Liquid storage container and liquid jet apparatus

• US 9,289,999 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Koike, Yasunori, Mano, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Anh T. N.
• Application Number:
  US14/519,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 347/85, 347/86
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure

Abstract

A liquid storage container includes a liquid storage section configured to store a liquid, a liquid injection section configured to inject the liquid into the liquid storage section, a liquid injection port defined as an intersection at which the liquid injection section and the liquid storage section intersect each other, an air chamber communicated with air, an air introduction path communicated to the air chamber and configured to introduce the air to the air chamber, a communicating passage through which the liquid storage section and the air chamber are communicated to each other, a first connecting port, which is a connecting port between the air introduction path and the air chamber, being located below a position that is lowered by a first distance from an upper end of the air chamber and located above a position that is raised by a second distance from a lower end of the air chamber in a posture where a liquid injection port is oriented upward in the intersecting direction, and a second connecting port, which is a connecting port between the communicating passage and the air chamber, in the intersecting direction in the posture, where the first distance is defined as a length of the first connecting port in an intersecting direction intersecting with a horizontal direction in the posture and the second distance is defined as a length of the second connecting port in the intersecting direction in the posture.

Claims

1. A liquid storage container comprising:

a liquid storage section configured to store a liquid;

a liquid injection section configured to inject the liquid into the liquid storage section;

a liquid injection port defined as an intersection at which the liquid injection section and the liquid storage section intersect each other;

an air chamber communicated with air;

an air introduction path communicated to the air chamber and configured to introduce the air to the air chamber;

a communicating passage through which the liquid storage section and the air chamber are communicated to each other, the communicating passage being not directly connected with the liquid injection section and the liquid injection port;

a first connecting port, which is a connecting port between the air introduction path and the air chamber, being located below a position that is lowered by a first distance from an upper end of the air chamber and located above a position that is raised by a second distance from a lower end of the air chamber in a posture where a liquid injection port is oriented upward in the intersecting direction; and

a second connecting port, which is a connecting port between the communicating passage and the air chamber, in the intersecting direction in the posture,

where the first distance is defined as a length of the first connecting port in an intersecting direction intersecting with a horizontal direction in the posture and the second distance is defined as a length of the second connecting port in the intersecting direction in the posture.

2. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the first connecting port is located below a position lowered by a distance twice the first distance from the upper end of the air chamber and is located above a position raised by a distance twice the second distance from the lower end of the air chamber in the posture.

3. The liquid storage container as in claim 1, further comprising

a case member having a groove and a recess communicating with the groove, and

a sheet member covering the groove and the recess to seal the groove and the recess,

at least a part of the air introduction path being formed of a space surrounded by the groove and the sheet member,

at least a part of the air chamber being formed of a space surrounded by the recess and the sheet member.

4. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the case member has a second recess that is concave toward the case member from the sheet member,

the sheet member covers the second recess to seal the second recess,

at least a part of the liquid storage section is formed of a space surrounded by the second recess and the sheet member, and

a rib that is convex toward the sheet member is provided inside the second recess.

5. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 4, wherein

the sheet member is bonded to the rib.

6. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 4, wherein

the recess has two inner walls that face one another across the rib, and

a gap between the rib and one inner wall of the two inner walls is equal to a gap between the rib and the other inner wall of the two inner walls.

7. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 4, wherein

the recess has two inner walls that face one another,

a plurality of the ribs are provided inside the recess and are lined up along a direction in which the two inner walls face one another, and

a gap between one inner wall of the two inner walls and the rib that is adjacent to the one inner wall in the direction, a gap between the other inner wall of the two inner walls and the rib that is adjacent to the other inner wall in the direction, and a gap of two of the ribs that are adjacent in the direction are all equal to one another.

8. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the air chamber is located above the liquid storage section and a part of the communicating passage is located above the air chamber in the posture.

9. The liquid storage container as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the communicating passage includes a first portion and a second portion, and

the first portion and the second portion are located at opposite sides to one another across the air chamber in the horizontal direction in the posture.

10. A liquid jet apparatus comprising:

a first case;

a mechanism unit including a mechanism portion covered by the first case and configured to execute a print operation;

a second case coupled to the first case; and

a liquid storage container as set forth in claim 1,

the liquid storage container being covered by the second case and being arranged to supply a liquid to a print section of the mechanism unit via a supply tube.

11. A liquid jet apparatus comprising:

a case;

a mechanism unit including a mechanism portion covered by the case and configured to execute a print operation; and

a liquid storage container as set forth in claim 1,

the liquid storage container being covered by the case and being arranged to supply a liquid to a print section of the mechanism unit via a supply tube.

12. The liquid jet apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the case includes a window section that is optically transparent and the liquid storage container is configured to be viewed through the window section.

13. The liquid jet apparatus as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

an operation panel including an operation button, the operation panel and the window section being provided to a front surface of the liquid jet apparatus.

14. A liquid jet apparatus comprising:

a case including a window section that is optically transparent;

an operation panel including an operation button, the operation panel and the window section being provided to a front surface of the liquid jet apparatus;

a mechanism unit including a mechanism portion covered by the case and configured to execute a print operation; and

a liquid storage container covered by the case, configured to be viewed through the window section and arranged to supply a liquid to a print section of the mechanism unit via a supply tube,

the liquid storage container including;

a liquid storage section configured to store a liquid;

a liquid injection section configured to inject the liquid into the liquid storage section;

a liquid injection port defined as an intersection at which the liquid injection section and the liquid storage section intersect each other;

an air chamber communicated with air;

an air introduction path communicated to the air chamber and configured to introduce the air to the air chamber;

a communicating passage through which the liquid storage section and the air chamber are communicated to each other, the communicating passage being not directly connected with the liquid injection section and the liquid injection port;

a first connecting port, which is a connecting port between the air introduction path and the air chamber, being located below a position that is lowered by a first distance from an upper end of the air chamber and located above a position that is raised by a second distance from a lower end of the air chamber in a posture where a liquid injection port is oriented upward in the intersecting direction; and

a second connecting port, which is a connecting port between the communicating passage and the air chamber, in the intersecting direction in the posture,

wherein the first distance is defined as a length of the first connecting port in an intersecting direction intersecting with a horizontal direction in the posture and the second distance is defined as a length of the second connecting port in the intersecting direction in the posture.