CN113844178B - Liquid cartridge and liquid consuming system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a liquid cartridge and a liquid consuming system. The cartridge includes: a box body; a liquid supply part. The supply section includes: a front end face; an outer peripheral surface; at least one guide at the outer peripheral surface. Each guide is guided by the corresponding at least one protrusion of the cartridge attachment portion during attachment of the liquid supply tube of the cartridge attachment portion to the liquid supply portion. Each guide includes first and second guide portions. The at least one guide includes first to fourth guide grooves, the first guide portion includes a first guide surface extending in the front-rear direction, the second guide portion includes a second guide surface extending in the front-rear direction and intersecting the first guide surface, the first guide groove is positioned opposite to the fourth guide groove in a first direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction with respect to the liquid channel in the liquid supply portion in the upright posture of the cartridge, and the second guide groove is positioned opposite to the third guide groove in a second direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the first direction with respect to the liquid channel.

Description

Liquid cartridges and liquid consumption systems

This application is a divisional application of a Chinese invention patent application with an application date of July 31, 2017, the title of the invention is "Liquid Box and System for Liquid Box" and the application number is 201780087450.0.

technical field

The present disclosure relates to a liquid cartridge including: a case having a liquid storage chamber; and a liquid supply part configured to supply liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the outside. The present disclosure also relates to a system consisting of said liquid cartridge and a liquid consuming device.

Background technique

A printer including a recording head configured to eject ink supplied from an ink cartridge through nozzles is known in the art. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-185650 discloses an ink cartridge configured to be attached to a cartridge attachment portion provided at a main body of a printer. In a state where the ink cartridge is attached to the cartridge attachment portion, an ink needle provided at the cartridge attachment portion is inserted into a tubular ink supply portion provided at the ink cartridge. Therefore, ink can be supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head through the ink needle. The cartridge attachment portion is provided with a hollow cylindrical guide at a position around the ink needle. During the process of attaching the ink cartridge to the cartridge attachment portion, the tubular ink supply portion is guided by the hollow cylindrical guide portion. Therefore, the ink needle is introduced into the inner space of the ink supply part.

reference list

patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-185650

Contents of the invention

technical problem

When the tubular ink supply portion is guided by the hollow cylindrical guide portion, the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply portion contacts the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion. By this contact, the ink supply portion is fixed in position relative to the guide portion. However, if the positioning of the ink supply portion is performed by contact between the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply portion and the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion, the ink supply portion may shake relative to the guide portion because the peripheral surface acts to move the ink supply portion. The area for internal positioning is large. If the ink supply part shakes relative to the guide part during attachment of the ink cartridge to the cartridge attachment part, the ink needle may hit the ink supply part, so that the ink adhering to the tip of the ink needle may adhere to the outer periphery of the ink supply part surface. In this case, when the ink cartridge is detached from the cartridge attachment portion, the ink adhering to the ink supply portion may contaminate the user's hands.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid cartridge capable of suppressing shaking of the liquid supply portion relative to the liquid supply tube when the liquid supply portion is guided to the guide portion of the cartridge attachment portion.

problem solution

(1) In order to achieve the above and other objects, according to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a liquid cartridge configured to be inserted into a cartridge attachment portion in a forward direction perpendicular to a gravity direction in an erect posture. The cartridge attachment portion has a liquid supply tube extending in the front-rear direction. The liquid cartridge includes, in the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, a cartridge body and a liquid supply part. The cartridge has a liquid storage chamber configured to store liquid in the liquid storage chamber. The liquid supply portion defines a liquid passage in the liquid supply portion. The liquid supply portion is configured to supply the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the outside in the forward direction through the liquid passage. The liquid supply part includes: a front end surface, an outer peripheral surface and at least one guide. The front end faces forward. The liquid passage extends in the front-rear direction and opens forward on the front end face. The outer peripheral surface extends rearwardly from the front end face. The at least one guide is provided at the outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply part and extends in the front-rear direction. Each of the at least one guide is configured to, when attaching the liquid cartridge to the cartridge attaching portion, during attaching the liquid supply tube to the liquid supply portion, Each of the guides is guided by a corresponding at least one protrusion provided at the cartridge attachment portion and extending in the front-rear direction. The protrusion has one surface and another surface intersecting the one surface. Each guide of the at least one guide includes a first guide and a second guide. The first guide extends in the front-rear direction and is configured to be in contact with the one surface. The second guide extends in the front-rear direction and is configured to be in contact with the other surface.

According to the above structure, the at least one guide is guided by the corresponding protrusion during insertion of the liquid supply tube into the liquid supply portion. That is, the guide provided at the liquid supply portion serves as a reference surface for positioning the liquid supply portion. In this case, the area of the reference surface for positioning the liquid supply part can be smaller than in the case where the outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply part is used as the reference surface. Therefore, it is possible to clearly guide the liquid supply part toward the liquid supply tube to allow insertion of the liquid supply tube into the liquid channel without any collision of the liquid supply part with the liquid supply tube.

(2) Preferably, the at least one guide includes at least one guide groove. The first guide portion includes a first guide surface extending in the front-rear direction. The second guide portion includes a second guide surface extending in the front-rear direction and intersecting the first guide surface.

(3) Preferably, the at least one guide groove includes a plurality of guide grooves. The plurality of guide grooves include a first guide groove, a second guide groove, a third guide groove, and a fourth guide groove. In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the first guide groove is positioned opposite to the fourth guide groove in a first direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction with respect to the liquid passage. In the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, the second guide groove is aligned with the third guide groove in a second direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the first direction with respect to the liquid passage. The slots are located oppositely.

According to the above structure, the liquid supply portion is formed with four guide grooves. Therefore, it is possible to surely guide the liquid supply portion toward the liquid supply pipe.

(4) Preferably, each of the at least one guide is open in a direction perpendicular to the first guide portion and in a direction perpendicular to the second guide portion.

According to the above structure, each of the first guide portion and the second guide portion is opened. That is, the guide does not have a surface facing the first guide part and the second guide part. Therefore, even if the liquid cartridge enters into or is withdrawn from the cartridge attaching portion with the liquid cartridge inclined relative to the cartridge attaching portion, interference between the liquid supply portion and the protrusion can be suppressed.

(5) Preferably, the at least one guide includes four guide grooves. Each of the four guide grooves has a front edge which is opened on the front end face of the liquid supply part. The front edge of each of the four guide grooves forms a substantially L-shape on the front end face of the liquid supply portion in a front view. The front face has a generally rectangular shape when in the front view. The front edges of the four guide grooves are provided in the respective four corners of the front end face of the rectangular shape of the liquid supply part.

According to the above structure, each guide groove is formed at each corner of the cap. Therefore, compared with the case where the guide groove is provided at the central portion of each of the upper surface, the lower surface, the left surface, and the right surface of the cap, the outer shape of the cap can be simplified.

(6) Preferably, in the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the liquid supply portion includes a protrusion protruding in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction. The protrusion has an upper end surface and a lower end surface. At least one end surface of the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the protrusion serves as one of the at least one guide.

(7) Preferably, the liquid supply part includes a sealing part formed with a through hole configured to communicate the liquid channel with the outside of the liquid supply part and allow the liquid A supply pipe extends through the through hole. The sealing portion is configured to seal a gap provided between the liquid supply pipe extending through the through hole and the liquid passage. The sealing portion has a front end. In the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, the first guide portion has a rear end located behind the front end of the sealing portion.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the rear end of the first guide portion is positioned behind the front end of the sealing portion. Since the first guide portion is guided by the protrusion during attachment of the liquid cartridge to the cartridge attachment portion, the position of the sealing portion can be stabilized. Therefore, it is possible to surely introduce the liquid supply pipe into the liquid passage.

(8) Preferably, the at least one guide groove includes a specific guide groove. The specific guide groove further has a third guide surface positioned rearward with respect to the first guide surface and inclined with respect to the front-rear direction in the erect posture of the liquid cartridge .

According to the above structure, since the third guide surface is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, a space is provided between the third guide surface and the cartridge attachment portion. Therefore, even if the liquid cartridge enters into or is withdrawn from the cartridge attaching portion with the liquid cartridge inclined relative to the cartridge attaching portion, interference between the liquid supply portion and the protrusion can be suppressed.

(9) Preferably, the third guide surface is continuous with the first guide surface of the specific guide groove.

According to the above structure, it is possible to smoothly perform the guiding of the liquid supply portion toward the liquid supply pipe.

(10) Preferably, the box body includes: in the upright posture of the liquid box, a first bottom wall; and a second bottom wall. The second bottom wall is positioned rearward and downward relative to the first bottom wall. The second bottom wall has a bottom surface inclined relative to the front-rear direction such that a rear end of the bottom surface is positioned upward relative to a front end of the bottom surface. The bottom surface of the second bottom wall and the front-rear direction define an angle. In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the liquid supply portion is positioned downward relative to the first bottom wall and forward relative to the second bottom wall. In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the specific guide groove opens in a direction perpendicular to the third guide surface. The third guide surface is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that a rear end of the third guide surface is positioned upward relative to a front end of the third guide surface. The third guide surface and the front-rear direction define an angle larger than the angle defined by the bottom surface of the second bottom wall and the front-rear direction.

According to the above structure, even if the liquid cartridge is attached to and detached from the cartridge attaching portion in an inclined posture of the liquid cartridge, interference between the third guide surface and the protrusion can be prevented so that the bottom of the second bottom wall The surface abuts against the cartridge attachment.

(11) Preferably, the case body is pivotally movable relative to the case attachment portion. The case body includes an engagement portion configured to engage with the case attachment portion by pivotal movement of the case body relative to the case attachment portion.

According to the above structure, during attachment and detachment of the liquid cartridge to and from the cartridge attachment portion, the cartridge body pivotally moves to be inclined. However, even if the cartridge body is tilted by pivotal movement as described above, interference of the liquid supply portion with the protrusion can be suppressed.

(12) Preferably, the liquid supply part includes: a sleeve, a sealing part and a cap. The sleeve extends from the case. The sleeve has a hollow configuration defining an inner space serving as the liquid passage. The sealing portion is formed with a through hole configured to communicate the liquid passage with the outside of the liquid supply portion and allow the liquid supply tube to extend through the through hole. The cap is configured to cover the sleeve with the sealing portion interposed between the cap and the sleeve to secure the sealing portion. The outer peripheral surface of the cap serves as the outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply portion provided with the at least one guide.

(13) Preferably, the box body includes: a circuit board; and a top wall at which the circuit board is disposed. In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the at least one guide includes one guide and another guide. Each of the one guide and the other guide is provided at a position outside of the circuit board in a width direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. The one guide and the other guide are provided on two opposite sides in the width direction with respect to the circuit board.

According to the above structure, during attachment of the liquid cartridge to and detachment of the liquid cartridge from the cartridge attachment portion, each of the one guide and the other guide is placed on the circuit board. The position on the outer side in the left-right direction contacts the corresponding protrusion. Therefore, during attachment or detachment of the liquid cartridge, inclination of the circuit board in the width direction can be suppressed.

(14) Preferably, the liquid supply part includes a cap and an absorber. The cap has an interior space. The absorber is disposed in the interior space of the cap, and the absorber is configured to absorb liquid.

According to the above structure, the absorber can absorb the liquid leaked from the liquid supply part. Therefore, the flow of the liquid leaked from the liquid supply part to the outside of the liquid cartridge can be reduced.

(15) Preferably, the cap has a peripheral portion defining an opening configured to communicate the internal space of the cap with the exterior of the cap. The absorber includes a first absorber disposed adjacent to the peripheral portion defining the opening.

The liquid leaked from the liquid supply part flows to the outside of the liquid cartridge through the opening. According to the above structure, the first absorber can absorb liquid passing through the opening.

(16) Preferably, the absorber includes a second absorber, and the second absorber is located below the liquid channel in the upright posture of the liquid box.

Most of the liquid leaked from the liquid supply flows downward due to gravity. According to the above structure, the second absorber is provided at the inner space of the cap at a position downward with respect to the liquid passage. Therefore, the liquid that leaks from the liquid supply part and flows downward can be absorbed by the second absorber.

(17) Preferably, the cap has an inner peripheral surface defining the inner space and a peripheral portion defining an opening configured to make the inner space of the cap communicates with the exterior of the cap. The inner peripheral surface of the cap is formed with a groove extending from the peripheral portion defining the opening to the second absorber.

Furthermore, according to the above structure, the liquid leaked from the liquid supply part can be guided to the second absorber through the groove.

(18) According to another aspect, the present disclosure provides a system configured from a liquid cartridge and a liquid consuming device. The liquid consuming device includes the cartridge attachment portion. The cartridge attachment portion includes: the liquid supply tube and the at least one protrusion. The liquid supply tube is connected to the liquid supply portion of the liquid cartridge in a state where the liquid cartridge is attached to the cartridge attachment portion. The at least one protrusion has the one surface and the other surface perpendicular to the one surface. The at least one protrusion is configured to guide the at least one guide of the liquid cartridge during attachment of the liquid cartridge to the cartridge attachment portion.

Beneficial Effects of the Invention

The liquid cartridge according to the present disclosure can suppress shaking of the liquid supply part relative to the liquid supply tube when the liquid supply part is guided to the guide part of the cartridge attachment part.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of a printer 10 provided with a cartridge attachment portion 110 to which an ink cartridge 30 according to an embodiment is detachably attached;

2 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 according to the embodiment, viewed from its rear side;

3 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 and the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment, showing a state where the ink cartridge 30 has been completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment viewed from its front side;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment viewed from its rear side;

FIG. 6 is a left side view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment;

8A is a perspective view of the first inner cover 131 of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment viewed from the bottom side thereof;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the first inner cover 131 viewed from its top side;

9A is a perspective view of the second inner cover 132 of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment viewed from the bottom side thereof;

FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the second inner cover 132 viewed from its top side;

FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view of the labyrinth path 143 formed in the second inner cover 132 along line C-C in FIG. 9B;

10 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 6;

12 is an exploded perspective view of the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment, viewed from its front side;

FIG. 13A is a perspective view of the cap 79 of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment viewed from its rear side;

FIG. 13B is a perspective view of the cap 79 viewed from its front side;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 6;

15 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 and a left side view of the ink cartridge 30 during a process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 according to the embodiment;

16 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge attachment part 110 and the ink cartridge 30 during the process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment part 110 according to the embodiment;

17 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 and the ink cartridge 30 during the process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 according to an embodiment, showing that the ink supply portion 34 has been connected to the ink needle 102 but The state in which the valve body 161 has not moved to its open position;

18 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 and a left side view of the ink cartridge 30 during the process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 according to an embodiment, showing that the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge. A state of pivotally moving within the portion 110;

19 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 and the ink cartridge 30 during the process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 according to the embodiment, showing that the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment has been attached to the cartridge. A state of pivotally moving within the portion 110;

20 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge attachment portion 110 and a left side view of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment, showing a state where the ink cartridge 30 has been completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110;

FIG. 21 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge 30 showing a modification of the cartridge housing 130;

FIG. 22 is a left side view of the ink cartridge 30 showing a modification of the light barrier 67;

23 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge 30K according to a modification of the ink cartridge 30, in which black ink is stored, viewed from its front side;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge 30K according to the modification, taken along line XXIV-XXIV in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge 30K according to the modification, taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 23;

26A is a bottom view of the first inner cover 1131 according to the first variation of the first inner cover 131;

26B is a bottom view of the first inner cover 2131 according to the second variation of the first inner cover 131;

26C is a bottom view of the first inner cover 3131 according to the third variation of the first inner cover 131;

27A is a perspective view of an ink cartridge 230 according to a first modification of the ink cartridge 30 viewed from its front side;

27B is a perspective view of an ink cartridge 430 according to a second modification of the ink cartridge 30 viewed from its front side; and

FIG. 28 is a view for description showing a state where the guide portion 575 is guided by the corresponding protrusion 105 .

List of reference signs

10: Printer

30: Cartridge

32: The first storage room

33: The second storage room

34: ink supply department

35: ink valve chamber

79: cap

102: ink needle

105: Raised

110: box attaching part

130: Shell

134: outer cover

175: Guide groove

176: first guide surface

177: Second guide surface

Detailed ways

An ink cartridge 30 detachably attachable to the printer 10 and a printer 10 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 22 , wherein like parts and components are denoted by like reference numerals to avoid duplication of description. In an embodiment, the combination of the ink cartridge 30 and the printer 10 constitutes the system 1 .

In the following description, the direction of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attachment portion 110 of the printer 10 is defined as “forward direction 51 ”, and the direction of removing the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attachment portion 110 is defined as “ 52" in the rearward direction. The forward direction 51 and the rearward direction 52 are opposite to each other. As will be described later, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge attachment portion 110 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the forward direction 51 and the rearward direction 52 are considered to be directions parallel to a horizontal plane perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Furthermore, a direction perpendicular to the forward direction 51 or the rearward direction 52 is defined as a "downward direction 53". The direction opposite to the downward direction 53 is defined as "upward direction 54". A direction perpendicular to the forward direction 51 and the downward direction 53 is defined as "rightward direction 55". The direction opposite to the right direction 55 is defined as "left direction 56". The rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 are also parallel to the horizontal plane.

Therefore, in the state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110, that is, in the state where the ink cartridge 30 can be used or operated by the printer 10, the downward direction 53 is the same as the direction in which gravity acts on the ink cartridge 30 (ie, The direction of gravity) coincides, and the upward direction 54 coincides with the direction opposite to the direction of gravity. Therefore, in the state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 and can be used by the printer 10, the outer surface of the main bottom wall portion 42 (described later) of the cartridge case 130 (described later) faces downward, and also That is to say, facing the direction of gravity. Also, in this state, the forward direction 51 and the rearward direction 52 are perpendicular to the gravitational direction.

Furthermore, a rightward direction 55 and a leftward direction 56 are defined as directions perpendicular to the forward direction 51 and the downward direction 53 . More specifically, in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 and can be used by the printer 10, when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the rear side of the ink cartridge 30, the rightward direction 55 is a direction toward the right, and a direction toward the left Direction 56 is toward the left.

Note that the state in which the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 or the state in which the ink cartridge 30 can be handled by the printer 10 means the state of the ink cartridge 30 when the ink cartridge 30 has been completely inserted into the attachment position in the cartridge attachment portion 110 . At the attached position, the ink needle 102 provided at the cartridge attaching portion 110 is inserted into the ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30 to be coupled to the ink supply portion 34, and the IC board 64 (described later) provided at the ink cartridge 30 ) is in contact with a contact portion 106 (described later) provided at the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Hereinafter, the posture of the ink cartridge 30 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 or in a state where the ink cartridge 30 can be operated by the printer 10 is referred to as an “operating posture”. The operating posture of the ink cartridge 30 will also be referred to as "erect posture".

Also, the forward direction 51 and the rearward direction 52 may be collectively referred to as "rearward direction". The upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53 may be collectively referred to as "upward and downward directions". The right direction 55 and the left direction 56 may be collectively referred to as "left and right directions".

Also, in the following description, the expression "facing forward" means "facing in a direction including a forward component", and the expression "facing backward" means "facing in a direction including a backward component". Furthermore, the expression "facing downward" means "facing in a direction containing a downward component", and the expression "facing upward" means "facing in a direction containing an upward component". For example, the phrase "the front surface faces forward" means that the front surface can face in a forward direction, or that the front surface can face in a direction that is oblique to the forward direction, so long as the direction includes a forward component.

<Overview of Printer 10>

As shown in FIG. 1 , the printer 10 is an image recording device configured to selectively eject ink droplets onto a recording sheet based on an inkjet recording system to record an image on the recording sheet. The printer 10 is, for example, an inkjet printer. The printer 10 includes a recording head 21 , an ink supply device 100 , and an ink tube 20 that connects the recording head 21 to the ink supply device 100 . The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge attachment portion 110 . The cartridge attachment portion 110 can detachably accommodate a plurality of ink cartridges 30 . The cartridge attachment portion 110 has an opening 112 on one side thereof. Through the opening 112 , each ink cartridge 30 can be inserted into the cartridge attachment portion 110 in the forward direction 51 and removed from the cartridge attachment portion 110 in the rearward direction 52 . In the embodiment, four ink cartridges 30 respectively corresponding to four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black can be accommodated in the cartridge attachment portion 110 of the ink supply device 100 . For the purpose of explanation, unless otherwise specified, in the following description and drawings, it is assumed that only one ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 .

