RU2336175C2 - Ink cartridge and printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: polygraphic industry.

SUBSTANCE: ink cartridge contains ink container with top wall, bottom wall, first side wall intersecting with bottom wall and second side wall intersecting with bottom wall and located opposite the first side wall; ink feeding port on the bottom wall positioned with shift nearer to the first side wall than to the second side wall; first protruding part located on the second side wall and nearer to the bottom wall than to the top wall and featuring multiple side parts to fix it in place; pressed part located on the second side wall and having top surface clamped by clamping element of printing device; holding element engaging with accepting part of printing device when ink cartridge is installed into printing device; and a number of electrodes located on the first protruding part and having electric connection with memory device located on the ink container. Printing device contains the element forming channel for ink communicating with writing head and located opposite to port for feeding ink from ink cartridge installed into printing device; width adjusting protruding part adjacent to side parts of protruding part; and resilient unit bearing against protruding part upper surface for position adjustment. Jet printing device where in the process of ink cartridge installation the resilient unit for position adjustment is pressed out and resiliently deformed by lower part of ink cartridge protruding part, and after that, when ink cartridge has been installed, the resilient unit returns to its original position and bears against upper surface of protruding part.

EFFECT: simplification of structure for electrode group position adjustment and size reduction.

211 cl, 59 dwg

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for dispensing ink, which is replaceably mounted on a carriage carrying a recording head for ejecting droplets of ink from the output ports for printing data, such as an image, and to an inkjet printing device.

An ink cartridge, which is replaceably mounted in a fluid-filled carriage with a writing head, must have a reliable fluid-tight connection to an element forming a fluid channel, such as an ink supply needle, which in turn communicates with the writing head . At the same time, the ink cartridge is required to be easily installed and removed to replace it. In the case where the ink cartridge has a memory device storing ink information, the ink cartridge is provided with an electrode to come into contact with the printing device and requires location in the cartridge holder in such a way as to ensure reliable contact with the contact block of the printing device.

For example, as described in International Patent Publication No. 01/54910, an ink supply port is formed on the wall forming the ink container. At the same time, a storage device and an electrode group (many electrodes) facing this wall surface are located on one of the plurality of opposite wall surfaces, and the first two protrusions are located along this electrode group. In addition, on the surface of the other wall there is a lever displaced in the direction of opening of the hinge mount. That is, this document describes an ink container having an electrical storage device located on the wall of the container that contains ink information in the container, wherein the container is installed in a receiving slot. The protrusions protrude outward from the wall of the container on which the electric storage device is located, the protrusions being located on either side of the storage device. A storage device flush with the wall is located between two protrusions. The protrusions on the sides of the container protrude outward beyond the width of the ink container.

In addition, the receptacle for the ink container of the printing device, interacting with the ink container, is provided with two second protrusions located on its upper surface and side parts for interacting with the first protrusions and a cutout for interacting with the lever.

Using this configuration, the container can be inclined loaded into the ink receptacle for the ink container so that the first protrusions first engage with the second protrusions and then push the other side into it. During this process, the ink supply port is adjacent to an element forming an ink supply passage. In addition, the lever engages with a notch. Accordingly, the ink container is locked in the ink receptacle in the position in which ink can be supplied.

In the position where the ink cartridge is fixed in the receptacle for the ink container, the ink container is always pressed upward by a spring located in the receptacle for the ink container. Thus, the first two protrusions of the ink container and the two second protrusions of the receptacle of the ink container come into contact with each other in two directions, that is, vertically and horizontally. Thus, the vertical and horizontal positions are maintained in accordance with a predetermined initial position so that the electrode group of the ink container is firmly in contact with the contact group of the receptacle for the ink container.

However, the use of two positioning protruding parts located on both sides of the electrode group of the ink container is required. The need to use these protruding parts creates a problem in that the ink container and the receptacle for the ink container have a complicated structure and increase in width.

In addition, there is a problem in that, since the lever is bent from the cartridge housing due to its own elastic force, a large elastic force cannot be applied, that is, in the case when the lever is deformed in the direction of the container side and it is compactly placed in a box or such a means, the outward holding force of the lever will decrease, and the cartridge will not be held as firmly as necessary.

In addition, since the ink container must rotate around the point when the ink container is installed in the ink receptacle, there is also a problem in that if the element forming the liquid passage and coming into contact with the ink supply port has a large length, a large bending force is applied to the element forming the liquid channel, which can break or damage the element forming the liquid channel and damage the sealing material, in port for supplying ink.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0085075 describes an ink container having a parallelepiped configuration in which an electrode group is located on a side surface. The ink container is fixed in a predetermined position of the holder by using the setting lever. According to the description of this publication, since the ink cartridge is held in a predetermined position of the holder by the pressing force of the positioning lever, the structure of the positioning lever must be designed to establish reliable contact of the electrode group, resulting in a complex structure.

US patent No. 6276780 discloses an inkjet cartridge and a carriage, and when installing the cartridge, the protrusion in the lower rear corner of the ink cartridge is inserted into the hole under the retaining plate in the carriage. The cartridge rotates around the protrusion until the upper corner of the cartridge, diagonally opposed to the protrusion, is completely displaced and slides under the latch. The ink cartridge does not have any kind of artificial intelligence in the form of an electronic storage device.

US patent No. 6460984 discloses an ink cartridge with a locking lever having a protrusion that interacts with the structure on the printer carriage for mounting the cartridge. In addition, when installed, the protrusion on the cartridge is inserted into the corresponding recess in the carriage. Here, too, the cartridge does not have any artificial intelligence in the form of an electronic memory device.

European Patent Application No. 0822084 describes several embodiments of an inkjet recording head, each of which has a retaining element that receives ink containers, as well as a base for a printing device, which itself includes printing elements driven via electrical contacts. Ink containers are mounted in the holding member by a combination of a movable arm that engages with an opening in the holding member and one or more protrusions that are inserted into respective holes in the holding member. The referenced document does not specifically describe how the assembled inkjet recording head is mounted on the carriage of the inkjet printing apparatus, nor does it mention a memory device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention was made taking into account such problems and with the intention of overcoming them, while the object of the invention is the creation of an ink cartridge, which allows to simplify the design for adjusting the position of the electrode group and reduce the size.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge that can be installed by moving the ink supply port parallel to the fluid channel forming member at least at the time of installation.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printing device suitable for receiving the above ink cartridge.

To solve these problems, the present invention provides an ink cartridge, which when used is installed in a printing device having a pressing element and a receiving part, and this ink cartridge has an ink container having an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall intersecting the lower wall, and a second side wall intersecting the lower wall and located against the first side wall; and an ink supply port located on the bottom wall at an offset location, closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall; a first protruding part located on the second side wall and located closer to the lower wall than to the upper wall, the first protruding part having many side parts to limit its position when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device; a pressing portion located on the second side wall, the pressing portion having an upper surface pressed by a pressing member of the printing apparatus; a holding element with the possibility of engagement with the receiving part of the printing device; and a plurality of electrodes located on the first protruding part and having an electrical connection with a storage device located on the ink container.

According to the above, the position of the second side wall where the electrodes are located is limited by the side parts of the protruding part in the lateral direction and the pressed part in the vertical direction. Thus, the electrodes can be precisely set to their predetermined positions.

According to the present invention, the pressable part can be formed as the upper surface of the protruding part, and the upper surface of the protruding part is pressed in the direction of the surface of the lower wall by an elastic element to limit the position formed on the printing device.

According to the above, the electrodes formed on the protruding part are pressed by the pressed part by an elastic element to limit the position in the direction of the surface of the lower wall. Thus, the positions of the electrodes in the loading direction can be reliably and firmly supported.

In addition, the pressing portion may be pressed in the direction of the surface of the bottom wall with a mounting lever to hold the cartridge of the printing apparatus.

According to the above, when the ink cartridge is correctly aligned, the mounting lever for holding the cartridge presses the electrodes formed on the protruding part in the direction of the surface of the lower wall to reliably and firmly hold the electrodes in the loading direction.

According to the present invention, the pressing portion may be formed as a second protruding portion located on the rear side of the first protruding portion in the direction of loading the cartridge into the printing apparatus.

According to the aforementioned, the pivoting movement of the positioning lever can be converted to linear motion as much as possible, and thus, the electrodes can be precisely set to predetermined positions without applying pivoting force.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a guide protruding portion extending in the loading direction of the container and located under the arm is used.

Thus, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the side of the ink supply port can be reliably guided to the liquid channel forming member. In addition, when the installation is completed, the front and back of the ink cartridge can be held in a predetermined position in the width direction.

In addition, a cut may be formed on the surface of another wall adjacent to the surface of the wall on which the protruding portion is formed.

According to the above, in the case where the ink cartridge is removed with rotation, the rotation when removing the cartridge can be guided along a predetermined path, and the external force applied to the element forming the fluid channel and caused by lateral displacement can be reduced to the minimum possible level.

In addition, in the case where the ink cartridge is ejected along a linear path, the ink cartridge is prevented from colliding with the edge of the cartridge holder to limit the position of the ink cartridge in the direction of the cartridge group location, even if a rotational displacement occurs.

In addition, a valve body is located in the ink supply port, which is normally held in the closed valve state by a biasing member, and an elastic sealing element that abuts the valve body and which resiliently contacts the outer circumference of the ink supply member formed in printing device.

Offset due to vibration can be prevented without the need for an offset means in the printing apparatus, and the cartridge can be resiliently fixed by the holding member using the biasing member located in the ink supply port. Ink leakage can be prevented by the valve body when the ink cartridge is not installed in the printing device, and by the sealing member when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device.

In addition, the retaining element may be formed as a lever having a part engaging with a part of the printing device. The lever has a protrusion that biases the upper part of the lever outward when the cartridge is installed in the printing device. Preferably, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the side surfaces of the lever, respectively.

According to the aforementioned, the elasticity of the retaining element can be increased to provide, thus, a more accurate engagement. In addition, the “click” called up during installation can be made more noticeable. In addition, even when the retaining element is deformed with a loss of a predetermined configuration, the protrusion (s) can return the retaining element to the proper position for the correct engagement of part of the retaining element with part of the printing device.

The present invention also provides that the protruding portion may have a smaller width than the ink container.

Thus, the ink cartridge can be in close contact with the carriage, and although the carriage can be made compact, the ink cartridge is still firmly in place. In addition, the distance between adjacent ink cartridges can be reduced to the lowest possible level.

The present invention also provides that the region serving as the upper surface of the pressing portion when the cartridge is installed in the printing apparatus is formed as a flat surface.

According to the foregoing, reliable contact between the pressing portion and the pressing element of the printing apparatus can be achieved, and the amount of pressing force in the direction of the surface of the lower wall can be precisely controlled.

The present invention also provides that the electrodes are arranged in at least two rows and the rows are perpendicular to the axis of the ink supply port.

According to the above, since the electrodes are located on the protruding part in a width direction in which the position of the protruding part is limited, the electrodes can be reliably positioned relative to the contacts on the side of the printing device.

In addition, the holding member may be formed as a lever having a part engaged with a part of the printing device, and the lever may be configured to apply elastic force to pull the ink container to the side where its protruding part is.

Thus, the electrode group on the protruding part can be pressed in the direction of the printing device and can reliably come into contact with it.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an elastic sealing member is disposed in the ink supply port. The elastic sealing member comes into contact with the ink supply member of the printing apparatus when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing apparatus.

In this way, the force exerted on the ink cartridge is weakened by an elastic sealing member preventing local force exerted on the ink supply member of the printing apparatus, whereby damage to the ink supply member can be eliminated.

In addition, the second side wall may have at least one of the cutouts or protrusion for gripping the ink cartridge.

According to the above, even if several ink cartridges, each of which is small in width, are located close to each other, the necessary ink cartridge can be removed and replaced using a holding member and a gripping cutout or protrusion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the second side wall is elongated in the loading direction of the cartridge.

According to the above, since the protruding part and the pressing part can be located on a side wall surface elongated in the cartridge loading direction, the side wall surface can be used efficiently. In addition, since the surface on which the protruding part is located is elongated in the vertical direction, the carriage width (carriage width in the direction of carriage movement) for mounting a plurality of cartridges next to each other may be small.

According to another aspect of the invention, the electrodes and the storage device are located on a circuit board mounted on the surface of the protruding part. The surface of the protruding portion is parallel to the loading direction of the cartridge, and electrodes are formed on the open side of the surface of the circuit board.

According to the above, the electrodes can be appropriately located on the protruding part without tilting. In addition, the electrodes can be formed using the technology of manufacturing printed circuit boards with the efficient use of flatness of the circuit board. Thus, the reliability of the contact can be improved. In addition, a notch may be formed in the protruding portion to accommodate a memory device therein on the rear surface of the circuit board. The entire open side of the surface can be used as an area in which electrodes can be located.

Preferably, each of the electrodes is vertically elongated.

According to the above, the electrodes can be arranged concentrically in the area located near the protruding part, for positioning the ink cartridge in the lateral direction and providing high positioning accuracy, so that the contact can be established with high reliability.

Another aspect of the present invention provides that the electrodes and the storage device are formed on the circuit board and the electrodes are located on the circuit board at a location offset closer to the surface of the bottom wall.

According to the above, the electrodes can be located in the region of the ink cartridge, where the displacement is minimized by entering into engagement of the ink supply port and the ink supply needle.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the second protruding portion is located within a region bounded and located between the outermost electrodes in a direction perpendicular to the loading direction of the cartridge and parallel to the second side wall.

According to the above, when the second protruding part is pressed by the element of the printing device, the electrodes are not exposed to the rotational force and are accurately positioned.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the height of the second protruding part relative to the second side wall is less than the height of the first protruding part relative to the second side wall.

According to the above, the cartridge holder portion located close to the second protruding portion may be located close to the ink cartridge, which thus prevents the need to increase the size of the cartridge holder. In addition, the rigidity of the second protruding part can be easily increased to such an extent that the second protruding part can bear the load of pressing the adjusting lever.

Another aspect of the present invention provides for the use of an identification element to prevent erroneous installation, which is located between the first protruding part and the second protruding part.

According to the aforementioned cartridge holding lever, the positioning lever for pressing the second protruding part may have a simple structure, since otherwise the positioning lever would be more complex in order to avoid collision with the identification element. In addition, the identification element can be used as a guide, and in this case, the identification element also contributes to the efficient positioning of the electrodes formed on the first protruding part.

In addition, the identification element may have a block structure that is attached to the ink container by a fixing element.

