JP7031694B2 - Ink replenishment container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink replenishment container that replenishes ink to an ink tank that internally stores ink to be supplied to a recording device, an ink replenishment system including such an ink replenishment container, and such an ink replenishment system. Regarding the ink replenishment adapter used in.

Conventionally, an ink tank in which ink is stored is connected to a recording device that ejects ink to a medium for recording in a state in which ink can be supplied. When the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank becomes small in such a recording device, ink is replenished to such an ink tank from the outside using an ink replenishment container (for example, Patent Document 1). ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-146821

By the way, it is necessary to appropriately perform the ink replenishment work for the ink tank by suppressing poor ink replenishment and the like, and such replenishment work has been conventionally performed by the user of the recording device. Therefore, in order for the user to properly perform such ink replenishment work, further improvement is required for, for example, an ink replenishment container.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object thereof is an ink replenishment container capable of appropriately replenishing ink to an ink tank, an ink replenishment system including such an ink replenishment container, and such ink. The purpose is to provide an ink replenishment adapter used in a replenishment system.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above problems and their actions and effects will be described.
The ink replenishment container that solves the above problems is an ink replenishment container that replenishes ink in an ink tank that can store ink inside, and has an ink storage chamber that can store ink to be replenished in the ink tank. And the ink outlet forming portion provided at the end of the container main body portion and having an ink outlet forming the ink outlet to allow the ink to flow out from the ink accommodating chamber, and the ink outlet forming portion provided at the ink outlet forming portion. A valve that seals the outlet so as to be openable and closable is provided, and the ink outlet forming portion is outside the ink outlet forming portion and is closer to the container body than the valve in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet. A positioning unit is provided at such a position, and the positioning unit abuts on a part of the ink tank side when the valve is opened to position the valve with respect to the ink tank.

According to this configuration, when the ink is replenished from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank, the valve is opened in a state of being positioned with respect to the ink tank, so that it may occur when the valve is misaligned at the time of opening the valve. Problems such as ink leakage and poor ink replenishment can be suppressed, and ink can be replenished appropriately to the ink tank.

Further, in the ink replenishment container, the valve is opened by providing one or more slits in the elastic member that seals the ink outlet and expanding the slits from the outside to the inside of the ink outlet. It is preferable that the configuration is as follows.

According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an ink replenishment container having a simple structure with a small number of parts.
Further, in the ink replenishment container, it is preferable that the positioning portion is provided so as to be located outside the radial direction of the ink outlet when the ink outlet is viewed in the direction of the central axis thereof.

According to this configuration, when ink is replenished from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank, the ink replenishment container comes into contact with a part of the ink tank side in a state where the positioning portion is located outside the ink outlet in the radial direction. Therefore, ink can be replenished in a stable posture.

Further, in the ink replenishment container, it is preferable that the positioning portion is formed of a member different from the ink outlet forming portion.
According to this configuration, the positioning portion can be optimized according to the design mode of the ink tank and the ink replenishment container.

On the other hand, an ink replenishment system that solves the above problems has an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, a needle that extends with a flow path that communicates the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber, and a needle that extends in the extending direction of the needle. An ink tank having a receiving surface extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends at a position outside the tip of the needle, and the receiving surface forming a part of the ink tank side, and an ink tank having the above configuration. The ink replenishment container includes an ink replenishment container, in which the positioning portion abuts on the receiving surface when the needle inserts the tip into the ink outlet to open the valve.

According to this configuration, when the needle of the ink tank is inserted into the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container to open the valve, the positioning portion of the ink replenishment container comes into contact with the receiving surface of the ink tank and the valve and the needle are relative to each other. Since the positional relationship is determined, the valve can be appropriately opened by the needle, and the occurrence of poor ink supply can be suppressed.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, the ink tank has a recess opened in a region outside the needle in the radial direction centered on the needle in the direction in which the needle extends, and the ink replenishment container has a recess. It is preferable that the region outside the ink outlet in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet has a convex portion that can be fitted with the concave portion when the needle inserts the tip into the ink outlet.

According to this configuration, since the needle is not inserted into the ink outlet when the convex portion of the ink replenishment container is not fitted in the concave portion of the ink tank, it is possible to suppress an incompatible connection between the ink tank and the ink replenishment container.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, the ink replenishment container is positioned outside the ink outlet forming portion and at a position closer to the container main body portion than the convex portion in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet. It is preferable to provide a unit.

According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the incompatible connection between the ink tank and the ink replenishment container and to secure the insertion condition of the ink tank needle into the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container in an appropriate positioning state.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, it is preferable that the tip of the needle of the ink tank is located closer to the ink storage chamber than the receiving surface.
According to this configuration, the tip of the ink tank needle does not protrude outside the receiving surface, so even if ink adheres to the tip of the needle, the ink can be used by the user who performs ink replenishment work. The risk of adhering to the ink replenishment container can be reduced.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, the ink tank is composed of two flow paths in which the flow paths of the needles are arranged so that the opening at the tip of each flow path is arranged in the radial direction about the needle. When one flow path functions as an ink flow path through which ink flows, it is preferable that the other flow path functions as an air flow path through which air flows.

According to this configuration, when the ink replenishment container is connected to the ink tank from a state of being tilted along the radial direction in which the two flow paths are lined up from the direction in which the needle extends, the ink in the ink replenishment container of the two flow paths is connected. One flow path on the side where the outlet approaches first functions as an ink flow path, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path. Therefore, since the user may use any of the two flow paths as the ink flow path, the user can quickly perform the ink replenishment work without having to hesitate to select the flow path to be the ink flow path. can.

Further, another ink replenishment system that solves the above problems includes an ink storage chamber that can store ink, an ink inlet that allows ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and a radiation direction centered on the ink inlet. An ink tank having a recess formed in a region outside the ink inlet, an ink accommodating chamber capable of accommodating ink to be replenished in the ink tank, and the ink being able to flow out from the ink accommodating chamber. An ink replenishment container having an ink outlet and a convex portion formed so as to be matable with the concave portion in a region outside the ink outlet in a radial direction centered on the ink outlet. The ink tank is provided with a first concavo-convex portion on the inner surface of the recess so as to be on the bottom surface side of the opening edge of the recess, and the ink replenishment container is capable of engaging with the first concavo-convex portion of the ink tank. 2 Concavo-convex portions are provided on the convex portions.

According to this configuration, the convex portion of the ink replenishment container is fitted into the concave portion of the ink tank, and the second uneven portion on the outer surface of the convex portion is engaged with the first uneven portion on the inner surface of the concave portion to obtain ink. The user can recognize that a suitable ink supply container has been connected to the tank. Therefore, it is possible to suppress incompatible connection between the ink tank and the ink replenishment container, and since there is a first uneven portion on the inner surface of the recess of the ink tank at a position on the bottom surface side of the opening edge of the recess, ink replenishment is performed. The convex portion of the container is easily guided from the opening side of the concave portion of the ink tank to the bottom surface side, and the insertion operation thereof can be easily performed.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, in the ink tank, the depth direction of the recess is the direction of the central axis of the ink inlet, and the first uneven portion is along the inner surface of the recess along the depth direction of the recess. In the ink replenishment container, when the convex portion is fitted into the concave portion and the second uneven portion is engaged with the first uneven portion, the ink outlet is provided with the ink inlet. It is preferable to be connected to.

According to this configuration, the second uneven portion on the outer surface of the convex portion in the ink replenishment container is recessed with respect to the first uneven portion provided on the inner surface of the concave portion of the ink tank so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion. By engaging with the fitting of the convex portion to the ink tank, it is possible to easily recognize the connection direction of the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container with respect to the ink inlet of the ink tank.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, the depth direction of the recess in the ink tank is preferably a direction that intersects the horizontal direction and goes downward from above in a state where the ink outlet is connected to the ink inlet. ..

According to this configuration, when the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container is connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, it is possible to prevent the ink from returning from the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container to the ink storage chamber, and it is possible to prevent the ink from returning from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank. It is possible to properly replenish the ink to the ink.

Further, another ink replenishment system that solves the above-mentioned problems includes an ink storage chamber that can store ink, an ink inlet that allows ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered on the ink inlet. An ink tank provided with a plurality of first fitting portions formed so as to be point-symmetrical about the ink inlet in a region outside the ink inlet in the direction, and ink to be replenished to the ink tank. The first fitting is provided in an ink accommodating chamber that can be accommodated, an ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out from the ink accommodating chamber, and a region that is outside the ink outlet in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet. A second fitting portion formed so as to be matable with the portion, and an ink replenishment container provided with the second fitting portion are provided.

