CN107735259B - Liquid cartridge, liquid consuming device, method of inserting a liquid cartridge into a cartridge mounting portion of a liquid consuming device, and use of a liquid cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A kind of fluid cartridge is configured to resist the pushing force for being directed toward the second direction opposite with the first direction along horizontal direction and be inserted into a first direction in liquid consuming apparatus, and is thus mounted to liquid consuming apparatus.The fluid cartridge is configured in liquid consuming apparatus pivot around pivoting centre.The fluid cartridge includes below, and including first behind this and being positioned to remote second in an upward direction than first.First includes being positioned to remote part in a downward direction than pivoting centre, and first is positioned to far in a first direction than second.

Description

Liquid Cartridge, Liquid Consumption Device, Cassette Installation for Inserting Liquid Cartridge into Liquid Consuming Device Method and use of liquid cartridges in the filling section

technical field

The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge, a liquid consuming device, a method of inserting the liquid cartridge into a cartridge mounting portion of a liquid consuming device and the use of the liquid cartridge.

Background technique

A known inkjet recording apparatus is configured to record an image on a medium by ejecting ink stored in an ink cartridge onto the medium from nozzles. When the ink is used up, the ink cartridge is replaced.

One known apparatus, as described in US Pat. No. 5,949,459, has a container receiving station configured to receive ink containers and having a latching feature. The ink containers have corresponding latching features. When the ink container is inserted into the container receiving station, the latching feature of the ink container engages the corresponding latching feature of the container receiving portion, and thus the ink container is locked in the container receiving station against the urging force of the spring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In this known apparatus, the ink container needs to pivot from a posture in which the latch feature of the ink container does not engage a corresponding latch feature of the container receiver to a position in which the latch feature of the ink container engages a corresponding feature of the container receiver attitude, so that the ink container is locked against the urging force of the spring. Therefore, the user needs to intentionally apply a force to the rear of the ink container in the opposite direction (horizontal direction) to the direction in which the spring pushes the ink container and in the direction (downward direction) intersecting the direction in which the spring pushes the ink container, The ink container is enabled to pivot and the latch feature to engage the corresponding latch feature.

Because the spring pushes against the lower front of the ink container, if the user pushes the upper back of the ink container (pointed by the arrow in Patent No. 5,949,459), the ink container pivots up about the point where the spring pushes the ink container. Therefore, the user needs to intentionally pivot the ink container downward after pushing the ink container in the horizontal direction.

Accordingly, a need has arisen for a liquid cartridge that overcomes these and other disadvantages of the related art. A technical advantage of the present invention is that the liquid cartridge can be easily locked in the liquid consuming device.

According to one aspect of the invention, a liquid cartridge is configured to be inserted into a liquid consuming device in a first direction against a urging force directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction along the horizontal direction, and thereby are installed to liquid consuming equipment. The liquid cartridge includes: a liquid chamber configured to store liquid therein; a front face facing a first direction when the liquid cartridge is inserted into the liquid consuming device; and a liquid supply at the front face , and the liquid supply is configured to allow insertion of a liquid supply tube of the liquid consuming device into the liquid supply; a sealing member, the sealing member is located at the liquid supply, and the sealing member has a liquid supply opening formed through the sealing member, wherein the sealing member The part is configured to contact the outer surface of the liquid supply tube while elastically deforming when the liquid supply tube is inserted through the liquid supply opening; the upper surface, when the liquid cartridge is inserted into the liquid consumption device, the upper surface faces the upward direction; the locking surface , the locking surface is located above, and the locking surface is configured to contact the locking portion of the liquid consuming device in a second direction; and a rear, when the liquid cartridge is inserted into the liquid consuming device, the rear facing the second direction, wherein the liquid The cartridge is configured to pivot about a pivot center, which is the center of the liquid supply opening, when the liquid cartridge is inserted into the liquid consuming device and the liquid supply tube is inserted through the liquid supply opening, wherein the liquid cartridge is configured to be at the center of the liquid supply opening. Pivoting between a first attitude and a second attitude wherein the locking surface contacts the locking portion in a second direction when the liquid cartridge is in the first attitude and restricts movement of the liquid cartridge relative to the liquid consuming device in the second direction , and wherein the locking surface is positioned further in the downward direction than the locking portion when the liquid cartridge is in the second attitude, and the rear includes a first portion and a second portion positioned further in the upward direction than the first portion, wherein The first portion includes a portion located further in the downward direction than the pivot center, and the first portion is located further in the first direction than the second portion.

With this configuration, since the first portion is positioned further in the first direction than the second portion when the liquid cartridge is inserted into the liquid consuming device, the user tends to push the second portion positioned closer to the user, rather than to promote the first. When the second part is pushed, a moment is applied to the liquid cartridge in the liquid consuming device such that the liquid cartridge pivots from the second attitude to the first attitude about the pivot center. The locking surface of the liquid cartridge in the first attitude contacts the locking portion in the second direction and restricts movement of the liquid cartridge relative to the liquid consuming device in the second direction, ie the liquid cartridge is locked in the liquid consuming device. The user can easily insert and lock the liquid cartridge in the liquid consuming device.

Optionally, the second part includes letters or symbols on it, and the letters or symbols indicate that the second part should be pushed.

With this configuration, the user is prompted to push the second part.

Optionally, the following conditions are satisfied: FH>GL. G is the magnitude of the gravitational force acting on the liquid cartridge at least when the liquid chamber is completely filled with liquid or when the liquid in the liquid chamber is consumed, F is the push in the second direction when the liquid cartridge is in the first attitude The magnitude of the pressing force pressing the liquid cartridge, L is the distance along the first direction between the center of gravity and the pivot center of the liquid cartridge when the liquid cartridge is in the second posture, and H is the distance in the first direction when the liquid cartridge is in the second posture is the height of the lower end of the second part along the upward direction perpendicular to the first direction from the pivot center.

With this configuration, the moment generated by the pushed second portion and causing the liquid cartridge to pivot from the second attitude to the first attitude becomes greater than the moment generated by the gravitational force acting on the liquid cartridge and causing the liquid cartridge to pivot from the first attitude The moment to go to the second pose.

Optionally, the first portion is a plane that intersects the first virtual plane at an angle of α degrees when the liquid cartridge is in the second attitude, and the first virtual plane is perpendicular to the first direction. The following conditions are satisfied: (Fcosα)N>GL. N is the length of a vertical line extending from the pivot center to a second virtual plane that is perpendicular to the first portion and that intersects the lower end of the first portion.

With this configuration, even if the first part is pushed, the moment generated by the pushed first part and causing the liquid cartridge to pivot from the second attitude to the first attitude still becomes larger than that generated by the gravitational force acting on the liquid cartridge and A moment that causes the liquid cartridge to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude.

Optionally, the liquid cartridge further includes a receiving portion configured to receive a urging force directed in the second direction, wherein the receiving portion is positioned further in the downward direction than the liquid supply portion when the liquid cartridge is in the second posture .

With this configuration, additional torque is applied to the liquid cartridge, causing the liquid cartridge to pivot from the second attitude to the first attitude.

Optionally, the receiving portion is configured to receive the urging force from a urging member provided in the liquid consuming device.

Optionally, the liquid cartridge further includes an electrical interface, the electrical interface is located above, and the electrical interface is configured to be in contact with the liquid consuming device when the liquid cartridge is in both the first posture and the second posture in the liquid consuming device. wherein the position of the pivot center along the first direction and the position of the electrical interface along the first direction at least partially overlap when the liquid cartridge is in the second attitude.

With this configuration, the magnitude of the moment generated by the pressing force of the contacts and applied to the liquid cartridge is zero or very small.

Optionally, the liquid cartridge further includes an operating surface, the operating surface being located above, and the operating surface being located further in the second direction than the locking surface.

With this configuration, since the operating surface is positioned farther from the pivot center than the locking surface, when the user intends to release the liquid cartridge from the first attitude, the user can easily operate the operating surface to cause the liquid cartridge to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude Two attitudes.

The operation surface faces the upward direction and the second direction.

With this configuration, when the user operates the operation surface to release the liquid cartridge from the first posture, the user's force is directed toward the downward direction and the first direction. The locking surface is separated from the locking portion due to the force directed towards the first direction. The liquid cartridge pivots from the first posture to the second posture due to the force directed in the downward direction. Therefore, as compared with the case in which the liquid cartridge is pivoted from the first attitude to the second attitude while the locking surface slides on the locking portion, the application to the operating surface to cause the liquid tank to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude is required The force becomes less and the user can release the liquid cartridge easily.

Optionally, the operating surface does not move relative to the liquid chamber.

With this configuration, the force applied to the operating surface is directly transmitted to the liquid cartridge without changing its direction.

Optionally, the upper surface includes a secondary upper surface that is positioned farther in the downward direction than the operation surface when the liquid cartridge is in the first posture, the operation surface and the auxiliary upper surface at least partially overlap in the downward direction, and the upper surface is located on the operation surface. A space is formed in the downward direction between the upper surface and the upper surface.

With this configuration, the operation surface becomes recognizable to the user.

Optionally, the operating surface includes a plurality of elongated protrusions.

With this configuration, the operation surface becomes recognizable to the user, and when the user operates the operation surface with his/her fingers, the operation surface becomes slip-resistant.

Optionally, when the liquid cartridge is in the first attitude, the upper end of the locking surface is located outside a virtual circle, and the lower end of the locking surface is located within a virtual circle, wherein the virtual circle has a center at the pivot center, and the virtual circle Cross with the locking part.

With this configuration, when an urging force is applied to the liquid cartridge in the removal direction while the locking surface contacts the locking portion, the locking portion slides on the locking surface toward the lower end of the locking surface.

Optionally, the liquid cartridge is configured to be inserted into the housing of the liquid consuming device and the locking surface is configured to contact the locking portion which does not move relative to the housing.

With this configuration, the liquid cartridge pivots to be locked by the locking portion that does not move relative to the housing.

