HK1078539B - Ink cartridge and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Ink cartridge and recording apparatus

This application is a divisional application of a patent application entitled "ink cartridge and recording apparatus" filed on 29/8/2003 with application number 03155719.8.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for supplying ink and removably mounted on a carriage mounting a recording head for ejecting ink droplets from nozzle openings to print data such as an image, and an inkjet recording apparatus.

Background

An ink cartridge detachably mounted on a carriage in liquid communication with a print head must have a secure liquid-tight relationship with a flow path forming member (e.g., an ink supply needle) that itself communicates with the recording head. Meanwhile, the ink cartridge is required to be easily mounted and dismounted for replacement. In the case where the ink cartridge carries a memory unit in which information on ink is stored, the ink cartridge is provided with an electrode which contacts the recording apparatus, and is required to be mounted in the cartridge holder in order to be able to reliably contact with a contact member of the recording apparatus.

For example, as described in international patent publication No.01/54910, an ink supply port is formed in a wall surface defining an ink container. Meanwhile, the memory cell and the electrode group (electrodes) are provided on a plurality of opposing wall surfaces facing the wall surface, and two first protruding portions are provided on opposing sides of the electrode group. Also, a lever biased in the hinge opening direction is provided on the other wall surface. That is, this document relates to an ink container having an electrical storage device on a wall of the container, the electrical storage device containing information relating to the ink in the container and the container being mounted in a receiving station. The protruding portion extends outwardly from a wall of the container having the electrical storage device and the protruding portion is located on a side of the storage device. The storage means embedded in the wall is located between the two projections. The projections on the sides of the container extend outward and beyond the width of the ink container.

Also, an ink container receiver of a recording apparatus for cooperating with an ink container is provided with two second projecting portions for engaging with the first projecting portions at an upper surface and side portions thereof, and a recessed portion for engaging with the lever.

By using this structure, the container can be loaded on the ink-container receiver obliquely, with the first projecting portion first engaged with the second projecting portion, and then the other side pushed in. In this process, the ink supply port abuts on the flow path forming member to supply ink. And, the lever engages with the concave portion. Therefore, the ink container is fixed to the ink-container receiver in a state where the ink can be supplied.

In a state where the ink cartridge has been fixed to the ink container receiver, the ink container is always pressed upward by a spring provided on the ink container receiver. Thus, the two first projecting portions of the ink container and the two second projecting portions of the ink-container receiver are engaged with each other in the two up-down and left-right directions. Therefore, the up-down and left-right positions of the ink container are maintained at the predetermined reference positions, so that the electrode group of the ink container reliably contacts the contact group of the ink-container receiver.

However, two positioning projections are required on both sides of the electrode group of the ink container. The need for these projections creates a problem in that the ink container and the ink-container receiver are complicated in structure and increased in width.

Also, since the lever is bent away from the ink cartridge body by its own elastic force, there is a problem in that: a strong elastic force cannot be applied, that is, in the case where the lever is deformed toward the container side and tightly mounted inside the cartridge or the like, the outward engaging force of the lever will be reduced and the fixing of the ink cartridge will not be reliable.

Further, since the ink container must pivot about a certain point when the ink container is attached to the ink container receiver, there is a problem in that: when the flow path forming member for engaging with the ink supply port is long in length, a large bending force is applied to the flow path forming member, which can break or damage the flow path forming member and damage the package at the ink supply port.

U.S. patent application publication No.2002/0085075 discloses an ink container having a parallelepiped shape in which an electrode group is provided on a side surface. The ink container is fixed at a predetermined position of the holder by using a loading lever. According to the disclosure of the publication, since the ink cartridge is held at a predetermined position of the holder by the pressing force of the loading lever, the structure of the loading lever must be designed to establish reliable contact of the electrode group, resulting in a complicated structure.

Us patent 6276780 discloses an ink jet cartridge and a holder in which a projection at the rear lower corner of the cartridge is received in an opening on the holder below a locking lever during installation of the cartridge. The ink container pivots about the projection until the upper corner of the ink container diagonally opposite the projection moves and slides sufficiently under the locking device. The cartridge does not have any intelligence in the form of an electronic storage device.

Us patent 6460984 describes an ink cartridge with a locking arm having a projection that cooperates with a structure on the printer carriage to secure the ink cartridge. Further, during installation, the projections on the ink cartridge are received by corresponding apertures in the bracket. Furthermore, the cartridge does not have any intelligence in the form of an electronic storage device.

European patent application 0822084 describes a number of embodiments of an ink jet recording head, all of which have a fixed element that houses an ink tank and a recording device substrate that itself includes a recording element that is driven by electrical contacts. The ink tank is mounted on the fixed member by a combination of a movable arm which engages an opening in the fixed member and one or more projections which are received in corresponding holes in the fixed member. The reference cannot specifically explain how the assembled ink jet recording head is mounted on a carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, nor does it mention a storage apparatus.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of simplifying a position adjustment structure of an electrode group and reducing the size.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of mounting the ink cartridge by moving an ink supply port parallel to a flow path forming member at least during mounting time.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus adapted to accommodate the above ink cartridge.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes an ink cartridge for supplying ink to an inkjet recording apparatus including an ink cartridge storage portion for receiving the ink cartridge, an ink supply needle, a plurality of flanges, and a plurality of elastic contacts between the flanges, the ink cartridge including: an upper wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall intersecting the bottom wall, and a second side wall intersecting the bottom wall and facing the first side wall; an ink supply port engageable with the ink supply needle and provided at an offset position on the bottom wall closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall; a protruding portion provided on the second side wall and located closer to the bottom wall than to the upper wall, the protruding portion having two side portions and a surface therebetween, the side portions being defined by the flange in a width direction when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus; a circuit board fixed on the surface of the protruding portion; a plurality of electrodes formed on the circuit board and adapted to come into contact with the plurality of elastic contacts when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus; wherein the width of the protruding portion is smaller than the width of the ink cartridge.

The position of the second side wall on which the electrode is provided is limited by the side portion of the protruding portion in the lateral direction and the side portion of the pressed portion in the vertical direction, and the electrode is provided on the second side wall. Therefore, the electrode can be accurately positioned at a predetermined position.

In the present invention, the pressed portion may be formed as an upper surface of the protruding portion, and the upper surface of the protruding portion is pressed toward the bottom wall by a position restricting elastic piece formed on the recording apparatus.

According to the present invention, the electrode formed on the projecting portion is pressed toward the bottom wall by the position restricting elastic piece through the pressed portion. Therefore, the position of the electrode in the loading direction can be reliably and stably maintained.

Also, the pressed portion may be pressed toward the bottom wall by an ink cartridge fixing attachment lever of the recording apparatus.

According to the present invention, when the ink cartridge is aligned properly, the cartridge fixing attachment lever presses the electrode formed on the projection portion toward the bottom wall, thereby reliably and stably maintaining the electrode position in the insertion direction.

In the present invention, the pressed portion may be formed as a second protruding portion located at a rear side of the first protruding portion in an insertion direction of the ink cartridge into the recording apparatus.

According to the present invention, the rotational motion of the mounting rod can be converted into the linear motion as much as possible, and thus the electrode can be accurately positioned at a predetermined position without receiving the rotational force.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a guide projection extending in the loading direction of the container and located below the rod.

Therefore, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the ink supply port side can reliably guide the flow path forming member. Also, when the mounting is completed, the lateral positions of the front and rear portions of the ink cartridge can be maintained at predetermined positions.

Further, a concave portion may be made in the other wall surface adjacent to the wall surface where the protruding portion is made.

According to the present invention, in the case of detaching the ink cartridge by rotation, the rotation at the time of the ink cartridge detachment can be guided to a predetermined position, and the external force exerted on the flow path forming member and generated by the lateral deviation can be minimized as much as possible.

In addition, in the case where the ink cartridges are removed linearly, even if rotational movement occurs, the ink cartridges can be prevented from being hindered by the cartridge holder ribs for restricting the positions of the ink cartridges in the arrangement direction.

In addition, a valve body normally held in a valve-closing state by a biasing member and an elastic seal abutting the valve body and elastically contacting an outer periphery of an ink supply member formed in the recording apparatus are accommodated in the ink supply port.

The deviation due to vibration can be prevented without a biasing means on the recording apparatus, and the ink cartridge can be elastically fixed by a biasing member accommodated in the ink supply port. The valve body can prevent ink leakage when the ink cartridge is not mounted on the recording apparatus, and the seal member can prevent ink leakage when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus.

In addition, the locking member may be formed as a lever having an engaging portion that can engage with a part of the recording apparatus. The lever has a protruding portion that biases an upper portion of the lever outward when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus. Preferably, a plurality of protruding portions are respectively formed at the side surfaces of the lever.

According to the invention, the elasticity of the locking element can be increased, thereby providing a more effective engagement. Also, the resulting "clicking" sound can be made more perceptible during installation. In addition, even when the lock member is deformed and loses the predetermined structure, the protruding portion can return the lock member to the proper position, reliably engaging the engaging portion of the lock member with the portion of the recording apparatus.

The present invention also provides that the width of the protruding portion is narrower than the ink container.

In this way, the ink cartridge can be brought into close contact with the holder, and the ink cartridge can be reliably positioned in place although the holder is made tight. In addition, the spacing between adjacent ink cartridges can be reduced to a minimum.

In the present invention, the area serving as the upper surface of the pressed portion when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus is formed as a flat surface.

According to the present invention, reliable contact of the pressure receiving portion with the pressing member of the recording apparatus can be achieved, and the amount of pressing toward the bottom wall can be accurately controlled.

In the present invention, the electrodes are arranged in at least two rows, and the rows are perpendicular to the axis of the ink supply port.