According to the above, the electrodes can be formed on a block that is small and easier to handle than an ink container. In addition, since the container can be used in the same way, regardless of the type of liquid contained in the container, the effect on the container of changing the type of content can be reduced compared with the case when the containers are made depending on the type of liquid.

In addition, the identification element and the first protruding part can be designed as a single unit, which is attached to the container by a fixing element.

According to the above, the identification element and the protruding part can be attached to the ink cartridge at the same time, during one assembly operation. In addition, the production process can be conducted with confirmation of the correspondence between the identification element and the storage device mounted on the circuit board on the protruding part.

Another aspect of the present invention provides for the use of a positioning system that is located on the back of the unit and on the second side wall of the ink container.

According to the above, the unit can be assembled together with an ink container with high accuracy even by automated assembly equipment.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the pressed portion of the second protruding portion has a surface that extends perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes are formed.

According to the above, the electrodes can be pressed parallel to the surface on which the electrodes are formed, and the electrodes can be positioned accurately.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the side surfaces of the protruding portion are parallel to the loading direction of the cartridge.

According to another aspect of the present invention, one or both side parts of the first protruding part may be provided with at least either a protrusion, or a rib, or a groove. The protrusion (s), rib (s) and / or groove (s) may mesh with the corresponding structure in the printing apparatus to facilitate the stronger holding of the ink cartridge.

According to the above, the position of the protruding portion can be reliably limited, and thus, the electrodes can be accurately positioned.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the lever-interacting portion is integral with the protruding portion on which the electrodes are formed.

According to the above, the part interacting with the lever and the protruding part can be formed as a single element, which simplifies the design. In addition, the pivoting movement of the set lever can be completely converted to linear motion, and thus, the electrodes can be positioned relative to a predetermined part without applying a rotational force thereto.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the distal end of the identification element extends outwardly beyond the surface on which the electrodes are formed.

According to the above, the surface on which the electrodes are formed can be protected by an identification element. In the case where the electrodes are formed on a circuit board and the circuit board further has a semiconductor memory element, these components can also be protected by an identification element.

Preferably, a plurality of identification elements are used.

According to the above by selecting the quantity, location, etc. identification elements depending on the types of cartridges, many types of cartridges can be identified using limited space.

The present invention also relates to an inkjet printing apparatus into which an ink cartridge is installed, including: an ink supply port formed in a position offset from one side of a lower wall forming part of an ink container; the protruding part formed on the lower part of one wall outside two opposite walls adjacent to the lower wall, and the protruding part has an upper surface and side parts that occupy precise and predetermined positions when the cartridge is installed in the printing device, with one wall located farther from the ink supply port than the other wall, outside the two walls; an elastically deformable lever formed on another wall, the lever protruding upward from the other wall to separate it from the other wall and has an engaging portion at an intermediate location that engages with a corresponding portion of the printing device; and a plurality of electrodes formed on the protruding portion that are electrically connected to a storage device located on the ink container. An inkjet printing apparatus has: an ink channel forming member communicating with a recording head and formed at a location opposite the ink supply port in the state that the ink cartridge is installed; the protruding part, adjusting the position in the direction of the width adjacent to the side parts of the protruding part; and an elastic element for adjusting the position, abutting against the upper surface of the protruding part.

According to the above, the position of both sides of the protruding part is regulated by the protruding part, which regulates the position in the width direction, and the position of its upper surface is regulated by the elastic element. Thus, the electrode group can be held in a predetermined position.

According to the present invention, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the elastic element for adjusting the position can be pressed against the lower part of the protruding part of the ink cartridge and elastically deformed, whereas after that, when the installation of the ink cartridge is completed, the elastic element returns to its original position and abuts against the upper surface protruding part.

According to the above, the ink cartridge can also be installed by pressing the ink cartridge inward, in a direction parallel to the ink channel forming member of the printing apparatus. Thus, an undesirably high level of force will not be applied to the ink channel forming member or the ink supply port. Thus, the resilient element moves away in accordance with the movement of the cartridge without complicating the operation of installing the cartridge. In addition, at the time of completion of installation, the cartridge is held in a position in which contact with the electrode group can be reliably maintained.

According to the present invention, a protruding portion is formed at a location of the protruding portion for adjusting in a width direction corresponding to a rotationally assisted notch formed in the ink cartridge.

According to the above, when the cartridge is removed, the rotation can be directed along a predetermined path by the protruding part, and the external force exerted on the ink channel forming member can be kept as low as possible. The printing apparatus of the present invention can be configured to conform to the equation: L ≥ H / tanθ + ΔL, where L is the distance from the upper surface of the protruding part to the center of the ink supply port, the upper surface of the protruding part being the center rotation, when the ink cartridge is removed from the printing device, θ is the angle of rotation required when removing the ink cartridge from the printing device, H is the depth of entry of the channel forming element for ink, and ΔL is the allowable range for the installation bias of the elastic sealing material.

According to the above, the ink cartridge can be removed by rotating the ink cartridge without applying excessive force to the ink channel forming member.

The present invention also provides a printing device in which an ink cartridge is installed, including: an ink container having surfaces of the first, second and third walls, the surfaces of the second and third walls adjacent to the surface of the first wall and located against each other; an ink supply port located on the surface of the first wall; a holding member located on the surface of the second wall, the holding member having a meshing portion elastically meshing with a portion of the printing apparatus; a lever-pressed portion located on the surface of the third wall, said portion being pressed by a positioning lever to hold the cartridge of the printing apparatus; a protruding portion that is closer to the ink supply port than the lever-pressed portion, the protruding portion having sides which are limited by the printing apparatus; and a plurality of electrodes located on the protruding part and having an electrical connection with a storage device located on the ink container. The inkjet printing device has an element forming an ink channel communicating with the recording head and located opposite the ink supply port of the ink cartridge, which is installed in the printing device; and the set lever has a rotational support point on the side of the part pressed by the lever, while when the engaged part of the holding element is properly engaged with the part of the printing device, the set lever is rotated around the rotational point of support and presses the part pressed by the lever into the predetermined position of the pressed lever parts and is held in the set position of the installation lever.

According to such a device, a surface located against a surface fixed by the holding member can be held firmly by the set lever. In addition, since the lever-pressed part is pressed by the side of the setting lever on which the rotational support point is located, the position of the part pressed by the lever in the mounting direction can be supported with little effort when the setting lever is held in place. In addition, when the ink cartridge is not installed correctly, movement of the setting lever to a predetermined position of the setting lever is prevented.

Thus, erroneous installation of the ink cartridge can be guaranteed to be prevented.

The present description relates to the subject of invention of Japanese patent applications No. 2002-341826 (filed November 26, 2002), 2003-76890 (filed March 20, 2003), 2003-76891 (filed March 20, 2003), 2003-128049 (filed May 6, 2003) and 2003-204804 (filed July 31, 2003), each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Brief Description of the Drawings

1A and 1B are perspective views, each of which shows different parts of a first embodiment of an ink cartridge according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a port for supplying ink of an ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing, respectively, the structure of the front and back sides of a circuit board that has electrodes and can be mounted on a protruding portion of the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and FIG. 3C is a schematic view showing contact locations which are brought into contact with the electrodes;

4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a carriage of a printing apparatus adapted to receive an ink cartridge shown in the preceding figures;

5 is a side elevational view showing a state in which an ink cartridge is installed in a carriage;

FIG. 6A is a plan view showing a state in which the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is mounted in a carriage, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view showing a protruding portion forming a surface for fixing a circuit board;

Fig. 7A is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the integrated part for the contact forming member and the elastic element block, and Fig. 7B is an enlarged perspective view showing the upper end portion of the rib shown in Fig. 7A;

8A and 8B are perspective views showing embodiments of a contact forming member and a block of elastic members, respectively;

Fig.9 is a vertical side view showing a state in which the ink cartridge is aligned with the carriage in a predetermined position;

10 is a side elevational view showing a state in which an ink cartridge is inserted so that its protruding portion deforms the elastic member;

11 is a vertical side view showing an ink cartridge removal procedure;

12 is a schematic view showing a rotation path when removing an ink cartridge;

13 is a perspective view showing a modification of an ink cartridge in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

14A-14H are perspective views showing an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing an internal apparatus of an embodiment of a carriage of a printing apparatus that is adapted to receive a cartridge in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a plan top view showing an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the invention mounted in a carriage, the mounting lever being removed;

FIG. 17 is a side elevational view showing an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the invention, mounted in a carriage and locked in place by a set lever;

Fig. 18 is a side elevational view showing an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the invention placed in a carriage, wherein the ink supply port is adjacent to the ink supply needle;

Fig. 19 is a side elevational view showing an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the invention installed in a position in which the ink cartridge is held by the lever and the ink cartridge is free from the influence of the setting lever;

FIG. 20 is a side elevational view showing a state in which an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the invention interacts with an ink supply needle and the lever is disengaged from the carriage;

21A and 21B are perspective views showing modifications of a second embodiment of the invention;

22A and 22B are perspective views showing a color ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

figa, 23B and 23C depict vertical side views and a bottom view in plan of a color ink cartridge, corresponding to the third variant embodiment of the invention;

24A and 24B are perspective views showing a black ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

figa, 25B and 25C depict vertical side views and a bottom view in plan of a black ink cartridge corresponding to a third embodiment of the invention;

figa, 26B, 26C and 26D depict a top view in plan, vertical views of the front, side and rear, respectively, of an embodiment of the unit mounted on the color ink cartridge shown in Fig.22 and 23;

figa, 27B, 27C and 27D depict a top view in plan, vertical views of the front, side and rear, respectively, of another embodiment of a unit that is installed on another color ink cartridge;

figa, 28B, 28C and 28D depict a top view in plan, vertical views of the front, side and rear, respectively, showing an embodiment of a unit mounted on a black ink cartridge corresponding to the third embodiment of the invention; and

29A and 29B are perspective views showing an embodiment of a fixing system formed in a color ink cartridge and in a black ink cartridge for fixing a block thereon.

Description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Details of the invention are described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

On figa and 1B shows an embodiment of an ink cartridge corresponding to the present invention. In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 includes a flat container including a container body 2a and a cover body 2b (which may also be called first and second sides) and an ink supply port 4, which is located on the wall surface (lower wall) 3 of the body 2a a container and which interacts with an ink supply needle, which is part of the ink channel forming element of the writing head, for supplying ink to the writing head. In addition, the ink supply port 4 is positioned offset from the central plane of the cartridge to one side in the longitudinal direction (i.e., to the side of the wall surface (“side wall”) provided with a lever 9 serving as a holding member). The ink cartridge 1 also has a top surface (top wall). The ink supply port 4 is configured to form an ink channel passing through the bottom wall 3, and to interact with the ink supply needle to provide fluid communication through the ink channel between the ink supply needle and the ink chamber of the ink cartridge 1. In this embodiment of the invention, a portion of the ink supply port 4 extends outward from the wall surface 3 of the container body 2a, as shown, but the ink supply port of the present invention is not limited to this construction tsiey.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 1 includes a valve body 6, in a normal position, held closed by a spring 5, which exerts a biasing force on the valve body. The valve body 6 and the spring 5 are located on the front end side of the ink supply port 4. On the outside, that is, on the front end side of the valve body 6, an annular resilient sealing element 6a is mounted for tight contact with the ink channel forming member (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a lever 9 is formed on the surface of the wall 7, serving as an elastically deformable retaining element located on a side that is closer to the ink supply port 4 located outside two opposite surfaces of the walls 7, 8 that extend substantially at right angles to the surface of the wall 3 having an ink supply port 4. The surface of the wall 7 can be considered as the front wall, and the surface of the wall 8 can be considered as the back wall (those skilled in the art will understand that these terms can be reversed). The lever 9 projects upward so that its lower end is located on the surface of the wall 7, and its upper part is removed from the surface of the wall 7. On the lower part of the surface of the wall 7, a guide protruding part 10 is formed.

In addition, on the lower end of another surface 8, a protruding part 12 is formed having a surface 12a, for example a flat surface that can hold an elastic element or a pressing element of a printing device (described in detail below), while the width of the protruding part is less than the width of the ink container including a container body 2a and a cover body 2b. As shown in FIG. 5, the surface 12a of the protruding portion 12 acts as the upper surface of the pressed portion, in this embodiment of the invention, pressed by the elastic member or the pressing member 40 of the printing apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a portion with a recess 2c having dimensions adapted to receive a user's thumb is formed in the upper part of the surface of the wall 8. On the surface 13 of the protruding portion 12 parallel to the surface of the wall 8, a plurality of electrodes 14 are formed to enter into electrical contact with the elastic contacts 41 of the printing device (shown in FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the electrodes 14 are formed in two staggered rows (three electrodes in the upper row and four electrodes in the lower row) so that the plurality of electrodes 14 are arranged horizontally in each row. It is understood that the present invention provides for the use of any other suitable electrode arrangement.

The electrode located in the center of the upper row is in a plane that intersects the central axis of the ink supply port 4 and is also perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes 14 are formed. Other electrodes are located relative to this electrode located in the center. Due to this arrangement of electrodes in this embodiment of the invention, the displacement of the position of the electrodes can be reduced even when the ink cartridge is shifted in the region of the ink supply port when the ink cartridge is installed.

As shown in FIG. 3A, these electrodes 14 are formed on the front surface of the circuit board 15 and are mounted by fixing the circuit board 15 on the surface 13 of the protruding portion 12. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, a storage device is mounted on the back surface of the circuit board 15 18, such as a semiconductor memory element with writing and reading, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) storing information about ink contained in an ink container, having an electrical connection with at least part of the electrodes 14.

Since the storage device 18 is mounted on the back surface of the circuit board 15 in this way, a notch 13a can be preformed on the surface 13 of the protruding portion 12 (see FIG. 1B) using the thickness of the protruding part 12 to accommodate the storage device 18. This arrangement also makes it possible to fully use the entire surface side of the circuit board 15 as the area on which the electrodes can be located 14. In addition, the electrodes 14 can be formed using the technology of otovleniya printed circuits with the efficient use of a flat form of the circuit board 15, so as to provide increased reliability of contact.

As shown in FIG. 1A, to facilitate removal of the ink cartridge from the carriage, as described below, the rotation assisting cutout 17 is used. The cutout 17 cooperates with the carriage mounting member and is formed on the side of the part where the protruding part 12 is formed. This rotation assisting cutout 17 has an inclined surface 17a, the lower part of which is located on the side of the surface of the wall 8, and the upper part of which is inclined inward, in the direction of the opposite surface of the wall 7 of the ink cartridge 1.