The ink cartridge 30 stores liquid therein. Specifically, the ink cartridge 30 stores therein ink that can be used for a printing operation performed in the printer 10 . When the ink cartridge 30 has been completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the ink cartridge 30 is connected to the recording head 21 through the corresponding ink tube 20 . The recording head 21 has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) damping chambers 28 corresponding to the plurality of ink cartridges 30 . Each damper chamber 28 is adapted to temporarily store ink supplied from a corresponding ink cartridge 30 through a corresponding ink tube 20 . The recording head 21 also includes a plurality of nozzles 29 through which the ink supplied from the corresponding damper chamber 28 is selectively ejected. More specifically, the recording head 21 is provided with a head control board (not shown) and a plurality of piezoelectric elements 29A in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of nozzles 29 . The head control board is configured to selectively apply a driving voltage to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 29A to selectively eject ink from the nozzles 29 . In this way, the recording head 21 is configured to consume the ink stored in each ink cartridge 30 that has been attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 .

The printer 10 includes a sheet feed tray 15 , sheet feed rollers 23 , a pair of transport rollers 25 , a platen 26 , a pair of discharge rollers 27 , and a sheet discharge tray 16 . The sheet feeding roller 23 feeds the recording sheet from the sheet feeding tray 15 onto the transport path 24 . Then, the recording sheet transported to the transport path 24 is received by a pair of transport rollers 25 . A pair of transport rollers 25 transports the recording sheet over a platen 26 . As the recording sheet passes the platen 26, the recording head 21 selectively ejects ink onto the recording sheet, thereby recording an image on the recording sheet. A pair of discharge rollers 27 receives the recording sheet that has passed the platen 26 and discharges the recording sheet onto the sheet discharge tray 16 provided at the most downstream position in the transport path 24 .

<Ink supply device 100>

As shown in FIG. 1 , an ink supply device 100 is provided in the printer 10 . The ink supply device 100 is configured to supply ink to the recording head 21 . The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge attachment portion 110 , a plurality (four in this embodiment) of tanks 103 , and a plurality (four in this embodiment) of ink tubes 20 . The ink cartridge 30 is detachably attachable to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Note that FIG. 1 shows a state where the ink cartridge 30 has been completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . That is, in FIG. 1 , the ink cartridge 30 is in its attached state in which the ink cartridge 30 has been completely attached to the cartridge attaching portion 110 . In other words, the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIG. 1 is in its above-described operation posture.

<cartridge attaching part 110>

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the cartridge attachment portion 110 includes a housing 101, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of ink needles 102, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of protrusions. A board 111 , a plurality of (four in this embodiment) optical sensors 113 , and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) sets of contact portions 106 . As described above, four types of ink cartridges 30 corresponding to inks of four colors (ie, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) can be detachably mounted in the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Four ink needles 102 , four raised plates 111 and four optical sensors 113 are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the four ink cartridges 30 . Four contact portions 106 are provided for one ink cartridge 30 . Therefore, four sets of four contact portions 106 are provided for four ink cartridges 30 , that is, 16 (sixteen) contact portions 106 in total. Four tanks 103 and four ink tubes 20 are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the four ink cartridges 30 .

<Shell 101>

As shown in FIG. 2 , the housing 101 constitutes an outer casing of the cartridge attachment portion 110 . The housing 101 has a generally box-like shape defining an inner space. Housing 101 has an inner top surface 57 , an inner bottom surface, an inner right side surface 107 , an inner left side surface 108 , an inner end surface 59 and an opening 112 . The inner top surface 57 defines the top of the interior space of the housing 101 . The inner bottom surface defines the bottom of the inner space of the housing 101 . The inner right side surface 107 defines the right portion of the inner space of the housing 101 . The inner left side surface 108 defines the left portion of the inner space of the housing 101 . Inner end surface 59 connects inner top surface 57 , inner bottom surface, inner right side surface 107 and inner left side surface 108 . The opening 112 is formed in the housing 101 at a position facing the inner end surface 59 in the front-rear direction. The opening 112 can be exposed to a user interface surface of the printer 10 , which a user can face when operating the printer 10 .

Each ink cartridge 30 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 101 through the opening 112 . The housing 101 has a bottom formed with a plurality of (four in this embodiment) guide grooves 109 for guiding the insertion and displacement of the ink cartridge 30 relative to the housing 101. remove. As the lower ends of the ink cartridges 30 are inserted into the corresponding guide grooves 109, the corresponding ink cartridges 30 are guided by the corresponding guide grooves 109 in the front-rear direction (that is, the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface in FIG. 2 ). move. The housing 101 has three plates 104 ( FIG. 2 ) which partition the inner space into four individual spaces each elongated in the up-down direction. Each of the four spaces partitioned by the plate 104 is capable of receiving a corresponding one of the four ink cartridges 30 .

<ink needle 102>

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , each ink needle 102 has a hollow tubular shape and is provided at the lower end of the end wall (ie, the wall having the inner end surface 59 ) of the housing 101 . At the end wall of the housing 101 , the ink needle 102 is arranged at a position corresponding to the corresponding ink supply portion 34 of the ink cartridge 30 accommodated in the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Each ink needle 102 protrudes rearward from the inner end surface 59 of the housing 101 and opens at its distal end (ie, rear end). Incidentally, each ink needle 102 may have a flat-shaped end or a pointed end.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of protrusions 105 are formed on the inner right side surface 107 , the inner left side surface 108 and the plate 104 of the housing 101 . The protrusion 105 is provided at the housing 101 near the ink needle 102 . In this embodiment, four protrusions 105 are provided for each ink needle 102 . More specifically, four protrusions 105 are respectively located at the upper right side with respect to each ink needle 102 when viewed in the insertion direction (ie, the forward direction 51 ) in which the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge attachment portion 110 , At the upper left, at the lower right, and at the lower left. Specifically, the four protrusions 105 include a protrusion 105A, a protrusion 105B, a protrusion 105C, and a protrusion 105D. The protrusion 105A is provided at the upper right side with respect to the ink needle 102 . The protrusion 105B is provided at the upper left side with respect to the ink needle 102 . The protrusion 105C is provided at the lower right side with respect to the ink needle 102 . The protrusion 105D is provided at the lower left side with respect to the ink needle 102 . Hereinafter, the four protrusions 105A, 105B, 105C, and 105D will also be collectively referred to as "protrusions 105". As shown in FIG. 15, the protrusion 105 extends in the front-rear direction.

Each protrusion 105 has a first guide surface 196 and a second guide surface 197 . In FIG. 2 , for simplicity, reference numerals 196 and 197 appear only on the first guide surfaces 196 and second guide surfaces 197 of the projections 105A, 105B, 105C and 105D located in the rightmost space of the housing 101. superior.

The first guide surface 196 is a plane extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The second guide surface 197 is a plane extending in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The second guide surface 197 is connected to the first guide surface 196 . Incidentally, the first guide surface 196 and the second guide surface 197 are not necessarily connected to each other.

The first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105A and the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105C face each other in the up-down direction and are spaced apart from each other. The first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105B and the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105D face each other in the up-down direction and are spaced apart from each other. The second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105A and the second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105B are opposed to each other in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other. The second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105C and the second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105D face each other in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other.

Note that the protrusions 105 are not necessarily located at the upper right side, the upper left side, the lower right side, and the lower left side with respect to each ink needle 102 . The protrusion 105 may be located at the left side, the right side, the upper side, and the lower side with respect to each ink needle 102 . In addition, three or less protrusions 105, or five or more protrusions 105 may be provided for each ink needle 102.

<Raised plate 111>

As shown in FIG. 3 , a raised plate 111 is provided in each of four spaces of the casing 101 , in which one of the four ink cartridges 30 can be accommodated. Therefore, four raised plates 111 are provided at the housing 101 with one raised plate in each of the four cartridge accommodation spaces. Specifically, each raised plate 111 protrudes downward from the inner top surface 57 of the housing 101 at a position close to the opening 112 in the corresponding cartridge accommodating space. The size of each raised plate 111 in the left-right direction is smaller than the gap distance between a pair of walls 114 constituting the protrusion 43 of the ink cartridge 30 (see FIG. 4 , described later). Further, when the ink cartridge 30 has been inserted into the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the raised plate 111 is located between the pair of walls 114 in the left-right direction. During the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the raised plate 111 advances into the space between the pair of walls 114 of the protrusion 43 of the ink cartridge 30 . As shown in FIG. 3 , when the ink cartridge 30 has been completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the raised plate 111 is located between a pair of walls 114 in the left-right direction. The raised plate 111 has a bottom surface 111A capable of abutting against a lever 163 of a valve mechanism 135 (see FIG. 3 , described later).

<contact part 106>

As shown in FIG. 3 , a set of four contact portions 106 (only one contact portion is shown in FIG. 3 ) is provided in each of the four cartridge accommodating spaces of the housing 101 . Specifically, in each cartridge accommodating space of the housing 101 , a set of four contact portions 106 is provided on the inner top surface 57 at the forward position of the raised plate 111 . A set of four contact portions 106 protrudes downward from the inner top surface 57 into the cartridge accommodating space of the housing 101 . Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the four contact portions 106 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The four contact portions 106 in each group are arranged at positions respectively corresponding to the four electrodes 65 (described later, see FIG. 4 ) provided at each ink cartridge 30 . Each contact portion 106 is formed of a material having conductivity and elasticity. Therefore, the contact portion 106 can be elastically deformed upward. In the embodiment, one of four sets of four contact portions 106 is provided for each of four ink cartridges 30 capable of being accommodated in housing 101 . Therefore, a total of 16 (sixteen) contact portions 106 are provided at the housing 101 . However, the contacts 106 and electrodes 65 may be provided in any desired number.

Each contact portion 106 is electrically connected to an arithmetic unit (not shown) of the printer 10 via a circuit. The arithmetic unit may include, for example, CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The arithmetic unit can be used as, for example, a controller of the printer 10 . When the four contact portions 106 contact the corresponding four electrodes 65 , the four contact portions 106 are respectively electrically connected thereto. As a result, the voltage Vc is applied to one of the four electrodes 65; the other of the four electrodes 65 is grounded; a signal indicating data is sent to the other of the four electrodes 65; The arithmetic unit sends to another of the four electrodes 65 . Once the contacts 106 have been electrically connected to the corresponding electrodes 65 respectively, the arithmetic unit can access the data stored in the IC of the ink cartridge 30 . An output from each contact portion 106 is input into an arithmetic unit via a circuit.

<Optical sensor 113>

As shown in FIG. 2 , four optical sensors 113 are disposed on the inner top surface 57 of the housing 101 . Specifically, in each cartridge accommodating space of the casing 101 , each optical sensor 113 is provided at a forward position of a group of four contact portions 106 . Each optical sensor 113 includes a light emitter and a light receiver. The light transmitter and the light receiver face each other in the left-right direction. Specifically, with a space between the light emitter and the light receiver, the light emitter is located on the left or right side of the light receiver. When the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110, the light blocking plate 67 (described later, see FIGS. 2 and 4 ) of the attached ink cartridge 30 is located between the light emitter and light receiver of the corresponding optical sensor 113. between. In other words, the light emitter and the light receiver of the optical sensor 113 are arranged at positions facing each other such that the light blocking plate 67 of the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 is located between the light emitter and the light receiver.

Each optical sensor 113 is adapted to output a different detection signal according to whether the light receiver has received the light emitted in the left-right direction from the light transmitter or not. For example, when the light receiver fails to receive the light emitted from the light transmitter (ie, when the intensity of light received by the light receiver is less than a prescribed value), the optical sensor 113 outputs a low-level signal. On the other hand, when the light receiver receives the light emitted from the light transmitter (ie, when the intensity of the received light is equal to or greater than a prescribed value), the optical sensor 113 outputs a high-level signal.

<Lock Shaft 145>

As shown in FIG. 3 , a lock shaft 145 is provided at the housing 101 . The lock shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction near the inner top surface 57 of the housing 101 and the opening 112 . The lock shaft 145 is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction. The lock shaft 145 is formed of metal and has, for example, a cylindrical shape. The lock shaft 145 has left and right ends that are fixed to walls defining left and right ends of the housing 101 . Therefore, the locking shaft 145 is immovable, eg, pivotable, relative to the housing 101 . The lock shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction so as to straddle four cartridge accommodating spaces of the housing 101 each capable of accommodating an ink cartridge 30 therein. In each cartridge accommodating space, there is a space around the lock shaft 145 . Therefore, a locking surface 151 (described later) of each ink cartridge 30 can access the locking shaft 145 by moving upward or backward.

Here, the term "access" may mean physical access or contact (for example, contact where the locking shaft 145 touches the locking surface 151 ) or optical access (for example, the light barrier 67 (described later) is exposed to light from the optical sensor 113 ). emitted light). Alternatively, the term "access" may mean electrical access (for example, establishing an electrical connection between an electrode 65 of an IC board 64 (described later) and the contact portion 106 to allow the contact portion 106 to contact the electrode 65 current flows between them). Furthermore, access can be achieved in the up-down direction or in the left-right direction. Alternatively, access can be achieved in a front-to-back direction.

The locking shaft 145 is adapted to hold the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 at the attached position. When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge attachment portion 110 and is pivotally moved to the operating posture, the ink cartridge 30 is engaged with the lock shaft 145 . Further, the lock shaft 145 holds the ink cartridge 30 at the attached position in the cartridge attaching portion 110 against the urging force of the coil spring 78 (see FIG. 3 ) of the ink cartridge 30 which pushes the ink cartridge 30 backward.

<Can 103>

As shown in FIG. 1 , each tank 103 is provided at a forward position of the housing 101 . The tank 103 has a box-like shape allowing ink to be stored therein. The tank 103 has an atmosphere communication port 124 at its top. The tank 103 is opened to the outside through the atmosphere communication port 124 . That is, the internal space of the tank 103 is opened to the atmosphere through the atmosphere communication port 124 . At the rear of the tank 103 , the inner space of the tank 103 communicates with the inner space of the ink needle 102 . Accordingly, the ink flowed from the ink cartridge 30 through the corresponding ink needle 102 is stored in the corresponding tank 103 . The four ink tubes 20 are connected to the four tanks 103, respectively. Accordingly, the ink stored in the inner space of each tank 103 is supplied to the recording head 21 through the corresponding ink tube 20 .

<Overall Structure of Ink Cartridge 30>

The ink cartridge 30 is a container for storing liquid such as ink therein. As described above, in the embodiment, four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to the respective four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black can be attached to the cartridge attaching portion 110 . As shown in FIG. 4, among the four ink cartridges 30, three ink cartridges 30 respectively corresponding to the three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow are identical in structure. The ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the color black is structurally different from the other three ink cartridges 30 in that the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the black color is larger in the left-right direction than the ink cartridges corresponding to the cyan, magenta, and yellow colors. 30 dimensions in the left-right direction. Except for this difference, the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the color of black and the other three ink cartridges 30 corresponding to the colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow are substantially the same. The composition of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 is not particularly limited, but the ink may be, for example, pigment ink having a deposited composition. Alternatively, the ink may be dye ink.

First, the structure of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow will be described in detail. As for the configuration of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the color of black, only a portion different from the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow will be described later as a variation of the ink cartridge 30 . Note that hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow from the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the color of black, the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the color of black will also be referred to as ink cartridge 30K.

The posture of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is the posture of the ink cartridge 30 when the ink cartridge 30 is in the operating posture, that is, the posture of the ink cartridge 30 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 can be used in the printer 10 . The posture of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is also referred to as "erect posture". Ink cartridge 30 includes front walls 40 , 82 , rear walls 41 , 83 , top wall 39 , bottom walls 42 , 48 , right side walls 37 , 84 , and left side walls 38 , 85 .

In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30, the front walls 40, 82 face forward. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 , the front wall 40 includes an inner curved surface 117A and an outer curved surface 117B opposite the inner curved surface 117A and an inner curved surface 118A and an outer curved surface 118B opposite the inner curved surface 118A.

In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30, the rear walls 41, 83 face rearward. In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30, the top wall 39 faces upward. Further, in the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30 , the front end of the top wall 39 is connected to the upper end of the front wall 82 , and the rear end of the top wall 39 is connected to the upper end of the rear wall 83 . That is, the top wall 39 extends in the front-rear direction between the front walls 40 , 82 of the ink cartridge 30 and the rear walls 41 , 83 of the ink cartridge 30 .

In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30, the bottom walls 42, 48 face downward. The bottom walls 42 , 48 extend in the front-rear direction between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 . In an embodiment, the bottom walls 42 , 48 include a primary bottom wall portion 42 and a secondary bottom wall portion 48 . The connection wall 49 connects the main bottom wall portion 42 to the sub bottom wall 48 . In the operating position, the connecting wall 49 faces forward. In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30 , the front ends of the bottom walls 42 , 48 (ie, the front ends of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 ) are connected to the lower end of the front wall 40 . The rear ends of the bottom walls 42 , 48 (ie, the rear ends of the main bottom wall portion 42 ) are connected to the lower end of the rear wall 41 . The main bottom wall portion 42 connects the lower end of the rear wall 41 to the lower end of the connection wall 49 . The sub-bottom wall portion 48 connects the lower end of the front wall 40 to the upper end of the connection wall 49 . In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 14 , the secondary bottom wall portion 48 includes an inner curved surface 115A and an outer curved surface 115B opposite to the inner curved surface 115A, an inner curved surface 116A, and an inner curved surface 116A opposite to the inner curved surface 116A. The outer curved surface 116B as well as the inner curved surface 119A and the outer curved surface 119B opposite the inner curved surface 119A.

When the ink cartridge 30 is in the operating posture, the right side wall 37, 84 faces rightward. Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the operating posture, the left side wall 38, 85 faces leftward.

When the ink cartridge 30 is in the operating posture, the direction from the rear wall 41 toward the front wall 40 coincides with the forward direction 51 , and the direction from the front wall 40 toward the rear wall 41 coincides with the rearward direction 52 . In addition, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the operating posture, the direction from the top wall 39 toward the bottom walls 42, 48 coincides with the downward direction 53 (ie, the direction of gravity), and the direction from the bottom walls 42, 48 toward the top wall 39 coincides with the upward direction. The directions 54 coincide. Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is in the operating posture, the direction from the left side wall 38 toward the right side wall 37 coincides with the rightward direction 55 , and the direction from the right side wall 37 toward the left side wall 38 coincides with the leftward direction 56 . When the ink cartridge 30 was in the operating posture, the forward direction 51, the backward direction 52 and the front-rear direction coincided with the longitudinal direction of the ink cartridge 30; the downward direction 53, the upward direction 54 and the up-down direction coincided with the height direction of the ink cartridge 30; and The rightward direction 55 , the leftward direction 56 , and the left-right direction coincide with the width direction of the ink cartridge 30 .

Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110, the outer surfaces (ie, front surfaces) of the front walls 40, 82 face forward, the outer surfaces (ie, rear surfaces) of the rear walls 41, 83 face rearward, and the bottom wall 42 The outer surface (i.e. bottom surface) of , 48 faces downward, the outer surface (i.e. top surface) of top wall 39 faces upward, the outer surface (i.e. right surface) of right side wall 37,84 faces rightward, and left side wall 38, The outer surface (ie, the left surface) of 85 faces left.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , the ink cartridge 30 has a generally flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, so that the size of the ink cartridge 30 in the left-right direction is small, and the size of the ink cartridge 30 in the up-down direction and the size of the ink cartridge 30 in the front-rear direction are larger than the ink cartridge. 30 dimensions in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the ink cartridge 30 includes a cartridge case 130, a first inner cover 131, a second inner cover 132, a semipermeable membrane 141, a membrane 133, a membrane 146, an outer cover 134, a valve mechanism 135, a support member 150 and Ink supply unit 34 .

<Box case 130>

As shown in FIG. 7 , the cartridge case 130 has a generally box-like shape that is opened upward. That is, the cartridge case 130 has an opening 95 at its top end. In this embodiment, the cartridge case 130 is a container formed of resin. As shown in FIG. 10 , the first storage chamber 32 and the second storage chamber 33 are formed inside the cartridge case 130 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 , the cartridge case 130 includes a front wall 40 , a rear wall 41 , a right side wall 37 , a left side wall 38 , a main bottom wall portion 42 , a sub bottom wall portion 48 and a connection wall 49 . The front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 , the left side wall 38 , the main bottom wall portion 42 , the sub bottom wall 48 , and the connecting wall 49 constitute the outer wall of the cartridge case 130 . The rear wall 41 is spaced apart from the front wall 40 in the front-rear direction. The left side wall 38 faces the right side wall 37 in the left-right direction. The gap distance between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 is greater than the gap distance between the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 . The first storage chamber 32 is defined by a front wall 40 , a rear wall 41 , a right side wall 37 , a left side wall 38 , a sub-bottom wall portion 48 , and an inner bottom wall portion 45 ( FIG. 10 , described later).