According to the present invention, since the electrodes are provided on the projecting portions in the lateral direction, in which the positions of the projecting portions are restricted, the electrodes can be reliably positioned with respect to the contacts on the recording apparatus side.

Further, the lock member may be formed as a lever having an engaging portion that can be engaged with a portion of the recording apparatus, and the lever can be configured to apply an elastic force to push the ink container toward the projecting portion side.

Therefore, the electrode group on the protruding portion can be pushed toward the recording device and reliably brought into contact with the recording device.

In another aspect of the present invention, an elastic seal is accommodated in the ink supply port. When the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus, the elastic sealing member engages with an ink supplying member of the recording apparatus.

Therefore, the force applied to the ink cartridge is released by the elastic seal member, thereby preventing a local force from being applied to the ink supply member of the recording apparatus, so that damage to the ink supply member can be avoided.

In addition, the second side wall has at least one of a recess and a protruding portion for clamping the ink cartridge.

According to the present invention, even if a plurality of ink cartridges each having a narrow width are disposed close to each other, a desired ink cartridge can be removed using the locking member and the clamping recess or the protruding portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the second side wall is elongated in an ink cartridge insertion direction.

According to the present invention, since the protruding portion and the pressure-receiving portion can be provided on the side wall surface elongated in the ink cartridge insertion direction, the side wall surface can be effectively utilized. In addition, the surface where the projecting portion is provided is elongated vertically, and the width of the carriage (the width of the carriage in the carriage moving direction) for mounting a plurality of ink cartridges adjacent to each other can be made small.

In another aspect of the invention, the electrodes and the memory cells are disposed on a circuit board mounted on a surface of the protruding portion. The surface of the protruding portion is parallel to the ink cartridge insertion direction, and the electrode is formed on the exposed surface side of the circuit board.

According to the present invention, the electrode may be appropriately provided on the protruding portion without being inclined. In addition, the electrodes may be formed by a circuit printing technique while effectively utilizing the plane of the circuit board. Therefore, contact reliability can be enhanced. Also, a recess may be formed in the protruding portion for accommodating the memory cell on the rear surface of the circuit board. This fully exposed surface side can be used as a region where an electrode is provided.

Preferably, each electrode has a vertically elongated profile.

According to the present invention, the electrodes can be concentrically disposed in the area near the protruding portion for laterally positioning the ink cartridge, and have a high positioning accuracy, so that contact can be established with high reliability.

In another aspect of the invention, the electrode and the memory cell are formed on a circuit board, and the electrode is disposed on the circuit board at an offset position closer to the bottom wall surface.

According to the present invention, the electrode can be placed in an area of the ink cartridge in which the displacement is minimized as much as possible by the engagement of the ink supply port with the ink supply needle.

In another aspect of the present invention, the second projecting portion is located in a region defined by and between an outermost end electrode in a direction perpendicular to the cartridge insertion direction and an outermost end electrode in a direction parallel to the second side wall.

According to the present invention, when the second projecting portion is pressed by an element of the recording apparatus, the electrode is not subjected to a rotational force and is accurately positioned.

In another aspect of the invention, the height of the second projection from the second sidewall is less than the height of the first projection from the second sidewall.

According to the present invention, the portion of the ink cartridge holder to be located in the vicinity of the second projecting portion can be disposed close to the ink cartridge, thereby preventing the ink cartridge holder from being increased in size. In addition, the hardness of the second projecting portion can be easily increased to a degree that the second projecting portion can withstand the compression of the mounting rod.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an erroneous insertion prevention identification piece which is disposed between a first protruding portion and a second protruding portion.

According to the present invention, the cartridge fixing lever for pressing the second projection can be made simple in structure, otherwise the structure of the lever for avoiding the identification piece becomes complicated. In addition, the identification sheet may serve as a guide, and in this case, the identification sheet also contributes to effective positioning of the electrodes formed on the first protruding portion.

In addition, the identification patch may be configured as a block that is secured to the ink container by a fastener.

According to the present invention, the electrode can be formed on a block that is smaller and easier to handle than the ink container. In addition, since the container can be commonly used regardless of the kind of ink contained in the container, product fluctuation of the container can be reduced as compared with a case where the container is prepared according to the kind of liquid.

Also, the identification tab and the first projection may be configured as an integral block that is secured to the container by a fastener.

According to the present invention, the identification piece and the protruding portion can be fixed to the ink cartridge at the same time by a single assembly operation. In addition, manufacturing can be performed while ensuring the consistency of the identification sheet with the memory cells mounted on the circuit board of the protruding portion.

Another aspect of the invention provides a positioning system disposed on the rear surface of the block and the second side wall of the ink container.

According to the present invention, even if an automatic assembling device is used, the block can be assembled in the ink container with high accuracy.

In another aspect of the present invention, the pressed portion of the second protruding portion has a surface extending perpendicular to the surface on which the electrode is formed.

According to the present invention, the electrode can be pressed parallel to the electrode forming surface, and the electrode can be accurately positioned.

In another aspect of the present invention, a side surface of the protruding portion is parallel to an ink cartridge insertion direction.

As another aspect of the present invention, one or both side portions of the first protruding portion may be provided with at least one of a protruding portion, a ridge, and a groove. The projections, ridges and grooves can engage corresponding structures in the printing device to assist in securing the ink cartridge.

According to the present invention, the position of the protruding portion can be reliably limited, and thus the electrode can be accurately positioned.

In another aspect of the present invention, the rod receiver portion is integrally formed with the protruding portion formed with the electrode.

According to the present invention, the lever receiver portion and the projecting portion can be made as an integral member, and thus the structure is simple. In addition, the rotational motion of the mounting rod can be completely converted into the linear motion, and thus the electrode can be precisely positioned on a predetermined portion without receiving the rotational force.

In another aspect of the invention, the distal end of the identification patch extends outwardly beyond the surface on which the electrodes are formed.

According to the present invention, the electrode forming surface can be protected by the identification sheet. In the case where the electrodes are formed on a circuit board and the circuit board further includes semiconductor memory elements, these elements can also be protected by the identification sheet.

Preferably, a plurality of said identification patches are provided.

According to the present invention, a plurality of types of ink cartridges can be identified using a limited space by selecting the number, position, etc. of the identification pieces according to the type of the ink cartridge.

The present invention also relates to an ink jet recording apparatus mounted with an ink cartridge, comprising: an ink supply port formed at a position partially defining a bottom wall of the ink container to be biased to one side; a protruding portion formed at a lower portion of one of two opposing walls adjacent to the bottom wall, the protruding portion having an upper surface and a side portion having a certain and predetermined position when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus, wherein one wall is farther from the ink supply port than the other wall among the two walls; an elastically deformable rod is formed on the other wall, the rod extending upward from the other wall to be spaced apart from the other wall, and having an engaging portion at an intermediate position, the engaging portion being engaged with a corresponding portion of the recording apparatus; and a plurality of electrodes made on the protruding portion and electrically connected to a memory cell provided on the ink container. The inkjet recording apparatus includes: a flow path forming member that communicates with the recording head and is formed at a position opposite to the ink supply port in a state where the ink cartridge is mounted; a width direction regulating projection portion which abuts the side portion of the projection portion; and a position regulating elastic piece abutting on the upper surface of the protruding portion.

Both side surfaces of the protruding portion are adjusted by the width direction adjusting protruding portion, and the upper surface of the protruding portion is adjusted by the elastic piece. Therefore, the position of the electrode group can be fixed at a predetermined position.

In the present invention, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the position regulating elastic piece can be pressed and elastically deformed by the lower portion of the protruding portion of the ink cartridge, and thereafter, when the mounting of the ink cartridge is completed, the elastic piece returns to the initial position and abuts the upper surface of the protruding portion.

The ink cartridge can also be mounted by pushing the ink cartridge inward in a direction parallel to the flow path forming member of the recording apparatus. Therefore, an undesirably high level of force will not be applied to the flow path forming member or the ink supply port. In this way, the elastic piece retreats in accordance with the movement of the ink cartridge, and does not hinder the mounting operation of the ink cartridge. Further, when the mounting is completed, the ink cartridge is fixed at a position where it can reliably be held in contact with the electrode group.

In the present invention, the protruding portion is formed at a position on the width direction regulating protruding portion corresponding to the rotation assisting recessed portion formed on the ink cartridge.

When the ink cartridge is removed, the rotation can be guided to a predetermined position by the protruding portion, and the external force applied to the flow path forming member can be kept as low as possible.

The recording apparatus according to the present invention can be configured to satisfy the following formula: l ≧ H/tan θ + Δ L, where L is a distance from an upper surface of the protruding portion to a center of the ink supply port, where the upper surface of the protruding portion serves as a rotation center when the ink cartridge is removed from the recording apparatus, θ is a rotation angle required when the ink cartridge is removed from the recording apparatus, H is an entry length of the flow path forming member, and Δ L is a displacement allowable range of the elastic seal.

According to the present invention, the ink cartridge can be removed by rotating the ink cartridge without applying an excessive force to the flow path forming member.

The present invention also provides a recording apparatus that accommodates an ink cartridge, the ink cartridge including: an ink container having first, second and third wall surfaces adjacent to the first wall and opposite to each other; an ink supply port provided on the first wall; a locking member provided on the second side wall, the locking member having an engaging portion elastically engageable with a portion of the recording apparatus; a pressure lever portion provided on a surface of the third wall, the pressure lever portion being adapted to be pressed by an ink cartridge fixing mounting lever of the recording apparatus; a plurality of electrodes disposed closer to the ink supply port than the pressure lever portion and electrically connected to a memory cell placed on the ink container. An ink jet recording apparatus includes: a flow path forming member communicating with the recording head and formed at a position opposite to an ink supply port of an ink cartridge accommodated in the recording apparatus; and a mounting lever having a rotation fulcrum on a side surface of the lever pressing portion, wherein when the engagement portion of the locking member is properly engaged with the portion of the recording apparatus, the mounting lever rotates about the rotation fulcrum and presses the lever pressing portion to a predetermined position of the lever pressing portion while being held in the predetermined position of the mounting lever.