According to this configuration, the ink replenishment container may be fitted to any of a plurality of first fittings formed point-symmetrically with respect to the ink inlet in the ink tank. Since the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container can be connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, the connection work of the ink replenishment container to the ink tank can be easily performed at the time of ink replenishment.

Further, another ink replenishment system that solves the above-mentioned problems includes an ink storage chamber that can store ink, an ink inlet that allows ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered on the ink inlet. From an ink tank provided with a first fitting portion formed in a region outside the ink inlet in the direction, an ink accommodating chamber capable of accommodating ink to be replenished in the ink tank, and an ink accommodating chamber. A second fitting portion formed so as to be matable with the first fitting portion in an ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out and a region that is outside the ink outlet in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet. The ink tank comprises an ink replenishment container comprising, and the ink tank has a first portion showing information relating to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber, and the ink replenishment container is provided in the ink storage chamber. The first portion and the second portion have a second portion showing information related to the ink to be stored, and the second fitting portion of the ink replenishment container is used as the first fitting portion of the ink tank. It is provided at a position where it can be visually recognized from the outside when it is fitted.

According to this configuration, when the ink replenishment container is connected to the ink tank to replenish the ink, it is easy to visually check whether or not the ink to be replenished is suitable for the first part and the second part. You can check it.

Further, another ink replenishment system that solves the above-mentioned problems includes an ink storage chamber that can store ink, an ink inlet that allows ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered on the ink inlet. An ink tank provided with a recess formed in a region outside the ink inlet in the direction, an ink accommodating chamber capable of accommodating ink to be replenished in the ink tank, and outflow of the ink from the ink accommodating chamber. An ink replenishment container provided with an ink outlet that enables the ink outlet, and a convex portion formed so as to be matable with the concave portion in a region outside the ink outlet in a radial direction centered on the ink outlet. In the ink replenishment container, the convex portion protrudes from the ink outlet in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet in the direction opposite to the ink accommodating chamber.

According to this configuration, when replenishing ink, the convex portion of the ink replenishment container protrudes more than the ink outlet, so that the possibility that the ink outlet touches the user's hand or the peripheral part of the ink tank can be reduced, and the ink can be replenished. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of contamination due to adhesion.

On the contrary, it is also possible to project the ink outlet from the convex portion in the direction of the central axis in the direction opposite to the ink accommodating chamber. In that case, it becomes easier to visually recognize the ink outlet when replenishing the ink.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, the ink replenishment container has the convex portion protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the container main body provided with the ink storage chamber in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet. Is preferable.

According to this configuration, the user can easily see the convex portion when looking at the ink replenishment container, and can easily fit the convex portion of the ink replenishment container to the concave portion of the ink tank when replenishing the ink. As a result, it is possible to reduce the erroneous connection of the ink replenishment container to the ink tank.

Further, in the ink replenishment system, the ink replenishment container is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body in which the ink storage chamber is provided in the radial direction in which the convex portion is centered on the ink outlet. Is preferable.

According to this configuration, when connecting the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container to the ink inlet of the ink tank, the convex portion of the ink replenishment container can be made less likely to get in the way.
Further, the ink replenishment adapter that solves the above-mentioned problems is an ink replenishment adapter that connects between the ink replenishment container and the ink tank when replenishing ink from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank. A tank engaging portion that can be engaged with a plurality of ink tanks having a storageable ink storage chamber in a state of being collectively engaged with the ink tanks, and ink flowing out from the ink outlet of the ink replenishment container into the ink storage chamber. It is possible to distinguish between a plurality of ink inlets provided for each ink tank so as to allow inflow and the ink replenishment container provided for each of the plurality of ink inlets and having the ink outlets that can be connected to the ink inlets. It is provided with a plurality of identification units.

According to this configuration, the ink tank has a general-purpose common structure, and if the plurality of ink tanks are put together and the tank engaging portion of the replenishment adapter is engaged, the ink replenishment container is used when replenishing the ink. It is possible to easily realize a structure that can suppress erroneous mounting.

Further, another ink replenishment adapter that solves the above-mentioned problems is an ink replenishment adapter mounted on the ink tank in a state where ink is replenished from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank, and the ink is used as the ink. An ink inlet flow path portion provided in the ink tank can be inserted so as to allow flow into the ink storage chamber provided in the tank, and an inlet forming portion surrounding at least a part around the ink inlet flow path portion. Ink that can be engaged with the tank-side positioning portion provided in the ink tank and can be connected to the adapter-side positioning portion that positions the ink replenishment adapter with respect to the ink tank and the ink inlet flow path portion. It is provided with an identification unit that enables identification of the ink replenishment container having an outlet.

According to this configuration, since the ink replenishment adapter is positioned with respect to the ink tank, the misalignment between the ink inlet flow path portion provided in the ink tank and the inlet forming portion provided in the ink replenishment adapter is suppressed. Will be done. Therefore, ink can be appropriately replenished from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank via the ink replenishment adapter.

Further, in the ink replenishment adapter, it is preferable that the plurality of entrance forming portions, the identification portion corresponding to the plurality of entrance forming portions, and the plurality of adapter-side positioning portions are integrally formed. ..

According to this configuration, since the inlet forming portion, the identification portion, and the adapter side positioning portion are integrally formed, the ink replenishment adapter can be easily manufactured as compared with the case where these are separately formed.

The perspective view which shows typically the schematic structure of 1st Embodiment of a recording apparatus in a fluoroscopic state. The perspective view which shows the ink supply unit provided in the housing of a recording apparatus. Similarly, a plan view of the ink supply unit. FIG. 3 is a partially fractured cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially fractured cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. A perspective view of the ink replenishment container with the cap removed. Side view of the ink supply container. Front view of the ink supply container. Top view of the ink supply container. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 11-11. A partially broken front view showing a state immediately before the ink replenishment work for the ink tank. A partially broken side view showing a state immediately before the ink replenishment work for the ink tank. A partially broken front view showing a state during ink replenishment work for an ink tank. A partially broken side view showing a state during ink replenishment work for the ink tank. A partially broken front view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the ink replenishment container is in contact with the receiving surface on the ink tank side during ink replenishment. A partially broken side view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the ink replenishment container is in contact with the receiving surface on the ink tank side during ink replenishment. The perspective view of the multifunction device provided with the recording apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. A perspective view of a multifunction device showing a state in which ink is replenished to an ink tank. The perspective view which shows the state which the housing of an ink supply unit is removed. Partial perspective view of the ink tank. Partial plan view of the ink tank. Partial perspective view of the ink supply unit. Partial plan view of the ink supply unit. A perspective view from the lower surface side of the ink replenishment adapter. Bottom view of the ink replenishment adapter. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F27-F27 in FIG. 23. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F28-F28 in FIG. 23. A side view of the ink replenishment container of the modified example. Front view of the ink replenishment container of the modified example. The perspective view of the ink replenishment container of another modification. The perspective view of the ink supply unit of the modification. A perspective view of the ink replenishment adapter of the modified example. Partial perspective view of the ink replenishment container of the modified example. Top view of the ink outlet and the second uneven portion of the modified example. Partial cross-sectional view of the ink replenishment container and cap of the modified example. Schematic cross-sectional view of the ink outlet and the sealing portion of the modified example.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the recording device will be described with reference to the drawings. The recording device of this embodiment is an inkjet printer that records (prints) an image or the like on the medium by ejecting ink onto the medium.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 21 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 22 having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction. Note that FIG. 1 is simply shown in a state in which the inside of the housing 22 of the recording device 21 is seen through. A support base 23 having a left-right direction as a longitudinal direction is provided at a lower portion of the housing 22 toward the rear so that its upper surface is substantially horizontal. The paper P, which is an example of the medium, is supported by the upper surface of the support base 23 and is conveyed toward the front in the conveying direction. Further, a guide shaft 24 extending in the left-right direction is erected at an upper position of the support base 23 in the housing 22, and the carriage 26 provided with a recording head 25 for ejecting ink on the lower surface side of the guide shaft 24. Is supported. That is, the carriage 26 is supported so as to be reciprocating in the left-right direction with respect to the guide shaft 24 in a state where the guide shaft 24 is inserted into the support hole 27 penetrating in the left-right direction.

