Cartridge

Abstract

To provide a cartridge that is facilitated in replacing an absorber that can absorb waste ink.SOLUTION: A cartridge (11) includes: an absorber (30) capable of absorbing waste ink; an enclosing member (40) for enclosing the absorber (30); and a case (12) for storing the absorber (30) that is enclosed in the enclosing member (40).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cartridge that stores waste ink therein. [Background technology]

[0002] Printers include inkjet printers that eject ink onto a medium such as printing paper to print characters, figures, images, etc. Inkjet printers have a function of sucking ink and air bubbles from the inkjet nozzle and storing the sucked ink as waste ink. Patent Document 1 discloses prior art related to a cartridge that stores waste ink inside.

[0003] The cartridge disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an absorber capable of absorbing waste ink and a case that houses the absorber. The absorber is detachable from the case. The absorber that has absorbed the waste ink can be replaced with a new absorber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-123108 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The absorbent material that has absorbed the waste ink tends to stick to the case, making it difficult to replace.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge in which an absorber capable of absorbing waste ink can be easily replaced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] First, a cartridge is provided that includes an absorber capable of absorbing waste ink, an enclosure member that encases the absorber, and a case that houses the absorber enclosed in the enclosure member.

[0008] Secondly, preferably, the cartridge according to the first aspect comprises: the case has an inner wall portion made of resin capable of surrounding the absorber wrapped in the surrounding member, The inner wall portion has a longitudinal inner wall portion extending in a longitudinal direction of the case, The longitudinal outer wall portion is provided with a gap with respect to an outer surface of the longitudinal inner wall portion, At least one rib is provided between the inner longitudinal wall and the outer longitudinal wall.

[0009] Thirdly, preferably, the cartridge according to the first aspect, The case includes a box having an opening and capable of housing the absorber, and a lid capable of closing the opening of the box, the lid has an inlet through which the waste ink can be introduced into the case, A cylindrical portion extends from a periphery of the introduction port toward the inside of the case, The tip of the cylindrical portion is located inside the surrounding member.

[0010] Fourthly, preferably, the cartridge according to the third aspect, The absorbent body has an exposed portion exposed from the surrounding member, The exposed portion is recessed so that the cylindrical portion of the lid fits therein. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The present invention can provide a cartridge in which the absorber capable of absorbing waste ink can be easily replaced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a printer including a cartridge according to an embodiment and a storage unit for storing the cartridge. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cartridge shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cartridge box shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cartridge shown in a storage section. [Diagram 5] Fig. 5A is a perspective view of the cartridge box as viewed diagonally from below, and Fig. 5B is a plan view of the bottom of the cartridge box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <Example> The embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, Fr indicates front, Rr indicates rear, Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom.

[0014] Please refer to Figure 1. An inkjet printer 10 (hereinafter referred to as printer 10) according to the embodiment ejects ink onto a medium such as printing paper to print characters, figures, images, etc. This printer 10 has a function of sucking ink and air bubbles from an inkjet nozzle (not shown) and storing the sucked ink as waste ink. Note that the width direction of the inkjet printer is the left-right direction, and its height direction is the up-down direction.

[0015] The printer 10 includes a cartridge 11 for storing waste ink therein, and a storage unit 20 that is provided at the right end of the printer 10 and capable of storing the cartridge 11. The location where the storage unit 20 is provided is not limited to the front of the printer.

[0016] (cartridge) Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. The direction in which the cartridge 11 is inserted into the storage section 20 is referred to as the rear (rear side), and the direction in which the cartridge 11 is removed from the storage section 20 is referred to as the front (front side). The cartridge 11 is block-shaped, and its longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction. The cartridge 11 includes an absorber 30 capable of absorbing waste ink, an enclosing member 40 that encloses the absorber 30, and a case 12 that houses the absorber 30 enclosed in the enclosing member 40.

[0017] (Absorbent) The absorbent body 30 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and has a front side 31, a rear side 32, a right side 33, a left side 34, a bottom side 35, and a top side 36. The material of the absorbent body 30 is, for example, a sponge, and any well-known material can be used as appropriate.