According to such a structure, the surface opposite to the surface to which the locking member is fixed can be securely held by the mounting rod. Further, since the lever pressing portion is pressed by the side of the rotation fulcrum of the mounting lever, the position of the lever pressing portion in the mounting direction can be restricted with a small force when the mounting lever is held.

Further, when the ink cartridge is not properly mounted, the mounting lever is prohibited from moving to a mounting lever predetermined position.

In this way, an error in the mounting of the ink cartridge can be reliably prevented.

The disclosure of the present invention relates to subject matter in Japanese patent application Nos. 2002-341826(2003.11.20 filed), 2003-76890(2003.2.20 filed), 2003-76891(2003.2.20 filed), 2003-128049(2003.5.6 filed) and 2003-204804(2003.7.31 filed), which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Drawings

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views each illustrating a different part of a first embodiment of an ink cartridge according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an ink supply port of the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B;

fig. 3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating the structures of the front and rear portions, respectively, of a circuit board having electrodes and capable of being mounted on the protruding portion of the ink cartridge shown in fig. 1A and 1B, and fig. 3C is a schematic view illustrating the trace of a contact to be brought into contact with the electrodes.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a holder of the recording apparatus adapted to accommodate the ink cartridge shown in the above figures;

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is mounted on the holder;

FIG. 6A is a plan view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is mounted on a carriage, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view illustrating a position in the vicinity of a protruding portion defining a mounting surface of a circuit board;

fig. 7A is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a contact point forming element and a built-in portion of an elastic sheet member, and fig. 7B is an enlarged perspective view illustrating an upper end portion of a flange of fig. 7A;

fig. 8A and 8B are perspective views illustrating an embodiment of a contact forming element and an elastic sheet member, respectively;

FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is aligned with a predetermined position of the holder;

FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the ink cartridge urged by its protruding portion to a state in which the elastic piece is deformed;

FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating a process of removing the ink cartridge;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating a rotation fulcrum in a process of removing the ink cartridge;

fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the ink cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14A to 14H are perspective views illustrating modifications of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the exterior of an embodiment of a carriage of a recording apparatus adapted to the ink cartridge of the second embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a plan view illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge of the second embodiment is mounted on the holder with the mounting lever being removed;

FIG. 17 is a side view illustrating the ink cartridge of the second embodiment mounted on a bracket and fixed by a mounting lever;

FIG. 18 is a side view showing the ink cartridge of the second embodiment put in a holder with an ink supply port adjacent to an ink supply needle;

FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating the ink cartridge of the second embodiment pushed into a position where the ink cartridge is held by a lever and released from the mounting lever;

FIG. 20 is a side view showing a state in which the ink cartridge of the second embodiment is engaged with the supply needle but the lever is disengaged from the holder;

fig. 21A and 21B are perspective views illustrating a modification of the second embodiment;

fig. 22A and 22B are perspective views respectively illustrating a color ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 23A, 23B and 23C are side and bottom views of a color ink cartridge of a third embodiment;

fig. 24A and 24B are perspective views illustrating a black ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C are side and bottom views of a black ink cartridge of a third embodiment;

fig. 26A, 26B, 26C, and 26D are plan, front, side, and rear views illustrating one embodiment of a block to be mounted to the color ink cartridge shown in fig. 22 and 23;

fig. 27A, 27B, 27C, and 27D are plan, front, side, and rear views illustrating another embodiment of a block to be mounted to another color ink cartridge;

fig. 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D are plan, front, side, and rear views illustrating one embodiment of a block to be mounted to the black ink cartridge of the third embodiment;

fig. 29A and 29B are perspective views illustrating an embodiment of a fixing system made on a color ink holder and a black ink holder fixed to a block.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below based on exemplary embodiments.

Fig. 1A and 1B each illustrate an embodiment of an ink cartridge according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 includes a flat container including a container body 2a and a lid body 2b (the lid body 2b is also referred to as having a first face and a second face), and an ink supply port 4 provided on a wall surface (bottom wall) 3 of the container body 2a and engaged with an ink supply needle, which is a part of a flow path forming member of the recording head, to supply ink to the recording head. Further, the ink supply port 4 is provided in a position deviated to one side from the center plane of the ink cartridge in the longitudinal direction (for example, on the side surface where the wall surface (side wall) of the lever 9 as a lock is made). The ink cartridge 1 also has a top surface (ceiling). The ink supply port 4 is configured to define an ink flow path through the bottom wall 3 and to engage an ink supply needle for fluid communication through the ink flow path between the ink supply needle and the ink chamber of the ink cartridge 1. In the present embodiment, a part of the ink supply port 4 protrudes outward from the wall surface 3 of the container body 2a as shown in the drawing, but the ink supply port according to the present invention is not limited to this design.

As shown in fig. 2, the ink cartridge 1 includes a valve body 6, the valve body 6 being normally held closed by a spring 5, the spring 5 applying a biasing force to the valve body. The valve body 6 and the spring 5 are arranged on the front end side of the ink supply port 4. An annular elastic sealing member 6a is loaded on the outer side, e.g., the front-distal side, of the valve body 6 for sealingly engaging a flow path forming member (not shown).

Referring again to fig. 1A and 1B, a lever 9 as an elastically deformable locking member is formed on the wall surface 7 on a side close to the ink supply port 4 outside the two opposing wall surfaces 7, 8, the two opposing wall surfaces 7, 8 being substantially orthogonal to the wall surface 3, the wall surface 3 having the ink supply port 4. The wall surface 7 may be considered a front wall and the wall surface 8 may be considered a rear wall (those skilled in the art will appreciate that this term can also be reversed). The rod 9 extends upward so that its lower end is located on the wall surface 7 and its upper portion is spaced from the wall surface 7. The guide projection 10 is formed at a lower portion of the wall surface 7.

Further, the projecting portion 12 has a surface 12a, e.g., a flat surface, which can support an elastic sheet or a pressing member (discussed in detail below) of the recording apparatus, and the projecting portion 12 is formed on the lower end portion of the other wall surface 8 so as to narrow the width of the ink container including the container body 2a and the lid body 2b on the upper surface in the width. As shown in fig. 5, the surface 12a of the projecting portion 12 serves as an upper surface of the pressed portion in the present embodiment, and is pressed by an elastic piece or pressing member 40 of the recording apparatus. Referring again to fig. 1A and 1B, a recessed portion 2c is formed in an upper portion of the wall surface 8 having a flat dimension adapted to accommodate the size of a user's thumb. A plurality of electrodes 14 are formed on the surface 13 of the projecting portion 12 parallel to the wall surface 8, the electrodes 14 being in electrical contact with the elastic contact 41 of the recording apparatus (shown in fig. 5). In the present embodiment, the electrodes 14 are made in two staggered rows (three electrodes in the upper row and four electrodes in the lower row), so that a plurality of electrodes 14 are horizontally arranged in each row. It will be appreciated that the invention encompasses the use of any other suitable electrode configuration.

The electrodes disposed at the center of the upper row are located on a plane intersecting the central axis of the ink supply port 4 and perpendicular to the surface on which the electrodes 14 are formed. The other electrodes are arranged opposite to this centrally placed electrode. With the arrangement of the electrodes of the present embodiment, even if the ink cartridge vibrates around the ink supply port during the mounting of the ink cartridge, the positional deviation of the electrodes can be reduced.

As shown in fig. 3A, these electrodes 14 are made on the front surface of the circuit board 15, and are provided by fixing the circuit board 15 to the surface 13 of the projecting portion 12. Further, as shown in fig. 3B, a memory unit 18 (e.g., a readable and writable semiconductor memory element such as an EEPROM) is mounted on the rear surface of the circuit board 15, and the memory unit 18 stores information relating to ink contained in the ink container by being electrically connected to at least some of the electrodes 14.

Since the memory unit 18 is mounted on the rear surface of the circuit board 15 in this manner, the recessed portion 13a (see fig. 1) is preliminarily formed on the surface 13 of the protruding portion 12 by utilizing the thickness of the protruding portion 12, accommodating the memory unit 18 therein. This arrangement also makes it possible to use the entire surface of the circuit board 15 entirely as a region where the electrodes 14 are placed. Also, the electrodes 14 can be made by circuit printing techniques while effectively utilizing the plane of the circuit board 15, thereby providing enhanced contact reliability.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a rotation assist recess 17 is provided to assist in removing the ink bottle from the holder, as discussed below. The recess 17 is matched to the positioning element of the holder and is made at the side of the part where the projection 12 is made. The rotation support recessed portion 17 has an inclined surface 17a, a lower portion of the surface 17a being positioned on the wall surface 8 side, and an upper portion of the surface 17a being tapered inward toward the facing wall surface 7 side of the ink cartridge 1.

The lever 9 is provided on the wall surface 7 of the container body 2a so that a fulcrum or pivot point 9a is placed on a lower portion of the lever 9 and is elastically deformable. The claw portions or projecting portions 19 project outwardly above the fulcrums 9a as engaging portions which engage with or disengage from suitably shaped engaging portions 38 of the holder. Another projection 20 is made between the fulcrum 9a and the claw portion 19 so as to project laterally from the lever body, and preferably one such projection is made on each side of the lever body.