Further, the drive pulley 28 and the driven pulley 29 are rotatably supported at positions in the housing 22 near both ends of the guide shaft 24. The output shaft of the carriage motor 30 is connected to the drive pulley 28, and an endless timing belt 31 partially connected to the carriage 26 is wound between the drive pulley 28 and the driven pulley 29. .. Then, when the carriage 26 is guided by the guide shaft 24 via the timing belt 31 and reciprocates along the left-right direction which is the scanning direction with respect to the paper P by the drive of the carriage motor 30, the carriage 26 is conveyed forward on the support base 23. Ink is ejected from the recording head 25 on the lower surface side of the carriage 26 to the paper P.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the ink from the recording head 25 is transferred to the position on the front side of the housing 22 on the front side of the support base 23 when the ink is conveyed on the support base 23 in the housing 22. A rectangular ejection port 32 for ejecting the paper P recorded by ejection to the front side is open. The discharge port 32 is provided with a rectangular plate-shaped discharge tray 33 capable of supporting the paper P discharged from the inside of the housing 22 so as to be able to appear and disappear in the forward direction in the discharge direction. Further, in the discharge port 32, a paper feed cassette 34 capable of accommodating a plurality of sheets of paper P used for recording in a stacked state is mounted on the lower side of the discharge tray 33 so as to be freely inserted and removed in the front-rear direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the front surface and the upper surface are rectangular at a position on the front surface of the housing 22 which is on the left-right end side (right end side in FIG. 1) with respect to the discharge port 32. An opening / closing door 35 having a right-angled triangular shape on the right side surface is provided so as to be able to open / close in the front-rear direction with a rotation shaft 36 provided at the lower end thereof along the left-right direction as a rotation center. A window portion 37 made of a rectangular transparent member is formed on the front surface of the opening / closing door 35, and the user can use the inside of the housing 22 (particularly, the back side of the front surface of the opening / closing door 35) with the opening / closing door 35 closed. ) Can be visually recognized.

Ink is supplied to the recording head 25 in the housing 22 of the recording device 21 at a position on the back side of the opening / closing door 35, that is, a position closer to the front surface and closer to the end portion (in this case, closer to the right end portion). Ink supply unit 40 is housed. The ink supply unit 40 is a structure that includes a plurality of (five in this embodiment) ink tanks 41 to 45 and can be handled integrally, and as will be described later, each ink tank 41 to 45 has a structure. Is said to be replenishable with ink.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink supply unit 40 has five ink tanks 41 to 45 having a deformed box shape long in the front-rear direction and five ink supplies drawn from the rear surface side of each ink tank 41 to 45. It includes a tube 46 and a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped ink replenishing adapter 47 that can be assembled in a state where the ink tanks 41 to 45 are collectively assembled. The ink replenishment adapter 47 has a stepped portion formed in the upper front half of all the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state where all the ink tanks 41 to 45 are arranged side by side with the thickness direction in the left-right direction. By being assembled to 48, it is integrated with the ink tanks 41 to 45. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink supply tubes 46 drawn out from the ink tanks 41 to 45 are connected to an ink flow path (not shown) formed in the carriage 26, and recording is performed through the ink flow path (not shown). It is connected to the head 25. The ink replenishment adapter 47 may form a part of the housing 22 that covers the ink tanks 41 to 45, or may be integrally formed with the ink tanks 41 to 45.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink tanks 41 to 45 have an ink storage chamber 49 capable of storing ink IK inside the ink tanks 41 to 45. In the case of the present embodiment, black ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tank 41 located at the right end in the side-by-side direction. Then, color (cyan, magenta, yellow, etc.) ink other than black is stored in the ink storage chambers 49 of the other ink tanks 42 to 45 arranged on the left side of the rightmost ink tank 41 in the side-by-side arrangement direction. Further, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, the front wall portion that is visible through the window portion 37 on the front surface of the housing 22 is made of a transparent resin that makes the liquid level of the ink IK in the ink storage chamber 49 visible. The formed visual recognition portion 50 is provided. Then, the visual recognition unit 50 shows a guideline for the upper limit of the liquid level of the ink IK stored in the ink storage chamber 49 (an example of a guideline for the amount of ink that can be injected without overflowing the ink from the ink inlet 53). An upper limit mark 51 and a lower limit mark 52 indicating a guideline for a lower limit (for example, a guideline for promoting ink replenishment) are described.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, an ink inlet 53 that allows ink to flow into the ink storage chamber 49 from the outside is provided above the horizontal portion of the step portion 48. The ink inlet 53 includes a needle 56 having flow paths 54 and 55 communicating the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber 49 and extending vertically upward. The flow paths 54, 55 of the needle 56 are composed of two flow paths 54, 55 in which the respective tip openings are arranged side by side in the radial direction centering on the needle 56, and one of the two flow paths 54, 55. The flow path 54 (on the right side in FIG. 4) has a lower tip opening height and a larger cross-sectional area of the flow path than the other flow path 55 (on the left side in FIG. 4). A remaining amount sensor 57 for detecting the remaining amount of ink IK in the ink storage chamber 49 is provided in the lower part near the rear in the ink storage chamber 49. The remaining amount sensor 57 may not be provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the ink replenishment adapter 47 has a horizontal surface along a direction in which the upper surface 58 thereof is orthogonal (intersects) with the extending direction of the needle 56, and the upper surface 58 is up and down to the lower surface 59. A through hole 60 penetrating in the direction is formed as an ink inlet forming portion. The through hole 60 is composed of a circular hole-shaped ink inlet 53 in which the needle 56 is arranged in the center, and a pair of front and rear rectangular holes connected to the front and back of the ink inlet 53, and the lower openings thereof are ink tanks 41 to 45. In, the needle 56 is blocked by the horizontal portion of the stepped portion 48 projecting upward.

Therefore, in the through hole 60, in the region outside the ink inlet 53 in the radial direction centered on the ink inlet 53, the direction in which the needle 56 extends due to the pair of front and rear rectangular holes whose lower opening is closed. A pair of front and rear recesses 61 that open on the upper side are formed as recesses with the vertical lower direction as the depth direction so as to be point-symmetrical with respect to the ink inlet 53. That is, in the ink replenishment adapter 47 integrated in the ink tanks 41 to 45, in the region outside the ink inlet 53 including the needle 56, a plurality of points (in this case, front and rear) having point symmetry with the ink inlet 53 as the center. Two pairs of recesses 61) will be formed. In this case, the tip of the needle 56 arranged at the center of the circular hole-shaped ink inlet 53 is the upper surface of the ink replenishment adapter 47 which is the opening edge of the through hole 60 including the ink inlet 53 and the recess 61. It is located closer to the ink storage chamber 49 than 58. That is, the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 extends in the direction in which the needle 56 extends so as to intersect the direction in which the needle 56 extends at a position outside the tip of the needle 56. On the other hand, the lower surface 59 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 functions as a tank engaging portion that collectively engages the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 arranged side by side in the left-right direction from above.

Further, in the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47, the peripheral portion of the upper opening edge of each through hole 60 is colored in a specific color. That is, it is colored in the same color as the ink stored in the ink storage chambers 49 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 into which the ink flows through the ink inlet 53 of the through hole 60. In this respect, in the peripheral portion of the upper opening edge of each through hole 60 in the ink replenishment adapter 47, the ink tanks 41 to 45 communicating with the ink inlet 53 of the through hole 60 and the ink storage chamber 49 are stored inside. It functions as the first part to show the information related to the ink to the outside. Incidentally, the peripheral portion of the upper opening of the through hole 60 in which the ink inlet 53 communicating with the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tank 41 for storing black ink is arranged is colored black.

Further, on the inner surface of the recess 61 (specifically, the inner surface along the vertical direction), the position on the bottom surface side (that is, the horizontal portion side of the step portion 48) from the upper opening edge of the recess 61 is horizontal. The first uneven portion (first key structure portion) 62 having a characteristic uneven shape in the direction is provided so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion 61 (in other words, the direction of the central axis of the ink inlet 53). ing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first uneven portion 62 is provided for each ink inlet 53 of a plurality of (five in this embodiment) ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, in the ink replenishment adapter 47, in the rectangular recess 61 in each through hole 60 formed at a position corresponding to each ink tank 41 to 45 in the vertical direction, another through hole 60 is formed for each through hole 60. A first uneven portion 62 different from the first uneven portion 62 provided on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 is formed. That is, these first uneven portions 62 have an ink outlet 65 (see FIG. 6 and the like) connected to the ink inlet 53 in the through hole 60 in which the first uneven portion 62 is formed (see FIG. 6 and the like). It functions as an identification unit that makes it possible to identify (see 6 etc.). The "position on the bottom surface side of the upper opening edge of the recess 61" means that the position may be slightly recessed toward the bottom surface side of the opening edge.

