Ink bottle

Abstract

To suppress liquid from leaking, when impact is applied to a lid member.SOLUTION: A liquid storage container comprises a pour-out port member having a pour-out port that pours out liquid stored in a storage part and a joined part having a male screw portion arranged outside thereof, and a lid part, in which a female screw portion that is screwed with the male screw portion is arranged, which is configured to be attachable to the pour-out member, where the male screw portion is divided in the joined part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink bottle for storing ink. [Background technology]

[0002] Some liquid tanks used in liquid ejection devices such as inkjet recording devices can be refilled with liquid. For example, a liquid storage container equipped with an outlet for pouring liquid can be used to refill the liquid tank with liquid through the outlet (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a configuration in which a male thread is provided around the entire circumference of a liquid storage container body, and a lid member having a female thread that can be screwed into the male thread is attached and fixed to the liquid storage container body, thereby sealing off the liquid from leaking out of the liquid storage container body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-144240 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when the male thread portion of the liquid storage container body is provided around the entire circumference, as in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the lid member is subjected to impact due to being dropped, etc., there is a risk that liquid will leak from the liquid storage container body due to the lid member cracking or the liquid sealing portion deforming.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an ink bottle that prevents ink from leaking when an impact is applied to the lid member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An ink bottle according to one aspect of the present invention is an ink bottle capable of refilling an ink tank of an inkjet recording device with ink, the ink bottle comprising: a storage section capable of storing ink; an outlet section having an outlet connected to the storage section and capable of pouring out the ink stored in the storage section, and a coupling section having a male thread section on the outside; and a lid section having an internal female thread section configured to screw into the male thread section and configured to be detachable from the outlet section, the male thread section being divided at the coupling section, the divided male thread section forming a single spiral shape as a whole, and the outlet section extending along a first no. including the male thread section when viewed from the ink pouring direction, along a circle formed by the diameter of a portion of the coupling section excluding a raised portion of the male thread section, a planar portion formed on the inner diameter side of the circle and consisting of a first planar portion and a second planar portion arranged with 180° rotational symmetry about the center of the circle; and a plurality of recesses including a first recess and a second recess, which are formed on the inner diameter side of the circle and are one end of a space arranged with 180° rotational symmetry about the center of the circle, wherein the first arc portion, the first planar portion, and the second arc portion are arranged continuously in this order, the third arc portion, the second planar portion, and the fourth arc portion are arranged continuously in this order, the first recess is between the first arc portion and the third arc portion, and the second recess is between the second arc portion and the fourth arc portion. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink bottle that prevents liquid from leaking when an impact is applied to the lid member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a liquid ejection device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the liquid ejection device. [Diagram 3] 3A and 3B are an enlarged perspective view and a plan view of a portion of the liquid ejection device in which a liquid tank is housed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of a liquid storage container. [Diagram 5] 3A and 3B are a component configuration diagram and a cross-sectional view of a liquid storage container. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a nozzle. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a nozzle. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid storage container. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a top view of a nozzle used in the examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the relative arrangement and shapes of the components described in the embodiment are merely examples.

[0011] <<First embodiment>> Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment. The liquid ejection device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a serial type inkjet recording device. The liquid ejection device 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a housing 11 and a liquid tank 12 arranged inside the housing 11. The liquid tank 12 contains ink, which is a liquid to be ejected onto a recording medium (not shown).

[0012] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the liquid ejection device 1 shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the liquid ejection device 1 includes a transport roller 13 for transporting a recording medium (not shown), a carriage 15 provided with a recording head 14 for ejecting liquid, and a carriage motor 16 for driving the carriage 15. There are no particular limitations on the recording medium as long as an image is formed by the liquid ejected from the recording head 14. Examples of the recording medium include paper, cloth, the label surface of an optical disc, a plastic sheet, and an OHP sheet.

