Liquid discharge system, liquid recovery container, and liquid recovery method

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge system which enables a liquid discharge device to be discarded after liquid remaining in a liquid storage container is discharged, and to provide a liquid recovery container and a liquid recovery method.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge system includes: a liquid discharge device including a discharge head configured to discharge liquid and a plurality of liquid storage containers 18 capable of storing the liquid to be supplied to the discharge head; and a liquid recovery container 60. The liquid storage container 18 has: a liquid storage part 51 configured to store the liquid; a liquid injection part 53 which injects the liquid into the liquid storage part 51; a liquid supply part which supplies the liquid to the discharge head; and a liquid discharge part 71 which discharges the liquid stored in the liquid storage part 51 to the outside. The liquid recovery container 60 includes: a recovery connection part 62 connectable to the liquid discharge part 71; and a recovery storage part 61 which stores the liquid recovered from the liquid storage containers 18 through connection between the liquid discharge part 71 and the recovery connection part 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection system including a liquid ejection device equipped with an ejection head that ejects liquid, a liquid recovery container, and a liquid recovery method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses, as an example of a liquid ejection device, an inkjet printing device that includes an ejection head that ejects liquid such as ink onto a medium such as paper. The liquid ejection device includes an ink tank as an example of a liquid storage container that stores liquid to be supplied to the ejection head.

[0003] Also known is a cartridge-type liquid ejection device in which an ink cartridge can be detachably attached. In the case of a cartridge-type liquid ejection device, when ink runs out, the entire ink cartridge is replaced. On the other hand, a liquid storage container such as an ink tank is basically assembled in a state of being fixed to a housing by a fixing part such as a screw. When ink runs out, a user refills the liquid storage container with liquid from the ink bottle by connecting an ink bottle to an ink injection flow path part of the liquid storage container.

[0004] Incidentally, when disposing of a liquid ejection device, if the device is a cartridge type, the ink cartridge can be removed from the device and disposed of even if liquid such as ink remains in the ink cartridge. In contrast, in the case of a liquid storage container such as an ink tank, the liquid ejection device is often disposed of with the liquid storage container fixed to the housing. However, if liquid such as ink remains in the liquid storage container when the liquid ejection device is disposed of, there is a possibility that the liquid may overflow from the liquid storage container if the cap is loose or removed when the liquid ejection device is tilted during disposal.

[0005] Therefore, when disposing of a tank-type liquid ejection device, it is preferable for the user to collect the liquid in the liquid storage container before disposing of the liquid ejection device. This is because when disposing of a liquid ejection device, it may be impossible to dispose of the liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container, which may cause environmental pollution. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-69717 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in a liquid ejection device equipped with a liquid refill type liquid storage container, the liquid storage container is structured such that it is difficult to remove from the housing. Specifically, the liquid storage container is fixed to a metal plate or the like that constitutes the housing of the liquid ejection device by a fixing portion such as a screw. This provides a strong fixation so that it is not affected by external shocks during transportation, for example. Therefore, the liquid ejection device is discarded with the liquid storage container still attached. Thus, in a conventional liquid refill type liquid storage container, no consideration is given to a configuration for discharging or recovering the liquid remaining in the liquid storage container when the liquid ejection device is discarded.

[0008] For example, in order to discharge or recover the liquid in the liquid storage container, it is necessary to disconnect the liquid supply unit of the liquid storage container from the supply flow path such as a tube and to drain the liquid from the liquid supply unit, or to drain the liquid from an inlet for refilling the liquid. Since these liquid supply units and inlets are not designed to allow for the draining of liquid, there is a possibility that the liquid may overflow during the draining operation, or that the ink or other liquid may adhere to and stain the fingers. Specifically, the liquid supply unit that supplies the ink or other liquid from the liquid storage container to the ejection head has a tube pressed into it and is designed not to be easily inserted or removed, so that when the tube is removed from the liquid supply unit, the ink in the liquid storage container may overflow from the supply inlet of the liquid supply unit. Therefore, there is a demand for a liquid ejection device that is easy to drain or recover the liquid remaining in the liquid storage container when the liquid ejection device is disposed of. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A liquid ejection system that solves the above problem is a liquid ejection system comprising a liquid ejection device including an ejection head that ejects liquid and a liquid storage container capable of storing liquid to be supplied to the ejection head, and a liquid recovery container, wherein the liquid storage container comprises a liquid storage section configured to store liquid, a liquid injection section that injects liquid into the liquid storage section, a liquid supply section that supplies liquid to the ejection head, and a liquid discharge section that discharges liquid stored in the liquid storage section to the outside, and the liquid recovery container comprises a recovery connection section connectable to the liquid discharge section, and a recovery storage section that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through the connection between the liquid discharge section and the recovery connection section.

[0010] A liquid recovery container that solves the above problem comprises a recovery connection portion that can be connected to the liquid discharge portion of the liquid storage container, a recovery storage portion that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through the recovery connection portion connected to the liquid discharge portion, and an atmosphere communication portion that communicates between the inside of the recovery storage portion and the atmosphere.

[0011] A liquid recovery method for recovering liquid in the liquid storage container of the liquid ejection device in the liquid ejection system that solves the above problem includes connecting the liquid discharge portion of the liquid storage container to the recovery connection portion of the liquid recovery container, and recovering the liquid in the liquid storage container by moving it into the liquid recovery container by head pressure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a liquid ejection device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the liquid ejection device when refilling the liquid container with liquid. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the internal configuration of the liquid ejection device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a liquid storage container is removed from a storage portion. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing a storage section in which a plurality of liquid storage containers are stored. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the liquid storage container is removed from the storage portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a discharge head. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a process of moving the liquid storage container to disconnect it from the supply flow path. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the liquid recovery container. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a discharge head in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a process of moving the liquid storage container to disconnect it from the supply flow path. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container in the third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing how liquid is returned from the liquid recovery container to the liquid storage container. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container in the fourth embodiment. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing how liquid is returned from the liquid recovery container to the liquid storage container. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a liquid storage container and a liquid recovery container in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a state in which liquid is recovered from a liquid storage container to a liquid recovery container. [Figure 29]FIG. 29 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing how liquid is returned from the liquid recovery container to the liquid storage container. [Diagram 30] FIG. 30 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a liquid recovery container equipped with a sealing member in a modified example. [Diagram 31] FIG. 31 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a liquid recovery container provided with a sealing member in a modified example different from that in FIG. [Diagram 32] FIG. 32 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a liquid recovery container provided with a sealing member in a modified example different from that in FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. 33 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a liquid recovery container provided with a sealing member in a modified example different from that in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of a liquid ejection device including a liquid storage container will be described below with reference to the drawings. The liquid ejection device of this embodiment is, for example, a multifunction machine that ejects liquid such as ink onto a medium such as paper to print (record) characters, images, and the like onto the medium.

[0014] 1, liquid ejection device 11 includes an ejection head 25 that ejects liquid, and a liquid storage container 18 that can store liquid to be supplied to the ejection head 25. Liquid ejection device 11, which is also a multifunction device, includes a device main body 12 and an image reading device 13 on top of device main body 12, and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

[0015] 1, the liquid ejection device 11 is illustrated as being placed on a horizontal plane, with the direction of gravity being the vertical direction Z, and two directions along the horizontal plane being the width direction X and the transport direction Y. That is, the width direction X, the transport direction Y, and the vertical direction Z intersect (preferably perpendicular to) each other. The transport direction Y is the direction in which the medium M is transported at a printing position facing the ejection head 25 described below. In addition, one end side in the transport direction Y is referred to as the front side, and the other end side opposite to the one end side is referred to as the rear side, and one end side of the width direction X viewed from the front side is sometimes referred to as the right side, and the other end side as the left side.

[0016] <Configuration of liquid ejection device 11> As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 17 is provided on the front surface of the liquid ejection device 11. The operation panel 17 has an operation section 15 such as buttons for performing various operations, and a display section 16 for displaying various information such as menus and operation states. Furthermore, a storage section 19 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 17. The storage section 19 stores at least one liquid storage container 18. The storage section 19 in this embodiment stores multiple (five in this embodiment) liquid storage containers 18. The storage section 19 constitutes a part of a housing 20. In other words, the housing 20 includes the storage section 19 capable of storing multiple liquid storage containers 18. The liquid storage container 18 is, for example, an ink tank type.

[0017] The storage section 19 includes a storage section main body 19A having a substantially box-like shape that opens upward, and a cover 32. The cover 32 covers the upper opening of the storage section main body 19A in an openable and closable state. The storage section main body 19A includes a door body 19B located on the front side and having at least one (five in this embodiment) window portion 21 for viewing, and a pair of left and right side plates 19C, 19D. The window portion 21 is provided for each liquid storage container 18. The window portion 21 exposes a viewing surface 22 that the liquid storage container 18 has on the front side. A user visually checks the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage container 18 through the viewing surface 22 exposed in the window portion 21. In this embodiment, the door body 19B, which is a plate-shaped part having the window portion 21 and which constitutes the front plate portion of the storage section main body 19A, is configured to be removable.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid storage containers 18 stored in the storage section 19 include a first liquid storage container 18A and a second liquid storage container 18B that can store different amounts of ink, and are arranged in a line in the width direction X. In the example shown in FIG. 1, there is one first liquid storage container 18A and four second liquid storage containers 18B. The one first liquid storage container 18A has a larger capacity than the second liquid storage container 18B and stores, for example, black ink. The four second liquid storage containers 18B store, for example, inks of different colors. The multiple liquid storage containers 18 store different types of liquid, such as inks of different ink colors, such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The liquid may be pigment ink or dye ink. The liquid may also be a coating liquid or the like.

[0019] The first liquid storage container 18A and the second liquid storage container 18B have the same basic configuration except for the width dimension due to the difference in capacity. Therefore, when there is no particular distinction between the first liquid storage container 18A and the second liquid storage container 18B, they will simply be referred to as "liquid storage containers 18."

[0020] The liquid ejection device 11 also includes, within the housing 20, a printing unit 23 that applies liquid such as ink to the medium M to perform printing, and a supply flow path 24 consisting of a tube or the like that supplies the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 to the printing unit 23. The printing unit 23 of this embodiment includes an ejection head 25 and a carriage 26 that holds the ejection head 25 and is capable of moving back and forth along the width direction X (scanning direction). The printing unit 23 prints on the medium M by ejecting liquid from the moving ejection head 25 toward the medium M.

[0021] The liquid ejection device 11 of this embodiment includes a plurality of liquid storage containers 18 that supply liquid to the ejection head 25. The plurality of liquid storage containers 18 are configured to be capable of storing liquid to be supplied to the ejection head 25. The liquid ejection device 11 includes a housing 20 that houses the ejection head 25 and the plurality of liquid storage containers 18. The liquid ejection device 11 further includes a fixing portion 42 that fixes the plurality of liquid storage containers 18 to the housing 20. That is, the plurality of liquid storage containers 18 are fixed to the housing 20 via the fixing portion 42.

[0022] The liquid ejection device 11 includes a scanning mechanism 27 for moving (scanning) the printing unit 23 within the housing 20. The scanning mechanism 27 includes a guide shaft 28 for movably guiding the carriage 26 in the width direction X, a carriage motor 29 as a drive source, a pair of pulleys 30, and an endless timing belt 31 wound around the pair of pulleys 30. One of the pair of pulleys 30 is fixed to the output shaft of the carriage motor 29. When the carriage motor 29 is driven in the forward direction, the printing unit 23 moves forward in the +X direction, and when the carriage motor 29 is driven in the reverse direction, the printing unit 23 moves backward in the -X direction.

[0023] The housing 20 accommodates a liquid storage container 18, a supply flow path 24, an ejection head 25, a carriage 26, a scanning mechanism 27, and the like. A plurality of supply flow paths 24 are provided in correspondence with the liquid storage containers 18. That is, the plurality of liquid storage containers 18 each supply liquid of a different color to the printing unit 23 through the plurality of supply flow paths 24.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the image reading device 13 is configured to be openable and closable between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. 2 with respect to the liquid ejection device 11 via a pivot mechanism 13A such as a hinge. When the image reading device 13 is positioned at the open position, the cover 32 and the cap lever 33 attached to the liquid storage container 18 (see FIG. 1) can be opened and closed. When refilling the liquid storage container 18 with liquid such as ink, the image reading device 13, the cover 32, and the cap lever 33 are positioned at the open position as shown in FIG. 2. The liquid bottle 34 is in an upside-down position with its supply port facing downward, and the supply port is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid storage container 18. The cover 32 is configured to be openable and closable when the image reading device 13 is in an open state, but may be configured to be openable and closable independently even in a closed state.