Therefore, next, an ink replenishment container 63, which comprises an ink replenishment system together with the ink tanks 41 to 45 and replenishes ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45 having a low ink remaining amount, will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink replenishment container 63 is provided at the main body of the cylindrical container body 64 and the tip of the container body 64, and the ink flows out from the inside of the ink replenishment container 63. The ink outlet 65 is provided with an ink outlet forming portion 66 having an opening formed at the tip thereof, and a container addition portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 so as to surround the ink outlet 65. The ink outlet 65 of the ink outlet forming portion 66, including the container addition portion 67 around the ink outlet forming portion 66, is covered with a bottomed cylindrical cap 68, so that the ink outlet 65 is concealed from the outside when the ink replenishment container 63 is stored. That is, the male threaded portion 69 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical lower end portion of the container additional portion 67, while the female threaded portion (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 68. By screwing the female threaded portion of the cap 68 into the male threaded portion 69, the cap 68 is attached to the tip end portion of the ink supply container 63 so as to cover the ink outlet 65.

The entire outer surface of the container addition portion 67 is colored in a specific color. That is, the color is the same as the color of the ink contained in the container main body 64 to which the container addition portion 67 is added. In this respect, the container addition portion 67 in the ink replenishment container 63 functions as a second portion for displaying information related to the ink contained in the ink replenishment container 63 to the outside. Incidentally, the outer surface of the container addition portion 67 in the ink supply container 63 for accommodating the black ink is colored black. Further, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protrusions 70 are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the base end portions of the container main body portion 64 and the cap 68 at equal angle intervals (for example, 90 degree intervals). Incidentally, these protrusions 70 are formed to prevent the ink supply container 63 having a cylindrical shape from rolling. Further, for example, the container body 64 of the ink replenishment container 63 containing black ink may be formed thicker than the container body 64 of the ink replenishment container 63 containing inks of other colors. In that case, the ink outlet forming portion 66 may have the same thickness and shape as those for black ink and those for inks of other colors.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet 65 is in the portion above the cylindrical lower end portion in which the male screw portion 69 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container addition portion 67. In the region outside the outlet 65, a convex portion 71 is formed that protrudes upward in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 from the ink outlet 65 in the direction opposite to the container main body 64. When the tip of the needle 56 on the ink inlet 53 side is inserted into the ink outlet 65, the convex portion 71 can be fitted with the concave portion 61 of the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 as the first fitting portion. It functions as a fitting portion, and is provided so as to form a pair by sandwiching the ink outlet 65 from the front and back, similarly to the pair of recesses 61 that sandwich the ink inlet 53 from the front and back. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the convex portion 71 is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body 64 in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet 65 in the ink replenishment container 63.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, on the outer surface of each convex portion 71 (the left and right side surfaces in FIGS. 6 and 9), the first uneven portion (the first uneven portion) formed on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 is formed. A second uneven portion (second key structural portion) 72 that can be engaged with the 1-key structural portion) 62 is formed. The second uneven portion 72 is provided so as to extend along the protruding direction of the convex portion 71 (in other words, the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65), and the convex portion 71 is fitted into the concave portion 61 and is fitted to the concave portion 61. When the second uneven portion 72 is engaged with the first uneven portion 62, the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is connected to the ink inlet 53 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side.

Further, between the cylindrical lower end portion where the male screw portion 69 of the container addition portion 67 is formed and the convex portion 71 where the second uneven portion 72 is formed, the ink outlet 65 is orthogonal to (intersects) the central axis of the ink outlet 65. The planar positioning portion 73 is provided so as to be located outside the ink outlet 65 in the radial direction when the ink outlet 65 is viewed in the direction of the central axis thereof. That is, the positioning portion 73 constitutes a part of the outer surface of the container addition portion 67 which is a part of the outer surface of the ink replenishment container 63, and the container main body is more than the tip of the convex portion 71 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65. It is provided at a position on the side of the portion 64. Since the positioning unit 73 is provided in the container addition unit 67 added to the ink outlet forming unit 66 in the ink replenishment container 63, the positioning unit 73 is a separate member from the ink outlet forming unit 66 and has an ink structure. It can be said that the configuration is provided on the outside of the outlet forming portion 66.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the ink outlet 65 formed in the ink outlet forming portion 66, a valve 74 made of an elastic member such as a silicon film that seals the ink outlet 65 so as to be openable and closable is provided. ing. The valve 74 is provided at a position where the positioning portion 73 is closer to the container main body portion 64 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 (see, for example, FIG. 14). The valve 74 is provided with a plurality of slits 75 (three in the present embodiment) intersecting at equal angle intervals (120 degree intervals as an example) with the center as an intersection, and these slits 75 are ink outlets. It is configured to open the valve by being pushed inward from the outside of the 65. That is, when the tip of the needle 56 on the ink inlet 53 side is inserted into the ink outlet 65, the normally closed valve 74 is expanded inward by the tip of the needle 56 to open the valve.

At that time, the positioning portion 73 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 in which the through hole 60 including the ink inlet 53 and the recess 61 is formed outside the ink outlet 65 in the radial direction, and the ink outlet 65 The valve 74 is positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the central axis direction of the above. In this respect, the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 positions the ink replenishment container 63 when the valve 74 of the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is opened for ink replenishment to the ink tanks 41 to 45. It is a part of the ink tanks 41 to 45 side with which the portion 73 abuts, and functions as a receiving surface for receiving the planar positioning portion 73.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the container body 64 in the ink replenishment container 63 is a bottle-shaped member having an ink storage chamber 76 capable of storing ink IK inside, and is a neck portion at the upper end thereof. A male threaded portion 78 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the 77. On the other hand, the ink outlet forming portion 66 provided at the upper end portion of the container main body portion 64 has a large diameter portion 79 located on the outer peripheral side of the neck portion 77 of the container main body portion 64 and ink at a position farthest from the container main body portion 64. It has a small diameter portion 80 forming an outlet 65, and an intermediate portion 81 connecting between the large diameter portion 79 and the small diameter portion 80. Then, by screwing the female screw portion 82 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 79 into the male screw portion 78 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 77 of the container main body portion 64, the ink outlet forming portion 66 is formed. It is attached to the upper end of the container body 64.

Further, the container addition portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 of the ink supply container 63 so as to surround the ink outlet 65 has a cylindrical lower end portion having a male screw portion 69 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the lower end surface thereof. Consists of a joint portion 83 to be joined to the upper end surface of the large diameter portion 79 of the ink outlet forming portion 66. In the joint portion 83, the surface regions of the inner peripheral surface facing each other in the front-rear direction are in surface contact with the outer surface on the front side and the outer surface on the rear side of the intermediate portion 81 of the ink outlet forming portion 66, and the ink outlet forming portion 66 is in a surface contact state. It is joined to the large diameter portion 79.

Therefore, next, the operation of the ink replenishment system configured as described above will be described below, focusing on the operation of replenishing the ink tanks 41 to 45 of the ink supply unit 40 using the ink replenishment container 63. ..

As a premise, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid level height of the ink in the black ink ink tank 41 located on the rightmost side of the plurality of horizontally arranged ink tanks 41 to 45 is the visual recognition unit 50. Since the height has dropped to the height of the lower limit mark 52 marked in the lower part of the above, the case of replenishing the ink tank 41 with ink will be described below. Further, it is assumed that the ink replenishment container 63 used for ink replenishment sufficiently contains black ink, and the cap 68 is removed from the ink replenishment container 63 in advance. Further, the shape of the second uneven portion 72 formed on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is the first formed on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 located before and after the ink inlet 53 to the ink tank 41. It is assumed that it matches the shape of the uneven portion 62 and can be engaged with the insertion of the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61.

When replenishing the ink tank 41 with ink, the user first rotates the opening / closing door 35 of the housing 22 forward about the rotation shaft 36 from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 to open the ink tank 41. Then, in the ink supply unit 40, the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 in which the ink inlet 53 into the ink tanks 41 to 45 is formed is exposed to the outside of the housing 22, and the user can use the desired ink inlet 53. On the other hand, the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 can be connected from above.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the user turns the ink replenishment container 63 containing the black ink used for ink replenishment upside down, and the ink outlet 65 is the rightmost through hole in the ink replenishment adapter 47. Hold it so that it is located above 60. That is, the central axis of the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is aligned with the central axis of the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 to be replenished with ink. At this time, the user can see the color (second part) colored in the container addition portion 67 of the ink replenishment container 63 held in his hand and the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 to be replenished with ink at that time. Compare with the color (first part) colored around the upper opening edge of the provided through hole 60. Then, if each color is the same (in this case, blacks), it is confirmed that the ink replenishment container 63 suitable for the current ink replenishment is held in the hand, and the subsequent work in the ink replenishment is started.

