2 to 35 from the cartridge holder 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, each of the ink cartridges 32 to 35 has the corresponding connecting cylinder portion 40 to 44 inserted into the inside of the ink cartridge through the ink outlet hole.
The ink cartridges 32 to 35 are mounted at the predetermined mounting positions of the cartridge holder 31 by pressing the front end of the cartridge 5 downward to engage the engaging portions 32e to 35e with the engaging grooves 21b.

When, for example, the magenta ink cartridge 34 that has run out of ink is to be removed for replacement, as described above, as shown in FIGS.
The engaging portion 34f is pushed upward by pushing it against the front end portion of the handle portion 34f from below and pushing the thumb F upward.
When the engagement between e and the engagement groove 21b is released, the distance between the two handle portions 33f and 35f of the ink cartridges 33 and 35 which are adjacent on the left and right sides is set to the width W of the ink cartridge 34 and the space b. It is possible to expand the size as a large allowable space S by adding the two spaces and the two spaces α between the ink cartridges.

That is, the width W of the ink cartridge 34
However, for example, when it is about 12 mm, the operation allowable space S is about 21 to 22 mm, and the ink cartridge 34
It has been expanded to approximately twice the width W of As a result, when the desired magenta ink cartridge 34 is removed, the thumb F is placed on both sides of the adjacent ink cartridges 33, 3
5 does not come into contact with any of the handle portions 33f and 35f at the same time, and these adjacent ink cartridges 3f
By preventing an erroneous operation such as removing 3, 35, only one desired ink cartridge 34 can be reliably removed as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIGS. 6 and 4.

As described above, for each of the plurality of ink cartridges 32 to 35 mounted on the cartridge holder 31, the handle portions 32f to 35f having a width significantly smaller than the width dimension W of the ink cartridge are provided on the left and right sides of the front wall portion. Since a plurality of ink cartridges 3 are formed in the central portion in the direction
With 2 to 35 installed side by side in the left-right direction, the desired 1
When removing and operating only one ink cartridge with the thumb F, a large operation allowance space S can be secured so that the thumb F does not come into contact with any of the left and right handle parts, and the left or right ink cartridge is removed at the same time. By preventing erroneous operation, it is possible to reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge, and the handle portion 32f to
Since a plurality of ink cartridges 32 to 35 provided with 35f can be manufactured in the same shape, the ink cartridge 32
~ 35 manufacturing process and parts management can be simplified, and handle parts 32f-3 provided for each ink cartridge 32-35
Since the height positions of 5f are the same, the removal operation of the ink cartridges 32 to 35 can be made common.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 7, a handle portion 32g to be provided on four ink cartridges 32A to 35A.
35 g may be provided at the upper end portion of the front wall portion of the ink cartridges 32A to 35A and at the right portion in the left-right direction. In this case, as in the above-described embodiment, the magenta ink cartridge 34A is replaced with the cartridge holder 31.
When detached from A, the operation allowable space S includes a width dimension W of the ink cartridge 34A (for example, about 12 mm), a space d obtained by subtracting the width dimension of the handle portion 34g from the width dimension W, and a gap between the ink cartridges. 2 of α
A large space (for example, 21-22
mm) and enlarged.

That is, when the ink cartridge 34A is removed, the thumb F is placed on both sides of the ink cartridge 33A,
It is possible to prevent only one desired ink cartridge 34A from being reliably removed by preventing an erroneous operation such as removing these ink cartridges 33 and 35 without contacting either of the handle portions 33g and 35g of 35A. Also in this case, like the above-described embodiment, only the desired ink cartridge can be reliably removed, and the handle portion 3
A plurality of ink cartridges 32A provided with 2g to 35g
Since ~ 35A can be manufactured in the same shape, the manufacturing process and parts management of the ink cartridges 32A to 35A can be simplified, and the height positions of the handle parts 32g to 35g provided for each of the ink cartridges 32A to 35A are the same.
The removal operation of the ink cartridges 32A to 35A can be made common.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a handle portion 32h provided on the four ink cartridges 32B to 35B.
~ 35h, the ink cartridges 32B to 35B
Although it has the same width as the width dimension of the ink cartridges 32B to 35B at the upper end portion thereof, a curved space may be provided at both left and right end portions of a substantially lower half portion thereof to form a substantially T-shape. . However, in this case, the ink cartridge 3
A holder cover 5 that covers the rear end portions of 2B to 35B from above.
0 is connected to the cartridge holder 31B.