On the surface of the wall 7 of the container body 2a, a lever 9 is located with a support point 9a or a pivot point in the lower part of the lever 9, in which it can elastically deform. The tooth or protrusion 19 serving as the engaging portion that engages and disengages with the properly configured retaining portion 38 of the carriage protrudes outward above the fulcrum 9a. Another protrusion 20 is formed between the fulcrum 9a and the prong 19 so that it protrudes laterally outward from the lever housing, and preferably one such protrusion is formed on each side of the lever housing.

Figures 4 and 5 show the construction of a carriage of an embodiment of a printing apparatus suitable for mounting the above ink cartridge. The carriage 30 is configured as a cartridge holder and has a substantially box-shaped shape that allows multiple ink cartridges to be placed on top of it. The side surface near the bottom of the carriage 30 is provided with a cutout 31 that engages with a guide element formed by treating the surface of the frame of the printing device or the like, and which regulates the movement path of the carriage 30, and a guide surface 32 that slides along the flat surface of the second guide item (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 6, the part of the carriage 30 containing the ink cartridge is divided by ribs 33 (visible in FIG. 4) and ribs 34 for separating one cartridge from the other, each of the ribs serving as a width-adjusting member and a rotational support member many ink cartridges. In this embodiment, the carriage receives three color ink cartridges formed in the same configuration and one black ink cartridge, which is wider than other ink cartridges, but which in all other respects has the same shape. In particular, while the lower parts of the ribs 34 have a constant width, an inclined surface 34a is formed on the side of the upper part of each rib 34 to interact with the rotationally assisted notch 17 of the cartridge 1 (which can also be seen in FIG. 7B). Since the rib 34 has such a structure, the side surface of the lower part of the rib 34 is adjacent to the side surface of the mounting protruding portion 12 of the cartridge for adjusting the position of the cartridge in the width direction. Furthermore, when it is necessary to remove the ink cartridge, the point around which the cartridge rotates can be adjusted by the configuration and position of the inclined surface 34a and the rotation of the cutout 17.

As shown in FIG. 4, in each region for holding the ink cartridge there is an element 36 forming a channel for ink (in this embodiment, a hollow needle having a tapered front end and a continuous cylindrical portion extending from it) to interact with the port for ink supply to the writing head 35 located on the lower surface of the carriage. A plurality of thin through holes are formed on the conical surface of the conical part of the hollow needle 36, each of which can form a meniscus, and ink can be supplied along the cylindrical part of the hollow needle through these through holes to the writing head.

As shown in FIG. 5, the carriage 30 has a wall surface opposed to the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1, in which a groove 37 is formed to interact with the protrusion 20, as well as the engaging portion 38 (in this embodiment, the notch) for entry in engagement with the tooth 19. The groove 37, which can be considered as a retaining element, is provided with an inclined surface 37a, the upper part of which deviates towards the cartridge. When loading the cartridge into the carriage 30, the inclined surface 37a interacts with the ink cartridge as follows. At the initial stage of loading the ink cartridge, the protrusion 20 on each side is guaranteed to come into contact with the inclined surface 37a due to the wide entrance created by the inclined surface, regardless of how the lever 9 is tilted. In addition, when the ink cartridge is installed, the inclined surface 37a causes a forced rotation the lever 9 in the direction of the wall of the carriage, that is, out. In particular, when the protrusion 20 is formed on each side, the lever can be reliably guided to the preferred position, even when the lever is curved.

In addition, a second groove 39 is formed under the groove 37. This second groove 39, which can be regarded as a retaining element, interacts with the guide protruding portion 10 of the ink cartridge immediately before the loading is completed and prevents the ink cartridge from shifting in width when the installation is completed. In addition, in this embodiment, the guide protruding portion 10 and the groove 37 are made on the ink cartridge and in the part containing the ink cartridge, respectively, to maximize the volume of the ink cartridge. It will be understood that the same advantages of directing the ink cartridge can be obtained if the groove 37 is formed in the ink cartridge and the protruding part 10 in the part containing the ink cartridge, but the ink cartridge capacity can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 5, in each region for holding the cartridge on the opposite surface of the carriage 30, a mounting resilient member 40 is formed, which can also be considered as a pressing member, whose upper end 40a serves as a pivot point and the lower end abuts against the flat surface 12a of the protruding part 12 ink cartridges. Below the elastic member 40 is an elastic contact 41 (which may include a plurality of electrical contacts) to enter into electrical contact with electrodes 14 formed on the protruding portion 12.

It should be understood that it is preferable that the ink cartridge is inserted into the carriage 30 with only a slight rotation, as shown in FIGS. 5, 9 and 10, since this will limit the forces exerted on any part of the ink cartridge and the printing device.

FIG. 7A shows an embodiment in a region of a carriage 30 provided with an elastic member 40 and elastic contacts 41. As shown in an enlarged scale in FIG. 34, and each rib has a groove 34b on both sides thereof. The contact forming member 42 has an elastically deformable tooth (protrusion) 41a on each side thereof, as shown in FIG. 8A. The contact forming member 42 includes a base 41b on which the elastic contacts 41 are mounted, the contact forming member being inserted into the bottom of each groove 34c. In the upper part of the grooves or cutouts 34c, respectively, a plurality of elastic elements 40 are shown as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a resilient unit 50 with four resilient members 40 formed on it is installed there. In the resilient unit 50, a protruding portion 51 is formed on each side of each resilient member 40 to interact with the groove 34b, and the tooth (protrusion) 52 limits the vertical the movement of the elastic elements 40. Since these elastic elements 40 are arranged so that they respectively cover the contact forming elements 42, each elastic element 40 also performs the function of protecting the element 4 2, forming a contact. In addition, reference numeral 53 denotes a guide protruding portion.

In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 is aligned in place in a predetermined region of the carriage 30, as shown in FIG. 9, the protruding portion 12 abuts the elastic member 40. When the ink cartridge 1 is pushed down in the same orientation as shown in FIG. 10, the elastic member 40 is pushed out by the protruding portion 12 and deformed in the direction shown by arrow B. Thus, the ink cartridge 1 passes through the elastic member 40 and continues to move downward.

During this process, the protrusion 20 on each side of the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1 comes into contact with an inclined surface 37a forming an expanding portion. In addition, the guide protruding portion 10 enters the groove 39. As the cartridge 1 moves further, both sides of the mounting protruding portion 12 are guided by the ribs 34, and the ink supply needle 36 enters the ink supply port 4, raising the valve body 6 to overcome the spring force 5.

Preferably, the width of the protrusion (s) 20, measured in total with the width of the lever 9, does not exceed the distance in the width direction between the surfaces of the container body 2a and the lid body 2b. Thus, since such an installation structure is not wider than the ink cartridge itself, adjacent ink cartridges can be located close to each other, since the protrusions of adjacent ink cartridges will not interfere with each other.

The ink cartridge 1 is thus set to a predetermined position. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever 9 is turned around the area that serves as a pivot point to a predetermined outwardly bent position under the influence of the carriage inclined surface 37a, and the tooth 19 enters the holding part 38 under the action of a large elastic force, thus producing a tangible “click” that can be audible and / or sensed by the user. Thus, the user can easily determine that the cartridge is firmly installed in the carriage.

As shown in figa and 1B, the lever 9 is an elongated element attached to the surface of the wall 7 by a "living hinge". Those skilled in the art will understand that this design is shown by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting, and that other attachment schemes may also be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In addition, at the same time, the elastic member 40 is no longer exposed to the force exerted by the protruding part 12, and thus returns to its original position due to its own elasticity. Thus, the lower end 40b of the elastic member 40 abuts against a flat surface 12a in the upper part of the protruding portion 12. At this point, the ink cartridge 1 is loaded in the direction of the elastic contacts 41. Accordingly, the electrodes 14 can enter into electrical connection with the elastic contacts 41 without significant friction between the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 41. This not only eliminates wear and damage to the electrodes 14 and the electrical contacts 12, but also prevents damage to the data stored in the EEPROM (electrically erasable program by a permanent read-only memory device), which could otherwise occur as a result of improper contact.

In this state, the vertical position of the front side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the protruding part 12 and the lower end of the elastic member 40, and the position of the rear side of the ink cartridge 1 is adjusted by the prong 19 and the holding part 38. In addition, in the horizontal direction (width direction) position the front side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by both sides of the protruding part 12 and regulating the width of the protruding part 34, and the position of the rear side of the ink cartridge the cartridge 1 is adjusted by the guide groove 39 and the guide protruding portion 10. Since the position of the ink cartridge can be precisely controlled, the electrodes 14 are correctly positioned to make electrical contact with each elastic contact 41.

By virtue of such a device, the installed ink cartridge is held diagonally for the lower part of the front side and the upper part of the rear side. Thus, the installed ink cartridge can be held firmly in position without compromising functionality.

In addition, since the large elastic force acting from the side of the lever 9 presses the ink cartridge in the direction of the elastic contacts 41, the electrodes 14 are firmly pressed against the elastic contacts to maintain electrical contact with them. In addition, since the elastic element 6a of the ink supply port 4 has an opening whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the ink supply needle 36, due to its elasticity, the elastic element 6a of the ink supply port 4 is elastically deformed to a certain extent, maintaining an airtight contact with the inserted into it with an ink supply needle 36, weakening the local voltage at the point of contact with the ink supply needle 36, and thereby preventing damage that would otherwise be caused by local sludge attached to the ink supply needle 36. In addition, it is preferable to use an elastic element 6a having automatic alignment ability, in which a part of the elastic element 6a that is in elastic contact with the ink supply needle 36 can move relative to the part of the elastic element 6a that is fixed relative to the cartridge.

In addition, the protruding portion 12 has a width not exceeding the width of the container body 2a. Thus, even when each gap between adjacent ink cartridges in the direction of placement of the cartridge group is reduced to the minimum possible, that is, even when the plurality of ink cartridges are set substantially in contact with each other, the position of the ink cartridges in the direction of placement of the cartridge group can be precisely adjusted. In other words, since the protruding portion 12 has a smaller width than the ink cartridge itself, adjacent ink cartridges may be located close to each other since these mounting protruding parts will not interfere with each other.

In this regard, the term “cartridge group placement direction” refers to a line along which successive ink cartridges are installed in a carriage. As shown in FIG. 6, this line is parallel to the scanning direction, along which the carriage makes a reciprocating motion when printing.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is to be removed from the carriage 30, the ink cartridge 1 is held, for example, by the index finger of the operator by the lever 9 and the thumb by the catching part 2c with a notch, and the lever is pressed and deformed so that it moves in the direction of the front side, i.e. towards the main body of the container (it should be understood that other fingers could also be used). When the lever 9 is elastically deformed, the tooth 19 disengages from the holding part 38. An ink cartridge that has lost the fulcrum originally created by the holding part 38 moves a small distance upward due to the biasing force exerted by the spring 5 in the ink supply port, and the tooth 19 on the lever 9 is shifted to a position outside the region of the holding portion 38.

The ink supply port 4 is located at a point biased towards the surface of the wall 7 where the lever 9 is located. Thus, during the removal of the cartridge, the ink supply port 4 can be disconnected from the ink channel forming member, i.e., the needle 36 for ink supply by rotating the cartridge with a large radius L in the direction shown by the arrow G around the point F of the stop of the ink cartridge at the lower end of the elastic element 40, as schematically shown in Fig.12. This device can reduce the adverse effects of any bending force (torque) applied to the ink supply needle 36 in combination with the shock absorbing function of the resilient sealing element 6a, which resiliently contacts the cylindrical part of the ink supply needle 36.

When the ink cartridge is rotated during cartridge ejection, the rib 34, in particular its inclined surface portion 34a, could serve as an obstacle to the side surface of the ink cartridge container main body 2a, but the presence of a cutout 17 in this part can prevent collision with the rib 34 to provide easy and smoothly removing the ink cartridge.

The offset between the center of the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be expressed as ΔL = L- (H / tanθ), where L is the distance between the support point F at which the cartridge comes into contact with the elastic member 40 to limit the position of the center of rotation, and the lower end of the central axis C of the ink supply port 4, H is the maximum depth of entry of the ink supply needle 36 and θ is the rotation angle required to remove the ink cartridge.

The rotation angle θ is the rotation angle of the ink cartridge required to translate the ink cartridge from the state in which the ink supply needle 36 interacts with the ink supply port 4 to a state in which the center point of the front end of the ink supply needle 36 is located outside the end surface port 4 for ink supply.

The maximum value of H is approximately defined as the distance from the lower end of the ink supply port 4 to the intersection point E at which the center axis C of the ink supply port 4 intersects with a line drawn from the support point F (shown by the letter F in FIG. 12) and parallel lower surface of the ink cartridge (perpendicular to the central axis C).

If the ink cartridge is adapted to penetrate the needle (36) into it to supply ink to a depth H of about 5 mm, the turning radius L is about 28.8 mm, and the turning angle θ is about 10 degrees, and the amount of shift ΔL between the center of the needle 36 for ink supply and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be calculated as a component of about 0.4 mm.

In other words, the amount of deformation with which the elastic member 6a installed in the ink supply port 4 can be deformed by a force that does not cause damage to the ink supply needle 36 is defined as ΔL, and the turning radius L can be set as L ≥ H / tanθ + ΔL.

In addition, since a rotational force is applied to the distal end of the lever 9, which is the farthest from the protruding portion 12 diagonally, the ink cartridge can be easily removed.

Furthermore, by turning in this way, the electrodes 14 can be brought into electrical contact with the elastic contacts 41 without significant friction between the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 41. This eliminates not only the wear and damage of the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 12, but also the damage of the data stored in the EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), which, otherwise, may be caused by improper contact.

In addition, instead of the cutout portion 2c, a protruding portion that can fit the user's thumb can be used to obtain the same effect.

On the other hand, the opposite side of the ink cartridge 1 is such that the movement of the protruding portion 12 is limited by the lower end 40b of the elastic member 40. Thus, when the side on which the lever 9 is located is raised as shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge rotates in the direction shown by arrow C in Fig. 11, around a pivot point on the upper surface of the protruding part 12, which serves as the pivot point of support, and at the same time it is guided by the rib 34 serving as the protruding part for adjusting in the direction of the width. At this point, the rib 34, which serves as a baffle in the area of the cartridge, is included in the rotation-assisting cut-out 17 formed in the side surface of the ink cartridge 1, so that the ink cartridge 1 is rotated by a predetermined angle, that is, in a position in which the flat surface 12a the protruding portion 12 is disengaged from the lower end 40b of the elastic member 40. Thus, at this stage, the ink cartridge 1 is disconnected from the carriage 30 and can be tilted to be removed from the carriage 30.

