Ink cartridge and photo printer comprising same

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of ink cartridge and the photo printer including it, ink cartridge is connected in the movement shaft in photo printer, to rotate around movement shaft, ink cartridge's orifice is arranged at one end away from movement shaft, ink cartridge includes two side surfaces perpendicular to orifice surface, in side surface, at least corresponding to the part of orifice is inwardly inclined.The ink cartridge and the photo printer including it, the bottom end of ink cartridge is inwardly retracted, removes two bottom corners, so that ink cartridge can be rotated to wider area when rotating, compared with the square ink cartridge of prior art, the space wasted by the two right angles of original bottom end is saved, the utilization of printer housing space is improved.Correspondingly, ink cartridge can be made larger than square ink cartridge as a whole, accommodate more ink, the frequency of replacing ink cartridge can be reduced, and the experience of user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of printers, and in particular to an ink cartridge and a photo printer including the same. Background Technology

[0002] The market demand for portable photo printers is growing. Most existing photo printers use a side-by-side ink cartridge layout (e.g., four-color / six-color individual ink cartridges arranged in parallel), which results in an excessively wide printer. Furthermore, traditional ink cartridges are mostly rectangular in shape, which leads to wasted space when moving within a limited space.

[0003] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, in a printer structure where the printhead moves along a fan-shaped trajectory (or arc-shaped trajectory), a motion shaft is provided inside the printer housing. The motion shaft is connected to a printhead carriage 120, which serves as a connector for the ink cartridge to rotate along an arc-shaped trajectory. The printhead carriage 120 is a rectangular structural component. The ink cartridge 130 is held within the rectangular frame of the printhead carriage 120. A drive motor (not shown) drives the motion shaft 110 to rotate, which in turn causes the ink cartridge 130 to swing back and forth along an arc-shaped trajectory via the printhead carriage 120. The ink cartridge 130 has ink nozzles 133, which correspond to the position of the printhead. A sheet-like FPC circuit board 134 (Flexible Printed Circuit) is also attached to the ink cartridge 130. Typically, the nozzles 133 are located in the center of the FPC circuit board 134. The FPC circuit board 134 is used to electrically connect to the printer's control unit to transmit user printing commands and control the ink ejection state of the nozzles 133.

[0004] like Figure 2 As shown, when the rectangular ink cartridge 130 rotates to both ends in an arc-shaped trajectory, there is a portion 135 on its side that cannot be covered by ink. However, space must be reserved inside the casing for this area. Since the internal space of portable photo printers is usually limited, this area 135 that cannot be covered by ink results in wasted space. Correspondingly, if the casing size is reduced to meet the portability requirements of the printer, the size of the ink cartridge will be reduced, thus requiring frequent ink cartridge replacements and affecting the user's experience. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of existing photo printers, such as low internal space utilization and the need for frequent ink cartridge replacement, and to provide an ink cartridge and a photo printer including the same.

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0007] An ink cartridge is connected to a motion axis within a photo printer for rotation about the motion axis, the ink cartridge having an nozzle located at an end away from the motion axis, and the ink cartridge including two sides perpendicular to the nozzle surface, wherein at least the portion of the sides corresponding to the nozzle is inclined inward.

[0008] In this design, the ink cartridge tilts inward at least on the two sides corresponding to the nozzle, with the nozzle located at the end of the cartridge furthest from the axis of motion (the bottom). This effectively shrinks the bottom of the cartridge inward, eliminating the two bottom corners and allowing the cartridge to rotate over a wider area. Compared to existing square cartridges, this design saves the space wasted by the two right angles at the bottom, improving the utilization of space within the printer housing. Consequently, the cartridge can be made larger overall than a square cartridge, holding more ink and reducing the frequency of cartridge replacements, thus enhancing the user experience.

[0009] Preferably, the two sides have the same tilt angle.

[0010] In this design, if the tilt angles of the two sides are not the same, the retraction space on both sides will differ when the ink cartridge rotates left and right, resulting in wasted space. Therefore, by adopting the above setting, the two sides form symmetrical tilt angles, making the shape of the ink cartridge regular and helping to avoid wasting space within the casing.

[0011] Preferably, the nozzle is covered with a sheet-like flexible printed circuit board, and the end of the side away from the motion axis extends obliquely to the side edge of the flexible printed circuit board.

[0012] In this solution, the above settings are adopted to tilt the side to the maximum angle while keeping the flexible printed circuit board intact, thus avoiding space waste to the greatest extent.