That is, the magenta ink cartridge 34.
When B is removed from the cartridge holder 31B, similarly, when the thumb F is pressed upward from the lower side to the front end of the handle portion 34h and the thumb F is pushed upward, the engaging portion 34e of the ink cartridge 34B. 9 is disengaged from the engaging groove 21b of the supporting portion 21a of the carriage 21B, the upper end of the ink cartridge 34B comes into contact with the front end of the holder cover 50 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. , Upward movement is prevented, so that the thumb F, which is pushed up, can move through these curved spaces.
Ink cartridges 33B and 35B adjacent to the left and right sides
Since neither of the handle portions 33h and 35h is pushed up, only one desired ink cartridge 34B can be reliably removed without erroneous operation such as removing these ink cartridges 33B and 35B.

Also in this case, similarly to the above-described embodiment, only the desired ink cartridge can be reliably removed, and a plurality of ink cartridges 32B to 35B provided with the handle portions 32h to 35h can be manufactured in the same shape. Therefore, the manufacturing process and parts management of the ink cartridges 32B to 35B can be simplified, and the handle portions 32h to 35h provided for each of the ink cartridges 32B to 35B have the same height position.
The removal operation of 5B can be made common.

The ink cartridge handle 32f-
35f is provided on the left side of the upper end of the front wall, and the width of the handle parts 32f to 35f and 32g to 35g of the ink cartridge is set to any size less than about 1/2 of the width W of the ink cartridge. For example, various modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment based on existing technology or technology obvious to those skilled in the art. For example, as shown as a third modification in FIG. 10, ink cartridges 32C to 35C
(Only 32C and 33C are shown.) Protruding portions are provided on the upper portion of the front wall portion so as to project in a tapered shape toward the front. The part up to the width of
The hatched portions in FIG. 10) are the handle portions 32j to 35j (3
Only 2j and 33j may be used as shown). With this, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Further, various ink cartridges containing various recording inks, and various color ink jet recording apparatuses in which a plurality of ink cartridges are detachably mounted in a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from the recording head. Of course, the present invention can be applied to.

[0042]

According to the ink cartridge of the first aspect, the handle portion having a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction is formed in the center portion of the front wall in the left-right direction. When only one desired ink cartridge is removed with a finger while the cartridges are mounted side by side in the left-right direction, a large operation allowance space can be secured so that the finger does not touch any of the left and right handle parts, Prevents erroneous operations such as removing the left or right ink cartridges at the same time, and can reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge.
Since a plurality of ink cartridges provided with handles can be manufactured in the same shape, the manufacturing process and parts management of the ink cartridges can be simplified, and the height position of the handles provided for each ink cartridge is the same. The removal operation of can be shared.

According to the ink cartridge of the second aspect, the handle portion having a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction is formed on the left or right portion of the front wall portion in the left-right direction. As in the case of 1, when a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the left-right direction and only one desired ink cartridge is detached with a finger,
It is possible to prevent accidental operation such as removing the left or right ink cartridges at the same time, and to reliably remove only the desired ink cartridge, and it is possible to manufacture a plurality of ink cartridges with handle parts in the same shape. The manufacturing process and parts management can be simplified, and since the height positions of the handles provided for each ink cartridge are the same, the ink cartridge removal operation can be made common.

