Liquid discharge device and liquid storage container

Abstract

This invention relates to a liquid discharging device and a liquid storage container. The liquid discharging device includes a liquid discharging head for discharging liquid into a medium and a liquid storage container. The liquid storage container includes a reservoir section, a liquid injection section, a liquid holding unit, and a liquid guiding section. The reservoir section stores liquid supplied to the liquid discharging head; the liquid injection section allows a liquid injection container to be inserted into the liquid injection section along a first direction, the liquid injection container being used to inject liquid into the reservoir section; the liquid holding unit is disposed at a position spaced apart from the liquid injection section and is capable of holding the liquid. The liquid guiding section guides the liquid from the liquid injection section to the liquid holding unit along a second direction intersecting the first direction.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on December 9, 2022, with application number 202211586713.1 and invention title "Liquid Discharge Device and Liquid Storage Container". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to a liquid discharge device for recording by discharging liquid onto a recording medium and a liquid storage container for containing liquid. Background Technology

[0003] Inkjet liquid ejection devices are referred to as liquid ejection devices, which include a storage container for holding ink to be ejected from the recording head. Some storage containers provided on such liquid ejection devices have an inlet for injecting ink, and a user can inject ink into the storage container from the inlet. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H6102596 discusses a configuration that allows ink adhering to the vicinity of the ink injection section to move from an opening to an ink receiving section provided near the ink injection section.

[0004] However, in the structure discussed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H6102596, if ink adheres and thus scatters near the ink injection section, the ink may not be able to enter the ink receiving section from the opening and will continue to spread near the ink injection section. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure aims to prevent liquid from spreading to the vicinity of liquid storage containers.

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a liquid discharging device is provided, the liquid discharging device comprising: a liquid discharging head configured to discharge liquid into a medium; and a liquid storage container comprising: a reservoir portion configured to store the liquid supplied to the liquid discharging head; a liquid injection portion configured to allow a liquid injection container to be inserted into the liquid injection portion along a first direction, the liquid injection container being used to inject the liquid into the reservoir portion; a liquid holding unit disposed at a position spaced apart from the liquid injection portion and capable of holding the liquid; and a liquid guiding portion configured to guide the liquid from the liquid injection portion to the liquid holding unit along a second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0007] Other features of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1The illustration shows the construction of a liquid discharge device according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 The illustration shows the construction of a housing including a liquid discharge device according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3A and Figure 3B The diagram illustrates the construction of an ink supply unit according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of an ink can according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0012] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a perspective view of the plug member when it is open and closed according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0013] Figure 6A and Figure 6B This is a YZ cross-sectional view of the plug member when it is open and closed according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0014] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a YZ cross-sectional view of the ink injection container being inserted into and removed from the ink can according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0015] Figures 8A to 8C This is an enlarged perspective view of the area near the ink inlet on the ink can according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 9A and Figure 9B This is an enlarged perspective view of the ink can constructed in another manner according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0017] Figure 10 This is an enlarged perspective view of the area near the ink inlet of the ink can according to a second exemplary embodiment.

[0018] Figure 11 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an ink can, taken along the YZ plane, including the ink inlet, according to a second exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure 12A and Figure 12B This is a perspective view of an ink can according to a third exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 13 This is an enlarged perspective view of an ink can according to a third exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of a micro-surface according to a first exemplary embodiment to a third exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0022] First, an inkjet recording apparatus will be described illustratively as an example of a liquid dispensing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus according to this exemplary embodiment.

[0023] The inkjet recording apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as recording apparatus 1) includes a sheet feed roller (not shown), through which recording media stacked on a sheet feed tray A are fed sheet by sheet. The fed recording material is transferred between the transport roller 7 and the pressure roller 8, and along... Figure 1 The recording medium is conveyed in the +Y direction as shown. The back of the conveyed recording medium is supported by the pressure plate 3, and the distance between the nozzle (not shown) on the recording head 4, which serves as the liquid discharge head, and the recording medium, which serves as the liquid discharge target medium, is kept constant or at a predetermined distance. In this state, the recording medium is recorded by discharging ink containing colored material from the nozzle of the recording head 4 onto the recording medium.