[0018] (Enclosure material) The surrounding member 40 is a transparent synthetic resin such as polyethylene, and is formed in the shape of a film that is in close contact with each of the surfaces 31 to 36 of the absorber 30. The surrounding member 40 has a front cover part 41 covering the front side surface 31, a rear cover part 42 covering the rear side surface 32, a right cover part 43 covering the right side surface 33, a left cover part 44 covering the left side surface 34, a lower cover part 45 covering the lower surface 35, and an upper cover part 46 covering the upper surface 36. An exposure hole 46a is formed in the upper cover part 46 so that a part of the upper surface 36 of the absorber 30 can be exposed.

[0019] (case) The case 12 is made of synthetic resin and comprises a rectangular parallelepiped box 50 having an opening 50a opening upward and capable of storing the absorber 30 wrapped in the surrounding member 40, and a lid 60 capable of closing the opening 50a of the box 50.

[0020] (box, inner wall, outer wall) 2 and 3. The longitudinal direction of the box 50 is the front-rear direction. The box 50 has a bottom 51 capable of supporting the lower surface 35 of the absorbent body 30 wrapped in the surrounding member 40, an inner wall portion 52 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom portion 51 and capable of surrounding the absorbent body 30 wrapped in the surrounding member 40, and an outer wall portion 55 provided along the outside of the inner wall portion 52.

[0021] The inner wall portion 52 has two longitudinal inner wall portions 53, 53 extending in the longitudinal direction of the case 12, and two lateral inner wall portions 54, 54 connecting the longitudinal inner wall portions 53, 53.

[0022] Furthermore, the box 50 has two longitudinal outer wall portions 55, 55 arranged with a gap between them and the outer surfaces 53a of the respective longitudinal inner wall portions 53, a plurality of ribs 57 (which may be a single rib) connecting each of the longitudinal inner wall portions 53 and the longitudinal outer wall portion 55, and a short outer wall portion 58 arranged with a gap between them and the outer surface of the front short inner wall portion 54.

[0023] The short outer wall portion 58 and the long outer wall portions 55, 55 are connected to each other and collectively form the outer wall portion 55. The front short outer wall portion 58 is provided with a cartridge grip portion 59 that can be gripped by the user when replacing the cartridge 11.

[0024] (lid) The top surface 60a of the lid 60 of the cartridge 11 has a groove 61 extending in the front-rear direction. The groove 61 extends from the rear end 60b of the top surface to just before the front end 60c. It is also possible to eliminate the groove 61 and have the entire top surface 60a of the lid 60 be flat.

[0025] The groove 61 has a first convex portion 62 (convex portion) that protrudes upward, a second convex portion 66 that is located rearward of the first convex portion 62 and protrudes upward, and an inlet 67 that is located rearward of the second convex portion 66 and can introduce waste ink into the interior of the cartridge 11.

[0026] With respect to the front-rear direction as a reference, the first protrusion 62 is located forward of the center, and the second protrusion 66 and the introduction port 67 are located rearward of the center.

[0027] (First convex part) Please refer to Fig. 4. In a cross section of the cartridge 11 viewed along the width direction (left-right direction) of the printer 10, the first protrusion 62 is substantially trapezoidal. In detail, the first protrusion 62 has a front inclined portion 63 inclined so as to move away from the bottom surface of the groove 61 toward the rear side, an apex 64 extending from the upper end of the front inclined portion 63 toward the rear side along the bottom surface 61a of the groove 61, and a rear inclined portion 65 extending obliquely from the rear end of the apex 64 toward the bottom surface 61a of the groove 61.

[0028] With respect to the vertical direction as a reference, the top 64 and the upper surface 60a of the lid 60 are at the same height. That is, the top 64 is located on approximately the same plane as the upper surface 60a of the lid 60. Note that the top 64 may be located above or below the upper surface 60a of the lid 60.

[0029] (Second convex part) The second protrusion 66 is substantially trapezoidal in shape, and its configuration is similar to that of the first protrusion 62. A description thereof will be omitted.