[0013] The liquid is contained in the liquid tank 12, and is supplied to the recording head 14 via the liquid flow passage 17 and ejected from the recording head 14. In this embodiment, four colors of ink (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) are used as the liquid, and four colored liquid tanks 12a to 12d for storing the respective colored inks are provided as the liquid tank 12. Hereinafter, when identifying and referring to each individual liquid tank, the liquid tanks 12a to 12d etc. will be suffixed with an alphabet, and when referring to any liquid tank, it will be referred to as the liquid tank 12. Each of the colored liquid tanks 12a to 12d is disposed at the front part of the liquid ejection device 1 inside the housing 11.

[0014] Fig. 3(a) is an example of an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the liquid ejection device 1 shown in Fig. 1 in which the liquid tanks 12b to 12d are housed, and Fig. 3(b) is a plan view of the perspective view shown in Fig. 3(a). The liquid tank 12 has a liquid tank body 121 for housing liquid, and a communication flow path 122 that communicates with a liquid storage chamber in the liquid tank body 121. The liquid tank 12 also has a tank cover 123 (see Fig. 2) that can be attached to cover the communication flow path 122 and seal the storage chamber of the liquid tank body 121 except when liquid is being refilled. When refilling the liquid tank 12 with liquid, the outlet of the liquid storage container 2 (see Fig. 4) is inserted into the communication flow path 122, and the liquid is poured in. By sealing the liquid storage chamber with the tank cover 123 except when liquid is being refilled, evaporation of the liquid inside the liquid tank 12 can be suppressed. The communicating flow path 122 has two flow paths extending vertically in parallel therein, and is designed so that the liquid in the liquid storage container 2 is injected into the liquid tank by gas-liquid exchange. In the liquid ejection device 1, a socket 18 may be provided at a portion where the outlet of the liquid storage container 2 is inserted. When a socket 18 is provided, the socket 18 has a protrusion 19 that protrudes inward from the inner peripheral wall. A socket 18 is provided for each liquid tank 12, and the shape of the protrusion 19 differs for each socket 18 to prevent the liquid container from being inserted incorrectly. The protrusions 19 are present at 180° rotational symmetry with respect to the central axis of the communicating flow path 122.

[0015] FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing the appearance of the liquid storage container 2, which is a liquid container for refilling the liquid tank 12 with liquid. The liquid storage container 2 in FIG. 4 has a bottle 21, which is a storage section (main body section) for storing liquid, a nozzle 22 connected to the bottle 21, and a cap 23 that can be attached and detached to the nozzle 22. The nozzle 22 is a pouring outlet member that functions as an outlet when pouring out the liquid stored in the bottle 21. The cap 23 is a lid section that is attached to the nozzle 22 to shield the inside of the liquid storage container 2 (specifically, the bottle 21) from the outside air. The bottle 21 and the nozzle 22 can be connected to each other by a method of sealing by sandwiching a flexible part therebetween, or by a method of welding the two parts together, in which both the bottle 21 and the nozzle 22 are made of resin parts. The bottle 21 and the nozzle 22 may be an integrated part.

[0016] FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of a component diagram of the liquid storage container 2 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the component diagram of the liquid storage container 2 shown in FIG. 5(a) is joined. The bottle 21 of the liquid storage container 2 includes a bottle welded part 21a formed at the top and a liquid storage part 21b formed at the bottom. The nozzle 22 includes an outlet 22a for pouring out the liquid, a coupling part 22b having a male screw structure formed on the outside, and a nozzle welded part 22c having a welded surface formed on the inside or bottom surface. The cap 23, which is a lid part, is configured to be detachable from the nozzle 22, which is an outlet member, and allows the outlet 22a to be opened and closed. Examples of materials for forming the bottle 21 include PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene). Examples of materials for forming the nozzle 22 include PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene). The nozzle 22 is joined to the bottle 21 by welding the nozzle welded part 22c to the bottle welded part 21a. When the bottle 21 and the nozzle 22 are joined by welding, it is preferable that the bottle 21 and the nozzle 22 are made of the same material. Inside the nozzle 22, there are provided a seal 24 having an opening, a valve 25 that opens and closes the opening of the seal 24, a spring 26 that biases the valve 25, and a holder 27 that fixes the spring 26.

