INK CARTRIDGE AND RECORDING APPARATUS

• US 20070103522A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kazuaki Aoki, Kazuhiro Hashii, Kazumasa Harada, Satoshi Shinada, Yasuto Sakai
• Original Assignee: Kazuaki Aoki, Kazuhiro Hashii, Kazumasa Harada, Satoshi Shinada, Yasuto Sakai
• Inventors: Shinada, Satoshi, Sakai, Yasuto, Hashii, Kazuhiro, Aoki, Kazuaki, Harada, Kazumasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,669,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17526 Electrical contacts to the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1753 Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1755 mechanically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure

Abstract

The ink cartridge includes an ink supply port formed at a position, offset to one side, of a wall configuring an ink container body; a positioning projecting portion, formed on one wall out of two opposing walls adjacent the wall, whose upper surface and side portion are regulated in position when the cartridge has been mounted on a recording apparatus; a lever, formed on the other wall out of the two walls, maintaining a normal hinged-open state and having a projection that is forcibly displaced outward when the cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus; and electrodes that are connected to a memory unit storing information on the ink in an ink container and formed on the positioning projecting portion.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge comprising:

an ink supply port disposed at a position offset toward a first side of the ink cartridge; and

a plurality of electrodes formed on a surface, wherein;

the surface is disposed at a second side of the ink cartridge opposite from the first side; and

at least a portion of the surface lies in a plane that is parallel to an axial direction of the ink supply port.

2. A combination of an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink cartridge, the ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

a cartridge holder having a bottom portion, a first wall surface extending from the bottom portion, a second wall surface extending from the bottom portion and opposing the first wall surface, an ink cartridge storage region defined by the bottom, the first wall surface and the second wall surface;

an ink supply needle protruded from the bottom, and disposed at a position offset toward the first wall surface in the ink cartridge storage portion; and

a plurality of elastic contacts disposed on the second wall surface, and the ink cartridge comprising;

an ink supply port that engages the ink supply needle when the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge storage portion at a predetermined position; and

a plurality of electrodes that are electrically connected to the elastic contacts when the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge storage portion at the predetermined position.

3. An ink cartridge mountable to an ink jet recording apparatus including a cartridge holder having a bottom portion, a first wall surface extending from the bottom portion, a second wall surface extending from the bottom portion and opposing the first wall surface, an ink cartridge storage region defined by the bottom, the first wall surface and the second wall surface;

an ink supply needle protruded from the bottom, and disposed at a position offset toward the first wall surface in the ink cartridge storage portion; and

a plurality of elastic contacts disposed on the second wall surface, the ink cartridge comprising;

an ink supply port that engages the ink supply needle when the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge storage portion at a predetermined position; and

a plurality of electrodes that are electrically connected to the elastic contacts when the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge storage portion at the predetermined position.