Fig. 4 and 5 illustrate a carriage structure of an embodiment of a recording apparatus adapted to accommodate the above-described ink cartridge. The holder 30 is configured as an ink cartridge holder and is formed in a substantially box shape so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted from above. A recessed portion 31 is formed on the side surface near the bottom portion of the bracket 30, the recessed portion 31 engaging with a guide member made by a frame of a plating process recording apparatus or the like and regulating a moving path of the bracket 30 and a guide surface 32, the guide surface 32 sliding on a flat surface of a second guide member (not shown).

As shown in fig. 6, the cartridge storage portions of the carriage 30 are separated by flanges 33 (see fig. 4) to separate one cartridge from another, the flanges 34 each serving as both a width-direction regulating member and a rotation assisting member, thereby storing a plurality of cartridges. In this embodiment, the holder accommodates three color ink cartridges, all of which are made in the same shape, and the black ink cartridge is wider than the other ink cartridges, but is otherwise the same shape. Specifically, when the lower portions of the flanges 34 are of equal width, the center side of the upper portion of each flange 34 is made into an inclined surface portion 34a to match the rotation assisting recessed portion 17 of the ink cartridge 1 (this can also be seen in fig. 7B). Since the flange 34 has such a structure, a side surface at a lower portion of the flange 34 abuts a side surface of the positioning projection 12 of the ink cartridge to adjust the width of the ink cartridge. Also, when the ink cartridge is removed, the point around which the ink cartridge rotates can be controlled by the shapes and positions of the inclined surface portion 34a and the rotation assisting recessed portion 17.

As shown in fig. 4, a flow path forming member 36 (a hollow needle having a conical front end portion and a cylindrical portion continuing from the portion in this embodiment) is located in each cartridge storage area, the flow path forming member 36 being for engaging an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head 35, the recording head 35 being provided on the lower surface of the carriage. A plurality of fine through holes, each of which is capable of maintaining a crescent shape, are made through the tapered surface of the tapered portion of the hollow needle 36, so that ink can be supplied from these through holes to the recording head through the cylindrical portion of the hollow needle.

As shown in fig. 5, the holder 30 has a wall surface opposite to the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1, and is formed with a groove 37 and an engaging portion 38, the groove 37 being engaged with the protruding portion 20, and the engaging portion 38 (a concave portion in this embodiment) being for engagement with the claw portion 19. The groove 37, which can be regarded as a locking member, is formed with an inclined surface 37a, an upper portion of which surface 37a widens toward the ink cartridge side. The inclined surface 37a mates with the ink cartridge during loading of the ink cartridge into the cradle 30. At the initial stage of loading the ink cartridge, the projecting portion 20 on each side is reliably brought into contact with the inclined surface 37a by the wide mouth of the inclined surface regardless of the size of the opening of the lever 9, and once the ink cartridge is mounted, the inclined surface 37a pushes the lever 9 to pivot so that it is open toward the wall surface side of the holder, and further, toward the outside. Particularly when the projection 20 is made at each side, the lever can be reliably guided to a preferred position even when the lever is twisted.

And, a second groove 39 is made below the groove 37. This second recess 39, which can be considered as a locking member, engages with the guide projection 10 of the ink cartridge just before the end of loading and prevents the ink cartridge from shifting in the width direction at the end of installation. Further, in this embodiment, in order to increase the capacity of the ink cartridge as much as possible, the guide projection 10 and the recess 37 are provided on the ink cartridge and the cartridge storage portion, respectively, although the storage capacity of the ink cartridge may be reduced.

As shown in fig. 5, a positioning elastic piece 40, which may also be regarded as a pressing member, is formed at each of the ink cartridge storage areas on the opposite surfaces of the holder 30, with an upper end 40a thereof serving as a rotation fulcrum and a lower end 40b thereof abutting the flat surface 12a of the ink cartridge projecting portion 12. An elastic contact 41 (which may comprise a plurality of electrical contacts) is provided underneath the elastic sheet 40, said elastic contact 41 being intended to electrically contact the electrode 14, said electrode 14 being made on the projecting portion 12.

It should be understood that the ink cartridge is preferably mounted to the carriage 30 by a small amount of rotation, as shown in fig. 5, 9 and 10, since this will limit the force applied to any part of the ink cartridge and the recording apparatus.

Fig. 7A illustrates an example of the structure of the region of the holder 30, the ink cartridge 30 having the elastic sheet 40 and the elastic contact 41. As shown in the enlarged view of fig. 7B, the area opposite the ink cartridge 1 is formed with an open-top opening or cutout 34c defined internally between adjacent flanges 34, and each flange 34 has a groove 34B on each side. The contact forming member 42 has elastically deformable claws (protruding portions) 41a at each side as shown in fig. 8A. The contact forming member 42 includes a mounting substrate 41b to which the substrate 41b is mounted, and the contact forming member is inserted into the lower side of each cutout 34 c. As shown in fig. 8B, a plurality of elastic pieces 40 are respectively installed on the upper slits of the openings 34 c. In this embodiment, an elastic sheet member 50 formed with four elastic sheets 40 is mounted thereon. In the elastic sheet member 50, a projection 51 for engaging with the groove 34b is formed on each side of each elastic sheet 40, and a claw (projection) 52 restricts the vertical movement of the elastic sheet 40. Since the elastic pieces 40 are provided so as to cover the contact point forming elements 42, respectively, the elastic pieces 40 also have a function of protecting the contact point forming elements 42. Further, reference numeral 53 explains the guide projection.

In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 is aligned with a predetermined position of the holder 30, as shown in fig. 9, the projection 12 is adjacent to the elastic piece 40. When the ink cartridge 1 is directionally pushed down, as shown in fig. 10, the elastic piece 10 is compressed by the protruding portion 12 and deformed in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Thus, the ink cartridge 1 moves past the elastic piece 40 and continues to move downward.

In this process, the projecting portion 20 on each side of the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1 is in contact with the inclined surface 37a forming the widened portion. Thus, the guide projection 10 enters the groove 39. When the ink cartridge 1 is further advanced, both side surfaces of the positioning projection 12 are guided by the flanges 34, and the ink supply needle 36 enters the ink supply port 4 to push the valve body 6 upward against the urging force of the spring 5.

Preferably, the width of the projecting portion 20 together with the width of the lever 9 is not more than the distance in the straight width direction of the container body 2a and the lid body 2 b. In this way, since this positioning structure itself is not wider than the ink cartridges, adjacent ink cartridges can be closely arranged while the protruding portions of the adjacent ink cartridges will not interfere with each other.

The ink cartridge 1 is thus pushed into a predetermined position. Then, as shown in fig. 5, the lever 9 is rotated about the area as the pivot point which is fixed at a predetermined outward position by the action of the inclined surface 37a of the bracket, and the claw 19 is moved against the engaging portion 38 under a strong applied elastic force, thereby producing a sensible click sound which can be heard and/or felt. Therefore, the user can easily confirm that the ink cartridge has been reliably mounted on the holder.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the rod 9 is an elongated element connected to the wall surface by a "living hinge". It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the structure shown by way of example is not so limited and other means of attachment can be used without departing from the invention.

Moreover, at present, the elastic piece 40 is no longer subjected to the supporting force, which is exerted by the protruding portion 12, and thus is restored to the original state by its own elasticity. Thus, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 abuts on the flat surface 12a on the upper portion of the protruding portion 12. At this time, the ink cartridge 1 is pushed against the elastic contact 41. Therefore, the electrode 41 can be brought into an electrically conductive state by the elastic contact 41 without actual friction between the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41. This eliminates not only wear and damage of the electrode and the elastic contact 12 but also damage of data stored in an EEPROM (memory unit element).

In this state, the rear side of the ink cartridge is regulated by the lower ends of the projecting portion 12 and the elastic piece 40 in the vertical direction, and the rear side of the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the claw 19 and the engaging portion 38. Also, in the horizontal direction (width direction), the position of the rear side of the ink cartridge is adjusted by both sides of the protruding portion 12 and the width direction adjusting protruding portion 34, and the position of the rear side of the ink cartridge is adjusted by the guide groove 39 and the guide protruding portion 10. Because the position of the cartridge can be precisely controlled, the electrodes 14 are properly positioned to establish electrical contact with the resilient contacts 41.

With this arrangement, the mounted ink cartridge is fixed diagonally by the lower portion on the left side face and the upper portion on the rear side face. Therefore, the mounted ink cartridge can be reliably fixed at the predetermined position without reducing operability.

Moreover, since the strong elastic force exerted on the lever 9 pushes the cartridge toward the elastic contact 41, the electrode 14 firmly presses the elastic contact to maintain the conductive relationship therebetween. Further, since the opening diameter of the elastic sealing member 6a of the ink supply port 4 is smaller than that of the ink supply needle 36, and due to its elasticity, the elastic sealing member 6a of the ink supply port 4 is elastically deformed to some extent while maintaining a sealing relationship with the ink supply needle 36 inserted therein, so that local contact with the ink supply needle 36 is mitigated, thereby preventing damage caused by local force acting on the ink supply needle 36. In addition, it is preferable to use the elastic sealing member 6a having such a self-aligning capability that a portion of the elastic sealing member 6a in elastic contact with the supply needle 36 is movable relative to a portion of the sealing member 6a fixed to the ink cartridge.

Also, the projecting portion 12 is made to have a width not larger than the container body 2 a. Therefore, even when each gap between the adjacent ink cartridges in the alignment direction is reduced as much as possible, even when a plurality of ink cartridges are stored while being aligned in sufficient contact with each other, the positions of the ink cartridges in the alignment direction can be accurately adjusted. In other words, because the projections 12 are narrower than the ink cartridges themselves, the adjacent ink cartridges can be closely arranged because the positioning projections do not interfere with each other.