The connection wall 49 and the front wall 40 constitute the front wall of the cartridge case 130 .

In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30 , the front surface of the front wall 40 is the front-facing surface of the cartridge case 130 , and the rear surface of the rear wall 41 is the rear-facing surface of the cartridge case 130 . The front surface of the connection wall 49 is also the front-facing surface of the cartridge case 130 . The right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 extend in directions intersecting the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 , respectively. The right side wall 37 connects the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the main bottom wall 42 , the sub bottom wall 48 , and the connecting wall 49 . Likewise, the left side wall 38 connects the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the main bottom wall portion 42 , the sub bottom wall portion 48 and the connection wall 49 . In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30, the outer surface of the right side wall 37 faces right, and the outer surface of the left side wall 38 faces left.

Among the outer walls of the cartridge case 130, at least the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the right side wall 37, and the left side wall 38 are formed of a light-transmitting material, thereby allowing visual identification of storage in the first storage chamber from the outside of the cartridge case 130. 32 and the ink in the second storage chamber 33. For example, at least the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the right side wall 37, and the left side wall 38 are made of a resin substantially free of colorants such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin, polypropylene, and the like. More specifically, through at least the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38, the color of the ink stored in the first storage chamber 32, the ink stored in the second storage chamber 33 can be visually recognized. The color of the ink and the surface level of the ink stored in the first storage chamber 32. When no or almost no ink remains in the first storage chamber 32, the inner bottom wall portion 45 (described later) can be visually recognized from the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the front wall 40, rear wall 41, right side wall 37, and left side wall 38. ) of the upper surface 45A (FIG. 10). The main bottom wall portion 42 and the sub bottom wall portion 48 may also be formed of a light-transmitting material. In other words, the cartridge case 130 may be made of transparent or translucent resin. In the embodiment, two storage chambers (ie, the first storage chamber 32 and the second storage chamber 33 ) constitute the liquid storage chamber of the ink cartridge 30 . Alternatively, the ink cartridge 30 may have a liquid storage chamber composed of one storage chamber. In this case, the inner bottom wall portion 45 can be omitted.

The right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 extend in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 14 , the right side wall 37 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so that its lower end is positioned leftward than its upper end. Therefore, the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 is also inclined with respect to the up-down direction, so that the lower end thereof is positioned to the left than the upper end thereof. The left side wall 38 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so that its lower end is positioned to the right than its upper end. Therefore, the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 is also inclined with respect to the up-down direction so that its lower end is positioned to the right than its upper end. Therefore, the gap distance in the left-right direction between the inner surface 37A and the inner surface 38A gradually decreases in the downward direction 53 . In other words, the gap distance in the left-right direction between the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 and the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 at the lower end thereof is smaller than that of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 The gap distance in the left-right direction at the upper end thereof between the inner surfaces 38A of . The right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 may not be inclined and extend in the up-down direction as long as the inner surface 37A and the inner surface 38A are inclined with respect to the up-down direction. Alternatively, the right side wall 37, the left side wall 38, the inner surface 37A, and the inner surface 38A are not necessarily inclined with respect to the up-down direction.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the main bottom wall portion 42 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. Specifically, the bottom surface of the main bottom wall portion 42 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that the rear end thereof is positioned higher than the front end thereof. The front end of the main bottom wall portion 42 is positioned forward with respect to a locking surface 151 (described later). The rear end of the main bottom wall portion 42 is connected to the lower end of the rear wall 41 . That is, the main bottom wall portion 42 extends forward from the lower end of the rear wall 41 . The secondary bottom wall portion 48 is positioned upward and forward with respect to the main bottom wall portion 42 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 , the upper end portion of each of the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 has an engaging claw 88 extending from the cartridge case 130 to the protrude. Each engagement claw 88 is engageable with an opening 86 formed in the outer cover 134 . In the embodiment, each engaging claw 88 is provided at each of the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 . That is, one engaging claw 88 is provided at each of the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 . However, more than one engaging claw 88 may be provided at each of the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 .

<First inner cover 131>

The first inner cover 131 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B is adapted to close the opening 95 formed in the top end of the cartridge case 130 . As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , the first inner cover 131 has a generally box-like shape that is opened upward. The first inner cover 131 includes: a bottom wall 136 ; a peripheral wall 137 standing upright from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall 136 ; and a flange wall 138 protruding outward from an outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 137 .

The bottom wall 136 has a through hole 46 penetrating through the thickness of the bottom wall 136 in the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 10 , the through hole 46 is formed at a position rearward from the front and rear centers in the air chamber 36 with respect to the air communication passage 72 (described later). The upper surface 136A of the bottom wall 136 slopes downward toward the through hole 46 .

The through holes 46 are not necessarily formed at the positions specified in FIGS. 3 and 10 . The through hole 46 may be formed at a position forward with respect to the front and rear centers in the air chamber 36 . Furthermore, the upper surface 136A does not have to be inclined as described above.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the first inner cover 131 is attached to the cartridge case 130 from above through the opening 95 formed at the top end of the cartridge case 130 and is disposed in the inner space of the cartridge case 130 . The first inner cover 131 is supported by the cartridge case 130 in the inner space of the cartridge case 130 . More specifically, in a state where the first inner cover 131 is set in the inner space of the cartridge case 130 , the lower surface 138A of the flange wall 138 at the front end portion of the first inner cover 131 is separated from the front end of the cartridge case 130 . The stepped surface 40B of the wall 40 is supported. A stepped surface 40B is formed at an upper end portion of the inner surface (ie, rear surface) of the front wall 40 . Further, the lower surface 138B of the flange wall 138 at the rear end portion of the first inner cover 131 is supported by the stepped surface 41B of the rear wall 41 of the cartridge case 130 . A stepped surface 41B is formed at an upper end portion of the inner surface (ie, the front surface) of the rear wall 41 . In the state where the first inner cover 131 is supported to the cartridge case 130, the top end surface 137A of the peripheral wall 137 of the first inner cover 131 and the top end surface 130A of the cartridge case 130 are positioned on the same imaginary plane, which Expands in front-back and left-right directions.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , the first inner cover 131 further includes two first ribs 185 and two second ribs 186 . The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 are formed at the lower surface 136B of the bottom wall 136 . In other words, two sets of first ribs 185 and second ribs 186 are provided at the lower surface 136B. The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 serve as guides when the first inner cover 131 is attached to the cartridge case 130 . In addition, the first rib 185 and the second rib 186 provide rigidity to the cartridge case 130 when the first inner cover 131 is attached to the cartridge case 130 .

The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 protrude downward from the lower surface 136B. The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 each have the same protruding length from the lower surface 136B as each other. In other words, each of the two first ribs 185 and the two second ribs 186 has a lower end at the same position as each other with respect to the up-down direction.

The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 extend along the lower surface 136B. The two first ribs 185 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The two second ribs 186 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 are positioned forward relative to the through hole 46 . Each of the first ribs 185 and a corresponding one of the second ribs 186 are arranged to face and be spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. When the ink cartridge 30 is filled with ink, the gap formed between the first rib 185 and the corresponding second rib 186 can facilitate the flow of ink.

Each of the first ribs 185 has an extension portion 185A and an inclined portion 185B. Similarly, each of the second ribs 186 has an extension 186A and an inclined portion 186B.

In the state where the first inner cover 131 is supported to the cartridge case 130, the extension 185A of each first rib 185 is in contact with the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37, and the extension 186A of each second rib 186 is in contact with the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37. The inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 is in contact. Each extension 185A extends leftward from its base end which contacts the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . Each extension 186A extends rightward from a base end thereof that contacts the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 .

The inclined portion 185B extends from the distal end (ie, left end) of the extension portion 185A and is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that the left end of the inclined portion 185B is positioned rearward than the right end of the inclined portion 185B. The inclined portion 186B extends from the distal end (ie, the right end) of the extension portion 186A and is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that the right end of the inclined portion 186B is positioned rearward than the left end of the inclined portion 186B. That is, the inclined portion 185B extends from the extension portion 185A toward the through hole 46 and is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, so that the distal end of the inclined portion 185B that is farthest from the extension portion 185A is positioned to be more inclined than the through hole 46 in the left-right direction. The base end of the portion 185B connected to the extension portion 185A is near the through hole 46 . Similarly, the inclined portion 186B extends from the extension portion 186A toward the through hole 46 and is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so that the distal end of the inclined portion 186B, which is farthest from the extension portion 186A, is positioned farther from the through hole 46 in the left-right direction than the inclined portion. The base end of 186B connected to the extension 186A is closer to the through hole 46 .

The distal end (ie, the rear end) of the sloped portion 185B of one of the first ribs 185 is positioned closer to the distal end (ie, the rear end) of the sloped portion 186B of the corresponding second rib 186. Finally, the corresponding second rib 186 is opposite to the one first rib 185 in the left-right direction. Likewise, the distal end (i.e., the rear end) of the sloped portion 185B of the other one of the first ribs 185 is positioned to be smaller than the distal end (i.e., the rear end) of the sloped portion 186B of the corresponding second rib 186B. end) behind, the corresponding second rib 186 is opposite to the other first rib 185 in the left-right direction. Accordingly, the distal end of the inclined portion 185B of each first rib 185 is positioned closer to the through hole 46 than the distal end of the inclined portion 186B of the corresponding second rib 186 is.

Incidentally, neither the number of first ribs 185 nor the number of second ribs 186 is limited to two. In addition, the first rib 185 and the second rib 186 may be formed backward relative to the through hole 46 . In addition, the distal end of the inclined portion 186B of the second rib 186 may be positioned rearward relative to the distal end of the corresponding inclined portion 185B of the first rib 185 .

<Second inner cover 132>

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B , the second inner cover 132 has a plate-like shape.

The second inner cover 132 is attached to the first inner cover 131 from above through the top opening of the first inner cover 131 and is disposed in an inner space of the first inner cover 131 defined by the bottom wall 136 and the peripheral wall 137 . The second inner cover 132 is supported by the first inner cover 131 in the inner space of the first inner cover 131 . Specifically, in the state where the second inner cover 132 is set in the inner space of the first inner cover 131, the lower surface 132B of the second inner cover 132 and the stepped surface 137B of the peripheral wall 137 of the first inner cover 131 (see FIG. 8B )touch. The stepped surface 137B is formed at the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 137 and faces upward. Therefore, the lower surface 132B contacts the stepped surface 137B from above.

The second inner cover 132 is provided with ribs 149 at its upper surface 132A. The rib 149 protrudes upward from the peripheral portion of the upper surface 132A. As shown in FIG. 10 , the second inner cover 132 is supported by the first inner cover 131 , and the first inner cover 131 is supported by the cartridge case 130 . In this state, the top end surface 149A of the rib 149 of the second inner cover 132, the top end surface 137A of the peripheral wall 137 of the first inner cover 131, and the top end surface 130A of the cartridge case 130 are positioned on the same virtual plane. The plane expands in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the second inner cover 132 has a through hole 139 . In a state where the second inner cover 132 is supported to the first inner cover 131 , the through hole 139 is vertically opposed to the through hole 46 of the first inner cover 131 , and the through hole 139 is located above the through hole 46 . In other words, in a state where the second inner cover 132 is supported to the first inner cover 131 , the through hole 139 is aligned with the through hole 46 with respect to the up-down direction.

The second inner cover 132 further includes ribs 140 at the lower surface 132B. The rib 140 protrudes downward from the lower surface 132B. The rib 140 is positioned forward relative to the through hole 139 . The rib 140 has a rectangular frame-like shape when the second inner cover 132 is viewed from the bottom side of the second inner cover 132 . When the second inner cover 132 is viewed from the bottom side of the second inner cover 132, the shape of the rib 140 is not limited to a rectangular frame-like shape as long as the rib 140 has a closed shape. For example, the rib 140 may have a circular shape when the second inner cover 132 is viewed from the bottom side of the second inner cover 132 .

A semipermeable membrane 141 (see FIG. 7 ) is welded or fused to the lower end surface of the rib 140 . The semipermeable membrane 141 is a porous membrane having micropores that blocks the passage of ink but allows the passage of air. The semipermeable membrane 141 is made of fluorine resin such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinylethyl copolymer or tetrafluoroethylene Ethylene-ethylene copolymer.

Since the semipermeable membrane 141 is welded to the lower end surface of the rib 140 , the rib 140 , the lower surface 132B of the second inner cover 132 , and the semipermeable membrane 141 define a space 89 .

The second inner cover 132 also has a through hole 142 . The through hole 142 has one open end (ie, a lower open end) formed in the lower surface 132B at a position inside the rib 140 when the second inner cover 132 is viewed from the bottom side of the second inner cover 132 . In other words, the through hole 142 is formed in the second inner cover 132 such that the one open end of the through hole 142 is positioned in the portion of the lower surface 132B where the space 89 is provided. That is, the through hole 142 communicates with the space 89 . Therefore, with the space 89 interposed between the through hole 142 and the semipermeable membrane 141 in the vertical direction, the through hole 142 and the semipermeable membrane 141 are opposed to each other in the vertical direction. The through hole 142 is formed at a position forward relative to the front and rear centers of the air chamber 36 of the air communication passage 72 . The through hole 142 is located at the right front end in the area surrounded by the rib 140 .

Incidentally, the through holes 142 are not necessarily formed at the positions specified in FIG. 9 . For example, the through hole 142 may be formed at a rearward position with respect to the front and rear centers of the air chamber 36 . Alternatively, the through hole 142 may be located at the left front end or the rear end in the area surrounded by the rib 140 .

As shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C , the second inner cover 132 also has a labyrinth path 143 at the upper surface 132A. The labyrinth path 143 is defined by the upper surface 132A, a plurality of ribs 144 provided at the upper surface 132A, and a membrane 146 (see FIG. 7 ) welded to the upper end surface of the ribs 144 .

The plurality of ribs 144 extend in the front-rear direction and are juxtaposed to each other in the left-right direction. Therefore, the labyrinth path 143 is a continuous passage extending from right to left and making repeated U-turns in the front-rear direction. The maze path 143 may not have the shape as shown in FIG. 9B. For example, the labyrinth path 143 may be a continuous passage extending in the front-rear direction and making repeated U-turns in the left-right direction.

The labyrinth path 143 has one end communicating with the through hole 142 and the other end communicating with the communicating hole 147 .

The communication hole 147 is a circular hole opened upward. Communication hole 147 is defined by upper surface 132A and rib 148 . The rib 148 has a hollow cylindrical shape and protrudes upward from the upper surface 132A. Rib 148 is connected to rib 144 . Therefore, the rib 148 is connected to the labyrinth path 143 . In other words, the communication hole 147 communicates with the labyrinth path 143 . Membrane 133 and membrane 146 are formed from a material that is impermeable to liquid and air. Neither the membrane 146 nor the membrane 133 (see FIG. 7 ) is welded to the upper end surface of the rib 148 . Therefore, the communication hole 147 opens upward and communicates with the atmosphere. The communication hole 147 constitutes an end portion of the air communication passage 72 .

The communication hole 147 has a certain area when the communication hole 147 is viewed from above. The area of the communication hole 147 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the labyrinth path 143 taken along a plane perpendicular to the air flow direction, that is, the cross-sectional area of the labyrinth path 143 taken along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. 9C . In an embodiment, for example, the communication hole 147 has an area ranging from 3.1 square millimeters to 23.7 square millimeters, and the labyrinth path 143 has a cross-sectional area ranging from 0.8 square millimeters to 1.0 square millimeters.

Incidentally, the communication hole 147 is not limited to a circular hole. In addition, the communication hole 147 may face any direction other than the upward direction 54 .

Further, the second inner cover 132 has a rib 156 , a pair of ribs 157 and a pair of ribs 158 at the upper surface 132A around the through hole 139 .

The rib 156 protrudes from the upper surface 132A along the periphery of the through hole 139 . The rib 156 has a hollow cylindrical shape. The rib 156 is adapted to the position of the rod 165 of the valve body 161 of the fixed valve mechanism 135 (see FIGS. 7 and 10 ), which is inserted into the through hole 139 , with respect to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction.

A pair of ribs 157 is provided such that the rib 156 is interposed between the ribs 157 in the front-rear direction. Each rib 157 is U-shaped when viewed from above, with the opening of the "U" facing the rib 156 . The rib 157 is adapted to fix the position of the rod 165 of the valve body 161 of the valve mechanism 135 (see FIG. 7 ) with respect to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction.

A pair of ribs 158 is provided such that the rib 156 and the rib 157 are interposed between the ribs 158 in the front-rear direction. Each rib 158 is flexed at its distal end. The bent portion at the distal end of each rib 158 is engageable with the engagement portion 152 of the support member 150 (see FIG. 10 ).

<Film 133>

As shown in FIG. 7, the film 133 has a rectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 10 , the film 133 is welded to the top end surface 130A of the cartridge case 130 , the top end surface 137A of the peripheral wall 137 of the first inner cover 131 , and the top end surface 149A of the rib 149 of the second inner cover. The film 133 does not necessarily have a rectangular shape. The membrane 133 may have any shape other than a rectangular shape as long as the membrane 133 can be welded to the top end face 130A, the top end face 137A, and the top end face 149A as described above.

As shown in FIG. 7 , membrane 133 has opening 159 and opening 160 . Openings 159 are formed at positions corresponding to the ribs 144 in a state where the film 133 is welded to the top end surface 130A, the top end surface 137A, and the top end surface 149A. Therefore, in a state where the film 133 is welded to the top end surface 130A, the top end surface 137A, and the top end surface 149A, the film 146 welded to the rib 144 is exposed to the outside through the opening 159 . Openings 160 are formed at positions corresponding to rib 156 , rib 157 , rib 158 and valve mechanism 135 in a state where film 133 is welded to tip end face 130A, tip end face 137A, and tip end face 149A. Accordingly, the ribs 156 , 157 , 158 and the valve mechanism 135 are exposed to the outside through the opening 160 in a state where the membrane 133 is welded to the top end face 130A, the top end face 137A, and the top end face 149A.

<outer cover 134>

As shown in FIG. 7 , the outer cover 134 has a generally box-like shape opened downward. The outer cover 134 includes a top wall 39 , a front wall 82 , a rear wall 83 , a right side wall 84 and a left side wall 85 . The front wall 82 extends downward from the front end of the top wall 39 . The front wall 82 has a lower end connected to the front wall 40 of the cartridge case 130 . The front wall 82 of the outer cover 134 and the front wall 40 and the connection wall 49 of the cartridge case 130 constitute the front wall of the ink cartridge 30 . The rear wall 83 extends downward from the rear end of the top wall 39 . The rear wall 83 has a lower end connected to the rear wall 41 of the cartridge case 130 . The rear wall 83 of the outer cover 134 and the rear wall 41 of the cartridge case 130 constitute the rear wall of the ink cartridge 30 . A right side wall 84 extends downward from the right end of the top wall 39 and connects the front wall 82 to the rear wall 83 . The right side wall 84 has a lower end connected to the right side wall 37 of the cartridge case 130 . The right side wall 84 of the outer cover 134 and the right side wall 37 of the cartridge case 130 constitute the right side wall of the ink cartridge 30 . A left side wall 85 extends downward from the left end of the top wall 39 and connects the front wall 82 to the rear wall 83 . The left side wall 85 has a lower end connected to the left side wall 38 of the cartridge case 130 . The left side wall 85 of the outer cover 134 and the left side wall 38 of the cartridge case 130 constitute the left side wall of the ink cartridge 30 .

Each of the front wall 82 , rear wall 83 , right side wall 84 and left side wall 85 has an opening 86 . The engaging claws 88 of the cartridge case 130 are capable of engaging with the openings 86, respectively. By engaging the engaging claw 88 with the opening 86 , the outer cover 134 covers the cartridge case 130 from above. In the embodiment, the opening 86 is formed in the outer cover 134 , and the engagement claw 88 is provided at the cartridge case 130 . However, the engagement claw 88 may be provided at the outer cover 134 and the opening 86 may be formed in the cartridge case 130 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the top wall 39 has an opening 44 extending in the front-rear direction. The opening 44 is formed at a position above the rib 156 , the rib 157 and the rib 158 of the second inner cover 132 .