13 shows another embodiment of an ink cartridge of the present invention. Although the housing 2a of the container of the ink cartridge 1 'differs in width D and thus in capacity from the above ink cartridge 1, other structures, such as the housing 2b of the cover of the ink cartridge 1', have the same configuration as the corresponding structures described above the ink cartridge 1. Given this difference in the width of the ink cartridge, the protruding portion 12 is formed in a position offset in the width direction to one side of the container body 2a ′. The center of the electrode group 14 in the width direction is suitably positioned so that it is on a line C ′ parallel to the central axis C of the ink supply port 4 ', as in the ink cartridge 1 described above (line C' corresponds to the line obtained by projecting the central axis C perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes are formed 14).

It is understood that in the above embodiment, the installation operation is also effective since linear motion of the cartridge is applied. When the protruding part 12 is first installed and then the ink cartridge is mounted by turning the lever 9, when the protruding part 12 serves as a fulcrum, the lower end 40b of the elastic member 40 abuts against the flat surface 12a of the protruding part 12. In this case, when this supporting region serves as the center of rotation , the position of the front side in the width direction is regulated by the protruding portion 34 regulating in the width direction, and the position of the rear side is regulated by the guide groove 39. Due to the fine adjustment When the ink cartridge is in position, the electrodes 14 make proper electrical contact with the elastic contacts 41 without significant friction.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the ink supply port 4 is located on the lever side, in a position remote from the protruding portion 12, which serves as a pivot point. Thanks to such a device, when the cartridge is inserted and removed, the ink supply port 4 moves, as far as possible, parallel to the axis of the ink supply needle 36, thereby preventing the generation of undesirable forces that could lead to undesirable deformation of the elastic sealing element 6a located in the port 4 for ink supply.

The construction of an ink cartridge in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention and a carriage adapted for use with an ink cartridge in accordance with a second embodiment are described below.

14A and 14B show a second embodiment of an ink cartridge according to the present invention. The ink cartridge 101 has a structure substantially similar to that of the first embodiment of the invention. That is, the ink cartridge 101 includes a flat container having a container body 102a and a cover body 102b (which may also be called first and second sides), and an ink supply port 104 located on a wall surface (lower wall) 103 of the container body 102a and interacting with an ink supply needle forming an element forming an ink channel for a writing head for supplying ink to a writing head.

In more detail, the ink cartridge 101 is dimensioned such that its width W1 in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the group of the plurality of cartridges is largest, the height H1 of the cartridge is slightly less than the width W1, and the thickness (depth) D1 in the direction parallel to the direction of the arrangement of the group of cartridges is about 1/5 of the height of H1. It seems that such dimensions of the ink cartridge 101 make the entire length in the direction of the location of the group of cartridges as small as possible when a plurality of cartridges are arranged in a group. In addition, the ink supply port 104 is located at a location offset from the central plane of the cartridge to one side in the longitudinal direction (i.e., to the side of the wall surface (side wall) provided with a lever 109 serving as a holding member). The ink cartridge 1 also has a top surface (top wall). The ink supply port 104 is configured to form an ink channel extending through the bottom wall 103 and cooperating with the ink supply needle to create a fluid message through the ink channel between the ink supply needle and the ink chamber of the ink cartridge 101. In this embodiment of the invention, a portion of the ink supply port 104 extends outward from the surface of the wall 103 of the container body 102a, as shown, however, the ink supply port of the present invention is not limited to this design her.

As described with reference to FIG. 2 with respect to the first embodiment of the invention, the ink cartridge 101 includes a valve body 6, which is held in a normal position when closed by a spring 5, which exerts a biasing force on the valve body. The valve body 6 and the spring 5 are located on the front end side of the ink supply port 104. On the outside, that is, on the front end side of the valve body 6, an annular resilient sealing element 6a is mounted to engage in tight contact with the ink channel forming member (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, a lever 109 is formed on the surface of the wall 107, serving as an elastically deformable retaining element located on a side that is closer to the ink supply port 104, from two opposite surfaces of the walls 107, 108 that extend substantially beneath right angle to the surface of the wall 103 having a port 104 for supplying ink. The lever 109 is located on the surface of the wall 107 of the container body 2a in such a way that it has a fulcrum or a pivot point 109a in the lower part of the lever 109 and can be elastically deformed. Above the fulcrum 109a, a tooth or protrusion 119 protrudes outward, serving as a retained portion that engages and disengages with a suitably configured carriage holding portion 136. Between the fulcrum 109a and the prong 119, a pair of protrusions 120 are formed that protrude laterally from the lever housing, and preferably one such protrusion is formed on each side of the lever housing. A protruding portion 110 is formed on the lower part of the surface of the wall 107 under the arm 109, which acts as a guide and prevents the cartridge from shifting in width.

On the surface of the other wall 108, a part interacting with the lever is formed, that is, a protruding part 111 (protrusion), in this embodiment of the invention, located at the location where the carriage mounting lever (described in detail below) can press the part interacting with the lever. On the lower part of the surface of the wall 108, under the protruding part 111, a protruding part 112 is formed having surfaces, for example a flat surface 113 and flat side surfaces 112a and 112b. The protruding portion 112 protrudes from the surface of the wall of the cartridge 108, and its movement is limited on both sides by the printing device when the cartridge is installed in it. The surfaces 113, 112a and 112b of the protruding portion 112 are parallel to the loading direction of the ink cartridge into the printing apparatus (the axial direction of the ink supply port). A plurality of electrodes 114 are formed on the surface 113 of the protruding portion 112 to form electrical contact with the elastic contact element 140 of the printing apparatus. In this embodiment, the electrodes 114 are formed in two rows in a checkerboard pattern, that is, forming the upper row and the lower row so that the plurality of electrodes 114 are arranged horizontally in each row in a line.

The flat surfaces 112a and 112b of the first protruding portion 112 and the receiving structure of the printing device are configured so that there is free space between these structures, as this may facilitate the installation of the ink cartridge 101 into the carriage of the printing device. This gap can be of any suitable size, but not so large that the ink cartridge 101 can shift to a position in which contact between the electrodes on the ink cartridge and the contacts on the printing device is lost (i.e., too large a gap will lead to inaccurate alignment).

Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 14C-D, the flat side surfaces 112a, 112b of the protruding portion 112 may have a surface structure such as to further facilitate the accurate and reliable installation of the ink cartridge 101. As a non-limiting example, the sides 112a and 112b may have, accordingly, suitably configured protrusions 112a ', 112b' formed thereon. As shown in figs-D, each of these protrusions 112a ', 112b' may have a hemispherical shape. Any other suitable shape may also be used, for example, oval or rectangular. As another alternative, sides 112a, 112b may have protruding ribs or ridges 112a, 112b "extending along their length; as shown in FIGS. 14E-F, these ribs or ridges may have a triangular shape. Any other suitable cross-sectional shape, such as hemispherical, oval or rectangular, may also be used. In addition, as shown in FIG. 14G-H, the protruding portion 112 may be provided with recesses or grooves 112a ", 112b" 'formed on the sides 112a, 112b. As indicated above, any suitable shape of the recess may be used, such as hemispherical, oval or rectangular.

The carriage of a printing device (not shown) may have a structure adapted to interact with protrusions, ribs or grooves formed on the protruding portion 112 of the ink cartridge 101, as described above. For example, the protrusions 112a ', 112b' and the ribs 112a ", 112b" 'can be inserted into suitably configured grooves (not shown), and the grooves 112 ", 112b" "can mesh with the suitably configured protrusions or ribs (not shown). Alternatively, the distance between the side surfaces 112a and 112b of the lower protruding portion 112 may be set slightly smaller than the distance D2, so that the distance between the vertices of the protrusions 112a 'and 112b' (ribs 112a ″ and 112b ″) is equal to the distance D2. On fig.14D and 14F shows the last case when the distance between the vertices of the protrusions 112a 'and 112b' (ribs 112a ″ and 112b ″) is equal to the distance D2.

It is clear that there may also be some clearance between the structure of the printing device and the side portions 112a, 112b, protrusions 112a ', 112b', ribs 112a ’, 112b’ or grooves 112a ’’, 112b ’’ of the ink cartridge 101, if this gap allows for proper electrical contact between the electrodes of the ink cartridge and the contacts of the printing device (too large a gap will lead to inaccurate alignment).

Since the wall surface 108 is narrow in width (in thickness) direction, the electrodes 114 having a vertically elongated configuration to obtain the desired area are vertically and laterally arranged in many columns and rows, whereby the electrodes 114 can be concentrically located in an area near the surfaces 112a and 112b serving as a mounting (in the horizontal direction) part of the ink cartridge 101, the position of which is adjusted with high accuracy. Such a device improves the reliability of contact between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contact elements 140.

For the most part, similar to the mounting plate 15 and the electrodes 14 formed on it, as described with reference to FIG. 3A, the electrodes 114 are formed on the front surface of the mounting plate 115 and mounted by attaching the mounting plate 115 to the surface 113 of the protruding portion 112. In addition, 3B, a memory device 18 is mounted on the back surface of the circuit board 115, such as a semiconductor memory element with writing and reading, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory a blasting device (EEPROM) storing information about the ink contained in the ink container and having an electrical connection to at least a portion of the electrodes 114.

The protruding portion 111 is designed to apply a downward installation force to it, acting on the ink cartridge 101 at a point that is slightly offset from (i.e., substantially located on it) an imaginary surface extending upward from the surface of the circuit board 115 on which a plurality of electrodes 114. Such a device eliminates an error in the positioning of the electrodes 114, which, otherwise, could be caused by the skewing of the ink cartridge when installing the ink cartridge. rtridzha and provides accurate establishment of contact between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contact members 140.

On Fig-17 shows the construction of the carriage of an embodiment of a printing device suitable for installing the ink cartridge described above. On Fig shows the appearance of the carriage, and on Fig and 17 shows the position in which the ink cartridges are correctly installed. The carriage 130 consists of a cartridge holder main body 131 and a mounting lever 132. The cartridge holder main body 131 is formed substantially in the form of a box so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted into it from above. The mounting lever 132 is formed essentially as a frame structure having an opening in the upper part. The mounting lever 132 is rotatably supported by the axis 133 (separate hinges could also be used) on the main part 131 of the holder, with one end side of the main part 131 of the holder, that is, the side facing the protruding parts 111 of the cartridges 101, is located in the lower part.

The main body 131 of the cartridge holder is divided by ribs 134 to receive a plurality of ink cartridges. Grooves 135 are formed on the wall surface against the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 for receiving and holding the protrusions 120 located on both sides of the lever 109, and a holding part 136 (cut-out part in this embodiment of the invention) for receiving and holding the tooth 119.

The groove 135 has an inclined surface 135a, the upper part of which tilts toward the cartridge. When loading the cartridge, the inclined surface 135a interacts with the ink cartridge as follows. During the initial stage of loading the ink cartridge, the protrusions 120 on each side are guaranteed to come into contact with this inclined surface 135a due to the wide entrance formed by the inclined surface, regardless of how the lever 109 is tilted. In addition, when installing the ink cartridge, the inclined surface 135a forcibly pivots the lever 109 in the direction of the surface of the wall of the carriage, that is, outward from the ink cartridge 101. Especially when the protrusions 120 are formed on both sides, the lever 109 ozhet securely sent to a preferred position, even when the lever 109 is skewed.

In addition, a second groove 137 is formed below the groove 135. This groove 137 receives and holds the guide protruding portion 110 of the ink cartridge just before loading is complete and prevents the ink cartridge from moving in width direction when installation is complete. In addition, according to this embodiment, the guide protruding portion 110 and the groove 137 are formed on the ink cartridge and in the part containing the ink cartridge, respectively, to maximize the volume of the ink cartridge. It will be appreciated that the same advantages of directing an ink cartridge can be achieved if the groove 137 is formed in the ink cartridge and the protruding portion 110 in the portion containing the ink cartridge.

On the surface of the other wall of the cartridge holder, elastic contacts 140 located in each region for holding the cartridge are formed, which come into contact with electrodes 114 formed on a mounting plate 115 attached to the protruding portion 112 when the set lever 132 is in the closed predetermined position. In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 101 is aligned with the predetermined region of the carriage 130, as shown in FIG. 18, the ink cartridge 101 is stopped at a predetermined position in which the ink supply port 104 of the ink cartridge 101 abuts against the needle 138 for feeding ink of the carriage 130. When the ink cartridge 101 moves further downward with the orientation shown in FIG. 19, the protrusions 120 on each side of the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 come into contact with an inclined surface 135a forming an expanding h aye. In addition, the guide protruding portion 110 enters into the groove 137. In addition, the ink supply needle 138, which serves as an ink supply element communicating with the writing head 139, enters the ink supply port 104 and lifts the valve body 6, overcoming the action of the spring 5 .

When the ink cartridge 101 is set to a predetermined position (FIG. 19), the lever 109 is rotated around a point that serves as a pivot point or a fulcrum into a predetermined tilted position under the influence of the inclined surface 135a of the carriage 130, and the tooth 119 is pressed against the holding part 136 under the action of a large elastic force. In this state, since the other side of the ink cartridge 101, that is, the side where the wall 108 is located, is somewhat free, the ink cartridge 101 can be rotated a little by an angle 5 by an angle Δθ around the pivot point, that is, the contact point of the tooth 119 and the holding parts 136.