Optionally, a liquid consuming device comprising: the aforementioned liquid cartridge; and a cartridge mounting portion, wherein the liquid cartridge is configured to be inserted into the cartridge mounting portion in a first direction against an urging force directed in a second direction, and thereby The cartridge mounting portion is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion and includes: a liquid supply tube configured to be inserted into the liquid supply portion; and a locking portion configured to contact the locking surface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a liquid cartridge includes: a liquid chamber configured to store liquid therein; a front; a rear, wherein the liquid chamber is located between the front and the rear, and the rear includes an upper portion and a rear lower part; upper part; lower part, wherein the liquid chamber is located between the upper part and the lower part; the liquid supply part, the liquid supply part is located at the front part; A liquid supply opening is formed, and the liquid supply opening has a central axis; a locking surface, at which the locking surface is located; and an operating surface, where the operating surface is located above, wherein the distance from the locking surface to the front in the first direction is greater than that in the second direction The distance from the locking surface to the back in the first direction is smaller than the distance from the operating surface to the front in the first direction, and the distance from the upper to the bottom in the third direction is greater than that in the third direction The distance up from the lower part to the lower part, the distance from the upper part to the front part in the first direction is greater than the distance from the lower part to the front part in the first direction, the lower part includes the distance between the center axis of the liquid supply opening and the lower part in the third direction. Sections, the first direction extends from the rear towards the front, the second direction is opposite the first direction and extends from the front towards the rear, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first and second directions and extends from above to below.

With this configuration, the liquid cartridge can be easily locked in the liquid consuming device, and can also be easily released.

Optionally, the lower portion is closer to the front at a position closer to the lower, or the lower portion becomes closer to the front as it gets closer to the lower.

With this configuration, even if the lower part is pushed, the moment generated by the pushed lower part and causing the liquid cartridge to pivot from the second attitude to the first attitude becomes larger than that generated by the gravitational force acting on the liquid cartridge and causing the liquid cartridge from The moment at which the first attitude pivots to the second attitude.

Optionally, the lower portion includes a flat surface.

Optionally, the upper surface includes a secondary upper surface, the secondary upper surface is located further in the third direction than the operating surface, the position of the operating surface along the first direction and the position of the secondary upper surface along the first direction at least partially overlap, or the operating surface and The sub-upper surface at least partially overlaps in the third direction, and a space is formed in the third direction between the operation surface and the sub-upper surface.

With this configuration, the operation surface becomes recognizable to the user.

Optionally, the operating surface is observable when the liquid cartridge is viewed in the third direction, and the operating surface is observable when the liquid cartridge is viewed in the first direction.

With this configuration, when the user operates the operation surface to release the liquid cartridge from the first posture, the user's force is directed toward the first direction and the third direction. The locking surface is separated from the locking portion due to the force directed towards the first direction. The liquid cartridge pivots from the first posture to the second posture due to the force directed towards the third direction. Therefore, as compared with the case in which the liquid cartridge is pivoted from the first attitude to the second attitude while the locking surface slides on the locking portion, the application to the operating surface to cause the liquid tank to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude is required The force becomes less and the user can release the liquid cartridge easily.

Optionally, at least a portion of the operating surface protrudes further than the locking surface in a fourth direction opposite the third direction and extending from below towards above.

With this configuration, even when the liquid cartridge is dropped with the upper face facing down, the locking surface can still be protected by at least a part of the operating surface and can not be damaged.

Optionally, the operating surface includes a plurality of protrusions formed thereon. Optionally, the plurality of protrusions are a plurality of elongated protrusions.

With this configuration, the operation surface becomes recognizable to the user, and when the user operates the operation surface with his/her fingers, the operation surface becomes slip-resistant.

Optionally, the operating surface does not move relative to the liquid chamber.

With this configuration, the force applied to the operating surface is directly transmitted to the liquid cartridge without changing its direction.

Other objects, features and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the needs met thereby, and its objects, features, and advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer including a cartridge mounting portion and an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a front view of the cartridge mounting portion.

[ Fig. 3A] Fig. 3A is a perspective view of the ink cartridge viewed from the front and above.

[ Fig. 3B] Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the ink cartridge viewed from the front and below.

[ Fig. 4A] Fig. 4A is a perspective view of the ink cartridge viewed from the rear and above.

[ Fig. 4B] Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the ink cartridge viewed from the rear and below.

[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a side view of the ink cartridge.

[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge, showing the inside of the ink cartridge.

[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion, in which the ink cartridge has been started to be inserted into the cartridge mounting portion.

[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion in which the second protrusion contacts the slider.

[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion, wherein the ink supply portion has started to enter the guide portion, and the rod has started to enter the recessed portion of the front cover.

[ Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion, in which the ink supply tube is inserted through the ink supply opening of the ink supply portion.

[Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion, in which the ink cartridge is locked in the cartridge mounting portion.

[ Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a side view of the ink cartridge in the second posture, in which force is applied to the upper portion of the rear.

[ Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a side view of the ink cartridge in the second posture, in which force is applied to the lower portion of the rear.

[ Fig. 14] Fig. 14 is a side view of the ink cartridge in the first posture, in which an imaginary circle is shown.

[ Fig. 15A] Fig. 15A is a plan view of the ink cartridge viewed in the downward direction.

[ Fig. 15B] Fig. 15B is a rear view of the ink cartridge viewed in the forward direction.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention, along with their features and advantages, can be understood by referring to Figures 1-15B, where like reference numerals are used for like corresponding parts throughout the various drawings.

In the following embodiments, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the insertion direction 51 as an example of the first direction, and the ink cartridge 30 is inserted in the removal direction 52 as an example of the second direction opposite to the insertion direction 51 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110 . In the following embodiments, the insertion direction 51 is the horizontal direction, and the removal direction 52 is also the horizontal direction. However, in another embodiment, the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52 may not be horizontal. In the following embodiments, the downward direction 53 is the direction of gravity, and the upward direction 54 is the opposite direction to the direction of gravity. Also, the rightward direction 55 is perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 and the downward direction 53, and the leftward direction 56 is opposite to the rightward direction 55 and perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 and the downward direction 53. More specifically, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the installation posture as an example of the first posture, when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the removal direction 52 , the rightward direction 55 extends rightward and the leftward direction 56 extends leftward. The mounting posture is the posture that the ink cartridge 30 takes when the ink cartridge 30 has been inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 up to the mounting position and is locked in the cartridge mounting portion 110 . Also, the insertion direction 51 is also referred to as the forward direction 57 and the removal direction 52 is also referred to as the rearward direction 58 .

<Printer 10>

Referring to FIG. 1, a liquid consuming device such as a printer 10 is an ink jet printer configured to record an image on a sheet of recording paper by selectively ejecting ink droplets thereon. The printer 10 includes a liquid consuming part such as a recording head 21 , an ink supply device 100 , and an ink tube 20 connecting the recording head 21 and the ink supply device 100 . The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge mounting portion 110 . The cartridge mounting portion 110 is configured to allow a liquid cartridge such as the ink cartridge 30 to be mounted therein. The cartridge mounting portion 110 has an opening 112 and the inside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 is exposed to the outside of the cartridge mounting portion 110 via the opening 112 . The ink cartridge 30 is configured to be inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 via the opening 112 in the insertion direction 51 and removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110 via the opening 112 in the removal direction 52 .

The ink cartridge 30 is configured to store ink used by the printer 10 as an example of a liquid. When the installation of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge mounting portion 110 has been completed, the ink cartridge 30 and the recording head 21 are fluidly connected via the ink tube 20 . The recording head 21 includes the sub grooves 28 . The sub tank 28 is configured to temporarily store ink supplied from the ink cartridge 30 via the ink tube 20 . The recording head 21 includes nozzles 29 and is configured to selectively eject ink supplied from the sub-tanks 28 through the nozzles 29 . More specifically, the recording head 21 includes a head control board (not shown) and piezoelectric actuators 29A corresponding to the nozzles 29, and the head control board is configured to selectively apply a driving voltage to the piezoelectric actuators 29A. In this way, ink is ejected from the nozzles 29 .

The printer 10 includes a paper feed tray 15 , paper feed rollers 23 , a conveyance roller pair 25 , a platen 26 , a discharge roller pair 27 , and the discharge tray 16 . The conveyance path 24 is formed from the paper feed tray 15 to the discharge tray 16 via the conveyance roller pair 25 , the platen 26 and the discharge roller pair 27 . The paper feed roller 23 is configured to feed the recording paper sheet from the paper feed tray 15 to the conveyance path 24 . The conveying roller pair 25 is configured to convey the recording paper sheet fed from the paper feeding tray 15 onto the platen 26 . The recording head 21 is configured to selectively eject ink onto a sheet of recording paper passing over the platen 26 . Accordingly, the image is recorded on the recording paper sheet. The recording paper sheet that has passed over the platen 26 is discharged by the pair of discharge rollers 27 to the paper discharge tray 16 arranged at the most downstream side of the conveyance path 24 .

<Ink Supply Device 100>

Referring to FIG. 1 , a printer 10 includes an ink supply device 100 . The ink supply device 100 is configured to supply ink to the recording head 21 . The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge mounting portion 110 to which the ink cartridge 30 can be mounted. In FIG. 1 , the installation of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge installation portion 110 has been completed, in other words, the ink cartridge 30 is in the installation posture (first posture).

<Cassette Mounting Section 110>

2 and 7, the cartridge mount 110 is configured to receive four ink cartridges 30 that store cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, respectively. The cartridge mount 110 includes a housing 101 , and four ink supply tubes 102 , four sensors 103 , four sets of four contacts 106 , four sliders 107 , and four rods 125 corresponding to the four ink cartridges 30 , respectively. The cartridge mounting portion 110 also includes a locking portion 145 . One common locking portion 145 is used for the four ink cartridges 30 . The number of ink cartridges 30 is not limited to four. For example, in another embodiment, the cartridge mount 110 may be configured to receive only one ink cartridge 30 , six ink cartridges 30 , or eight ink cartridges 30 .

<Case 101>

The housing 101 has a box shape and forms the outer shape of the box mounting portion 110 . The housing 101 has an inner space formed therein. The housing 101 includes: an upper portion, the upper portion defining an upper end of the inner space; a lower portion, the lower portion defining a lower end of the inner space; and an end surface connected to the upper portion and the lower portion. The housing 101 has openings 112 formed oppositely from the end surfaces in the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52 . The opening 112 can be exposed to the exterior of the printer 10 through the user interface surface of the printer 10 . The user interface surface is the surface that the user faces and touches when the user uses the printer 10 . The ink cartridge 30 is configured to be inserted into and removed from the housing 101 through the opening 112 . Each of the upper and lower parts of the housing 101 has a guide groove 109 formed therein, and the guide groove 109 extends in the insertion direction 51 from the opening 112 . When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the casing 101 , the upper end of the ink cartridge 30 is in the guide groove 109 of the upper part of the casing 101 , and the lower end of the ink cartridge 30 is in the guide groove 109 of the lower part of the casing 101 . , so that the movement of the ink cartridge 30 is guided in the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52 . The housing 101 includes three panels 104 extending in the upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53, and which divide the interior space of the housing 101 into four vertically elongated spaces. Each of the four spaces receives a corresponding one of the ink cartridges 30 .