The outer cover 134 includes a protrusion 43 protruding upward from the top wall 39 . Protrusions 43 are provided on the top wall 39 to surround the opening 44 from the right, left and rear sides of the opening 44 . The locking shaft 145 ( FIG. 3 ) can be accessed from the outside into the protrusion 43 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 43 has a rear end with a rear surface facing rearward. The rear surface of the protrusion 43 serves as the locking surface 151 . The locking surface 151 is positioned upward relative to the top surface of the top wall 39 . The locking surface 151 extends in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. In a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the rearward-facing locking surface 151 is in contact with the locking shaft 145 . Because the rearward-facing locking surface 151 abuts on the locking shaft 145 , the ink cartridge 30 is held in the cartridge attachment portion 110 against the urging force of the coil spring 78 . In a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , an inserted part or member such as the protrusion 43 can be accessed from the outside of the ink cartridge 30 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the protrusion 43 includes a pair of walls 114 . With the opening 44 interposed between the pair of walls 114 , the pair of walls 114 is located in front of the locking surface 151 . Each wall 114 has an upper end surface including a horizontal surface 154 and an inclined surface 155 . The horizontal surface 154 has a rear end continuous with the locking surface 151 . The inclined surface 155 is positioned forward relative to the horizontal surface 154 . The inclined surface 155 is continuous with the front end of the horizontal surface 154 . The inclined surface 155 faces upward and forward. The inclined surface 155 is inclined such that its front end is positioned lower than its rear end. Since the horizontal surface 154 connects the locking surface 151 to the inclined surface 155, the locking surface 151 and the inclined surface 155 do not provide a ridge-like shape. Therefore, during the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attachment portion 110, the lock shaft 145 is smoothly guided by the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154 to a position behind the locking surface 151 while contacting the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154. Location.

The outer cover 134 further includes an operation portion 90 . The operation portion 90 is provided on the top wall 39 at a position rearward with respect to the locking surface 151 . The operation unit 90 can be manipulated by a user. The top wall 39 has a secondary upper surface 91 at its rear end. The operation portion 90 is disposed above the secondary upper surface 91 and spaced apart from the secondary upper surface 91 . The operation portion 90 has a substantially flat plate shape. Specifically, the operation portion 90 protrudes upward from the boundary area between the secondary upper surface 91 and the remaining upper surface of the top wall 39 to the same height as the protruding portion 43 . The upper end of the operation part 90 is positioned forward than the lower end of the operation part 90 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , a rib 94 is provided between the operation portion 90 and the secondary upper surface 91 . The rib 94 connects the operation portion 90 to the secondary upper surface 91 . The rib 94 extends rearward from the boundary area between the secondary upper surface 91 and the remaining upper surface. The dimension of the rib 94 in the left-right direction is smaller than the dimension of the operation portion 90 in the left-right direction, and is also smaller than the dimension of the secondary upper surface 91 in the left-right direction. The rib 94 can suppress deformation of the rear portion of the operation portion 90 in the up-down direction.

The operation portion 90 has a surface facing upward and rearward. This surface serves as the operating surface 92 . The rear portion of the operation surface 92 and the secondary upper surface 91 are positioned to overlap each other in the front-rear direction. In other words, when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from above, the rear portion of the operation surface 92 overlaps the secondary upper surface 91 . On the operation surface 92, a plurality of protrusions (for example, a plurality of protruding ribs 93) extending in the left-right direction are formed. The protruding ribs 93 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The protruding ribs 93 as a plurality of protrusions allow the user to physically recognize the operation surface 92 . The protruding ribs 93 can also serve to prevent the user's fingers from slipping on the operation surface 92 when the user manipulates the operation surface 92 . As described above, in the state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , it is possible to access the inserted part or member from the outside of the ink cartridge 30 . However, in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the inserted member may be a member to be inserted by the user to manipulate it.

The operation surface 92 can be visually recognized when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the upper side of the ink cartridge 30 . The operation surface 92 can also be visually recognized when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the rear side of the ink cartridge 30 . The user manipulates the operation surface 92 to remove the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 from the operation surface 92 . Incidentally, in the embodiment, the operation portion 90 is integrally formed with the outer cover 134 . Therefore, the operation portion 90 is fixed to the outer cover 134 and cannot move relative to the outer cover 134 . Therefore, the operation portion 90 cannot pivotally move relative to the outer cover 134 . Therefore, the force applied by the user to the operation surface 92 is directly transmitted to the outer cover 134 without changing the direction of the force.

The outer surfaces of each of the front wall 40, 82, rear wall 41, 83, top wall 39, bottom wall 42, 48, right side wall 37, 84, and left side wall 38, 85 constituting the ink cartridge 30 are not necessarily covered. Constructed as a flat surface. That is to say, the front surface of the ink cartridge 30 (i.e. the outer surface of the front wall) may be visible when observing the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture from the front side of the ink cartridge 30 and positioned relative to the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture. Any surface(s) forward of the front and rear centers of the ink cartridge 30 . Therefore, the front surface of the connecting wall 49 may constitute a part of the front surface of the front wall of the ink cartridge 30 . The rear surface of the ink cartridge 30 (ie, the outer surface of the rear wall) may be any surface that is visible when the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture is viewed from the rear side of the ink cartridge 30 and that is positioned backward relative to the front and rear centers of the ink cartridge 30 (one or more). The top surface (i.e., the outer surface of the top wall) of the ink cartridge 30 may be any surface that is visible when the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture is viewed from above and positioned upward relative to the upper and lower (vertical) centers of the ink cartridge 30 ( one or more). The bottom surface of the ink cartridge 30 (i.e., the outer surface of the bottom wall) may be any surface (one or more surfaces) that is visible when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture from below and that is positioned downward relative to the upper and lower centers of the ink cartridge 30. indivual). The same applies to the right surface of the ink cartridge 30 (ie, the outer surface of the right side wall) and the left surface of the ink cartridge 30 (ie, the outer surface of the left side wall). The right surface of the ink cartridge 30 may be any surface(s) that is visible when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture from the right side of the ink cartridge 30 and positioned to the right with respect to the left and right centers of the ink cartridge 30 . The left surface of the ink cartridge 30 may be any surface(s) visible when viewing the ink cartridge 30 in its operating posture from the left side of the ink cartridge 30 and positioned leftward with respect to the left and right centers of the ink cartridge 30 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , the outer cover 134 further includes a light blocking plate 67 . The light blocking plate 67 is provided on the top surface (outer surface) of the top wall 39 . The light blocking plate 67 protrudes upward from the top surface of the top wall 39 . The light blocking plate 67 has a flat plate-like shape extending in the front-rear direction. The light barrier 67 is integral with the top wall 39 . The light barrier 67 may not be integral with the top wall 39 . The light blocking plate 67 is positioned forward with respect to the protruding portion 43 . The bezel plate 67 is also positioned forward with respect to the IC board 64 (described later). In an embodiment, the light blocking plate 67 is a resin plate containing a coloring material capable of absorbing light (for example, black pigment, carbon black pigment, or black dye). Alternatively, the light blocking plate 67 may be constructed by attaching a light-impermeable material such as aluminum to a side surface of a plate capable of light transmission.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the light blocking plate 67 has a cutout 66 . The cutout 66 is recessed downward from the upper edge 67C of the light blocking plate 67 and extends in the front-rear direction. When the ink cartridge 30 is fully attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the cutout 66 is formed in the light blocking plate 67 at a position aligned with the optical sensor 113 in the left-right direction. The light blocking plate 67 has left and right surfaces serving as light blocking surfaces 67A. Light emitted from the outside of the ink cartridge 30 and traveling in the left and right directions can enter the light blocking surface 67A. Specifically, the light blocking surface 67A includes a light blocking portion 68 adapted to block light emitted from the optical sensor 113 and in the left-right direction during the attachment and removal process of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Traveling light (see Figure 2 and Figure 6). In other words, the light blocking portion 68 is configured such that when the light blocking portion 68 receives light, the light blocking portion 68 prevents the light from passing through the light blocking portion 68 or changes the path of the light. The light blocking portion 68 is provided at a region of the light blocking surface 67A from the front edge 67B of the light blocking plate 67 to the front edge of the cutout 66 . During the attachment and removal process of the ink cartridge 30 relative to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , light emitted from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 is incident on the light blocking portion 68 before the light reaches the light receiver of the optical sensor 113 . At this time, the light intensity of the light received at the light receiver is less than a predetermined intensity, for example, zero. Note that the light blocking portion 68 may completely block light traveling in the left-right direction or may partially attenuate the light. Alternatively, the light blocking portion 68 may refract the light to change its direction of travel, or may reflect the light entirely. The phrase "blocking light" herein means preventing the light emitted from the light emitter from reaching the light receiver in an amount that the light receiver can detect the light barrier 67 . When the ink cartridge 30 is fully attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the cutout 66 is opposed to the optical sensor 113 so that light emitted from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 can pass through the cutout 66 to reach the light receiver of the optical sensor 113 .

The light blocking plate 67 may not be formed with the cutout 66 . Depending on the type of ink cartridge 30 , light barrier 67 may or may not have cutout 66 . In other words, depending on the type of the ink cartridge 30 , the light blocking plate 67 may or may not be detected by the optical sensor 113 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Specifically, the type of the ink cartridge 30 means, for example, the color of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 30, the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 (pigment ink or dye ink), and the initial amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 (a large amount or small amount).

As shown in FIG. 22 , the light blocking plate 267 has a flat plate-like shape extending in the front-rear direction. No cutout is formed in the light blocking plate 267 . The light blocking plate 267 has the same configuration as the light blocking plate 67 except that the cutout 66 is not formed. The light blocking plate 267 has a light blocking surface 267A including a light blocking portion 268 . The light blocking portion 268 is provided in a region of the light blocking surface 267A from the front edge 267B of the light blocking plate 267 to the position where the optical sensor 113 faces when the ink cartridge 30 is completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . In this case, the light emitted from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 is blocked, attenuated, refracted or reflected by the light blocking portion 268 during the attaching and removing process of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the cartridge attaching portion 110 . Further, since the light blocking portion 268 has a portion 268A opposed to the optical sensor 113 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attaching portion 110 , when the ink cartridge 30 is completely attached to the cartridge attaching portion 110 , the light from the optical sensor 113 The light emitted by the light emitter is blocked, weakened, refracted or reflected by the light blocking part 268.

During the attachment and removal process of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the cartridge attachment portion 110, using the light barrier 67, the printer 10 can determine whether the ink cartridge 30 has been attached based on the intensity of light received by the light receiver of the optical sensor 113, for example. to the box attachment 110. For the ink cartridge 30 having the light blocking plate 267, the printer 10 can determine whether the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attaching part 110 based on whether the light emitted from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 is blocked by the light blocking plate 267, that is, when When the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110, the light blocking plate 267 is detected.

In addition, the printer 10 can determine the attachment based on the presence or absence of the cutout 66, that is, based on whether the light emitted from the light emitter of the optical sensor 113 to be received by the light receiver of the optical sensor 113 passes through the cutout 66. The type of ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . The user can also visually determine the type of ink cartridge 30 based on the presence or absence of cutout 66 . Furthermore, during the process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attaching portion 110 and when the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attaching portion 110 , the printer 10 can determine, based on a change in the detection signal output from the optical sensor 113 , whether the ink cartridge 30 is attached or not. Information of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , an IC board 64 is provided at the top surface of the top wall 39 . The IC board 64 is located between the light blocking plate 67 and the protruding portion 43 in the front-rear direction. The IC board 64 is positioned closer to the ink supply portion 34 in the front-rear direction than the protruding portion 43 is to the ink supply portion 34 . In other words, at the top wall 39 , the light blocking plate 67 , the IC board 64 , and the protrusion 43 are sequentially arranged from the front side to the rear side of the top wall 39 . Specifically, at the top wall 39 , the light blocking surface 67A of the light blocking plate 67 , the upper surface of the electrode 65 of the IC board 64 , and the locking surface 151 of the protrusion 43 are arranged in this order from the front side to the rear side of the top wall 39 . During the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the IC board 64 is electrically connected to the four contact portions 106 . In a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , electrical connection between the IC board 64 and the four contact portions 106 is maintained.

The IC board 64 includes a substrate, an IC (not shown), and four electrodes 65 . The substrate supports the IC. Four electrodes 65 are mounted on the substrate. Four electrodes 65 are electrically connected to the IC. The four electrodes 65 extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged in the left-right direction. Four electrodes 65 are provided on the upper surface of the substrate and exposed to the outside to allow electrical access to the four electrodes 65 from above. When the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the upper surfaces of the four electrodes 65 can directly contact the four contact portions 106 of the housing 101 , respectively. IC is a semiconductor integrated circuit. The IC readably stores data indicating information on the ink cartridge 30, such as a lot number, date of manufacture, color of ink, printable number of sheets, and the like. Incidentally, the substrate may be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate having flexibility.

<Internal Structure of Ink Cartridge 30>

As shown in FIG. 10 , the ink cartridge 30 includes a first storage chamber 32 , a second storage chamber 33 , an ink valve chamber 35 and an air communication passage 72 . The first storage chamber 32 , the second storage chamber 33 , the ink valve chamber 35 and the air communication passage 72 are provided inside the ink cartridge 30 .

The inner bottom wall portion 45 is provided inside the ink cartridge 30 . More specifically, the cartridge case 130 has an inner bottom wall portion 45 . The inner bottom wall portion 45 extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In a state where the cartridge case 130 supports the first inner cover 131 , the inner bottom wall portion 45 is opposed to the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131 in the up-down direction. An upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 is continuous with an upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 .

The upper end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the lower surface 136B of the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131 . The lower end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 and the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 . The front end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 . The rear end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41 . The left end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . The right end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . Therefore, the first storage chamber 32 is composed of the lower surface 136B of the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45, the upper surface 48A of the second bottom wall portion 48, and the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40. , the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41, the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37, and the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 define a space. The size of the first storage chamber 32 in the front-rear direction is larger than the size of the first storage chamber 32 in the left-right direction. Gaps between the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 and the first inner cover 131 are fluid-tightly sealed by the membrane 133 .

The first rib 185 and the second rib 186 protrude from the lower surface 136B of the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131 into the first storage chamber 32 . The lower surface 136B is one of the surfaces defining the first storage chamber 32 .

Ribs 185, 186 protrude from lower surface 136B. However, no rib protrudes from the surface defining the first storage chamber 32 other than the lower surface 136B. That is, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45, the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48, the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40, the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41, the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37, and the left and right sides. Neither inner surface 38A of the side wall 38 has an inwardly projecting portion (such as a rib) protruding or extending therefrom toward the first storage chamber 32 . Preferably, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45, the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48, the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40, the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41, the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 and the left The inner surface 38A of the side wall 38 should not be formed with an inwardly protruding portion. However, inwardly protruding portions may be formed on these surfaces.

When the ink cartridge 30 is manufactured, the ink stored in the first storage chamber 32 is in contact with the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 , the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 , the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 , and the inner surface of the rear wall 41 . The surface 41A, the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 and the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 are in contact.

As described above, the through hole 46 is formed in the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131 . Through the through hole 46 , the first storage chamber 32 communicates with the air chamber 36 of the air communication passage 72 .

The second storage chamber 33 is provided in the inner space of the cartridge housing 130 at a position downward relative to the first storage chamber 32 when the ink cartridge 30 is in its operating posture. The second storage chamber 33 is adapted to store ink therein. The volume of the second storage chamber 33 is smaller than that of the first storage chamber 32 . Therefore, a smaller amount of ink can be stored in the second storage chamber 33 than in the first storage chamber 32 .

The upper end of the second storage chamber 33 is defined by the lower surface 45B of the inner bottom wall portion 45 . The lower end of the second storage chamber 33 is defined by the upper surface 42A of the main bottom wall portion 42 . The rear end of the second storage chamber 33 is defined by the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41 . The left end of the second storage chamber 33 is defined by the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 , and the right end of the second storage chamber 33 is defined by the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . The second storage chamber 33 and the ink valve chamber 35 are partitioned by a partition wall 50 . The front end of the second storage chamber 33 is defined by the surface 50A of the partition wall 50 . The surface 50A is the rear surface of the partition wall 50 , and the surface 50A is closer to the second storage chamber 33 than to the front surface of the partition wall 50 . The second storage chamber 33 is composed of the lower surface 45B of the inner bottom wall 45 , the upper surface 42A of the main bottom wall 42 , the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41 , the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 , and the inner surface of the left side wall 38 . A space defined by the surface 38A and the surface 50A of the partition wall 50 .

When the ink cartridge 30 is manufactured, the ink stored in the second storage chamber 33 is mixed with the lower surface 45B of the inner bottom wall portion 45, the upper surface 42A of the main bottom wall portion 42, the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41, and the inner surface of the right side wall 37. The inner surface 37A, the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 and the surface 50A of the partition wall 50 are in contact.

The second storage chamber 33 communicates with the first storage chamber 32 through a communication hole 47 ( FIGS. 10 and 11 ) formed in the inner bottom wall portion 45 . As shown in FIG. 11 , a communication hole 47 is formed at the right rear end portion of the inner bottom wall portion 45 . In other words, the open end of the communication hole 47 opens to the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the second storage chamber 33 also communicates with the ink valve chamber 35 through a through hole 99 formed in the partition wall 50 . The ink valve chamber 35 extends in the forward direction 51 from the second storage chamber 33 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 and the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 are inclined. The upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 and the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, so that the front end of the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 is positioned more than the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 . Back end up. That is, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 and the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 are inclined downward toward the communication hole 47 .

The communication hole 47 is not necessarily formed in the right rear end portion of the inner bottom wall portion 45 . The communication hole 47 may be formed, for example, in the front and rear central portions of the inner bottom wall portion 45 . Alternatively, the communication hole 47 may be formed in the inner bottom wall portion 45 across the entire area in the left-right direction, or may be formed in the sub-bottom wall portion 48 .

In the embodiment, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, that is, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 is inclined downward toward the communication hole 47 . However, the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 is not necessarily inclined as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 14 , upper surface 48A includes curved surface 115A, curved surface 116A, and curved surface 119A.

The curved surface 115A extends downward from the lower end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . That is, the curved surface 115A is continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . The curved surface 116A extends downward from the lower end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . That is, the curved surface 116A is continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . The curved surface 115A and the curved surface 116A are provided by the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 . Although not shown in the drawings, the upper surface 45A includes a curved region continuously connected to the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 and another curved region continuously connected to the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . The radius of curvature of each of the curved surface 115A and the curved surface 116A is larger than the radius of curvature of the curved region of the upper surface 45A. The curved surface 115A is curved such that its lower end is positioned leftward than its upper end. The curved surface 116A is curved such that its lower end is positioned to the right than its upper end. The curved surface 115A and the curved surface 116A are curved to expand outward from the cartridge case 130 . The lower end of the curved surface 115A is connected to the lower end of the curved surface 116A. Here, the lower end of the curved surface 115A and the lower end of the curved surface 116A provide the lowermost portion of the first storage chamber 32 at the front thereof, that is, the lowermost portion of the upper surface 48A. In other words, the lower end of the curved surface 115A is connected to the lower end of the curved surface 116A (ie connected to the lowermost part of the upper surface 48A and the lowermost part of the first storage chamber 32 at its front), and the lower end of the curved surface 116A is connected to The lower end of the curved surface 115A (ie, the lowermost part connected to the upper surface 48A and the lowermost part of the first storage chamber 32 at the front thereof). Therefore, at the front of the first storage chamber 32, a curved inner surface having a U-shaped section is formed by the upper surface 48A, and this U-shaped curved inner surface (ie, the upper surface 48A) separates the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 from the upper surface 48A. Connected to the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 .