[0025] <Internal configuration of liquid ejection device 11> Next, the internal configuration of the liquid ejection device 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the ejection head 25 has a nozzle forming surface 25A in which nozzles 25N open. In the example shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of nozzles 25N open in the nozzle forming surface 25A. The ejection head 25 is configured to be able to eject liquid from the plurality of nozzles 25N. For example, a plurality of nozzles 25N may be provided for each type (e.g., color) of liquid to be ejected.

[0026] The liquid ejection device 11 includes a maintenance device 35 that performs maintenance on the ejection head 25, and a liquid supply device 36 that supplies liquid from a liquid storage container 18 to the ejection head 25. The maintenance device 35 includes a cap 37 that can be raised and lowered relative to the ejection head 25 in a standby position, and a discharge tube 38 connected to the cap 37. The cap 37 is configured to be movable between a retracted position shown in FIG. 3 separated from the ejection head 25, and a capping position (not shown) in which the cap 37 contacts the nozzle forming surface 25A of the ejection head 25. The cap 37 is capable of receiving liquid that is ejected or discharged from the nozzles 25N for maintenance.

[0027] When the cap 37 is in the capping position, it forms a closed space between itself and the nozzle forming surface 25A, which communicates with the nozzles 25N. The maintenance device 35 includes a suction pump 39 disposed midway through the discharge tube 38. The maintenance device 35 drives the suction pump 39 with the discharge head 25 capped, and reduces the pressure in the closed space surrounded and formed by the cap 37 and the nozzle forming surface 25A. This reduction in pressure causes foreign matter such as air bubbles to be sucked and discharged together with the liquid from the nozzles 25N of the discharge head 25. The liquid discharged from the nozzles 25N by this cleaning is collected in the waste liquid storage unit 40 through the cap 37 and the discharge tube 38.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of liquid supply devices 36 are provided corresponding to a plurality of liquid storage containers 18, however Fig. 3 shows one liquid supply device 36 including one liquid storage container 18. Since the plurality of liquid supply devices 36 basically have the same configuration, the configuration of one liquid supply device 36 will be described below.

[0029] 3, the liquid supply device 36 includes a liquid storage container 18 and a supply flow path 24 that supplies the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 to the ejection head 25. The supply flow path 24 may be an elastically deformable tube, or may be formed inside a flow path forming member made of a hard resin material. The supply flow path 24 may also include a portion formed by attaching a film to a flow path forming member having a groove formed therein.

[0030] An upstream end (one end) of the supply flow path 24 is connected to the liquid storage container 18. A downstream end (the other end) of the supply flow path 24 is connected to an upstream end of a liquid flow path 41 of the carriage 26. The liquid in the liquid storage container 18 is sent to the ejection head 25 through the supply flow path 24 and the liquid flow path 41.

[0031] The liquid storage container 18 includes a container body 50. The container body 50 is configured as a case made of synthetic resin. The case constituting the container body 50 is made of transparent or translucent resin. Therefore, the liquid level of the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber 55 can be visually confirmed from the outside through the visual confirmation surface 22 on the front side of the container body 50. The liquid storage container 18 is fixed to the liquid ejection device 11 by a fixing part 42. The fixing part 42 is configured, for example, by a screw 43 or the like that fixes the liquid storage container 18 to a frame constituting the housing 20 directly or via an attachment member (not shown). The container body 50 may be configured such that a film is fixed to one surface of a storage case having a storage chamber recess recessed into one surface, and the liquid storage chamber 55 is surrounded and formed by the film and the storage chamber recess.

[0032] 3, the liquid storage container 18 includes a liquid storage section 51 configured to be able to store liquid, a liquid injection section 53 that injects the liquid into the liquid storage section 51, and a liquid supply section 52 that supplies the liquid to the ejection head 25. Furthermore, the liquid storage container 18 includes a liquid discharge section 71 that discharges the liquid stored in the liquid storage section 51 to the outside.

[0033] The liquid supply unit 52 is a portion to which one end of the supply flow path 24 that supplies liquid to the ejection head 25 is directly or indirectly connected. The liquid supply unit 52 supplies the liquid in the liquid storage unit 51. The liquid supply unit 52 in this embodiment is a portion to which one end of the supply flow path 24 that supplies liquid to the ejection head 25 is directly connected. In this embodiment, the liquid supply unit 52 also serves as the liquid discharge unit 71. A connecting unit 45 is fixed to one end of the upstream side of the supply flow path 24. The liquid supply unit 52 is connected to the supply flow path 24 via connection with the connecting unit 45.

[0034] 3, at least a portion of the liquid storage container 18 is located below the ejection head 25. That is, the ejection head 25 is located above the liquid level LP in the liquid storage container 18 in the vertical direction Z. More specifically, the opening of the nozzle 25N is located above the position when the liquid level LP in the liquid storage container 18 is at its maximum height. The positional relationship between the ejection head 25 and the liquid storage container 18 in the vertical direction Z can be set arbitrarily as long as a meniscus of the liquid is formed in the nozzle 25N and the liquid does not drip from the nozzle 25N.

[0035] 3 includes a control unit 100 that controls the overall operation of the liquid ejection device 11. The control unit 100 controls a carriage motor 29 that reciprocates the carriage 26, a transport unit (not shown) that transports the medium M, the ejection operation of the ejection head 25, and the cleaning operation of the maintenance device 35.

[0036] 4, a separation mechanism 47 configured to be able to individually separate the liquid storage container 18 from the housing 20 is provided within the storage section 19 when the liquid storage container 18 is released from the fixing section 42 to the housing 20. The separation mechanism 47 is able to individually separate the liquid storage container 18 from the housing 20 in a first direction A which is a direction in which the liquid supply section 52 can be separated from one end of the supply flow path 24.

[0037] The separation mechanism 47 includes a mounting portion 48 constituting at least a part of the bottom plate 20A of the housing 20. The upper surface of the mounting portion 48 is a mounting surface on which the liquid storage containers 18 are placed in a state of being arranged in a second direction B, which is a direction intersecting with the first direction, which is the separation direction. The mounting surface of the mounting portion 48 is provided with a guide portion 48A extending in the first direction A with a width dimension slightly larger than the width dimension of the liquid storage container 18. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the guide portion 48A is a slide groove recessed in the upper surface of the mounting portion 48. The slide groove is a guide groove extending along the first direction A. The guide groove is a groove that penetrates at least on the first direction A side. Note that the guide portion 48A is not limited to a guide groove such as a slide groove, and may be a rail that can engage with a rail groove recessed in the bottom surface of the liquid storage container 18 to guide the liquid storage container 18 in the first direction A.

[0038] The fixing portion 42 is composed of a screw 43 and a restricting member 44. The fixing portion 42 is fixed to the front surface of the mounting portion 48 in a state in which the fixing portion 42 restricts the movement of the liquid storage container 18 in the first direction A. The fixing portion 42 may be configured to fix the liquid storage container 18 to the mounting portion 48 by engagement via the restricting member 44.

[0039] The storage section 19 has a door body 19B. The door body 19B is configured to be movable with respect to the housing 20 between a covering position that covers the first direction A side of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 and an open position that does not cover the first direction A side. The door body 19B has a window portion 21 through which the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage containers 18 can be visually observed.

[0040] With door body 19B in the open position, the user can pull out liquid storage container 18 from storage section 19 in first direction A. Separation mechanism 47 has guide section 48A that guides liquid storage container 18 so that it can move individually in first direction A. Guide section 48A allows the user to move liquid storage container 18 individually in first direction A. When the user moves liquid storage container 18 in first direction A, liquid supply section 52 is separated from one end of supply flow path 24. In other words, the connection between liquid supply section 52 and connection port 45A of coupling section 45 is cut off.

[0041] <Configuration of Liquid Storage Container 18> Next, the configuration of the liquid storage container 18 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Although the first liquid storage container 18A and the second liquid storage container 18B have different width dimensions due to the difference in capacity, they have the same basic configuration. Therefore, hereinafter, the first liquid storage container 18A and the second liquid storage container 18B will be described as the liquid storage container 18 without any particular distinction.

[0042] 7 and 8, container body 50 has liquid storage section 51 having liquid storage chamber 55, and protrusion section 56 protruding from the upper side thereof. Container body 50 has liquid supply section 52, liquid injection section 53, and atmosphere communication section 54 as tubular sections protruding outward. Liquid supply section 52, liquid injection section 53, and atmosphere communication section 54 are in communication with liquid storage chamber 55. Liquid IL is stored in liquid storage chamber 55.

[0043] The liquid injection unit 53 is used to inject a liquid such as ink into the liquid storage chamber 55. The liquid injection unit 53 and the liquid storage chamber 55 are connected via a liquid flow path 57 and an air flow path 58. The liquid injection unit 53 communicates with both the liquid flow path 57 and the air flow path 58. The ends (lower ends) of the liquid flow path 57 and the air flow path 58 on the liquid storage chamber 55 side are located at the maximum liquid level height.

[0044] The atmosphere communication part 54 connects the air area above the liquid level LP in the liquid storage chamber 55 to the atmosphere. The container body 50 has a partition part 51C that divides the liquid storage chamber 51 and the protruding part 56 inside. A part of the communication path between the liquid storage chamber 55 and the atmosphere communication part 54 includes a thin, serpentine pore. Therefore, the liquid storage chamber 55 communicates with the atmosphere communication part 54 in a state in which the moisture of the liquid stored therein is not easily evaporated.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 8, when liquid is injected into the liquid storage container 18, the supply unit 34A is connected to the liquid injection unit 53 with the liquid bottle 34 in an upside-down position. The inside of the liquid bottle 34 connected to the liquid injection unit 53 is in communication with the liquid storage chamber 55 through both the liquid flow path 57 and the air flow path 58. Therefore, the liquid in the liquid bottle 34 is injected into the liquid storage container 18 through the liquid flow path 57, while the air in the liquid storage chamber 55 is sent into the liquid bottle 34 through the air flow path 58. Due to this gas-liquid exchange, the injection of liquid from the liquid bottle 34 into the liquid storage chamber 55 is continuously performed until the liquid level LP reaches the lower end of the air flow path 58. Then, when the liquid level LP reaches the lower end of the air flow path 58, gas-liquid exchange is no longer performed, and the injection of liquid from the liquid bottle 34 into the liquid storage chamber 55 is stopped. In this way, when the liquid level LP reaches the highest liquid level, the injection of liquid into the liquid storage container 18 is stopped. When liquid is poured from the liquid bottle into the liquid storage container 18, the air within the liquid storage chamber 55 is discharged through the atmosphere communication portion .

[0046] 7 and 8, in liquid storage container 18 of the first embodiment, liquid supply unit 52 also serves as liquid discharge unit 71. Liquid discharge unit 71 is disposed below bottom surface 51A or side surface 51B of liquid storage unit 51. For this reason, liquid supply unit 52 also serves as liquid discharge unit 71 is disposed below bottom surface 51A or side surface 51B of liquid storage unit 51. In the example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, liquid supply unit 52 also serves as liquid discharge unit 71 is disposed below side surface 51B of liquid storage unit 51.

[0047] Here, the lower part of side surface 51B may be, for example, a part that is equal to or lower than half the height of the maximum liquid level in liquid storage portion 51. Of course, if liquid discharge portion 71 is positioned at as low a height as possible within liquid storage chamber 55, more liquid can be discharged by utilizing the head pressure between the liquid level in liquid storage portion 51 and the discharge port of liquid discharge portion 71. However, the remaining liquid in liquid storage portion 51 can also be discharged by tilting liquid storage container 18. Therefore, when more than half of the liquid remains in liquid storage portion 51, it is sufficient that liquid discharge portion 71 is positioned at a height that allows at least a portion of the liquid to be discharged by utilizing the head pressure.

[0048] 7 and 8, the bottom surface of the liquid storage chamber 55 is inclined so that the height decreases toward the position opposite the viewing surface 22 in the transport direction Y. For this reason, the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 is likely to be supplied to the outside from the liquid supply unit 52 to the end. The liquid storage chamber 55 may be divided into a plurality of compartments that communicate with each other by a plurality of ribs (not shown). In this case, for example, shaking of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber 55 is suppressed when the liquid ejection device 11 is transported, and mixing of air (air bubbles) into the liquid due to foaming caused by shaking is suppressed.