[0017] An example of a method for attaching the cap 23 to the nozzle 22 is to screw the nozzle 22 and the cap 23 together. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b), a method for screwing the nozzle 22 and the cap 23 together using a coupling part 22b having a male screw structure formed on the outside of the nozzle 22 and a cap screw part 23a having a female screw structure formed on the inside of the lower part of the cap 23 is exemplified. In this manner, the cap 23 is attached to the nozzle 22 by the cap screw part 23a being screwed into the coupling part 22b. At this time, the cap seal part 23b of the cap 23 and a part of the spout 22a of the nozzle 22 are fitted together, and the inside of the liquid storage container 2 is sealed. That is, a sealed part is formed by the contact part between the cap seal part 23b and a part of the spout 22a of the nozzle 22.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the nozzle 22, which is a spout member of this embodiment. FIG. 6(a) is an example of a perspective view of the part shape of the nozzle 22. FIG. 6(b) is a top view of FIG. 6(a). The male thread portion 221 of the nozzle 22 of this embodiment has a divided structure. That is, the male thread portion 221 is not formed continuously around the entire circumference of the nozzle 22, but is divided in parts. The divided male thread portion 221 forms a single helical shape as a whole, and each divided male thread is configured to screw into the female thread of the cap. A divided portion may also be formed in a part of the cap thread portion 23a of the cap 23.

[0019] A recess 223 is formed in at least a part of the divided portion of the male screw portion 221. The recess 223 in this embodiment is a portion that is one end of a space formed on the inner diameter side of a circle 222 (shown by a dotted line) consisting of the root of the coupling portion 22b having the male screw portion 221 in the top view of the nozzle 22, as shown in FIG. 6(b). The diameter of the circle 222 is a diameter equivalent to the rotation radius when the cap is opened, and is approximately 15 mm or more and 40 mm or less. The diameter of the circle 222 corresponds to the diameter of the coupling portion 22b excluding the raised portion of the male screw portion 221. From the viewpoint of the effect on drop resistance, the width 224 of the recess 223 of the nozzle 22 is preferably 0.5 mm or more, and more preferably 1.0 mm or more. Here, the width 224 of the recess 223 corresponds to the distance between the arc of the circle 222 corresponding to the recess 223 and the recess 223. In this example, it corresponds to the maximum distance between the circle 222 and the nozzle 22 in the top view of the nozzle 22. The ratio of the recess 223 to the circle 222 is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 20% or more, from the viewpoint of the effect on drop resistance. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of preventing loosening of the cap due to vibration, etc., the ratio of the recess 223 to the circle 222 is preferably 90% or less, more preferably 70% or less. Here, the ratio of the recess 223 to the circle 222 indicates the ratio of the angle of the recess 223 to 360°, which is the angle of the entire circumference of the circle 222. In the example shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the recess 223 is provided at two locations rotationally symmetrically. Therefore, the ratio of the recess 223 to the circle 222 is calculated by the angle θ×2 / 360 shown in Figure 6(b).