<Ink Supply Tube 102>

1 , 2 and 7 , the ink supply tube 102 is made of synthetic resin, and is located at a lower portion of the end surface of the housing 101 at a position corresponding to the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30 mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 110 . The ink supply tube 102 extends from the end surface of the housing 101 in the removal direction 52 .

The cylindrical guide portion 105 is provided to surround the ink supply tube 102 . The guide portion 105 extends from the end surface of the housing 101 in the removal direction 52 and has an inner space open at the distal end of the guide portion 105 . The ink supply tube 102 is located at the center of the inner space of the guide portion 105 . The guide portion 105 has such a shape that it can receive the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30 in the inner space of the guide portion 105.

10 , during insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the insertion direction 51 , that is, when the ink cartridge 30 is moved toward the mounting position, the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30 enters the inner space of the guide portion 105 . When the ink cartridge is further inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the insertion direction 51 , the ink supply tube 102 is inserted through the ink supply opening 71 formed in the ink supply portion 34 . When this occurs, the valve 77 provided in the ink supply portion 34 moves to open the ink supply opening 71. As a result, the ink supply tube 102 and the ink supply portion 34 are connected to each other. The ink stored in the ink chamber 36 of the ink cartridge 30 flows into the ink tube 20 connected to the ink supply tube 102 via the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 of the ink supply portion 34 and the inner space of the ink supply tube 102. The ink supply tube 102 may have a flat end surface or a pointed end.

<Slider 107>

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 11 , the lower portion of the housing 101 includes a groove bottom wall that defines the bottom end of the guide groove 109 . The groove bottom wall has an opening 111 formed through the groove bottom wall in the upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53 at a position adjacent to the end surface of the housing 101, and the opening 111 is in the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52 on extension. The slider 107 is located in the opening 111 . The slider 107 extends through the opening 111 from the space below the bottom wall of the trench to the space above the bottom wall of the trench. The housing 101 includes guide rails 113 extending in the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52, and the slider 107 is configured to slide on the guide rails 113 in the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52 in the opening 111. The tension spring 114 is connected to the housing 101 at one end and to the slider 107 at the other end. The tension spring 114 pulls the slide 107 in the removal direction 52 . Therefore, when no external force is applied to the slider 107, the slider 107 is located at the end of the guide rail 113 in the removal direction 52. When an external force is applied to the slider 107 in the insertion direction 51 , the slider 107 moves along the guide rail 113 in the opening 111 from the end of the guide rail 113 in the insertion direction 51 .

8, during the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the insertion direction 51, that is, when the ink cartridge 30 is moved toward the installation position, the second protrusion 86 of the ink cartridge 30 moves in the guide groove 109 in the insertion direction 51 and Contact slider 107 . When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the insertion direction 51 , the second protrusion 86 pushes the slider 107 in the insertion direction 51 , and the slider 107 resists the urging force of the tension spring 114 in the insertion direction 51 move. The second protrusion 86 of the ink cartridge 30 receives the pressing force in the second direction 52 from the slider 107 . The slider 107 and the tension spring 114 are examples of urging members.

<Locking part 145>

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7 , the locking portion 145 is positioned adjacent the upper portion of the housing 101 and the opening 112 . The locking portion 145 has an elongated shape extending in the leftward direction 56 and the rightward direction 55 in the housing 101 . For example, the locking portion 145 is a metal cylinder. The locking portion 145 has a left end in the leftward direction 56 and a right end in the rightward direction 55, and the housing 101 has: a left end wall defining an end of the inner space of the housing 101 in the leftward direction 56; and a right end wall , the right end wall defines the end of the interior space of the housing 101 in the rightward direction 55 . The left end of the locking portion 145 is fixed at the left end wall of the housing 101 , and the right end of the locking portion 145 is fixed at the right end wall of the housing 101 . The locking portion 145 does not move relative to the housing 101 , eg, does not pivot relative to the housing 101 . The locking portions 145 respectively extend over the four spaces into which the four cartridges 30 can be mounted. A space is formed around the locking portion 145 in each of the four spaces. Therefore, the locking portion 145 is accessible in the upward direction 54 and the removal direction 52 .

The locking portion 145 is used to lock the ink cartridge 30 in the mounting position when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 110 . When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 and pivoted to the mounting posture which is an example of the first posture, the ink cartridge 30 contacts the locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52 , and the locking portion 145 resists the pressing force from the slider 107 The ink cartridge 30 is locked or held against the ground and against the urging force of the coil spring 78 of the ink cartridge 30, which pushes the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52 from the slider 107, which also moves The ink cartridge 30 is pushed in the removal direction 52 .

<Contact 106>

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7 , four contacts 106 are positioned adjacent to the upper portion of the housing 101 and the end surface of the housing 101 . Although not shown in the drawing, the four contacts 106 are aligned and spaced from each other in the leftward direction 56 and the rightward direction 55 . The arrangement of the four contacts 106 corresponds to the arrangement of the four electrodes 65 of the ink cartridge 30 . Each of the contacts 106 is made of a material that is electrically conductive and resilient and can be resiliently deformed in the upward direction 54 . Four sets of four contacts 106 are provided corresponding to the four ink cartridges 30, respectively. The number of contacts 106 in one set is not limited to four, but may be two, three, or more than four, and the number of electrodes 65 of one ink cartridge 30 is not limited to four, but may be two , three or more than four.

Each of the contacts 106 is electrically connected to an arithmetic unit (not shown) of the printer 10 via an electrical circuit. The arithmetic unit may include CPU, ROM, and RAM, and may function as a controller for controlling the operation of the printer 10 . When the contacts 106 are in contact with the corresponding electrodes 65, a voltage may be applied from the printer 10 to one of the electrodes 65, or one of the electrodes 65 may be grounded. When the contacts 106 and the corresponding electrodes 65 are in contact, the data stored in the IC of the ink cartridge 30 becomes accessible from the printer 10, and the data can be transmitted to the arithmetic unit via the circuits of the printer 10.

<Rod 125>

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7 , the rod 125 is located at the end surface of the housing 101 above the ink supply tube 102 . The rod 125 extends from this end surface in the removal direction 52 . The rod 125 has a cross-sectional shape taken along a plane perpendicular to the removal direction 52, and like the upper half of a circle, the cross-sectional shape of the rod 125 is a generally inverted U-shape. The rod 125 has ribs extending from the uppermost portion of the U-shaped portion and extending in the removal direction 52 . When the ink cartridge 30 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 110 , that is, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the mounting position, the rod 125 is inserted into the recess 96 formed in the ink cartridge 30 .

<Sensor 103>

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7 , the sensor 103 is located at the upper portion of the housing 101 . The sensor 103 includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part. The light receiving portion is spaced apart from the transmitting portion in the rightward direction 55 or the leftward direction 56 . The light emitting portion and the light receiving portion face each other in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 . When the installation of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge mounting portion 110 is completed, the detection portion 62 of the ink cartridge 30 is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

The light emitting portion of the sensor 103 is configured to emit light, such as visible light or infrared light. The sensor 103 is configured to output different signals based on whether or not the light-receiving portion receives light emitted from the light-emitting portion. If the light-receiving part does not receive the light emitted from the light-emitting part, that is, if the intensity of the light received by the light-receiving part is less than a threshold value, the sensor 103 outputs a low-level signal, that is, a signal whose level is less than the threshold value level Signal. On the other hand, if the light-receiving portion receives the light emitted from the light-emitting portion, that is, the intensity of the light received by the light-receiving portion is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the sensor outputs a high-level signal, that is, the level of which is greater than or a signal equal to the threshold level.

<Cartridge 30>

3 to 6, the ink cartridge 30 is a container configured to store ink. The ink cartridge 30 has an inner space formed therein, and the inner space is an ink chamber 36 , which is an example of a liquid chamber, configured to store ink, which is an example of a liquid. The ink cartridge 30 includes an inner frame 35, a rear cover 31, and a front cover 32. The rear cover 31 and the front cover 32 are attached to each other, and the inner frame 35 is enclosed by the rear cover 31 and the front cover 32 . The rear cover 31 and the front cover 32 form the outer shape of the ink cartridge 30 . The ink chamber 36 is formed in the inner frame 35 . In another embodiment, the ink cartridge 35 may not have the inner frame 35 , and the rear cover 31 and the front cover 32 may define the ink chamber 36 .

The postures of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 and 15 are the installation postures as an example of the first posture. As the outside of the ink cartridge 30 , the ink cartridge 30 includes a front face 140 , a rear face 41 , upper faces 39 , 141 , and lower faces 42 , 142 , as described below. When the ink cartridge 30 assumes the posture shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 and 15, the direction extending from the rear face 41 to the front face 140 corresponds to the insertion direction 51 and the forward direction 57, and the direction extending from the front face 140 to the rear face 41 corresponds to the removal direction 52 Consistent with the rearward direction 58 , the direction extending from the upper surface 39 , 141 to the lower surface 42 , 142 corresponds to the downward direction 53 , and the direction extending from the lower surface 42 , 142 to the upper surface 39 , 141 corresponds to the upward direction 54 . When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the front face 140 faces the insertion direction 51 and the forward direction 57, the rear face 41 faces the removal direction 52 and the rearward direction 58, and the lower faces 42, 142 face Downward direction 53 , and upper face 39 , 141 faces upward direction 54 .

3 to 6 , the ink cartridge 30 has width dimensions along the rightward direction 55 and leftward direction 56 , height dimensions along the downward direction 53 and upward direction 54 , and height dimensions along the forward direction 57 and the backward direction 58 . depth dimension. The width dimension is smaller than each of the height and depth dimensions. The front cover 32 includes a front face 140 facing the insertion direction 51 and the forward direction 57 when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 , and the rear cover 31 includes facing the removal direction 52 and the forward direction 57 when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 . Back 41 in rearward direction 58 . The ink chamber 36 is located between the front face 140 and the rear face 41 .

