Ink container

Abstract

To provide an ink container that can be easily turned, in a state where the ink container is positioned in a vertical direction in a mounting part.SOLUTION: An ink cartridge 30 comprises a container main body 31 having a storage chamber 46 and a supply part 33, and an IC substrate 60. The supply part 33 has a supply port 34 that opens forward. The ink cartridge 30 comprises a container main body 31 and a cover 32. The container main body 31 has a lock surface 87 and convex part 52R and 52L. The cover 32 has a surface 74L, a surface 74U and through-holes 581-584. The container main body 31 can turn, with a turning shaft line along a lateral direction as a center, with respect to the cover 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ink container for storing ink. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an ink cartridge having an ink supply port that supplies stored ink to the outside. Patent Document 1 also discloses a cartridge mounting section having an ink supply tube connected to the ink supply port and a locking section for holding the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge that enters the cartridge mounting section rotates so that the rear side moves upward around the center of the ink supply port connected to the ink supply tube. As the rear side of the ink cartridge moves upward, the ink cartridge abuts against the locking section and is held in the cartridge mounting section. When the ink cartridge is removed from the cartridge mounting section, the ink cartridge moves away from the locking section by rotating in the opposite direction to the rotation direction when the ink cartridge is mounted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-22950 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Furthermore, the ink cartridge of Patent Document 1 has a positioning surface for positioning the ink cartridge vertically in the cartridge mounting portion. The ink cartridge is held in a vertically positioned state in the cartridge mounting portion by the positioning surface of the ink cartridge abutting against the cartridge mounting portion. When the positioning surface of the ink cartridge abuts against the cartridge mounting portion, the amount of movement of the ink cartridge when it rotates in the cartridge mounting portion is limited.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide an ink container that can be easily rotated in a state in which the ink container is positioned vertically in the mounting portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The present disclosure relates to an ink container that is mounted in a mounting space of a mounting part. The ink container has a first member having a storage chamber for storing ink and a supply part having a supply port that opens forward in a front-to-rear direction from the storage chamber, and a second member located in front of the first member. The first member has a first abutment surface that is spaced above the supply port in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and faces rearward in the front-to-rear direction, and abuts against the mounting part when the ink container is mounted in the mounting part, a first engagement portion provided on one side of a left-right direction intersecting the front-to-rear direction and the up-to-down direction, and a second engagement portion provided on the other side of the left-to-right direction. The second member has a second abutment surface that faces upward in the vertical direction and abuts against the mounting portion in the mounted state, a third abutment surface that faces downward in the vertical direction and abuts against the mounting portion in the mounted state, a third engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion, and a fourth engagement portion that engages with the second engagement portion. The first member is rotatable relative to the second member about a rotation axis that extends along the left-right direction.

[0007] The second member is positioned in the vertical direction in the mounting portion as the second abutment surface and the third abutment surface abut against the mounting portion. The first member is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the second member positioned in the vertical direction. The rotation of the first member causes the first abutment portion to abut against the mounting portion. As the first abutment portion abuts against the mounting portion, the ink container inserted in the mounting portion does not move backward.

[0008] (2) The second member may have an electrical interface having an electrode facing upward, and the first member may be movable in the up and down direction relative to the second member.

[0009] In the mounting portion, the second member is positioned in the vertical direction regardless of the vertical position of the first member. By positioning the second member in the vertical direction, the electrodes of the electrical interface are positioned in the vertical direction. This stabilizes electrical contact with the electrodes of the electrical interface.

[0010] (3) The first member has a right surface facing to the right in the left-right direction and a left surface facing to the left in the left-right direction, the first engagement portion being a convex portion protruding to the right from the right surface, the second engagement portion being a convex portion protruding to the left from the left surface, the third engagement portion being a concave portion that engages with the first engagement portion, and the fourth engagement portion being a concave portion that engages with the third engagement portion.