In this state, when the set lever is rotated and closed, as shown in FIG. 20, the pivotally held part of the set lever 132 moves down to a predetermined position and then presses the protruding part 111 so that the electrodes 114 and the elastic contacts 140 are in the proper position, providing electrical contact, as shown in Fig.17. At the same time, in this position, both sides (both side surfaces) of the lower protruding portion 112 are held in place by the ribs 134 located on the carriage, as shown in Fig. 16 (or, if the side surfaces have protrusions, ribs or grooves, corresponding to the structure of the printing device carriage ), and the movement in the orthogonal direction, that is, in the vertical direction in this embodiment of the invention, is limited by the adjusting lever 132, acting on the protruding part 111. Therefore, between the plurality of electrodes 114 and a plurality of resilient contacts 140 can maintain accurate and reliable contact. Furthermore, in the case where the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 have protrusions, if the distance between the vertices of the protrusions 112a ′ and 112b ′ is set to a distance D2 (i.e., the distance between the side surfaces of the lower protruding part 112 is slightly less than the distance D2), as shown in fig.14D, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in Fig.16, can interact with the protrusions 112a 'and 112b'. That is, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in FIG. 16, without grooves of suitable sizes, can serve, in this modification, as the corresponding carriage structure of the printing device. Similarly, in the case where the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 have ribs, if the distance between the vertices of the ribs 112a and 112b is set to the distance D2 (i.e., the distance between the side surfaces of the lower protruding part 112 is slightly less than the distance D2), as shown in FIG. 14F, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in FIG. 16 can interact with the ribs 112a "and 112b" and limit their movement. That is, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in FIG. 16, without correspondingly configured grooves, in this modification can serve as the corresponding carriage structure of the printing device. In the case where the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 have grooves, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in FIG. 16 can interact with and limit the movement of the parts 112aa and 112bb of the side surfaces 112a and 112b, while the parts 112aa and 112bb are adjacent to the grooves 112a ″ ″ and 112b ″ ″ and the distance between their vertices is equal to the distance D2, as shown in fig.14H. That is, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in FIG. 16, without corresponding dimensions of the protrusions or ribs, in this modification can serve as the interacting carriage structure of the printing device.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 101 is to be removed from the carriage 130, the mounting lever 132 is disconnected from the main body 131, as shown in FIG. This action translates the other side of the ink cartridge 101, that is, the side where the wall 108 is located, into a state of freedom of small movement in the vertical direction, since the protruding portion 111 on the wall 108 is released from being pressed by the setting lever 132.

In this state, the ink cartridge 101 is held, for example, by the index finger of the operator by the lever 109 and the thumb by the notched part 102c, and the lever 109 is pressed and deformed so that it moves in the direction of the cartridge (for holding the ink cartridge 101 can also be used other fingers). When the lever 109 is elastically deformed, the tooth 119 disengages from the holding portion 136 of the holder main body 131. The ink cartridge, having lost the support previously provided by the holding portion 136, moves slightly upward by a distance ΔL due to the biasing force exerted by the spring 5 (not shown) in the ink supply port 104, and the tooth 119 on the lever 109 moves to a position outside the region of the holding portion 136. At this point, the ink cartridge 101 can be lifted up and removed from the carriage 130.

Thus, when replacing one cartridge, the other cartridges are also released from pressing the set lever 132. That is, each ink cartridge rotates a small angle Δθ under the action of a spring 5 in each of the ink supply ports 104, and the ink cartridges are pressed and moved again in the opposite direction the adjusting lever 132 upon completion of installation. Therefore, the plurality of electrodes 114 are moved to the respective contacts 140, preventing contact disturbance, which, otherwise, could be caused by dust and corrosion. In the case where the ink cartridge is not installed correctly, that is, in a state where the protrusion 119 of the lever 109 is not engaged with the holding portion 136, if the user tries to close the setting lever 132, the setting lever 132 collides with the cartridge 101, as shown in FIG. while the adjusting lever 132 cannot move to a position in which the lever 132 can be held in place. That is, in the case where the protrusion 119 of the lever 109 engages with the holding portion 136, the positioning lever 132 may engage with the carriage when turned through a small angle θ, but in the case where the lever 109 is disengaged, the ink cartridge rises to a distance ΔL, and thus the set lever 132, when trying to rotate the ink cartridge in this state, causes a large shift in the position of the ink cartridge relative to the carriage, causing the surfaces of the walls 107 and 108 of the ink cartridge to collide with the carriage. For this reason, the set lever 132 cannot move with normal pressing force. Therefore, the user notes the fact that the ink cartridge is not installed correctly and thus reinserts the ink cartridge by shifting to a position where a click is heard or felt.

In the embodiment described above, the protruding portion 111, that is, the lever-interacting portion pressed by the mounting lever 132 to hold the ink cartridge, is formed as an element separate from the protruding portion 112 serving as an electrode forming portion to save material and reduce weight. However, as shown in FIG. 21A, the protruding portion 112 serving as the electrode forming part can be arranged so that its upper surface 111 ′ is located at the place where the upper surface 111 ′ receives the pressure of the setting lever 132 to obtain the same effect .

According to this embodiment, the protruding portion 112 may extend toward the upper portion, as shown in FIG. 21B, to increase the size of the surface 113 where the electrodes 114, etc. are formed, and to accommodate the larger electrodes 114. This can eliminate short circuits that could result from the presence of ink or the like, and can provide reliable contact with the elastic contact elements 140 of the printing apparatus.

Now, the features of the above ink cartridges corresponding to the first and second embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail.

Continuing with reference to FIGS. 14A-B, it is noted that the ink cartridge 1, 101 has a structure such that a side surface 8, 108 that is substantially parallel to the direction of the cartridge group when the ink cartridge 1, 101 is installed in the cartridge holder is elongated vertical in the direction of the cartridge installation. The color ink cartridge corresponding to both the first and second embodiments of the invention has dimensions such that the height H1 is approximately five times the width (thickness) D1 of the cartridge. With this design, the width of the cartridge holder for mounting a plurality of ink cartridges may be small in the direction of the group of cartridges, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 16. Other proportions may also be used.

In addition, the mounting plate 15, 115 is located on the vertically elongated side surface 8, 108 at a location as close as possible to the bottom surface 3, 103, and the electrodes 14, 114 of the mounting plate 15, 115 are located on the surface of the mounting plate 15, 115 at a displaced location (on the bottom side) near the bottom surface 3, 103. The electrodes 14, 114 are also located at this location close to each other. In both the first and second embodiments, the plurality of electrodes 14, 114 (second electrodes 14, 114 in both the first and second embodiments) are arranged concentrically and staggered so that the bottom row of electrodes 14, 114 is on the bottom surface longer than the top row of electrodes 14, 114. Since the plurality of electrodes 14, 114 are staggered when the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the printing device are adjacent to the electrodes 14, 114, the elastic contacts 41, 140, which must come into contact with ktrodami upper row 142 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the upper row are named electrodes 142) pass through clearances or spaces between the lower row of the electrodes 141 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the lower row named electrodes 141) as shown by trajectories R in Figure 3C. That is, even when the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the printing device move along the circuit board 15, 115, making contact with the circuit board 15, 115 until a proper electrical connection is established, the contact of the elastic electrodes 41, 140 (which are intended to come into contact with the electrodes 142) with the electrodes 141 when the elastic contacts 41, 140 move. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate damage to the data stored in the storage device 18, which, otherwise, may be caused by incorrect entry contacting the elastic contacts 41, 140 with the electrodes 41, 140. In addition, each of the electrodes 14, 114 has an elongated configuration that has a large length in the installation direction, to prevent short circuiting of the adjacent electrodes 14, 114 and to establish a reliable electrical connection .

In both the first and second embodiments, a large number of electrodes 14, 114 are effectively located close to each other on the side surface 8, 108 of the cartridge having a small width (thickness) D1, and the mounting plate 15, 115 is located at the deepest location in the cartridge holder, where the offset of the ink cartridge in the installation direction is limited. Accordingly, the electrodes 14, 114 can be accurately positioned. Since with such a device, the lower surface of the cartridge is located at the deepest location, and the ink supply port 4, 104 is located on the lower surface, it is preferable to place the electrodes 14, 114 on one of the side surfaces to prevent ink from the port 4, 104 from sticking to them. for ink supply. From the point of view of the problem of ink contamination, it is more preferable to place the electrodes 14, 114 on the side surface 8, 108 remote from the ink supply port 4, 104 rather than on the side surface 7, 107 located closer to the ink supply port 4, 104 .

The side walls 12b, 12c, 112a, 112b of the protruding portion 12, 112, respectively, are located as close as possible to the left and right edges of the circuit board 15, 115 in the width direction of the cartridge and are preferably located close to the edges of the row of electrodes. Thanks to such a device, the electrodes 14, 114 can be precisely mounted against the elastic contacts 41, 140 of the cartridge holder 30, 130.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the protruding portion 111 serving as a lever-interacting portion is located at least above the protruding portion 112 (behind the protruding portion 112 in the direction of installation of the cartridge), on which the electrodes are located, to accurately position the electrodes 114 without applying to the electrodes 114 rotational force. Preferably, the protruding portion 111 is located within the width of the row of electrodes and more preferably is located in the center of the row of electrodes and symmetrically with respect to the center of the row of electrodes.

The protruding portion 111, which serves as a part interacting with the lever, has such dimensions that the distance h1 by which it protrudes from the side surface of the cartridge is less than the distance h2 by which the protruding part 112 protrudes, as can be seen in FIG. 14B. Such a device enables the cartridge holder portion to be arranged adjacent to the protruding portion so that it is closer to the cartridge to reduce the size of the cartridge holder. In addition, the stiffness of the protruding portion 111 can be increased to ensure that the protruding portion does not deform excessively when the ink cartridge is positioned by the cartridge holder lever. In addition, the protruding part 111 is formed as a single unit with the main body, which thus increases its rigidity and ensures the formation of the protruding part 111 with high accuracy of its positioning. Such a device also contributes to a reliable connection between the electrodes and the elastic contacts.

At least the surface of the protruding portion 111 in contact with the lever is formed so that it protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed. Thanks to such a device, the direction of pressing the lever on the cartridge can be parallel to the surface on which the electrodes are formed 114, a reliable connection can be made between the electrodes 114 and the elastic contacts. For the cartridge of the second embodiment, the surface of the protruding portion 111 in contact with the arm is substantially parallel to the bottom surface or substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the protruding portion 111 is formed, and the surface on which the electrodes 114 are formed perpendicular to the bottom surface or substantially parallel to the side surface on which the protruding portion 111 is formed.

In both the first and second embodiments, the width D2 of the protruding portion 12, 112 is smaller than the width D1 of the main body of the cartridge, and the distance Δd1 (see FIGS. 6B and 14B) between the protruding portion 12, 112 and the side surface of the cartridge is used as areas for inserting the ribs 34, 134 formed in the cartridge holder 30, 130 for positioning the cartridge electrodes 14, 114, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 16. This allows an element to be accurately positioned for the electrodes 14, 114 relative to the cartridge holder 30, 130 without undesirable Nogo increasing the distance L between the adjacent ink cartridges, as shown in Figure 6B.

Preferably, the protruding portion 112 is biased toward one side of the cartridge 1, 101 in a width direction. This allows one side surface 12c, 112b of the protruding portion 12, 112 to be substantially flush with the side wall of the main body of the cartridge, and thus the side wall facing the adjacent ink cartridge can also be used to position the ink cartridge. In addition, thanks to such a device, in the case where the ink cartridge consists of the main body 2a, 102a of the container and the lid 2b, 102b connected to each other according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, a retainer can be formed on the main body 2a, 102a of the container a part for fixing the protruding part 12, 112, and thus the protruding part 12, 112 can be connected to or fixed on the container main body 2a, 102a with high accuracy.

In the second embodiment of the invention, it is preferable that the location of the protruding part 111 is essentially at the same level, in the installation direction of the cartridge, with the location of the prong 119 of the lever 109 formed on the side wall opposite to the side wall on which the protruding part 111 is formed. Thanks to such a device , the ink cartridge, and especially its ink supply port 104, is not exposed to undesirable forces in the direction of rotation, which prevents damage to the ink supply needle atelier cartridge.

On figa, 22B, 23A and 23B shows a third embodiment of a color ink cartridge corresponding to the present invention, which, in General, has the same design as the ink cartridge described in the second embodiment of the invention with reference to Fig.14. A distinctive feature of the third embodiment of the invention is the identification element 60, used to prevent erroneous installation of the ink cartridge.

The identification element 60 for preventing erroneous installation prevents erroneous installation in cooperation with a groove formed on the open side of the carriage for installing the ink cartridge. When the user mistakenly tries to install the wrong ink cartridge, the identification element (s) 60 will not be able to enter the groove (s) and thus will prevent the ink supply port from moving to the interaction position with the ink supply needle. In addition, the electrodes 114 will not be able to come into contact with the elastic contact elements 140. These identification elements 60 preferably extend beyond the surface 113 on which the electrical contacts are located. Thus, if the ink cartridge 101 is placed against an improper surface, the identification elements 60 prevent this improper surface from colliding with the electrical contacts, and by passing beyond the plane of the electrical contacts, the identification elements help to prevent impacts and damage to the electrical contacts by any objects.

Another advantage of having one or more identification elements 60 is that they can be located in planes approximately parallel to the sides of the protrusion 112 of the ink cartridge 101 (i.e., sides parallel to the large sides of the ink container), and they can also help fix the ink cartridge 101 to the desired position and preventing its displacement in the lateral direction. This effect is enhanced when a plurality of identification elements 60 are used.

24A-B and 25A-C show another embodiment of an ink cartridge according to the invention. As with the black ink cartridge 1 'described with reference to the first embodiment of the invention, the container body 102a' of the container of this black ink cartridge 101 'differs in width (thickness) d3 and, thus, the capacity of the above ink cartridge 101, however other structures, such as the ink cartridge cover 101b of the ink cartridge 101 ', have the same configuration as the above ink cartridge 101. Given this difference in the width of the ink cartridge, the protruding portion 112 is formed in an offset position and in a widthwise direction to one side of the container body 102a ′ by a distance Δd2. The center of the electrode group 114 in the width direction is suitably located on line C ', that is, a line parallel to the central axis C of the ink supply port 104', as in the above ink cartridge 101.

Since the configuration of the container body used in the black ink cartridge 101 'is different from the configuration of the container body used in the color ink cartridge 101, the use of the identification element 60 to prevent erroneous installation of the black ink cartridge 101' is not fundamentally necessary, and this structure can be eliminated . However, it is preferable to retain the identification element (s) 60 on the black ink cartridge 101 ', since the identification element (s) serves as a guiding element, acting similar to the action of the protruding element 110, and thus, it performs not only the identification function.

In addition, two types of black ink can be used for high quality printing, that is, dark black ink and light black ink. In this case, the identification element (s) 60 can be used as an element that allows you to determine whether dark or light black ink is contained in the cartridge.

In this embodiment, the identification element (s) 60 and the protruding portion 112 having a surface 113 to which the aforementioned mounting plate 115 is attached are formed as a single unit 61. The unit 61 is preferably an element separate from the components of the ink cartridge (101), that is, from the main body 102a of the container, the lid 103, the port 104 for supplying ink, the lever 109 and the protruding part 111. Block 61 is mounted on an ink cartridge under the protruding part 111, which is pressed by the setting lever 132 to hold cartridge.