[0024] The recording head 4 includes a nozzle for dispensing ink (the ink is liquid) and is mounted on a carriage 2. The carriage 2 reciprocates along the X direction on a slide rail 106 via a drive unit such as a motor. The recording head 4 dispenses ink droplets while moving along the main scanning direction with the carriage 2, thereby recording an image corresponding to a frequency band onto a recording medium on a pressure plate 3. After recording an image corresponding to a frequency band, a predetermined amount of the recording medium is conveyed in the conveying direction by a transport roller 7 (intermittent transport operation). By repeating these recording operations and intermittent transport operations corresponding to a frequency band, an image is recorded onto the recording medium based on image data. The recording medium, now completed by the recording head 4, is transferred between a sheet ejection roller (not shown) and a toothed roller (not shown) and ejected onto a sheet ejection tray 9.

[0025] Furthermore, the recording device 1 is equipped with ink tanks 6, which are multiple independent liquid storage containers, each corresponding to the color of the ink discharged from the recording head 4. The ink tanks 6 and the recording head 4 use tubes 5 corresponding to their respective ink colors (see [link to documentation]). Figure 3A and Figure 3B They are interconnected via connectors (not shown). This allows the ink in each color contained in each ink can 6 to be supplied separately and individually to the nozzles of the recording head 4 corresponding to each ink color.

[0026] The recording device 1 includes a cover unit 10 that covers the surface of the nozzles forming the recording head 4. The cover unit 10 is made of a flexible material and is configured to be movable into a covered position covering the surface of the recording head 4 (on which the nozzles are formed) and a separated position not covering the surface of the recording head 4 (on which the nozzles are formed). The cover unit 10 is connected to a pump (not shown), and when the pump is driven by the cover unit 10 in the covered position, a negative pressure is generated inside the cover unit 10 and ink is drawn from the recording head 4. Through this operation, the ink ejection performance of the recording head 4 is restored. Furthermore, the cover unit 10 also serves to reduce the time the nozzles of the recording head 4 are exposed to the atmosphere by placing the cover unit 10 in the covered position during standby when the recording head 4 is not recording, thereby reducing ink ejection failures due to nozzle drying.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the recording device 1 is covered by a housing 100. The housing 100 includes opening windows 103a, 103b, 103c, and 103d to correspond to the layout positions of the ink tanks 6, and the user can visually inspect the ink tanks 6 from the front via the corresponding opening windows. This allows the user to visually check the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink tanks 6. Each ink tank 6 according to this exemplary embodiment is configured to allow ink to be injected via an ink inlet 17, which serves as a liquid injection section (see...). Figure 4 Ink is injected into ink reservoir 6, and ink inlet 17 is closed by stopper member 102. Stopper member 102 is configured to be movable to cover the closed position of ink inlet 17 with cover member 102 and to open the open position of ink inlet 17 with stopper member 102.

[0028] The cover 101 is disposed on the recording device 1 and is configured to pivot to a closed position covering the inside of the cover 1 and an open position covering the inside of the cover opening device 1. When ink is injected into the ink tank 6, the user moves the cover 101 and the stopper member 102 to their respective open positions and injects ink with the ink inlet 17 open.

[0029] Figure 3A and Figure 3B The diagram illustrates the structure of the ink supply unit. Figure 3A It is a perspective view of the ink supply unit, and Figure 3BThis is a front view of the ink supply unit viewed from the Y direction. The recording device 1 is equipped with four ink reservoirs 6B, 6C, 6M, and 6Y, corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks respectively, and these colors of ink are stored in their respective ink reservoirs 6. The number of ink reservoirs 6 and the colors of the inks may differ from the four colors mentioned above, and the types of ink colors and the number of ink reservoirs 6 may also differ from the four. Furthermore, the recording device 1 may include multiple ink reservoirs 6 storing the same color of ink. Each ink reservoir 6 is mounted on the recording device 1 with its ink inlet 17 facing upwards.