<Back cover 31>

3 and 4, the rear cover 31 has a box shape having: sides 37, 38, the sides 37, 38 are spaced from each other in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56; the upper surface 39 and the lower surface 42, the upper surface 39 and the lower surface 42 are spaced apart from each other in a downward direction 53 and an upward direction 54; The sides 37, 38 face in the right direction 55 and the left direction 56, respectively, the upper face 39 faces in the upward direction 54, and the lower face 42 faces in the downward direction 53. The side surfaces 37 , 38 , the upper surface 39 and the lower surface 42 extend from the rear surface 41 in the insertion direction 51 and the forward direction 57 , and the inner space of the rear cover 31 is opened toward the insertion direction 51 and the forward direction 57 . The inner frame 35 is inserted into the inner space of the rear cover 31 from the opening, that is, the rear cover 31 covers the rear of the inner frame 35 . The ink chamber 36 is located between the upper face 39 and the lower face 42 .

The rear face 41 includes: an upper portion 41U as an example of the second portion; and a lower portion 41L as an example of the first portion. The upper portion 41U is positioned above the lower portion 41L, ie, the upper portion 41 is positioned further in the upward direction 54 than the lower portion 41L. In other words, the lower portion 41L is positioned below the upper portion 41U, that is, the lower portion 41L is positioned further in the downward direction 53 than the upper portion 41U. The lower portion 41L is positioned further forward than the upper portion 41U, ie, the lower portion 41L is positioned further in the forward direction 57 than the upper portion 41U. In this embodiment, each of the upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41L is a plane, that is, a flat surface. The upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41L cross each other to form an angle therebetween, which is not a right angle. The lower portion 41L is inclined relative to the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54 such that as it approaches the lower face 42, the lower portion 41L becomes closer to the front face 140, ie, at a position closer to the lower face 42, the lower portion 41L is closer to the front face 140. Referring to FIG. 15B , the upper portion 41U includes letters or symbols thereon, and the letters or symbols indicate that the upper portion 41U should be pushed. For example, the upper portion 41U includes letters "PUSH" thereon so that when the user inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the user can push the upper portion 41U. Examples of symbols can be arrows or pictures of fingers.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the rear cover 31 includes protrusions 43 extending from the upper surface 39 . The protrusion 43 is located approximately at the center of the upper face 39 in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56, and extends in the insertion direction 51 (forward direction 57) and the removal direction 52 (rearward direction 58). The protrusion 43 includes a locking surface 151 facing the removal direction 52 (rearward direction 58). The locking surface 151 extends in the upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53 . The locking surface 151 is configured to contact the locking portion 145 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the removal direction 52 when the ink cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 110. With the locking surface 151 contacting the locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52 , the ink cartridge 30 is locked or held in the cartridge mounting portion 110 against the urging force of the tension spring 114 and the urging force of the coil spring 78 transmitted via the slider 107 . .

The protrusions 43 include reinforcing surfaces 152 , 153 . Reinforcing surfaces 152, 153 are continuous with and extend from right and left ends of locking surface 151 in rightward direction 55 and leftward direction 56, respectively. The reinforcing surfaces 152, 153 extend from the virtual plane towards the insertion direction 51 (forward direction 57), thereby forming an acute angle between the reinforcing surfaces 152, 153, respectively, and the virtual plane including the locking surface 151 and in the downward direction 53, Extends in an upward direction 53 , a rightward direction 55 and a leftward direction 56 . The reinforcing surfaces 152, 153 reinforce the strength and rigidity of the protrusion 43, and thus the likelihood of the locking surface 151 being damaged is reduced. Because the reinforcement surfaces 152 , 153 do not extend further rearward than the locking surface 151 , ie, the reinforcement surfaces 152 , 153 do not extend farther in the rearward direction 58 than the locking surface 151 , the reinforcement surfaces 152 , 153 may not contact the cartridge mounting portion 110 . Locking part 145 . Therefore, if the locking surface 145 slides on the locking portion 145, the reinforcing surfaces 152, 153 may not increase the sliding resistance.

The protrusion 43 includes a horizontal surface 154 which is located forward of the locking surface 151 , ie is located further in the forward direction 57 than the locking surface 151 . The horizontal surface 154 is continuous with the locking surface 151 . Horizontal surface 154 extends in rightward direction 55 , leftward direction 56 , forward direction 57 , and rearward direction 58 . The protrusion 43 includes an inclined surface 155 which is located in front of the horizontal surface 154, i.e., further in the forward direction 57 than the horizontal surface 154. The inclined surface 155 is continuous with the horizontal surface 154 . The inclined surface 155 faces the upward direction 54 and the forward direction 57 . Accordingly, the inclined surface 155 is observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the downward direction 53 and is observable when viewing the ink cartridge in the rearward direction 58 . Because the horizontal plane 154 is located between the locking surface 154 and the inclined surface 155, the locking surface 151 and the inclined surface 155 do not cross each other at an acute angle. During insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the locking portion 145 of the cartridge mounting portion 145 slides on the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154, and is thus smoothly guided to a position further rearward than the locking surface 151, that is, A position further in the rearward direction 58 than the locking surface 151 .

The protrusions 43 include reinforcing surfaces 156 , 157 . Reinforcing surfaces 156, 157 are continuous with and extend from right and left ends of inclined surface 155 in rightward direction 55 and leftward direction 56, respectively. Reinforcing surfaces 156, 157 extend from a virtual plane toward downward direction 53, forming an acute angle between reinforcing surfaces 156, 157, respectively, and a virtual plane including inclined surface 155 and in rightward 55 and leftward directions 56 extend. The reinforcing surfaces 156, 157 reinforce the strength and rigidity of the protrusions 43, and thus the probability of the inclined surface 155 being damaged is reduced. Because the reinforcing surfaces 156, 157 do not extend further upward than the inclined surface 155, ie, the reinforcing surfaces 156, 157 do not extend farther in the upward direction 54 than the inclined surface 155, the reinforcing surfaces 156, 157 may not contact the locking portion of the cartridge mount 110 145. Therefore, if the inclined surface 155 slides on the locking portion 145 , the sliding resistance may not be increased by the reinforcing surfaces 156 , 157 .

The rear cover 31 includes an operating portion 90 at the upper face 39, and the operating portion 90 is positioned further rearward than the locking surface 151, i.e., is positioned further in the rearward direction 58 than the locking surface 151. The upper surface 39 includes a secondary upper surface 91 located at the rear end of the upper surface 39 . The secondary upper surface 91 is located below the remainder of the upper surface 39 , ie, the secondary upper surface 91 is located further in the downward direction 53 than the remainder of the upper surface 39 . The operating portion 90 is located above the sub-surface 91, that is, the operating portion 90 is positioned farther in the upward direction 54 than the sub-surface 91 so that a space is formed therebetween. The operating portion 90 extends in the upward direction 54 beyond the protrusion 43 from a position adjacent to the boundary between the secondary upper face 91 and the rest of the upper face 39, and then diagonally downward, that is, in the rearward direction 58 and downward extends in direction 53. The rear cover 31 includes a rib 94 extending between the operation portion 90 and the sub-surface 91 . The rib 94 is continuous with the operation part 90 and the sub upper surface 91 . The ribs 94 also extend in the rearward direction 58 . Referring to FIG. 15B , each of the rib 94 , the operating portion 90 , and the sub-surface 91 has a size along the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 , and along the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 , the size of the rib 94 It is smaller than each of the size of the operation portion 90 and the size of the sub-surface 91 .

The operating portion 90 includes an operating surface 92 that faces the upward direction 54 and the rearward direction 58 . The location of the operating surface 92 and the location of the secondary upper surface 91 along the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 at least partially overlap. In other words, the operation surface 92 and the secondary upper surface 91 at least partially overlap in the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54 . In other words, at least a portion of the operating surface 92 is aligned with at least a portion of the secondary upper surface 91 in the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54 . The sub upper surface 91 is positioned farther in the downward direction 53 than the operation surface 92 , and a space is formed between the operation surface 92 and the sub upper surface 91 in the downward direction 53 . The operating surface 92 includes a plurality of protrusions, ie, a plurality of elongated protrusions 93 , each of the plurality of protrusions extending in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 . The elongated protrusions 93 are spaced apart from each other in the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 . With the elongated protrusions 93, the operation surface 92 becomes recognizable to the user, and when the user operates the operation surface 92 with his/her fingers, the operation surface 92 becomes slip-resistant.

15A and 15B, the operating surface 92 is observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the downward direction 53 and when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the forward direction 57 and insertion direction 51. In other words, the operating surface is observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in a direction extending from the upper face 39 toward the lower face 42 and when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in a direction extending from the rear face 41 toward the front face 140 . The operation surface 92 is a surface that the user operates to unlock or release the ink cartridge 30 from the locked state in the cartridge mounting portion 110 . The operation part 90 is fixed to the rear cover 31 , eg, the operation part 90 is integrally molded with the rear cover 31 , and thus the operation part 90 does not move relative to the rear cover 31 , eg, does not pivot relative to the rear cover 31 . Therefore, the force applied from the user to the operation surface 92 is directly transmitted to the rear cover 31 without changing its direction. In this embodiment, the operating portion 90 also does not move relative to the inner frame 35 or the ink chamber 36 , eg, does not pivot relative to the inner frame 35 or the ink chamber 36 .

At least a portion of the operating surface 92 protrudes further in the upward direction 54 than the locking surface 151 .

<Front cover 32>

3 and 4, the front cover 32 has a box shape having: side surfaces 143, 144, the side surfaces 143, 144 are spaced apart from each other in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56; upper surface 141 and lower surface 142, upper surface 141 and lower surface 142 are spaced apart from each other in the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54; and the front face 140. The sides 143 , 144 face the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 , respectively, the upper face 141 faces the upward direction 54 , and the lower face 142 faces the downward direction 53 . The side surfaces 143 , 144 , the upper surface 141 and the lower surface 142 extend from the front surface 140 in the removal direction 52 and the rearward direction 58 , and the inner space of the front cover 32 is opened toward the removal direction 52 and the rearward direction 58 . The inner frame 35 is inserted into the inner space of the front cover 32 from the opening. The front cover 32 covers the front part of the inner frame 35 which is not covered by the rear cover 31 . The ink chamber 36 is located between the upper face 141 and the lower face 142 .