[0011] (4) The first engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion which are the convex portions, the second engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, the third engagement portion has a first through hole and a second through hole which are the concave portions, the fourth engagement portion has a third through hole and a fourth through hole which are the concave portions, the first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the vertical direction, the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the vertical direction, the first through hole engages with the first convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the first convex portion in the front-to-rear direction and the length in the vertical direction is shorter .... the second through hole engages with the second convex portion, the front-to-rear length being longer than the front-to-rear length of the second convex portion and the up-to-down length being longer than the up-to-down length of the second convex portion; the third through hole engages with the third convex portion, the front-to-rear length being longer than the front-to-rear length of the third convex portion and the up-to-down length being longer than the up-to-down length of the third convex portion; and the fourth through hole engages with the fourth convex portion, the front-to-rear length being longer than the front-to-rear length of the fourth convex portion and the up-to-down length being longer than the up-to-down length of the fourth convex portion.

[0012] (5) The first convex portion is a rectangular prism having a first front surface and a first rear surface, the second convex portion is a rectangular prism having a second front surface and a second rear surface, the third convex portion is a rectangular prism having a third front surface and a third rear surface, the fourth convex portion is a rectangular prism having a fourth front surface and a fourth rear surface, the first through hole has a first surface facing the first front surface and a second surface facing the first rear surface, the second through hole has a third surface facing the second front surface and a fourth surface facing the second rear surface, and the third through hole has a fourth surface facing the third front surface and a fourth surface facing the third rear surface. the fourth through hole has a fifth surface facing the fourth front surface and a sixth surface facing the third rear surface, the fourth through hole has a seventh surface facing the fourth front surface and an eighth surface facing the fourth rear surface, the first front surface, the second front surface, the third front surface and the fourth front surface are aligned along the up-down direction, the front-to-back distance between the first surface and the second surface is greater than the front-to-back distance between the third surface and the fourth surface, and the front-to-back distance between the fifth surface and the sixth surface is greater than the front-to-back distance between the seventh surface and the eighth surface.

[0013] (6) The first surface may be located rearward of the third surface, and the fifth surface may be located rearward of the seventh surface.

[0014] (7) The second surface may be inclined relative to the first rear surface so as to extend rearward as it extends upward, and the sixth surface may be inclined relative to the third rear surface so as to extend rearward as it extends upward.

[0015] (8) The first rear surface may be inclined relative to the second surface so as to extend forward as it extends upward, and the third rear surface may be inclined relative to the sixth surface so as to extend rearward as it extends upward.

[0016] (9) The first convex portion has a first front surface and a second front surface, the second convex portion has a third front surface and a fourth front surface, the first through hole has a first surface facing the first front surface and a second surface facing the second front surface, the second through hole has a third surface facing the third front surface and a fourth surface facing the fourth front surface, the first front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to face rearward as it goes upward, the second front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to face forward as it goes upward, and the third front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to face upward. the fourth front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to head rearward as it goes upward, the first surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to head forward as it goes upward, the second surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to head forward as it goes upward, the third surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to head rearward as it goes upward, and the fourth surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to head forward as it goes upward.

[0017] (10) The first engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion which are the convex portions, the second engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, the third engagement portion has a first through hole and a second through hole which are the concave portions, the fourth engagement portion has a third through hole and a fourth through hole which are the concave portions, the first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, the first through hole engages with the first convex portion, and the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the top of the first convex portion. The first convex portion may have a length in the front-to-rear direction that is longer than the length in the front-to-rear direction and a length in the up-to-down direction that is longer than the length of the first convex portion in the up-to-down direction, the second through hole engages with the second convex portion, the third through hole engages with the third convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction that is longer than the length of the third convex portion in the front-to-rear direction and the length in the up-to-down direction that is longer than the length of the third convex portion in the up-to-down direction, the fourth through hole engages with the fourth convex portion, the first convex portion may be a rectangular prism, the second convex portion may be a cylinder, the third convex portion may be a rectangular prism, and the fourth convex portion may be a cylinder.