[0049] The liquid supply unit 52 is connected to the connection unit 45, so that the liquid supply unit 52 is connected to the connection port 45A of the connection unit 45. The liquid storage container 18 includes a first valve 59 that can open and close a flow path to which the liquid supply unit 52 supplies liquid. In other words, in the first embodiment in which the liquid supply unit 52 also functions as the liquid discharge unit 71, the liquid discharge unit 71 includes a second valve 72 that can open and close a flow path that discharges the liquid. Here, the liquid supply unit 52 is a part that has an outlet for supplying the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 to the ejection head 25. On the other hand, the liquid discharge unit 71 is a part that has an outlet for discharging the liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 to the outside when the liquid ejection device 11 is discarded, etc. The liquid supply unit 52 and the liquid discharge unit 71 both have a function of discharging the liquid in the liquid storage container 18, although the discharge destination is either the ejection head 25 or the outside. Therefore, the liquid supply section 52 and the liquid discharge section 71 can be combined into one.

[0050] 7 in which the liquid supply unit 52 is not connected to the connecting portion 45 fixed to the upstream end of the supply flow path 24. On the other hand, the first valve 59 is in an open state in a connected state shown in Fig. 8 in which the liquid supply unit 52 is connected to the connecting portion 45 of the supply flow path 24. The first valve 59 is configured to automatically switch between opening and closing depending on whether the liquid supply unit 52 and the connecting portion 45 are connected or not.

[0051] The first valve 59 may have the following structure, for example. The first valve 59 has a valve body that is biased in a direction to advance outward by a biasing member (not shown) while being movable in the axial direction of the liquid supply unit 52, and a valve seat (both not shown) against which the biased valve body abuts. For example, when the connecting part 45 is connected to the liquid supply unit 52, the valve body at the back of the liquid supply unit 52 moves away from the valve seat due to the force received from the connecting part 45, and the first valve 59 switches from the closed state to the open state. Also, when the connecting part 45 is detached from the liquid supply unit 52, the valve body abuts against the valve seat due to the biasing force of the biasing member, and the first valve 59 switches from the open state to the closed state. Therefore, the connecting part 45 can be attached to and detached from the liquid supply unit 52 while suppressing leakage of liquid.

[0052] Furthermore, when the liquid discharge device 11 is disposed of, the first valve 59 also functions as the second valve 72. The second valve 72 has a function of opening and closing the discharge flow path of the liquid discharge part 71 when discharging the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 to the outside other than the discharge head 25. The second valve 72 may have, for example, the following structure. The second valve 72 has a valve body that is biased by a biasing member (not shown) in a direction to advance outward while being movable forward and backward in its axial direction, and a valve seat against which the biased valve body abuts. For example, when the recovery connection part 62 of the liquid recovery container 60 described later is connected to the liquid discharge part 71, the valve body moves away from the valve seat due to the force received from the recovery connection part 62, and the second valve 72 switches from the closed state to the open state. Furthermore, when the recovery connection part 62 is removed from the liquid discharge part 71, the valve body abuts against the valve seat due to the biasing force of the biasing member, and the second valve 72 switches from the open state to the closed state. Therefore, recovery connection part 62 can be attached to and detached from liquid discharge part 71 while preventing leakage of liquid.

[0053] <Configuration of the liquid ejection system> In this embodiment, a liquid ejection system is configured by the liquid ejection device 11 and a liquid collection container 60 (hereinafter simply referred to as "collection container 60"). The liquid ejection device 11 and the collection container 60 may be sold as a set, or the user may obtain the collection container 60 for a fee or free of charge when disposing of the liquid ejection device 11. Also, a recess may be provided in the housing 20 of the liquid ejection device 11, and the collection container 60 may be inserted into the recess. The opening of the recess may be covered with a cover. When disposing of the liquid ejection device 11, the cover may be removed and the collection container 60 may be taken out of the recess for use.

[0054] 10 and 11, the recovery container 60 includes a recovery connection part 62 connectable to a liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18, and a recovery storage part 61 configured to be capable of storing liquid. The recovery storage part 61 is configured to be capable of storing liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 through the connection between the liquid discharge part 71 and the recovery connection part 62. The recovery container 60 also includes an atmosphere communication part 64 that communicates the inside of the recovery storage part 61 with the atmosphere.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 11, recovery connection parts 62, the number of which is the same as the number of liquid storage containers 18 included in one liquid ejection device 11, are provided at intervals in the width direction X on the upper side of the recovery container 60. These intervals correspond to the width dimensions of the multiple liquid storage containers 18. Therefore, multiple liquid storage containers 18 can be connected to the recovery container 60 at the same time. An atmosphere communication part 64 protrudes upward from the top surface of the recovery storage part 61. The atmosphere communication part 64 communicates with the recovery storage chamber 61A. Note that as long as the recovery storage chamber 61A in the recovery container 60 is a single chamber, the atmosphere communication part 64 may be multiple or one.

[0056] At least one of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 that is detached from one end of the supply flow path 24 is connected to the collection container 60 shown in Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 11, a liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and a collection connection portion 62 of the collection container 60 are connected. The liquid is collected into the collection container 60 by the liquid moving due to the head pressure of the liquid in the liquid storage container 18. In this manner, the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 is configured to be collectable in the collection container 60 by the head pressure.

[0057] <Regarding recovery of liquid from liquid storage container 18> Next, the configuration and process for recovering the liquid inside the liquid storage container 18 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0058] In the first embodiment, the liquid storage container 18 is configured to be removable from the housing 20 of the liquid ejection device 11 along the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the supply flow path 24. As described above, the door body 19B (see FIG. 1) constituting the front part of the storage unit 19 is removable, so the door body 19B is slid upward in the -Z direction or in the width direction X to remove the liquid storage container 18, and then, as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid storage container 18 is moved in a first direction indicated by a white arrow in the figure, which is the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the connection unit 45. This movement of the liquid storage container 18 in the first direction removes the connection unit 45 from the liquid supply unit 52. At this time, the valve 59 switches from an open state to a closed state. Therefore, even if the liquid supply unit 52 is exposed as shown in FIG. 9, liquid leakage from the liquid supply unit 52 is suppressed. The liquid in the removed liquid storage container 18 is collected, for example, in a collection container 60 shown in FIG. 10.

[0059] <Configuration of collection container 60> Next, the configuration of the collection container 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. The recovery container 60 shown in Fig. 10 is prepared by the user, for example, when disposing of the liquid ejection device 11. The recovery container 60 includes a recovery container section 61 that contains liquid discharged from the liquid discharge section 71 of the liquid storage container 18, and a recovery connection section 62 configured to be connectable to the liquid discharge section 71. The recovery container 60 recovers liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 through the connection between the liquid discharge section 71 and the recovery connection section 62. The recovery connection section 62 is located on an upper surface 61B or an upper portion of a side surface 61C of the recovery storage section 61. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the recovery connection section 62 is located on an upper portion of the side surface 61C of the recovery storage section 61. The recovery storage section 61 includes a recovery storage chamber 61A.

[0060] The recovery container 60 includes a sealing member 63 that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. The sealing member 63 may be a sealing valve 63B that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. The sealing valve 63B may be an opening / closing valve that opens and closes the flow path through which the recovery connection part 62 recovers liquid. For example, the sealing valve 63B is in a closed state in a non-connected state shown in FIG. 10 in which the recovery connection part 62 is not connected to the liquid discharge part 71 on the liquid storage container 18 side. On the other hand, the sealing valve 63B is in an open state in a connected state shown in FIG. 12 in which the recovery connection part 62 is connected to the liquid discharge part 71. In this way, the sealing valve 63B may be configured to automatically switch between opening and closing depending on whether or not the liquid discharge part 71 and the recovery connection part 62 are connected.

[0061] For example, when the liquid discharge part 71 is connected to the recovery connection part 62, there is a valve body on the recovery connection part 62 side that displaces against the biasing force of the biasing member, and this displaced valve body moves away from a valve seat (both not shown), causing the sealing valve 63B to switch from a closed state to an open state. Also, when the liquid discharge part 71 is detached from the recovery connection part 62, the valve body on the recovery connection part 62 side returns to its original position due to the biasing force of the biasing member and hits the valve seat, causing the sealing valve 63B to switch from an open state to a closed state.

[0062] 10, the collection container 60 includes an atmosphere communication part 64. The atmosphere communication part 64 communicates the collection storage chamber 61A with the outside. The atmosphere communication part 64 communicates the collection storage chamber 61A with the outside via an atmosphere communication passage including a pore portion formed by a meandering path.

[0063] 12, when the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection portion 62 of the recovery container 60 are connected, the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 moves to the recovery container 60 due to head pressure. That is, in a state in which the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection portion 62 of the recovery container 60 are connected, the inner bottom surface of the liquid storage chamber 55 in the liquid storage container 18 is set to be positioned higher than the maximum liquid level height when the maximum amount of liquid is recovered in the recovery storage chamber 61A of the recovery container 60. Here, the maximum liquid amount is the sum of the maximum liquid amounts that can be stored in each of the multiple liquid storage containers 18.

[0064] Furthermore, with the liquid discharge portion 71 and the recovery connection portion 62 connected, an amount of air corresponding to the volume of liquid that has flowed from the liquid storage container 18 into the recovery container 60 is exhausted from the atmosphere communication portion 64, thereby allowing liquid to continuously flow from the liquid storage container 18 into the recovery container 60. The volume of the recovery container 60 is larger than the total volume that can be contained in the liquid storage container 18. Therefore, liquid does not overflow from the recovery container 60.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, the collection container 60 may have a liquid holding member 65 capable of holding liquid in the collection container 61. The liquid holding member 65 is enclosed inside the liquid collection container 60. The liquid holding member 65 is a liquid absorbing member capable of holding liquid by absorbing the liquid. The liquid holding member 65 may be, for example, a nonwoven fabric, or a porous material such as a sponge or a foam member. The liquid holding member 65 is held in the collection container 61A with a volume capable of holding an amount of liquid equivalent to the maximum volume of liquid contained in the liquid storage container 18. The collection container 60 is configured so that the liquid inside is held in the liquid holding member 65, so that the liquid does not leak even if the collection container 60 is tilted. In this embodiment, the collection container 60 and the liquid discharge device 11 may form a liquid discharge system.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 11, the number of recovery connections 62 provided is equal to or less than the number of liquid storage containers 18. Also, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the interior of the liquid recovery container 60 is formed as one space as a whole. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the recovery container 60 is provided with a plurality of recovery connections 62. For example, the number of recovery connections 62 provided is the same as the number of liquid storage containers 18 assembled to the liquid ejection device 11. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the volume of liquid that can be stored in the recovery container 60 is V1. In this example of the recovery container 60, although a liquid holding member 65 is enclosed, it is capable of storing liquid of volume V1.

[0067] On the other hand, the total liquid volume that the multiple liquid storage containers 18 equipped in one liquid ejection device 11 can store is V2. The volume V1 of the recovery container 60 is set to a value larger than the total liquid volume V2. As shown in FIG. 10, the liquid recovery volume V1 of the liquid recovery container 60 is larger than the total liquid volume V2, which is the total liquid storage volume of the liquid storage containers 18 shown in FIG. 5. The liquid storage volume V1 of the recovery container 60 is set to be larger than the total liquid volume V2, which is the total amount of liquid that can be stored in the multiple liquid storage containers 18. The first liquid storage container 18A has a volume V2a that can store liquid, and the second liquid storage container 18B has a volume V2b that can store liquid. The total liquid volume V2, which is the total volume of the liquid storage containers 18 that can store liquid, is V2=V2a+4*V2b. The volume V1 of the recovery container 60 is set to a value larger than the total liquid volume V2. Therefore, even if all of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 are filled with liquid, all of the liquid can be recovered in the recovery container 60.

[0068] <Operation of the First Embodiment> Next, the operation of the liquid ejection device 11 including the liquid storage container 18 of the first embodiment will be described. The operation of a liquid ejection system including the liquid ejection device 11 and the recovery container 60 will also be described.

[0069] When disposing of the liquid ejection device 11, the user obtains the collection container 60. The collection container 60 may be packaged together with the liquid ejection device 11 when the liquid ejection device 11 is purchased, or the user may order the collection container 60 from a manufacturer, a retailer, or the like when disposing of the liquid ejection device 11. The collection container 60 may be available for a fee or free of charge. In addition, the collection container 60 inserted into a recess in the housing 20 of the liquid ejection device 11 may be removed from the recess by removing the cover.

[0070] 2, in the liquid ejection device 11 shown in Fig. 1, the user opens the image reading device 13 and the cover 32. Furthermore, the user removes the door body 19B constituting the front part of the storage part 19 from the housing 20, for example, by sliding it upward. By removing the door body 19B, the front (+Y direction side) of the liquid storage container 18 in the storage part 19 is opened.