The upper surface 141 of the front cover 32 and the upper surface 39 of the rear cover 31 constitute the upper surface of the ink cartridge 30 . The lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 and the lower surface 42 of the rear cover 31 constitute the lower surface of the ink cartridge 30 . More specifically, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the installation posture (first posture), the lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 extends in the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58, and the lower surface 42 of the rear cover 31 faces the downward directions 53 and 58. Backward direction 58. The lower face 42 is inclined relative to the lower face 142 . In this embodiment, the underside of each of the lower face 42 and the lower face 142 is a plane, i.e., a flat surface. The side surfaces 143 and 144 of the front cover 32 and the side surfaces 37 and 38 of the rear cover 31 constitute the side surfaces of the ink cartridge 30. The front face 140 of the front cover 32 constitutes the front face of the ink cartridge 30 , and the rear face 41 of the rear cover 31 constitutes the rear face of the ink cartridge 30 . The front face 140 and the rear face 41 are spaced apart from each other in the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 .

Each of the front, rear, upper, lower and sides of the ink cartridge 30 may not need to form a single flat surface. The front of the ink cartridge 30 is as follows: observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the first attitude in the rearward direction 58 and is more relative to the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction than the ink tank 30 in the first attitude The center of 58 is positioned more forward, ie, is positioned farther in the forward direction 57 than the center of the ink cartridge 30 in the first posture with respect to the forward direction 57 and the center of the rearward direction 58 . The rear of the ink cartridge 30 is as follows: observable when viewing the ink cartridge in the first attitude in the forward direction 57, and is more relative to the forward direction 57 and rearward direction 58 than the ink tank 30 in the first attitude The center of the ink cartridge 30 is positioned more rearwardly, ie, is positioned farther in the rearward direction 58 than the center of the ink cartridge 30 in the first posture with respect to the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 . The upper surface of the ink cartridge 30 is as follows: observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the first attitude in the downward direction 53, and is located above the center of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54, ie , farther in the upward direction 54 than the ink cartridge 30 is positioned relative to the center of the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54 . The underside of the ink cartridge 30 is as follows: is observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the first attitude in the upward direction 54, and is located below the center of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54, that is, more than The ink cartridge 30 is positioned farther in the downward direction 53 with respect to the center of the downward direction 53 and the upward direction 54 . One of the sides of the ink cartridge 30 is as follows: observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the first posture in the leftward direction 56 , and the direction of the ink cartridge 30 relative to the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 is observable. The right of the center is positioned, that is, farther in the right direction 55 than the center of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the right direction 55 and the left direction 56 . The other of the sides of the ink cartridge 30 is as follows: observable when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in the first attitude in the rightward direction 55, and the direction toward the ink cartridge 30 relative to the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 is positioned to the left of the center of , ie, is positioned farther in the leftward direction 56 than the center of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 .

The front cover 32 has a recess 96 formed in the upper portion of the front face 140 . The recess 96 extends from the front face 140 in the rearward direction 58 . The recessed portion 96 is configured to receive the lever 125 when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 110 . The recessed portion 96 has a cross-sectional shape taken along a plane perpendicular to the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 , and the cross-sectional shape of the recessed portion 96 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the rod 125 .

The front cover 32 has an opening 97 formed through the lower portion of the front face 140 in the rearward direction 58 . The opening 97 is configured to allow the ink supply 34 to extend through the opening 97 when the inner frame 35 is inserted into the front cover 32 so that the ink supply 34 is located outside the front cover 32 . The position, size and shape of the opening 97 correspond to the position, size and shape of the ink supply portion 34 .

The front cover 32 includes a first protrusion 85 and a second protrusion 86 located at the front face 140 . The first protrusion 85 extends in the forward direction 57 at the upper end of the front cover 32 . A recess 96 is formed in the distal end of the first protrusion 57 facing the forward direction 57 . The distal end of the first protrusion 57 facing the forward direction 57 is part of the front face 140 .

The second protrusion 86 extends in the forward direction 57 at the lower end of the front cover 32 . The second protrusion 86 is located below the ink supply 34, i.e., is located further in the downward direction 53 than the ink supply 34. The protrusion 86 has a recess 87 formed in the lower surface of the protrusion 86, and the recess 87 is open in the forward direction 57 and the downward direction 53. The portion of the second protrusion 86 that defines the recess 87 extends beyond the lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 in the downward direction 53 . During insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the slider 107 enters the recess 87 and contacts the portion of the second protrusion 86 that defines the recess 87. The second protrusion 86 is an example of a receiving portion.

The front cover 32 has an opening 98 formed through the upper surface 141 in the downward direction 53 . The opening 98 is configured to allow a portion of the detection portion 62 to extend through the opening 98 when the inner frame 35 is inserted into the front cover 32 so that the detection portion 62 is located outside the front cover 32 . The position, size and shape of the opening 98 correspond to the position, size and shape of the portion of the detection portion 62.

The ink cartridge 30 includes the IC board 64 located on the upper surface 141 of the front cover 32 above the first protrusion 85 and the ink supply portion 34 , that is, further in the upward direction 54 than the first protrusion 85 and the ink supply portion 34 place. The IC board 64 includes four electrodes 65 formed thereon. The four electrodes 65 are exposed and face the upward direction 54 . Each electrode 65 is an example of an electrical interface. The four electrodes 65 are aligned and spaced from each other in the leftward direction 56 and the rightward direction 55 . Each electrode 65 is elongated in a forward direction 57 and a rearward direction 58 . The IC board 64 also includes an IC (Integrated Circuit, not shown), and the four electrodes 65 are electrically connected to the IC. The IC stores information about the ink cartridge 30, such as batch number, date of manufacture, ink color, and the like. This information can be read out from the outside.

The four electrodes 65 contact the four contacts 106 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 during insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 100 and also when the mounting of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge mounting portion 100 is completed.

<Internal Frame 35>

Although not shown in detail in the drawing, the inner frame 35 includes an annular or loop-shaped wall, and the inner space enclosed by the wall is at the right and left ends of the inner frame 35 in the right and left directions 55 and left, respectively. Open in direction 56. Films (not shown) are attached to the right and left ends of the inner frame 35 so that the inner space of the inner frame 35 is closed, and the inner space becomes the ink chamber 36 configured to store ink therein. The inner frame 35 includes a front face 40, and the ink supply 34 is located at the front face 40. When the inner frame 35 is inserted into the front cover 32 , the front face 40 of the inner frame 35 is positioned adjacent to the front face 140 of the front cover 32 .

<Ink Supply Section 34>

6, the ink supply 34 extends from the front face 40 of the inner frame 35 to the outside of the front cover 32 in the forward direction 57 through an opening 97 formed through the front face 140 of the front cover 32. The ink supply portion 34 has a cylindrical outer shape. The ink supply portion 34 includes: a cylindrical wall 73 having an inner space and having a cylindrical shape; a sealing member 76; and a cap 79. Sealing member 76 and cap 79 are attached to cylindrical wall 73 .

The cylindrical wall 73 extends from the inside of the ink chamber 36 to the outside of the ink chamber 36 . The inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 is open to the ink chamber 36 at the rear end of the cylindrical wall 73 . The inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 is opened to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 at the front end of the cylindrical wall 73 . Communication between the ink chamber 36 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30 is allowed via the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 . The ink supply part 34 is configured to supply the ink stored in the ink chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 . A sealing member 76 and a cap 79 are attached to the front end of the cylindrical wall 73 .

The ink supply portion 34 includes a valve 77 and a coil spring 78 located in the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 . The valve 77 and the coil spring 78 are configured to switch the state of the ink supply portion 34 between a state in which ink is allowed to flow out of the ink chamber 30 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 (see FIG. 11 ) and A state in which ink is prevented from flowing out of the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 (see FIG. 6 ).

The valve 77 is configured to move in the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 to selectively open and close the ink supply opening 71 formed through the center of the sealing member 76 . The coil spring 78 is configured to urge the valve 77 in the forward direction 57 (insertion direction 51 ) so that when no external force is applied to the valve 77 , the valve 77 contacts the sealing member 76 and closes the ink supply opening 71 .

The sealing member 76 is located at the front end of the cylindrical wall 73 . The sealing member 76 has a substantially disc shape having ink supply openings 71 formed by the sealing member 76 in the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 (insertion direction 51 and removal direction 52 ). The sealing member 76 is made of elastic material such as rubber, elastomer or the like. The diameter of the ink supply opening 71 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ink supply tube 102 . The sealing member 76 liquid-tightly contacts the front end of the cylindrical wall 73 while being squeezed by the cap 79 attached to and covering the outer side of the cylindrical wall 73 .

The valve 77 closes the ink supply opening 71 before the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 . When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 , the ink supply tube 102 enters the ink supply opening 71 . When this occurs, the inner surface of the sealing member 76 defining the ink supply opening 71 liquid-tightly contacts the outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 while the sealing member 76 is elastically deformed by the outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 . When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted, the end of the ink supply tube 102 passes through the ink supply opening 71 and contacts the valve 77 . When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted, the ink supply tube 102 pushes and moves the valve 77 in the rearward direction 58 against the urging force of the coil spring 78. When this occurs, ink is allowed to flow from the ink chamber 36 to the ink supply tube 102 through the interior space of the cylindrical wall 73 . Although not shown in the drawing, the ink supply tube 102 has an opening at or adjacent to the end of the ink supply tube 102, and the opening extends from the outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 to the ink supply tube 102. The inner space of the supply pipe 102 . Ink flows from the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 to the inner space of the ink supply tube 102 via the opening of the ink supply tube 102 . Ink flows from the ink chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 and the inner space of the ink supply tube 102 .

The ink supply part 34 may not necessarily include the valve 77 and the coil spring 78 . For example, in another embodiment, the ink supply opening 71 may be closed by a membrane. In such an embodiment, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mount 110 , the ink supply tube 102 penetrates the membrane and passes through the ink supply opening 71 such that the end of the ink supply tube 102 is located in the inner space of the cylindrical wall 73 . In yet another embodiment, the ink supply opening 71 may be closed by the elasticity of the sealing member 76 . In such an embodiment, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 radially pushes the inner surface of the sealing member 76 that defines the ink supply opening 71, and thereby opens the ink supply opening 71.