Since the protruding portion 112 for mounting the mounting plate 115 and the identification element 60 are formed in the form of a block 61, which is an element separate from the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge with the corresponding color ink can be arranged by simply fitting a suitable block 61 selected on the container main body 102a from an existing set of different blocks 61, prepared to match different ink colors, even when ink cartridge components such as main body 102a ynera, cover 103, a port 104 for supplying the ink, the lever 109 and the projecting portion 111 formed in standardized configurations by injection molding using the same mold.

The protruding portion 112, to which the mounting plate 115 is attached, is formed on the block 61, which is a separate element. Thus, the block 61, which is easily held in comparison with the container body included in the construction of the ink cartridge, can be mounted on an automated assembly device, and the mounting plate 115 can be attached to the block 61 in an automated manner.

In addition, it is possible to compare the ink color information, etc., recorded in the memory element on the circuit board, with the identification element to prevent erroneous installation, thus eliminating the discrepancy between the identification element and the data in the memory element.

On figa-D shows an embodiment of a block 61 for the above color ink cartridge. At one end of block 61, identification elements 60 are formed located at predetermined positions, that is, at positions corresponding to grooves formed in the carriage, for determining a specific ink color. A protruding portion 62 is formed at the other end of the block 61, forming a surface to which a mounting plate 15 is attached.

On the rear surface 63 of the block 61, a positioning protrusion 63a is formed that is inserted into a corresponding positioning notch formed at a predetermined location in the container main body 102a. Cutouts 64 are formed on the front surface of block 61, which are respectively provided with fixing holes 64a through which protrusions 102e (shown in Figs. 29A and 29B) located on the container main body 102a can pass.

With this design, the block 61 is locked in place by inserting the positioning protrusion 63a into the positioning cutout 102d (FIGS. 29A and 29B) formed in the container main body 102a, and heat sealing the protrusions 102e of the container main body 102a through the through holes 64a. In addition, the same effect can be obtained even if the unit is connected using glue or a press fit of protruding parts and cutouts.

To indicate the color of the ink contained in the cartridge, the number of identification elements 60 may vary according to different colors. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 27A-D, the distance between the two identification elements 60 may vary according to different colors so that the ink each color corresponded to a certain arrangement of identification elements, even if the number of identification elements 60 remains the same.

As shown in FIGS. 28A-D, the black ink cartridge unit 61 differs in the number of identification elements 60 formed at one end thereof and in that the identification element 60 has a larger width w than the identification element 60 shown in FIG. 27A- D. Other structures have structures similar to those of the color ink cartridge, that is, a protruding portion 62 forming a surface 113 on which a mounting plate 115 is fixed, a protrusion 63a formed on the rear surface 63, and through holes 64a in which the protrusions 102e of the main body 102a are fitted. container.

The number of ink cartridges that can be identified can be increased by changing the width of the identification element 60 itself, changing the number of identification elements, and changing the distance between adjacent identification elements 60 to match different types of ink.

In the embodiment described above, the unit is designed to fit a circuit board to it. In the case of an ink cartridge that does not require a circuit board, the unit can only have an identification element (s). It is clear that such a design provides the same advantages.

Although embodiments of the present invention are described and shown in detail, it should be understood that they are given only for illustration and example and are not intended to be limiting, while the nature and scope of the present invention are defined only by the attached claims.

Claims (217)