Incidentally, the term "arrangement direction" refers to a placement line in which the continuous ink cartridges are mounted on the holder. As shown in fig. 6, the line is parallel to the scanning direction in which the carriage reciprocates during printing.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is to be removed from the holder 30, the ink cartridge 1 is fixed with, for example, the index finger of the manipulating hand on the lever 9 and the thumb on the grip concave portion 2c, and the lever 9 is pressed and deformed so as to move to the near side (i.e., the container body side) (it is understood that other fingers may be used). When the lever 9 is elastically deformed, the pawl 19 is disengaged from the engagement portion 38. The ink cartridge is moved slightly upward to react to the biasing force exerted by the spring 5 on the ink supply port, the ink cartridge loses the support provided by the engagement portion 38, and the pawl 19 on the lever 9 is moved to a position outside the area of the engagement portion 38.

The ink supply port 4 is disposed at a position biased toward the wall surface 7, and the lever 9 is placed on the wall surface 7. Therefore, during the ink cartridge removal process, the ink supply port 4 can be disengaged from the flow path forming member (i.e., the ink supply needle 36) by rotating the ink cartridge in the direction of the arrow G around the adjacent point F of the ink cartridge at the lower end of the elastic piece 40 as schematically shown in fig. 12 along the large rotation radius L. This arrangement can reduce the adverse effect of any bending force (torque) applied to the supply needle 36, the supply needle 36 cooperating with the cushioning action of the elastic sealing member 6a, the elastic sealing member 6a being elastically in contact with the cylindrical portion of the supply needle 36.

When the ink cartridge is rotated during the ink cartridge removal process, the rib 34, particularly the inclined surface portion 34a, will interfere with the side surface of the container main body 2a of the ink cartridge, but the presence of the recess 17 at this portion can prevent interference of the rib 34, so that the ink cartridge can be easily and smoothly removed.

The amount of offset between the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 can be expressed as: Δ L ═ L — (H/tan θ), where L is the distance between the adjacent point F where the elastic pieces 40 contact to limit the center of rotation and the lower end of the center axis C of the ink supply port 4, H is the maximum value of the entering length of the supply needle 36, and θ is the rotation angle required during the removal process.

The rotation angle θ is a rotation angle of the ink cartridge required from one state to another, i.e., from a state in which the supply needle 36 is engaged with the ink supply port 4 to a state in which the center point of the leading end of the supply needle 36 is located outside the end face of the ink supply port 4.

The maximum value of H is generally defined as the length from the lower end of the ink supply port 4 to the intersection point E where the central axis C of the ink supply port 4 intersects a line extending from the adjacent point F (shown by reference numeral F in fig. 12) and is parallel to the bottom surface of the ink cartridge (perpendicular to the central axis C).

Since the ink cartridge has the ink supply needle (36) having a mounting length H of about 5mm, a rotation radius L of about 28.8mm and a rotation angle θ of about 10 degrees, the offset amount Δ L between the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 is calculated to be 0.4mm.

In other words, the deformation amount is defined as Δ L at which the elastic seal member 6a mounted on the ink supply port 4 can be deformed by a force applied to the ink supply needle 36 without damaging it, and the rotation radius L can be set to L ≧ H/tan θ + Δ L.

Further, since a rotational force is applied to the tip of the lever 9, the lever 9 is diagonally farthest from the protruding portion 12, and thus the ink cartridge can be easily removed.

In addition, by rotating in this manner, the electrode 41 can be brought into an electrically conductive state by the elastic contact 41 without actual friction between the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41. This eliminates not only wear and damage of the electrode and the elastic contact 12 but also damage of data stored in an EEPROM (memory unit element) which is generated due to improper contact.

Further, in order to provide the same effect, a protruding portion capable of easily matching with the thumb of the user may be provided instead of the pinching recessed portion 2 c.

On the other hand, the opposite sides of the ink cartridge 11 are configured such that the projecting portion 12 is restricted from moving by the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40. Therefore, when the lever 9 is lifted up laterally, as shown in fig. 4, the ink cartridge is rotated in the arrow C direction around the upper surface of the protruding portion 12, as shown in fig. 11, with the upper surface of the protruding portion 12 as a rotation fulcrum, while being guided by the flange 34 as a width direction adjusting protruding portion. At this time, the flange 34 separating the cartridge storage area enters the rotation assisting recessed portion 17 formed on the side surface of the ink cartridge 1, and the ink cartridge 1 is rotated to a predetermined angle, i.e., a position where the flat surface 12a of the projection 12 is disengaged from the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40. Therefore, at this stage, the ink cartridge 1 has been detached from the holder 30 and can be obliquely lifted up to be removed from the holder 30.

FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of an ink holder according to the present invention. Although the container body 2a of the ink cartridge 1 differs from that of the above-described ink cartridge 1 in the depth D and thus in the storage capacity, other structures of the ink cartridge 1 (e.g., the lid body 2b of the ink cartridge 1) have the same configuration as those of the above-described ink cartridge 1. The projection 12 is formed at a position biased to one side of the container body 2 a' in the width direction in consideration of the difference in the width of the ink cartridge. The widthwise center of the electrode group 14 is suitably arranged to be positioned on a line C ' parallel to the central axis C of the ink supply port 4 ' (the line C ' corresponds to a line obtained by projecting the central axis C perpendicularly on the surface of the ground on which the electrode 14 is formed), like the above-described ink cartridge 1.

In addition, it is understood that, in the above-described embodiment, the mounting operation is effective because it employs the linear movement of the ink cartridge. Even when the protruding portion 12 is first positioned and then the ink cartridge is mounted by rotating the lever 9 carrying the protruding portion 12 as a fulcrum, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 abuts against the flat surface 12a of the protruding portion 12. Then, the adjacent area serving as the center of rotation, in the width direction, the left side surface is adjusted by the width direction adjusting projection 34, and the position of the rear side surface is adjusted by the guide groove 39. With precise control of the cartridge position, no substantial rubbing electrode 14 establishes the proper conductive relationship with the resilient contact 41.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the ink supply port 4 is located at a position laterally of the lever 9 and spaced from the projection 12, the projection 12 serving as a fulcrum of rotation. Due to this arrangement, the ink supply port 4 is moved as parallel as possible to the supply needle 36 during the attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge, thereby preventing the generation of undesirable forces that tend to cause undue deformation of the elastic sealing member 6a placed on the ink supply port 4.

The structure of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a holder adapted to the ink cartridge of the second embodiment will be described below.

Fig. 14A and 14B each illustrate a second embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention. The ink cartridge 101 is constructed in a manner generally similar to that of the first embodiment. That is, the ink cartridge 101 includes a flat container including a container body 102a and a lid body 102b (which may also be referred to as first and second sides), and an ink supply port 104 provided on a wall surface (bottom wall) 103 of the container body 102a and engaging with an ink supply needle, and a flow path forming member of the recording head is configured to supply ink to the recording head. Further, the ink supply port 104 is provided at a position offset to one side from the center plane of the ink cartridge in the longitudinal direction, (i.e., on the side of the wall surface (side wall) made of the lever 109 as the lock member). The ink cartridge 1 also has a top surface.

In more detail, the ink cartridge 101 is set in size such that the width W1 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which a plurality of ink cartridges are arrayed is longest, the cartridge height H1 is slightly shorter than the width W1, and the thickness (depth) D1 in the direction parallel to the direction in which the ink cartridges are arrayed is set to be approximately 1/5 of the height H1. When a plurality of ink cartridges are arranged, such a size of the ink cartridge 101 is proposed that the entire length in the arrangement direction is as small as possible.

In addition, the ink supply port 104 is provided at a position shifted in the longitudinal direction from the center face of the ink cartridge to one side (i.e., on the wall surface (side wall) side where the lever 109 serving as a lock member is provided). The ink cartridge 1 also has a top surface (ceiling). The ink supply port 104 is configured to define an ink flow path through the bottom wall 1033 and to engage an ink supply needle for fluid communication through the ink flow path between the ink supply needle and the ink chamber of the ink cartridge 101. In the present embodiment, a part of the ink supply port 104 protrudes outward from the wall surface 103 of the container body 102 as shown in the drawing, but the ink supply port according to the present invention is not limited to this design.

As discussed in fig. 2 of the first embodiment, the ink cartridge 101 includes a valve body 6, the valve body 6 being normally maintained closed by a spring 5, the spring 5 applying a biasing force to the valve body. The valve body 6 and the spring 5 are arranged on the front end side of the ink supply port 4. An annular elastic sealing member 6a of the valve body 6 is loaded on the outer side, i.e., the front distal side, of the valve body 6, the annular elastic sealing member 6a being for sealingly engaging with a flow path forming member (not shown).

Referring to fig. 14A and 14B, a lever 109 as an elastically deformable lock member is formed on the wall surface 107 on a side close to the ink supply port 104 outside two opposing wall surfaces 107, 108, the two opposing wall surfaces 107, 108 being substantially orthogonal to the wall surface 103, the wall surface 103 having the ink supply port 104. The lever 109 is provided on the wall surface 107 of the container body 2a so that a fulcrum or pivot point 109a is placed on the lower portion of the lever 109 and is elastically deformable. A claw portion or a projection 119 projects outwardly above the fulcrum 109a as an engaging portion which engages with or separates from a suitably shaped engaging portion 136 of the holder. A projection 120 is made between the fulcrum 109a and the claw portion 119 so as to project laterally from the lever body, and such a projection is preferably made on each side of the lever body. A projection 110 having a guide function and preventing the ink cartridge from being laterally deviated is formed at a lower portion of the wall surface 107 below the lever 109.