[0030] As described above, each ink reservoir 6 is connected to the recording head 4 via a tube 5. The tube 5 is as follows... Figure 3A and Figure 3B The tube 5 extends along the X direction and bends in the middle to connect to the recording head 4, and the bent portion of the tube 5 also moves according to the movement of the recording head 4. The tube guide plate 15 guides the position of the tube 5 as the recording head 4 moves. By providing the tube guide plate 14 at the mating portion with the housing 100 or the tube guide plate 15, friction on the tube 5 is reduced as the tube 5 moves according to the movement of the recording head 4, thereby reducing wear on the tube 5. One end and the other end of the tube guide plate 14 are fixed to the tube guide plate 15 and the recording head 4, respectively, and the tube guide plate 14 is also configured to move together with the tube 5 according to the reciprocating motion of the recording head 4.

[0031] Furthermore, the multiple tubes 5 extending from each ink can 6 are held together by the holder slider 11, the first tube holder 12, and the second tube holder 13. The connection between the tubes 5 and the aforementioned tube guide plate 14 is reduced due to the first tube holder 12.

[0032] In addition, the second tube holder 13 serves to fix the end of the tube 5 by clamping the tube 5 between the second tube holder 13 and the tube guide plate 15.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of ink can 6. Ink can 6 is a one-piece molded component with five surfaces, and an ink chamber is formed within ink can 6 by welding a thin layer 24 to the can opening. The ink chamber is a reservoir configured to store ink. Ink can 6 is made of transparent or translucent resin, and the ink contained in the ink chamber and the liquid surface of the ink can be visually confirmed via the visual confirmation surface 16, and the user can visually check the remaining ink level.

[0034] Examples of scale markings include a lower limit mark 16a and an upper limit mark 16b, formed in a raised manner on the visual confirmation surface of the ink reservoir 6. The lower limit mark 16a indicates the lower limit amount of ink to be injected into the ink chamber. The upper limit mark 16b indicates the upper limit amount of ink injected from the ink inlet 17 and contained within the ink chamber. Other scale markings may be provided besides the aforementioned marks 16a and 16b, or only either mark 16a or 16b may be provided.

[0035] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a perspective view illustrating how the plug component 102 opens and closes. Figure 6A and Figure 6B This is a YZ cross-sectional view indicating how the plug member 102 opens and closes. As described above, the plug member 102 is a member movable to an open position where the plug member 102 opens the ink inlet 17 and a closed position where the plug member 102 closes the ink inlet 17. The plug member 102 is held on a holding member 105, which is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 104b provided on the housing 104. With this configuration, the holding member 105 is positioned relative to the housing 104 and is pivotable to an open position where the holding member 105 opens the ink inlet 17 and a closed position where the holding member 105 closes the ink inlet 17.

[0036] The position of the housing 104 relative to the ink tank 6 is fixed by the engagement between the rib 18 (described below) provided on the ink tank 6 and the mating part 104a.

[0037] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a YZ cross-sectional view showing the ink injection container being inserted into and removed from ink tank 6. The ink injection port 17 of ink tank 6 is configured to allow the ink injection container 50, which serves as the liquid injection container, to be inserted into ink tank 6 along a roughly Z direction intersecting the X and Y directions. When ink is injected from ink injection container 50 into ink tank 6, the user... Figure 7A The diagram shows the ink injection container 50 being inserted into the ink injection port 17 and ink being injected from the ink injection container 50 into the ink tank 6.

[0038] After the ink is completely poured from the ink filling container 50 into the ink tank 6, the user... Figure 7B The ink injection container 50 is shown being pulled out of the ink injection port 17.

[0039] Figures 8A to 8CThis is an enlarged perspective view of the area near the ink inlet 17 on the ink canister 6. When ink is injected into the ink canister 6 from the ink inlet container 50, ink may spill from the ink inlet container 50 or the ink inlet 17, and the side surface of the ink canister 6 may become contaminated with ink. Specifically, when spilled ink adheres to the visual confirmation surface 16 of the ink canister 6, the adhered ink obstructs the user's visual confirmation of the amount of ink in the ink canister 6. Furthermore, for example, in the case of ink spillage on the side surface of the ink canister 6, when the recording device 1 is impacted or its orientation changes, the ink may splash and adhere to components located around the ink canister 6, and the user's hands may become soiled from touching the ink. To prevent ink from adhering to the visual confirmation surface 16 of the ink canister 6 or surrounding components in this manner, measures should be taken to prevent the spread of ink spilled from the ink inlet 17 or the ink inlet container 50.