[0071] Next, the fixing of the fixing portion 42 is released. More specifically, the screw 43 is loosened and the regulating member 44 is removed. This makes it possible to move the liquid storage container 18 in the first direction (+Y direction).

[0072] Next, at least one of the plurality of liquid storage containers 18 is moved individually in the first direction A relative to the mounting portion 48, thereby individually disconnecting the liquid storage container 18 from one end of the supply flow path 24.

[0073] 4 to 6 and 9, the user moves the liquid storage containers 18 in a first direction A by sliding the liquid storage containers 18 along the guide portions 48A on the mounting portion 48. The user moves the liquid storage containers 18 in the first direction A individually, one by one.

[0074] The first direction A is the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the supply flow path 24. In particular, in this example, the first direction A is the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the connecting portion 45. The first direction A may be a direction that intersects with the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the supply flow path 24 or the connecting portion 45, for example, in the range of 0<θ≦20°. In this way, when the user moves the liquid storage container 18 in the first direction A, the connection between the liquid supply unit 52 and the supply flow path 24 or the connecting portion 45 can be removed without applying excessive load to either of them.

[0075] In addition, because the liquid storage containers 18 are removed from the housing 20 one by one, only a small force is required when moving the liquid storage containers 18 in the first direction A to remove them. In other words, the force required when removing the liquid storage containers 18 is only a force equivalent to the force required to disconnect one connection between the liquid supply unit 52 and the connecting unit 45. Two or more liquid storage containers 18 may be simultaneously moved in the first direction A to disconnect two or more liquid storage containers 18 from the supply flow path 24. All of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 may be simultaneously moved in the first direction A to disconnect them from the supply flow path 24.

[0076] When the connecting portion 45 is detached from the liquid supply portion 52, the first valve 59 switches from an open state to a closed state, thereby preventing liquid such as ink from leaking from the liquid supply portion 52. This minimizes contamination of the inside of the housing 20 with liquid such as ink. In addition, when the connecting portion 45 is detached from the liquid supply portion 52, a valve (not shown) provided on the connecting portion 45 side switches from an open state to a closed state, thereby preventing liquid such as ink from leaking from the connecting portion 45.

[0077] The user may disconnect all of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 from one end of the supply flow path 24, or may check the remaining amount on the viewing surface 22 and selectively remove one or more liquid storage containers 18 that are determined to require liquid discharge (recovery). Note that the steps of removing the liquid storage containers 18 up to this point correspond to the step of removing the liquid storage containers 18 from the liquid ejection device 11 before connecting the liquid discharge unit 71 and the recovery connection unit 62 in the liquid recovery method in the liquid ejection system.

[0078] Next, the liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18 removed from the housing 20 is connected to the recovery connection part 62 of the recovery container 60. This connection switches both the second valve 72 (the same valve as the first valve 59 in this embodiment) and the sealing valve 63B from a closed state to an open state. In this connected state, the liquid level in the liquid storage container 18 is located above the full liquid level in the recovery container 60. Note that this connecting step corresponds to the step of connecting the liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18 to the recovery connection part 62 of the liquid recovery container 60 in the liquid recovery method in a liquid ejection system.

[0079] As a result of the above connection, the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 moves to the collection container 60 by head pressure. An amount of air corresponding to the volume of the liquid flowing from the liquid storage container 18 into the collection container 60 is exhausted from the atmosphere communication part 64. This allows the liquid to continuously move from the liquid storage container 18 into the collection container 60. The volume V1 of the collection container 60 shown in FIG. 10 is larger than the total liquid volume V2, which is the total amount of liquid that can be stored in the multiple (e.g., five) liquid storage containers 18 shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, all of the liquid in the multiple liquid storage containers 18 can be collected in the collection container 60. Note that this collecting step corresponds to the step of collecting the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 by moving it into the collection container 60 by head pressure in the liquid recovery method in the liquid ejection system.

[0080] The liquid collected in the collection container 60 is absorbed by the liquid holding member 65. Therefore, even if the collection container 60 is tilted after collecting the liquid, the liquid will not leak. The user installs the empty liquid storage container 18, from which the remaining liquid has been drained, into the housing 20, and then discards the liquid ejection device 11.

[0081] Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1-1) The liquid ejection system includes a liquid ejection device 11 including an ejection head 25 that ejects liquid and a liquid storage container 18 capable of storing liquid to be supplied to the ejection head 25, and a liquid recovery container 60. The liquid storage container 18 includes a liquid storage section 51 configured to be capable of storing liquid, a liquid injection section 53 that injects liquid into the liquid storage section 51, a liquid supply section that supplies liquid to the ejection head 25, and a liquid discharge section 71 that discharges the liquid stored in the liquid storage section 51 to the outside. The liquid recovery container 60 includes a recovery connection section 62 that can be connected to the liquid discharge section 71, and a recovery storage section 61 that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 through the connection between the liquid discharge section 71 and the recovery connection section 62. With this configuration, liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container 18 can be recovered from the liquid storage container 18 to the liquid recovery container 60. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the environmental load caused by liquid contamination due to residual liquid leaking from the liquid storage container 18 when the liquid ejection device 11 is disposed of.

[0082] (1-2) In the liquid ejection system, the liquid moves due to the head pressure of the liquid in the liquid storage container 18, and the liquid is recovered into the liquid recovery container 60. According to this configuration, the liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 can be smoothly recovered into the liquid recovery container 60 by the head pressure, without employing a complex configuration.

[0083] (1-3) The volume of liquid that can be recovered by the liquid recovery container 60 is larger than the total volume of liquid that can be contained in the liquid storage container 18. With this configuration, one liquid recovery container 60 can recover all of the liquid within the liquid storage container 18.

[0084] (1-4) The recovery connection part 62 is provided with a sealing member 63 that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. With this configuration, leakage of the recovered liquid to the outside of the liquid recovery container 60 can be suppressed.

[0085] (1-5) The liquid holding member 65 is sealed inside the liquid recovery container 60. This configuration reduces the risk that the liquid recovered in the liquid recovery container 60 will scatter to the outside. (1-6) The number of recovery connections 62 provided is equal to or less than the number of liquid storage containers 18, and the interior of the liquid recovery container 60 is formed as a single space overall. With this configuration, the liquid inside the liquid storage containers 18 can be recovered collectively into the liquid recovery container 60, so that the recovered liquid can be disposed of collectively.

[0086] (1-7) The liquid recovery container 60 includes a recovery connection portion 62 connectable to a liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18, a recovery storage portion 61 that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 through the recovery connection portion 62 connected to the liquid discharge portion 71, and an atmosphere communication portion 64 that communicates the inside of the recovery storage portion 61 with the atmosphere. With this configuration, liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container 18 can be smoothly recovered from the liquid storage container 18 to the liquid recovery container 60. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the environmental load caused by liquid contamination due to residual liquid leaking from the liquid storage container 18 when the liquid ejection device 11 is disposed of.

[0087] (1-8) The liquid recovery container 60 includes a sealing member 63 that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection portion 62. According to this configuration, by including the sealing member 63 that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection portion 62, it is possible to prevent the liquid in the liquid recovery container 60 from leaking out of the discharge connection portion after the liquid has been recovered.

[0088] (1-9) In the liquid ejection system, the liquid recovery method for recovering the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 of the liquid ejection device 11 may include the following two methods: (a) Connecting the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 to the recovery connection portion 62 of the liquid recovery container 60; and (b) Recovering the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 by moving it into the liquid recovery container 60 by head pressure.

[0089] According to this method, the liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container 18 can be recovered from the liquid storage container 18 to the liquid recovery container 60. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the environmental load caused by liquid contamination due to leakage of residual liquid such as residual ink in the liquid storage container 18 when the liquid ejection device 11 is disposed of.

[0090] (1-10) The liquid recovery method may further include the following (c): (c) Removing the liquid storage container 18 from the liquid ejection device 11 before connecting the liquid discharge portion 71 and the recovery connection portion 62. According to this method, the liquid storage container 18 is removed from the liquid ejection device 11 before connecting the liquid discharge portion 71 and the recovery connection portion 62. This makes the task of connecting the liquid discharge portion 71 and the recovery connection portion 62 easier than a method of connecting the liquid discharge portion 71 and the recovery connection portion 62 without removing the liquid storage container 18 from the liquid ejection device 11.

[0091] Second embodiment Next, the configuration of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery container 60, which are part of the liquid ejection system of the second embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 13 to 18. The basic configuration of the liquid ejection device 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the liquid ejection device 11 is given the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the configuration of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery container 60 will be particularly described. Note that with regard to the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery container 60, the configurations common to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0092] 13 and 14, liquid storage container 18 in the second embodiment has a configuration in which liquid supply unit 52 is separate from liquid discharge unit 71. In other words, this is an example in which liquid discharge unit 71 for discharging liquid inside liquid storage container 18 to the outside is provided separately from liquid supply unit 52.

[0093] As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the basic configuration of the liquid storage container 18 is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the liquid storage container 18 includes a liquid storage section 51 configured to be able to store liquid, and a liquid injection section 53 that injects liquid into the liquid storage section 51. Furthermore, the liquid storage container 18 includes a liquid supply section 52 that supplies liquid in the liquid storage section 51, which is a section to which one end of a supply flow path 24 that supplies liquid to the ejection head 25 is connected, and a liquid discharge section 71 that discharges the liquid stored in the liquid storage section 51 to the outside. The liquid supply section 52 is located at the upper part of the side surface 51B of the liquid storage container 18. The inside of the liquid storage chamber 55 of the liquid storage section 51 is partitioned into an area in which the liquid is stored and a supply flow path that guides the liquid to the liquid supply section 52 by a flow path forming wall 51D that extends downward from a partition section 51C.

[0094] The liquid supply unit 52 is configured to be connectable to a connecting portion 45 provided at the upstream end of the supply flow path 24. By connecting (connecting) the liquid supply unit 52 to the connecting portion 45, the liquid supply unit 52 is connected to a connection port 46 of the connecting portion 45. The liquid discharge unit 71 is disposed on the bottom surface 51A or the lower part of the side surface 51B of the liquid storage unit 51. In the example shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the liquid discharge unit 71 is disposed on the bottom surface 51A of the liquid storage unit 51. The liquid discharge unit 71 protrudes downward from the bottom surface 51A of the liquid storage unit 51.

[0095] Furthermore, the liquid storage container 18 includes a first valve 59 capable of opening and closing the flow path of the liquid supply portion 52. The liquid storage container 18 includes a second valve 72 capable of opening and closing the flow path of the liquid discharge portion 71. In this second embodiment, since the liquid supply portion 52 and the liquid discharge portion 71 are provided separately, the first valve 59 and the second valve 72 are also provided separately. The valve structure and function of the first valve 59 and the valve structure and function of the second valve 72 are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0096] That is, the first valve 59 has a valve body, a valve seat, and a biasing member (e.g., a spring) that biases the valve body in a direction in which it hits the valve seat. For example, when the connecting part 45 is connected to the liquid supply part 52, the valve body at the back of the liquid supply part 52 moves away from the valve seat due to the force received from the connecting part 45, and the first valve 59 switches from the closed state to the open state. Also, when the connecting part 45 is detached from the liquid supply part 52, the valve body hits the valve seat due to the biasing force of the biasing member, and the first valve 59 switches from the open state to the closed state.

[0097] The second valve 72 has a valve body, a valve seat, and a biasing member (e.g., a spring) that biases the valve body in a direction in which it hits the valve seat. For example, when the recovery connection part 62 of the recovery container 60 described later is connected to the liquid discharge part 71, the second valve 72 switches from a closed state to an open state as the valve body retreats in a direction away from the valve seat due to the force it receives from the recovery connection part 62 (see FIG. 18). In addition, when the recovery connection part 62 is detached from the liquid discharge part 71, the valve body hits the valve seat due to the biasing force of the biasing member, and the second valve 72 switches from an open state to a closed state.

[0098] Next, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the liquid storage container 18 has a cap member 75 which is detachably attached to the liquid discharge portion 71 and seals the liquid discharge portion 71 when the liquid discharge portion 71 is not connected to a connection object.

[0099] 13 and 14, the liquid discharge portion 71 is sealed by fitting a cap member 75 onto the liquid discharge portion 71. The cap member 75 is attached to the liquid discharge portion 71 by, for example, fitting or screwing.