[0018] (11) The first engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion that are the convex portions, the second engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion that are the convex portions, the third engagement portion has a first through hole and a second through hole that are the concave portions, the fourth engagement portion has a third through hole and a fourth through hole that are the concave portions, the first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the vertical direction, the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the vertical direction, the first through hole engages with the first convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the first convex portion in the front-to-rear direction and the length in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the first convex portion in the vertical direction, the second through hole engages with the second convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the first convex portion in the vertical direction. the third through hole engages with the third convex portion and has the length in the front-to-rear direction longer than the length of the third convex portion and the length in the up-to-down direction longer than the length of the third convex portion; the fourth through hole engages with the fourth convex portion and has the length in the front-to-rear direction longer than the length of the fourth convex portion and the length in the up-to-down direction longer than the length of the fourth convex portion; the first convex portion and the second convex portion are at different positions in the front-to-rear direction and are lined up in the up-to-down direction; and the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are at different positions in the front-to-rear direction and are lined up in the up-to-down direction.

[0019] (12) The second member has an inner surface facing the first member, the third engagement portion is a convex portion protruding to the right from the inner surface of the second member, the fourth engagement portion is a convex portion protruding to the left from the inner surface of the second member, the first engagement portion is a concave portion that engages with the third engagement portion, and the second engagement portion is a concave portion that engages with the fourth engagement portion.

[0020] (13) The third engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion which are the convex portions, the fourth engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, the first engagement portion has a first concave portion and a second concave portion which are the concave portions, the first engagement portion has a third concave portion and a fourth concave portion which are the concave portions, the first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the vertical direction, the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the vertical direction, the first concave portion engages with the first convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length in the front-to-rear direction of the first convex portion and the length in the vertical direction is shorter than the length in the vertical direction of the first convex portion. the second recess engages with the second convex portion, and the front-to-rear length is longer than the front-to-rear length of the second convex portion and the up-to-down length is longer than the up-to-down length of the second convex portion; the third recess engages with the third convex portion, and the front-to-rear length is longer than the front-to-rear length of the third convex portion and the up-to-down length is longer than the up-to-down length of the third convex portion; and the fourth recess engages with the fourth convex portion, and the front-to-rear length is longer than the front-to-rear length of the fourth convex portion and the up-to-down length is longer than the up-to-down length of the fourth convex portion.

[0021] (14) The present disclosure relates to a cover attached to an ink frame having a storage chamber for storing ink, a supply portion extending in a front-rear direction from the storage chamber, a left surface facing left in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, a first engagement portion protruding leftward from the left surface, a right surface facing rightward in the left-right direction, and a second engagement portion protruding rightward from the right surface. The cover has a third engagement portion that is a recess that engages with the first engagement portion, and a fourth engagement portion that is a recess that engages with the second engagement portion. The cover engages with the ink frame such that the ink frame is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the cover.