<Detection Unit 62>

Referring to FIG. 6 , the inner frame 35 includes a detection portion 62 extending from an upper surface of the inner frame 35 in the upward direction 54 . The detection portion 62 is a protrusion having an inner space continuous with the ink chamber 36 . The detection portion 62 is configured to allow light to pass therethrough in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 . The detection portion 62 extends to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the opening 98 of the front cover 32 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , the ink cartridge 30 includes a detection part 59 located in the ink chamber 36 . The inner frame 35 includes a pivot shaft 61 extending in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56, and the detection member 59 is supported by the pivot shaft 61 so that the detection member 59 can pivot about the pivot shaft 61.

The detection portion 59 includes a float 63 , and the specific gravity of the float 63 is smaller than that of the ink stored in the ink chamber 36 . When the float 63 is immersed in the ink stored in the ink chamber 36 , buoyancy acts on the float 63 . When the ink chamber 36 is almost filled with ink, the detection member 59 pivots counterclockwise in FIG. 6 due to the buoyant force acting on the float 63 . A part of the detection part 59 is located in the inner space of the detection part 62 and contacts the wall of the detection part 62 that defines the front end of the detection part 62 so that the detection part 59 does not pivot further in the counterclockwise direction. When the detection member 59 is in this position, the portion of the detection member 59 blocks light from the sensor 103 passing through the detection portion 62 in the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 . More specifically, since the portion of the detection member 59 blocks light, when the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the sensor 103 reaches one of the right and left sides of the detection portion 62, it comes out of the right and left sides of the detection portion 62. and the intensity of the light reaching the light receiving portion of the sensor 103 becomes less than a threshold value, eg, zero. This portion of the detection member 59 may completely prevent light from passing therethrough in the rightward direction 55 and leftward direction 56, may partially absorb the light, may redirect the light, or completely reflect the light.

When ink is consumed from the ink chamber 36, the ink surface in the ink chamber 36 is lowered and the upper portion of the float 63 is exposed from the ink surface. When the ink surface is further lowered, the float 63 moves downward following the lowered ink surface. When this happens, the detection member 59 pivots clockwise in FIG. 6 , and the portion of the detection member 59 in the inner space of the detection portion 62 moves out of the light path extending between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 103. When this occurs, the light of the sensor 103 is no longer blocked by the portion of the detection member 59, and the intensity of the light received by the light receiving portion of the sensor 103 becomes greater than or equal to the threshold value.

5, the distance D1 from the locking surface 151 (more specifically, the frontmost part of the locking surface 151) to the front surface 140 (more specifically, the frontmost part of the front surface 140) in the insertion direction 51 (forward direction 57) is greater than that in The distance D2 from the locking surface 151 (more specifically, the rearmost part of the locking surface 151 ) to the rear surface 41 (more specifically, the rearmost part of the upper part 41U of the rear surface 41 ) in the removal direction 52 (rearward direction 58 ). Distance D1 is less than distance D3 from operating surface 92 (more specifically, the frontmost portion of operating surface 92 ) to front face 140 (more specifically, the frontmost portion of front face 140 ) in insertion direction 51 (forward direction 57 ). The distance D4 from the upper part 41U (more specifically, the lowermost part of the upper part 41U) to the lower part 42 (more specifically, the uppermost part of the lower part 42 ) in the downward direction 53 is greater than that from the lower part 41L (more specifically, the uppermost part of the lower part 42 ) in the downward direction 53 ground, the distance D5 from the lowermost part of the lower part 41L) to the lower surface 42 (more specifically, the uppermost part of the lower surface 42). In this embodiment, the distance D5 is zero. The distance D6 from the upper part 41U (more specifically, the frontmost part of the upper part 41U) to the front surface 140 (more specifically, the frontmost part of the front surface 140 ) in the insertion direction 51 (forward direction 57 ) is greater than that in the insertion direction 51 (forward Distance D7 in direction 57) from lower portion 41L (more specifically, the foremost portion of lower portion 41L) to front face 140 (more specifically, the forwardmost portion of front face 140). The lower portion 41L includes a portion located in the downward direction 53 between the central axis 72 of the ink supply opening 71 of the sealing member 76 and the lower surface 42 . The center axis 72 of the ink supply opening 71 intersects the center of the ink supply opening 71 and extends in the direction in which the ink supply opening 71 penetrates the sealing member 76 , ie, in the forward direction 57 and the rearward direction 58 in this embodiment. The center of the ink supply opening 71 is the center of at least a part of the ink supply opening 71, and when the ink supply tube 102 is inserted through the ink supply opening 71, the inner surface of the sealing member 76 that defines the at least part of the ink supply opening 71 contacts The outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 . For example, if the inner surface of the sealing member 76 defining the ink supply opening 71 has a first inner surface and a second inner surface, and the first inner surface contacts the outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 and the second inner surface does not contact the ink supply tube 102, the center of the ink supply opening 71 is the center of the portion of the ink supply opening 71 that is defined by the first inner surface rather than the second inner surface. If the entire inner surface of the sealing member 76 contacts the outer surface of the ink supply tube 102 , the center of the ink supply opening 71 is the center of the entire ink supply opening 71 .

<Insert the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 >

Referring to FIG. 6 , before the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 , the valve 77 closes the ink supply opening 71 . The flow of ink from the ink chamber 36 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 is blocked.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the housing 101 via the opening 112 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 . The upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 of the rear cover 31 is positioned further rearward than the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 , that is, positioned further in the rearward direction 58 than the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 . Therefore, the upper portion 41U is positioned closer to the user than the lower portion 41L is positioned from the user, and the user tends to push the upper portion 41U to insert the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the insertion direction 51. Also, since the upper portion 41U includes letters or symbols indicating that the upper portion 41U should be pushed, the user is urged to push the upper portion 41U. The lower part of the front cover 32 is located in the guide groove 109 in the lower part of the housing 101 . More specifically, the portion of the second protrusion 86 that defines the recess 87 and extends beyond the lower face 142 of the front cover 32 contacts the groove bottom wall of the guide groove 109, and the rear portion of the lower face 142 of the front cover 32 also contacts the guide groove The groove bottom wall of groove 109. Therefore, the front portion of the front cover 32 is slightly raised.

Referring to FIG. 8 , when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 , the slider 107 enters the concave portion 87 and contacts the second protrusion 86 of the ink cartridge 30 . As the user pushes the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 of the ink cartridge 30 , the ink cartridge 30 pivots counterclockwise in FIG. 8 about the contact point between the slider 107 and the second protrusion 86 . When this happens, the lower surface 142 of the front cover 32 moves away from the groove bottom wall of the guide groove 109 of the lower part of the casing 101 , and the upper part of the ink cartridge 30 moves closer to the guide groove 109 of the upper part of the casing 101 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted in the insertion direction 51 against the urging force of the tension spring 114 urging the slider 107 in the removal direction 52 , the cap 79 of the ink supply portion 34 begins to enter the guide portion 105 , and the rod 125 begins to enter the recess 96 .

10 , when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted in the insertion direction 51 against the urging force of the tension spring 114 that urges the slider 107 in the removal direction 52, the ink supply tube 102 enters the ink supply opening 71 and resists the spiral The urging force of the spring 78 pushes the valve 77 away from the sealing member 76 . The urging force of the tension spring 114 is applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the removing direction 52 via the slider 107 , and the urging force of the coil spring 78 is applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the removing direction 52 .

The rod 125 in the recess 96 supports the front cover 32 from below. The IC board 64 reaches a position below the contacts 106 , and while the contacts 106 are elastically deformed in the upward direction 54 , the electrodes 65 respectively contact the corresponding contacts 106 . When this occurs, the IC board 64 is pushed in the downward direction 53 by the elastically deformed contacts 106 , but the IC board 64 is supported from below by the rods 125 . Thus, the electrodes 65 are accurately positioned relative to the contacts 106 in the upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53 . However, the rod 125 may still not necessarily support the front cover 32 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , the protrusion 43 of the rear cover 31 reaches the locking portion 145 , and the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154 slide on the locking portion 145 . Although a counterclockwise moment is applied to the ink cartridge 30 because the user pushes the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 in the insertion direction 51, the sliding contact between the inclined surface 155 and the locking portion 145 causes the ink cartridge 30 to pivot clockwise about the pivot center O , the pivot center O is the center of the ink supply opening 71 through which the ink supply tube 102 is inserted, ie, the center of a portion of the ink supply tube 102 that contacts the inner surface of the sealing member 76 defining the ink supply opening 71 . The posture of the ink cartridge 30 in FIG. 10 is an example of the second posture. When the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude, as shown in FIG. 10 , the locking surface 151 is positioned further in the downward direction 53 than the locking portion 145. As shown in Figure 10, the locking surface 151 may also be positioned further in the removal direction 52 (rearward direction 58) than the locking portion 145 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude.

When the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture, the locking surface 151 of the protrusion 43 is located below the locking portion 145, i.e., is positioned further in the downward direction 53 than the locking portion 145. When the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude, along the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52, the position of the pivot center O and the position of the electrode 65 at least partially overlap. Therefore, the magnitude of the moment generated by the pushing force that pushes down the electrode 65 and is applied to the contacts 106 of the ink cartridge 30 is zero or very small. When the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude, the lower surface 42 of the rear cover 31 contacts the groove bottom wall of the lower guide groove 109 of the casing 101 or is positioned closer to the groove bottom wall of the lower guide groove 109 of the casing 101. In this embodiment, the lower face 42 extends in a horizontal plane when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude. When the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture, the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 is positioned further forward than the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 , ie, is positioned further in the insertion direction 51 than the upper portion 41U.

11 , when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted in the insertion direction 51 against the urging force of the extension spring 114 that urges the slider 107 in the removal direction 52 and against the urging force of the coil spring 78, the inclined surface 155 and The horizontal surface 154 is located farther in the insertion direction 51 than the locking portion 145 . Since the counterclockwise moment generated by the user pushing the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 in the insertion direction 51 is applied to the ink cartridge 30, when the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154 do not contact the locking portion 145, the ink cartridge 30 counterclockwise about the pivot center O The hour hand pivots, and the pivot center O is the center of the ink supply opening 71 through which the ink supply tube 102 is inserted.