[0100] <Configuration of the liquid ejection system> Next, the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery container 60 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0101] In this embodiment, a liquid ejection system is configured by the liquid ejection device 11 and the collection container 60. The liquid ejection device 11 and the collection container 60 may be sold as a set, or the user may obtain the collection container 60 for a fee or free of charge when disposing of the liquid ejection device 11. Also, a recess may be provided in the housing 20 of the liquid ejection device 11, and the collection container 60 may be inserted into the recess. The opening of the recess may be covered with a cover. When disposing of the liquid ejection device 11, the cover may be removed and the collection container 60 may be taken out of the recess for use.

[0102] 15 and 16, the recovery container 60 includes a recovery storage section 61 configured to be able to store liquid, a recovery connection section 62 connectable to a liquid discharge section 71 of the liquid storage container 18, and an atmosphere communication section 64 that communicates the inside of the recovery storage section 61 with the atmosphere. As shown in FIG. 16, the liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 through the connection between the liquid discharge section 71 and the recovery connection section 62 is stored in the recovery storage section 61.

[0103] As in the first embodiment, the recovery connection part 62 is provided with a sealing member 63 that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. The sealing member 63 is a sealing valve 63B that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. Also, as in the first embodiment, a liquid holding member 65 is enclosed inside the recovery container 60.

[0104] As shown in Fig. 17, the number of recovery connections 62 provided is equal to or less than the number of liquid storage containers 18. Also, as shown in Figs. 15 and 17, the interior of the recovery container 60 is formed as a single space as a whole. In the example shown in Fig. 17, the recovery container 60 is provided with a plurality of recovery connections 62. The number of recovery connections 62 provided is, for example, the same as the number of liquid storage containers 18 assembled to the liquid ejection device 11.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 17, the upper surface of the recovery container 60 is provided with recovery connection parts 62 spaced apart in the width direction X, the number of which is equal to the number of liquid storage containers 18 possessed by one liquid ejection device 11. These intervals correspond to the width dimensions of the plurality of liquid storage containers 18. For this reason, the plurality of liquid storage containers 18 can be connected to the recovery container 60 at the same time. An atmosphere communication part 64 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the recovery storage part 61. The atmosphere communication part 64 communicates with the recovery storage chamber 61A. Note that as long as the recovery storage chamber 61A in the recovery container 60 is a single chamber, the atmosphere communication part 64 may be one or multiple.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 17, the volume V1 of the collection container 60 that can collect liquid is larger than the total liquid volume V2, which is the total volume of the liquid that can be stored in the liquid storage container 18. The volume V1 of the collection container 60 that can store liquid is set to be larger than the total liquid volume V2, which is the total amount of liquid that can be stored in the multiple liquid storage containers 18. The first liquid storage container 18A has a volume V2a that can store liquid, and the second liquid storage container 18B has a volume V2b that can store liquid. The total liquid volume V2, which is the total amount of liquid that can be stored in the multiple liquid storage containers 18, is V2=V2a+4*V2b. The volume V1 of the collection container 60 is set to a value larger than the total liquid volume V2. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 17, the liquid holding member 65 is enclosed in the collection container 60, but the volume of the liquid excluding the volume of the liquid holding member 65 of the collection container 60 is set to a volume V1 larger than the total liquid volume V2.

[0107] 17, the recovery container 60 is placed below the liquid storage container 18 removed from the housing 20. The recovery connection part 62 is composed of a tube part 66 having a recess 66A into which the liquid discharge part 71 made of a tube part 73 can be fitted. Then, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, the liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection part 62 of the recovery container 60 are connected. Then, both the second valve 72 and the sealing valve 63B switch from a closed state to an open state.

[0108] A plurality of liquid storage containers 18 that have been separated from one end of the supply flow path 24 are collectively connected to a recovery container 60 shown in Fig. 18. As shown in Fig. 18, a liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 is connected to a recovery connection portion 62 of the recovery container 60. The liquid in the liquid storage containers 18 can be recovered in the liquid recovery container 60 by head pressure.

[0109] Almost all of the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 is collected in the collection container 60 without overflowing. The liquid collected in the collection container 60 is absorbed by the liquid holding member 65. Therefore, even if the collection container 60 is tilted, the liquid will not leak. The user then returns the empty liquid storage container 18, from which the remaining liquid has been discharged into the collection container 60, back into the original storage section 19. The user discards the liquid ejection device 11, which is now empty with no remaining liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18.

[0110] <Operation of the Second Embodiment> Next, the operation of the liquid ejection device 11 including the liquid storage container 18 of the second embodiment will be described. The operation of a liquid ejection system including the liquid ejection device 11 and the recovery container 60 will also be described.

[0111] When disposing of the liquid ejection device 11, the user obtains the collection container 60. As in the first embodiment, the user moves the liquid storage container 18, for example by sliding it, in a first direction A indicated by the outlined arrow in Fig. 13. The first direction A is the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the supply flow path 24. In particular, in this example, the first direction A is the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the connection part 45, which is one end of the supply flow path 24.

[0112] Even if the connecting portion 45 is detached from the liquid supply portion 52, the first valve 59 switches from an open state to a closed state, thereby preventing leakage of liquid such as ink from the liquid supply portion 52. This minimizes contamination of the inside of the housing 20 with liquid such as ink. When the connecting portion 45 is detached from the liquid supply portion 52, a valve (not shown) provided on the connecting portion 45 side switches from an open state to a closed state.

[0113] When the liquid storage container 18 is removed from the housing 20, the cap member 75 is removed from the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18. Next, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 17, the collection container 60 is disposed below the liquid storage container 18. The collection container 60 includes a collection storage portion 61 having a collection storage chamber 61A. The collection container 60 includes a collection connection portion 62, which is a portion connected to the liquid discharge portion 71, on an upper surface 61B of the collection storage portion 61. The collection connection portion 62 has a cylindrical shape and includes a recess 66A into which the tubular liquid discharge portion 71 can fit. Then, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 18, the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the collection connection portion 62 of the collection container 60 are connected. Then, both the second valve 72 and the sealing valve 63B are switched from a closed state to an open state. The liquid in the liquid storage container 18 moves to the collection container 60 due to the head pressure. During this liquid recovery process, air is exhausted from the atmosphere communication portion 64 in an amount corresponding to the volume of liquid that has flowed from the liquid storage container 18 into the recovery container 60. This allows liquid to continuously flow from the liquid storage container 18 into the recovery container 60. Almost all of the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 is recovered into the recovery container 60 without overflowing. The liquid recovered in the recovery container 60 is absorbed by the liquid holding member 65. Therefore, even if the recovery container 60 is tilted, the liquid will not leak. The user then removes the liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 and discards the liquid ejection device 11.

[0114] As described above, in the second embodiment, the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 is recovered by a liquid recovery method in a liquid ejection system similar to that in the first embodiment. That is, the liquid recovery method includes three steps. The first step is to remove the liquid storage container 18 from the liquid ejection device 11 before connecting the liquid discharge part 71 and the recovery connection part 62. The second step is to connect the liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection part 62 of the recovery container 60. The third step is to recover the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 by moving it into the recovery container 60 by head pressure.

[0115] Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects (1-1) to (1-10) as in the first embodiment. Third embodiment Next, the configuration of a liquid storage container 18 and a recovery container 60 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 19 to 23. The basic configuration of the liquid ejection device 11 is similar to that of the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery container 60 as those of the second embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0116] 19 to 23, the liquid storage container 18 has a similar configuration to that of the second embodiment. As in the third embodiment, the recovery container 60 of this embodiment has a function of returning the liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 back to the liquid storage container 18. In addition to being used to recover liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 when the liquid ejection device 11 is disposed of, it can also be used when it is necessary to temporarily discharge the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 for reasons such as transportation or maintenance of the liquid ejection device 11.

[0117] The liquid recovery container 60 of this embodiment includes a recovery storage section 61, a recovery connection section 62, and an atmosphere communication section 64 (see FIG. 21). The recovery connection section 62 is configured to be connectable to a liquid discharge section 71 of the liquid storage container 18. The recovery storage section 61 stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through the recovery connection section connected to the liquid discharge section. The atmosphere communication section 64 communicates the inside of the recovery storage section 61 with the atmosphere.

[0118] A plurality of recovery connection parts 62 are formed in accordance with the number of liquid storage containers 18. The interior of the recovery container 60 is divided into a plurality of spaces equal in number to the number of liquid storage containers 18. More specifically, similar to the third embodiment, the recovery container 60 is partitioned into a plurality of recovery chambers 68 by partition parts 67. A plurality of recovery connection parts 62 corresponding to the plurality of recovery chambers 68 are protruded from an upper surface 61B of the recovery container 60. The recovery connection part 62 is constituted by a concave-shaped tubular part 66 having a recess 66A that can be fitted into a tubular liquid discharge part 71 that has a convex shape.

[0119] The recovery connection 62 is provided with a sealing member 63 that prevents leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection 62. The sealing member 63 is, for example, a sealing valve 63B that can open and close the flow path of the recovery connection 62.

[0120] The sealing valve 63B has, for example, a valve body that is biased by a biasing member (not shown) in a direction advancing outward while being movable in the axial direction, and a valve seat against which the biased valve body abuts. When the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 is connected to the recovery connection portion 62, the valve body is moved away from the valve seat by the force received from the liquid discharge portion 71, and the sealing valve 63B switches from a closed state to an open state. Also, when the liquid discharge portion 71 is detached from the recovery connection portion 62, the valve body hits the valve seat by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the sealing valve 63B switches from an open state to a closed state. Therefore, after the recovery of the liquid is completed, leakage of the liquid in the recovery container 60 from the recovery connection portion 62 can be suppressed.

[0121] 19, on the upper surface of the collection container 60, collection connection parts 62, the number of which is the same as the number of liquid storage containers 18 that one liquid ejection device 11 has, are provided at intervals in the width direction X. These intervals correspond to the width dimensions of each of the multiple liquid storage containers 18. Therefore, multiple liquid storage containers 18 can be connected to the collection container 60 at the same time.

[0122] 20 and 22, the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 is connected to the recovery connection portion 62 of the recovery container 60. Then, both the second valve 72 and the sealing valve 63B are switched from a closed state to an open state. The liquid in the liquid storage container 18 moves to the recovery container 60 by the hydraulic head pressure, and is thereby recovered in the recovery container 60.

[0123] As shown in Figs. 19 and 21, the recovery container 60 of this embodiment has a liquid re-supply section 81 as a liquid supply port for returning the liquid recovered in the recovery storage section 61 to the liquid storage container 18 again. That is, the recovery container 60 has the liquid re-supply section 81 that can be connected to the liquid injection section 53. The liquid re-supply section 81 is provided in the lower part of the recovery storage section 61. The liquid re-supply section 81 is formed separately from the recovery connection section 62. That is, as shown in Figs. 19 and 21, the recovery connection section 62 is provided in the upper part of the recovery storage section 61, whereas the liquid re-supply section 81 is provided in the lower part of the recovery storage section 61. Note that the liquid re-supply section 81 is not limited to being provided on the bottom surface of the recovery storage section 61 as shown in Figs. 19 and 21, but may be provided on the lower part of the side surface of the recovery storage section 61.

[0124] As shown in Figures 19 and 21, the liquid re-supply part 81 is composed of a tubular part 83. The tubular part 83 is formed with an inner diameter dimension that allows it to fit with the liquid injection part 53 on the liquid storage container 18 side. In detail, the liquid re-supply part 81 is composed of a concave tubular part 83 that can fit with the convex liquid injection part 53. The tubular part 83 has a recess 83A with an inner diameter dimension that allows it to fit around the tube part of the liquid injection part 53. Note that the concave-convex relationship between the liquid re-supply part 81 and the liquid injection part 53 may be reversed; for example, the liquid re-supply part 81 may be convex and the liquid injection part 53 may be concave.

[0125] The liquid resupply unit 81 has a valve 82 capable of opening and closing the flow path of the liquid resupply unit 81. The valve 82 has, for example, a valve body that is biased outward by a biasing member (not shown) while being movable forward and backward in its axial direction, and a valve seat against which the biased valve body abuts. When the liquid resupply unit 81 is connected to the liquid injecting unit 53 of the liquid storage container 18, the valve body is moved away from the valve seat by the force received from the liquid injecting unit 53, and the valve 82 is switched from a closed state to an open state. Also, when the liquid resupply unit 81 is detached from the liquid injecting unit 53, the valve body abuts against the valve seat by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the valve 82 is switched from an open state to a closed state. Therefore, leakage of liquid from the liquid resupply unit 81 is suppressed during liquid recovery from the recovery container 60, after liquid recovery, and in the process of returning the liquid to the liquid storage container 18.