[0020] As described above, by cutting the male screw portion 221 of the nozzle 22, it is possible to prevent liquid from leaking from the main body of the liquid storage container 2 even when the cap 23, which is a lid member, receives an impact due to being dropped or the like. In the example of Figs. 6(a) and (b), the recesses 223 are provided at two locations with 180° rotational symmetry, but the recesses 223 do not have to be provided at multiple locations. It is sufficient that the recesses 223 are provided at at least one location. In addition, the recesses 223 may be the same as the portion used for positioning when refilling the liquid tank 12 of the liquid ejection device 1 with liquid. Hereinafter, the recesses used for positioning will be described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0021] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the nozzle 22 in this embodiment. FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view of the part shape of the nozzle 22, and FIG. 7(b) is a top view of FIG. 7(a). The nozzle 22 in FIG. 7 has a recess 223a that exists with 180° rotational symmetry, and the recess 223a is configured to engage with a protrusion 19 that protrudes inward from the inner peripheral wall of the socket 18 provided in the liquid tank 12 of the liquid ejection device 1. By using a liquid storage container 2 having a recess 223a that engages with a protrusion 19 that has a different shape depending on the color of the liquid tank 12, it is possible to prevent erroneous injection of liquids from the liquid storage container 2 of different colors into the liquid tank 12. Furthermore, by adopting such a configuration, a positioning portion with respect to the liquid ejection device 1 is provided in the coupling portion 22b that functions as a nozzle screw portion, which can also contribute to miniaturization of the liquid storage container 2. 7 shows an example in which a recess 223a that engages with the protrusion 19 of the liquid tank 12 is provided separately in addition to the recess 223 shown in Fig. 6, but the recess 223 does not have to be provided. That is, the coupling portion 22b may be provided with only the recess 223a that engages with the protrusion 19 of the liquid tank 12.

[0022] The above is the description of the male screw portion 221 of the nozzle 22. Next, referring to FIG. 5 again, the internal structure of the nozzle 22 will be described. The nozzle 22 is provided with a seal 24, which is an orifice portion having an opening at the tip (upper end) into which the communication flow path 122 is inserted. The valve 25, which is the valve body of the liquid stop valve, is biased toward the opening side by the spring 26, thereby closing the gap between the seal 24 and the valve 25, and sealing the liquid storage container 2. In this embodiment, the spring 26 is used as a biasing mechanism, and the spring 26 is held by a holder 27 fixed to the internal space of the nozzle 22. The seal 24 is made of a flexible member such as rubber or elastomer. Examples of materials for forming the valve 25 include PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene). Examples of materials for forming the spring 26 include SUS (stainless steel). Examples of materials for forming the holder 27 include PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene). Examples of methods for fixing the holder 27 to the nozzle 22 include welding.

[0023] When liquid is supplied from the liquid storage container 2 to the liquid tank 12, the communicating flow path 122 is inserted into the nozzle 22 through the opening of the seal 24, thereby opening the valve 25. As described above, if the nozzle 22 of the liquid storage container 2 is provided with a recess 223a that engages with the protrusion 19 of the socket 18 of the liquid discharge device 1, the liquid storage container 2 can be positioned by the socket 18. The liquid in the liquid storage container 2 is supplied to the storage chamber of the liquid tank body 121 through the communicating flow path 122 due to the head difference. As shown in FIG. 5B, the valve 25 may be opened when the cap 23 is opened and closed by providing a protrusion 23f or the like on the cap 23. This prevents the liquid from flowing into the liquid tank 12 too vigorously and overflowing when the liquid is supplied to the liquid tank 12, even if the pressure in the liquid storage container 2 is higher than the external atmospheric pressure.

[0024] As described above, in this embodiment, the male screw portion 221 of the nozzle 22 is divided. Therefore, even when an impact is applied to the cap 23, which is a lid member, due to dropping or the like, the male screw portion 221 of the nozzle 22 is not provided on the entire circumference, so that it is possible to suppress the impact from being propagated between the cap and the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the liquid from leaking from the seal portion between the cap 23 and the nozzle 22, and to suppress the cap from cracking. In addition, since the recess 223 (or the recess 223a) is formed in the nozzle 22, the rigidity of the nozzle 22 is reduced, so that it is possible to further suppress the impact on the cap 23.

[0025] <<Example>> Various embodiments will be described below. Note that the following are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.

[0026] <Example 1> Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional view of the liquid storage container 2 used in each example. In the liquid storage container 2 shown in Fig. 8, a polypropylene bottle having an outer diameter of Φ64 mm and a height of 100 mm was used as the bottle 21. A polypropylene cap having an outer diameter of Φ33 mm and an inner diameter of the female screw part of Φ27.2 mm was used as the cap 23.