[0013] Preferably, the distances from both sides of the flexible printed circuit board to the side surface are equal.

[0014] In this solution, the above setup places the flexible printed circuit board in the center of the ink cartridge, with both sides forming a symmetrical inward tilt at the maximum angle, which helps to avoid wasting space.

[0015] Preferably, the distance between the nozzle and the two sides of the flexible printed circuit board is equal.

[0016] In this solution, the above-mentioned settings ensure that the nozzle is centered relative to the flexible printed circuit board. This ensures that the area covered by the nozzle is the same whether the ink cartridge turns left or right, thus avoiding wasted space.

[0017] Preferably, all of the sides are inclined inward at the same angle.

[0018] In this solution, the above-mentioned design ensures that the ink cartridge has a regular shape, making it easy to manufacture. On the other hand, while ensuring that the bottom of the ink cartridge (i.e., the side part corresponding to the nozzle) shrinks inward to improve the utilization of space inside the printer housing, a structure with the side protruding outward is formed at the front end of the ink cartridge (i.e., the end near the motion axis), which increases the volume of the ink cartridge and can hold more ink, thereby reducing the frequency of ink cartridge replacement and avoiding frequent ink cartridge replacement.

[0019] Preferably, the ink cartridge includes multiple ink troughs for holding ink of different colors, and the multiple ink troughs are arranged side by side.

[0020] A photo printer, wherein a motion shaft and an ink cartridge as described above are disposed within the housing of the photo printer, the ink cartridge being connected to the motion shaft.

[0021] In this solution, the photo printer eliminates two bottom corners of the ink cartridge, allowing it to rotate over a wider area and saving the space wasted by the two right angles at the bottom, thus improving the utilization of the printer's internal space. Consequently, the ink cartridge can be made larger overall, holding more ink, reducing the frequency of cartridge replacements and enhancing the user experience.

[0022] Preferably, the motion axis is configured to move horizontally within the housing.

[0023] In this solution, the ink cartridge can move within a larger space, allowing the ink to cover a larger area and improving the space utilization within the printer housing.

[0024] A photo printer, wherein a motion shaft, a printhead carriage, and an ink cartridge as described above are disposed within the housing of the photo printer, the printhead carriage being connected to the motion shaft; the printhead carriage includes an outer frame, and a portion of the side of the ink cartridge is snapped into the outer frame.

[0025] In this design, part of the ink cartridge's side is connected to the motion axis via a printhead carriage, while the portion of the ink cartridge's side not covered by the printhead carriage's outer frame can tilt inward, thereby improving the utilization of space within the printer housing.

[0026] The significant advantages of this invention are as follows: The ink cartridge and the photo printer including it have an inward-retracting bottom, eliminating the two bottom corners. This allows the cartridge to rotate over a wider area, saving space compared to existing square ink cartridges and improving the utilization of space within the printer housing. Consequently, the cartridge can be made larger overall than a square cartridge, holding more ink and reducing the frequency of cartridge replacements, thus enhancing the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a photo printer using existing technology.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of an ink cartridge rotating in an arc-shaped trajectory in a conventional photo printer. The dotted lines on the printhead and ink cartridge represent the states of the ink cartridge and printhead when the ink cartridge is rotated to the leftmost and rightmost ends, respectively.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ink cartridge in Embodiment 1 of this utility model rotating in an arc-shaped trajectory inside the housing of the photo printer. The dotted lines in the diagram represent the state of the ink cartridge and the print head when the ink cartridge is rotated to the leftmost and rightmost ends, respectively.

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 1 ink cartridges and Figure 3 A structural comparison diagram of ink cartridges, the one on the left is... Figure 1 The ink cartridge, the one on the right is... Figure 3 Ink cartridges.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ink cartridge of Embodiment 2 of this utility model rotating in an arc-shaped trajectory inside the housing of the photo printer. The dotted lines in the figure represent the state of the ink cartridge when it is rotated to the leftmost and rightmost ends respectively.