[0126] Here, as shown in FIG. 19, the volumes V1a and V1b of the liquid-containing collecting chambers 61A partitioned in the collection container 60 are set to be larger than the volumes V2a and V2b of the liquid-containing containers 18. The volume V2a is the volume that can be contained in the first liquid-containing container 18A, and the volume V2b is the volume that can be contained in the second liquid-containing container 18B. The volume V1a of the first collection chamber 68A in the collection container 60 is set to a value larger than the volume V2a of the first liquid-containing container 18A. In addition, the volume V1b of the second collection chamber 68B in the collection container 60 is set to a value larger than the volume V2b of the second liquid-containing container 18B. The volume of the liquid-containing container 18 is the amount of liquid when the liquid level reaches the lower end of the air flow path 58. The volume of the collection container 60 is, for example, the amount of liquid when the liquid level reaches a position below the communication position of the atmosphere communication part 64 and slightly below the open / close position of the sealing valve 63B. The volume V1 of the collection container 60 may be set to an appropriate value taking into consideration that the collected liquid does not leak. As shown in Figs. 19 to 22, in this embodiment, the collection container 60 does not contain a liquid holding member 65.

[0127] 21, the atmosphere communication part 64 protrudes upward from the upper surface 61B of the recovery storage part 61. The atmosphere communication part 64 communicates with the recovery chamber 68 at a position above the liquid level when the liquid amount in the recovery chamber 68 is at its maximum.

[0128] As shown in Figures 20 and 22, the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection portion 62 of the collection container 60 are connected. The liquid moves due to the head pressure of the liquid in the liquid storage container 18, and the liquid is collected into the collection container 60. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 20, the liquid in the multiple liquid storage containers 18 is collected in multiple collection chambers 68 for each color. Note that while Figure 20 shows an example in which all of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 are connected to the collection container 60 at the same time, the liquid in the liquid storage containers 18 may be collected into the collection container 60 one by one, or a number of containers less than the total number.

[0129] After the liquid recovery is completed in this manner, maintenance or transportation, etc. of the liquid ejection device 11 is performed. After the maintenance or transportation, etc. is completed, the user returns the liquid in the recovery container 60 to the liquid storage container 18.

[0130] 23, the liquid resupply unit 81 of the recovery container 60 is connected to the liquid injection unit 53 of the liquid storage container 18. During this connection, the liquid injection unit 53 presses the valve body of the sealing valve 63B, switching the sealing valve 63B from a closed state to an open state. As a result, the liquid in the recovery container 60 moves through the liquid flow path 57 to the liquid storage container 18 due to the hydraulic head pressure.

[0131] At this time, as the liquid flows into the liquid storage container 18, the air in the liquid storage chamber 55 is discharged to the outside through the atmosphere communication part 54. As a result, the liquid in the collection container 60 moves continuously into the liquid storage container 18. In this way, the liquid in the collection container 60 is returned into the liquid storage container 18. When returning the liquid in the collection container 60 to the liquid storage container 18 by the connection shown in FIG. 23, all of the multiple liquid storage containers 18 may be connected to the collection container 60 at the same time, or one at a time or a number of liquid storage containers 18 less than the total number may be connected to the collection container 60.

[0132] Therefore, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects (1-1) to (1-4) and (1-7) to (1-10) in the first embodiment, the following effects are obtained. (3-1) A plurality of recovery connection parts 62 are formed in accordance with the number of liquid storage containers 18, and the interior of the liquid recovery container 60 is divided into the same number of spaces as the number of liquid storage containers 18. With this configuration, the liquid in each liquid storage container 18 can be collected separately into the divided spaces in the liquid recovery container 60. Taking into account the refilling of liquid after collection, it is possible to prevent different liquids from mixing with each other.

[0133] (3-2) The liquid recovery container 60 has a liquid resupply unit 81 that is connectable to the liquid injecting unit 53. With this configuration, the liquid recovered in the liquid recovery container 60 can be reused. (3-3) The liquid re-supply portion 81 is formed separately from the recovery connection portion 62. With this configuration, the liquid recovered in the liquid recovery container 60 can be smoothly supplied to the liquid storage container 18. Furthermore, for example, there are cases where the recovery connection portion 62 can be used as an air opening port.

[0134] (Fourth embodiment) Next, the configuration of the collection container 60 of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 24 to 26. The basic configuration of the liquid ejection device 11 is similar to that of the first embodiment. The configuration of the liquid storage container 18 is similar to that of the second and third embodiments. Therefore, the following description will focus on the configuration of the collection container 60. Note that, for the liquid storage container 18 and the collection container 60, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations common to the second and third embodiments, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0135] 24 and 25, the recovery container 60 of this embodiment has a function of returning the liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 back to the liquid storage container 18, similar to the third embodiment. In addition to being used to recover liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 when the liquid ejection device 11 is disposed of, it can also be used when it is desired to temporarily discharge the liquid within the liquid storage container 18 for reasons such as transportation or maintenance of the liquid ejection device 11.

[0136] 24 and 25, a plurality of recovery connections 62 are formed in accordance with the number of liquid storage containers 18, and the interior of the recovery container 60 is divided into a plurality of spaces equal in number to the number of liquid storage containers 18. In detail, similar to the third embodiment, the recovery container 60 is partitioned into a plurality of recovery chambers 68 by partitions 67. A plurality of recovery connections 62 corresponding to the plurality of recovery chambers 68 are protruded from an upper surface 61B of the recovery container 60. The recovery connection 62 is constituted by a concave-shaped tubular portion 66 having a recess 66A that can be fitted into a tubular liquid discharge portion 71 that has a convex shape.

[0137] The recovery container 60 of this embodiment also includes a recovery connection part 62, a recovery storage part 61, and an atmosphere communication part 64, as in the above-mentioned embodiments. The recovery connection part 62 is provided with a sealing member 63 that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. The sealing member 63 is, for example, a sealing valve 63B that can open and close the flow path of the recovery connection part 62. The sealing valve 63B has a configuration similar to that of the third embodiment, for example, and includes a valve body, a biasing member, and a valve seat. When the liquid discharge part 71 is connected to the recovery connection part 62, the valve body is moved away from the valve seat by the force received from the liquid discharge part 71, and the sealing valve 63B is switched from the closed state to the open state. In addition, when the liquid discharge part 71 is removed from the recovery connection part 62, the valve body hits the valve seat by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the sealing valve 63B is switched from the open state to the closed state.

[0138] 25, the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection portion 62 of the recovery container 60 are connected. In this connected state, the liquid is moved by the head pressure of the liquid in the liquid storage container 18, and the liquid is recovered into the recovery container 60. In this manner, after liquid recovery is completed, maintenance or transportation of the liquid ejection device 11 is performed.

[0139] Moreover, the recovery container 60 of the fourth embodiment has a liquid re-supply part 81 that can be connected to the liquid injection part 53. However, unlike the recovery container 60 of the third embodiment, it does not have a dedicated liquid re-supply part 81. The recovery connection part 62 may also serve as the liquid re-supply part 81.

[0140] As described above, in this embodiment, since the recovery connection part 62 also serves as the liquid re-supply part 81, when returning the liquid in the recovery container 60 to the liquid storage container 18, the recovery container 60 is inverted so that the recovery connection part 62 faces downward. Then, the liquid re-supply part 81, which also serves as the recovery connection part 62, is connected to the liquid injection part 53 of the liquid storage container 18. When the recovery container 60 is inverted, the atmosphere communication part 64 is located below in the vertical direction Z, but the recovery container 60 has a structure that allows the atmosphere communication part 64 to communicate with the atmosphere even in such an inverted position.

[0141] 24, the recovery container 60 has a flow path forming partition 61E extending from the top of the recovery storage section 61 toward the bottom inside the recovery chamber 68. The flow path forming partition 61E forms an atmosphere communication flow path 64A in the recovery chamber 68 that communicates with the atmosphere communication section 64. The atmosphere communication flow path 64A communicates with the spatial region inside the recovery chamber 68 other than the atmosphere communication flow path 64A through the communication part on the bottom side.

[0142] By providing such a flow path forming partition 61E, it is possible for the atmosphere communication flow path 64A to be filled with air even if the recovery container 60 containing the liquid is turned upside down. As a result, the recovery connection part 62 also serves as the liquid re-supply part 81.

[0143] After maintenance or transportation is completed, the user returns the liquid in the recovery container 60 to the liquid storage container 18. At this time, the recovery container 60 containing the liquid is turned upside down by rotating it a half turn clockwise in Fig. 25. During this half turn of the recovery container 60, the liquid flows out of the atmosphere communication flow path 64A and the atmosphere communication flow path 64A becomes filled with air.

[0144] 26, while in this inverted position, the recovery connection part 62 of the recovery container 60 is connected to the liquid injection part 53 of the liquid storage container 18. Here, the inner diameter of the tubular part 66 constituting the recovery connection part 62 is set to a dimension that allows it to fit with the liquid injection part 53 on the liquid storage container 18 side. In particular, since the liquid injection part 53 of the liquid storage container 18 is constituted by a tube part having a convex shape, the recovery connection part 62 is formed by the tubular part 66 having a concave shape that can fit with the convex liquid injection part 53. The inner diameter of the tubular part 66 is set to a dimension that allows it to fit around the tube part constituting the liquid injection part 53.

[0145] 26, the liquid injection part 53 presses a valve body (not shown) constituting the sealing valve 63B against the biasing force of the biasing member, and the sealing valve 63B switches from a closed state to an open state. Therefore, the liquid in the recovery container 60 flows into the liquid storage container 18 through the liquid flow path 57 due to the hydraulic head pressure.

[0146] At this time, as the liquid flows into the liquid storage container 18, the air in the liquid storage chamber 55 moves through the air flow path 58 into the recovery container 60. In this way, while air-liquid exchange is taking place in the liquid storage container 18, the liquid in the recovery container 60 continuously flows into the liquid storage container 18. In this way, the liquid in the recovery container 60 is returned into the liquid storage container 18.

[0147] Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to obtaining the effects (1-1) to (1-4) and (1-7) to (1-10) in the first embodiment and the effects (3-1) to (3-3) in the third embodiment, the following effects are further obtained.

[0148] (4-1) Recovery connection part 62 also serves as liquid re-supply part 81. According to this configuration, recovery connection part 62 of recovery container 60 also serves as liquid re-supply part 81, so that the structure of recovery container 60 can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[0149] Fifth embodiment Next, the configuration of a collection container 60 according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 27 to 29. The configuration of a liquid storage container 18 is similar to those of the second to fourth embodiments.

[0150] 27 and 28, the recovery container 60 of this embodiment has a function of returning the liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 back to the liquid storage container 18, similar to the third and fourth embodiments. In addition to being used to recover liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 when the liquid ejection device 11 is disposed of, it can also be used when it is desired to temporarily discharge the liquid within the liquid storage container 18 for reasons such as transportation or maintenance of the liquid ejection device 11.

[0151] As shown in Fig. 27, the liquid recovery container 60 includes a recovery storage portion 61 and a recovery connection portion 62. The recovery connection portion 62 is configured so as to be connectable to a liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18. The recovery storage portion 61 stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container 18 through the recovery connection portion 62 connected to the liquid discharge portion 71. The recovery container 60 does not include the atmosphere communication portion 64 of the recovery container 60 of the first to fourth embodiments. The recovery connection portion 62 includes a liquid flow path 85 and an air flow path 86 that constitute an air-liquid exchange portion.

[0152] As shown in FIG. 27, in the recovery storage section 61, a plurality of recovery connection sections 62 are formed in accordance with the number of liquid storage containers 18. The interior of the liquid recovery container 60 is divided into a plurality of spaces equal in number to the number of liquid storage containers 18. In detail, the recovery container 60 is partitioned into a plurality of recovery chambers 68 by partitions 67. A plurality of recovery connection sections 62 corresponding to the plurality of recovery chambers 68 are protruded from an upper surface 61B of the recovery container 60. The recovery connection section 62 is formed of a tube section 69 that can be fitted into the liquid discharge section 71 made of a cylindrical section 74 having a concave shape. The tube section 69 is configured to be able to be inserted into a recess 74A of the cylindrical section 74.

[0153] As shown in FIG. 27, the recovery container 60 has a liquid re-supply section 81 as a liquid supply port for returning the liquid recovered in the recovery storage section 61 back to the liquid storage container 18. The liquid re-supply section 81 is configured to be connectable to the liquid injection section 53. The liquid re-supply section 81 is provided on the lower side, opposite to the upper side of the recovery storage section 61 where the recovery connection section 62 is formed. In other words, the liquid re-supply section 81 is provided on the bottom surface 61D of the recovery storage section 61. In this manner, the liquid re-supply section 81 is formed separately from the recovery connection section 62. Note that the liquid re-supply section 81 is not limited to being provided on the bottom surface 61D of the recovery storage section 61, and may also be provided on the lower part of the side surface 61C.