[0040] like Figure 6A As shown, an ink holding member 20 formed using an absorber capable of absorbing liquid is disposed near the ink inlet 17 of the ink tank 6 according to this exemplary embodiment. Furthermore, ribs 18, 19a, and 19b, which are arc-shaped protrusions, are provided around the ink inlet 17. Additionally, a rib 26, which is a linear protrusion extending from the ink inlet 17 toward the ink holding member 20, is provided around the ink inlet 17. The arc-shaped rib 18 has an opening 18a at the portion facing the ink holding member 20.

[0041] Ribs 19a and 19b are configured to be lower in height than rib 18 along the Z-direction, and rib 19a is provided with an opening 191a, which is similar to the opening 18a of rib 18 described above. Furthermore, rib 19a connects to rib 19c, which extends from the opening 191a in a direction toward the ink holding member 20. Additionally, rib 19b has an arcuate shape with an opening at the portion facing the ink holding member 20. Ribs 19a and 19b, as well as rib 26 described above, contact the ink holding member 20. The ribs are formed around the ink inlet 17 in this way, thereby forming an ink guiding path 21 and an ink holding path 25, the ink guiding path 21 being a liquid guiding portion. Ideally, the height of ribs 19a, 19b, and 19c does not hinder engagement with rib 18 and mating portion 104a.

[0042] The following will refer to Figure 8B This describes the ink flow introduced in the ink guide path 21. After the ink is injected into the ink tank 6, the user... Figure 7BAs shown, the ink injection container 50 is pulled out from the ink injection port 17, but ink may adhere to the outer surface 22 of the ink injection port 17 at this time. The ink adhering to the outer surface 22 of the ink injection port 17 drips directly downwards due to gravity. The ink droplets enter the ink guiding path 21. Then, as the amount of ink flowing into the ink guiding path 21 increases, the ink flows along the rib 18 as indicated by the arrow and flows towards the opening 18a.

[0043] After reaching the opening 18a, the ink moves further along the rib 26. When it reaches the ink holding member 20, the ink is absorbed and held in the ink holding member 20. At this time, the ink is prevented from spreading in the X direction by the rib 19c and is reliably guided to the ink holding member 20. Therefore, the ink can move from the ink inlet side (liquid inlet side) to the ink holding member 20.

[0044] If ink overflows from ink guide path 21, then as Figure 8C As indicated by the arrow, ink overflowing from rib 18 is introduced into ink retention path 25, and the introduced ink is retained by capillary force. The ink retained in ink retention path 25 dries over time. Therefore, even if ink overflows again from ink guide path 21, it remains within ink retention path 25, preventing ink from spreading outwards relative to ink retention path 25. In this way, in ink tank 6, ink retention member 20 and ink retention path 25 function as a liquid retention unit and prevent ink spread.

[0045] With this configuration, ink adhering to the outer surface 22 of the ink inlet 17 is guided to the ink holding member 20 via the ink guiding path 21 and held therein. Furthermore, even if ink overflows from the ink guiding path 21, it can still be held in the ink holding path 25. Therefore, this configuration prevents overflowing ink from spreading and further allows the ink to be held by the ink holding member 20, thereby also preventing ink from splashing during, for example, changes in the orientation of the recording device 1. Moreover, this configuration allows the volume of the ink holding member 20 to be reduced by an amount equivalent to the volume of ink that can be held in the ink holding path 25, thereby reducing the size of the ink holding member 20.

[0046] Two or more ink retention paths 25 can be provided by further forming ribs on the outer side relative to ribs 19a and 19b. Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the ink tank 6 is configured to also retain ink in the space between ribs 19a and rib 18, thus enabling the retention of ink overflowing from the ink guide path 21 even if only rib 19a is provided and rib 19 is not provided. However, increasing the number of ink retention paths 25 makes the ink tank 6 and... Figures 8A to 8CCompared to the state where the ink tank 6 includes an ink holding path 25, the amount of ink that can be held is further increased. This allows the ink tank 6 to handle even more ink overflowing from the ink guide path 21, thereby enhancing the effect of preventing ink spread compared to when the ink tank 6 includes an ink holding path 25.