[0030] (Inlet) The inlet 67 has a rim 68 which serves as an inlet for waste ink, and a tubular portion 69 which extends from the rim 68 towards the box 50 (downward). The shape of the rim 68 is a track-like shape, but it may be a perfect circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or the like. The tubular portion 69 passes through the exposure hole 46a of the upper cover portion 46 of the enclosing member 40. A tip 69a of the tubular portion 69 is located inside the enclosing member 40.

[0031] (Exposed part) Please refer to Figures 2 and 4. The upper surface 36 of the absorber 30 has an exposed portion 37 that is exposed from an exposure hole 46a formed in the surrounding member 40 and serves as an inlet for waste ink. The exposed portion 37 is recessed to fit into a tubular portion 69 of the introduction port 67. The exposed portion 37 is located rearward of the center in the front-to-rear direction. A bottom surface 37a and an inner peripheral surface 37b of the exposed portion 37 are both separated from the tubular portion 69, but may be in contact with the tubular portion 69.

[0032] (Latching part) The lid 60 has two front locking portions 16, 16 at its front end and a rear locking portion 18 at its rear end. The box 50 has front locked portions 15, 15 that can be locked to the two front locking portions 16, 16, and a rear locked portion 17 that can be locked to the rear locking portion 18.

[0033] (Storage section) Please refer to Figures 1 and 4. The storage section 20 has a ceiling 21 that can face the lid 60, and a bottom surface 22 that can support the bottom 51 of the box 50. The ceiling 21 is the right end of a metal plate 13 that is provided across the entire width of the printer 10. The bottom surface 22 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 23 (it may be a single protrusion) that are aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0034] A proximity sensor 25 for detecting the presence or absence of cartridge 11 is provided on the back surface of rear wall 29 of storage section 20. Rear short outer wall section 54 of box 50 has plate-shaped detectable section 24 that protrudes rearward and can be detected by proximity sensor 25, and plate-shaped reinforcing section 26 that is perpendicular to detectable section 24 and reinforces the detectable section.

[0035] (Fixing member) A fixing member 70 made of a bent metal plate is fixed to the underside 21a of the ceiling 21. The fixing method is a well-known method such as fastening with screws or crimping. The fixing member 70 has, for example, a substantially U-shaped cross section and includes a main body 71 that runs along the ceiling 21 and standing wall portions 72, 72 that extend from both ends of the main body 71 to the ceiling 21.

[0036] Although not shown in the drawings, the fixing member 70 is provided across the entire width direction of the printer 10, similar to the plate member 13 (see FIG. 1), and enhances the rigidity of the entire plate member 13. The width of the fixing member 70 may be set to match the width of the ceiling portion 21, and the fixing member 70 may be fixed only to the ceiling portion 21.

[0037] (Leg portion) Refer to FIGS. 5A and 5B. The bottom 51 of the box 50 has leg portions 80 extending downward from the bottom 51. The configuration of the leg portions 80 as viewed from the direction facing the bottom 51 (see FIG. 5B) will be described. A line passing through the center in the width direction and extending in the longitudinal direction is defined as the center line CL. The leg portions 80 are symmetric about the center line CL in the width direction. Hereinafter, the configuration on one side of the center line CL will be described.

[0038] The leg portions 80 have a guide portion 81 that can contact the protrusion 23 (see FIG. 1) of the storage portion 20 to guide the cartridge 11 when the cartridge 11 is stored. The guide portion 81 has a guide straight portion 82 extending along the center line CL and a guide inclined portion 83 that moves away from the center line CL as it extends rearward from the rear end of the guide straight portion 82.

[0039] Furthermore, the leg portions 80 have outer leg portions 84 that are located outside the guide portion 81 and extend in the same direction as the guide straight portion 82, and a plurality of connecting portions 85 that extend in the width direction and connect the guide portion 81 and the outer leg portions 84. The configuration of the leg portions 80 described above is an example, and the configuration of the leg portions as viewed from the direction facing the lower surface can be changed.