[0154] 27, the liquid re-supply part 81 is made up of a tubular part 83. The tubular part 83 is formed with an inner diameter dimension that allows it to fit with the liquid injection part 53 on the liquid storage container 18 side. In detail, the liquid re-supply part 81 is made up of a tubular part 83 with a concave shape that allows it to fit with the liquid injection part 53 with a convex shape. The tubular part 83 is formed with an inner diameter dimension that allows it to fit around the tube part of the liquid injection part 53. Note that the concave-convex relationship between the liquid re-supply part 81 and the liquid injection part 53 may be reversed.

[0155] The liquid flow path 85 and the air flow path 86 constituting the gas-liquid exchanger provided in the recovery connection part 62 are basically the same as the liquid flow path 57 and the air flow path 58 constituting the gas-liquid exchanger of the liquid storage container 18. That is, as shown in Fig. 28, when the liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18 and the recovery connection part 62 of the recovery container 60 are connected, the liquid moves from the liquid storage container 18 to the recovery container 60 by the head pressure. The air in the recovery chamber 68 is discharged into the liquid storage container 18 through the air flow path 86 until the liquid level reaches the height indicated by the two-dot chain line in the recovery container 60 shown in Fig. 28. The air that rises as air bubbles from the liquid discharge part 71 in the liquid storage container 18 is discharged to the atmosphere from the liquid storage chamber 55 through the air flow path 58 and the liquid injection part 53.

[0156] On the other hand, if the liquid reaches the liquid level indicated by the two-dot chain line in the collection container 60 shown in FIG. 28, the air flow path 86 is closed by the liquid. As a result, the movement of liquid from the liquid storage container 18 to the collection container 60 through the liquid flow path 85 stops. In this way, in the collection container 60, the air flow path 86 constituting the gas-liquid exchanger provided integrally with the collection connection part 62 functions as a kind of atmosphere communication part that indirectly communicates with the atmosphere through a path passing through the liquid injection part 53 on the connected liquid storage container 18 side. In this respect, the liquid discharge part 71 also serves as the atmosphere communication part. Note that since the volume of the collection container 60 is larger than the total liquid volume of the corresponding liquid storage container 18, the liquid basically does not reach the liquid level indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 28.

[0157] 28 is completed, maintenance or transportation of the liquid ejection device 11 is performed. After maintenance or transportation is completed, the user returns the liquid in the recovery container 60 to the liquid storage container 18.

[0158] 29, the liquid resupply unit 81 of the recovery container 60 is connected to the liquid injection unit 53 of the liquid storage container 18. During this connection, the liquid injection unit 53 presses the valve element of the sealing valve 63B, switching the sealing valve 63B from a closed state to an open state. As a result, the liquid in the recovery container 60 moves through the liquid flow path 57 to the liquid storage container 18 due to the hydraulic head pressure.

[0159] At this time, as the liquid flows into the liquid storage container 18, the air in the liquid storage chamber 55 is discharged to the outside through the atmosphere communication part 54. As a result, the liquid in the recovery container 60 continuously moves into the liquid storage container 18. Also, as the liquid in the recovery container 60 decreases, air is introduced into the recovery chamber 68 through the recovery connection part 62. In other words, the recovery connection part 62 communicates between the atmosphere and the inside of the recovery chamber 68, and therefore functions as an atmosphere communication part. As a result, the liquid in the recovery container 60 continuously moves to the liquid storage container 18. In this way, the liquid in the recovery container 60 is returned to the liquid storage container 18.

[0160] Therefore, according to the fifth embodiment, in addition to obtaining the effects (1-1) to (1-4), (1-7) to (1-10) in the first embodiment and the effects (3-1) and (3-2) in the third embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0161] (5-1) The recovery connection part 62 also functions as an atmosphere communication part. According to this configuration, since the recovery connection part 62 also functions as an atmosphere communication part, the configuration of the liquid recovery container 60 can be simplified. The above embodiment can be modified to the following modified examples. Further modified examples can be appropriately combined with the above embodiment and the following modified examples, or further modified examples can be appropriately combined with each other.

[0162] The collection container 60 may include a sealing member that is detachably attached to the collection connection part 62. For example, as shown in FIG. 30, the collection container 60 of the first embodiment may include a sealing member 91 that is detachably attached to the collection connection part 62. The sealing member 91 is a cap member that seals the connection port of the collection connection part 62. The sealing member 91 is attached to the collection connection part 62 in a state where the connection port is sealed by, for example, fitting or screwing. When collecting liquid, the user removes the sealing member 91 from the collection connection part 62 and connects the liquid discharge part 71 of the liquid storage container 18 to the collection connection part 62. When the collection of liquid into the collection container 60 is completed, the liquid storage container 18 and the collection container 60 are disconnected, and the sealing member 91 is attached to the collection connection part 62 of the collection container 60. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the liquid collected in the collection container 60 from leaking from the collection connection part 62. 31, the collection container 60 of the second embodiment may include a sealing member 92 that is detachable from the collection connection part 62. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 32, the collection container 60 of the third embodiment may include a sealing member 93 that is detachable from the collection connection part 62. In this case, as shown in FIG. 32, the sealing valve 63B may be omitted. As shown in FIG. 33, the collection container 60 of the fifth embodiment may include a sealing member 94 that is detachable from the collection connection part 62. Furthermore, the collection container 60 of the fourth embodiment may include a sealing member that is detachable from the collection connection part 62. In any of these configurations, it is possible to prevent the liquid collected in the collection container 60 from leaking from the collection connection part 62. Although the collection container 60 of the third to fifth embodiments cannot basically accommodate the liquid holding member 65 that can contribute to preventing leakage of the liquid, the sealing members 91 to 94 can prevent leakage of the liquid in the collection container 60. Note that in FIG. 32 and FIG. 33, the return discharge part The movement direction of the door body 19B can be set to any direction as long as the liquid storage container 18 can be removed in the first direction A. For example, the sliding direction may be the width direction X. Furthermore, the door body 19B is not limited to a sliding type as long as the liquid storage container 18 can be removed in the first direction A, and may be of a rotating type. For example, the door body 19B may be configured to rotate around the lower end, the right end, the left end, or the upper end.

[0163] In the above-described embodiments, the method of connecting the liquid storage container 18, which has been removed from the housing 20 by releasing the fixing portion 42, to the collection container 60 may be adopted. However, a method of connecting the liquid storage container 18 to the liquid collection container 60 while the liquid storage container 18 is fixed to the housing 20 may also be adopted. For example, the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 is configured to be exposed from an opening in the bottom plate of the housing 20, and the collection connection portion 62 of the collection container 60 is connected to the liquid discharge portion 71 through the opening. In cases other than the connection embodiment, the opening may be covered with a cover. As long as the liquid discharge portion 71 is configured to be exposed from the housing 20, the position of the opening may be on another surface, such as a side portion of the housing 20. In short, any method may be used that includes two functions, (a) connecting the liquid discharge portion 71 of the liquid storage container 18 to the collection connection portion 62 of the liquid collection container 60, and (b) recovering the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 by moving it into the liquid collection container 60 by head pressure, even while the liquid storage container 18 is fixed to the housing 20. According to this liquid recovery method, the effort of releasing the fixing portion 42 is not required, and the liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18 can be recovered in the liquid recovery container 60 without employing a special structure, such as providing a door body 19B, that is required to remove the liquid storage container 18 from the storage part 19. Therefore, when the liquid ejection device 11 is discarded with liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 18, the environmental load caused by the leaked liquid can be reduced.

[0164] The first direction A, which is the moving direction of the liquid storage container 18 when it is removed from the liquid ejection device 11, is not limited to the Y direction, and may be another direction. For example, it may be in the +Z direction (downward) and the liquid storage container 18 may be removed from an opening in the bottom plate of the housing 20, or in the -Z direction (upward) and the cover 32 may be opened and the liquid storage container 18 may be removed upward. It may also be in the -Y direction (rearward) and the liquid storage container 18 may be removed from the back surface of the housing 20. It may also be in the -X direction (rightward) and the liquid storage container 18 may be removed to the right from an opening formed by opening a door provided on the right side of the storage section 19. In addition, in a configuration in which the storage section 19 is located on the front left side of the housing 20, the liquid storage container 18 may be removed to the left from an opening formed by opening a door provided on the left side of the storage section 19.

[0165] The guide for removing the liquid storage container 18 from the housing 20 is not limited to the guide portion 48A such as a guide groove. For example, the guide portion may be a rail. The liquid storage container 18 may be guided by a rail to move in the first direction A. The liquid storage container 18 may also be electrically moved in the first direction A. In this case, the motor serving as the power source may also serve as the transport motor that is the drive source for the transport section that transports the medium M or the drive source for the maintenance device 35.

[0166] The connecting portion 45 may be fixed by an arm extending from a frame constituting the housing 20. For example, if the tube constituting the supply flow path 24 stretches in the process of moving the liquid storage container 18 in the first direction A, the force required for disconnection is likely to increase due to the restoring force of the stretched tube, and the liquid such as ink may be splashed due to the impact when the tube suddenly shrinks when the connection is released. In contrast, if the connecting portion 45 is fixed directly or indirectly to the housing 20, the liquid storage container 18 can be disconnected from the supply flow path 24 without the tube stretching when the liquid storage container 18 is moved in the first direction A. Note that the stretching of the supply flow path 24 when the liquid storage container 18 is removed may be suppressed by increasing the rigidity of at least one end side of the supply flow path 24 by using a synthetic resin or metal pipe material.

[0167] The position of the liquid discharge portion 71 in the liquid storage portion 51 and the position of the recovery connection portion 62 in the recovery storage portion 61 may be changed as appropriate, so long as the position allows the liquid to be discharged by head pressure. In the first embodiment, first valve 59 of liquid supply unit 52 may be a manual on-off valve that can be manually opened and closed, or may be configured to have the function of a manual on-off valve. In this case, liquid supply unit 52 may be connected to collection container 60, but if the valve can be opened manually when collecting liquid in another container such as an empty bottle, leakage of liquid can be suppressed even when collecting liquid in another container.

[0168] In the second to fifth embodiments, the second valve 72 of the liquid discharge portion 71 may be a manual on-off valve that is manually opened and closed, or an electrically operated on-off valve that also has the function of a manual on-off valve.

[0169] Although the liquid ejection device 11 in the above embodiment is provided with a plurality of liquid storage containers 18, the liquid ejection device 11 may be provided with only one liquid storage container 18. The single liquid storage container 18 may store, for example, black ink as liquid, and the liquid ejection device 11 may be a printer dedicated to monochrome printing.

[0170] The liquid holding member 65 is not limited to nonwoven fabric or porous material, but may be a superabsorbent polymer (SAP). In the above embodiment, the liquid was collected in the collection container 60 by connecting the liquid discharge part 71 and the collection container 61, but the liquid in the liquid storage container 18 may be poured from the liquid discharge part 71 to the inlet of the collection container 60. For example, the opening of the collection container 61 may be made larger than the opening of the liquid discharge part 71, and the liquid may be poured by head pressure from a position separated from the openings.

[0171] The moving direction when removing the liquid storage container 18 from the housing 20 may be a direction other than the Y direction (forward direction) or the Z direction (downward direction). In short, it may be a method along the connection direction between the liquid supply unit 52 and the supply flow path 24. For example, it may be the -Y direction (rearward direction) or the -Z direction (upward direction), or it may be the width direction X. If it is the width direction X, it may be the -X direction (rightward) or the +X direction (leftward). Furthermore, it may be a direction having components in two directions, the X direction and the Y direction, a direction having components in two directions, the Y direction and the Z direction, or a direction having components in two directions, the X direction and the Z direction. Furthermore, it may be a direction having components in three directions, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.

[0172] In the liquid ejection device 11, the position of the liquid storage container 18 is not limited to the front right side of the housing 20. For example, it may be the front left side of the housing 20. Also, the position of the liquid storage container 18 may be on the side of the housing 20 or the rear of the housing 20. Also, in the above embodiment, the position of the liquid storage container 18 was a position where the housing 20 was partially shaped to protrude outward (for example, to the front), but it may be located at a position where the housing 20 does not protrude outward.