The outer curved surface 115B of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 is curved in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the inner curved surface 115A is curved. In other words, the outer curved surface 115B is curved in the same direction as the direction in which the inner curved surface 115A is curved. The outer curved surface 116B of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 is curved in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the inner curved surface 116A is curved. In other words, the outer curved surface 116B is curved in the same direction as the direction in which the inner curved surface 116A is curved. Incidentally, the outer curved surfaces 115B and 116B are not necessarily curved. For example, outer curved surfaces 115B and 116B may be curved.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the curved surface 119A extends downward from the lower end of the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 . That is, the curved surface 119A is continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 . The curved surface 119A is provided by the upper surface 48A of the secondary bottom wall portion 48 . The curved surface 119A is curved such that its lower end is positioned rearward than its upper end. The curved surface 119A is curved to expand outward from the cartridge case 130 . The outer curved surface 119B of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 is curved in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the inner curved surface 119A is curved. In other words, the outer curved surface 119B is curved in the same direction as the direction in which the inner curved surface 119A is curved. Incidentally, the outer curved surface 119B does not have to be curved. For example, outer curved surface 119B may be curved.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the inner surface 40A includes a curved surface 117A, a curved surface 118A, and an intermediate surface 121A between the curved surface 117A and the curved surface 118A. The curved surface 117A extends forward from the front end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . That is, the curved surface 117A is continuously connected to the front end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 . The curved surface 118A extends forward from the front end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . That is, the curved surface 118A is continuously connected to the front end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . The curved surface 117A has a front end which is continuously connected to the right end of the middle surface 121A of the inner surface 40A. The curved surface 118A has a front end which is continuously connected to the left end of the middle surface 121A of the inner surface 40A. The curved surface 117A and the curved surface 118A are provided by the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 . The curved surface 117A is curved such that its front end is positioned to the left of its rear end. The curved surface 118A is curved such that its front end is positioned to the right of its rear end. The curved surface 117A and the curved surface 118A are curved to expand outward from the cartridge case 130 . The inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 has left and right central portions constituting the frontmost portion of the first storage chamber 32 . That is, the intermediate surface 121A includes the frontmost portion of the first storage chamber 32 . The front end of the curved surface 117A and the front end of the curved surface 118A are connected to the intermediate surface 121A including the frontmost portion of the first storage chamber 32 .

The outer curved surface 117B of the front wall 40 is curved in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the inner curved surface 117A is curved. In other words, the outer curved surface 117B is curved in the same direction as the direction in which the inner curved surface 117A is curved. The outer curved surface 118B of the front wall 40 is curved in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the inner curved surface 118A is curved. In other words, the outer curved surface 118B is curved in the same direction as the inner curved surface 118A is curved. Incidentally, the outer curved surfaces 117B and 118B are not necessarily curved. For example, outer curved surfaces 117B and 118B may be flexed.

The inner curved surface 115A, the inner curved surface 117A, and the inner curved surface 119A are smoothly and continuously connected to each other to provide a boundary area formed with a substantially spherical surface. Similarly, the inner curved surface 116A, the inner curved surface 118A, and the inner curved surface 119A are smoothly and continuously connected to each other to provide a boundary area formed with a substantially spherical surface. Furthermore, the outer curved surface 115B, the outer curved surface 117B, and the outer curved surface 119B are smoothly and continuously connected to each other to provide a boundary area formed with a spherical surface. In addition, the outer curved surface 116B, the outer curved surface 118B, and the outer curved surface 119B are smoothly and continuously connected to each other to provide a boundary area formed with a substantially spherical surface. In FIG. 7 , the spherical surface of the boundary area between the outer curved surface 116B, the outer curved surface 118B, and the outer curved surface 119B is indicated by reference numeral 200 .

In an embodiment, the curved surface 115A and the curved surface 116A are continuously connected to each other at their lower ends. However, as will be described later in the ink cartridge 30K according to the modification of the embodiment, the lower end of the curved surface 115A and the lower end of the curved surface 116A may not be continuously connected to each other.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, the front end of the curved surface 117A and the front end of the curved surface 118A are connected to the intermediate surface 121A. However, the front end of the curved surface 117A and the front end of the curved surface 118A may be continuously connected to each other. In this case, the connection portion between the curved surface 117A and the curved surface 118A constitutes the frontmost portion of the first storage chamber 32 .

Furthermore, in the embodiment, the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 includes: a curved surface 115A connected to the lower end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37; a curved surface 116A connected to the left side wall 37; the lower end of the inner surface 38A of the side wall 38 ; and the curved surface 119A connected to the lower end of the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 . Furthermore, in the embodiment, the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40 includes: a curved surface 117A connected to the front end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37; and a curved surface 118A connected to the left side The front end of the inner surface 38A of the wall 38 . However, the inner curved surface(s) may be configured to be connected to the rear end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37, the rear end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38, the inner surface 40A of the front wall 40, the rear end The inner surface 41A of the wall 41 , the upper surface 42A of the main bottom wall portion 42 , the upper surface 45A of the inner bottom wall portion 45 , and the upper surface 48A of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 . For example, as shown in FIG. 21 , the upper surface 45A may include a curved surface 122A that is continuously connected to the inner surface 41A of the rear wall 41 . In addition, the curved surface may be formed from one end of the inner surface of at least one of the right side wall 37, the left side wall 38, the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the main bottom wall portion 42, the sub bottom wall portion 48, and the inner bottom wall portion 45. extend.

Furthermore, each of the inner curved surface 115A and the inner curved surface 116A has a curvature radius of not less than 1 mm, for example. More specifically, the inner curved surface 115A and the inner curved surface 116A each have a radius of curvature in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm. Each of the outer curved surface 115B and the outer curved surface 116B has a curvature radius of not less than 7 mm, for example.

<Air Communication Channel 72>

The air communication passage 72 is a space providing communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30 . The air communication passage 72 is located above the cartridge case 130 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the air communication passage 72 includes the air chamber 36 , the through hole 142 (see FIGS. 9A and 9B ), and the labyrinth path 143 as described above.

The air chamber 36 is a space formed in the air communication passage 72 . The air chamber 36 communicates with the first storage chamber 32 at one end and communicates with the labyrinth path 143 at the other end. The air chamber 36 has a portion located above the first storage chamber 32 and below the labyrinth path 143 . The air chamber 36 has a lower end defined by the upper surface 136A of the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131 and an upper end defined by the lower surface 132B of the second inner cover 132 . The air chamber 36 has front, rear, right and left ends defined by the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 137 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B ) of the first inner cover 131 . The gap between the second inner cover 132 and the peripheral wall 137 of the first inner cover 131 is fluid-tightly sealed by the membrane 133 .

As described above, the upper end of the first storage chamber 32 is defined by the lower surface 136B of the bottom wall 136 of the first inner cover 131 . That is, the first storage chamber 32 and the air chamber 36 are separated by the bottom wall 136 .

The air chamber 36 communicates with the first storage chamber 32 through the through hole 46 penetrating the bottom wall 136 in the vertical direction. In addition, the air chamber 36 communicates with the labyrinth path 143 through the through hole 142 (see FIGS. 9A and 9B ) formed in the second inner cover 132 . As described above, the semipermeable membrane 141 (see FIG. 7 ) is welded to the lower end surface of the rib 140 of the second inner cover 132 . With this structure, the ink flowing from the first storage chamber 32 through the through hole 46 is blocked by the semipermeable membrane 141 and does not reach the through hole 142 . Therefore, the semipermeable membrane 141 prevents ink from flowing into the labyrinth path 143 .

As described above, the labyrinth path 143 is defined by the upper surface 132A, the plurality of ribs 144 (see FIG. 9B ), and the membrane 146 (see FIG. 7 ). The labyrinth path 143 is a continuous passage extending in the left-right direction and repeating U-turns in the up-down direction. The labyrinth path 143 is provided in the form of a groove which is covered with a membrane 146 at its apex. The labyrinth path 143 has one end communicating with the through hole 142 and the other end communicating with the communicating hole 147 . The labyrinth path 143 communicates with the air chamber 36 through the through hole 142 formed in the second inner cover. The labyrinth path 143 is provided at a surface (ie, the upper surface 132A) of the second inner cover 132 opposite to a surface (ie, the lower surface 132B) of the second inner cover 132 defining the upper end of the air chamber 36 . In an embodiment, the surface defining the upper end of the air chamber 36 is the inner surface of the second inner cover 132 . The labyrinth path 143 is positioned upward relative to the air chamber 36 . The labyrinth path 143 communicates with the inner space 134A (see FIG. 10 ) of the outer cover 134 through a communication hole 147 (see FIG. 7 ). The internal space 134A communicates with the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through an opening 44 (see FIG. 4 ) formed in the top wall 39 of the outer cover 134 and through a gap between the outer cover 134 and the cartridge case 130 . That is, the labyrinth path 143 can communicate with the atmosphere through the communication hole 147 .

<Valve Mechanism 135 and Support Member 150 >

The valve mechanism 135 has a function for interrupting and establishing communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere. The configuration of the valve mechanism 135 according to the embodiment will be described in detail below. The valve mechanism 135 may have various configurations as long as the valve mechanism 135 can perform a function for interrupting and establishing communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere. For example, the valve mechanism 135 may be configured such that a valve body 161 (described later) can move in directions other than the up and down directions.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 , the valve mechanism 135 includes a valve body 161 , a coil spring 162 and a lever 163 . The valve body 161 includes a stem 165 and a seal 166 fitted on the stem 165 . As shown in FIG. 10 , a part of the rod 165 and the sealing member 166 are provided in the air communication passage 72 . The rest of the rod 165 and the coil spring 162 are disposed in the inner space 134A of the outer cover 134 . Incidentally, the arrangement of components in the valve mechanism 135 is not limited to the above. For example, all components of the valve mechanism 135 may be provided in the air communication passage 72 .

The support member 150 shown in FIG. 7 is adapted to pivotably and movably support the valve mechanism 135 , more specifically, a lever 163 (described later) of the valve mechanism 135 . The support member 150 has an inner space in which a part of the valve mechanism 135 can be disposed. As shown in FIG. 10 , the support member 150 includes two junctions 152 , one at the front end and the other at the rear end. The supporting member 150 is supported to the second inner cover 132 after the engagement part 152 is engaged with the bent part of the distal end of the rib 158 of the second inner cover 132 .

The rod 165 is disposed between a pair of ribs 157 (see FIG. 9B ) of the second inner cover 132 . Rod 165 has an upper surface that includes a front portion 165A, a rear portion 165B, and an inclined portion 165C that connects front portion 165A to rear portion 165B. The inclined portion 165C slopes downward from its front end to its rear end so that the front portion 165A is positioned higher than the rear portion 165B.

The rod 165 extends in the up and down direction. The rod 165 is inserted into a through hole 139 (see FIG. 9A ) formed in the second inner cover 132 . The sealing member 166 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber. The seal member 166 is in pressure contact with the rod 165 without a gap between the seal member 166 and the rod 165 . With this structure, no gap is formed between the seal member 166 and the rod 165 .

The valve body 161 is movable in the up and down direction from the closed position shown in FIGS. 10 and 16 to the open position shown in FIG. 3 . Movement of the valve body 161 in the left-right direction and front-rear direction is restricted by the ribs 156 and 157 (see FIG. 9B ) of the second inner cover 132 .

The rod 165 has protrusions protruding forward and rearward, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 16 , in a state where the valve body 161 is in the closed position, the rod 165 is supported by the second inner cover 132 such that the lower surface of the protrusion of the valve body 161 contacts the upper surface of the second inner surface 132A. 132A. In addition, the sealing member 166 covers the peripheral portion of the through hole 46 in a state where the valve body 161 is in the closed position. Therefore, the gap between the through hole 46 and the sealing member 166 is closed. That is, the through hole 46 is closed airtightly and liquidtightly by the rod 165 and the sealing member 166 . Therefore, communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30 (ie, the atmosphere) is interrupted.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the valve body 161 in the open position is positioned higher than the valve body 161 in the closed position (see FIGS. 10 and 16 ). In a state where the valve body 161 is in the open position, the lower surface of the protrusion of the rod 165 is spaced upward from the upper surface 132A of the second inner cover 132 . In addition, the sealing member 166 is spaced upward from the peripheral portion of the through hole 46 . Therefore, the through hole 46 is opened. As a result, communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30 (ie, the atmosphere) through the through hole 46 is established. At this time, the sealing member 166 is pressed into contact with the through hole 139 from below and covers the peripheral portion of the through hole 139 . Therefore, the gap between the sealing member 166 and the through hole 139 is closed. That is, the through hole 139 is closed airtightly and liquidtightly by the rod 165 and the sealing member 166 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , coil spring 162 is fitted around rod 165 . The coil spring 162 has an upper end in contact with the rod 165 of the valve body 161 and a lower end in contact with the upper surface 132A of the second inner cover 132 . In a state where the valve body 161 is in the closed position, the coil spring 162 has a length shorter than its natural length. Therefore, when the valve body 161 is in the closed position, the coil spring 162 pushes the valve body 161 upward, that is, pushes the valve body 161 in a direction from the closed position to the open position. Incidentally, the member for urging the valve body 161 is not limited to the coil spring 162 . Instead of the coil spring 162, the valve body 161 may be urged by a leaf spring or an elastic member such as rubber.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 , the lever 163 has a through hole serving as the pivot portion 167 . The lever 163 includes a first protrusion 168 and a second protrusion 169 . The first protrusion 168 and the second protrusion 169 extend outward from the pivot portion 167 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , the supporting member 150 is provided with a pair of protrusions 170 . One protrusion 170 of a pair of protrusions 170 protrudes from an inner right surface of the support member 150 defining a right end of an inner space of the support member 150 . The other protrusion 170 of the pair of protrusions 170 protrudes from an inner left surface of the support member 150 defining a left end of an inner space of the support member 150 . The protrusion 170 is inserted into the pivot portion 167 . More specifically, the protrusion 170 protruding from the inner right surface of the support member 150 is inserted into the pivot portion 167 from the right, and the protrusion 170 protruding from the inner left surface of the support member 150 is inserted into the pivot portion 167 from the left. With this structure, the lever 163 is supported by the support member 150 so as to be pivotally movable relative to the support member 150 around the axis of the pivot portion 167 . Incidentally, the pivot portion 167 may be a protrusion protruding rightward and leftward from the lever 163 . In this case, the inner left and right surfaces of the support member 150 have openings, respectively, and protrusions as pivot portions 167 are inserted into the openings.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 , the first protrusion 168 and the second protrusion 169 extend in opposite directions relative to the pivot portion 167 . The first protrusion 168 and the second protrusion 169 are generally positioned on opposite sides of the pivot portion 167 . The first protrusion 168 extends in a direction away from the pivot portion 167 , and the second protrusion 169 extends in a direction substantially opposite to the direction in which the first protrusion 168 extends.

The lever 163 is pivotally movable from a first position shown in FIGS. 10 and 16 to a second position shown in FIG. 3 . The axis of the pivot portion 167 serves as a pivot center when the lever 163 is pivotally moved between the first position and the second position.

When the lever 163 is in the first position, the first protrusion 168 extends downward. The rear edge of the distal end (ie, lower end) of the first protrusion 168 is positioned rearward with respect to the axis of the pivot portion 167 . More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , an imaginary line 172 that connects the axis of the pivot portion 167 with the rear edge of the distal end of the first protrusion 168 is inclined rearward at a prescribed angle θ3 with respect to the imaginary line 173 . The imaginary line 173 extends from the axis of the pivot portion 167 in the direction of gravity. In the embodiment, the predetermined angle θ3 is 5 degrees. The lower end of the first protrusion 168 contacts the rear portion 165B at the upper surface of the rod 165 of the valve body 161 to press the valve body 161 downward. Therefore, the valve body 161 is placed in the closed position. In addition, when the lever 163 is in the first position, the second protrusion 169 extends upward, more specifically, the second protrusion 169 extends upward and rearward in an oblique manner. The second protrusion 169 is positioned between the pair of walls 114 of the protrusion 43 . The second protrusion 169 does not extend upward beyond the pair of walls 114 . That is, the upper end of the second protrusion 169 is positioned downward relative to the upper ends of the pair of walls 114 .

When the lever 163 is in the first position, the pivotal forward movement of the first protrusion 168 (ie, the clockwise pivotal movement of the lever 163 in FIG. 10 toward the second position) is supported by the inclined portion 165C of the rod 165 of the valve body 161 and is also limited by the distal end of the first protrusion 168 positioned rearward from the axis of the pivot portion 167 . Note that in order to limit the pivotal movement of the first protrusion 168 forward, the coil spring 162 is designed to have an upward urging force greater than that of making the first protrusion 168 from the rear of the upper surface of the rod 165 of the valve body 161. 165B moves to the force required for its front 165A. Incidentally, the inclined portion 165C may or may not be provided at the upper surface of the rod 165 . Even if the inclined portion 165C is not provided and the rod 165 has a flat upper surface, as long as the distal end of the first protrusion 168 is positioned backward relative to the axis of the pivot portion 167, the direction of the lever 163 in FIG. 10 can be limited. The pivot in the second position moves clockwise.

The pivotal rearward movement of the first protrusion 168 (ie, the pivotal counterclockwise movement of the lever 163 in FIG. 10 ) is limited when the lever 163 abuts against a protrusion 171 provided on the inner right surface of the support member 150 . The lever 163 is thus maintained in the first position. The lever 163 at the first position restricts the movement of the valve body 161 to the open position against the urging force of the coil spring 162 and maintains the valve body 161 at the closed position.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the lever 163 is spaced apart from the raised plate 111 when the lever 163 is in the second position. The first protrusion 168 extends forward. The second protrusion 169 extends downward, and more specifically, the second protrusion 169 extends downward and rearward in an oblique manner. Furthermore, the valve body 161 is in the open position.

<Ink Supply Unit 34>

As shown in FIG. 6 , the ink supply portion 34 extends forward from the connection wall 49 at a position below the sub-bottom wall portion 48 and in front of the main bottom wall portion 42 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the ink supply portion 34 is located below the inner bottom wall portion 45 . In addition, the ink supply portion 34 is located below and behind the front wall 40 .

As shown in FIG. 12 , the ink supply portion 34 includes a cylinder 75 , an envelope 76 , a valve 77 , a coil spring 78 , a cap 79 and a snap mechanism 74 .

The barrel 75 has a generally tubular or hollow cylindrical shape. The shape of the barrel 75 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. The barrel 75 may have any shape as long as the barrel 75 is hollow. Barrel 75 has a forwardly directed distal end (ie front end). The distal end of the barrel 75 is located below and behind the front wall 40 . The barrel 75 has an opening at its front end. The barrel 75 defines an inner space serving as the ink valve chamber 35 . The ink valve chamber 35 extends in the forward direction 51 from the second storage chamber 33 .

The envelope 76 is a disc-shaped member and has a through hole 73 at its central area. The envelope 76 is made of elastic material such as rubber or elastomer. As shown in FIG. 10 , a wrapper 76 is provided at the front end of the cartridge 75 to cover the front opening of the cartridge 75 . The through hole 73 penetrates the central area of the envelope 76 in the front-rear direction to provide a tubular inner peripheral surface. The through hole 73 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ink needle 102 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , a valve 77 and a coil spring 78 are accommodated in the ink valve chamber 35 . The valve 77 can be brought into contact with and separated from the envelope 76 by moving in the front-rear direction. When the valve 77 contacts the envelope 76, the through hole 73 formed in the central area of the envelope 76 is closed. When the valve 77 is separated from the envelope 76, the through hole 73 is opened. The coil spring 78 pushes the valve 77 forward. Therefore, the valve 77 closes the through hole 73 of the envelope 76 without external force being applied to the valve 77 .

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B , the cap 79 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The cap 79 has a hollow configuration. Incidentally, the cap 79 may have an outer shape other than a cuboid as long as the cap 79 is a hollow member whose front and rear ends are opened.

The cap 79 has a rear end formed with an opening 87 . The cartridge 75 and the envelope 76 are inserted into the inner space of the cap 79 through the opening 87 . Thus, the cap 79 covers the barrel 75 and the wrapping 76 from the front sides of the barrel 75 and the wrapping 76 . As shown in FIG. 10 , in a state where the cap 79 covers the barrel 75 , the lower end of the cap 79 is disposed at substantially the same position as the lower end of the cartridge case 130 with respect to the up-down direction.

The cap 79 has a front end wall with a front surface 79A. The front end wall of the cap 79 is formed with an ink supply port 71 . In a state where the cap 79 covers the cartridge 75 and the packing 76 , the ink valve chamber 35 communicates with the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the through hole 73 of the packing 76 and the ink supply port 71 of the cap 79 .

The ink supply portion 34 further includes a first absorption member 182 and a second absorption member 183 . As shown in FIG. 10 , a first absorbent member 182 and a second absorbent member 183 are provided in the inner space of the cap 79 . The first absorbent member 182 and the second absorbent member 183 are formed of a porous material such as polyurethane foam. The first absorbent member 182 and the second absorbent member 183 have micropores provided by a porous material. The ink enters the micropores, so that the ink is absorbed by the first absorption member 182 and the second absorption member 183 . Therefore, the first absorbing member 182 and the second absorbing member 183 are adapted to absorb ink.