[0022] (15) The present disclosure relates to a cover attached to an ink frame having a storage chamber for storing ink, a supply portion extending in a front-rear direction from the storage chamber, a left surface facing left in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, a first engagement portion protruding leftward from the left surface, a right surface facing rightward in the left-right direction, and a second engagement portion protruding rightward from the right surface. The cover has a third engagement portion that is a convex portion that engages with the first engagement portion, and a fourth engagement portion that is a convex portion that engages with the second engagement portion. The cover engages with the ink frame such that the ink frame is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the cover. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present disclosure, the ink container that is positioned in the mounting portion in the vertical direction can be easily rotated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of a printer 10. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of cartridge case 110 as seen from the rear. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 as viewed from the front and above. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 as viewed from behind and below. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a right side view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the ink cartridge 30. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a rear view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a left side view of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view of the four ink cartridges 30. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view with a partial cross section showing the state in which the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge case 110. As shown in FIG. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is positioned inside the cartridge case 110 and the ink receiving member 130 is in the first position. Figure 13(A) is a cross-sectional view including the bottom surface 70 of the ink cartridge 30. Figure 13(B) is a cross-sectional view including the first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is positioned inside the cartridge case 110 and the ink receiving member 130 is in the second position. Figure 14(A) is a cross-sectional view including the bottom surface 70 of the ink cartridge 30. Figure 14(B) is a cross-sectional view including the first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is positioned inside the cartridge case 110 and the supply tube 102 has entered the supply port 34. Figure 15(A) is a cross-sectional view including the bottom surface 70 of the ink cartridge 30. Figure 15(B) is a cross-sectional view including the first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge case 110. Figure 16(A) is a cross-sectional view including the bottom surface 70 of the ink cartridge 30. Figure 16(B) is a cross-sectional view including the first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a perspective view, partially in section, showing the ink cartridge 30 mounted in the cartridge case 110. As shown in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a right side view of the container body 31. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a left side view of the container body 31. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along line XX-XX in FIG. [Figure 21]FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 52R. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 52L. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a right side view showing a state in which the container body 31 is rotated with respect to the cover 32. As shown in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 93R. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 93L. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 94R. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 94L. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 96R. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 96L. [Diagram 30] FIG. 30 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 52R according to the fifth modification. [Diagram 31] FIG. 31 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 52L according to the fifth modification. [Diagram 32] FIG. 32 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 52R according to the fifth modification. [Diagram 33] FIG. 33 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the protrusion 52L according to the fifth modification. [Diagram 34] FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along line XX-XX according to the sixth modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present disclosure, and the embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0026] In the following, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted and removed from the cartridge case 110 in a horizontal direction (a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity). In addition, in this disclosure, forward and backward directions may be collectively referred to as the front-rear direction, upward and downward directions may be collectively referred to as the up-down direction, and right and left directions may be collectively referred to as the left-right direction. The explanation is given on the premise that the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are horizontal. In addition, the vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is defined as the up-down direction. The direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction. In addition, the state in which the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge case 110 and used is the state in which the ink cartridge 30 is inserted up to the attachment position of the cartridge case 110. The attachment position is a position in which the supply tube 102 provided in the cartridge case 110 is inserted into the supply port 34 provided in the ink cartridge 30 and connected to each other. In addition, in the following, the posture of the ink cartridge 30 when the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge case 110 and used is referred to as the use posture. Unless otherwise specified, the top, bottom, left, right, front and back in the following description are based on the usage position of the ink cartridge 30.

[0027] Additionally, in the following description, "facing forward" refers to the direction in which the ink cartridge 30 moves toward the cartridge case 110 in the front-to-rear direction (one example of the mounting orientation). "Facing backward" refers to the direction in which the ink cartridge 30 moves toward the cartridge case 110 in the front-to-rear direction. When describing that the elements constituting the ink cartridge 30 face in a particular direction, the direction in which the elements face is not limited to only that particular direction. For example, when "the front surface faces forward," the front surface may face both forward and upward.

[0028] The front surface of ink cartridge 30 is the surface that appears in the front view shown in FIG. 8. The rear surface of ink cartridge 30 is the surface that appears in the rear view shown in FIG. 9. The top surface of ink cartridge 30 is the surface that appears in the plan view shown in FIG. 6. The bottom surface of ink cartridge 30 is the surface that appears in the bottom view shown in FIG. 7. The left surface of ink cartridge 30 is the surface that appears in the left side view shown in FIG. 10. The right surface of ink cartridge 30 is the surface that appears in the right side view shown in FIG. 5.

[0029] [Printer 10 Overview] As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 has a cartridge case 110, a subtank 120, an ink tube 20, a recording head 21, and an ink cartridge 30. The printer 10 is an inkjet recording device that records an image by ejecting ink droplets from the recording head 21 onto a sheet based on an inkjet recording method, and is, for example, an inkjet printer. The printer 10 has a cartridge case 110. The cartridge case 110 is an example of an attachment section. An ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge case 110. The ink cartridge 30 is an example of an ink container. The cartridge case 110 has an opening 112 at its rear end. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge case 110 through the opening 112. The ink cartridge 30 is removed backward from the cartridge case 110 through the opening 112. The opening 112 is opened and closed by a cover 126. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the ink cartridge 30 has been attached to the cartridge case 110. 1 shows the ink cartridge 30 in an installed state. The ink cartridge 30 in the installed state is in the usage position.