[0173] The liquid ejection device 11 is not limited to an inkjet printer that prints on paper, but may also be a textile printing device. The medium M onto which the liquid ejection device 11 ejects liquid is not limited to paper, fabric, etc., but may be a synthetic resin film, a laminate medium including a synthetic resin layer and a metal layer, or a metal foil.

[0174] The liquid ejection device 11 may be a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid other than ink. The state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection device as minute droplets includes granular, teardrop, and thread-like tails. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected from the liquid ejection device. For example, the liquid may be any state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, and includes fluids such as high or low viscosity liquids, sols, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, and liquid metals (metal melts). The liquid includes not only liquids as one state of matter, but also particles of functional materials made of solids such as pigments and metal particles dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent. Representative examples of liquids include inks and liquid crystals as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes various liquid compositions such as general water-based inks and oil-based inks, as well as gel inks and hot melt inks. Specific examples of liquid ejection devices include devices that eject liquids containing materials such as electrode materials and color materials in a dispersed or dissolved form, which are used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, surface-emitting displays, and color filters. The liquid ejection device may be a device that ejects biological organic matter used in the manufacture of biochips, a device that ejects liquid samples used as a precision pipette, a textile printing device, a microdispenser, or the like. The liquid ejection device may be a device that ejects lubricating oil with pinpoint accuracy onto precision machinery such as watches and cameras, or a device that ejects transparent resin liquid such as ultraviolet curing resin onto a substrate to form a micro hemispherical lens (optical lens) used in optical communication elements, or the like. The liquid ejection device may be a device that ejects an etching liquid such as an acid or alkali to etch a substrate, or the like.

[0175] The technical concepts and effects obtained from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described below. (A) A liquid ejection system includes a liquid ejection device including an ejection head that ejects liquid and a liquid storage container capable of storing liquid to be supplied to the ejection head, and a liquid recovery container, wherein the liquid storage container includes a liquid storage section configured to store liquid, a liquid injection section that injects liquid into the liquid storage section, a liquid supply section that supplies liquid to the ejection head, and a liquid discharge section that discharges liquid stored in the liquid storage section to the outside, and the liquid recovery container includes a recovery connection section connectable to the liquid discharge section, and a recovery storage section that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through the connection between the liquid discharge section and the recovery connection section.

[0176] According to this configuration, the liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container can be recovered from the liquid storage container to the liquid recovery container, thereby reducing the environmental load caused by liquid contamination due to leakage of residual liquid such as residual ink in the liquid storage container when the liquid ejection device is disposed of.

[0177] (B) In the liquid ejection system described in (A) above, the liquid may be recovered into the liquid recovery container by liquid being moved by a head pressure of the liquid in the liquid storage container. According to this configuration, the liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container can be smoothly recovered into the liquid recovery container by the head pressure without employing a complex configuration.

[0178] (C) In the liquid ejection system described in (A) or (B) above, the liquid recovery container may have a capacity for recovering liquid that is larger than the total capacity for containing liquid of the liquid storage container. With this configuration, all of the liquid in the liquid storage container can be recovered by a single recovery container.

[0179] (D) In ​​the liquid ejection system according to any one of (A) to (C) above, the recovery connection may be provided with a sealing member that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the recovered liquid from leaking out of the liquid recovery container.

[0180] (E) In the liquid ejection system according to any one of (A) to (D) above, a liquid holding member may be sealed inside the liquid recovery container. This configuration reduces the risk of the liquid recovered in the recovery container scattering to the outside.

[0181] (F) In the liquid ejection system according to any one of (A) to (E) above, the number of recovery connections may be equal to or less than the number of the liquid storage containers, and the interiors of the liquid storage containers may be formed as a single space as a whole. With this configuration, the liquid in the liquid storage containers can be collected collectively in the liquid collection container, so that the collected liquid can be disposed of collectively.

[0182] (G) In the liquid ejection system described in any one of (A) to (F) above, the recovery connection portion may be formed in a number corresponding to the number of the liquid storage containers, and the interior of the liquid recovery container may be divided into the same number of spaces as the number of the liquid storage containers. With this configuration, the liquid in each liquid storage container can be recovered separately into the divided spaces in the liquid recovery container. Taking into account the refilling of the liquid after recovery, it is possible to prevent different liquids from mixing with each other.

[0183] (H) In the liquid ejection system described in any one of (A) to (G) above, the liquid recovery container may have a liquid resupply section connectable to the liquid injector. With this configuration, it becomes possible to reuse the liquid recovered in the liquid recovery container.

[0184] (I) In the liquid ejection system according to any one of (A) to (H) above, the recovery connection part may also function as the liquid re-supply part. With this configuration, the recovery connection part of the liquid recovery container also functions as the liquid re-supply part, thereby preventing the structure of the liquid recovery container from becoming complicated.

[0185] (J) In the liquid ejection system according to any one of (A) to (H) above, the liquid re-supply section may be formed separately from the recovery connection section. With this configuration, the liquid recovered in the liquid recovery container can be smoothly supplied to the liquid storage container. For example, the recovery connection section may be used as an air opening.

[0186] (K) The liquid recovery container comprises a recovery connection portion connectable to the liquid discharge portion of the liquid storage container, a recovery storage portion that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through the recovery connection portion connected to the liquid discharge portion, and an atmosphere communication portion that communicates the inside of the recovery storage portion with the atmosphere.

[0187] (L) In the liquid recovery container described in (K) above, the recovery connection part may also serve as the atmosphere communication part. With this configuration, since the recovery connection part also serves as the atmosphere communication part, the configuration of the liquid recovery container can be simplified.

[0188] (M) In the liquid recovery container described in (K) or (L) above, a sealing member that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part may be provided. With this configuration, by providing a sealing member that stops leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection part, it is possible to prevent the liquid in the liquid recovery container from leaking out of the discharge connection part after the liquid has been recovered.

[0189] (N) A liquid recovery method for recovering liquid in the liquid storage container of the liquid ejection device in the liquid ejection system according to any one of (A) to (M) above, comprising: connecting the liquid discharge portion of the liquid storage container to the recovery connection portion of the liquid recovery container; and recovering the liquid in the liquid storage container by moving it into the liquid recovery container by hydraulic head pressure. According to this method, liquid such as ink remaining in the liquid storage container can be recovered from the liquid storage container to the liquid recovery container. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the environmental load caused by liquid contamination due to leakage of residual liquid such as residual ink in the liquid storage container when the liquid ejection device is disposed of.

[0190] (O) The liquid recovery method described in (N) above may include removing the liquid storage container from the liquid ejection device before connecting the liquid discharge part and the recovery connection part. According to this method, the liquid storage container is removed from the liquid ejection device before connecting the liquid discharge part and the recovery connection part. This makes the task of connecting the liquid discharge part and the recovery connection part easier than a method of connecting the liquid discharge part and the recovery connection part without removing the liquid storage container from the liquid ejection device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0191] 11...liquid ejection device, 12...device body, 13...image reading device, 13A...rotation mechanism, 15...operation unit, 16...display unit, 17...operation panel, 18...liquid storage container, 18A...first liquid storage container, 18B...second liquid storage container, 19...storage unit, 19A...storage unit body, 19B...door body, 19C, 19D...side plate, 20...housing, 20A...bottom, 21B...outlet, 21C...bottom cover, 21...window, 22...visible surface, 23...printing unit, 24...supply flow path, 25...ejection head, 25A...nozzle forming surface, 25N...nozzle, 26...carrier edge, 27...scanning mechanism, 28...guide shaft, 29...carriage motor, 30...pulley, 31...timing belt, 32...cover, 33...cap lever, 34...liquid bottle, 34A...supply section, 35...maintenance device, 36...liquid supply device, 37...cap, 38...discharge tube, 39...suction pump, 40...waste liquid storage section, 41...liquid flow path, 42...fixing section, 43...screw, 44...regulating member, 45...connecting section, 45A...connecting port, 46...rail, 47...separation mechanism, 48...mounting section, 48A...guide section, 50...container Main body, 51...liquid storage section, 51A...bottom surface, 51B...side surface, 51C...partition wall section, 51D...flow path forming wall, 52...liquid supply section, 53...liquid injection section, 54...atmosphere communication section, 55...liquid storage chamber, 56...projection section, 57...liquid flow path, 58...air flow path, 59...first valve, 60...liquid recovery container (recovery container), 61...recovery storage section, 61A...recovery storage chamber, 61B...upper surface, 61C...side surface, 61D...bottom surface, 62...recovery connection section, 63...sealing member, 63B...sealing valve, 64...atmosphere communication section, 64A...atmosphere communication flow path, 65...liquid holding member, 66... Cylindrical portion, 66A...recess, 67...partition portion, 68...recovery chamber, 68A...first recovery chamber, 68B...second recovery chamber, 69...tube portion, 71...liquid discharge portion, 72...second valve, 73...tube portion, 74...cylindrical portion, 74A...recess, 75...cap member, 81...liquid re-supply portion, 82...valve, 83...cylindrical portion, 83A...recess, 85...liquid flow path, 86...air flow path, 91...sealing member, 92...sealing member, 93...sealing member, 94...sealing member, 100...control portion, M...medium, IL...liquid, X...width direction, Y...transport direction, Z...vertical direction, A...first direction, B...second direction.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection system including a liquid ejection device including an ejection head that ejects liquid and a liquid storage container capable of storing liquid to be supplied to the ejection head, and a liquid recovery container, The liquid storage container includes: A liquid storage portion configured to be able to store liquid; a liquid injection section that injects liquid into the liquid storage section; a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid to the ejection head; a liquid discharge section that discharges the liquid contained in the liquid storage section to the outside; Equipped with The liquid collection container includes: a recovery connection portion connectable to the liquid discharge portion; a recovery storage section that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through a connection between the liquid discharge section and the recovery connection section; A liquid ejection system comprising:

2. The liquid ejection system according to claim 1 , A liquid ejection system, comprising: a liquid storage container, a liquid storage unit, a liquid recovery container, and a liquid recovery unit that recovers liquid by moving the liquid due to a head pressure of the liquid in the liquid storage container.

3. The liquid ejection system according to claim 1 , A liquid ejection system, comprising: a liquid recovery container having a capacity capable of recovering liquid that is greater than an overall liquid storage capacity of the liquid storage container.

4. The liquid ejection system according to claim 1 , A liquid ejection system, comprising: a return connection portion provided with a sealing member for preventing leakage of liquid through a flow path of the return connection portion.

5. The liquid ejection system according to claim 1 , A liquid ejection system, wherein a liquid holding member is enclosed inside the liquid recovery container.

6. The liquid ejection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A liquid ejection system, wherein the number of the recovery connection parts provided is equal to or less than the number of the liquid storage containers, and the interior of the liquid recovery container is formed as a single space as a whole.

7. The liquid ejection system according to claim 1 , The recovery connection portion is formed in a plurality of portions in accordance with the number of the liquid storage containers, A liquid ejection system, wherein the interior of the liquid recovery container is divided into spaces the number of which is equal to the number of the liquid storage containers.

8. In the liquid ejection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 7, The liquid ejection system is characterized in that the liquid recovery container has a liquid resupply section that is connectable to the liquid injection section.

9. The liquid ejection system according to claim 8, A liquid ejection system, wherein the recovery connection portion also serves as the liquid resupply portion.

10. The liquid ejection system according to claim 8, A liquid ejection system, wherein the liquid resupply section is formed separately from the recovery connection section.

11. A liquid collection container in the liquid ejection system according to claim 1, a recovery connection portion connectable to the liquid discharge portion of the liquid storage container; a recovery storage section that stores liquid recovered from the liquid storage container through the recovery connection section that is connected to the liquid discharge section; an atmosphere communication part that communicates the inside of the recovery storage part with the atmosphere; A liquid collection container comprising:

12. The liquid collection container according to claim 11, A liquid recovery container, wherein the recovery connection portion also serves as the atmosphere communication portion.

13. The liquid collection container according to claim 11, A liquid recovery container comprising a sealing member for preventing leakage of liquid through the flow path of the recovery connection portion.

14. 2. A liquid recovery method for recovering liquid in the liquid storage container of the liquid ejection device in the liquid ejection system according to claim 1, comprising: connecting the liquid discharge portion of the liquid storage container and the recovery connection portion of the liquid recovery container; recovering the liquid in the liquid storage container by moving the liquid into the liquid recovery container using a head pressure; A liquid recovery method comprising:

15. 15. A liquid recovery method according to claim 14, comprising the steps of: A liquid recovery method comprising: removing the liquid storage container from the liquid ejection device before connecting the liquid discharge portion and the recovery connection portion.

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