Then, the ink replenishment container 63 is lowered from the state shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is inserted into the concave portion 61 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 integrated with the ink tank 41. Then, by realizing the inserted state of the convex portion 71 with respect to the concave portion 61, the coincident state of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 with respect to the central axis of the ink inlet 53 is ensured. In this case, since the concave portion 61 is in a position symmetrical with respect to the needle 56 which is the center of the ink inlet 53, the convex portion 71 can be inserted into any of the concave portions 61. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the ink replenishment container 63 around the central axis of the ink outlet 65 many times to confirm the conforming positional relationship between the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71, and the user does not need to confirm the conforming positional relationship between the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71. Can be easily inserted.

However, at this point, only a small amount of the convex portion 71 is inserted into the concave portion 61, and the tip of the needle 56 located at the center of the ink inlet 53 also opens the ink outlet 65 slightly protruding from the tip of the convex portion 71. Although it is inserted inside, it does not reach the valve 74 located in the inner part of the ink outlet 65. The reason is that, as shown in FIG. 13, the tip of the convex portion 71 rather than the distance L1 between the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishing adapter 47 where the opening edge of the concave portion 61 is located and the upper end of the first uneven portion 62 in the concave portion 61. This is because the distance L2 between the ink outlet 65 and the valve 74 in the ink outlet 65 is longer. Therefore, when the convex portion 71 is further inserted downward in the depth direction of the concave portion 61 from that state, the second uneven portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 engages with the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the concave portion 61. It fits. Then, while maintaining the engaged state, when the convex portion 71 is further inserted toward the bottom surface side in the depth direction of the concave portion 61, the tip of the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 reaches the position of the valve 74 of the ink outlet 65. At that point, the valve 74 is opened.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the tip of the needle 56 pushes the slit 75 upward from below (that is, from the outside to the inside of the ink outlet 65) with respect to the valve 74, thereby pushing the valve 74. The valve is opened. As a result, the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 and the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 are connected, and black ink is replenished from the inside of the ink replenishment container 63 into the ink tank 41. At this time, the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 has one of the two flow paths 54 and 55 that the tip opening first touches the ink that has been opened from the valve 74 and has flowed out from the ink outlet 65. It functions as an ink flow path through which ink flows, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path through which air flows. For example, when the user tries to connect the ink outlet 65 to the ink inlet 53 with the ink replenishment container 63 tilted, the ink flow path is the ink channel of the two channels 54 and 55 due to the difference in the tilting direction. The flow path will also change.

If the second uneven portion 72 does not engage with the first uneven portion 62 after the convex portion 71 is inserted into the concave portion 61, at that point, the user uses an ink replenishment container 63 of a color other than black. You can recognize that you are trying to insert it by mistake. In this case, if the upper end of the first uneven portion 62 is located at the same height as the opening edge of the concave portion 61, the engagement of the second uneven portion 72 with the first uneven portion 62 is rejected. Not only that, the insertion of the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61 is also refused, so that the user may try to insert the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61 many times and waste work time unnecessarily. be. In this respect, in the present embodiment, since the height of the first uneven portion 62 is lower than the opening edge of the concave portion 61, the convex portion 71 is guided to the bottom surface side in the depth direction of the concave portion 61 when inserted into the concave portion 61. It is easy to do so, and it is possible to prevent unnecessary lengthening of work time.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 14, 16 and 17, when the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 on the ink tank 41 side opens the valve 74 in the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63, the ink replenishment container 63 is opened. The positioning portion 73 comes into contact with the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47, which is a part of the ink tank 41 side. That is, in the ink replenishment container 63, the valve 74 is positioned in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 with respect to the needle 56 on the ink tank 41 side by the contact between the positioning portion 73 and the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47. The valve is opened in the opened state.

Further, at that time, since the positioning portion 73 is located outside the ink outlet 65 in the radial direction, the ink replenishment container 63 stably maintains the posture in which the ink outlet 65 is connected to the ink inlet 53. Further, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when the positioning portion 73 of the ink replenishment container 63 comes into contact with the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47, the ink inlet 53 in which the base end of the needle 56 at the ink inlet 53 is located is located. There is a gap between the bottom surface of the ink replenishment container 63 and the tip of the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63. Therefore, ink tends to accumulate on the bottom surface of the ink inlet 53 where the base end of the needle 56 is located, but it is also possible to prevent the accumulated ink from adhering to the tip of the ink outlet 65 and contaminating the ink replenishment container 63. Ink.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, when the ink supply from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tank 41 is completed, the liquid level height of the ink in the ink tank 41 is higher than the upper limit mark 51 of the visual recognition unit 50. If it is still low, ink may be further replenished up to the upper limit mark 51 using the same black ink replenishment container 63. The ink replenishment work as described above is similarly performed for the ink tanks 42 to 45 of colors other than the black ink ink tank 41.

According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When replenishing ink from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the valve 74 is opened in a state of being positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, problems such as ink leakage and poor ink replenishment that may occur when the valve 74 is displaced at the time of valve opening can be suppressed, and ink can be appropriately replenished to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

(2) Since the valve 74 is composed of a slit valve in which one or more slits 75 are provided in an elastic member made of a silicon film or the like, it is possible to provide an ink replenishment container 63 having a simple structure with a small number of parts.

(3) When replenishing ink from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the positioning portion 73 of the ink replenishment container 63 is located outside the radial direction of the ink outlet 65 with respect to a part of the ink tanks 41 to 45 side. Since the ink is in contact with each other in a state, ink can be replenished in a stable posture.

(4) In the ink replenishment container 63, since the positioning portion 73 is provided in the container addition portion 67 which is a member separate from the ink outlet forming portion 66, positioning is performed according to the design aspects of the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink replenishment container 63. The unit 73 can be optimized.

(5) When the needles 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 are inserted into the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 to open the valve 74, the ink replenishment functioning as the receiving surface of the ink replenishment container 63 in the ink tanks 41 to 45 The positioning portion 73 of the ink replenishment container 63 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the adapter 47 to determine the relative positional relationship between the valve 74 and the needle 56. Therefore, the valve 74 can be appropriately opened by the needle 56, and the occurrence of poor ink supply can be suppressed.

(6) At the time of ink replenishment, the needle 56 is not inserted into the ink outlet 65 when the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is not fitted in the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Incompatible connection with the container 63 can be suppressed.

(7) The ink replenishment container 63 includes a positioning unit 73 on the outside of the ink outlet forming portion 66 and at a position closer to the container main body portion 64 than the convex portion 71 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65. Therefore, after suppressing the incompatible connection between the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink replenishment container 63, the insertion condition of the needles 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 into the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is ensured in an appropriate positioning state. can.

(8) Further, since the tip of the needle 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 does not protrude outward from the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 which is the receiving surface of the positioning portion 73 of the ink replenishment container 63, the needle 56 of the ink tank 56 Even if the ink adheres to the tip, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the ink adheres to the hand of the user performing the ink replenishment work or the ink replenishment container 63.

(9) When connecting the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 from a state of being tilted along the radial direction in which the two flow paths 54 and 55 are lined up from the direction in which the needle 56 extends, the two flow paths 54, Of 55, one of the flow paths on the side where the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 approaches first functions as an ink flow path, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path. Therefore, since the user may use any of the two flow paths 54 and 55 as the ink flow path, the user does not have to worry about selecting the flow path to be the ink flow path, and can quickly perform the ink replenishment work. It can be carried out.

(10) The convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is fitted into the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45, and the second uneven portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 is fitted to the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the concave portion 61. By engaging, the user can recognize that the suitable ink replenishment container 63 is connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, incompatible connection between the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink replenishment container 63 can be suppressed. Further, since the first uneven portion 62 is located on the inner surface of the concave portions 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 on the bottom surface side of the opening edge of the concave portions 61, the convex portions 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 are the ink tanks 41 to The recess 61 of the 45 is easily guided from the opening side to the bottom surface side, and the insertion work can be easily performed.

(11) Convex in the ink replenishment container 63 with respect to the first uneven portion (first key structure portion) 62 provided on the inner surface of the concave portions 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portions 61. The second uneven portion 72 (second key structure portion) on the outer surface of the portion 71 can be engaged with the fitting of the convex portion 71 to the concave portion 61. As a result, the connection direction of the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 with respect to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be easily recognized.

(12) Since the depth direction of the recess 61 provided outside the radial direction of the ink inlet 53 is vertically downward, the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is provided at the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. In the connected state, it is possible to prevent the ink from returning from the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 into the ink storage chamber 76. As a result, the ink replenishment work from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be appropriately performed.

(13) The ink replenishment container 63 has a plurality of concave portions (first fitting) 61 having a convex portion (second fitting portion) 71 formed point-symmetrically with respect to the ink inlet 53 in the ink tanks 41 to 45. In any case, the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 can be connected to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, at the time of ink replenishment, the connection work of the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be easily performed.

