LIQUID CONTAINER, CONTAINER HOLDER AND LIQUID CONSUMING APPARATUS

• US 20080284810A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• 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, Shimizu, Kazutoshi, Kimura, Hitotoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,091,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/20
• 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 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 shape;

a liquid supply port for sending out the liquid to be supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus and that is formed on a front end surface in an insertion direction of the container body;

a circuit board having a contact point with the liquid consuming apparatus and that is formed on one side surface perpendicular to one short side of the front end 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 other side surface perpendicular to the other short side of the front end 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.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1,

wherein the liquid container has a rear end surface opposed to the front end surface,

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

wherein the container fixation structure is pressed toward a side of 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 other side surface perpendicular to the other short side of the front end surface so as to be positioned more away from the frond 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.

7. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the container fixation structure includes a guide groove into which a locking member of the apparatus fixation structure is inserted and which guides the locking member to a lock position or a non-lock position when the container body is attached to or detached from the container mounting portion.

8. The liquid container according to claim 7, wherein a bottom surface of the guide groove is pressed by the locking member.

9. 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.

10. The liquid container according to claim 9, wherein the pair of positioning holes on the front end surface and the circuit board and the container fixation structure on both surfaces perpendicular to the opposite short sides of the front end surface are disposed substantially on the same vertical cross section of the container body.

11. 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 on which the chamfered surface is formed is disposed on each of the container mounting portions in the insertion direction of the container body.

12. The container holder according to claim 11, wherein the container mounting portions are arranged in parallel so that side surfaces perpendicular to long sides of the front end surfaces are opposed to each other among the adjacent container bodies.

13. A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid;

a plurality of liquid containers each storing the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head therein and having a substantially rectangular shape; and

a plurality of container mounting portions mounted with the plurality of liquid containers,

wherein the plurality of liquid containers each has a circuit board with at least one electrode, a container fixation structure, a substantially rectangular front end surface being a front end when each liquid container is mounted on the corresponding container mounting portion, a first side surface intersecting a first short side of the substantially rectangular shape, a second side surface intersecting a second short side of the substantially rectangular shape, and a liquid supply port disposed on the front end surface,

wherein an apparatus terminal coming in contact with a contact point of the electrode so as to be electrically connected to the electrode and an apparatus fixation structure are disposed on each container mounting portion,

wherein each liquid container is mounted on the corresponding container mounting portion so that one of the first and second side surfaces becomes a top surface and the other thereof becomes a bottom surface,

wherein the circuit board is disposed on the first side surface,

wherein the container fixation structure is disposed on the second side surface,

wherein the apparatus terminal is disposed above the circuit board when each liquid container is mounted so that the first side surface becomes the top surface or the apparatus terminal is disposed below the circuit board when each liquid container is mounted so that the first side surface becomes the bottom surface, and

wherein the apparatus fixation structure is disposed below the container fixation structure when each liquid container is mounted so that the second side surface becomes the bottom surface or the apparatus fixation structure is disposed above the container fixation structure when each liquid container is mounted so that the second side surface becomes the top surface.

14. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the liquid container has a rear end surface opposed to the front end surface.

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

wherein the liquid container is mounted on the mounting portion so that the first side surface becomes the top surface and the second side surface become the bottom surface, and

wherein the apparatus fixation structure presses the container fixation structure toward a side of the top surface.

15. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 14, 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 a locking portion of the container fixation structure in the state where the liquid container is mounted on the container mounting portion.

16. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a concave portion formed on the second side surface of the liquid container is disposed at a position more away from the front end surface than the container fixation structure.

17. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein an apparatus jump prevention structure for preventing the liquid container from jumping out of the container mounting portion by engagement with the concave portion is disposed in the container mounting portion.

18. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the liquid container has a third side surface intersecting a first long side of the substantially rectangular shape and a fourth side surface intersecting a second long side of the substantially rectangular shape,

wherein a chamfered surface is formed in the insertion direction at a corner portion corresponding to a side at which two of the first to fourth side surfaces intersect each other, and

wherein a guide protrusion corresponding to a shape of a notch of the corner portion at which the chamfered surface is formed is disposed on the container mounting portion in the insertion direction of the liquid container.

19. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the container fixation structure has a guide groove and a locking portion,

wherein the apparatus fixation structure has a locking member, and

wherein the locking member is inserted and guided to the guide groove of the container fixation structure when the liquid container is attached to the container mounting portion and the locking member 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.

20. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the locking member is formed in a direction intersecting the second side surface and is urged so as to press the bottom surface of the guide groove.

21. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein a pair of positioning holes are formed in the front end surface of the liquid container,

wherein a pair of positioning pins which are fitted in the pair of positioning holes are formed on the container mounting portion, and

wherein a movement of the liquid container in a direction along the front end surface in the insertion direction of the liquid container is regulated by fitting the pair of positioning pins into the pair of positioning holes.

22. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the pair of positioning holes, the circuit board, and the container fixation structure of the liquid container are formed on the substantially same vertical cross section.

23. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 13, 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.