[0047] Rib 18 may have the following extended shape: opening 18a as shown Figure 9A The ink-holding member 20 shown is in contact with the ink. Thus, even if [the ink-holding member 20 is omitted]... Figures 8A to 8C The rib 26 shown still allows ink to be guided from the ink guide path 21 to the ink holding member 20.

[0048] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the ink reservoir 6 is configured such that the ribs 19a and 19b disposed around the rib 18 form an arc shape. In this shape, the ink retention path 25 is located near the rib 18, and ink overflowing from the ink guide path 21 is quickly introduced into the ink retention path 25. However, the shape of the ink retention path 25 is not necessarily arc-shaped, and the ink retention path 25 can retain ink overflowing from the ink guide path 21, as long as its shape surrounds the rib 18 on the outside. For example, the ink retention path 25 can be as follows: Figure 9B The ribs 19a and 19b shown are formed in a quadrilateral shape, or they can be formed in a shape different from a quadrilateral.

[0049] In the following description, a second exemplary embodiment will be described, but descriptions of constructions similar to the first exemplary embodiment will be omitted.

[0050] Figure 10 This is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the ink inlet 17 of the ink tank 6 according to this exemplary embodiment, and Figure 11 This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ink reservoir 6, taken along the YZ plane, including the ink inlet 17. In this exemplary embodiment, an arc-shaped recess 23 is provided around the rib 18. A rib 201 extending to the ink holding member 20 is provided near the opening of the recess 23, and ink guided to the opening 18a via the ink guiding path 21 is further guided to the ink holding member 20 by the rib 201. When the ink guided to the ink holding member 20 via the rib 201 reaches the ink holding member 20, the ink is absorbed and retained in the ink holding member 20.

[0051] Furthermore, if ink overflows from the ink guide path 21 in this exemplary embodiment, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the overflowed ink is introduced into the recess 23, and the ink is retained in the recess 23 under the action of capillary force. With this configuration, the ink introduced into the ink guide path 21 is guided to the ink holding member 20 or the ink holding path 25 and held therein, thus preventing the ink from spreading over a wide area.

[0052] In this embodiment, the ink reservoir 6 is configured to have two recesses 23, but the number of recesses 23 can be two or more, or even just one. Increasing the number of recesses 23 results in an increase in the amount of ink that can be held in the recesses 23, thereby enabling the ink reservoir 6 to handle even more ink overflowing from the ink guide path 21. Furthermore, this configuration allows the volume of the ink holding member 20 to be reduced by an amount equivalent to the volume of ink that can be held in the recesses 23, thereby reducing the size of the ink holding member 20.

[0053] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the rib 18 may have an extending shape such that the opening 18a contacts the ink retaining member 20 in a manner similar to that in the first exemplary embodiment. Additionally, the shape of the recess 23 may be any shape that surrounds the rib 18, not limited to an arc shape, and the recess 23 may be formed as a quadrilateral or other shapes.

[0054] In the following description, a third exemplary embodiment will be described, but descriptions of constructions similar to the first or second exemplary embodiments will be omitted.

[0055] Figure 12A and Figure 12B This is a perspective view of the ink can 6 according to this exemplary embodiment, and Figure 13 This is an enlarged perspective view of the area near the ink inlet 17 on ink tank 6. Figure 12A This is an external perspective view of ink can 6, and Figure 12B This is a perspective view of the case where the thin layer 24 is not welded to the ink reservoir 6. In this exemplary embodiment, the rib 18 includes an opening 18b along the X direction and an opening 18a at the portion facing the ink holding member 20. The thin layer 24 is welded to the end of the rib 18 that forms the opening 18b, thereby closing the opening 18b. Therefore, the ink guiding path 21 is formed by the rib 18 and the thin layer 24.

[0056] If the ink reservoir 6 is not constructed to form the ink chamber by welding a thin sheet such as a thin layer, the ink guide path 21 can be constructed by bonding the components that form the side surface of the ink reservoir 6 and the opening 18b. In other words, the ink guide path 21 can be constructed by bonding or welding a portion of any component that forms the side surface of the ink reservoir 6 to the opening 18b.