1. The ink cartridge, which when used is installed in a printing device having a pressing element and a receiving part, the specified ink cartridge contains: an ink container having an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall crossing the lower wall, and a second side wall crossing the lower wall and located against the first side wall; an ink supply port located on the bottom wall in an offset position closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall; the first protruding part located on the second side wall and located closer to the lower wall than to the upper wall, the first protruding part has many side parts for fixing it in the position when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device; a pressing portion located on the second side wall and having an upper surface pressed by a pressing member of the printing apparatus; a holding member meshed with the receiving portion of the printing apparatus when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing apparatus; and many electrodes located on the first protruding part and having an electrical connection with a storage device located on the ink container. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, in which the pressing element of the printing device has a position-limiting elastic element, and the upper surface of the pressing part includes the upper surface of the first protruding part, and when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device, the upper surface of the first protruding part is pressed in the direction of the lower wall, the elastic element restricting the position. 3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, in which the pressing element of the printing device has a mounting lever for holding the cartridge, in which the pressing part includes a part interacting with the lever, and the part interacting with the lever is pressed in the direction of the lower wall by the mounting lever. 4. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, in which the part interacting with the lever includes a second protruding part located rear of the first protruding part in the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device. 5. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a guide protruding portion extending in the direction of refueling the container and located under the holding element. 6. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cutout formed in another wall adjacent to the wall on which the first protruding portion is formed. 7. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a valve body, in a normal position held in the closed state of the valve by the biasing member, and an elastic sealing element that abuts the valve body and comes into elastic contact with the outer peripheral surface of the element for the ink supply formed in the printing apparatus, the valve body and the resilient sealing element being located in the ink supply port. 8. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the retaining element includes a lever having an engaging portion configured to engage with a portion of the printing device, and the lever has at least one protrusion that biases the top of the lever outward when the cartridge is installed in the printing device. 9. The ink cartridge of claim 8, in which at least one protrusion includes two side protrusions, and these side protrusions, respectively, are located on each side surface of the lever. 10. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the width of the first protruding portion is less than the width of the ink container. 11. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the area serving as the upper surface of the pressed part, when the cartridge is installed in the printing device, includes a flat surface. 12. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the electrodes are arranged in at least two rows and the rows are perpendicular to the axis of the ink supply port. 13. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the holding element includes a lever having an engaging portion that can engage with a portion of the printing device, and the lever comprises an elastic element that entrains the ink container in the direction sides with a protruding part. 14. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an elastic sealing element located in the ink supply port, which cooperates with the ink supply element of the printing device when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device. 15. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the second side wall has at least either a catch cutout or a protruding part. 16. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the second side wall is elongated in the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device so that the length of the second side wall in the installation direction is greater than the length of the second side wall in the direction perpendicular to the installation direction. 17. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the electrodes and the storage device are located on a circuit board mounted on the surface of the first protruding part, the surface of the first protruding part parallel to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device, and the electrodes are formed on the open side of the surface of the circuit board. 18. The ink cartridge according to claim 17, wherein each of the electrodes has a vertically elongated shape, wherein the length of each of the electrodes in the vertical direction is greater than the length of each of the electrodes in a lateral direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. 19. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the electrodes and the storage device are formed on the circuit board, and the electrodes are located on the circuit board in a position offset closer to the lower wall than to the upper wall. 20. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, in which the second protruding part is located in the region formed between the outermost electrodes in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device and which is parallel to the second side wall. 21. The ink cartridge according to claim 4 or 20, in which the height of the second protruding part from the second side wall is less than the height of the first protruding part from the second side wall. 22. The ink cartridge according to claim 4 or 20, further comprising an identification element for preventing erroneous installation, located between the first protruding part and the second protruding part. 23. The ink cartridge according to item 22, in which the identification element to prevent erroneous installation is designed in the form of a block, and the block is fixed on the ink container with a locking element. 24. The ink cartridge according to item 22, in which the identification element to prevent erroneous installation and the first protruding part are designed as a single unit, and this single unit is fixed on the ink container with a fixing element. 25. The ink cartridge according to item 23, further comprising a positioning system located on the rear surface of the block and on the second side wall of the ink container. 26. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, in which the upper surface of the second protruding part at least partially extends perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes are formed. 27. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, additionally containing at least one of: protrusions, ribs, grooves formed on one of the side parts of the first protruding part. 28. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, additionally containing one first element from: a protrusion, ribs, grooves formed on the first mentioned side part, and one second element from: a protrusion, ribs, grooves formed on the second specified side part of the first protruding part . 29. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the side parts of the first protruding part, respectively, form side surfaces parallel to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device. 30. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, in which the part interacting with the lever is integral with the first protruding part on which the electrodes are located. 31. The ink cartridge according to item 22, in which the distal end of the identification element protrudes outward beyond the surface on which the electrodes are formed. 32. The ink cartridge of claim 22, wherein the plurality of identification elements are located. 33. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the side parts of the first protruding part and the upper surface of the pressed part have certain and predetermined positions when the cartridge is installed in the printing device. 34. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a unit located on a second side wall, the unit including: a block body having a pair of parallel sides, a rear surface intersecting the parallel sides, and a flat front surface intersecting said parallel sides; and at least one protrusion having an extremity and protruding outward from the block body in the direction from the rear surface to the flat front surface, the extremity of the protrusion being further from the rear surface than the front surface. 35. The ink cartridge according to clause 34, further comprising at least two of these protrusions. 36. The ink cartridge according to clause 34, in which the protrusions are in parallel planes. 37. The ink cartridge according to clause 34, in which the protrusions and parallel sides are in parallel planes. 38. The ink cartridge according to clause 34, in which the electrodes are located on a flat front surface. 39. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the retaining element is a lever. 40. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, in which the pressed part is the pressed part of the lever part. 41. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, in which the element of the printing device is a position-limiting elastic element that presses the pressed part in the direction of the lower wall of the ink container. 42. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, in which the element of the printing device is a mounting lever for holding the cartridge, which presses the pressed part in the direction of the lower wall of the ink container. 43. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, in which the retaining element is located on the first side wall. 44. A printing device into which an ink cartridge is installed, comprising: an ink supply port in a position offset from one side of a lower wall forming part of an ink container; the protruding part located on the lower part of the first of two opposite walls adjacent to the bottom wall, and the protruding part has an upper surface and side parts that occupy certain and predetermined positions when the cartridge is installed in the printing device, while the first wall of these two the walls are located further from the ink supply port than the other wall; an elastically deformable lever located on another wall, the lever protruding upward from the other wall and located at a distance from this other wall and has an engaging portion located in an intermediate position, wherein said engaging portion engages with a corresponding portion of the printing device, when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device; and a plurality of electrodes located on the protruding part, which are electrically connected to a storage device located on an ink container, the printing device comprising: an element forming an ink channel communicating with a recording head and opposite the port for supplying ink to an ink cartridge mounted in a printing apparatus; the width adjusting protruding portion adjacent to the side portions of the protruding portion; and an elastic element for adjusting the position, abutting against the upper surface of the protruding part. 45. The printing device according to item 44, in which, when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device, the elastic element for adjusting the position is wrung out and elastically deformed by the lower part of the protruding part of the ink cartridge, and then, when the installation of the ink cartridge is completed, the elastic element returns to its initial position and abuts against the upper surface of the protruding part. 46. The printing apparatus according to claim 44, further comprising a protruding portion formed in a position of the protruding portion for adjusting in a width direction corresponding to a cutout to facilitate rotation formed in the ink cartridge. 47. The printing apparatus according to claim 44, further comprising a plurality of contacts that are electrically connected to respective said electrodes when said ink cartridge is installed in said printing apparatus. 48. The printing device according to item 44, in which the ink container further includes a container body and a lid housing, the lever has one end attached to the container body, and the protrusion located on the side surface of the lever, and the device further comprises a guide groove which engages with the protrusion of the lever for directing the upper part of the lever outward when the ink cartridge is installed. 49. The printing device according to item 44, in which the printing device corresponds to the equation: L≥H / tanθ + ΔL, where L is the distance from the upper surface of the protruding part to the center of the ink supply port, the upper surface of the protruding part serving as the center of rotation when the ink cartridge is removed from the printing device, θ is the angle of rotation required to remove the ink cartridge from the printing device, N is the depth of entry of the ink channel forming member, and ΔL is the allowable setting range of the resilient sealing member located in the ink supply port. 50. A printing device into which an ink cartridge is installed, including: an ink container having a surface of a first wall, a surface of a second wall and a surface of a third wall, the surfaces of the second and third walls adjacent to the surface of the first wall and located opposite each other; an ink supply port located on the surface of the first wall; a holding member located on a surface of the second wall, the holding member having a meshing portion elastically meshing with a portion of the printing apparatus when an ink cartridge is installed therein; the lever-pressed portion located on the surface of the third wall, which is pressed by the mounting lever to hold the cartridge of the printing apparatus when an ink cartridge is installed therein; a plurality of electrodes that are located closer to the ink supply port than the lever-pressed portion, and which are electrically connected to a storage device located on an ink container, the printing device comprising: an ink channel forming member communicating with a recording head and located opposite the ink supply port of the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing apparatus; and the setting lever for holding the cartridge has a fulcrum on the side of the part pressed by the lever, while when the engaged part of the holding element engages with the part of the printing device, the setting lever rotates around the fulcrum, presses the part pressed by the lever into a predetermined position and is held in predetermined position of the installation lever. 51. The printing apparatus according to claim 50, wherein, when the ink cartridge is not installed correctly, movement of the setting lever to a predetermined position of the setting lever is interfered with. 52. An ink cartridge, which is adapted for installation in a printing device having a first and second receiving part, said ink cartridge contains: an ink container having a first side, a second side, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall and a rear wall; an ink supply port located on the bottom wall and located closer to the front wall than to the rear wall; protruding outwardly the first positioning element having a front surface and an upper surface lying in intersecting planes, and said first positioning element is located on the rear wall near the lower wall; protruding outwardly a second positioning element having a shape adapted to interact with a first receiving portion of a printing apparatus and located on a front wall near the bottom wall; a third positioning element having an elongated element mounted on the front wall at a location between the first line along which the front wall intersects the upper wall and a second line along which the front wall intersects the lower wall and having a protrusion formed to interact with the second receiving part of a printing device; characterized in that it contains many electrodes located on the front surface of the first positioning element and located in a plane parallel to the rear wall. 53. The ink cartridge according to paragraph 52, in which the first positioning element includes a protruding portion having side surfaces to provide restrictions in the position when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device. 54. The ink cartridge of claim 52, wherein said first positioning element has a width that does not exceed a distance between the first and second sides of the ink container. 55. The ink cartridge according to item 54, in which the first positioning element is a protruding part, formed in a position offset to one side of the container body of the ink container in the width direction. 56. The ink cartridge according to paragraph 52, in which the elongated element further comprises a guide protrusion protruding outward, in General, in the direction of width, while the width of the elongated element, including the guide protrusion, does not exceed the distance between the first and second sides of the ink container. 57. The ink cartridge of claim 56, wherein two such protrusions are formed, namely, one on each side of the elongated member. 58. The ink cartridge of claim 52, wherein the ink container has an elongated and expanding cutout formed at an edge where one of said sides converges with a back wall. 59. The ink cartridge according to § 58, in which the cutout expands outward from the lower surface in the direction of the upper surface. 60. The ink cartridge according to paragraph 52, further comprising an elastic sealing material located in the port for supplying ink, while the sealing material is configured to engage with an element forming a channel for ink of the printing device when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device. 61. The ink cartridge of claim 52, wherein said elongated member is a lever adapted to serve as a holding member. 62. The ink cartridge of claim 61, wherein the lever is elastically deformable. 63. The ink cartridge according to claim 61, wherein the lever protrudes upward so that its lower end is located on the front wall and its upper part is remote from the front wall. 64. The ink cartridge of claim 61, wherein the lever is provided on a front wall with a rotational fulcrum on the bottom of the lever. 65. The ink cartridge of claim 64, wherein said protrusion formed to cooperate with said second receiving portion of a printing device projects outwardly from above a rotational support point. 66. The ink cartridge of claim 52, further comprising an identification element adapted to prevent, in conjunction with a groove formed in the surface of the hole for installing the ink cartridge in the carriage of said printing apparatus, erroneous installation of the ink cartridge. 67. The ink cartridge according to paragraph 52, in which the elongated element of the third positioning element is mounted rotatably around an axis on the front wall. 68. The ink cartridge according to paragraph 52, in which the first positioning element has a mounting plate, and the front surface of the first positioning element is the surface of the aforementioned mounting plate. 69. The ink cartridge according to paragraph 52, in which the part interacting with the lever is formed on the rear wall with the possibility of being pressed by the installation lever provided on the carriage of said printing device when the ink cartridge is installed in said carriage. 70. An inkjet printing apparatus into which an ink cartridge is mounted having an ink container having a first side, a second side, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall and a rear wall; an ink supply port located on the bottom wall, wherein the ink supply port is located closer to the front wall than to the rear wall; the outwardly protruding first positioning element having a front surface and an upper surface, the front surface and the upper surface being in intersecting planes, and said first positioning element is located on the rear wall near the lower wall; the outwardly projecting second positioning element, which is located on the front wall near the bottom wall; and a third positioning element having an elongated element mounted to rotate on the front surface at a location between a first line along which the front wall intersects the upper wall and a second line along which the front wall intersects the lower wall; wherein the elongated element has a protrusion formed to interact with the corresponding second receiving part of the printing device; and many electrodes located on the front surface of the first positioning element and located in a plane parallel to the rear wall, while the inkjet printing device comprises: a carriage having: an engaging portion that receives a protrusion of the elongated member; a recess for the first positioning element, the recess having a protruding downward bracket having a free end and having such dimensions and such that when the ink cartridge is installed in the carriage, the free end of the bracket comes into contact with the upper surface of the first positioning element; and a receiving part having such dimensions and arranged so as to accommodate a second positioning element; and many contacts located in the recess, and the contacts are arranged so that when the ink cartridge is installed in the carriage, the contacts are in electrical connection with the respective indicated electrodes. 71. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 70, wherein said carriage receives a plurality of ink cartridges. 72. An ink cartridge containing: a rectangular ink tank having a front, back and bottom walls, the front and rear walls intersecting with the bottom wall; an ink supply port located in the bottom wall, the ink supply port having an axis; an identification unit located on the rear wall and having a pair of parallel sides, a front surface located in a plane parallel to the axis of the ink supply port, the parallel sides being perpendicular to the front surface, a plurality of electrical contacts located on the front surface, and at least one protrusion, having a tip and protruding outward from the identification unit in the direction from the rear surface to the front surface, and the tip of the protrusion is located further from the rear surface than the front surface. 73. The ink cartridge according to item 72, having at least the first specified protrusion and the second specified protrusion. 74. The ink cartridge of claim 73, wherein the first and second protrusions are in parallel planes. 75. The ink cartridge of claim 72, wherein the first and second protrusions and parallel sides are in parallel planes. 76. The ink cartridge according to item 72, in which the position of the protrusion corresponds to the color of the ink in the ink container. 77. An identification unit for installation on an inkjet ink cartridge, comprising: a block housing having a pair of parallel sides, a rear surface intersecting the parallel sides, and a flat front surface intersecting the parallel sides; and at least one protrusion having an extremity and protruding outward from the block body in the direction from the rear surface to the flat front surface, the extremity of the protrusion being further from the rear surface than the front surface. 78. The identification unit according to item 77, further comprising at least two of these protrusions. 79. The identification unit according to item 77, in which the protrusions are in parallel planes. 80. The identification unit according to item 77, in which the protrusions and parallel sides are in parallel planes. 81. An ink cartridge containing: an ink container having an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall and a second side wall; an ink supply port located on the lower wall closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall, the ink supply port having an axis; a holding member located on the first side wall, wherein the holding member has a protruding engaging portion; a protruding part located in a region where the plane of the second side wall and the plane of the lower wall intersect and protruding in the direction opposite to the first side wall, while the protruding part has a surface located in a plane approximately parallel to the axis; a storage device located on an ink cartridge; and a plurality of electrodes located on the surface and in electrical connection with the storage device. 82. The ink cartridge of claim 81, wherein the protruding portion has side surfaces to prevent substantial movement of the ink cartridge relative to the device in which the cartridge is installed in the direction between the side surfaces. 83. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the protruding portion has a mounting plate and the surface of the protruding portion is the surface of the mounting plate. 84. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein when the cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the holding member biases the plurality of electrodes toward the corresponding plurality of electrodes of the inkjet printer. 85. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising: flat surface moreover, the flat surface is located so that when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the structure of the inkjet printer is able to come into contact with this flat surface and press towards the bottom wall. 86. The ink cartridge of claim 85, wherein the flat surface lies in a plane that is substantially parallel to the bottom wall and / or so that is substantially perpendicular to said axis. 87. The ink cartridge of claim 86, wherein the flat surface is located on the protruding portion. 88. The ink cartridge of claim 85, wherein the structure of the inkjet printer has a position-limiting elastic member, and when the ink cartridge is inserted into the ink-jet printer, said flat surface is pressed toward the bottom wall by the position-limiting elastic member. 89. The ink cartridge of claim 85, further comprising: a protrusion protruding from the second side wall, which is located closer to the upper wall than the protruding part, while the flat surface is located on this protrusion. 90. The ink cartridge of claim 89, wherein the structure of the inkjet printer has a cartridge mounting lever, and the flat surface is configured to be pressed against the bottom wall by said mounting lever. 91. The ink cartridge of claim 89, wherein the protrusion is located in a region formed by and between the outermost electrodes in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device, and which is on or substantially parallel to the second side wall. 92. The ink cartridge of claim 89, wherein the height of the protrusion from the second side wall is less than the height of the protruding portion from the second side wall. 93. The ink cartridge of claim 89, wherein the protrusion is integral with the protruding portion on which the electrodes are located. 94. An ink cartridge according to any one of paragraphs 81 and 82, further comprising a guide protruding portion protruding in the direction of the container filling, and which is located below the holding element. 95. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising a cutout formed on another wall adjacent to the wall that is formed with the protruding portion. 96. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising a cutout formed on the second side wall. 97. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the cutout is formed between the upper wall and the protruding part. 98. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising a valve body that is held in a normal position in the closed state of the valve by means of a biasing member and an elastic sealing element that abuts the valve body and is designed to provide elastic contact of the outer surface the ink supplying element formed on the printing apparatus, wherein the valve body and the resilient sealing element are located in the ink supply port. 99. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the holding member includes a lever having an engaging portion adapted to engage with a receiving portion of the printing device, and the lever has at least one protrusion to bias the upper portion lever out when the cartridge is installed on the printer. 100. The ink cartridge according to claim 99, wherein the at least one protrusion of the lever includes two lateral protrusions, said lateral protrusions respectively provided on the side surfaces of the lever. 101. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the width of the protruding portion is less than the width of the ink container. 102. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the electrodes are arranged in at least two rows, and these rows are perpendicular to the axis of the ink supply port. 103. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the holding member includes a lever having an engaging portion adapted to engage with a receiving portion of the printing device, and the lever comprises an elastic member for pushing the ink container away from the first side wall to the second side wall. 104. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising an elastic sealing member located in the ink supply port for engaging the ink supply member of the printing apparatus when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing apparatus. 105. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the second side wall has at least one of: a catch cutout and a protruding part. 106. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the second side wall is elongated in a direction between the upper wall and the lower wall so that the length of the second side wall in said direction is greater than the length of the second side wall in a direction perpendicular to said direction . 107. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the protruding portion has a mounting plate with a surface substantially parallel to the second side wall, and the electrodes are located on said surface. 108. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the electrodes and the storage device are located on a circuit board mounted on the surface of the protruding part, the surface of the protruding part being parallel to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device, and the electrodes are formed on the open side of the surface circuit board. 109. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein each of the electrodes has an elongated shape in a direction between the lower wall and the upper wall so that the length of each of the electrodes in said direction is greater than the length of each of the electrodes in the transverse direction perpendicular mentioned direction. 110. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the electrodes and the storage device are located on the circuit board, and the electrodes are located on the circuit board in an offset position closer to the lower wall than to the upper wall. 111. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising at least one of a protrusion, ribs and grooves formed on at least one side of the protruding part. 112. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising a first one of a protrusion, ribs and grooves formed on the first side of the protruding part, and a second one of a protrusion, ribs and grooves formed on the second side of the protruding part. 113. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the side portions of the protruding portion respectively form side surfaces parallel to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing apparatus. 114. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, further comprising an identification protrusion protruding outward from the second side wall at a position located between the upper wall and the protruding part. 115. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the identification protrusion protrudes outward beyond the plane in which the surface lies. 116. The ink cartridge according p, in which at least one of the width of the identification protrusion, the number of identification protrusions and the distance between mutually adjacent identification protrusions is selected so as to correspond to the property of the ink contained in the ink container. 117. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the protruding portion is located at a position offset to one side of the ink container in a width direction. 118. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the protruding portion is located on a second wall near the bottom wall. 119. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 81 and 82, wherein the retaining element protrudes from the first side wall toward the upper wall. 120. An ink cartridge containing: an ink container having a front, back, top and bottom walls; an ink supply port located on a lower wall, the ink supply port having an axis; a holding member protruding from the front wall in the direction of the upper wall, the holding member having a protruding engaging portion; a protrusion located at the intersection of the rear wall and the lower wall and protruding from the front wall, while the protrusion has a surface located in a plane parallel to the axis; a storage device located on an ink cartridge; a plurality of electrodes located on the surface and having an electrical connection with a storage device; and an identification protrusion protruding outward from the rear wall at a location between the upper wall and the protrusion. 121. The ink cartridge according p, additionally containing: a flat surface located in a plane parallel to the bottom wall, the flat surface being arranged so that when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the structure of the inkjet printer comes into contact with the flat surface and presses it in the direction of the lower wall. 122. The ink cartridge according p, in which a flat surface is located on the protrusion. 123. The ink cartridge according p, further comprising: a protrusion protruding from the rear wall and located closer to the upper wall than the protruding part, while the flat surface is located on the protrusion. 124. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 120-123, wherein the protrusion protrudes outward beyond the plane in which the surface is located. 125. The ink cartridge according to any one of paragraphs.120-123, in which at least one of: the width of the identification protrusion, the number of identification protrusions and the distance between mutually adjacent identification protrusions corresponds to the characteristics of the ink contained in the ink container. 126. An ink cartridge, which when used is installed in a printing device having a contact structure, said ink cartridge contains: an ink container having a front, rear, upper and lower walls, the front wall intersecting with the bottom wall forming the first edge, the rear wall intersecting with the lower wall forming the second edge, the upper wall intersecting the front wall forming the third edge, and the upper wall intersects with the rear wall, forming a fourth edge; an ink supply port located on a lower wall, the ink supply port having an axis; a holding member protruding from the front wall toward the upper wall at a location between the first edge and the third edge, the holding member having a protruding engaging portion; a protruding rib located on the front wall, the rib protruding in a direction parallel to the axis from the first edge toward the upper wall; the protruding part located on the second edge and protruding in the direction from the front wall, and the protruding part has a surface located in a plane parallel to the axis; a storage device located on an ink cartridge; a plurality of electrodes located on the surface and having an electrical connection with a storage device; the protrusion protruding from the rear wall, and the protrusion is located between the fourth edge and the protruding part, the protrusion has a flat surface located so that when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the contact structure of the inkjet printer comes into contact with the flat surface and presses a flat surface in the direction of the bottom wall; and an identification protrusion protruding outward from the rear wall at a location between the second edge and the fourth edge. 127. The ink cartridge according p, in which the protrusion protrudes outward beyond the plane in which the surface is located. 128. The ink cartridge according to one of paragraphs.126 or 127, in which at least one of: the shape, width, length of the protrusion corresponds to the characteristics of the ink contained in the ink container. 129. An ink cartridge containing: an ink container having an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall and a second side wall; an ink supply port located on the lower wall closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall, the ink supply port having an axis; a holding member located on the first side wall, wherein the holding member has a protruding engaging portion, a protruding part located in a region where the plane of the second side wall and the plane of the lower wall intersect and protrude in a direction from the first side wall, the protruding part having a surface lying in a plane that is approximately parallel to the axis; a storage device located on the ink cartridge, and many electrodes located on this surface and which are in electrical connection with the storage device, while the side surfaces are in a fixed position relative to the ink container to prevent significant movement of the ink cartridge relative to the device in which the cartridge is installed, in the direction between the side surfaces, moreover, the protruding part has a mounting plate, and the surface of the protruding part is the surface of said mounting plate, and when the cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer, the holding portion biases the plurality of electrodes towards the corresponding plurality of electrodes of the inkjet printer. 130. An ink cartridge to be installed in a printing device, comprising: front, back, top and bottom surfaces; an ink supply port located on a lower surface, wherein the ink supply port has an axis; a holding member having a protruding engaging portion; a first protruding portion having a surface lying in a plane that is parallel to said axis; a storage device located on said ink cartridge; a plurality of electrodes located on the surface, at least some of which are in electrical connection with the storage device, characterized in that the ink supply port is closer to the front than to the rear surface, and the first protruding part is located on the rear surface closer to the lower surface than to the upper, while this protruding part protrudes from the front surface. 131. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the first protruding part has many side parts to limit the position when the ink cartridge is inserted into the printing device. 132. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the width of the first protruding portion is less than the width of the ink cartridge. 133. The ink cartridge of claim 130, further comprising an elastic sealing member disposed in an ink supply port for engaging with an ink supply member of the printing apparatus when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing apparatus. 134. The ink cartridge of claim 130, wherein the electrodes are arranged in at least two rows, and these rows are perpendicular to said axis of the ink supply port. 135. The ink cartridge according to p. 130, in which the electrodes and the storage device are located on a circuit board mounted on the said surface of the first protruding part, and this surface is parallel to the installation direction of the ink cartridge in the printing device, and the electrodes are formed on the open side of the surface of the circuit board. 136. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the electrodes are located on the circuit board in an offset position closer to the bottom surface than to the top. 137. The ink cartridge according to claim 130, wherein each of the electrodes has a vertically elongated shape, wherein the length of each of the electrodes in the vertical direction is greater than the length of each of the electrodes in a lateral direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. 138. The ink cartridge of claim 130, wherein the retaining member is resiliently deformable. 139. The ink cartridge of claim 130, wherein the retaining member includes a lever having an engaging portion that may engage with a receiving portion of the printing apparatus, and this lever comprises an elastic member that entrains the ink container in the direction with first protrusion. 140. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the lever has at least one second protruding part, which biases the upper part of the lever outward when the cartridge is inserted into the printing device. 141. The ink cartridge according to p, in which at least one second protruding part includes two side protrusions, and these side protrusions, respectively, are located on each side surface of the lever. 142. The ink cartridge according to p. 130, containing a pressing surface lying in a plane that is parallel to the lower surface, and the pressing surface is located so that the structure of the inkjet printer is in contact with the pressing surface and presses the pressing surface toward the bottom wall when the ink cartridge is installed in an inkjet printer. 143. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the pressed surface is located on the first protruding part. 144. The ink cartridge of claim 130, wherein the pressable surface is the upper surface of the first protruding portion, and when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device, said upper surface is pressed in the direction of the lower wall by a position-limiting elastic member that is part of the printing pressing member devices. 145. The ink cartridge of claim 130, further comprising a protrusion protruding from the rear surface, the protrusion being located closer to the upper surface than the first protruding portion, the pressable surface being located on the protrusion. 146. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the protrusion is located and is designed to be pressed in the direction of the lower part of the installation lever to hold the cartridge, which is part of the printing device. 147. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the protrusion is located in the area formed between the outermost electrodes in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device and which is parallel to the rear surface. 148. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the height of the protrusion from the rear surface is less than the height of the first protruding part from the rear surface. 149. The ink cartridge according to p, in which said pressed surface of the protrusion at least partially protrudes perpendicular to said surface on which the electrodes are formed. 150. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the protrusion is combined with the first protruding part, on which the electrodes are located. 151. The ink cartridge according to p, additionally containing at least one of: a third protrusion, ribs and grooves formed on one of the side parts of the first protruding part. 152. An ink cartridge according to claim 131, further comprising a first one element of: a third protrusion, ribs, grooves formed on the first side portion, and a second one element of: a third protrusion, ribs, grooves formed on the second specified side portion of the first protruding parts. 153. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the side parts of the first protruding part, respectively, determine the side surfaces parallel to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device. 154. The ink cartridge of claim 130, further comprising an identification protrusion protruding outward from the rear surface at a position located between the upper wall and the first protruding portion. 155. The ink cartridge according to p. 154, in which the identification protrusion protrudes outward beyond the plane in which the surface lies. 156. The ink cartridge according to claim 154, wherein at least one of the width of the identification protrusion, the number of identification protrusions, and the distance between the mutually adjacent identification protrusions corresponds to the property of the ink contained in the ink container. 157. The ink cartridge according to p, in which said identification protrusion is located between the first protruding part and the protrusion. 158. The ink cartridge according to claim 154, wherein the identification protrusion is designed as a block fixed to the ink container by a fixing member. 159. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the identification element and the first protruding part are designed as a single unit, fixed on the ink container with a locking element. 160. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 154-159, wherein the distal end of the identification element extends outwardly from said surface on which electrodes are formed. 161. The ink cartridge of claim 154, wherein the plurality of identification elements are located. 162. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the retaining element is located on the front surface. 163. Ink cartridge that can be installed disconnecting from a printing apparatus having an ink supply pin, comprising: front, back, top and bottom surfaces; an ink supply port located on the lower surface closer to the front than to the back surface; a holding member located on the front surface; a circuit board having a storage device and a plurality of electrodes; a portion for mounting the circuit board located on the lower part of the rear surface and having two opposing surfaces for adjusting the ink cartridge with respect to the printing apparatus. 164. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the opposite sides are made so that they are limited by ribs provided in the printing device in such a position that the electrodes are in electrical connection with the contacts provided in the printing device, and the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device. 165. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the width of the part for the location of the circuit board is less than the width of the ink cartridge. 166. The ink cartridge according to p, additionally containing an elastic sealing element located in the port for supplying ink, to enter into engagement with a pin for supplying ink to the printing device, when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device. 167. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the electrodes are located at least two rows, and at least one of these rows is perpendicular to the axis of the port for supplying ink. 168. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the circuit board is mounted on the surface of the part for the location of the circuit board, and this surface is parallel to the direction of insertion of the ink cartridge into the printing device, and the electrodes are formed on the open side of the surface of the circuit board. 169. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the electrodes are located on the circuit board in an offset position closer to the bottom than to the top. 170. The ink cartridge according to p, in which each of the electrodes has a vertically elongated shape, so that the length of each of the electrodes in the vertical direction is greater than the length of each of the electrodes in the lateral direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. 171. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the holding element is elastically deformable. 172. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the retaining element includes a lever having an engaging portion configured to engage with the receiving portion of the printing device, and the lever is resilient and carries the ink container downward. 173. The ink cartridge of claim 172, wherein the lever has at least one first protrusion that biases the upper portion of the lever outward when the cartridge is inserted into the printing apparatus. 174. The ink cartridge according to p, in which at least one first protruding part includes two side protrusions, said side protrusions located respectively on each side surface of the lever. 175. The ink cartridge according to p, additionally containing a clamping surface lying in a plane that is parallel to the bottom surface, and the clamping surface is located so that the structure of the inkjet printer is in contact with the clamping surface and presses the clamping surface downward when the ink cartridge is installed in inkjet printer. 176. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the pressed surface is located on the part for the location of the circuit board. 177. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the pressed surface is the upper surface of the part for the location of the circuit board, and when the ink cartridge is installed in the printing device, said upper surface is pressed downwardly by the position-limiting elastic element, which is part of the printing structure devices. 178. The ink cartridge according to p, additionally containing a protrusion protruding from the rear surface, and the protrusion is located closer to the upper surface than the part for the location of the circuit board, while the pressed surface is located on the said protrusion. 179. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the protrusion is of such dimensions and is located so as to be pressed downward by the installation lever to hold the cartridge, which is part of the printing device. 180. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the protrusion is located in the area formed by and between the outermost electrodes in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device and which is parallel to the rear surface. 181. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the height of the protrusion from the rear surface is less than the height of the part for the location of the circuit board from the rear surface. 182. The ink cartridge of claim 178, wherein said pressable surface of the protrusion at least partially extends perpendicular to said surface on which electrodes are formed. 183. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the protrusion is combined with part for the location of the circuit board on which the electrodes are located. 184. The ink cartridge according to Claim 173, further comprising at least one of: a second protrusion, ribs, and grooves formed on one of the side portions of the portion for positioning the circuit board. 185. The ink cartridge according to Claim 173, further comprising a first one element of: a second protrusion, ribs and grooves formed on the first side portion, and a second one element of: a second protrusion, ribs and grooves formed on the second side portion of the portion for circuit board location. 186. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the side parts of the part for mounting the circuit board respectively define side surfaces parallel to the direction of installation of the ink cartridge in the printing device. 187. The ink cartridge according to p. 163, further comprising an identification protrusion protruding outward from the rear surface at a position located between the top and the mounting portion of the circuit board. 188. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the identification protrusion protrudes outward beyond the plane in which the surface lies. 189. The ink cartridge according to p, in which at least one of the width of the identification protrusion, the number of identification protrusions and the distance between mutually adjacent identification protrusions corresponds to the property of the ink contained in the ink cartridge. 190. The ink cartridge of claim 188, further comprising a protrusion protruding from the rear, said protrusion being located closer to the top than the portion for positioning the mounting plate, the pressing surface being located on the protrusion, and said identifying protrusion is located between the portion for locating the mounting boards and overhang. 191. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the identification protrusion is a block fixed to the ink cartridge by a fixing element. 192. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the identification protrusion and the first protrusion are designed as a single unit, fixed on the ink container with a locking element. 193. The ink cartridge of claim 187, wherein the distal end of the identification protrusion extends outwardly from said surface on which electrodes are formed. 194. An ink cartridge according to claim 188, having a plurality of identification protrusions. 195. An ink cartridge that can be detached from a printing device having an ink supply pin, comprising: an ink container having an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall crossing the lower wall, and a second side wall crossing the lower wall and located opposite the first side wall; an ink supply port located on the bottom wall in an offset position closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall; a mounting plate location portion located on a lower part of the second side wall, said mounting plate location portion being adapted to mount a mounting plate with a memory device and a plurality of electrodes on it, and further comprises two opposite sides for adjusting the horizontal position of the ink cartridge in relation to the printing device, a holding member having an engaging portion located in the upper position on the first side wall, adapted to adjust the vertical position of the ink cartridge with respect to the printing apparatus; a plurality of electrodes in electrical connection with a storage device on a circuit board; due to this design, the ink cartridge is held diagonally by the part for positioning the circuit board in the lower position on the second side wall and the retaining element in the upper position on the first side wall, and thus can be securely fixed in a predetermined position in the printing device. 196. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the guide protruding portion is provided at a lower location on the first side wall, adapted to adjust the horizontal position of the ink cartridge relative to the printing device. 197. The ink cartridge of claim 195, wherein the protruding portion is provided at an upper location on a second side wall adapted to adjust the vertical position of the ink cartridge with respect to the printing apparatus. 198. The ink cartridge according to § 195, in which the horizontal position of the ink cartridge by means of the mounting plate location portion is realized such that the two sides of the mounting plate location portion are horizontally bounded by a corresponding portion located at a location of the printing apparatus corresponding to the bottom location on the second side wall of the ink cartridge. 199. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the adjustment of the vertical position of the ink cartridge by means of the holding element is implemented so that the engaging part is bounded in the vertical direction by the corresponding part, which is located at the location of the printing device corresponding to the upper location on the first side wall of the ink cartridge . 200. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the horizontal position of the ink cartridge by means of the guide protruding part is implemented so that the guide protruding part is bounded in the horizontal direction by the corresponding part, which is located at the location of the printing device corresponding to the lower location on the first side wall of the ink cartridge . 201. The ink cartridge according to p, in which the adjustment of the vertical position of the ink cartridge by means of the protruding part is implemented so that the protruding part is bounded in the vertical direction by the corresponding part, which is located at the location of the printing device corresponding to the upper location on the second side wall of the ink cartridge. 202. An ink cartridge that can be detached from a printing device having an ink supply pin, comprising: an ink container having an upper part, a lower part, a first side part intersecting the lower part, and a second side part intersecting the lower part and located opposite the first side part; an ink supply port located on the lower part in an offset position closer to the first side part than to the second side part; a mounting plate arrangement part located on a lower part of the second side part, said mounting plate arrangement part being adapted to mount a mounting plate with a memory device and a plurality of electrodes on it, and further comprises two opposite sides for adjusting the horizontal position of the ink cartridge according to in relation to the printing device, a holding member having an engaging portion located in an upper position on the first side portion, adapted to adjust the vertical position of the ink cartridge with respect to the printing apparatus; a plurality of electrodes in electrical connection with a storage device on a circuit board. 203. The ink cartridge according to claim 202, wherein the guide protruding portion is provided at a lower location on a first side portion adapted to adjust the horizontal position of the ink cartridge with respect to the printing apparatus. 204. The ink cartridge according to claim 202, wherein the protruding portion is provided at an upper location on a second side portion adapted to adjust the vertical position of the ink cartridge with respect to the printing apparatus. 205. The ink cartridge according to claim 202, wherein adjusting the horizontal position of the ink cartridge by the mounting plate portion is such that the two sides of the mounting plate portion are bounded horizontally by a corresponding portion that is located at a location of the printing apparatus corresponding to the bottom location on the second side of the ink cartridge. 206. The ink cartridge according to claim 202, wherein adjusting the vertical position of the ink cartridge by the holding member is such that the engaging portion is bounded vertically by a corresponding portion that is located at a location of the printing apparatus corresponding to an upper location on the first side portion of the ink cartridge . 207. The ink cartridge according to claim 202, wherein adjusting the horizontal position of the ink cartridge by the guide protruding portion is implemented such that the guide protruding portion is horizontally bounded by a corresponding portion that is located at a location of the printing device corresponding to a lower location on the first side of the ink cartridge . 208. The ink cartridge according to claim 204, wherein adjusting the vertical position of the ink cartridge by means of the protruding portion is implemented such that the protruding portion is bounded in the vertical direction by a corresponding portion that is located at a location of the printing device corresponding to the upper location on the second side of the ink cartridge. 209. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 202-208, wherein the container has a substantially flat upper portion and a substantially flat lower portion. 210. The ink cartridge of claim 208, wherein a substantially flat upper portion and a substantially flat lower portion define an upper wall and a lower wall, respectively, of the container, wherein the upper wall is substantially parallel to the lower wall. 211. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 202-208, wherein the ink container has a container body having a first side and a second side, the first side being substantially parallel to the second side and the second side being separated from the first side top and bottom. Priority on points: 11/26/2002 according to claims 1, 2, 5-14, 16-19, 33, 39, 41-48, 52-55, 58-65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 81-85, 88, 94- 104, 106, 107, 109, 110, 117-119, 129-134, 137-141, 143, 144, 162-167, 170-174, 176, 177, 195, 196, 198-200, 202, 203, 205-207, 209-211; 03/20/2003 according to claims 15, 49; 03/20/2003 according to claims 3, 4, 21, 29, 30, 40, 50, 51, 69, 89, 90, 92, 93, 108, 113, 135, 136, 145, 146, 148, 150, 153, 168, 169, 178, 179, 181, 183, 186, 197, 201, 204, 208; 05/06/2003 according to claims 20, 22-25, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 56, 57, 66, 72, 73, 76-78, 91, 114-116, 120, 124-128, 147, 154-161, 180, 187-194; 07/31/2003 according to claims 26, 86, 87, 105, 121-123, 142, 149, 175, 182; 08/28/2003 according to claims 27, 28, 36, 37, 74, 75, 79-80, 111, 112, 151, 152, 184-185.

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