[0040] (Long leg portion · Short leg portion) Refer to FIGS. 4 and 5A. The leg portions 80 have short leg portions 89 and long leg portions 88 that are different in length from each other with reference to the height direction of the cartridge 11. The length L1 of the short leg portion 89 is shorter than the length L2 of the long leg portion 88 (L1 < L2). Refer to FIG. 4. When the cartridge 11 is stored, the long leg portion 88 contacts the bottom 51 of the storage portion 20, and the short leg portion 89 is separated from the bottom 51.

[0041] (Position of the short leg portion) See FIG. 5B. The short leg portion 89 is located below the inlet 67. The short leg portion 89 is set inside the inlet 67 and on its outer periphery. The inlet 67 is shaped like a land track. The longitudinal direction of the inlet 67 is the front-rear direction. The longitudinal direction of the range (see frame line F) set as the short leg portion 89 within the leg portion 80 is also the front-rear direction. The range set as the short leg portion 89 can be changed as appropriate.

[0042] (Elastic material) Please refer to Fig. 4. The storage section 20 is provided with an elastically deformable elastic member 90. The elastic member 90 comes into contact with the first protrusion 62 and the second protrusion 66 when the cartridge 11 is pulled out of the storage section 20 and when the cartridge 11 is attached to the storage section 20.

[0043] The elastic member 90 is, for example, a leaf spring, and has a supported portion 91 that is supported by being superimposed on the upper surface 71a of the main body portion 71, and a displacement portion 92 that is provided at the front end portion of the supported portion 91 and deforms when it comes into contact with the first convex portion 62 and the second convex portion 66, changing its position in the vertical direction.

[0044] The displacement portion 92 has a first portion 92a extending from the front end of the supported portion 91 to the groove 61 of the lid 60 and penetrating the hole 73 formed in the main body portion 61, and a second portion 92b extending diagonally upward and forward from the lower end of the first portion 92a. When the cartridge 11 is stored, the lower end of the first portion 92a is located in front of the front inclined portion 63 and contacts the bottom portion 61a of the groove 61. The portion of the bottom portion 61a with which the lower end of the first portion 92a contacts is slightly recessed.

[0045] The elastic member 90 is fixed to the fixing member 70, but may be fixed directly to the ceiling portion 21 without providing the fixing member 70. The fixing method is a well-known method such as fastening with a screw or crimping. The shape, position and fixing method of the elastic member 90 are not limited to those in the embodiment.

[0046] (First effect) The cartridge 11 includes an absorber 30 capable of absorbing waste ink, an enclosing member 40 enclosing the absorber 30, and a case 12 housing the absorber 30 encased in the enclosing member 40. The enclosing member 40 is interposed between the absorber 30 that has absorbed the waste ink and a box 50 of the case 12. The absorber 30 and the box 50 are not in direct contact with each other. This makes it easy to replace the absorber 30. The configuration of the enclosing member 40 is not important as long as the absorber 30 is not in direct contact with the box 50. For example, the enclosing member 40 may be a bag that is open at the top.

[0047] In addition, the enveloping member 40 has a gripping portion 40a that can be gripped by the user when replacing the absorbent body 30. This makes it even easier to replace the absorbent body 30 of the enveloping member 40.

[0048] (Second effect) Refer to FIG. 3. The case 12 has an inner wall portion 52 made of resin capable of surrounding the absorber 30 wrapped in the surrounding member 40. The inner wall portion 52 has two longitudinal inner wall portions 53, 53 extending in the longitudinal direction of the case 12. Therefore, the longitudinal inner wall portion 53 is prone to warping. However, the longitudinal outer wall portion 55 is provided with a gap from the outer surface 53a of the longitudinal inner wall portion 53. Furthermore, a plurality of ribs 57 are provided between the longitudinal inner wall portion 53 and the longitudinal outer wall portion 55. Warping of the longitudinal inner wall portion 53 can be suppressed.

[0049] (Third Effect) 4, the case 12 has an inlet 67 through which waste ink can be introduced into the case 12. A tube portion 69 extends from a periphery 68 of the inlet 67 toward the inside of the case 12. A tip 69a of the tube portion 69 is located inside the surrounding member 40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the waste ink from adhering to the surrounding member 40.

