Liquid container and manufacturing method therefor

• US 8,136,930 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Anma, Hiromasa, Matsumoto, Haruyuki, Watanabe, Kenjiro, Yamamoto, Hajime, Yamaguchi, Yukuo, Kotaki, Yasuo, Matsuo, Keisuke, Kitabatake, Kenji, Shimizu, Eiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Anh T. N.
• Application Number:
  US11/723,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 447/49, 347/85, 347/86, 347/87
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 19/207 Encoding along a bar
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically

Abstract

A liquid container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer including an information storing portion for storing information relating to the liquid container; a controller controls light emission of a light emitting portion, based on individual information corresponding to the ink container, supplied through a container contact from a printer contact, and the discrimination information stored in the memory; a light guide member having a light incident portion and a light emergence portion, the light guide member configured to guide the light entered from the light incident portion to the light emergence portion so as to cause a light receptor to receive the light emerged from the light emergence portion to obtain light reception information used for discriminating properness of position of the ink container mounted in the mounting portion.

Claims

1. An ink container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer including an apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion and a light receptor configured to obtain light reception information used for discriminating properness of position of the ink container mounted in the mounting portion, said ink container comprising:

a memory configured to store discrimination information of the ink container;

a container contact electrically connectable to the apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion;

a light emitting portion configured to emit light;

a controller configured to control light emission of the light emitting portion, based on individual information corresponding to the ink container, supplied through the container contact from the apparatus contact, and the discrimination information stored in the memory; and

a light guide member having a light incident portion into which the light emitted from the light emitting portion is entered and a light emergence portion, the light guide member configured to guide the light entered from the light incident portion to the light emergence portion so as to cause the light receptor to receive the light emerged from the light emergence portion.

2. An ink container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a casing forming a chamber configured to contain ink;

an ink supply port configured to supply ink in the chamber to an ink jet head, wherein the ink supply port is provided in a first surface of the casing which is opposed to a second surface of the casing; and

wherein the light emitting portion is provided at a neighborhood of the first surface, and

wherein the light emergence portion is disposed at a position which is more remote from the first surface than the light incident portion and which is closer the second surface of the casing than the light incident portion.

3. An ink container according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate provided with the light emitting portion, the container contact, the memory and the controller.

4. An ink container according to claim 3, further comprising:

a casing forming a chamber configured to contain ink;

an ink supply port configured to supply ink in the chamber to an ink jet head, wherein the ink supply port is provided in a first surface of the casing which is opposed to a second surface of the casing; and

a latch lever elastically deformable and having an engaging portion spaced from a third surface of the casing, the engaging portion engageable with a locking portion provided in the mounting portion

wherein the substrate is provided adjacent the first and second surfaces and is located above the first surface, and

wherein the light emergence portion is disposed at a position which is more remote from the first surface than the light incident portion and which is closer to the second surface of the casing than the light incident portion.

5. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein the controller (a) receives, through the container contact from the apparatus contact, control data including the individual information and a light emitting command code, and (b) controls the light emission of the light emitting portion based on the individual information included in the received control data and the discrimination information.

6. An ink container according to claim 5, wherein the controller causes the light emitting portion to emit the light when the individual information included in the received control data corresponds to the discrimination information.

7. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting portion includes visible light.

8. An ink container according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting portion is an LED.

9. An ink container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer, said ink container comprising:

a casing forming a chamber configured to contain ink;

an ink supply port provided in a first surface of the casing and configured to supply ink in the chamber to an ink jet head;

a memory configured to store discrimination information of the ink container;

a container contact electrically connectable to an apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion;

a light emitting portion;

a controller configured to (a) receive, from the apparatus contact through the container contact, control data including a driving command code for driving the light emitting portion and including individual information corresponding to the ink container, and (b) control driving of the light emitting portion, based on the discrimination information stored in the memory and the individual information included in the received control data;

a substrate provided at a neighborhood of the first surface and having the memory, the container contact, the light emitting portion and the controller; and

a light guide member configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting portion driven by the controller and configured to guide the received light toward a second surface of the casing opposed to the first surface.

10. An ink container according to claim 9, wherein the controller drives the light emitting portion when the individual information included in the control data corresponds to the discrimination information.

11. An ink container according to claim 9, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting portion includes visible light.

12. An ink container according to claim 9, wherein the light emitting portion is an LED.

13. An ink container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer, said ink container comprising:

a casing forming a chamber configured to contain ink;

an ink supply port provided in a first surface of the casing and configured to supply ink in the chamber to an ink jet head;

a memory configured to store discrimination information of the ink container;

a container contact electrically connectable to an apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion;

a light emitting portion provided at a neighborhood of the first surface;

a controller configured to control light emission of the light emitting portion, based on the discrimination information stored in the memory and individual information corresponding to the ink container supplied through the container contact from the apparatus contact; and

a light guide member configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting portion and configured to guide the received light toward a second surface of the casing opposed to the first surface.