[0032] Figure 6 for Figure 1 ink cartridges and Figure 5 A structural comparison diagram of ink cartridges, the one on the left is... Figure 1 The ink cartridge, the one on the right is... Figure 5 Ink cartridges.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] Photo printer 100

[0035] Motion axis 110

[0036] Word Car 120

[0037] Ink cartridge 130

[0038] Part 1, page 131

[0039] Part Two, 132

[0040] Nozzle 133

[0041] Flexible printed circuit board 134

[0042] Area 135 that ink cannot cover

[0043] Side view 136

[0044] 140 shell Detailed Implementation

[0045] The present invention will be described more clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings, using a preferred embodiment.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] like Figures 3-6 As shown, this embodiment provides an ink cartridge 130, which is connected to a motion shaft 110 within a photo printer 100 to rotate around the motion shaft 110. The ink cartridge 130 has a nozzle 133 located at the end away from the motion shaft 110. The ink cartridge 130 includes two side surfaces 136 perpendicular to the surface of the nozzle 133, with the portion of the side surface 136 corresponding to the nozzle 133 inclined inwards. Specifically, in this embodiment, the ink cartridge 130 is connected to the motion shaft 110 via a rectangular carriage 120, which serves as a motion connecting component. The ink cartridge 130 has two parts: a first part 131, located near the motion shaft 110, is fitted within the rectangular frame of the carriage 120; the second part 132, located away from the motion shaft 110, is not fitted within the carriage 120. The second part 132, which is the part with the nozzle 133, has its side 136 tilted inwards. The outline of the second part 132 forms an inwardly contracting structure, as if the two corners at the ends of the square ink cartridge 130 have been cut off. It should be noted that in different implementations of the printer, the shape of the printhead carriage 120 may vary depending on the shape of different areas on the surface of the ink cartridge 130. Some printhead carriages 120 may not have a square frame structure, but instead connect to the ink cartridge 130 in other ways. In this case, the area on the side 136 of the ink cartridge 130 that can tilt inwards will be larger, rather than as shown... Figure 3 What is shown is only the second part 132, which forms an inward tilt; some characters 120 have smaller squares, then... Figure 3 The second part, 132, will be longer.

[0048] The ink cartridge 130 has at least the side 136 corresponding to the nozzle 133 tilted inward. Since the nozzle 133 is located at the end of the ink cartridge 130 away from the axis of motion 110 (bottom end), it is equivalent to shrinking the bottom end of the ink cartridge 130 inward, eliminating the two bottom corners, and forming an ink cartridge 130 structure with a roughly trapezoidal cross-section. This allows the ink cartridge 130 to rotate to a wider area. Compared with the existing square ink cartridge 130, it saves the space wasted by the two right angles at the bottom, improving the utilization rate of the space inside the printer housing 140. Correspondingly, the ink cartridge 130 can be made larger overall than the square ink cartridge 130, holding more ink, reducing the frequency of ink cartridge replacement, and improving the user experience.

[0049] In this embodiment, the two sides 136 have the same tilt angle. In other embodiments, the two sides 136 may have different tilt angles, but in this case, the retraction space on both sides will be different when the ink cartridge 130 turns left and right, resulting in wasted space. Therefore, in this embodiment, the two sides 136 are designed with the same tilt angle, forming a symmetrical tilt angle. The regular shape of the ink cartridge 130 helps to avoid wasting space within the housing 140.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, a sheet-like flexible printed circuit board 134 is covered on the nozzle 133, and the end of the side 136 away from the pivot extends obliquely to the side edge of the flexible printed circuit board 134. In this way, while keeping the flexible printed circuit board 134 intact, the side 136 is tilted to the maximum angle, minimizing space waste.

[0051] The flexible printed circuit board 134 has equal distances from both sides to the side 136, which places the flexible printed circuit board 134 in the center of the ink cartridge 130. The two side 136 form a symmetrical inward tilt at the maximum angle, which helps to avoid wasting space.

[0052] The nozzle 133 is spaced equally from both sides of the flexible printed circuit board 134, so that the nozzle 133 is centered relative to the flexible printed circuit board 134. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 130 turns left and right, the area covered by the nozzle 133 is the same, thus avoiding wasting space.

[0053] In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 130 can contain only one color ink reservoir, or it can contain multiple ink reservoirs (not shown in the figure) that hold different colors of ink. When there are multiple ink reservoirs, there are several ways to arrange them. One arrangement is to place the multiple ink reservoirs side by side. In this case, the outermost ink reservoir is designed to be tilted inward, while the inner ink reservoirs can maintain a regular rectangular structure. In this way, whether it is a four-color, six-color, or more-color ink cartridge 130, the structure of its two sides 136 can be optimized to save space inside the printer. This design is particularly important for the portable photo printer 100, because the space in the casing 140 of a portable printer is extremely limited. The ink cartridge 130 design of this embodiment can make full use of the space inside the casing 140, thereby maximizing the size of the ink cartridge 130, reducing the frequency of ink cartridge replacement, and thus improving the user experience.