As shown in FIG. 12, the first absorbent member 182 has a ring shape. The first absorbing member 182 is provided along the periphery defining the ink supply port 71 . That is, the first absorbing member 182 is provided adjacent to the peripheral portion of the ink supply port 71 . Incidentally, the first absorbent member 182 may not have a ring shape. For example, the first absorbent member 182 may have a rectangular shape. In this case, the first absorbing member 182 may be provided only at a position below the periphery defining the ink supply port 71 .

The second absorption member 183 has a plate shape. The second absorbent member 183 is positioned rearwardly relative to the first absorbent member 182 . The second absorbing member 183 is supported by the inner lower surface of the cap 79 so as to be disposed in a lower portion of the inner space of the cap 79 , that is, at a position downward relative to the ink valve chamber 35 . The inner lower surface of the cap 79 is a surface defining the lower end of the inner space of the cap 79 . Incidentally, the second absorbent member 183 does not necessarily have a plate-like shape. In addition, the second absorbing member 183 may be provided on the entire inner peripheral surface of the cap 79 defining the inner space of the cap 79 .

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13B , at the inner peripheral surface of the cap 79 , more specifically, at the inner lower surface of the cap 79 , at least one groove 184 extending in the front-rear direction is formed. The groove 184 has a front end connected to the first absorption member 182 . The front end of the groove 184 may be located near the first absorption member 182 . The groove 184 has a rear end connected to the second absorbent member 183 . A rear end of the groove 184 may be located near the second absorbent member 183 . That is, the groove 184 is formed in the cap 79 at a region from the peripheral portion of the ink supply port 71 to the second absorbing member 183 . With this configuration, even if ink leaks from the cartridge 75 into the inner space of the cap 79 , the ink can be introduced by the groove 184 to the second absorbing member 183 to be absorbed by the second absorbing member 183 .

Note that the first absorbent member 182 and the second absorbent member 183 may not be provided in the inner space of the cap 79 . Also, the groove 184 may not be formed at the inner lower surface of the cap 79 . In a state where the cap 79 covers the barrel 75 and the packing 76 , the inner peripheral surface of the cap 79 and the outer peripheral surface of the barrel 75 provide a gap therebetween. Even if the groove 184 is not formed at the inner lower surface of the cap 79 , the ink leaked from the cartridge 75 is drawn to the second absorbing member 183 via the gap.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B , the cap 79 has an outer peripheral surface extending rearward from a front surface 79A. The outer peripheral surface of the cap 79 is formed with four guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C and 175D. Each of the four grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D has a front edge that is open on the front surface 79A. A guide groove 175A is provided at the upper right end portion of the cap 79 . A guide groove 175B is provided at the upper left end portion of the cap 79 . A guide groove 175C is provided at the lower right end portion of the cap 79 . A guide groove 175D is provided at the lower left end portion of the cap 79 . In other words, the guide groove 175A and the guide groove 175D are provided on opposite sides of the ink valve chamber 35 in the first vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Further, the guide groove 175B and the guide groove 175C are provided on opposite sides of the ink valve chamber 35 in a second vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the first vertical direction. Specifically, in the embodiment, the first vertical direction is the direction connecting from the upper right side of the cap 79 to the lower left side of the cap 79, and the second vertical direction is the direction connecting from the upper left side of the cap 79 to the lower right side of the cap 79 direction. As described above, the outer shape of the cap 79 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped. That is, when projected in the front-rear direction, the cap 79 has a projected plane having a substantially rectangular shape defined by four sides and four corners connecting two adjacent sides. Four guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D are formed at the four corners, respectively. Specifically, in a front view, the front surface 79A of the cap 79 has a substantially rectangular shape, and more specifically, when the front surface 79A is viewed from its front side, the front edges of the four guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D form at the corresponding corners of the front surface 79A. In other words, the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D are each defined by two protrusions formed at the outer peripheral surface of the cap 79 . Specifically, the cap 79 has four protrusions at its outer peripheral surface. Of the four protrusions, two protrusions protrude rightward and leftward, respectively, so that the ink supply port 71 is disposed between the two protrusions in the left-right direction. The two protrusions have respective upper end surfaces serving as the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175A and the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175B, respectively. The two protrusions have respective lower end surfaces serving as the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175C and the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175D, respectively.

Hereinafter, the four guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D will be collectively referred to as "guide grooves 175". The guide groove 175 is elongated in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 175 is aligned with the front-rear direction.

The guide grooves 175A and 175C are positioned rightward with respect to the IC board 64 . Guide grooves 175B and 175D are positioned leftward with respect to IC board 64 . That is, among the four guide grooves 175, two guide grooves 175 are located outside the IC board 64 in one of the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56, while the remaining two guide grooves 175 are located on the outside of the IC board 64. The other of the rightward direction 55 and the leftward direction 56 is located outside the IC board 64 . Incidentally, each of the four guide grooves 175 is not necessarily located outside the IC board 64 in the left-right direction.

The guide groove 175A has a shape and arrangement symmetrical to the guide groove 175B with respect to the left-right direction. Each of the guide grooves 175A and 175B has a first guide surface 176 and a second guide surface 177 . The guide groove 175C has a shape and arrangement symmetrical to the guide groove 175D with respect to the left-right direction. Each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D has a first guide surface 176 , a second guide surface 177 and a third guide surface 178 . Note that the third guide surface 178 of the guide groove 175C does not appear in FIG. 13B . However, the third guide surface 178 of the guide groove 175C is the same as the third guide surface 178 of the guide groove 175D.

The first guide surface 176 extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The third guide surface 178 extends in the left-right direction and in a direction inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that its rear end is positioned higher than its front end. That is, the third guide surface 178 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. In each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D, the third guide surface 178 is positioned rearward with respect to the first guide surface 176 . Further, in each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D, the first guide surface 176 has a rear end continuous with the front end of the third guide surface 178 . The second guide surface 177 extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. In each of the guide grooves 175A and 175B, the second guide surface 177 is connected to the first guide surface 176 . In each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D, the second guide surface 177 is connected to the first guide surface 176 and the third guide surface 178 . However, the first guide surface 176, the second guide surface 177, and the third guide surface 178 are not necessarily connected to each other.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the third guide surface 178 is inclined at an angle θ1 with respect to the front-rear direction, and the bottom surface of the main bottom wall portion 42 is inclined at an angle θ2 with respect to the front-rear direction. The angle θ1 is larger than the angle θ2.

The rear end of the first guide surface 176 of each guide groove 175 is positioned rearward with respect to the front end of the enclosure 76 .

The first guide surface 176 of each of the guide grooves 175A and 175B faces upward. The first guide surface 176 of each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D faces downward. The third guide surface 178 of each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D faces downward. The second guide surface 177 of each of the guide grooves 175A and 175C faces rightward. The second guide surface 177 of each of the guide grooves 175B and 175D faces leftward.

Each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D is provided in the form of an L-shaped recess constituted by the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 when viewed in the front-rear direction. That is, in a front view, more specifically, when the front surface 79A is viewed from the front side thereof, the front edge of each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D forms an L on the front surface 79A. shape. In the cap 79 , no surface is formed at a position facing each of the first guide surface 176 , each of the second guide surface 177 , and each of the third guide surface 178 . That is, each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D is open in a direction perpendicular to the first guide surface 176 . In addition, each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D is open in a direction perpendicular to the second guide surface 177 . Furthermore, each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D is open in a direction perpendicular to the third guide surface 178 . That is, each first guide surface 176 opens in a direction perpendicular thereto. Furthermore, each second guide surface 177 opens in a direction perpendicular thereto. Furthermore, each third guide surface 178 opens in a direction perpendicular thereto. More specifically, the first guide surface 176 of each of the guide grooves 175A and 175B opens upward, and the first guide surface 176 of each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D opens downward. Further, the second guide surface 177 of each of the guide grooves 175A and 175C opens to the right, and the second guide surface 177 of each of the guide grooves 175B and 175D opens to the left. Furthermore, the third guide surface 178 of each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D is opened downward. In each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D, the first guide surface 176 forms a prescribed angle with the second guide surface 177 . For example, the angle formed by the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 is 90 degrees. In each of the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D, the size of the second guide surface 177 in the up-down direction is larger than the size of the first guide surface 176 in the left-right direction.

During the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attaching portion 110 , the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge attaching portion 110 in the forward direction 51 . At this time, the protrusion 105A provided at the upper right side relative to the ink needle 102 enters the guide groove 175A, the protrusion 105B provided at the upper left side relative to the ink needle 102 enters the guide groove 175B, and the protrusion 105B provided at the upper left side relative to the ink needle 102 enters the guide groove 175B, and the protrusion 105B provided at the upper left side relative to the ink needle 102 enters the guide groove 175B, The protrusion 105C at the lower right side of the needle 102 enters the guide groove 175C, and the protrusion 105D provided at the lower left side relative to the ink needle 102 enters the guide groove 175D. In this way, the guide grooves 175A, 175B, 175C, and 175D are guided by the protrusions 105A, 105B, 105C, and 105D, respectively.

More specifically, the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175A is guided by the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105A, and the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175A is guided by the second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105A. Further, the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175B is guided by the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105B, and the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175B is guided by the second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105B. Furthermore, the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175C is guided by the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105C, and the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175C is guided by the second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105C. Furthermore, the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175D is guided by the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105D, and the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175D is guided by the second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105D.

As the ink cartridge 30 is inserted further forward into the cartridge attachment portion 110, the third guide surface 178 of the guide groove 175C is positioned above the protrusion 105C provided at the lower right side with respect to the ink needle 102, and guides the The third guide surface 178 of the groove 175D is positioned above the protrusion 105D provided at the lower left side with respect to the ink needle 102 . As a result, a space is formed between the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105C and the third guide surface 178 of the protrusion 105C in the up-down direction. A space is also formed between the first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105D and the third guide surface 178 of the protrusion 105D in the up-down direction. The space formed between the first guide surface 196 and the third guide surface 178 allows the ink cartridge 30 to pivotally move within the housing 101 .

The guide grooves 175 are not necessarily formed at the upper right end, the upper left end, the lower right end, and the lower left end of the cap 79 as long as the guide grooves 175 are respectively formed in the cap 79 at the sides with the cartridge attaching portion 110. The position corresponding to the protrusion 105 is enough. For example, the guide grooves 175 may be formed at the left and right central portions of the upper surface of the cap 79, at the left and right central portions of the lower surface of the cap 79, at the vertical (upper and lower) central portions of the right surface of the cap 79, and at the left and right central portions of the cap 79. At the vertical (upper and lower) central portion of the left surface. In addition, three or less guide grooves 175 , or five or more guide grooves 175 may be formed at the cap 79 . That is, the cap 79 may be formed with at least one guide groove 175 .

That is, the cap 79 may be formed with two guide grooves 175 instead of four guide grooves 175 . In this case, two guide grooves 175 may be formed to be arranged in up-down or left-right directions. In the case where the two guide grooves 175 are arranged in the up-down direction, guide grooves 175A and 175C may be formed in the cap 79 ; or guide grooves 175B and 175D may be formed in the cap 79 . Alternatively, in the case where two guide grooves 175 are arranged in the left-right direction, guide grooves 175A and 175B may be formed at the cap 79 ; or guide grooves 175C and 175D may be formed at the cap 79 .

Each guide groove 175 may have a surface opposite to the first guide surface 176 . In this case, the guide groove 175 is defined by at least a surface opposite to the first guide surface 176 , the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 . In this case, the first guide surface 176 does not open in a direction perpendicular to the first guide surface 176 . In addition, each guide groove 175 may have a surface opposite to the second guide surface 177 . In this case, the guide groove 175 is defined by at least a surface opposite to the second guide surface 177 , the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 . In this case, the second guide surface 177 does not open in a direction perpendicular to the second guide surface 177 .

Furthermore, each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D does not necessarily have the third guide surface 178 . In this case, each of the guide grooves 175C and 175D is defined only by the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 similarly to the guide grooves 175A and 175B.

The snap fit mechanism 74 shown in FIG. 12 is configured to engage the cap 79 with one of the cartridge housing 130 and the barrel 75 . In an embodiment, the snap fit mechanism 74 engages the cap 79 with the cartridge housing 130 .

The snap fit mechanism 74 includes four protrusions 179 and two protrusions 180 . Two protrusions 179 of the four protrusions 179 are provided at the right side wall 37 of the cartridge case 130, and the remaining two protrusions 179 of the four protrusions 179 are disposed at the side of the cartridge case 130. 38 on the left side wall. Therefore, in an embodiment, four protrusions 179 are provided at the cartridge case 130 . Two protrusions 180 are provided at the cap 79 .

Specifically, two protrusions 179 protrude rightward from the right side wall 37 and are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. The two protrusions 179 protruding from the right side wall 37 do not appear in FIG. 12 . As shown in FIG. 12 , the remaining two protrusions 179 protrude leftward from the left side wall 38 and are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. Note that the set of two protrusions 179 provided at the right side wall 37 has a shape and arrangement symmetrical to the remaining two sets of protrusions 179 with respect to the left-right direction. In other words, each of the left side wall 38 and the right side wall 37 is formed with a recess recessed backward. Each recess is adapted to receive a corresponding protrusion 180 . That is, the snap fit mechanism 74 includes two protrusions 180 and two recesses adapted to receive corresponding protrusions 180 . As will be described below, the protruding portion 179 may protrude from the barrel 75 of the ink supply portion 34 . As shown in FIG. 6 , each protrusion 179 has a rearwardly facing engagement surface 179A.

As shown in FIG. 13A , each of the two protrusions 180 protrudes in the axial direction of the cap 79 from the edge portion defining the opening 87 of the cap 79 . In the operating posture of the ink cartridge 30 , the axial direction of the cap 79 coincides with the front-rear direction, and the protrusion 180 protrudes rearward from the cap 79 . Incidentally, the protrusion 180 may protrude in a direction other than the rearward direction 52 as long as the cap 79 can be engaged with the housing 130 by snap fit.

One of the two protrusions 180 protrudes rearward from the cap 79 at a position to the right of the opening 87 . The remaining one of the two protrusions 180 protrudes rearward from the cap 79 at a position leftward of the opening 87 . That is, the two protrusions 180 are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction such that the opening 87 is interposed between the two protrusions 180 . In the state where the cap 79 covers the barrel 75, one of the two protrusions 180 faces the right side wall 37 in the left-right direction, and the remaining one of the two protrusions 180 faces left in the left-right direction. side wall 38 . In other words, in a state where the cap 79 covers the barrel 75 , the two protrusions 180 are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction with the cartridge case 130 interposed therebetween.

Each of the two protrusions 180 has an upper end positioned downward relative to the upper end of the cap 79 and a lower end positioned upward relative to the lower end of the cap 79 . The two protrusions 180 do not protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge of the cap 79 when the cap 79 is viewed from its rear side. In other words, the two protrusions 180 are located inside the outer peripheral edge of the cap 79 when the cap 79 is viewed from its rear side.

Incidentally, each protrusion 180 may have a portion located outside the outer peripheral edge of the cap 79 when the cap 79 is viewed from the rear side thereof. For example, the upper end of each protrusion 180 may be positioned upward relative to the upper end of the cap 79 . Alternatively, the lower end of each protrusion 180 may be positioned downward relative to the lower end of the cap 79 .

Each protrusion 180 has a length in the up and down direction such that the length in the up and down direction at its rear end is smaller than the length in the up and down direction at its front end. That is, each protrusion 180 has a tapered shape such that its length in the up-and-down direction gradually decreases toward its distal end (ie, rear end). Incidentally, each protrusion 180 may not have the above-mentioned tapered shape.

Each protrusion 180 has a distal end portion 180A and a pair of engagement claws 181 . One of the pair of engagement claws 181 protrudes upward (more specifically, upward and forward in an oblique manner) from the upper surface of the distal end portion 180A. The remaining one of the pair of engagement claws 181 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the distal end portion 180A (more specifically, protrudes downward and forward in an oblique manner). Each engagement claw 181 has a shape narrower than that of the distal end portion 180A. In other words, the length of each engagement claw 181 in the up-down direction is smaller than the length of the rest of the protrusion 180 in the up-down direction. With this configuration, each engagement claw 181 is elastically deformable to be movable relative to the distal end portion 180A of the protrusion 180 . More specifically, each engaging claw 181 is configured to be elastically deformed so as to be pivotally movable in an up-down direction about a base end thereof (ie, a portion connected to the distal end portion 180A).

In the state where the cap 79 covers the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76 from the front sides of the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76, each protrusion 180 is received in a corresponding recess provided at the housing 130, and each engages The claws 181 engage with the engagement surfaces 179A of the corresponding protrusions 179 (see FIG. 6 ). More specifically, a pair of engaging claws 181 of the protrusion 180 provided on the right side of the opening 87 engages with the engaging surfaces 179A of the two projections 179 protruding rightward from the right side wall 37 , while being provided on the left side of the opening 87 A pair of engagement claws 181 of the square protrusion 180 engages with the engagement surfaces 179A of the two protrusions 179 protruding leftward from the left side wall 38 . With these engagements, the cap 79 is kept attached to the cartridge case 130 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , in a state where the cap 79 covers the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76 from the front sides of the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76, the inner surface 79B of the front end wall of the cap 79 (that is, the opposite side to the front surface 79A) surface) is positioned forward relative to the enclosure 76 and is in pressure contact with the enclosure 76 . Furthermore, in a state where the cap 79 covers the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76 from the front sides of the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76 , the front end of the cylinder 75 is positioned backward relative to the envelope 76 and pressed against the envelope 76 touch. Thus, the envelope 76 is fixed between the cap 79 and the barrel 75 while being interposed between the cap 79 and the barrel 75 . The gap between the packing 76 and the barrel 75 and the gap between the packing 76 and the cap 79 are liquid-tightly sealed.

In a state where the cap 79 covers the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76 from the front sides of the cylinder 75 and the envelope 76 , the cap 79 is positioned downward and rearward with respect to the front wall 40 .

In an embodiment, the snap fit mechanism 74 engages the cap 79 with the cartridge housing 130 . However, as described above, the snap fit mechanism 74 may engage the cap 79 with the barrel 75 of the ink supply 34 . In this case, the protrusion 179 may protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the barrel 75 . Further, in a state where the cap 79 covers the barrel 75 , the two protrusions 180 are arranged to face each other such that the barrel 75 is interposed between the two protrusions 180 .

<Operation for Attaching and Removing Ink Cartridge 30 with respect to Cartridge Attaching Portion 110 >

Next, an operation for attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attaching portion 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 , 10 , and 15 to 20 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , before the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , in the ink cartridge 30 , the valve 77 is in contact with the envelope 76 to close the through hole 73 . Therefore, at this time, the flow of ink from the ink valve chamber 35 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 is interrupted. Additionally, the lever 163 is in the first position. As the first protrusion 168 of the lever 163 of the first position presses down the stem 165 of the valve body 161, the valve body 161 is in the closed position. In this state, the through hole 46 is closed by the rod 165 and the sealing member 166 of the valve body 161 . Therefore, the first storage chamber 32 is not opened to the atmosphere. That is, communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the outside of the ink cartridge 30 is interrupted.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the housing 101 through the opening 112 of the cartridge attachment portion 110 with the front walls 40 , 82 facing forward and the top wall 39 facing upward. That is, the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the housing 101 while moving in the forward direction 51 (ie, the attaching direction). The user inserts the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge attachment portion 110 while pushing the rear wall 41 , 83 forward. The lower end portion of the ink cartridge 30 enters a guide groove 109 formed in the bottom wall of the housing 101 .

As shown in FIG. 15 , as the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the housing 101 , the protrusion 105 advances into the corresponding guide groove 175 of the ink supply portion 34 . Accordingly, the guide grooves 175 are respectively guided by the protrusions 105 .

As the protrusions 105 advance into the guide grooves 175, respectively, the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175C and the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175D are respectively controlled by the bottom right side with respect to the ink needle 102. The protrusion 105C and the protrusion 105D provided at the lower left side with respect to the ink needle 102 are supported. Further, the protrusion 105A provided at the upper right side with respect to the ink needle 102 and the protrusion 105B provided at the upper left side with respect to the ink needle 102 are located near and on the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175A, respectively. above and in the vicinity of and above the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175B. As a result, the ink supply portion 34 is fixed in position with respect to the up-down direction relative to the housing 101 .

