Liquid container, container holder and liquid consuming apparatus

• US 8,091,995 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nozawa, Izumi, Kimura, Hitotoshi, Shimizu, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, ELLEN E
• Application Number:
  US11/855,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20080284810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 347/49, 347/20, 347/86, 347/108
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17509 Whilst mounted in the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1753 Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure

Abstract

A liquid container that has a container body storing a liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus and that is detachably mounted on a container mounting portion of the liquid consuming apparatus, wherein a liquid supply port for sending out the liquid to be supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus is formed on a front end surface in an insertion direction of the container body having a substantially rectangular shape, wherein a circuit board having a contact point with the liquid consuming apparatus is formed on one side surface perpendicular to one corresponding short side of the front end surface in the insertion direction, and wherein a container fixation structure for releasably regulating a movement of the container body in a direction opposite to the insertion direction thereof in cooperation with an apparatus fixation structure formed on the container mounting portion is formed on the other side surface perpendicular to the other corresponding short side of the front end surface in the insertion direction in a state where the container body is mounted on the container mounting portion against an urging force in the direction opposite to the insertion direction.

Claims

1. A liquid container constructed and arranged to be detachably mounted on a container mounting portion of a liquid consuming apparatus, comprising:

a container body for storing a liquid to be supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus and having a substantially rectangular front end surface, in an insertion direction, with two short sides and two long sides, a first side surface perpendicular to the front end surface at one of the short sides, a second side surface perpendicular to front end surface at the other short side and a rear end surface opposite the front end surface, wherein the long sides and short sides of the front end surface are substantially shorter than the length in the insertion direction of the first side surface and the second side surface;

a liquid supply port for sending out the liquid to be supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus, the liquid supply port formed on the front end surface;

a circuit board having a contact point for making contact with the liquid consuming apparatus, the circuit board formed on the first side surface; and

a container fixation structure for releasably regulating a movement of the container body in a direction opposite to the insertion direction thereof in cooperation with an apparatus fixation structure formed on the container mounting portion and that is formed on the second side surface in a state where the container body is mounted on the container mounting portion against an urging force in the direction opposite to the insertion direction;

wherein the container fixation structure comprises a guide groove for guiding a locking pin of the apparatus fixation structure, the guide groove being formed on the second side surface at a position closer to the front end surface than the rear end surface and comprising a bottom surface and a loop configuration that includes an entrance guide portion, a midway guide portion, an exit guide portion and a locking portion, wherein the bottom surface is adapted to be pressed by the locking pin toward the first side surface.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1,

wherein the circuit board and the container fixation structure are formed at positions closer to the front end surface than the rear end surface,

wherein the first side surface is disposed at a top surface and the second side surface is disposed at a bottom surface in the state where the container body is mounted on the container mounting portion,

wherein the container body includes a third side surface and a fourth side surface and the third and fourth side surfaces are substantially rectangular in shape, extend perpendicularly to the two long sides of the front end surface and are the two largest surfaces of the container body, and

wherein the container fixation structure is constructed and arranged to be pressed toward the top surface by the apparatus fixation structure.

3. The liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the contact point of the circuit board is formed at a position closer to the front end surface in the insertion direction than a position at which a locking member of the apparatus fixation structure is locked to a locking portion of the container fixation structure.

4. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion is formed on the second side surface perpendicular to the other short side of the front end surface so as to be positioned more away from the front end surface than the container fixation structure.

5. The liquid container according to claim 4, wherein the concave portion prevents the container body from jumping out of the container mounting portion in cooperation with an apparatus jump prevention structure formed on the container mounting portion.

6. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a chamfered surface on which a notch is formed in the insertion direction is disposed on a corner portion corresponding to a side perpendicular to the front end surface, the corner portion extending in the insertion direction.

7. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the front end surface includes a pair of positioning holes which are spaced from each other on the front end surface and which regulate a movement of the container body in a direction along the front end surface by fitting a pair of positioning pins formed on a surface of the container mounting portion to be opposed to the front end surface.

8. The liquid container according to claim 7, wherein the pair of positioning holes on the front end surface, the circuit board on the first side surface and the container fixation structure on the second side surface are disposed substantially on the same cross section of the container body taken through the front end surface, the first side surface, and the second side surface of the container body.

9. A container holder of a liquid consuming apparatus comprising a plurality of container mounting portions each of which is mounted with the liquid container according to claim 6, wherein a guide protrusion corresponding to the shape of the notch on the corner portion of the liquid container is disposed on each of the container mounting portions in the insertion direction of the container body.

10. The container holder according to claim 9, wherein the container mounting portions are arranged in parallel so that side surfaces perpendicular to the front end surfaces of the liquid containers at the long sides are opposed to each other among the adjacent container bodies.

11. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid;

a plurality of container mounting portions adapted to be mounted with the plurality of liquid containers according to claim 1 so that the first side surface becomes a top surface and the second side surface becomes a bottom surface;

an apparatus terminal adapted to be coming in contact with a contact point of the electrode of the liquid container, the apparatus terminal disposed on each of the container mounting portion, so that

the apparatus terminal adapted to be disposed above the circuit board of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted; and

an apparatus fixation structure having a locking pin adapted to be guided by the guide groove of the liquid container, the apparatus fixation structure disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus fixation structure is disposed below the container fixation structure when each liquid container is mounted.

12. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid;

a plurality of container mounting portions adapted to be mounted with the plurality of liquid containers according to claim 2,

so that the first side surface becomes the top surface and the second side surface becomes the bottom surface;

an apparatus terminal adapted to be coming in contact with a contact point of the electrode of the liquid container, the apparatus terminal disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus terminal adapted to be disposed above the circuit board of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted; and

an apparatus fixation structure having a locking pin adapted to be guided by the guide groove of the liquid container and urged to press the bottom surface of the guide groove, the apparatus fixation structure disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus fixation structure is adapted to be disposed below the container fixation structure of the liquid container and presses the bottom surface of the guide groove toward the top surface when each liquid container is mounted.

13. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus terminal comes in contact with the contact point at a position closer to the front end surface than a position at which a locking member of the apparatus fixation structure is locked to the locking portion of the container fixation structure in the state where the liquid container is mounted on the container mounting portion.

14. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid;

a plurality of container mounting portions adapted to be mounted with the plurality of liquid containers according to claim 4, so that the first side surface becomes the top surface and the second side surface becomes the bottom surface;

an apparatus terminal adapted to be coming in contact with a contact point of the electrode of the liquid container, the apparatus terminal disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus terminal is adapted to be disposed above the circuit board of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted;

an apparatus fixation structure having a locking pin adapted to be guided by the guide groove of the liquid container and urged to press the bottom surface of the guide groove, the apparatus fixation structure disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus fixation structure is adapted to be disposed below the container fixation structure of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted; and

an apparatus jump prevention structure adapted to engage with the concave portion of the liquid container when each container is mounted, the apparatus jump prevention structure disposed in each container mounting portion.

15. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid.,

a plurality of container mounting portions adapted to be mounted with the plurality of liquid containers according to claim 6, so that the first side surface becomes the top surface and the second side surface becomes the bottom surface;

an apparatus terminal adapted to be coming in contact with a contact point of the electrode of the liquid container, the apparatus terminal disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus terminal is adapted to be disposed above the circuit board of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted;

an apparatus fixation structure having a locking pin adapted to be guided by the guide groove of the liquid container and urged to press the bottom surface of the guide groove, the apparatus fixation structure disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus fixation structure is adapted to be disposed below the container fixation structure of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted; and

a guide protrusion corresponding to a shape of the notch of the liquid container disposed on each of the container mounting portions in the insertion direction of the liquid container.

16. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid;

a plurality of container mounting portions adapted to be mounted with the plurality of liquid containers according to claim 7, so that the first side surface becomes the top surface and the second side surface becomes the bottom surface;

an apparatus terminal adapted to come in contact with a contact point of the electrode of the liquid container, the apparatus terminal disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus terminal is adapted to be disposed above the circuit board of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted;

an apparatus fixation structure having a locking pin adapted to be guided by the guide groove of the liquid container and urged to press the bottom surface of the guide groove, the apparatus fixation structure disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus fixation structure is adapted to be disposed below the container fixation structure of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted; and

a pair of positioning pins adapted to be fitted in the pair of positioning holes to regulate

a movement of the liquid container in a direction along the front end surface of the liquid container, the pair of positioning pins formed on each of the container mounting portions.

17. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of container mounting portions are arranged in parallel so that the third side surface of one of two adjacent liquid containers is opposed to the fourth side surface of the other thereof.

18. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid;

a plurality of container mounting portions adapted to be mounted with the plurality of liquid containers according to claim 1 so that the first side becomes the bottom surface and the second side surface becomes the top surface;

an apparatus terminal adapted to be coming in contact with a contact point of the electrode of the liquid container, the apparatus terminal disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus terminal adapted to be disposed below the circuit board of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted; and

an apparatus fixation structure having a locking pin adapted to be guided by the guide groove of the liquid container and urged to press the bottom surface of the guide groove, the apparatus fixation structure disposed on each of the container mounting portions, so that the apparatus fixation structure adapted to be disposed above the container fixation structure of the liquid container when each liquid container is mounted.