[0054] This embodiment also provides a photo printer 100 corresponding to the ink cartridge 130 design of Embodiment 1. As described above, in this embodiment, the ink cartridge 130 is connected to the motion shaft 110 via a rectangular carriage 120. The carriage 120 includes an outer frame, and a portion of the side 136 of the ink cartridge 130 is snapped into the outer frame, thereby achieving connection with the motion shaft 110. The portion of the side 136 of the ink cartridge 130 not covered by the outer frame of the carriage 120 can tilt inward, thereby improving the utilization rate of the internal space of the printer housing 140. Therefore, the photo printer 100, through the ink cartridge 130 designed as described above, eliminates two bottom corners, allowing the ink cartridge 130 to rotate to a wider area, saving the space wasted by the two right angles at the bottom, and improving the utilization rate of the internal space of the printer housing 140. Correspondingly, the ink cartridge 130 can be made larger overall, holding more ink, reducing the frequency of ink cartridge replacement, and improving the user experience.

[0055] In other embodiments, in order to improve the space utilization within the printer housing 140, the motion axis 110 can also be configured to move horizontally within the housing 140, so that the ink cartridge 130 can move within a larger space and the ink can cover a larger space, thereby improving the space utilization within the printer housing 140.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, this embodiment provides another form of ink cartridge 130, which is substantially the same as the ink cartridge 130 of Embodiment 1, except that: in this embodiment, the entire surface of both sides 136 of the ink cartridge 130 is inclined inward at the same angle. With this design, the carriage 120 or other moving connecting parts connected to the motion shaft 110 of the ink cartridge 130 can be designed as a smaller structure, instead of using the outer frame of the carriage 120 to clamp the ink cartridge 130 as in Embodiment 1. Thus, the cross-section of the optimized ink cartridge 130 is a complete trapezoidal structure.

[0058] In this structural design, on the one hand, the ink cartridge 130 has a regular shape, which is convenient for manufacturing; on the other hand, while ensuring that the bottom end of the ink cartridge 130 (i.e., the side 136 part corresponding to the nozzle 133) shrinks inward to improve the space utilization within the printer housing 140, a structure with the side 136 protruding outward is formed at the front end of the ink cartridge 130 (i.e., the end near the motion shaft 110), which increases the volume of the ink cartridge 130, allowing it to hold more ink, thereby reducing the frequency of ink cartridge 130 replacement and avoiding frequent ink cartridge 130 replacements.

[0059] Accordingly, this embodiment also provides a photo printer 100 corresponding to the ink cartridge 130 design of this embodiment 2. The ink cartridge 130 can be connected to the motion shaft 110 using a smaller motion connector, and the ink tank forms a structure with a complete trapezoidal cross-section. By using this ink cartridge 130 design, the photo printer 100 not only improves the space utilization within the housing 140 but also increases the volume of the ink cartridge 130, avoiding frequent ink cartridge replacements and improving the user experience.

[0060] While specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this utility model, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge, the ink cartridge being connected to a motion axis within a photo printer for rotation about the motion axis, wherein the ink cartridge's nozzle is located at an end remote from the motion axis, characterized in that, The ink cartridge includes two sides perpendicular to the nozzle surface, wherein at least the portion of the sides corresponding to the nozzle is inclined inward.

2. The ink cartridge as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The two sides have the same tilt angle.

3. The ink cartridge as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The nozzle is covered with a sheet-like flexible printed circuit board, and the end of the side away from the motion axis extends obliquely to the side edge of the flexible printed circuit board.

4. The ink cartridge as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The distances from both sides of the flexible printed circuit board to the side surface are equal.

5. The ink cartridge as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The distance between the nozzle and the two sides of the flexible printed circuit board is equal.

6. The ink cartridge as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ink cartridge includes multiple ink troughs that hold ink of different colors, and the multiple ink troughs are arranged side by side.

7. The ink cartridge as described in claim 1, characterized in that, All of the sides are tilted inward at the same angle.

8. A photo printer, characterized in that, The photo printer housing includes a motion shaft and an ink cartridge as described in any one of claims 1-7, the ink cartridge being connected to the motion shaft.

9. The photo printer as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The motion axis is configured to move horizontally within the housing.

10. A photo printer, characterized in that, The photo printer housing includes a motion shaft, a printhead carriage, and an ink cartridge as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the printhead carriage is connected to the motion shaft; the printhead carriage includes an outer frame, and a portion of the side of the ink cartridge is snapped into the outer frame.

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