[0030] The ink cartridge 30 stores ink that can be used in the printer 10. The ink may be a liquid containing a coloring material such as a pigment, or may be a processing liquid containing an additive for improving image quality instead of a coloring material. When the ink cartridge 30 is completely attached to the cartridge case 110, the ink cartridge 30 and the recording head 21 are connected via the ink tube 20. The recording head 21 ejects the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 30 from a plurality of nozzles 29. Specifically, a head control board included in the recording head 21 selectively applies a drive voltage to a plurality of piezo elements 29A provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles 29. This causes the ink to be selectively ejected from the nozzles 29. In other words, the recording head 21 consumes the ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge case 110.

[0031] The printer 10 includes a paper feed tray 15, a paper feed roller 23, a pair of transport rollers 25, a platen 26, a pair of discharge rollers 27, and a paper output tray 16. The paper feed roller 23 feeds the paper on the paper feed tray 15 toward the transport path 24. The paper fed to the transport path 24 reaches the pair of transport rollers 25. The pair of transport rollers 25 transports the paper that has reached the pair of transport rollers 25 onto the platen 26. The recording head 21 selectively ejects ink onto the paper passing over the platen 26. This causes an image to be recorded on the paper. The paper that has passed the platen 26 reaches the pair of discharge rollers 27. The pair of discharge rollers 27 discharges the paper that has reached the pair of discharge rollers 27 to the paper output tray 16 located at the most downstream end of the transport path 24.

[0032] [Cartridge case 110] As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge case 110 includes a case body 101 and a supply pipe 102.

[0033] The case body 101 is box-shaped. The case body 101 has an internal space in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted. The case body 101 has an end surface 103 that defines the front end of the ink cartridge 30 when it is mounted in the internal space, a left wall that defines the left end of the internal space, a right wall that defines the right end of the internal space, a bottom wall, and a cover wall 171 that covers a pressing plate 134 (described later). The cover wall 171 has an upper wall 172 that faces upward, and a rear wall 173 that extends downward from the rear end of the upper wall 172. The case body 101 has an opening 112 at the rear end. When a user opens the cover 126 to use the printer 10, the opening 112 is exposed.

[0034] The internal space of the case body 101 has three partition walls 109 arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. The case body 101 has a slot 108 into which the ink cartridge 30 is attached. The slot 108 is an example of an attachment space. Specifically, the slots 108 of the case body 101 have four slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D arranged in the left-right direction. The slot 108A is located on the rightmost side of the four slots 108 of the case body 101. The slot 108B is located to the left of the slot 108A. The slot 108C is located to the left of the slot 108B. The slot 108D is located to the left of the slot 108C and is the leftmost side of the four slots 108. Slot 108 is divided into slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D by three partition walls 109 that divide the internal space of case body 101 and the inner surface of case body 101.

[0035] The partition walls 109 extend upward from the upper surface of the upper wall 172 of the cover wall 171. The three partition walls 109 are positioned at equal intervals in the left-right direction. The partition walls 109 are flat and extend in the up-down and left-right directions. The partition walls 109 extend from the front end to the rear end of the upper wall 172.

[0036] The case body 101 has a guide surface 161. The guide surface 161 is provided in the internal space of each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D. The guide surface 161 faces upward. The guide surface 161 is a roughly semicircular surface. When the ink cartridge 30 is attached to or detached from the case body 101, the guide surface 161 guides the ink cartridge 30 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the case body, the guide surface 161 supports the lower end of the ink cartridge 30. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 13(A) and 13(B), there is a space 162 below the supply tube 102.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the cover wall 171 is located below the end surface 103 of the case body 101. The upper wall 172 is a flat plate extending in the front-rear and left-right directions. The upper wall 172 extends from the left wall to the right wall of the case body 101. The rear wall 173 is a flat plate extending in the up-down and left-right directions. The rear wall 173 extends from the left wall to the right wall of the case body 101. In the rear wall 173, through holes 144 are located at equal intervals in the left-right direction in each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D. Below the through holes 144, the guide surface 161 is located. The supply pipe 102 is inserted into the through holes 144 and protrudes rearward from the rear wall 173.