The rod receiver portion, in this embodiment a projection 111, is made at a location on the other wall surface 108 where the mounting rods of the bracket (discussed in detail below) can press against the rod receiver portion. A projection 112 having surfaces (e.g., a flat surface 113 and flat side surfaces 112a and 112b) is formed at a lower end portion of the other wall surface 108 below the projection 111. The protruding portion 112 is arranged to protrude from the wall surface 108 of the ink cartridge to be restrained at both sides thereof by the recording apparatus when mounted thereon. The surfaces 113, 112a, and 112b of the projection 112 are parallel to the insertion direction of the ink cartridge into the recording apparatus (the axial direction of the ink supply port). A plurality of electrodes 114 are formed on the surface 113 of the protruding portion 112, said electrodes 14 being electrically in contact with the elastic contacts 140 of the recording device. In this embodiment, the electrodes 114 are formed in two staggered rows, an upper row and a lower row, such that a plurality of electrodes 114 are horizontally arranged within each row.

The flat side surfaces 112a, 112b of the first projection 112 and the receiving structure of the printing apparatus may be dimensioned with a spacing between these structures, as this may facilitate easier mounting of the ink cartridge 101 on a carriage of the recording apparatus. The price may be made in any suitable size as long as it is not oversized, which would result in the cartridge 101 being able to move in position to such an extent that electrical contact between the electrodes on the cartridge and the contacts on the printing device is lost (i.e., oversized would result in installation errors).

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 14C-D, the flat side surfaces 112a, 112b of the first projection 112 may be provided with a surface structure shaped in a manner that makes the mounting of the ink cartridge 101 more accurate and reliable. By way of non-limiting example, the flat side surfaces 112a, 112b may have appropriately shaped projections 112a ', 112 b', respectively, made thereon. As shown in fig. 14C-D, each of these projections 112a ', 112 b' may be hemispherical. Other suitable shapes, such as oval or rectangular, may also be used. Alternatively, the flat side surfaces 112a, 112b may have protruding ribs or ridges 112a ", 112 b" extending along their length, which may be triangular in shape, as shown in fig. 14E-F. Other suitable cross-sectional shapes may be used, such as semi-spherical, elliptical, or rectangular. Also, as shown in fig. 14G-H, the projection 112 can be formed with recesses or grooves 112a '", 112 b'" formed on the sides 112a, 112 b. As mentioned above, any suitable recess shape may be employed, for example a semi-spherical, elliptical or rectangular shape.

As described above, the holder (not shown) of the printing apparatus may be configured to receive a projection, ridge, or groove made on the projection 112 of the ink cartridge 101. For example, the projections 112a ', 112 b' and ridges 112a ", 112 b" may be received in appropriately sized notches (not shown), and the grooves 112a '", 112 b'" may engage appropriately sized projections or ribs (not shown). Alternatively, the distance between the sides 112a, 112b of the lower protruding portion 112 may be set smaller than D2, and thus the distance between the apexes of the protruding portions 112a ', 112 b' (ridges 112a ", 112 b") is set equal to D2. Fig. 14D and 14F illustrate the latter case, in which the distance between the apexes of the protruding portions 112a ', 112 b' (ridges 112a ", 112 b") is set equal to D2.

Also, it will be appreciated that some spacing space may be provided between the printing device structure and the sides 112a, 112b, projections 112a ', 112 b', ridges 112a ", 112 b", or recesses 112a '", 112 b'" of the cartridge 101, provided that the spacing enables proper electrical contact between the electrodes on the cartridge and the contacts on the printing device (too large a spacing would result in mounting errors).

Since the wall surface 108 is narrow in the lateral direction (thickness direction), the electrodes 114 (each having a vertically elongated profile to secure a desired area) are disposed vertically or horizontally in a plurality of rows or columns, so that the electrodes 114 can be concentrically disposed in an area which is located in the vicinity of the surfaces 112a and 112b as the left and right direction positioning portions of the ink cartridge 101 and which is accurately positioned with high accuracy. This arrangement enhances reliable contact between the electrode 114 and the resilient contact 140.

These electrodes 114 are formed on the front surface of the circuit board 115, similar to the circuit board 15 and electrodes 14 formed thereon discussed with reference to fig. 3A, and are provided by fixing the circuit board 115 to the surface 113 of the projection 112. Further, as shown in fig. 3B, a memory unit 18 (e.g., a read-write semiconductor memory element such as an EEPROM) is mounted on the rear surface of the circuit board 115, and the memory unit 18 stores information about ink contained in the ink container by being electrically connected to at least some of the electrodes 114.

The projection 111 is provided to receive an external downward positioning force applied to the ink cartridge 101 at a position that is not greatly offset from (i.e., is substantially located on) an imaginary surface extending upward from a circuit board 115 on which a plurality of electrodes 114 are provided. This arrangement eliminates positioning errors of the electrode 114, which may be caused by the torque of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted, and achieves accurate contact between the electrode 114 and the elastic contact 140.

Fig. 15 to 17 illustrate a holder structure of an embodiment of a recording apparatus adapted to accommodate the above-described ink cartridge. Fig. 15 illustrates the appearance of the stent. Fig. 16 and 17 illustrate a state in which the ink cartridge is properly mounted. The bracket 130 is constructed of a cartridge holder main portion 131 and a mounting lever 132. The cartridge holder main part 131 is made in a box shape so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted from above. The mounting bar 132 is sufficiently made into a frame structure having an opening at an upper portion thereof. The mounting lever 132 is pivotally supported by a shaft 133 (a separate hinge may also be used) on the cartridge holder main part 131 so that one end side of the cartridge holder main part 131, i.e., the side opposite to the protruding part 111 of the ink cartridge 101, is located at the lower part.

The cartridge holder main portion 131 is separated by the ribs 134 so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be accommodated. The wall surface opposite to the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 is made into a groove 135 for receiving and engaging with the projections 120 on both side surfaces of the lever 109, and an engaging portion 136 (concave portion in this embodiment) for receiving the claw portion 119 to engage therewith.

The groove 135 is formed with an inclined surface 135a, and an upper portion of the inclined surface 135a widens toward the ink cartridge side. The inclined surface 135a mates with the underlying ink cartridge during the cartridge loading process. At the initial stage of loading the ink cartridge, the projection 120 on each side is reliably brought into contact with the inclined surface 135a by the wide mouth of the inclined surface regardless of the size of the opening of the lever 9, and once the ink cartridge is mounted, the inclined surface 135a pushes the lever 109 to pivot open toward the wall surface side of the holder, i.e., toward the outside of the ink cartridge 101. Particularly when the projection 120 is made on both sides, the lever 109 can be reliably guided to a preferred position even when the lever 109 is twisted.

And, a second recess 137 is formed under the recess 135. The recess 137 receives and engages the guide projection 110 of the ink cartridge just before the end of loading, and prevents the ink cartridge from shifting in the width direction at the end of mounting. Further, in this embodiment, in order to increase the capacity of the ink cartridge as much as possible, the guide projection 110 and the recess 137 are provided on the ink cartridge and the ink cartridge storage portion, respectively. It can be understood that if the recess 137 is formed in the ink cartridge and the projection 110 is formed on the cartridge storage portion, the same effect can be obtained when guiding the ink cartridge.

The other wall surface of the cartridge holder is formed with an elastic contact 140 on each cartridge storage area, the elastic contact 140 being in electrical contact with an electrode 114 formed on a circuit board 115, the circuit board 115 being fixed to the projection 112 when the mounting lever 132 approaches a predetermined position.

In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 101 is aligned with the predetermined position of the holder 130, as shown in fig. 18, the ink cartridge 101 is stopped at the predetermined position where the ink supply port 104 of the ink cartridge abuts the ink supply needle 138 of the holder 130. When the ink cartridge 101 is moved further downward in this orientation, as shown in fig. 19, the projection 120 on each side of the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 comes into contact with the inclined surface 135a made as a widened portion. Also, the guide protrusion 110 enters the recess 137. And, an ink supply needle 138 as an ink supply member communicating with the recording head 139 enters the ink supply port 104 and pushes up the valve body 6 against the action of the spring 5.

When the ink cartridge 101 is thus advanced into the predetermined position (fig. 19), the lever 109 rotates around an area as a pivot point or fulcrum fixed at a predetermined outward position by the action of the inclined surface 135a of the bracket 130, and the pawl 119 moves against the engaging portion 136 under a strongly applied elastic force. In this state, since the other side surface of the ink cartridge 101, i.e., the side surface where the wall 108 exists, is free to some extent, the ink cartridge 101 pressed by the spring 5 slightly rotates by Δ θ about the fulcrum, i.e., the contact point of the pawl 119 engaged with the engaging portion 136.

In this state, when the mounting lever 132 is rotated and closed, as shown in fig. 20, the pivotally supported side of the mounting lever 132 is moved downward to a predetermined position and then the projection 111 is pressed, so that the electrode 114 and the elastic contact 140 establish a proper conductive relationship as shown in fig. 17. Meanwhile, under such a condition, both side surfaces (both side surfaces) of the lower protruding portion 112 are restricted by the ribs 134 provided on the holder as shown in fig. 16 (by the corresponding structure of the holder of the recording apparatus if the side surfaces have the protruding portions, ribs or grooves), and the movement in the orthogonal direction, i.e., the vertical direction in this embodiment, is restricted by the mounting rod 132 through the protruding portion 11. Therefore, accurate and reliable contact can be maintained between the plurality of electrodes 114 and the plurality of elastic contacts 140. In addition, in the case where the side surface of the lower protruding portion 112 has protruding portions, if the distance between the apexes of the protruding portions 112a ', 112 b' is set equal to D2 (i.e., the distance between the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 is set slightly smaller than D2), as shown in fig. 14D, the flat surface of the rib 134 shown in fig. 16 can cooperate with and restrict the protruding portions 112a ', 112 b'. That is, in the present modification, the flat surface of the rib 134 shown in fig. 16 without the notch of an appropriate size can be used as a relevant structure of the holder of the recording apparatus. Similarly, in the case where the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 have ribs, if the distance between the apexes of the ribs 112a ", 112 b" is set equal to D2 (i.e., the distance between the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 is set slightly smaller than D2), as shown in fig. 14F, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in fig. 16 can cooperate with and restrict the ribs 112a ", 112 b". That is, in the present modification, the flat surface of the rib 134 shown in fig. 16 without the notch of an appropriate size can be used as a relevant structure of the holder of the recording apparatus. In the case where the side surfaces of the lower protruding portion 112 have grooves, the flat surfaces of the ribs 134 shown in fig. 16 can cooperate with and restrain the portions 112aa and 112bb of the side surfaces 112a and 112b, the portions 112aa and 112bb being adjacent to the grooves 112a '", 112 b'" with a distance D2 therebetween, as shown in fig. 14H. That is, in the present modification, the flat surface of the rib 134 shown in fig. 16 without the appropriately-sized projection or rib may be used as a relevant structure of the holder of the recording apparatus.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 101 is to be detached from the holder 130, the mounting lever 132 is released from the main body portion 131 as shown in fig. 19. This action places the other side of the cartridge 101, i.e., the side where the wall 108 is present, in a slightly free state in the vertical direction, since the projection 111 on the wall 108 is released from the pressing of the mounting lever 132.