[0050] (Fourth Effect) The absorbent body 30 has an exposed portion 37 exposed from the exposure hole 46a of the surrounding member 40. The exposed portion 37 is recessed so that the tubular portion 69 fits into it. When the absorbent body 30 is stored in the box 50 with the front and rear orientation reversed, and an attempt is made to close the lid 60, the tubular portion 69 of the lid 60 comes into contact with the upper surface 36 of the absorbent body 30, making it impossible to close the lid 60. This prevents the absorbent body 30 from being stored in the box 50 in the wrong orientation.

[0051] (Fifth Effect) Please refer to Fig. 1. The printer 10 is equipped with a cartridge 11 capable of storing waste ink therein, and a storage section 20 capable of storing the cartridge 11. Please refer to Fig. 2. An upper surface 60a of the cartridge 11 has a first protrusion 62 that protrudes upward. The storage section 20 is provided with an elastic member 90 (leaf spring) that is elastically deformable upon contact with the first protrusion 62.

[0052] The elastic member 90 is separate from the storage portion 20. This makes it easy to set the hardness of the elastic member 90 when the cartridge 11 is stored in the storage portion 20 and when the cartridge 11 is removed from the storage portion 20. This makes it possible to provide a printer 10 that allows the cartridge 11 to be stored in and removed smoothly.

[0053] In addition, the elastic member 90 is positioned on the ceiling portion 21 via the fixing member 70. This makes it difficult for a user of the printer 10 to visually recognize the elastic member 90, resulting in a good appearance.

[0054] (Sixth Effect) The top surface 60a of the cartridge 11 has an inlet 67 through which waste ink can be introduced into the inside of the cartridge 11, and a second convex portion 66 located forward of the inlet 67. In other words, the second convex portion 66 is located in front of the inlet 67. Even if waste ink scatters forward, the second convex portion 66 becomes a wall capable of blocking the scattering of waste ink.

[0055] (Seventh Effect) Referring to Figure 5, the bottom 51 of the cartridge 11 has a leg 80 extending downward from the bottom 51. The leg 80 has a long leg 88 and a short leg 89 that are different in length from each other based on the up-down direction. The short leg 89 is located below the introduction port 67.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 4. Waste ink is likely to adhere to a portion of the bottom 51 of the cartridge 11 that is located below the inlet 67. The short leg portion 89 is located around this portion. The short leg portion 89 does not contact the bottom surface 22 of the storage portion 20. Waste ink is less likely to adhere to the short leg portion 89.

[0057] As long as the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved, the present invention is not limited to the examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 11...Cartridge 12…Case 30…Absorbent 37…Exposed part 40...Enclosure member 50...box, 50a...box opening 52…Inner wall 53... longitudinal inner wall portion, 53a... outer surface of the longitudinal inner wall portion 56…Long outer wall 57…Rib 60…Lid 67... Introduction 68…Edge of inlet 69: cylindrical portion; 69a: tip of cylindrical portion

Claims

1. A cartridge comprising: an absorbent capable of absorbing waste ink; an enclosure member enclosing the absorbent; and a case housing the absorbent enclosed in the enclosure member.

2. the case has an inner wall portion made of resin capable of surrounding the absorber wrapped in the surrounding member, The inner wall portion has a longitudinal inner wall portion extending in a longitudinal direction of the case, The longitudinal outer wall portion is provided with a gap with respect to an outer surface of the longitudinal inner wall portion, 2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein at least one rib is provided between said inner longitudinal wall and said outer longitudinal wall.

3. The case includes a box having an opening and capable of housing the absorber, and a lid capable of closing the opening of the box, the lid has an inlet through which the waste ink can be introduced into the case, A cylindrical portion extends from a periphery of the introduction port toward the inside of the case, The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein a tip of the cylindrical portion is located inside the surrounding member.

4. The absorber has an exposed portion exposed from the surrounding member, The cartridge according to claim 3 , wherein the exposed portion is recessed so that the cylindrical portion of the lid fits therein.

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