[0027] Fig. 9 shows a top view of the nozzle 22 used in each example. Fig. 9(a) shows a top view of the nozzle 22 used in Example 1. A polypropylene nozzle was used as the nozzle 22, in which a circle 222 formed by the base of the male screw portion was Φ27.0 mm, a width 224 of the recess was 0.5 mm, and the ratio of the recess to the circle 222 was 17%. The other configurations were the same as those in Fig. 5, and a liquid storage container 2 was produced.

[0028] <Example 2> 9(b), the width 224 of the recess is 1.0 mm, and the ratio of the recess to the circle 222 is 25%. Otherwise, a liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0029] <Example 3> 9(c) of Example 3, the width 224 of the recess is 2.5 mm, and the ratio of the recess to the circle 222 is 39%. Otherwise, a liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0030] <Example 4> 9(d) of the nozzle 22 of Example 4, the width 224 of the recess is 3.5 mm, and the ratio of the recess to the circle 222 is 48%. Otherwise, a liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0031] <Example 5> The nozzle 22 of Example 5 shown in Fig. 9(e) has a recess width 224 of 2.5 mm. Furthermore, two recesses 223a that engage with the protrusion 19 of the socket 18 of the liquid discharge device 1 and exist with 180° rotational symmetry are provided. The ratio of the recesses to the circle 222 is 73%. A liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above.

[0032] <Example 6> The nozzle 22 of Example 6 shown in Fig. 9(f) has a recess width 224 of 2.5 mm. Furthermore, two recesses 223a that engage with the protrusion 19 of the socket 18 of the liquid discharge device 1 and exist with 180° rotational symmetry are provided. The ratio of the recesses to the circle 222 is 59%. A liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above.

[0033] <Example 7> The nozzle 22 of Example 7 shown in Fig. 9(g) has a recess width 224 of 2.5 mm. Furthermore, six recesses 223a that engage with the protrusions 19 of the socket 18 of the liquid discharger 1 and exist with 180° rotational symmetry are provided. The ratio of the recesses to the circle 222 is 59%. A liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above.

[0034] <Example 8> The nozzle 22 of Example 8 shown in Fig. 9(h) has a recess width 224 of 2.5 mm. Furthermore, two recesses 223a that engage with the protrusion 19 of the socket 18 of the liquid discharger 1 and exist with 180° rotational symmetry were provided. The ratio of the recesses to the circle 222 was 66%. A liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above.

[0035] <Comparative Example 1> 9(i) shows a nozzle 22 of Comparative Example 1 that has no recess. Therefore, the ratio of the recess to the circle 222 is 0%. A liquid storage container 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above.

[0036] <Drop resistance evaluation> 200 ml of ink was poured into the liquid storage containers 2 produced in Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1, and drop resistance was evaluated from a height of 180 cm and rated according to the following criteria. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 as "Drop resistance".

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] Here, the shapes a to i in Table 1 correspond to the nozzles (a) to (i) in Figure 9. Also, the drop resistance in Table 1 indicates the following. A: No ink leakage was observed from the sealed part of the cap. B: A small amount of ink was seen leaking from the seal of the cap. C: Ink leaked outside the bottle or the cap was cracked.

[0039] In Examples 1 to 8, no ink leakage to the outside of the bottle or cracking of the cap was observed. In a comparison of Examples 1 to 4, if the width of the recess of the nozzle was 1 mm or more, drop resistance was further improved. In addition, in a comparison of Examples 5 to 8, if the ratio of the recess to the circle formed by the base of the male screw was 70% or less, drop resistance was further improved. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, the male screw portion was not divided and no recess was provided, so drop resistance was not improved.