In this state, the ink cartridge 101 is fixed with, for example, the index finger of the operator on the lever 109 and the thumb on the grip concave portion 102c, and the lever 109 is pressed and deformed so as to move to the cartridge side (other fingers may be used to grip the ink cartridge 101 as well). When the lever 109 is elastically deformed, the pawl 119 is disengaged from the holder main body portion 136. The ink cartridge, which has lost the support previously provided by the engagement portion 136 in response to the biasing force exerted by the spring 5 (not shown) on the ink supply port, moves slightly upward by a distance Δ L to move the pawl 119 on the lever 109 to a position outside the area of the engagement portion 136. At this stage, the ink cartridge 101 can be lifted up and removed from the holder 130.

Therefore, during replacement of one ink cartridge, the other ink cartridge is also released from the pressing of the mounting lever 132. That is, each of the ink cartridges is rotated by a slight angle Δ θ by being pressed by the spring 5 on each of the ink supply ports 104, and when the mounting is completed, the ink cartridge is pressed again and moved in the opposite direction again. Accordingly, the plurality of electrodes 114 slide on the respective contacts 140 to prevent a contact error due to dust and rust.

In the case where the ink cartridge is not properly mounted, i.e., in the case where the protruding portion 119 of the lever 109 does not engage with the engaging portion 136, if the user attempts to close the mounting lever 132, the mounting lever 132 collides with the ink cartridge 101 as shown in fig. 20, so that the mounting lever 132 cannot move to a position where the lever 132 can hold. That is, in the case where the protruding portion 119 of the lever 109 engages with the engaging portion 136, the mounting lever 132 can be brought into engagement with the holder by rotation of the slight angle θ, but in the case where the lever 109 is disengaged, the ink cartridge is lifted by Δ L, and therefore an attempt to rotate the mounting lever 132 of the ink cartridge in this state causes a large offset between the ink cartridge relative to the holder, resulting in abutment of the cartridge wall surfaces 107 and 108 with the holder. For this reason, the mounting rod 132 cannot be moved with a normal pressing force. Therefore, the user can notice the fact that the ink cartridge cannot be mounted to the correct position, and remount the ink cartridge again by moving it to a position where the click sound is heard or felt.

In the above-described embodiment, in order to save materials and reduce weight, the protruding portion 111, i.e., the lever receiver portion to be pressed by the mounting lever 132 to fix the ink cartridge, is configured as an element separate from the protruding portion 112, the protruding portion 112 serving as an electrode forming portion. However, as shown in fig. 21A, in order to provide the same effect, the protruding portion 112 as the electrode forming portion may be configured such that its upper surface 111 'is located at a position where the upper surface 111' receives the pressing force of the mounting rod 132.

According to the present embodiment, the protruding portion 112 can be extended to the upper portion as shown in fig. 21B, thereby increasing the size of the surface 113, the electrode 114 and the like are made on the surface 113, and the electrode 114 is arranged with a larger space. This can eliminate a short circuit due to the presence of ink and provide reliable contact of the elastic contact member to the recording apparatus.

The above ink cartridges according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

With continued reference to fig. 14A-B, the ink cartridge 1, 101 is constructed such that the ink cartridge 1, 101, when mounted on the cartridge holder, extends vertically along the cartridge mounting direction with the side surfaces 8, 108 substantially parallel to the alignment direction. The color ink cartridge according to each of the first and second embodiments is so sized that the height H1 is approximately five times the width (thickness) D1 of the ink cartridge. With this structure, the width of the cartridge holder for mounting a plurality of ink cartridges in the direction in which the ink cartridges are arranged can be made small, as shown in fig. 6 and 16. In addition, other projections are also used.

In addition, the circuit board 15, 115 is disposed on the vertically extending side surface 8, 108 at a position as close to the bottom surface 3, 103 as possible, and the electrodes 14, 114 of the circuit board 15, 115 are disposed on the surface of the circuit board 15, 115 at a position (lower side) close to the bottom surface 3, 103 in an offset manner. The electrodes 14, 114 are further disposed at this position so as to be close to each other. In each of the first and second embodiments, the plurality of electrodes 14, 114 (the second electrodes 14, 114 in each of the first and second embodiments) are arranged concentrically and in a staggered manner such that the length of the lower column of electrodes 14, 114 on the bottom surface is longer than the upper column of electrodes 14, 114. Since the plural electrodes 14, 114 are arranged in a staggered manner, when the elastic contact 41, 140 of the recording apparatus abuts on the electrodes 14, 114, the elastic contact 41, 140 to be in contact with the upper electrode 142 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the upper column are referred to as electrodes 142) passes through the gap between the lower electrodes 141 (the electrodes 41, 140 of the upper column are referred to as electrodes 141), as shown by a trace R in fig. 3C. That is, even when the elastic contact 41, 140 of the recording apparatus moves along the circuit board 15, 115 while contacting the circuit board 15, 115 until an appropriate electrical connection is established, the elastic contact 41, 140 for contacting the electrode 142 is prevented from contacting the electrode 141 during the movement of the elastic contact 41, 140. Thus, damage to the data stored in the memory unit 18, which would otherwise be destroyed by the contact of the elastic contacts 41, 140 with the electrodes 41, 140, can be eliminated. In addition, each electrode 14, 114 is designed to have a shape elongated in the cartridge insertion direction to prevent short-circuiting between adjacent electrodes 14, 114 and establish stable electrical connection.

In each of the first and second embodiments, the large number of electrodes 14, 114 are effectively disposed close to each other on the side surfaces 8, 108 having the narrow cartridge width (thickness) D1, and the circuit boards 15, 115 will be located on the deepest position side of the cartridge holder where the cartridge displacement in the cartridge insertion direction is reduced. Thus, the electrodes 14, 114 can be accurately positioned. In this arrangement, since the bottom surface of the ink cartridge is located on the deepest position side and the ink supply ports 4, 104 are provided on the bottom surface, in order to prevent ink from adhering thereto from the ink supply ports 4, 104, the electrodes 14, 114 are preferably provided on one of the side surfaces. More preferably, the electrodes 14, 114 are provided on the side surface 8, apart from the ink supply ports 4, 104, rather than on the side surfaces 7, 107 close to the side surfaces apart from the ink supply ports 4, 104, in view of eliminating the ink adhesion problem.

The side walls 12b, 12c, 112a and 112b of the projections 12, 112 are located as close as possible to the left and right ends of the ink cartridge in the lateral direction of the circuit board 15, 115, and preferably close to the ends of the electrode columns, respectively. With this arrangement, the electrodes 14, 114 can be precisely positioned on the spring contacts 41, 140 of the cartridge holders 30, 130.

In the second embodiment, the projection 111 serving as a lever receiver portion is provided at least above the projection 112 (the rear side of the projection 112 in the ink cartridge insertion direction), and the electrode 114 is provided on the projection 112 to accurately position the electrode 114 without applying a rotational force to the electrode 114. The projections 111 are preferably located within the width of the electrode column and more preferably are located at the center of the electrode column and are symmetrical with respect to the center of the electrode column.

The projection 111 serving as the lever receiver portion is sized such that the height h1 of the projection from the side surface of the ink cartridge is smaller than the projection height h2 of the projection 112, as shown in fig. 14B. This arrangement makes it possible to bring the portion of the cartridge holder near the projecting portion closer to the ink cartridge, thereby preventing the cartridge holder from increasing in size. In addition, the hardness of the projection 111 may be increased to ensure that the projection 111 is not deformed improperly when the ink cartridge is positioned by the lever of the cartridge holder. Also, the protruding portion 111 is formed integrally with the cartridge main body, thereby increasing the rigidity and forming the protruding portion 111 with high positioning accuracy.

At least the surface of the protruding portion 111 that is in contact with the rod is formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the electrode 114 is formed. With this arrangement, the cartridge-pressing direction of the lever can be set parallel to the surface on which the electrode 114 is formed, and therefore, reliable connection between the electrode 114 and the elastic contact 140 can be achieved. In the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment, the surface of the protruding portion 111 that is in contact with the lever is set substantially parallel to the bottom surface, or substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the protruding portion 111 is formed, and the surface on which the electrode 114 is formed is set substantially parallel to the bottom surface, or substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the protruding portion 111 is formed.