(14) The colored color in the peripheral portion of the ink inlet 53 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 in the ink tanks 41 to 45 functions as the first portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 49, and the ink The color colored in the container addition portion 67 of the replenishment container 63 functions as a second portion showing information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 76. Therefore, when the ink replenishment container 63 is connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45 to replenish the ink, whether or not the ink to be replenished is suitable is determined by the first portion on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side and the ink replenishment container 63. It can be easily confirmed by visually recognizing the second part on the side.

(15) Since the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body 64 provided with the ink storage chamber 76 in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet 65, the ink tank 63 is formed. When connecting the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink inlets 53 of 41 to 45, the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 can be made less likely to get in the way.

(16) In the ink replenishment adapter 47, the lower surface (tank engaging portion) 59 side is engaged with a plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state where they are collectively engaged, and then each of the ink tanks 41 to 45 is engaged. It is provided with a plurality of first uneven portions (identification portions) 62 that make it possible to identify the ink replenishment container 63 having the ink outlet 65 that can be connected to the ink inlet 53 of the above. Therefore, the ink tanks 41 to 45 have a general-purpose common structure, and the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 are put together and engaged with the lower surface 59 which is the tank engaging portion of the ink replenishment adapter 47. For example, it is possible to easily realize a structure capable of suppressing erroneous mounting of the ink replenishment container 63 at the time of ink replenishment.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the recording device will be described with reference to the drawings. In this second embodiment, the positioning of the ink tank and the ink replenishment adapter is different from that in the first embodiment. Since it is almost the same as the first embodiment in other respects, duplicate description will be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals to the same configurations.

As shown in FIG. 18, the multifunction device 14 includes a recording device 21 and an image reading device 15 arranged on the recording device 21 and covering the upper side of the recording device 21, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. On the front side (front side) of the recording device 21, an operation unit 16 such as a button for performing various operations of the multifunction device 14 and a display unit 17 for displaying information and the like of the recording device 21 and the multifunction device 14 are provided. An operation panel 18 is provided. Further, an ink supply unit 40 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 18.

As shown in FIG. 19, the image reading device 15 is attached via a rotation mechanism 19 such as a hinge provided on the rear side (rear side). The image reading device 15 can be opened and closed with respect to the recording device 21 and rotates between the closed position shown in FIG. 18 and the open position shown in FIG. Then, when the image reading device 15 is positioned at the open position, the unit cover 100 and the elastic cap 92 of the ink supply unit 40 can be opened and closed. When replenishing ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45 (see FIG. 20), as shown in FIG. 19, the image reading device 15, the unit cover 100, and the elastic cap 92 are positioned in the open positions, and the ink replenishment container 63. Is connected to the ink replenishment adapter 47 and the ink tanks 41 to 45. That is, the ink replenishment adapter 47 is mounted so as to be located on the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state where the ink is replenished from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45. In other words, the ink replenishment adapter 47 connects between the ink replenishment container 63 and the ink tanks 41 to 45 when replenishing ink from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the ink supply unit 40, two types of ink tanks 41 to 45 having different amounts of ink that can be stored are arranged side by side with the thickness direction in the left-right direction. The ink tank 41 having a large capacity and the ink tanks 42 to 45 having a small capacity have different thicknesses but have the same configuration. Therefore, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, the same reference numerals are given to the common configurations, so that duplicate explanations will be omitted.

By the way, the needle 56 is formed so as to project upward from the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. A tank-side positioning portion 113 is provided on the side surface 112 on the visual recognition portion 50 side (front side) that intersects the top surface 111 so as to project forward. The tank-side positioning portions 113 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 are located at substantially the same position in the vertical direction, and the intervals between the tank-side positioning portions 113 of the adjacent ink tanks 41 to 45 are substantially the same.

The top surfaces 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 are provided with an absorbent material 123 which has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and can absorb ink. A plurality of (six in this embodiment) circular holes 123a are formed in the absorbent material 123. Then, in the absorbent material 123, the needles 56 are inserted into the circular holes 123a, respectively, and the portion of the film 124 that seals the openings of the ink tanks 41 to 45 that extends upward from the top surface 111 is folded. It is attached to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Further, the absorbent material 123 may have a size that covers the entire top surface 111 (see FIG. 28).

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the tank-side positioning portion 113 is erected at a position below the top surface 111 so as to protrude from the side surface 112 and above the bottom wall 114. It comprises a pair of side walls 115. The tank-side positioning portion 113 is provided so as to open forward and upward.

Further, on the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45, a protruding portion 116 for supporting the ink replenishment adapter 47 is provided at a position of the front end adjacent to the tank side positioning portion 113. Further, the protruding portion 116 is also provided at the rear end of the top surface 111. In other words, a pair of protruding portions 116 are provided at positions at both ends of the top surface 111 in the front-rear direction with the needle 56 interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 22, in the cylindrical needle 56, a partition wall 117 extending in the vertical direction is formed at a central position in the front-rear direction. The flow paths 54 and 55 are partitioned by the partition wall 117. Therefore, the flow paths 54 and 55 of the present embodiment are formed so that the height and the cross-sectional area of the tip openings are substantially equal. Further, the needle 56 is provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45 so that the ink can flow into the ink storage chambers 49 provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45.

Next, the ink replenishment adapter 47 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the ink replenishment adapter 47 includes an inlet forming portion 119 that surrounds at least a part around the needle 56, which is an example of the ink inlet flow path portion. A plurality of the inlet forming portions 119 are provided side by side on the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishing adapter 47 in the left-right direction (five, which is the same number as the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the present embodiment). The entrance forming portion 119 of the present embodiment is a bottomed recess, and its shape is substantially the same as that of the through hole 60 (see FIG. 3) in a plan view. Further, the ink replenishment adapter 47 includes a first uneven portion 62 which is an example of an identification unit that can identify an ink replenishment container 63 having an ink outlet 65 connectable to the needle 56. The first uneven portion 62 of the present embodiment is provided so that the convex portion stands upright from the bottom surface of the entrance forming portion 119.

As shown in FIG. 24, an insertion hole 120 through which the needle 56 can be inserted is formed on the bottom surface of each inlet forming portion 119. The diameter of the insertion hole 120 is larger than the diameter of the needle 56, and a gap is provided between the needle 56 and the insertion hole 120. Therefore, when ink leaks from the ink replenishment container 63 or the needle 56, the leaked ink is absorbed by the absorbent material 123 through the gap between the insertion hole 120 and the needle 56.

As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the lower surface 59 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 is provided with an adapter-side positioning portion 121 for positioning the ink replenishment adapter 47 with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. The adapter-side positioning portion 121 can be engaged with the tank-side positioning portion 113 provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45, and is located in front of the insertion hole 120 in a plurality of positions in the left-right direction (ink tank 41 in this embodiment). It is provided side by side (5), which is the same number as ~ 45. Further, the distance between the plurality of adapter-side positioning portions 121 in the left-right direction is substantially equal to the distance between the tank-side positioning portions 113 included in the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the left-right direction.

Further, on the lower surface 59 of the ink replenishment adapter 47, a pair of ribs 122 provided at intervals in the front-rear direction are provided side by side in a plurality of sets (five sets in the present embodiment) in the left-right direction. The distance between the pair of ribs 122 in the front-rear direction is substantially equal to the size of the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. The adapter-side positioning portion 121 and the rib 122 are provided on both sides of one insertion hole 120 in the left-right direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26, the distance B between the center line A and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 along the front-rear direction through the center of the insertion hole 120 is the distance C between the center line A and the rib 122. Approximately equal. Further, the corners of the adapter side positioning portion 121 and the rib 122 are chamfered.

As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the ink replenishment adapter 47 includes a plurality of inlet forming portions 119, a first uneven portion 62 corresponding to the plurality of inlet forming portions 119, and a plurality of adapter-side positioning portions 121. A plurality of sets of ribs 122 are integrally formed.

Next, the operation of the ink replenishment adapter 47 configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, when the ink replenishment adapter 47 is attached to the ink tanks 41 to 45 so that the needle 56 is inserted into the insertion hole 120 of the ink replenishment adapter 47, the adapter side positioning portion 121 becomes a tank. Engage with the side positioning portion 113. Specifically, the adapter-side positioning portion 121 is positioned in the left-right direction by entering between the side walls 115 of the tank-side positioning portion 113. Further, the ink replenishment adapter 47 is positioned in the front-rear direction by the rib 122 sandwiching the ink tanks 41 to 45 from both front and rear sides. The ink replenishment adapter 47 positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is fixed to the housing 22 by screws (not shown).