[0040] <<Other embodiments>> In the above embodiment, the liquid container is used to refill the liquid tank of the liquid ejection device with liquid, but the liquid container may be used to refill the liquid tank of any device with liquid. Also, the liquid container may be used to refill the liquid tank of any device with liquid, but the liquid container may be used to refill the liquid tank of any device with liquid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 2 Liquid storage container 22 Nozzle 22b Joint 221 Male thread 222 yen 223 Recess 223a Recess 23 Cap

Claims

1. An ink bottle capable of refilling an ink tank of an inkjet recording device with ink, A storage section capable of storing ink; an outlet portion connected to the container portion and having an outlet through which the ink contained in the container can be poured out and a coupling portion having a male screw portion on an outer side; A lid portion having a female screw portion therein configured to screw into the male screw portion and configured to be detachable from the spout portion; Equipped with At the joint portion, the male screw portion is divided, and the divided male screw portion as a whole forms a single helical shape, When viewed from the ink ejection direction, the ejection outlet portion is a plurality of arcuate portions including first to fourth arcuate portions that are along a circle formed by a diameter of a portion of the coupling portion excluding a protruding portion of the male screw portion and that include the male screw portion; a planar portion formed on an inner diameter side of the circle and including a first planar portion and a second planar portion provided rotationally symmetrically by 180° with respect to a center of the circle; a plurality of recesses including a first recess and a second recess, the first recess and the second recess being formed on an inner diameter side of the circle and being one end of a space provided in 180° rotational symmetry with respect to a center of the circle; having the first arc portion, the first flat portion, and the second arc portion are provided successively in this order; the third arc portion, the second flat portion, and the fourth arc portion are provided successively in this order, an ink bottle having a first recess between the first arc portion and the third arc portion, and a second recess between the second arc portion and the fourth arc portion;

2. The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein the flat portion and the recess do not have the male thread portion.

3. 3. The ink bottle according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the arc of the circle corresponding to the flat portion and the flat portion is 0.5 mm or more.

4. 4. The ink bottle according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the first and second flat portions and the plurality of recesses to the circle in the joint portion is 10% or more and 90% or less.

5. 4. The ink bottle according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the first and second flat portions and the plurality of recesses to the circle in the connecting portion is 20% or more and 70% or less.

6. 6. The ink bottle according to claim 1, wherein the outlet portion is provided with the first recess, the first arc portion, the first flat portion, the second arc portion, and the second recess, in this order.

7. The ink bottle according to claim 1 , further comprising a sealing portion formed by a contact point between the lid portion and the spout portion.

8. The outlet portion includes a liquid stop valve therein, The lid portion has a protrusion therein that opens the liquid stop valve when the lid portion is closed, 8. The ink bottle according to claim 1, wherein the projection opens the stop valve when the lid is attached to the spout.

9. The liquid stop valve has an orifice portion, a valve body, and a biasing mechanism that biases the valve body, 9. The ink bottle according to claim 8, wherein the gap between the orifice portion and the valve body is closed by the biasing mechanism.

10. 10. The ink bottle according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the coupling portion is configured to engage with a protrusion provided on a protrusion formed on a socket provided to surround the outside of the ink tank.

11. 11. The ink bottle according to claim 10, wherein the recessed portion engages with the protruding portion when the ink tank is refilled with ink.

12. the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a plurality of the ink tanks, the sockets of the ink tanks each having a different shape; 12. The ink bottle according to claim 10, wherein the recess of the coupling portion is capable of engaging only with the protrusion formed in the socket of one of the plurality of ink tanks, and is not capable of engaging with the protrusion formed in the socket of another ink tank.

13. Among the plurality of recesses, 13. The ink bottle according to claim 10, wherein at least some of the recesses engage with the protrusions, and other recesses do not engage with the protrusions.

14. the socket of the ink tank has a plurality of the protrusions, The coupling portion has a plurality of the recesses, 14. The ink bottle according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of recesses are engaged with the plurality of protrusions, respectively.

15. 15. The ink bottle according to claim 1, further comprising a tank cover for sealing the ink tank, the tank cover being opened to allow the ink to be refilled into the inkjet recording device.

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