[0057] In this way, even if the ink reservoir 6 is not configured such that the portion of the rib 18, excluding the opening 18a, continuously surrounds the ink inlet 17, an ink guiding path 21 can still be constructed. The ink introduced into the ink guiding path 21 is guided to the ink holding member 20 by the ribs 18 and 26, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, and is absorbed and held in the ink holding member 20.

[0058] In this exemplary embodiment, the thin layer 24 is also welded along the X direction to the ends of the ribs 19a and 19b formed on the outer side relative to the ribs 18, and the ink holding path 25 is formed by the ribs 19a and 19b and the thin layer 24. Even if ink introduced into the ink guiding path 21 overflows along the +Y direction, the ink is introduced into the ink holding path 25 and held therein.

[0059] With this configuration, the ink introduced into the ink guide path 21 is guided to and held in the ink holding member 20 or the ink holding path 25, thus preventing ink from spreading over a wide area. Furthermore, this configuration allows the ink reservoir 6 to have a reduced width in the X direction compared to when the ink inlet 17 is surrounded by ribs 18 along its entire circumference.

[0060] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the rib 18 may also have the following extended shape: the opening 18a is similar to that in the first and second exemplary embodiments and contacts the ink holding member 20.

[0061] In this exemplary embodiment, the reduction in the width of the ink can 6 along the X direction results in a reduction in the size of the ink holding member 20 along the X direction, but the absorption capacity can be maintained by increasing the thickness of the ink holding member 20 along the Z direction.

[0062] like Figure 14 As shown, the surface of the ink guiding path 21 in any exemplary embodiment can have a microstructured uneven shape formed by providing a plurality of cylinders 30 with diameters, heights, and spacings of tens of micrometers. Forming a microstructured uneven shape on the surface of the ink guiding path 21 can improve surface wettability by means of capillary forces derived from the uneven surface. Furthermore, when the microstructured uneven shape is formed on the inner side of the rib 18 (the inner side of the outer surface 22 facing the ink supply port 17), the capillary force also facilitates the movement of ink adhering to the rib 18 along the ink guiding path 21. In addition, since the ink guiding path 21 extends toward the ink holding member 20, it can also be inclined downwards, thereby facilitating the guidance of ink to the ink holding member 20.

[0063] In any exemplary embodiment, the ink holding member 20 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the ink injection port 17, thus allowing the ink holding member 20 to be simply shaped. For example, if the ink holding member 20 is configured to surround the ink injection port 17, the ink holding member 20 should be disposed around the ink injection port 17 in a shape that avoids the ink injection port 17, and therefore may have a complex shape. On the other hand, the construction according to the first exemplary embodiment to the third exemplary embodiment can be constructed simply by arranging the ink holding member 20 in the direction that guides the ink along the ink guiding path 21, thereby eliminating the necessity of arranging the ink holding member 20 around the ink injection port 17. This makes the shape of the ink holding member 20 unaffected by the shape of the ink injection port 17, thereby allowing the ink holding member 20 to be formed in a simple shape (e.g., rectangular).

[0064] In any exemplary embodiment, the side surface of the ink holding member 20 along the Y direction has an inwardly recessed shape. Thus, in the housing 104 and the ink reservoir 6... Figure 6A and Figure 6B When the shown fit is made, interference between the fitting part 104a and the ink holding member 20 can be prevented, thereby allowing the housing 104 and the ink tank 6 to fit together smoothly.

[0065] Furthermore, according to this exemplary embodiment, the ink holding member 20 can be symmetrically formed with respect to the X direction by means of grooves provided on its two side surfaces along the Y direction, thereby preventing interference with the mating portion 104a due to differences in the layout orientation of the ink holding member 20. However, the arrangement of the grooves of the ink holding member 20 is not limited to this example; the grooves of the ink holding member 20 can be provided at the portion that mates with the mating portion 104a, and the grooves of the ink holding member 20 do not necessarily have to be provided on both side surfaces along the Y direction.