As the protrusion 105 advances into the guide groove 175, the protrusion 105A provided at the upper right side with respect to the ink needle 102 and the protrusion 105C provided at the lower right side with respect to the ink needle 102 are located in the guide groove, respectively. Near and to the right of the second guide surface 177 of 175A and near and to the right of the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175C. Further, the protrusion 105B provided at the upper left side with respect to the ink needle 102 and the protrusion 105D provided at the lower left side with respect to the ink needle 102 are located near and on the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175B, respectively. left and in the vicinity of and on the left of the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175D. As a result, the ink supply portion 34 is fixed in position with respect to the left-right direction relative to the housing 101 .

As the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the housing 101 , the ink needle 102 advances through the ink supply port 71 into the inner space of the cap 79 to be press-fitted into the through hole 73 of the envelope 76 . As described above, at this time, the ink supply portion 34 is fixed in position relative to the housing 101 in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. Therefore, the ink needle 102 can pass through the central portion of the ink supply port 71 without abutting against the cap 79 .

As the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the housing 101, the ink needle 102 enters the ink valve chamber 35 and moves the valve 77 away from the enclosure 76 against the urging force of the coil spring 78 (see FIG. 19). The ink needles 102 are thus connected to the ink supply portion 34 to allow communication with each other. Accordingly, ink is allowed to flow from the first storage chamber 32 and the second storage chamber 33 into the inner space of the ink needle 102 through the ink valve chamber 35 . In this state, the urging force of the coil spring 78 is applied to the ink cartridge 30 to urge the ink cartridge 30 backward.

Thereafter, when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the casing 101, the rear ends of the projections 105C, 105D move past the first guide surfaces 176 of the guide grooves 175C, 175D, and are respectively positioned at the third guide surfaces 176 of the guide grooves 175C, 175D. below the surface 178 . Spaces are formed between the third guide surfaces 178 of the guide grooves 175C, 175D and the protrusions 105C, 105D in the up-down direction, respectively. Furthermore, as described above, the main bottom wall portion 42 of the cartridge case 130 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so that the bottom end at the front end portion of the main bottom wall portion 42 is positioned relative to the rear end of the main bottom wall portion 42 . The bottom of the head is down. Therefore, a space is formed between the main bottom wall portion 42 and the bottom of the housing 101 in the up-down direction. These spaces allow the ink cartridge 30 to pivotally move around the through hole 73 of the wrapper 76 so that the rear of the ink cartridge 30 is downward in a state where the ink needle 102 is press-fitted into and in contact with the through hole 73. move. At this time, the through hole 73 serves as a pivot center of such pivotal movement of the ink cartridge 30 .

After the ink cartridge 30 is placed in a pivotally movable state, when the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the casing 101, the locking shaft 145 of the cartridge attachment portion 110 contacts the inclined surfaces 155 of the pair of walls 114, and along The inclined surface 155 is guided (see Fig. 15). At this time, the inclined surface 155 receives a downward reaction force from the lock shaft 145 . As a result, the ink cartridge 30 pivotally moves with the rear of the ink cartridge 30 moving downward (see FIGS. 18 and 19 ).

As shown in FIG. 19, as the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted into the housing 101 and the front walls 40, 82 of the ink cartridge 30 approach a position near the inner end surface 59 of the housing 101, the raised plate 111 of the housing 101 enters. The space between the pair of walls 114 . However, since the rear of the ink cartridge 30 has moved downward due to the pivotal movement of the ink cartridge 30, the lever 163 has also moved downward. In this state, although the bottom surface 111A is located above the lever 163 , the bottom surface 111A of the raised plate 111 has not yet contacted the lever 163 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, when the front wall 40, 82 of the ink cartridge 30 approaches a position near the inner end surface 59 of the housing 101, the lock shaft 145 moves past the inclined surface 155 and the horizontal surface 154 and is positioned relatively The locking surface 151 is rearward. In other words, the lock shaft 145 is slightly spaced from the ink cartridge 30 . Also, at this time, a space is formed below the lock shaft 145 . Therefore, the ink cartridge 30 does not receive the reaction force from the lock shaft 145 . As a result, the ink cartridge 30 pivotally moves about the through hole 73 of the enclosure 76, so that the rear portion of the ink cartridge 30 moves upward (see FIGS. 3 and 20 ). Note that the posture of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 3 and 20 is an operation posture, that is, an upright posture.

As the rear of the ink cartridge 30 moves upward due to the pivotal movement of the ink cartridge 30, the lever 163 also moves upward. Therefore, the surface 169A at the distal end (ie, the upper end) of the second protrusion 169 of the lever 163 contacts the bottom surface 111A of the raised plate 111 from below. In other words, the lever 163 can engage the raised plate 111 while moving upward. Note that after the ink needle 102 enters the ink valve chamber 35, that is, after the ink needle 102 is connected to the ink supply portion 34, the lever 163 comes into contact with the bottom surface 111A of the raised plate 111 (see FIGS. 3, 17 and 19) .

When the surface 169A at the upper end of the second protrusion 169 of the lever 163 contacts the bottom surface 111A of the raised plate 111 , the second protrusion 169 receives a downward reaction force from the raised plate 111 . In other words, the lever 163 receives force to pivotally move in the clockwise direction in FIG. 19 . This force is greater than the force required to move the first protrusion 168 from the rear portion 165B at the upper surface of the stem 165 of the valve body 161 to the front portion 165A thereof. Thus, the lever 163 is pivotally movable in the clockwise direction from the first position towards the second position in FIG. 19 (see also FIG. 3 ). At this time, the first protrusion 168 of the lever 163 moves on the inclined portion 165C at the upper surface of the stem 165 of the valve body 161 , and thus moves from its rear portion 165B to its front portion 165A. Simultaneously, as the rod 165 is pushed downward by the lever 163, the valve body 161 moves downward slightly. As a result, the first protrusion 168 of the lever 163 stops pushing the valve body 161 downward. Therefore, the lever 163 no longer maintains the valve body 161 in the closed position. That is, the lever 163 at the second position releases the restriction on the movement of the valve body 161 to the open position. In this state, the valve body 161 is moved upward from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of the coil spring 162 (see FIG. 3 ), thereby opening the through hole 46 . Therefore, the first storage chamber 32 is opened to the atmosphere through the through hole 46 , the air chamber 36 , the labyrinth path 143 and the communication hole 147 . That is, the valve body 161 in the open position allows communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the air communication passage 72 .

As mentioned above, the lever 163 in the second position is spaced from the raised plate 111 . Further, the sealing member 166 is in pressure contact with the through hole 139 from below so as to cover the peripheral portion of the through hole 139 . The gap between the sealing member 166 and the through hole 139 is closed airtightly and liquidtightly.

As described above, in order to allow the first storage chamber 32 to be opened to the atmosphere, it is necessary to first push the valve body 161 downward and then move upward. This configuration can suppress unintentional movement of the valve body 161 to the open position. Note that the movement of lever 163 is irreversible. That is, the lever 163 can move from the first position to the second position by abutting against the raised plate 111 . However, once the lever 163 is moved to the second position, the lever 163 cannot return to the first position even if the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the housing 101 . Therefore, the movement of the valve body 161 is also irreversible.

In addition, after the pivotal movement of the ink cartridge 30, when the ink cartridge 30 is placed in the state shown in FIGS. 113 between the light transmitter and light receiver (see Figure 2). Therefore, the printer 10 can determine that the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attaching portion 110 . Incidentally, in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 15 to 20 , the optical sensor 113 is not shown.

Furthermore, after the pivotal movement of the ink cartridge 30, when the ink cartridge 30 is placed in the state shown in FIGS. The contacts 106 are in electrical contact.

When the ink cartridge 30 is pivotally moved such that the rear of the ink cartridge 30 moves upward, the locking surface 151 also moves upward. Then, when the ink cartridge 30 is placed in the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 20 , the locking surface 151 faces backward and is opposed to the locking shaft 145 . When the user stops pushing the ink cartridge 30 forward in this state, the ink cartridge 30 moves backward due to the urging force of the coil spring 78 . Since the locking surface 151 faces rearward and is opposed to the locking shaft 145, the locking shaft 145 abuts against and engages with the locking surface 151 when the ink cartridge 30 moves rearward. This engagement between locking shaft 145 and locking surface 151 limits further rearward movement of ink cartridge 30 . In this way, the ink cartridge 30 is held in the attached position by the engagement between the locking shaft 145 and the locking surface 151 . Therefore, since the locking surface 151 (the ink cartridge 30 ) engages the locking shaft 145 (more specifically, the surface at the front end of the locking shaft 145 ) in the upward direction 54 , the ink cartridge 30 can assume the operation posture.

In other words, when the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 due to the insertion of the ink needle 102 into the ink supply portion 34 in the forward direction 51 and due to the engagement of the lock surface 151 with the lock shaft 145, the ink cartridge 30 assumes Attach gesture. When the ink cartridge 30 takes the attached posture, the ink cartridge 30 can supply ink to the recording head 21 and can be operated by the printer 10 for recording an image.

In order to remove the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attachment portion 110 , in the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 20 , the user pushes down the operation surface 92 . As the operation surface 92 is pushed downward, the ink cartridge 30 pivotally moves about the through hole 73 of the enclosure 76 as the pivot center with its rear portion moved downward (see FIGS. 18 and 19 ). Accordingly, the locking surface 151 moves to a downward position relative to the locking shaft 145 . As a result, the ink cartridge 30 is no longer restricted from moving backward. Accordingly, the ink cartridge 30 is moved backward relative to the cartridge attachment portion 110 by the urging force of the coil spring 78 . Therefore, the user can take out the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attachment portion 110 while holding the cartridge case 130 . Note that since the valve body 161 remains at the open position, the first storage chamber 32 remains open to the atmosphere even after the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the cartridge attachment portion 110 .

<variations and variants>

<Ink cartridge 30K>

Next, an ink cartridge 30K corresponding to a black color will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 25 . As shown in FIG. 23 , ink cartridge 30K includes front walls 240 , 282 , rear walls 241 , 283 , top wall 239 , bottom walls 242 , 248 , right side walls 37 , 84 , and left side walls 38 , 85 . The front walls 240, 282 and rear walls 241, 283 of the ink cartridge 30K are larger in size in the left-right direction than the front walls 40, 82 and 82 of the three ink cartridges 30 (see FIG. 4 ) corresponding to the three colors of cyan, magenta and yellow, respectively. The size of the rear wall 41, 83 in the left-right direction. In other words, the front walls 240, 282 and the rear walls 241, 283 of the ink cartridge 30K expand to the right compared to the ink cartridges 30 corresponding to the colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Therefore, the ink supply portion 34 , the IC board 64 , the protruding portion 43 and the operation portion 90 of the ink cartridge 30K are positioned leftward with respect to the left and right centers of the ink cartridge 30K. However, the light blocking plate 67 of the ink cartridge 30K is located at the left and right center of the ink cartridge 30K.

As described above, the difference between the ink cartridge 30K corresponding to the black color and the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the respective colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow is that the front walls 240, 282 and the rear walls 241, 283 of the ink cartridge 30K expand to the right. . Hereinafter, the structure of the ink cartridge 30K different from the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 24, the ink cartridge 30K has a sub-bottom wall portion 248 having an upper surface 248A. As shown in FIG. 25 , the upper surface 248A is continuous with the upper surface 245A of the inner bottom wall portion 245 . Upper surface 248A includes curved surface 115A, curved surface 116A, and intermediate surface 120A. The intermediate surface 120A is a flat surface, and the intermediate surface 120A is connected at its right end to the curved surface 115A and at its left end to the curved surface 116A. The middle surface 120A of the upper surface 248A is inclined with respect to the left-right direction such that the left end thereof is positioned lower than the right end thereof. Therefore, the left end of the middle surface 120A of the upper surface 248A is the lowermost portion of the upper surface 248A. That is, the left end of the middle surface 120A of the upper surface 248A is the lowermost portion of the first storage chamber 32 at the front thereof. Incidentally, the middle surface 120A of the upper surface 248A may be inclined with respect to the left-right direction so that the right end thereof is positioned lower than the left end thereof. Alternatively, the intermediate surface 120A of the upper surface 248A may not be inclined with respect to the left-right direction, that is, the intermediate surface 120A may be a non-inclined flat surface parallel to the horizontal direction. The middle surface 120A of the upper surface 248A is made flat and connected to the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 via the curved surface 116A, thereby enlarging the size of the first storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30K in the width direction (ie, the left-right direction) . Therefore, a larger amount of ink can be stored in the first storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30K than in the first storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30 shown in FIG. 14 .

As shown in FIG. 24 , the curved surface 115A extends downward from the lower end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 , and the curved surface 116A extends downward from the lower end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . In other words, the curved surface 115A is continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 37A of the right side wall 37 , and the curved surface 116A is continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 38A of the left side wall 38 . The curved surface 115A has a lower end connected to the right end of the intermediate surface 120A. The curved surface 116A has a lower end connected to the left end of the intermediate surface 120A. Here, the left end of the intermediate surface 120A of the sub-bottom wall portion 248 constitutes the lowermost portion of the front portion of the first storage chamber 32 of the ink cartridge 30K. That is, the lower end of the curved surface 115A and the lower end of the curved surface 116A are connected to the middle surface 120A of the upper surface 248A of the sub-bottom wall portion 248 , which includes the lowermost portion of the front portion of the first storage chamber 32 .

The upper surface 248A further includes a curved surface 119A (see FIG. 10 ) which is continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 241A of the rear wall 241 .

Inner curved surface 117A, inner curved surface Both 118A and the inner curved surface 119A have the same configuration as in the above-described embodiment.

In the ink cartridge 30K, the lower end of the curved surface 115A and the lower end of the curved surface 116A are connected to the intermediate surface 120A of the upper surface 248A of the sub-bottom wall portion 248 . However, the lower end of the curved surface 115A and the lower end of the curved surface 116A may be continuously connected to each other.

Incidentally, as in the embodiment, the upper surface 245A may include a curved surface continuously connected to the lower end of the inner surface 241A of the rear wall 241 .

<other variants>

In the above-described embodiments, the first rib 185 and the second rib 186 have shapes as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B . However, the first rib 185 and the second rib 186 may not have the shape as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B as long as each of the first rib 185 and the corresponding second rib 186 is spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. And it is only necessary to have at least the inclined portion 185B and the inclined portion 186B, respectively.

FIG. 26A shows a first inner cover 1131 including a first rib 1185 and a second rib 1186 according to a first variation of the embodiment. Each first rib 1185 includes an extension portion 1185A and an inclined portion 1185B. Each second rib 1186 includes an extension portion 1186A and an inclined portion 1186B. Each of the first ribs 1185 is opposed to a corresponding second rib of the second ribs 1186 in the left-right direction. The distal end (ie, rear end) of the inclined portion 1185B of each first rib 1185 may be arranged at the same position as the distal end (ie, rear end) of the inclined portion 1186B of the corresponding second rib 1186 in the front-rear direction. .

FIG. 26B shows a first inner cover 2131 including a first rib 2185 and a second rib 2186 according to a second variation of the embodiment. Each first rib 2185 includes an inclined portion 2185B. Each second rib 2186 includes an inclined portion 2186B. Furthermore, FIG. 26C shows a first inner cover 3131 including a first rib 3185 and a second rib 3186 according to a third modification of the embodiment. Each first rib 3185 includes an inclined portion 3185B. Each second rib 3186 includes an inclined portion 3186B.

As shown in FIG. 26B , at least one of the first rib 2185 and the second rib 2186 need not have an extension. Also, as shown in FIG. 26C, at least one of the first rib 3185 and the second rib 3186 need not have an extension. Note that FIGS. 26B and 26C show configurations in which each of the first ribs 2185 , 3185 does not have an extension and each of the second ribs 2186 , 3186 does not have an extension.

In the above-described embodiment, the lower end of the first rib 185 and the lower end of the second rib 186 are disposed at the same height as each other. However, the lower end of the first rib 185 and the lower end of the second rib 186 may be disposed at different heights from each other. For example, among the plurality of first ribs 185 and second ribs 186 , the ribs 185 , 186 positioned closer to the front and rear centers of the side walls 37 , 38 may further protrude downward.

The protruding length of the first rib 185 may be uneven over its entire area. Also, the protruding length of the second rib 186 may be uneven over its entire area. For example, in the first rib 185 and the second rib 186, the base ends of the extensions 185A, 186A contact the inner surfaces 37A, 38A of the side walls 37, 38, respectively, and portions near the distal ends of the extensions 185A, 186A ( That is, the base end portion) may protrude further downward than any other portion except the base end portion.

In the above embodiment, the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 of the cartridge case 130 have light transmittance, so that the ink cartridge 30 stored in the first storage chamber 32 can be visually recognized from the outside. The surface liquid level of the ink and the surface liquid level of the ink stored in the second storage chamber 33 . In addition, except for the upper end portions of the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, and the right and left side walls 37 and 38 engaged with the outer cover 134, the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, and the right and left walls 37 and 38 are exposed. on the outside and constitutes the outer surface of the cartridge case 130 .

However, each of the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the right side wall 37, and the left side wall 38 may have an outer wall forming the cartridge case 130 (ie, a wall whose outer surface of the cartridge case 130 is exposed to the outside) at least part of .

For example, a label may be attached to a portion of the outer surface of one of the front wall 40, rear wall 41, right side wall 37, and left side wall 38, and the portion to which the label is attached may be removed from the ink cartridge. Visual recognition of the surface liquid level of the ink stored in each of the first storage chamber 32 and the second storage chamber 33 outside the storage chamber 30 . In this case, a portion of each of the front wall 40 , rear wall 41 , right side wall 37 , and left side wall 38 except the portion to which the label is adhered constitutes the outer wall of the cartridge case 130 . Therefore, there is no need to visually recognize the liquid storage chambers (for example, the first storage chamber 32 and the second storage chamber 33 ) in the ink cartridge 30 from the outside of the ink cartridge 30 in any direction. However, it is preferable that the front wall 40 , the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 each have a surface level area through which the ink stored in the first storage chamber 32 can be recognized.

Furthermore, the cartridge case 130 may be covered by, for example, a cover. In this case, however, the cover needs to be configured to expose a part of the front wall 40 , a part of the rear wall 41 , a part of the right side wall 37 , and a part of the left side wall 38 to the outside. For example, the cover may have four openings opposite to said portion of the front wall 40, said portion of the rear wall 41, said portion of the right side wall 37, and said portion of the left side wall 38, respectively. at the location. If this is the case, the part of the front wall 40, the part of the rear wall 41, the part of the right side wall 37 and the part of the left side wall 38 exposed to the outside through these openings form a box. the outer wall of the casing 130 .

Incidentally, in the case where only a part of the front wall 40, a part of the rear wall 41, a part of the right side wall 37, and a part of the left side wall 38 constitute the outer wall of the cartridge case 130, it is preferable that the front wall 40, A lower portion of each of the rear wall 41 , the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 is exposed to the outside.

In the above-described embodiments, the cartridge case 130 , the first inner cover 131 , the second inner cover 132 , the outer cover 134 , and the supporting member 150 are assembled to provide the ink cartridge 30 . However, at least some of the cartridge case 130, the first inner cover 131, the second inner cover 132, the outer cover 134, and the support member 150 may be integrally formed. For example, the cartridge case 130 and the outer cover 134 may be integrally formed. Alternatively, the second inner cover 132 and the support member 150 may be integrally formed.

In the embodiments described above, contact between the locking shaft 145 and the locking surface 151 holds the ink cartridge 30 in the attached position. However, the ink cartridge 30 may not be held in the attached position by contact between the locking shaft 145 and the locking surface 151 . Any other known configuration may be employed to retain the ink cartridge 30 in the attached position.

In the above-described embodiments, the semipermeable membrane 141 is welded to the lower end surface of the rib 140 . However, the semipermeable membrane 141 may be welded at any other portion as long as the semipermeable membrane 141 is welded to a portion capable of preventing ink sucked into the air chamber 36 through the through hole 46 from flowing into the labyrinth path 143 . Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the semipermeable membrane 141 is welded. However, the semipermeable membrane 141 does not have to be welded.

In the above-described embodiment, the two protrusions 180 provided at the cap 79 are opposed to each other in the left-right direction. However, the protrusions 180 may face each other in any direction other than the left and right directions. For example, the protrusions 180 may face each other in an up-down direction.

In the above embodiments, the valve mechanism 135 is configured to interrupt communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere by closing the through hole 46 and to provide communication between the first storage chamber 32 and the atmosphere by opening the through hole 46 . However, the valve mechanism 135 may be configured to open and close a portion of the air communication passage 72 other than the through hole 46 .