When the ink cartridge 30 is pivoted counterclockwise, the locking surface 151 reaches a position where the locking surface 151 and the locking portion 145 face each other in the insertion direction 51 and the removal direction 52 . Also, when the ink cartridge 30 is pivoted counterclockwise, the rear cover 31 contacts the locking portion 145 . When this occurs, the impact of the contact informs the user that the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 is complete. When the user stops pushing the ink cartridge 30 , the ink cartridge 30 is moved in the removing direction 52 by the urging force of the extension spring 114 and the urging force of the coil spring 78 applied via the slider 107 . When this occurs, as shown in FIG. 11 , the locking surface 151 contacts the locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52, and the movement of the ink cartridge 30 relative to the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the removal direction 52 is restricted. The posture of the ink cartridge 30 in FIG. 11 is an example of the first posture. The installation of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge installation portion 110 is thus completed. With the locking surface 151 contacting the locking portion 145 in the removing direction 52 against the urging force of the extension spring 114 and the urging force of the coil spring 78 in the removing direction 52, the ink cartridge 30 is locked or held in the cartridge mount section 110.

In the following paragraphs, the pivotal movement of the ink cartridge 30 from the second attitude to the first attitude is described in more detail.

Referring to Figure 12, the following conditions are met:

FH>GL.

G is the magnitude of the gravitational force acting on the ink cartridge 30 . F is the magnitude of the urging force of the extension spring 114 and the coil spring 78 that urge the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first posture. L is the distance between the center of gravity M of the ink cartridge 30 and the pivot center O along the insertion direction 51 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture. H is the height of the lower end of the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 from the pivot center O along the upward direction 54 perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture.

When the user inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 , the user needs to push the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion direction 51 with a force whose size U is greater than the magnitude F of the pushing force in the removal direction 52 . In other words, the following conditions need to be met: F<U. 12 illustrates the ink cartridge 30 when the user pushes the ink cartridge 30 with a force whose size is F as a threshold size required to insert the ink cartridge 30. FIG. Also, the user pushes the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41, that is, pushes the portion above the lower end of the upper portion 41U. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, a force is applied to the portion above the lower end of the upper portion 41U of the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion direction 51, the magnitude U of the force being larger than the magnitude F of the pushing force. Because the upper portion 41U is substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude, a counterclockwise moment is applied to the ink cartridge 30, the magnitude of which is at least greater than the product FH. 12 illustrates the ink cartridge 30 when the user pushes the lower end of the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 whose height in the upward direction 54 from the pivot center O is H. On the other hand, a clockwise moment generated by gravity is applied to the ink cartridge, and the magnitude of this clockwise moment is the product GL.

Since the above condition FH>GL is satisfied, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the total moment applied to the ink cartridge 30 is directed counterclockwise. Therefore, when the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154 finish sliding on the locking portion 145 and are separated from the locking portion 145 in the insertion direction 51, the counterclockwise moment causes the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the second posture to the first posture.

The magnitude G of gravity acting on the ink cartridge 30 varies depending on the amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 . However, if the condition FH>GL is satisfied when a new ink cartridge 30 having an initial amount of ink is inserted, the condition is also satisfied when a used ink cartridge 30 whose ink amount is relatively low is inserted. This is because the product GL becomes smaller as the ink volume decreases, while the product FH does not change. In other words, the size G is the size of the gravitational force acting on the ink cartridge 30 at least when the ink chamber 36 is completely filled with the initial amount of ink or when the ink in the ink chamber 36 is consumed.

Also, since the second protrusion 86 of the ink cartridge 30 receives the urging force of the extension spring 114 via the slider 107 below the pivot center O, the urging force of the extension spring 114 also generates an additional moment that causes the ink cartridge 30 to pivot counterclockwise . However, even if the moment created by the tension spring 114 is not applied to the ink cartridge 30, the total moment applied to the ink cartridge 30 will still be directed counterclockwise.

14, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first attitude, the upper end of the locking surface 151 is located outside the virtual circle C, and the lower end of the locking surface 151 is located within the virtual circle C. The virtual circle C has its center at the pivot center O and intersects the locking portion 145 . Therefore, when a pressing force is applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the removing direction 52 while the locking surface 151 contacts the locking portion 145 , the locking portion 145 slides on the locking surface 151 toward the lower end of the locking surface 151 . That is, when the locking portion 145 and the locking surface 151 are in contact, the ink cartridge 30 is further pivoted counterclockwise.

Referring to FIG. 13 , when the user inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 , the user can push the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 instead of the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 . However, the ink cartridge 30 can pivot counterclockwise in FIG. 13 because the following conditions are satisfied:

(Fcosα)N>GL.

The lower portion 41L is a plane intersecting the first virtual plane P1 at an angle of α degrees when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture, and the first virtual plane P1 is perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 . N is the length of a vertical line extending from the pivot center O to a second virtual plane P2 that is perpendicular to the lower portion 41L and intersects the lower end of the lower portion 41L.

When the user pushes the lower portion 41L in the insertion direction 51 with a force larger than the magnitude F of the pushing force, a counterclockwise moment at least larger than the product (Fcosα)N is applied to the ink cartridge 30 . Since the above condition (Fcosα)N>GL is satisfied, even when the user pushes the lower portion 41L in the insertion direction 51, the total moment applied to the ink cartridge 30 is directed counterclockwise.

When the user wishes to remove the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge mounting portion 110, the user pushes the operation surface 92 downward. 15A and 15B, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first attitude, the operating surface 92 is observable when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the downward direction 53 and when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed in the forward direction 57 (insertion direction 51) time is observable. In other words, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first posture, the operating surface 92 faces the upward direction 54 and the rearward direction 58 (removal direction 52 ). Therefore, when the user pushes the operation surface 92 to release the ink cartridge 30 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first attitude, the user's force is directed toward the downward direction 53 and the forward direction 57 (insertion direction 51). The locking surface 151 is disengaged from the locking portion 145 due to the force directed towards the forward direction 57 (insertion direction 51 ). Due to the force directed in the downward direction 53, the ink cartridge 30 pivots from the first attitude to the second attitude. Therefore, application to the operating surface 92 to cause the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude is compared to the case in which the ink cartridge 30 pivots from the first attitude to the second attitude while the locking surface 151 slides on the locking portion 145 The force required for the posture becomes smaller, and the user can easily release the ink cartridge 30 .

When the ink cartridge 30 is pivoted from the first attitude to the second attitude, the locking surface 151 is located below the locking portion 145 , ie, is located further in the downward direction 53 than the locking portion 145 . The urging force of the extension spring 114 and the coil spring 78 moves the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52. When the ink cartridge 30 is separated from the slider 107 , the pressing force is no longer applied to the ink cartridge 30 , and the ink cartridge 30 stops moving in the removal direction 52 . When this occurs, at least the rear cover 31 of the ink cartridge 30 is positioned outside the casing 101 , and the user can take out the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge mounting portion 110 .

<Advantage>

According to the above-described embodiment, since the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 of the rear cover 31 is positioned farther in the insertion direction 51 than the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 of the rear cover 31 when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the user tends to push The upper portion 41U is positioned closer to the user and does not tend to push the lower portion 41L. When the upper portion 41U is pushed, a moment is applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge mounting portion 110 so that the ink cartridge 30 pivots from the second attitude to the first attitude about the pivot center. The locking surface 151 of the ink cartridge 30 in the first posture contacts the locking portion 145 in the removal direction 52, and the movement of the ink cartridge 30 relative to the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the removal direction 52 is restricted, that is, the ink cartridge 30 is locked in in the cartridge mounting portion 110 . The user can easily insert and lock the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge mounting portion 110 .

Since the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 includes letters or symbols indicating that the upper portion 41U should be pushed, the user is urged to push the upper portion 41U.

Since the condition FH>GL is satisfied, the moment generated by the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 being pushed and causing the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the second posture to the first posture becomes larger than that generated by the gravitational force acting on the ink cartridge 30 and causing the ink cartridge 30 The moment to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude.

Since the condition (Fcosα)N>GL is satisfied, even if the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 is pushed, the moment generated by the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 being pushed and causing the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the second attitude to the first attitude still becomes greater than A moment is generated by gravity acting on the ink cartridge 30 and causing the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude.

Since the second protrusion 86 is positioned farther in the downward direction 53 than the ink supply portion 34 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second position, and the second protrusion 86 receives the urging force from the tension spring 114 via the slider 107, the additional A moment is applied to the ink cartridge 30 causing the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the second attitude to the first attitude.

Since the position of the pivot center O and the position of the electrode 65 at least partially overlap along the insertion direction 51 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second attitude, the magnitude of the moment generated by the pressing force of the contacts 106 and applied to the ink cartridge 30 is zero or very small.

Since the operation surface 92 is positioned farther from the pivot center O than the locking surface 151, the user can easily operate the operation surface 92 to cause the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude.

Because the operating surface 92 faces the upward direction 54 and removal direction 52 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first posture, when the user operates the operating surface 92 to release the ink cartridge 30 from the first posture, the user's force faces the downward direction 53 and insertion direction Direction 51 points. The locking surface 151 is separated from the locking portion 145 due to the force directed towards the insertion direction 51 . Due to the force directed in the downward direction 53, the ink cartridge 30 pivots from the first attitude to the second attitude. Therefore, application to the operating surface 92 to cause the ink cartridge 30 to pivot from the first attitude to the second attitude is compared to the case in which the ink cartridge 30 pivots from the first attitude to the second attitude while the locking surface 151 slides on the locking portion 145 The force required for the posture becomes smaller, and the user can easily release the ink cartridge 30 .

Since the upper end of the locking surface 151 is located outside the virtual circle C and the lower end of the locking surface 151 is located within the virtual circle C when the ink cartridge 30 is in the first attitude, when the pressing force is applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52, The locking portion 145 slides on the locking surface 151 toward the lower end of the locking surface 151 .

Because the position of the operation surface 92 along the insertion direction 51 and the position of the auxiliary upper surface 91 along the insertion direction 51 at least partially overlap, or the operation surface 92 and the auxiliary upper surface 91 at least partially overlap in the downward direction 53, and the operation surface A space is formed between 92 and the sub upper surface 91, so the operation surface 92 becomes recognizable to the user.

Because at least a portion of the operating surface 92 protrudes further in the upward direction 54 than the locking surface 151 , the locking surface 151 can still be blocked by the operating surface 92 even when the ink cartridge 30 is dropped with the upper surfaces 39 , 141 facing the downward direction 53 . at least a portion of it is protected and may not be damaged.