[0066] Furthermore, in any exemplary embodiment, the openings 18a of rib 18 and 191a of rib 19 are not necessarily positioned on the depth side relative to the ink inlet 17 along the Y direction. For example, the ink tank 6 can be configured such that each opening of the rib is located on the front side relative to the ink inlet 17 along the Y direction, or it can be configured such that each opening of the rib is located on the other side. In this case, the exemplary embodiment can be implemented as long as the ink tank 6 is configured such that the ink holding member 20 is disposed at a position facing the openings 18a and 191a and the ink is guided to the ink holding member 20 through the ink guiding path 21.

[0067] According to this disclosure, it is possible to prevent liquid from spreading to the vicinity of the liquid storage container.

[0068] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The appended claims should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense to cover all such variations and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A liquid discharge device, the liquid discharge device comprising: A liquid discharge head configured to discharge liquid into a medium; as well as Liquid storage container, the liquid storage container includes A reservoir section, configured to store the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head. A liquid injection section, configured to allow a liquid injection container to be inserted into the liquid injection section in a first direction, the liquid injection container being used to inject the liquid into the reservoir section. A liquid holding unit, wherein the liquid holding unit is disposed at a position spaced apart from the liquid injection section and is capable of holding the liquid, and A liquid guiding section is configured to guide the liquid from the liquid injection section to the liquid holding unit along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The liquid guide portion includes a liquid guide path defined by the outer surface of the liquid injection portion and a first protrusion disposed around the liquid injection portion and facing the outer surface of the liquid guide portion.

2. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein, The first protrusion has a shape surrounding the outer surface of the liquid injection portion and includes a first opening on at least a portion of the portion facing the liquid holding unit in the second direction.

3. The liquid discharge device according to claim 2, wherein, The liquid storage container includes a second protrusion extending from the liquid injection portion toward the liquid holding unit through the first opening, and the liquid guide portion includes the second protrusion.

4. The liquid discharge device according to claim 2, in, The liquid holding unit includes a first liquid holding unit and a second liquid holding unit. The first liquid holding unit is formed using an absorber capable of absorbing the liquid and is disposed at the first opening facing the liquid guide portion along the second direction. The second liquid holding unit is configured to surround the liquid guide portion and include a second opening on at least a portion of the portion of the first opening portion facing the liquid guide portion.

5. The liquid discharge device according to claim 4, wherein, The second opening contacts the first liquid holding unit.

6. The liquid discharge device according to claim 4, wherein, The second liquid holding unit includes a protrusion that is shaped to surround the liquid guide portion.

7. The liquid discharge device according to claim 4, wherein, The second liquid holding unit includes a recessed portion that is shaped to surround the liquid guide portion.

8. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein, The liquid guiding path is also defined by a portion of the side surface forming the reservoir section.

9. The liquid discharge device according to claim 8, in, At least one side surface of the reservoir is formed of a thin layer, and The liquid guiding path is further defined as a portion of the side surface forming the reservoir portion, which is at least one side surface formed by the thin layer.

10. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein, At least a portion of the surface defining the liquid guiding path has a microstructured uneven shape.

11. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein, The liquid guiding path is located between the outer surface of the liquid injection part and the inner surface of the first protrusion.

12. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein, The first protrusion extends at least partially around the liquid injection portion.

13. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein, The liquid holding unit includes a space between the first protrusion and an additional protrusion disposed outside the first protrusion.

14. The liquid discharge device according to claim 13, wherein, The liquid is ink containing colored material, and the liquid discharge head is a recording head configured to record an image on a medium to which the liquid is discharged.

15. A liquid storage container, the liquid storage container comprising: A reservoir section is configured to store liquid supplied to a liquid discharge head, the liquid discharge head being configured to discharge the liquid onto a medium; A liquid injection section, the liquid injection section being configured to allow a liquid injection container to be inserted into the liquid injection section in a first direction, the liquid injection container being used to inject the liquid into the reservoir section; A liquid holding unit is disposed at a position spaced apart from the liquid injection section and is capable of holding the liquid. as well as A liquid guiding section is configured to guide the liquid from the liquid injection section to the liquid holding unit along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The liquid guide portion includes a liquid guide path defined by the outer surface of the liquid injection portion and a first protrusion disposed around the liquid injection portion and facing the outer surface of the liquid guide portion.

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