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the valve mechanism 135 moves away from the through hole 46 as the ink cartridge 30 moves upward (ie, in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity) to engage the locking surface 151 with the locking shaft 145 . However, the valve mechanism 135 may move as the ink cartridge 30 moves in the attaching direction to the cartridge attaching portion 110 (ie, in a direction crossing the direction of gravity).

In the above-described embodiment, the ink supply portion 34 is provided with the barrel 75 and the cap 79 covering the barrel 75 . However, the ink supply portion 34 is not necessarily provided with the cap 79 . In the case where the ink supply part 34 does not include the cap 79 , a guide groove 175 may be formed in the outer peripheral surface of the cartridge 75 .

In the above-described embodiments, the communication between the inside and the outside of the ink supply portion 34 is interrupted and provided by the valve 77 . However, the opening in the front end of the cartridge 75 can be formed by piercing a sealing member formed of elastic resin and having no through hole with a needle or the like, and can be closed by the elasticity of the sealing member as the needle is retracted from the sealing member.

In the above-described embodiments, the size of the main bottom wall portion 42 in the front-rear direction is larger than the size of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 in the front-rear direction. However, the dimension of the main bottom wall portion 42 in the front-rear direction may be shorter than the dimension of the sub-bottom wall portion 48 in the front-rear direction. The connecting wall 49 may be provided at front and rear central portions of the ink cartridge 30 . Alternatively, the connection wall 49 may be provided at a position closer to the rear wall 41 than to the front wall 40 .

In the above-described embodiments, the ink cartridge 30 has an outer shape as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . In addition, the ink supply portion 34 extends forward from the connection wall 49 and is located below and behind the front wall 40 . However, the ink cartridge 30 does not have to be so shaped, and the ink supply portion 34 does not have to be positioned as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 .

For example, the gap distance between the right side wall 37 and the left side wall 38 may be greater than the gap distance between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 . In addition, the ink cartridge 30 may have a simple rectangular shape. In addition, the ink supply part 34 may extend forward from the front wall 40 . Alternatively, the ink supply portion 34 may extend downward from the main bottom wall portion 42 and may have a bent or curved distal end to allow the ink supply port 71 to open forward.

FIG. 27A shows an ink cartridge 230 according to a first modification of the embodiment. The ink cartridge 230 has an outer shape defined by a cartridge case 330 . The cartridge case 330 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The ink cartridge 230 does not include the first inner cover 131 , the second inner cover 132 or the outer cover 134 . That is, the cartridge housing 330 of the ink cartridge 230 has a top wall 188 , a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a right side wall 191 and a left side wall 192 . The top wall 188 is connected to the front wall, the rear wall, the right side wall 191 and the left side wall 192 . The top wall 188 forms part of the cartridge housing 330 . The cartridge case 330 has a storage chamber 190 . The storage chamber 190 is defined by the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, the top wall 188 , the right side wall 191 and the left side wall 192 of the box housing 330 . The cartridge case 330 does not necessarily have to be integrally molded with resin. For example, the right side wall 191 and the left side wall 192 may be constructed of a membrane welded to the front, rear, bottom, and top walls 188 .

In this variation, the ink supply portion 34 does not protrude from any wall defining the outer shape of the ink cartridge 230 . In this case, a protrusion 193 protruding in the left-right direction is provided at each of the right side wall 191 and the left side wall 192 such that the ink supply port 71 is interposed between the two protrusions 193 . Each protrusion 193 extends in the front-rear direction along the liquid passage 194 . At least one of the upper and lower ends of each protrusion 193 may serve as the guide groove 175 .

Furthermore, in this modification, the ink supply portion 34 does not include the cartridge 75 , the envelope 76 , the valve 77 , the coil spring 78 , the cap 79 , or the snap mechanism 74 . A film (not shown) is adhered to the opening of the ink supply port 71 . The membrane provides a liquid-tight seal for the opening of the ink supply port 71 , thereby blocking communication between the storage chamber 190 and the exterior of the ink cartridge 230 . When the ink cartridge 230 is attached to the cartridge attachment part 110 , the ink needle 102 pierces the membrane, thereby allowing the ink stored in the storage chamber 190 to flow into the ink needle 102 .

Further, in this case, an inserted member (for example, the protrusion 43 , the operation portion 90 , the light shield 67 , or the electrode 65 of the IC board 64 ) is provided at the top wall 188 of the cartridge case 330 . Incidentally, the accessed member is a piece that can be accessed from the outside in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 110 . In FIG. 27A , the IC board 64 as an inserted member is provided at the top wall 188 of the cartridge case 330 . A protrusion 43 or a light blocking plate 67 as an inserted member may be provided at the top wall 188 of the cartridge case 330 . Alternatively, the protrusion 43 and the light blocking plate 67 may be provided at the top wall 188 together with the IC board 64 .

FIG. 27B shows an ink cartridge 430 according to a second modification of the embodiment. The ink cartridge 430 has an outer shape defined by the cartridge case 530 . In the above-described first modification shown in FIG. 27A , the ink supply portion 34 does not protrude forward, and the cap 79 is not provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 27B , the ink supply portion 34 protrudes from the connection wall 49 , but the cap 79 may not be provided. In the latter case, the tubular ink supply portion 34 protrudes forward from the connection wall 49 , and a pair of protrusions 193 protrudes from the outer surface of the ink supply portion 34 in the left-right direction. At least one of the upper and lower ends of each protrusion 193 may serve as the guide groove 175 .

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, each guide groove 175 includes a portion extending in the front-rear direction (ie, the first guide surface 176 ) and a portion (ie, the third guide surface 178 ) inclined relative to the front-rear direction. However, as in the modification shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B , the guide groove 175 may include only a portion extending in the front-rear direction.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175 and the second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175 intersect each other. However, the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 do not necessarily intersect each other.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the cap 79 has four guide grooves 175 guided by the corresponding protrusions 105 . However, a different configuration can be employed to guide the ink supply portion 34 to the ink needle 102 . In the variant shown in FIG. 28 , cap 579 has four guides 575 instead of four guide grooves 175 . A corresponding guide 575 is provided at each corner of the cap 579 . Each guide portion 575 has two protrusions adapted to contact the corresponding protrusion 105 . One of the two protrusions extends in the up-down direction, and the remaining one of the two protrusions extends in the left-right direction. During the process of attaching the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment part 110, the two protrusions of each guide part 575 contact the first guide surface 196 and the second guide surface 197, respectively, whereby the ink supply part 34 is guided to the ink needle 102 . Incidentally, each of the two protrusions may have a flat-shaped end or a pointed end. In the case where each of the two protrusions has a flat-shaped end, the two protrusions may contact the protrusion 105 at their flat-shaped ends (surface contact). In a case where each of the two protrusions has a pointed end, the two protrusions may contact the protrusion 105 at their pointed ends (point contact).

In the above-described embodiments, ink is an example of liquid. However, the pretreatment liquid ejected onto the sheet prior to the ink during the printing operation may be stored in the liquid tank. Alternatively, cleaning water used to clean the recording head 21 may be stored in a liquid tank. That is, the ink cartridge 30 according to the present disclosure is not necessarily a cartridge for storing ink, but may be a cartridge for storing liquid consumed by the printer 10 .

<Operating advantages>

According to the above-described embodiment, the guide grooves 175 are respectively guided by the protrusions 105 during the insertion of the ink needle 102 into the ink supply portion 34 . That is, each guide groove 175 provided at the ink supply portion 34 serves as a reference surface for positioning the ink supply portion 34 . In this case, the area of the reference surface for positioning the ink supply portion 34 in position can be smaller than in the case where the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply portion 34 is used as the reference surface. Therefore, the ink supply portion 34 can be definitely guided toward the ink needle 102 , allowing the ink needle 102 to be inserted into the ink valve chamber 35 without any collision between the ink supply portion 34 and the ink needle 102 .

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the ink supply portion 34 is formed with four guide grooves 175 . Therefore, the ink supply portion 34 can be surely guided toward the ink needle 102 .

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 are opened. That is, the guide groove 175 does not have a surface facing the first guide surface 176 and the second guide surface 177 . Therefore, even if the ink cartridge 30 enters into or is withdrawn from the cartridge attaching portion 110 with the ink cartridge 30 inclined relative to the cartridge attaching portion 110, the contact between the ink supply portion 34 and the protrusion 105 can be suppressed. put one's oar in.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, each of the four guide grooves 175 is formed at each corner of the cap 79 . Therefore, the outer shape of the cap 79 can be simplified compared to the case where the guide groove 175 is provided at the central portion of each of the upper surface, the lower surface, the left surface, and the right surface of the cap 79 .

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the rear end of the first guide surface 176 is positioned rearward of the front end of the enclosure 76 . Since the first guide surface 176 is guided by the protrusion 105 during the attachment of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the position of the enclosure 76 can be stabilized. Therefore, the ink needle 102 can be surely introduced into the ink valve chamber 35 .

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, since the third guide surface 178 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, a space is provided between the third guide surface 178 and the cartridge attachment portion 110 . Therefore, even if the ink cartridge 30 enters into or is withdrawn from the cartridge attaching portion 110 with the ink cartridge 30 inclined relative to the cartridge attaching portion 110, the contact between the ink supply portion 34 and the protrusion 105 can be suppressed. put one's oar in.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, since the first guide surface 176 is continuous with the third guide surface 178 , the guidance of the ink supply portion 34 toward the ink needle 102 can be smoothly performed.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the angle defined between the third guide surface 178 and the front-rear direction is larger than the angle defined between the bottom surface of the main bottom wall portion 42 and the front-rear direction. Even if the ink cartridge 30 is attached to and detached from the cartridge attachment portion 110 in an inclined posture of the ink cartridge 30, this structure can prevent interference between the third guide surface 178 and the protrusion 105, so that the main bottom wall The bottom surface of the portion 42 abuts against the cartridge attachment portion 110 .

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, during attachment of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 and detachment of the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attachment portion 110, the cartridge case 130 and the outer cover 134 are pivotally moved by their pivotal movement into tilt. However, even if the cartridge case 130 and the outer cover 134 are tilted by the pivotal movement as described above, interference of the ink supply portion 34 with the protrusion 105 can be suppressed.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the guide groove 175 is located outside the IC board 64 in the left-right direction. Therefore, during attachment of the ink cartridge 30 to the cartridge attachment portion 110 and detachment of the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge attachment portion 110 , the corresponding guide grooves 175 contact the corresponding protrusions at positions outside the IC board 64 in the left-right direction. From 105. Therefore, during attachment or detachment of the ink cartridge 30 , it is possible to suppress inclination of the IC board 64 in the left-right direction.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the first absorbing member 182 and the second absorbing member 183 can absorb ink leaked from the ink supply portion 34 . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the flow of ink leaked from the ink supply portion 34 to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 .

In addition, the ink leaked from the ink supply portion 34 flows to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the ink supply port 71 . According to the above-described embodiments, the first absorbing member 182 can absorb ink passing through the ink supply port 71 .

In addition, most of the ink leaked from the ink supply portion 34 flows downward due to gravity. According to the above-described embodiment, the second absorbing member 183 is provided at the lower portion of the inner space of the cap 79 . Therefore, the ink that leaks from the ink supply portion 34 and flows downward can be absorbed by the second absorbing member 183 .

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the groove 184 is formed at the inner peripheral surface of the cap 79 (the inner peripheral surface defines the inner space of the cap 79 ) so as to go from the portion adjacent to the peripheral portion of the ink supply port 71 toward the second suction port 71 . Member 183 extends. Therefore, the ink leaked from the ink supply portion 34 can be guided to the second absorbing member 183 by the groove 184 .

<Remarks>

The ink cartridge 30 is an example of a liquid cartridge. The ink cartridge 30K is also an example of a liquid cartridge. The ink cartridge 230 is also an example of a liquid cartridge. The ink cartridge 430 is also an example of a liquid cartridge. The ink tube 102 is an example of a liquid supply tube. The cartridge case 130 and the outer cover 134 are examples of a cartridge. The cartridge case 330 is also an example of a cartridge. The cartridge case 530 is also an example of a cartridge. The first storage chamber 32 and the second storage chamber 33 are examples of liquid storage chambers. The ink storage chamber 190 is also an example of a liquid storage chamber. The ink supply section 34 is an example of a liquid supply section. The ink valve chamber 35 is an example of a liquid passage. The front surface 79A is an example of a front end surface. The guide groove 175 is an example of a guide. The guide portion 575 is also an example of a guide. The first guide surface 196 of the protrusion 105 is an example of one surface. The second guide surface 197 of the protrusion 105 is an example of another surface. The first guide surface 176 of the guide groove 175 is an example of a first guide portion. The second guide surface 177 of the guide groove 175 is an example of a second guide portion. The guide groove 175A is an example of a first guide groove. The guide groove 175B is an example of the second guide groove. The guide groove 175C is an example of the third guide groove. The guide groove 175D is an example of the fourth guide groove. The first vertical direction is an example of a first direction. The second vertical direction is an example of a second direction. The envelope 76 is an example of a sealing portion. The guide groove 175C and the guide groove 175D are examples of specific guide grooves. The sub-bottom wall portion 48 is an example of the first bottom wall. The main bottom wall portion 42 is an example of the second bottom wall. The locking surface 151 is an example of an engaging portion. The barrel 75 is an example of a sleeve. The IC board 64 is an example of a circuit board. The guide groove 175A and the guide groove 175C are examples of guides. The guide groove 175B and the guide groove 175D are examples of another guide. The left-right direction is an example of the width direction. The first absorbent member 182 and the second absorbent member 183 are examples of absorbers. The ink supply port 71 is an example of an opening. The first absorbing member 182 is an example of a first absorber. The second absorption member 183 is an example of a second absorber. The printer 10 is an example of a liquid consuming device.

Although it has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the above-described embodiments.

Claims (15)

1. A liquid cartridge configured to be inserted into a cartridge attachment portion in a forward direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity in an upright posture, the cartridge attachment portion having a liquid supply extending in the front-rear direction tube, the liquid cartridge includes: In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, a cartridge having a liquid storage chamber configured to store liquid in the liquid storage chamber; and a liquid supply portion defining a liquid passage therein, the liquid supply portion configured to supply the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the outside in the forward direction through the liquid passage, The liquid supply part includes: a front end face facing forward, the liquid channel extending in the front-rear direction and opening forward on the front end face; an outer peripheral surface extending rearwardly from the front end; and at least one guide provided at the outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply part and extending in the front-rear direction, each of the at least one guide configured to: When attaching the liquid cartridge to the cartridge attaching part, during attaching the liquid supply tube to the liquid supply part, each of the guides is guided by a corresponding at least one protrusion, so The at least one protrusion is provided at the cartridge attachment portion and extends in the front-rear direction, each of the at least one protrusion has a surface and another surface intersecting the one surface , each guide in the at least one guide comprises: a first guide portion extending in the front-rear direction and configured to be in contact with the one surface; and a second guide portion extending in the front-rear direction and configured to be in contact with the other surface, wherein said at least one guide comprises at least one guide groove, wherein the first guide portion includes a first guide surface extending in the front-rear direction, and wherein the second guide portion includes a second guide surface extending in the front-rear direction and intersecting the first guide surface, Wherein the at least one guide groove includes a plurality of guide grooves, and the plurality of guide grooves include a first guide groove, a second guide groove, a third guide groove and a fourth guide groove, wherein, in In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the first guide groove is positioned opposite to the fourth guide groove in a first direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction with respect to the liquid passage, and Wherein, in the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, the second guide groove is aligned with the third guide groove in a second direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the first direction relative to the liquid channel. The guide grooves are located oppositely. 2. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one guide is opened in a direction perpendicular to the first guide part and a direction perpendicular to the second guide part. 3. The liquid cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the at least one guide includes four guide grooves, each of the four guide grooves has a front edge, and the front edge is positioned between the four guide grooves. The front end face of the liquid supply part is open, and in a front view, the front edge of each of the four guide grooves forms an approximate shape on the front end face of the liquid supply part. L-shaped, and Wherein the front end face has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the front view, the front edges of the four guide grooves are provided at the corresponding four of the rectangular shaped front end face of the liquid supply part. in a corner. 4. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein, in the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the liquid supply portion includes a protrusion protruding in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction, so that The protrusion has an upper end surface and a lower end surface, at least one of the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the protrusion serves as one of the at least one guide. 5. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply part includes a sealing part, and the sealing part is formed with a through hole configured to connect the liquid passage with the liquid supply part. communicating with the outside and allowing the liquid supply pipe to extend through the through hole, the sealing portion configured to seal a gap provided between the liquid supply pipe extending through the through hole and the liquid passage , the seal has a front end, and Wherein, in the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, the first guide portion has a rear end located behind the front end of the sealing portion. 6. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said at least one guide groove includes a specific guide groove, said specific guide groove further having a third guide surface, in said erect posture of said liquid cartridge , the third guide surface is positioned rearward relative to the first guide surface and is inclined relative to the front-rear direction, and Wherein the third guide surface is continuous with the first guide surface of the specific guide groove. 7. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said at least one guide groove includes a specific guide groove, said specific guide groove further having a third guide surface, in said erect posture of said liquid cartridge , the third guide surface is positioned backward relative to the first guide surface and is inclined relative to the front-rear direction, Wherein said box body comprises: In the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the first bottom wall; and a second bottom wall positioned rearward and downward relative to the first bottom wall, the second bottom wall having a bottom surface inclined relative to the front-rear direction such that the the rear end of the bottom surface is positioned upward relative to the front end of the bottom surface, the bottom surface of the second bottom wall and the front-rear direction define an angle, wherein, in the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the liquid supply part is positioned downward with respect to the first bottom wall and forward with respect to the second bottom wall, and Wherein, in the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, the specific guide groove opens in a direction perpendicular to the third guide surface, and the third guide surface is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that the The rear end of the third guide surface is positioned upward relative to the front end of the third guide surface, and the ratio defined by the third guide surface and the front-rear direction is defined by the bottom surface of the second bottom wall and the front-rear direction The angle defined by the direction is the larger angle. 8. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said at least one guide groove includes a specific guide groove, said specific guide groove further having a third guide surface, in said erect posture of said liquid cartridge , the third guide surface is positioned rearward relative to the first guide surface and is inclined relative to the front-rear direction, and Wherein the box body is pivotally movable relative to the box attachment portion, the box body includes a joint configured to pass through the pivot of the box body relative to the box attachment portion The pivoting movement engages the cartridge attachment portion. 9. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply part comprises: a sleeve extending from the case, the sleeve having a hollow configuration defining an inner space serving as the liquid passage; a sealing portion formed with a through hole configured to communicate the liquid passage with the outside of the liquid supply portion and allow the liquid supply tube to extend through the through hole; and a cap configured to cover the sleeve with the sealing portion interposed between the cap and the sleeve to fix the sealing portion, the outer peripheral surface of the cap serving as the The outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply part provided with the at least one guide. 10. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge body comprises: circuit boards; and a top wall at which the circuit board is disposed, and Wherein, in the erect posture of the liquid cartridge, the at least one guide includes a guide and another guide, each guide of the one guide and the other guide is provided The one guide and the other guide are provided at positions on the outside of the circuit board in the width direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction, relative to the circuit board. on two opposite sides in the width direction. 11. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply part comprises: a cap having an interior space; and An absorber is disposed in the interior space of the cap and is configured to absorb liquid. 12. The liquid cartridge according to claim 11 , wherein the cap has a peripheral portion defining an opening configured to communicate the interior space of the cap with the exterior of the cap, and Wherein the absorber comprises a first absorber disposed adjacent to the peripheral portion defining the opening. 13. The liquid cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the absorber includes a second absorber located below the liquid passage in the erect posture of the liquid cartridge. 14. The liquid cartridge according to claim 13 , wherein the cap has an inner peripheral surface defining the interior space and a peripheral portion defining an opening configured such that the The inner space of the cap communicates with the outside of the cap, the inner peripheral surface of the cap is formed with a groove extending from the peripheral portion defining the opening to the second absorbent device. 15. A liquid consumption system comprising: A liquid cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 14; and A liquid consuming device comprising the cartridge attachment portion, the cartridge attachment portion comprising: the liquid supply tube connected to the liquid supply portion of the liquid cartridge in a state where the liquid cartridge is attached to the cartridge attachment portion; and the at least one protrusion having the one surface and the other surface perpendicular to the one surface, the at least one protrusion being configured to: The at least one protrusion guides the at least one guide of the liquid cartridge during to the cartridge attachment portion.

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