LIQUID CONTAINER AND LIQUID SUPPLYING SYSTEM

• US 20100302291A1
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kenjiro, Matsumoto, Haruyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,596,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/6
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17526 Electrical contacts to the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17543 Cartridge presence detection or type identification
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically

Abstract

A liquid container detachably mountable to a recording apparatus to which a plurality of liquid containers are detachably mountable, wherein the recording apparatus includes apparatus electrical contacts corresponding to the liquid containers, respectively, photoreceptor means for receiving light, and an electric circuit connected with a line which is commonly connected with the apparatus electrical contacts, the liquid container includes a container electrical contact electrically connectable with one of the apparatus contacts; an information storing portion capable of storing at least individual information of the liquid container; a light emitting portion; a controller for controlling emission of light of the light emitting portion in response to a correspondence between a signal indicative of individual information supplied through the container electrical contact and the information stored in the information storing means.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A recording apparatus comprising:

an ink container provided with a container side electrical contact;

a holder for detachably mounting said ink container, said holder being provided with a holder side electrical contact electrically connectable to said container side electrical contact;

a cover which is openable for mounting and demounting for said ink container;

signal sending means for sending an actuation signal to said holder side electrical contact when said cover is opened;

wherein said ink container includes a light emitting portion for emitting light which is visible by an operator and a controller for actuating said light emitting portion in response to input of the actuation signal through said holder side electrical contact, in the state that said cover is open, when said container side electrical contact is electrically connected to said holder side electrical contact,

wherein said controller causes said light emitting portion to emit the light in response to the actuation signal received thereby to visually notify completion of mounting of said ink container to said holder.

21. A recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said ink container includes an ink supply port, and said holder includes an ink introduction port, wherein said ink supply port is connected to said ink introduction port in the state that the container side electrical contact is electrically connected to said holder side electrical contact.

22. A recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said ink container includes an engaging portion engageable with a locking portion formed on said holder to prevent rising of said ink container, said engaging portion being provided on a side of said ink container, and wherein when said ink container is placed in said holder without said engaging portion being engaged with said locking portion, said container side electrical contact is not electrically connected to said holder side electrical contact, and when said engaging portion is engaged with said locking portion, said container side electrical contact is electrically connected to said holder side electrical contact.

23. A recording apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said engaging portion is provided on a supporting member provided elastically deformably on said side of said ink container.

24. A recording apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said ink container includes a projection functionable as a pivot in mounting said ink container to said holder by engagement with a hole which is formed in a portion of said holder corresponding to a part of said ink container opposite said side of said ink container.

25. A recording apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said ink supply port is disposed between said projection and said container side electrical contact.

26. A recording apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said container side electrical contact is in the form of a pad, wherein said ink supply port is formed in a bottom surface of said ink container, wherein said supporting member is provided on a front side of said ink container, and wherein said pad is provided at a corner portion between said bottom surface and said front side.

27. A recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said container side electrical contact, said light emitting portion and said controller are provided on a common substrate.

28. A recording apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said container side electrical contact is provided on a first side of said substrate, and said light emitting portion and said controller provided on an opposite side of said substrate.

29. A recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said controller includes a driver for actuating said light emitting portion, an I/O control circuit responsive to the actuation signal to output the actuation signal to said driver and maintain the output state of the actuation signal.

30. A recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein when said cover is closed, said controller deactuates said light emitting portion in response to a deactuation signal from said signal sending means.