In each of the first and second embodiments, the width D2 of the projecting portion 12, 112 is smaller than the width D1 of the ink cartridge main body, and the spacing Δ D1 (see fig. 6B and 14B) between the projecting portion 12, 112 and the side surface of the ink cartridge serves as an area for inserting the rib 34, 134 formed in the ink cartridge holder 30, 130 for positioning the electrode 14, 114 of the ink cartridge, as shown in fig. 6A and 16. This allows for the formation of a means for accurately positioning the electrodes 14, 114 on the cartridge holders 30, 130 without increasing the distance L between adjacent cartridges, as shown in fig. 6B.

Preferably, the projection 112 is offset to one side in the lateral direction of the ink cartridge 1, 101, so that one side surface 12c, 112b of the projection 12, 112 can be set substantially flush with the side wall of the ink cartridge main body, and thus the side wall facing the adjacent ink cartridge can also be used to position the ink cartridge. In addition, with this arrangement, if the ink cartridge is constituted by connecting the container main bodies 2a, 102a and the covers 2b, 102b together according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the fixing portions for fixing the projecting portions 12, 112 can be formed on the container main bodies 2a, 102a, so that the projecting portions 12, 112 can be connected or fixed to the container main bodies 2a, 102a with high accuracy.

In the second embodiment, it is preferable that the position of the projection 111 is substantially at the same level as the claw portion 119 of the lever 109 in the cartridge insertion direction, the lever 109 being formed on a side wall opposite to the side wall on which the projection 111 is formed. With this arrangement, the ink cartridge is not subjected to unnecessary force in the rotational direction or the like, particularly the ink supply port 104, thereby preventing damage to the ink supply needle of the cartridge holder.

Fig. 22A, 22B, 23A and 23B illustrate a third embodiment of a color ink cartridge according to the present invention, which basically employs the same structure as the ink cartridge discussed with reference to the second embodiment of fig. 14. The third embodiment is characterized by an identification sheet 60 provided for preventing erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge.

The erroneous-installation preventing identification piece 60 prevents erroneous insertion matching with a recess formed in the side of the cartridge insertion opening of the holder. If the user tries to mount the wrong ink cartridge, the identification piece 60 cannot enter the recess, thus preventing the ink supply port of the ink cartridge from moving to the position of the ink supply needle. Therefore, the electrode 114 cannot establish contact with the elastic contact element 140.

These identification tabs 60 preferably protrude beyond the surface 113 on which the electrical contacts are provided. Thus, if the ink cartridge 101 is mounted against another surface, the identification sheet 60 can prevent the other surface from colliding with the electrical contacts, and thus by protruding beyond the electrical contact surface, the identification sheet helps prevent objects from striking and damaging the electrical contacts.

An additional advantage of having one or more identification tabs 60 is that they may be positioned in a plane that is generally parallel to the sides of the projections 112 of the ink cartridge 101 (parallel to the sides of the large sides of the ink reservoir) so that they help secure the ink cartridge 101 in a desired position and prevent lateral shifting thereof. This effect is more pronounced when a plurality of identification sheets 60 are provided.

FIGS. 24A-B and 25A-C illustrate another embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention. Similar to the black ink cartridge 1 'discussed with reference to the first embodiment, the container body 102 a' of the black ink cartridge 101 'differs in depth (thickness) d3 and thus capacity from the above-described ink cartridge 101, while the other structure (e.g., the cover 102b of the ink cartridge 101') is the same as the configuration of the above-described ink cartridge 101. The projection 112 is made at a position shifted by Δ d2 toward the container body 102 a' side in the width direction in consideration of the difference in width of the ink cartridge. The lateral center of the electrode group 114 is suitably placed at a position on a line C 'parallel to the central axis C of the ink supply port 104' of the ink cartridge 101 described above.

Since the shape of the container used in the black ink cartridge 101 'is different from that of the color ink cartridge 101, the identification sheet 60 for preventing erroneous insertion is not important for the black ink cartridge 101', and thus the structure can be omitted. However, it is preferable to place the identification sheet 60 on the black ink cartridge 101' because the identification sheet serves as a guide member that operates in a similar manner to the protruding portion 110, and thus has not only ten times the function.

Also, in order to achieve high-quality printing, two kinds of black ink, black ink and light black ink, may be used. In this case, the identification sheet 60 can be used as an element for identifying whether the ink in the ink cartridge is black or light.

In this embodiment, the erroneous mounting prevention recognition chip 60 and the projection 112 are formed as one integral block 61, the projection 112 has a surface 113, and the above-mentioned circuit board 115 is fixed to the surface 113. The block 61 is a separate member which is separated from the parts of the ink cartridge (101), i.e., the container body 102a, the cover member 103, the ink supply port 104, the lever 109, and the projection 111. The block 61 is mounted to the ink cartridge under the projection 111, and the projection 111 is pressed by the cartridge fixing mounting lever 132.

Since the projection 112 and the identification piece 60 for fixing the circuit board 115 are made into the block 61, which is a separate member from the ink cartridge in this manner, even when the ink components, such as the container body 102a, the cover member 103, the ink supply port 104, the rod 109 and the projection 111, are made to have the same shape by injection molding with the same mold, the ink cartridge of the corresponding ink color can be configured into the appropriate block 61 by simply mounting on the container body 102a, the block 61 being selected from a plurality of existing different blocks 61 prepared in advance in contrast to the different ink colors.

The protruding portion on which the circuit board 115 is fixed is made on the block 61, and the block 61 is a separate member. Therefore, the block 61 can be provided on an apparatus which is automatically assembled, the block 61 is container-fixed as compared with a container body configuring the ink cartridge, and the circuit board 115 can be connected to the block 61 in an automatic manner.

In addition, it is possible to verify ink color information or the like to be written to the memory element of the circuit board while determining the erroneous insertion prevention identification piece, thereby eliminating inconsistency between data of the identification piece and the memory element.

Fig. 26A-D illustrate one embodiment of a block 61 for the color ink cartridge described above. One end of the block 61 is formed with an identification piece 60, and the identification piece 60 is formed at a predetermined position, i.e., a position corresponding to a groove formed on the ink cartridge, to indicate a specific ink color. The other end of the block 61 is formed with a projection 62, and the projection 62 determines a surface to which the circuit board 15 is fixed.

The rear surface 63 of the block 61 is formed with positioning projections 63a, and the positioning projections 63a are to be inserted into corresponding positioning grooves formed at predetermined positions on the container body 102 a. The concave portions 64 are formed on the front surfaces of the blocks 61, and the blocks 61 are respectively provided with engaging holes 64a through which the protruding portions 102e (shown in fig. 29A and 29B) of the container body 102a can pass through the blocks 61.

With this structure, the block 61 is fixed by inserting the positioning projection 63a into the positioning groove 102d (fig. 29A and 29B) of the container body 102a and by thermally caulking the projection 102e of the container body 102, the projection 102e projecting from the through hole 64 a. Further, even if the connection of the blocks is by using an adhesive or by press-fitting of the protruding and recessed portions, the same effect can be obtained.

The number of the identification sheet 60 may be changed according to the color change in order to indicate the color of the ink in the ink cartridge. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 27, even if the numbers of the recognition sheets 60 are the same, the distance between the recognition sheets 60 may vary depending on the color, and thus each color of ink has a specific arrangement of the recognition sheets.

As shown in fig. 28A-D, the blocks 61 for the black ink cartridges are different in the number of the identification sheet 60 made at the ends thereof, and the width w of the identification sheet 60 is larger than that of the identification sheet 60 shown in fig. 27A-D. The other structural configuration is similar to the color ink cartridge, namely, the projection 62 formed on the surface 113, the projection 63a formed on the rear surface 63, and the through hole 64a, the circuit board 115 is fixed to the surface 113, and the projection 102e of the container main body 102a is fitted to the through hole 64 a.

The number of ink cartridges that can be discriminated can be increased by changing the width of the identification sheet 60 itself, changing the number of the identification sheet placed, and changing the distance between the identification sheets 60 adjacent to each other corresponding to the kinds of different inks.

In the above embodiments, the block is made while taking into consideration the fixation of the circuit board thereon. In the case of an ink cartridge that does not require a circuit board, the block can be configured to have only the identification piece. It is obvious that this structure also provides the same effect.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and not of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims (5)

1. An ink cartridge for supplying ink to an inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus includes a cartridge storage portion for receiving the ink cartridge, an ink supply needle, a plurality of flanges, and a plurality of elastic contacts between the flanges, the ink cartridge comprising:

an upper wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall intersecting the bottom wall, and a second side wall intersecting the bottom wall and facing the first side wall;

an ink supply port engageable with the ink supply needle and provided at an offset position on the bottom wall closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall;

a protruding portion provided on the second side wall and located closer to the bottom wall than to the upper wall, the protruding portion having two side portions and a surface therebetween, the side portions being defined by the flange in a width direction when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus;

a circuit board fixed on the surface of the protruding portion; and

a plurality of electrodes formed on the circuit board and adapted to come into contact with the plurality of elastic contacts when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus;

wherein a width of the protruding portion is smaller than a width of the ink cartridge.

2. The ink cartridge for supplying ink to an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus further comprises a groove, wherein,

the ink cartridge further includes a guide projection provided on the first side wall, the guide projection being configured to be received by and engage with the groove to prevent movement in the width direction when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus.

3. The ink cartridge for supplying ink to an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third side wall intersecting the upper wall, the bottom wall, the first side wall and the second side wall, and a fourth side wall opposing the third side wall, wherein one of the two side portions of the protruding portion is substantially flush with the fourth side wall.

4. The ink cartridge for supplying ink to an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge further comprises a locking member disposed on the first side wall and having an engaging portion engageable with an engaging portion of the recording apparatus when the ink cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus.

5. The ink cartridge for supplying ink to an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge further comprises a memory unit connected to at least some of the plurality of electrodes and mounted on a rear surface of the circuit board.