Liquid container with mounting and removal guide for regulating movement of the liquid container

• US 7,954,935 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ishizawa, Taku, Kimura, Hitotoshi, Seino, Takeo, Shinada, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Do; An H
• Application Number:
  US11/866,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 347/85, 347/86, 347/37, 347/84, 347/87
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure

Abstract

A liquid container includes a container body formed with a liquid supply port, and a container-side fixing structure which releasably regulates movement of the liquid container in an outward pulling direction in cooperation with apparatus-side fixing structure provided for the container mounting part in a state where the liquid container is mounted onto the container mounting part. The container-side fixing structure has a guide groove into which a fixing pin of the apparatus-side fixing structure can be inserted, and which guides the fixing pin in mounting and removal operations of the liquid container to and from the container mounting part. The guide groove includes a fixing part which engages the fixing pin to regulate the movement of the liquid container in the pulling direction in the state where the liquid container is mounted to the container mounting part. A slanted entrance surface is located at an entrance part of the guide groove, which slanted entrance surface slants so that a groove depth decreases in the movement direction of the fixing pin that relatively moves in association with an inserting operation of the liquid container into the container mounting part.

Claims

1. A liquid container that stores therein liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus, and which is adapted to be removably mounted onto a container mounting part of the liquid consuming apparatus, the liquid container comprising:

a container body formed with a liquid supply port through which the liquid to be supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus flows outward; and

a container-side fixing structure which releasably regulates movement of the liquid container in an outward pulling direction in cooperation with an apparatus-side fixing structure provided for the container mounting part in a state where the liquid container is mounted onto the container mounting part, the container-side fixing structure including;

a guide groove adapted to receive a fixing pin of the apparatus-side fixing structure, and which guides the fixing pin in mounting and removal operations of the liquid container to and from the container mounting part; and

the guide groove including a fixing part which engages the fixing pin to regulate the movement of the liquid container in the pulling direction in the state where the liquid container is mounted to the container mounting part, the guide groove having an entrance-side guide path leading the fixing pin from an entrance part to the fixing part, and an exit-side guide path distinct from the entrance-side guide path and leading the fixing pin from the fixing part to an exit part;

wherein the guide groove is formed at a bottom surface of a recess part formed on a surface of the container body.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove includes an entrance-side guide part which leads the fixing pin when the liquid container is inserted into the container mounting part;

an intermediate guide part which leads the fixing pin to the fixing part when the liquid container that has been inserted into the container mounting part is shifted backward in the pulling direction; and

an exit-side guide part which guides, to an exit part of the guide groove, the fixing pin that has been released from the fixing part by pushing the liquid container in the inserting direction when the liquid container is removed from the container mounting part.

3. The liquid container according to claim 2, wherein:

the entrance-side guide part includes an entrance part configured to first receive the fixing pin when the liquid container is inserted into the container mounting part, and a linear portion configured to guide the fixing pin from the entrance part to the intermediate guide part when the liquid container is inserted into the container mounting part; and

a width of the entrance part is larger than a width of the linear portion.

4. The liquid container according to claim 3, wherein an entrance slant surface is formed at the entrance part.

5. The liquid container according to claim 4, wherein:

the entrance-side guide part further includes a flat part continued from the entrance slant surface; and

a groove depth of the flat part is smaller than a length of the fixing pin.

6. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein

the guide groove has a first stopping side wall part which stops movement of the fixing pin that moves in the direction of the fixing part when the liquid container has been inserted into the container mounting part to a predetermined depth, such movement being stopped in front of the fixing part;

and

the fixing part of the guide groove has a, second stopping side wall part which stops at a predetermined position the fixing pin that is released from the first stopping side wall part and moves to the fixing part when the liquid container that has been inserted into the container mounting part to the predetermined depth is pushed back in the pulling direction.

7. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the exit part of the guide groove is connected to the entrance part, and a groove depth of the exit part is shallower than a groove depth of the entrance part in its connection part, whereby a step part is formed at the connection part for guiding the fixing pin when the liquid container is inserted into the container mounting part.

8. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the portion from the entrance part of the guide groove to the fixing part extends at an angle of 30°

to 50°

relative to the inserting/pulling direction of the liquid container.

9. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a rectangular section.

10. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid consuming apparatus is an ink jet type recording apparatus, and the liquid container is an ink cartridge that is removably mountable to the ink jet type recording apparatus.

11. The liquid container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of electrodes, each said electrode having a contact portion, the contact portions being disposed in a plane,

wherein the bottom surface and the plane are perpendicular.

12. A liquid container that stores therein liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus, and which is adapted to be removably mounted onto a container mounting part of the liquid consuming apparatus, the liquid container comprising:

a container body formed with a liquid supply port through which the liquid to be supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus flows outward; and

a container-side fixing structure which releasably regulates movement of the liquid container in an outward pulling direction in cooperation with an apparatus-side fixing structure provided for the container mounting part in a state where the liquid container is mounted onto the container mounting part, the container-side fixing structure including;

a guide grooved adapted to receive a fixing pin of the apparatus-side fixing structure, and which guides the fixing pin in mounting and removal operations of the liquid container to and from the container mounting part;

the guide groove including a fixing part which engages the fixing pin to regulate the movement of the liquid container in the pulling direction in the state where the liquid container is mounted to the container mounting part, the guide groove having an entrance-side guide path leading the fixing pin from an entrance part to the fixing part, and an exit-side guide path distinct from the entrance-side guide path and leading the fixing pin from the fixing part to an exit part; and

an electrode disposed on the container body,

wherein the fixing part of the guide groove has a side wall part which catches the fixing pin that is urged toward the electrode in the state where the liquid container is mounted to the container mounting part.

13. The liquid container according to claim 12, wherein the guide groove includes an entrance-side guide part which leads the fixing pin when the liquid container is inserted into the container mounting part;

an intermediate guide part which leads the fixing pin to the fixing part when the liquid container that has been inserted into the container mounting part is shifted backward in the pulling direction; and

an exit-side guide part which guides, to an exit part of the guide groove, the fixing pin that has been released from the fixing part by pushing the liquid container in the inserting direction when the liquid container is removed from the container mounting part.

14. The, liquid container according to claim 12, wherein

the guide groove has a first stopping side wall part which stops movement of the fixing pin that moves in the direction of the fixing part when the liquid container has been inserted into the container mounting part to a predetermined depth, such movement being stopped in front of the fixing part;

and

the fixing part of the guide groove has a second stopping side wall part which stops at a predetermined position the fixing pin that is released from the first stopping side wall part and moves to the fixing part when the liquid container that has been inserted into the container mounting part to the predetermined depth is pushed back in the pulling direction.

15. The liquid container according to claim 12, wherein the exit part of the guide groove is connected to the entrance part, and a groove depth of the exit part is shallower than a groove depth of the entrance part in its connection part, whereby a step part is formed at the connection part for guiding the fixing pin when the liquid container is inserted into the container mounting part.

16. The liquid container according to claim 12, wherein at least a part of the portion from the entrance part of the guide groove to the fixing part extends at an angle of 30°

to 50°

relative to the inserting/pulling direction of the liquid container.

17. The liquid container according to claim 12, wherein the guide groove has a rectangular section.

18. The liquid container according to claim 12, wherein the liquid consuming apparatus is an ink jet type recording apparatus, and the liquid container is an ink cartridge that is removably mountable to the ink jet type recording apparatus.

19. The liquid container according to claim 12, wherein the guide groove is formed in first face of the container body and the electrode is disposed on a second face of the container body that is perpendicular to the first face.