According to the ink cartridge of the third aspect, the same effect as that of the first or second aspect can be obtained, but the width of the handle portion in the left-right direction is about 1/2 or less of the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction. Since it is set, when only one desired ink cartridge is to be removed and operated, the distance between the handle parts of the two ink cartridges that are adjacent on the left and right sides should be about 1.5 times the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction. This can be secured as an enlarged large operation allowance space, and it is possible to more reliably prevent an erroneous operation such as simultaneously removing the left or right ink cartridge.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the fourth aspect, for each of the plurality of ink cartridges mounted on the cartridge holder, the handle portion having a width significantly smaller than the width in the left-right direction of the ink cartridge is provided on the front wall portion. Since it is formed at the center in the left-right direction, when only one desired ink cartridge is removed with a finger when a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the left-right direction, the finger can be placed on either of the left and right handle parts. A large operation allowance space that does not touch even the left or right ink cartridge can be prevented at the same time, and only the desired ink cartridge can be reliably removed, and a plurality of handle parts are provided. Since the same ink cartridge can be manufactured in the same shape, On can be simplified extent and parts management, the height position of the handle portion is provided for each ink cartridge are the same, it is possible to share the removal operation of the ink cartridge.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the fifth aspect, for each of the plurality of ink cartridges mounted on the cartridge holder, the handle portion having a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction is provided on the front wall portion. Since it is formed on the left or right part in the left-right direction, when a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the same manner as in claim 4 and only one desired ink cartridge is detached with a finger, the left side is used. Alternatively, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation such as removing the ink cartridge on the right side at the same time, so that only the desired ink cartridge can be reliably removed, and a plurality of ink cartridges provided with handles can be manufactured in the same shape. In addition to simplifying the manufacturing process and parts management, it is provided for each ink cartridge Since the height position of the handle portion are the same, it is possible to share the removal operation of the ink cartridge.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the sixth aspect, the same effect as that of the fourth or fifth aspect can be obtained, but the width of each handle portion in the left-right direction is the same for a plurality of ink cartridges mounted in the cartridge holder. Since the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction is set to about 1/2 or less, when only one desired ink cartridge is to be removed and operated, the distance between the handle parts of the two ink cartridges adjacent to the left and right sides is It is possible to secure a large operation allowance space that is enlarged to about 1.5 times the width in the left-right direction of the cartridge, and it is possible to more reliably prevent an erroneous operation such as simultaneously removing the left or right ink cartridge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of four ink cartridges mounted in a cartridge holder.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partial front view when one desired ink cartridge is removed.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 when one desired ink cartridge is removed.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 according to the first modification.

FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 according to the second modification.

9 is a vertical sectional side view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to a third modification.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Inkjet recording device 31 Cartridge holder 32, 32A, 32B, 32C Black ink cartridge 32f, 32g, 32h, 32j Handle part 33, 33A, 33B, 33C Cyan ink cartridge 33f, 33g, 33h, 33j Handle part 34, 34A , 34B Magenta ink cartridges 34f, 34g, 34h Handles 35, 35A, 35B Yellow ink cartridges 35f, 35g, 35h Handles 36-39 Recording heads

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ink cartridge which is detachably mounted on a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus to supply ink to the recording head, and the ink to be supplied to the recording head is derived. A handle portion is provided on the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having the hole so as to project forward, and in the state where a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the cartridge holder, only one desired ink cartridge is mounted. An ink cartridge characterized in that the handle portion is formed to have a width remarkably smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction so as to be operable, and is formed in the center portion of the front wall in the left-right direction. 2. An ink cartridge, which is detachably mounted on a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus and supplies ink to the recording head, and leads out ink supplied to the recording head. A handle portion is provided on the front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having the hole so as to project forward, and in the state where a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted side by side in the cartridge holder, only one desired ink cartridge is mounted. An ink cartridge characterized in that the handle portion is formed to have a width much smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction so that the handle portion can be operated, and is formed on the left or right portion of the front wall in the left-right direction. 3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the width of the handle portion in the left-right direction is set to about 1/2 or less of the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction. 4. An ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges containing inks of different ink colors are detachably attached to a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from a recording head. Each of the cartridges has a front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having a lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head, and a handle portion is provided so as to project forward, and a plurality of ink cartridges are horizontally provided in the cartridge holder. In order that only one desired ink cartridge can be operated in a state where the ink cartridges are mounted side by side, the respective handle portions are formed to have a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and the left-right center portion of the front wall portion. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that it is formed on. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges containing inks of different ink colors are detachably attached to a cartridge holder provided integrally with or separately from a recording head. Each of the cartridges has a front wall portion opposite to the rear wall portion having a lead-out hole for the ink to be supplied to the recording head, and a handle portion is provided so as to project forward, and a plurality of ink cartridges are horizontally provided in the cartridge holder. In order to operate only one desired ink cartridge in a state where the ink cartridges are mounted side by side, the respective handle portions are formed to have a width significantly smaller than the width of the ink cartridge in the left-right direction, and the left-hand portion of the front wall in the left-right direction. Alternatively, an inkjet recording device is formed on the right side. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lateral width of each of the handle portions is set to be about ½ or less of the lateral width of the ink cartridge.