<Variation Example>

In the above-described embodiment, the upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 are continuous. However, the upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41L of the rear face 41 may still not necessarily be continuous. For example, in another embodiment, rear face 41 may include a portion extending in forward direction 57 or rearward direction 58 between upper portion 41U and lower portion 41L. Also, each of the upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41L may not necessarily be a flat surface, ie, a flat surface, but may be a curved surface or a spherical surface in another embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture, the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 is substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 . In another embodiment, the upper portion 41U may not be perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 . The upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41L may not necessarily be identifiable as two distinct parts, but may be formed as a single plane or a single curved surface in another embodiment.

As described in the above-described embodiment, if the upper portion 41U of the rear face 41 is substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction 51 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the second posture, the force required to insert the ink cartridge 30 in the insertion direction 51 against the pushing force becomes smaller. Also, the volume of the inner space of the rear cover 31 becomes larger, and thus the volume of the ink chamber 36 becomes larger. If the upper part 41U and the lower part 41L are formed as two different parts, it can be expected that the user tends to push the upper part 41U when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting part 110 .

In the above-described embodiment, the cartridge mounting portion 110 includes the slider 107 and the tension spring 114, but the slider 107 and the tension spring 114 are optional. For example, in another embodiment, the cartridge mounting portion 110 may not include the slider 107 and the tension spring 114, and only the coil spring 78 of the ink supply portion 34 may be moved when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110. A pushing force is applied to the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 52 .

In the above-described embodiments, the ink is an example of a liquid. However, the liquid is not limited to ink. For example, the liquid can be a pretreatment liquid that is jetted onto the paper sheet prior to jetting ink in printing. Also, the liquid can be water for cleaning the recording head 21 .

While the invention has been described in conjunction with various example structures and illustrative embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other variations and modifications of the foregoing structures and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Other structures and embodiments will be understood by those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. The specification and described examples are intended to be illustrative only and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

The present invention can also be defined as follows in order to achieve the objects of the present invention.

A liquid cartridge (30) comprising: a liquid chamber (36) configured to store liquid therein; a front (140); and a rear (41), wherein the liquid chamber is located between the front and the rear upper and lower; upper (39, 41); lower (142, 42), where the liquid chamber is located between the upper and lower; liquid supply (34), where the liquid supply (34) is located at the front a sealing member (76), the sealing member (76) being located at the liquid supply and having elasticity, wherein the sealing member has a liquid supply opening formed through the sealing member, and the liquid supply opening has a central axis; a locking surface (151), locking a surface (151) located above; and an operating surface (92) located above, wherein the distance from the locking surface to the front in the first direction is greater than the distance from the locking surface to the rear in the second direction , the distance from the locking surface to the front in the first direction is less than the distance from the operating surface to the front in the first direction, the distance from the upper to the lower in the third direction is greater than the distance from the lower to the lower in the third direction, in The distance from the upper part to the front in the first direction is greater than the distance from the lower part to the front in the first direction, the lower part includes the part located between the center axis of the liquid supply opening and the lower part in the third direction, the first direction (51, 57 ) extends from the rear towards the front, the second direction (52, 58) is opposite the first direction and extends from the front towards the rear, and the third direction (53) is perpendicular to the first and second directions and extends from above to below.

Optionally, the lower portion is closer to the front at a position closer to the lower, or the lower portion becomes closer to the front as it gets closer to the lower.

Optionally, the lower portion includes a flat surface.

Optionally, the upper surface includes a secondary upper surface (91), the secondary upper surface (91) being located farther in the third direction than the operating surface, the position of the operating surface along the first direction and the position of the secondary upper surface along the first direction at least partially Overlapping Alternatively, the operation surface and the sub-surface are at least partially overlapped in the third direction, and a space is formed between the operation surface and the sub-surface in the third direction.

Optionally, the operating surface is observable when the liquid cartridge is viewed in the third direction, and the operating surface is observable when the liquid cartridge is viewed in the first direction.

Optionally, at least a portion of the operating surface protrudes further than the locking surface in a fourth direction (54), which is opposite the third direction and extends from below towards above.

Optionally, the operating surface includes a plurality of protrusions formed thereon.

Optionally, the plurality of protrusions are a plurality of elongated protrusions (93).

Optionally, the operating surface does not move relative to the ink chamber.

Industrial Applicability

The liquid cartridges and liquid consuming devices of the present invention are widely used in home and office use.

List of reference signs

30 ink cartridges

34 Ink Supply Department

36 Ink chamber

39 above

41 back

41L upper

41U lower

51 Insertion direction

52 Remove Orientation

54 Upward direction

57 Forward direction

58 Backward direction

76 Sealing parts

140 front

141 above

151 Locking surface.

Claims (16)

1. a kind of fluid cartridge, the fluid cartridge, which is configured to resist, is directed toward second opposite with the first direction along horizontal direction The pushing force in direction and be inserted into liquid consuming apparatus in said first direction, and be thus mounted to described liquid-consumed Equipment, the fluid cartridge include:

Liquid chamber, the liquid chamber are configured to store liquid in the liquid chamber；

Front, when the fluid cartridge to be inserted into the liquid consuming apparatus, the front is towards the first direction；

Liquid supply department, the liquid supply department is located at the front, and the liquid supply department is configured to allow for institute The liquid supply tube for stating liquid consuming apparatus is inserted into the liquid supply department；

Seal member, the seal member are located at the liquid supply department, and the seal member has across described close It seals the liquid that component is formed and supplies opening, wherein the seal member, which is configured to work as, passes through the liquid for the liquid supply tube The outer surface of the liquid supply tube is contacted when body supply opening insertion while being resiliently deformed；

Above, described above towards upward direction when the fluid cartridge to be inserted into the liquid consuming apparatus；

Locking surface, the locking surface is located at the place above, and the locking surface is configured in the second party The sticking department of the liquid consuming apparatus is contacted upwards；With

It is below, described below towards the second direction when the fluid cartridge to be inserted into the liquid consuming apparatus,

Wherein the fluid cartridge is configured to when the fluid cartridge being inserted into the liquid consuming apparatus and by the liquid For body supply pipe by pivoting when liquid supply opening insertion around pivoting centre, the pivoting centre is that the liquid supply is opened The center of mouth, wherein the fluid cartridge is configured to pivot between the first posture and the second posture, wherein when the fluid cartridge When in first posture, the locking surface contacts the sticking department in this second direction, and limits the liquid Movement of the body box relative to the liquid consuming apparatus in this second direction, and wherein when the fluid cartridge is described When in two postures, the locking surface is positioned to far in a downward direction than the sticking department, and described includes first below Portion and remote second is positioned in the upward direction than described first, wherein described first includes than the pivot Center it is described in downward direction on be positioned to remote part, and described first in said first direction than described second It is positioned to far, and

Wherein the fluid cartridge further comprises electrical interface, and the electrical interface is located at the place, and the electrical interface quilt above It is all contacted when being configured to when the fluid cartridge in the liquid consuming apparatus in first posture and second posture It is arranged on the contact in the liquid consuming apparatus, wherein when the fluid cartridge is in second posture, the pivot Center is at least partly weighed along the position of the first direction and the position along the first direction of the electrical interface It is folded.

2. fluid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein described second includes letter or symbol on described second, And the letter or symbol instruction should push described second.

3. fluid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein meeting the following conditions:

FH > GL,

Wherein G is the size of the gravity acted in the fluid cartridge, F be when the fluid cartridge is in first posture The second party presses upwards on the size of the pushing force of the fluid cartridge, and L is when the fluid cartridge is in second posture Distance when middle between the center of gravity of the fluid cartridge and the pivoting centre along the first direction, and H is when described Second lower end described in when fluid cartridge is in second posture from the pivoting centre along with the first direction The height of the vertical upward direction.

4. fluid cartridge according to claim 3, wherein described first is when the fluid cartridge is in second posture When the plane intersected with the first virtual plane with the angle of α degree, and first virtual plane is perpendicular to the first direction, And wherein meet the following conditions:

(Fcos α) N > GL,

Wherein N is the length that the vertical line of the second virtual plane is extended to from the pivoting centre, and second virtual plane hangs down Directly in described first, and second virtual plane intersects with first lower end.

5. fluid cartridge according to claim 1 further comprises receiving unit, the receiving unit, which is configured to receive, is directed toward institute The pushing force of second direction is stated, wherein the receiving unit is than the liquid when the fluid cartridge is in second posture Body supply department it is described in downward direction on be positioned to it is remote.

6. fluid cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the receiving unit be configured to it is described liquid-consumed from being arranged on Push part in equipment receives the pushing force.

7. fluid cartridge according to claim 1, further comprises operation surface, the operation surface is located above described Place, and the operation surface is positioned to far in this second direction than the locking surface.

8. fluid cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the operation surface is towards the upward direction and the second party To.

9. fluid cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the operation surface is not mobile relative to the liquid chamber.

10. fluid cartridge according to claim 7, wherein it is described include above it is secondary above, when the fluid cartridge is described the When in one posture, it is described it is secondary above than the operation surface it is described in downward direction on be positioned to far, the operation surface and institute State above pair it is described in downward direction on be at least partly overlapped, and the operation surface and it is described pair above between in institute It states and is upwardly formed space downwards.

11. fluid cartridge according to claim 7, the operation surface includes multiple elongate protrusions.

12. fluid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein when the fluid cartridge is in first posture, the locking The upper end on surface is located at the outside of imaginary circles, and the lower end of the locking surface is located in the imaginary circles, wherein the void Quasi- circle has the center at the pivoting centre, and the imaginary circles are intersected with the sticking department.

13. fluid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the fluid cartridge is configured to be inserted into the liquid consuming apparatus Shell in, and the locking surface is configured to the contact sticking department not mobile relative to the shell.

14. a kind of liquid consuming apparatus, including；

Fluid cartridge according to claim 1；With

Box mounting portion, wherein the fluid cartridge be configured to resist the pushing force for being directed toward the second direction and described the One side is inserted upwardly into the box mounting portion, and is thus mounted to the box mounting portion, and the box mounting portion includes:

It is configured to the liquid supply tube being inserted into the liquid supply department；With

It is configured to contact the sticking department of the locking surface.

15. a kind of method that fluid cartridge according to claim 1 is inserted into the box mounting portion of liquid consuming apparatus,

Wherein when the fluid cartridge to be inserted into the box mounting portion of the liquid consuming apparatus, by the fluid cartridge from Second posture is pivoted to first posture.

16. a kind of use of fluid cartridge according to claim 1,

Wherein when the fluid cartridge to be inserted into the box mounting portion of liquid consuming apparatus, by the fluid cartridge from described second Posture is pivoted to first posture.