Further, the absorbent material 123 provided between the ink replenishment adapter 47 and the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 may be provided for each ink tank 41 to 45. Further, the absorbent material 123 may be provided extending from the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 to the side surface 112 (only the portion corresponding to the ink tank 45 is shown in FIG. 27).

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (16) of the first embodiment.
(17) Since the ink replenishment adapter 47 is positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the positions of the needle 56 provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the inlet forming portion 119 provided in the ink replenishment adapter 47. The deviation is suppressed. Therefore, ink can be appropriately replenished from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 via the ink replenishment adapter 47.

(18) Since the inlet forming portion 119, the first uneven portion 62, and the adapter side positioning portion 121 are integrally formed, the ink replenishment adapter 47 can be easily manufactured as compared with the case where these are formed separately. ..

The above embodiment may be changed as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, even if the tip of the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 protrudes from the ink outlet 65 on the side opposite to the container main body 64 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65. good. According to this configuration, at the time of ink replenishment, since the convex portion 71 protrudes from the ink outlet 65 in the ink replenishment container 63, there is a possibility that the ink outlet 65 touches the user's hand or the peripheral portion of the ink replenishment container 63. Can be reduced, and the occurrence of contamination due to ink adhesion can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 31, the ink replenishment container 63 is located at a position closer to the container main body 64 than the valve 74 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65, and the ink tank 41 is located at the position where the ink tanks 41 to 45 are replenished with ink. The convex portion 71 may be omitted as long as it has a positioning portion 73 that abuts on a part on the ~ 45 side to position the valve with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the recess 61 on the ink tanks 41 to 45.

As in the modified example shown in FIG. 32, the ink supply unit 40 may have a structure in which the ink inlet 53 is normally closed. That is, the ink supply unit 40 of this modification is provided with a lever-shaped cap support member 90 for each of the plurality of ink inlets 53. The base end portion of the cap support member 90 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 91 provided on the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 so as to extend in a direction (horizontal direction) intersecting the central axis of the ink inlet 53. Has been done. An elastic cap 92 having a shape that can be fitted to the ink inlet 53 is provided on the tip side of each cap support member 90 from the center in the longitudinal direction, and the elastic cap 92 is usually used as the ink inlet 53 in the cap support member 90. It is in a closed state fitted to. Then, at the time of ink replenishment, the elastic cap 92 is fitted to the ink inlet 53 and the cap support member 90 in the closed state has the elastic cap 92 inserted into the ink inlet by the user who puts his / her hand on the bent handle portion 93 at the tip thereof. It is tilted to an open state separated from 53. As shown in FIG. 32, the unit cover 100 that collectively covers the upper part of the plurality of cap support members 90 may be further opened and closed. Further, the elastic cap 92 is formed of an elastic material such as an elastomer, and the cap support member 90 is formed of a material having higher rigidity than the elastic cap 92, for example, made of polystyrene, ABS resin, or the like.

As in the modified example shown in FIG. 33, the ink replenishment adapter 47 may be movably attached to the ink supply unit 40 with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 44. That is, the ink replenishment adapter 47 has a fixing portion 125 fixed to the housing 22, a displacement portion 126 displaceable with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 44, and a connecting portion connecting the fixing portion 125 and the displacement portion 126. It is equipped with 127. The connecting portion 127 is deformable, and the displacement portion 126 is displaceable in a direction intersecting the vertical direction in which the needle 56 extends. Therefore, the displacement portion 126 is displaced in a state where the ink replenishment container 63 is engaged with the inlet forming portion 119, and the ink replenishment container 63 and the needle 56 can be relatively moved. Therefore, since the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 and the needle 56 can be easily aligned, the risk of ink leakage can be reduced.

A groove 129 may be formed at the tip of the ink outlet 65 as in the modified example shown in FIG. 34. Further, at least one (two in this modification) annular convex portion 130 may be formed between the tip of the ink outlet 65 and the positioning portion 73 along the outer circumference of the small diameter portion 80. By providing the groove portion 129, it is possible to reduce the possibility of ink dripping from the ink outlet 65 when the ink replenishment container 63 replenished with ink is erected with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Further, by providing the annular convex portion 130, even if the ink drips from the ink outlet 65, the ink can be blocked.

As in the modified example shown in FIG. 35, the convex portions 71 formed in pairs along the straight line D passing through the center of the ink outlet 65 are divided into a plurality of (six in this modified example) regions E, and each region E is divided into regions E. The second uneven portion 72 may be formed by the provided identification convex portions 132a to 132c. In this modification, the second uneven portion 72 is composed of three types of identification convex portions 132a to 132c. Specifically, the first identification convex portion 132a having a long length from the straight line D to the side surface of the convex portion 71, the second identification convex portion 132b shorter than the first identification convex portion 132a, and the second identification convex portion 132b. The second uneven portion 72 may be formed by arbitrarily combining the shorter third identification convex portion 132c. By increasing the number of regions E and the types of the identification convex portions 132a to 132c, the pattern of the second uneven portion 72 can be increased, and the pattern can be adjusted according to the amount and type of ink.

-As in the modified example shown in FIG. 36, the small diameter portion 80 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material. Further, the inner surface of the small diameter portion 80, which is closer to the ink accommodating chamber 76 than the valve 74, may be a rough surface 80a having irregularities formed by, for example, embossing. Since the rough surface 80a has high wettability and ink tends to remain, the color of the ink can be easily recognized from the outside of the small diameter portion 80.

As in the modified examples shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, the cap 68 is attached so as to be in contact with the attachment surface 134 of the ink replenishment container 63, and is in the attached state. Further, the cap 68 includes an annular sealing portion 135 that seals the ink outlet 65 in the mounted state. The inner surface 135a of the sealing portion 135 is formed diagonally so as to expand toward the tip. The cap 68 seals the ink outlet 65 when the inner surface 135a comes into contact with the corner 136 of the ink outlet 65 in the mounted state. Therefore, even in a state where the cap 68 is loosely engaged with the mounting surface 134 and mounted, it is possible to reduce the possibility that ink leaks from the ink outlet 65 due to contact between the inner surface 135a and the corner 136. The angle 136 is a portion where two surfaces facing different directions intersect, and may be curved.

The ink replenishment adapter 47 may be formed by forming at least one of the first uneven portion 62, the adapter side positioning portion 121, and the rib 122 as separate bodies. Further, among the ribs 122 provided on both the front and rear sides, the rib 122 on the front side may not be provided. At least one rear rib 122 may be provided, and the ink replenishment adapter 47 may be positioned in the front-rear direction by the rear rib 122 and the adapter-side positioning portion 121. Further, the rib 122 may not be provided.

The shape of the tank-side positioning unit 113 and the adapter-side positioning unit 121 can be arbitrarily changed as long as the ink replenishment adapter 47 can be positioned on the ink tanks 41 to 45 by engaging with each other. For example, the tank-side positioning portion 113 may be a stepped portion formed around the needle 56, and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 may be a recess or a hole surrounding the stepped portion. By providing the tank-side positioning portion 113 and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 at positions close to the needle 56, the positioning accuracy of the inlet forming portion 119 with respect to the needle 56 can be improved.

In the ink replenishment container 63, the convex portion 71 may project outward from the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion 64 provided with the ink storage chamber 76 in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet 65. According to this configuration, the user can easily see the convex portion 71 when looking at the ink replenishment container 63, and the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is placed on the concave portion 61 on the ink tank 41 to 45 side at the time of ink replenishment. It becomes easy to fit. As a result, it is possible to reduce the erroneous connection of the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

An ink replenishment container is used to indicate information related to the ink stored in the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the first portion provided for each ink tank 41 to 45 and information related to the ink stored in the ink replenishment container 63. The second portion provided for each 63 may be character information, shape information, or the like, in addition to the coloring information. Further, the configuration relating to the first part and the second part may not be necessary.

If a plurality of recesses 61 are provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45, the convex portion 71 on the ink replenishment container 63 side may have a single configuration. Further, if there are a plurality of recesses 61, the recesses 61 do not necessarily have to be arranged point-symmetrically with the ink inlet 53 as the center.

If the plurality of recesses 61 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 sides are in point-symmetrical positions, in addition to the pair of recesses 61 that are 180-degree point-symmetrical, three are 120-degree point-symmetrical and four are 90-degree point-symmetrical. For example, a plurality of other point-symmetrical arrangement configurations may be used.

Of the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71 to be fitted at the time of ink replenishment, the convex portion 71 is provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side as the first fitting portion, and the concave portion 61 is provided on the ink replenishment container 63 side as the second fitting portion. It may be provided.