14. An ink container according to claim 13, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting portion includes visible light.

15. An ink container detachably mountable to a main assembly, having an inkjet head, of an ink jet printer, said ink container comprising:

a casing forming a chamber containing ink;

an ink supply port provided in a first surface of the casing and configured to supply ink in the chamber to the inkjet head;

a memory storing color information corresponding to a color of the ink in the chamber;

an electrical contact electrically connectable to the main assembly;

a light emitting portion;

a controller configured to (a) receive control data including color information from the main assembly through the electrical contact, and (b) control light emission of the light emitting portion based on the color information stored in the memory and the color information in the received control data when the received control data includes a light emitting command code; and

a light guide member configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting portion and configured to guide the received light toward a second surface of the casing opposed to the first surface.

16. An ink container according to claim 15, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting portion includes visible light.

17. An ink container detachably mountable to a main assembly, having an inkjet head, of an ink jet printer, said ink container comprising:

a casing forming a chamber containing ink;

an ink supply port provided in a first surface of the casing and configured to supply ink in the chamber to the inkjet head;

a memory storing discrimination information of the ink container;

an electrical contact electrically connectable to the main assembly;

a light emitting portion;

a controller configured to (a) receive, from the main assembly through the electrical contact, light emitting control data including a light emitting command code, and (b) cause the light emitting portion to emit light when the received light emitting control data includes information corresponding to the discrimination information stored in the memory; and

a light guide member configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting portion and configured to guide the received light toward a second surface of the casing opposed to the first surface.

18. An ink container according to claim 17, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting portion includes visible light.

19. An ink container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer including an apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion and a light receptor configured to obtain light reception information used for discriminating properness of position of the ink container mounted in the mounting portion, said ink container comprising:

a memory storing discrimination information of the ink container;

a container contact electrically connectable to the apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion;

a light emitting portion;

a controller configured to (a) receive, from the apparatus contact through the electrical contact, light emitting control data including a light emitting code, and (b) cause the light emitting portion to emit light when the received light emitting control data includes information corresponding to the discrimination information stored in the memory; and

a light guide member having a light incident portion into which the light emitted from the light emitting portion is entered and a light emergence portion, the light guide member configured to guide the light entered from the light incident portion to the light emergence portion so that the light emerged from the light emergence portion is capable of reaching the light receptor.

20. An ink container according to claim 19, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting portion includes visible light.

21. An ink container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer having an ink jet head, said ink container comprising:

a casing defining an ink containing chamber;

a first engaging portion engageable with a first locking portion provided in the mounting portion, said first engaging portion being disposed on a first side of said casing;

a second engaging portion engageable with a second locking portion provided in the mounting portion;

a supporting member supporting said second engaging portion and disposed on a second side of said casing which is opposite said first side, said supporting member elastically deformable toward the second side;

a light emitting portion;

an electrical contact electrically connectable with an apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion and capable of receiving a signal for actuating said light emitting portion from the apparatus contact;

a display portion for directing the light emitted from said emitting portion to an outside of said ink container; and

a supply port, provided in a third side of said casing, for supplying ink contained in the ink containing chamber to the ink jet head,

wherein said electrical contact is disposed in a region of a corner portion between said second side and said third side, and

wherein said display portion is disposed adjacent to an upper, in use, portion in said second side.

22. An ink container detachably mountable to a mounting portion of an ink jet printer having an ink jet head, said ink container comprising:

a casing defining an ink containing chamber;

a first engaging portion engageable with a first locking portion provided in the mounting portion, said first engaging portion being disposed on a first side of said casing;

a second engaging portion engageable with a second locking portion provided in the mounting portion;

a supporting member supporting said second engaging portion and disposed on a second side of said casing which is opposite said first side, said supporting member elastically deformable toward the second side;

a light emitting portion;

an electrical contact electrically connectable with an apparatus contact provided in the mounting portion;

an information storing portion storing individual information of said ink container;

a controller configured to control actuation of said light emitting portion based on the individual information stored in said information storing portion and information supplied through said electrical contact;

a display portion for directing the light emitted from said emitting portion to an outside of said ink container; and

a supply port, provided in a third side of said casing, for supplying ink contained in the ink containing chamber to the ink jet head,

wherein said electrical contact is disposed in a region of a corner portion between said second side and said third side, and

wherein said display portion is disposed adjacent to an upper, in use, portion in said second side.