If the depth direction of the recess 61 on the ink tank 41 to 45 side is along the extending direction of the needle 56 located at the center of the ink inlet 53, the depth direction is not necessarily vertically downward, and is diagonal to the vertical direction. It may be in the direction of crossing. However, in order to suppress ink leakage, it is not preferable that the direction along the horizontal direction is the depth direction of the recess 61.

The height of the tip of the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61 may be equal to or higher than the height of the opening edge of the recess 61.
If an identification portion for identifying the ink replenishment container 63 having an ink outlet 65 connectable to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 is separately provided, the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61 is provided. The second uneven portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 does not necessarily have to be.

The two flow paths 54, 55 included in the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 may have both tip openings at the same height, or may have a plurality of flow paths other than the two.
In the ink replenishment container 63, the convex portion 71 and the positioning portion 73 may be formed directly on the ink outlet forming portion 66 instead of the container adding portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66. That is, the container addition portion 67 may not be configured to be added to the ink outlet forming portion 66, but may be integrally formed to the ink outlet forming portion 66.

If the positioning portion 73 in the ink replenishment container 63 is a region outside the ink outlet 65 in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet 65, the ink outlet 65 is not from the outside of a plurality of radial directions but the outside of one radial direction. It may be the configuration provided in.

The valve of the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is not limited to three as long as it has one or more slits 75, and may be provided with other plurality of slits 75 such as two or four. Further, the valve is not limited to the slit valve provided with the slit 75, and may be a valve having a configuration in which the needle 56 is pushed from below and displaced in the valve opening direction without the slit 75.

The positioning portion 73 in the ink replenishment container 63 is not limited to a flat shape, but has one or more protrusions or ribs as long as it abuts on the upper surface (receiving surface) 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 during ink replenishment. But it may be.

40 ... Ink supply unit, 41-45 ... Ink tank, 46 ... Ink supply tube, 47 ... Ink replenishment adapter, 48 ... Step portion, 49 ... Ink storage chamber, 50 ... Visual unit, 53 ... Ink inlet, 54,55 ... Flow path, 56 ... Needle (ink inlet flow path portion), 57 ... Remaining amount sensor, 58 ... Top surface (receiving surface), 59 ... Bottom surface (tank engaging portion), 60 ... Through hole, 61 ... Recession (first) Fitting part), 62 ... 1st uneven part (identification part), 63 ... Ink replenishment container, 64 ... Container body part, 65 ... Ink outlet, 66 ... Ink outlet forming part, 67 ... Container addition part, 69 ... Male screw part , 70 ... Projection, 71 ... Convex part (second fitting part), 72 ... Second uneven part, 73 ... Positioning part, 74 ... Valve, 75 ... Slit, 76 ... Ink storage chamber, 113 ... Tank side positioning part, 119 ... Entrance forming part, 121 ... Adapter side positioning part, IK ... Ink.

Claims (17)

When the vertical direction is the vertical direction, one direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is the front-back direction, and the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-back direction is the left-right direction.
An ink storage chamber, a needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber and extending from the bottom to the top, and a receiving surface extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends at a position above the tip of the needle. An ink tank in which a circular hole-shaped ink inlet in which the needle is arranged and a pair of rectangular holes extending in the front-rear direction connected to the ink inlet are opened in the receiving surface and formed downward. On the other hand
An ink replenishment container for replenishing ink
The container body and
An ink outlet forming portion connected to the container body and having an ink outlet,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion is
When the ink outlet is directed upward and viewed from the ink outlet side in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet,
A pair of convex portions extending in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction in a region outside the radial direction of the ink outlet with the ink outlet as the center, and configured to be inserted into the pair of rectangular holes, respectively.
It has a positioning portion having a portion arranged on the left and right sides of the pair of convex portions at a position lower than the position of the ink outlet.
The positioning portion is configured to abut on the ink inlet and the receiving surface having the opening edge of the rectangular hole portion in a state where the convex portion is inserted into the rectangular hole portion .
The positioning portion has a portion whose end portion in the left-right direction extends linearly in the front-rear direction.
Ink replenishment container. The ink replenishment container according to claim 1.
The ink outlet forming portion has a small diameter portion provided with the ink outlet and a large diameter portion having an outer circumference larger than the small diameter portion and connecting to the container main body portion.
The pair of convex portions are provided with a concave gap extending in the vertical direction from the small diameter portion, and the pair of convex portions are connected to the small diameter portion below the gap.
Ink replenishment container. The ink replenishment container according to claim 2 .
The ink outlet forming portion is an ink replenishment container in which at least one annular convex portion is formed between the tip of the ink outlet and the positioning portion along the outer periphery of the small diameter portion . The ink replenishment container according to claim 2 or 3 .
An ink replenishment container in which the small diameter portion is formed of a transparent or translucent material, or the inner surface is formed as a rough surface . The ink replenishment container according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The ink replenishment container is formed so that the end portion of the positioning portion in the front-rear direction is flush with the end portion of the pair of convex portions in the front-rear direction . The ink replenishment container according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
Further, the ink outlet forming portion is an ink replenishment container provided with a valve configured to be opened by the needle inserted from the ink outlet. The ink replenishment container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .
A first uneven portion is provided in the rectangular hole portion of the ink tank.
The ink replenishment container is an ink replenishment container in which the convex portion is provided with a second concavo-convex portion configured to be engageable with the first concavo-convex portion . The ink replenishment container according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .
An ink replenishment container in which a groove is formed at the tip of the ink outlet . The ink replenishment container according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The positioning portion and the convex portion are ink replenishment containers provided in a container addition portion attached to the ink outlet forming portion . The ink replenishment container according to claim 9.
The container addition portion is an ink replenishment container formed integrally with the ink outlet forming portion . The ink supply container according to claim 9 or 10.
The container addition portion is an ink replenishment container colored in the same color as the ink contained in the container main body portion . The ink replenishment container according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The convex portion is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container body in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet when viewed from the ink outlet side toward the central axis of the ink outlet. Ink replenishment container. When the vertical direction is the vertical direction, one direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is the front-back direction, and the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-back direction is the left-right direction.
An ink storage chamber, a needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber and extending from the bottom to the top, and a receiving surface extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends at a position above the tip of the needle. An ink tank in which a circular hole-shaped ink inlet in which the needle is arranged and a pair of rectangular holes extending in the front-rear direction connected to the ink inlet are opened in the receiving surface and formed downward. On the other hand
An ink replenishment container for replenishing ink
The container body and
An ink outlet forming portion connected to the container body and having an ink outlet,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion is
When the ink outlet is directed upward and viewed from the ink outlet side in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet,
A pair of convex portions extending in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction in a region outside the radial direction of the ink outlet with the ink outlet as the center, and configured to be inserted into the pair of rectangular holes, respectively.
It has a positioning portion having a portion arranged on the left and right sides of the pair of convex portions at a position lower than the position of the ink outlet.
The positioning portion is configured to abut on the ink inlet and the receiving surface having the opening edge of the rectangular hole portion in a state where the convex portion is inserted into the rectangular hole portion.
Further, a bottomed cylindrical cap is provided so as to cover the ink outlet of the ink outlet forming portion.
The cap is an ink replenishment container configured to be screwable from the positioning portion to the ink outlet forming portion on the container body side . The ink replenishment container according to claim 13.
The cap is an ink replenishment container provided with an annular sealing portion capable of sealing the ink outlet . The ink supply container according to claim 13 or 14.
The cap is an ink replenishment container having a plurality of protrusions formed at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface . It is connected to the ink inlet so as to sandwich an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, a needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber, and a circular hole-shaped ink inlet in which the needle is arranged in the center. An ink replenishment container for replenishing ink in an ink tank provided with a pair of rectangular holes.
A container body having an ink accommodating chamber capable of accommodating ink to be replenished in the ink tank,
An ink outlet forming portion in which an ink outlet that allows ink to flow out from the ink accommodating chamber is formed, and an ink outlet forming portion.
A valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and opened by the needle inserted from the ink outlet,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion is
An ink outlet portion that includes the ink outlet and can be inserted into the ink inlet,
When viewed from the ink outlet side in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet, a container addition portion added to the ink outlet forming portion so as to surround the ink outlet portion is provided.
The container addition portion has a pair of portions extending in opposite directions in a direction intersecting the central axis with the ink outlet as the center when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet.
The pair of portions are configured to be inserted into the pair of rectangular holes when the ink outlet portion is inserted into the ink inlet.
The pair of portions is an ink replenishment container that protrudes from the ink outlet in the direction opposite to the container main body in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet . The ink replenishment container according to claim 16.
The container addition portion is an ink replenishment container colored in the same color as the ink contained in the container main body portion .

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