[0038] In each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D, the upper wall 172 has a groove 113 and a groove 114. The grooves 113 and 114 in each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D have the same shape. The groove 113 is located at the left end of each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D, and the groove 114 is located at the right end. Both the grooves 113 and 114 are recessed downward from the upper wall 172 and extend in the front-rear direction so as to open into the rear wall 173. The walls 71 of the ink cartridge 30, which will be described later, enter the grooves 113 and 114, respectively.

[0039] In each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D, between the grooves 113 and 114 in the left-right direction, there are two protruding pieces 117 that protrude upward from the upper wall 172 of the cover wall 171 and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. The upper wall 172 of the cover wall 171 has a through hole 140A that is continuous with the space between the two protruding pieces 117. The rear wall 173 of the cover wall 171 has a through hole 140B. The lower end of the through hole 140A is continuous with the upper end of the through hole 140B. A first key slot 115 is located between the two protruding pieces 117 in each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D. Specifically, slot 108A has a first key slot 115A, slot 108B has a first key slot 115B, slot 108C has a first key slot 115C, and slot 108D has a first key slot 115D. The first key slot 115 opens upward and toward the rear. A first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30, which will be described later, can enter the first key slot 115.

[0040] The first key slots 115A, 115B, 115C, and 115D have different left-right positions relative to the grooves 113 and 114. Specifically, the first key slot 115A is closer to the groove 113 than the center between the grooves 113 and 114 in the left-right direction. The first key slot 115B is closer to the groove 114 in the slot 108B compared to the left-right position of the first key slot 115A relative to the grooves 113 and 114 in the slot 108A. The first key slot 115C is closer to the groove 114 in the slot 108C compared to the left-right position of the first key slot 115B relative to the grooves 113 and 114 in the slot 108B. The first key slot 115D is closer to the groove 114 in the slot 108D compared to the left-right position of the first key slot 115C relative to the grooves 113 and 114 in the slot 108C.

[0041] In each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D, there is a rib 118 above the groove 113 and a rib 119 above the groove 114. In the slot 108A, the rib 118 projects from the inner surface of the right wall 129. In the slot 108B, the rib 118 projects from the right partition wall 109. In the slot 108C, the rib 118 projects from the right partition wall 109. In the slot 108D, the rib 118 projects from the right partition wall 109. In the slot 108A, the rib 119 projects from the left partition wall 109. In the slot 108B, the rib 119 projects from the left partition wall 109. In the slot 108C, the rib 119 projects from the left partition wall 109. In the slot 108D, the rib 119 projects from the inner surface of the left wall 128. The ribs 118 and 119 face each other in the left-right direction in the slot 108 .

[0042] The supply tube 102 is provided in the internal space of each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D. The supply tube 102 is located below the first key slots 115A, 115B, 115C, and 115D. The supply tube 102 is a hollow circular tube. The supply tube 102 extends in the front-rear direction from the sub-tank 120 toward the internal space of the slot 108. The tip of the supply tube 102 is open. The tip of the supply tube 102 is located in the internal space of each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D. Although detailed description is omitted, a valve is located in the internal space of the supply tube 102. The valve opens and closes the opening of the supply tube 102. The supply tube 102 is connected to the supply port 34 of the ink cartridge 30.

[0043] 1, the front end of the supply pipe 102 is connected to a subtank 120. The subtank 120 has a space for storing ink supplied from the ink cartridge 30 through the supply pipe 102. The internal space of the subtank 120 is connected to the outside at its upper part and is open to the atmosphere. The ink in the subtank 120 is supplied to the recording head 21 through the ink tube 20.

[0044] 2, the rod 121 is provided above each of the first key slots 115A, 115B, 115C, and 115D. The rod 121 protrudes rearward from the end surface 103. The rod 121 is connected to an air vent passage 38 of the ink cartridge 30, which will be described later.

[0045] The mating pieces 122 and 123 are located above each of the first key slots 115A, 115B, 115C, and 115D and below the rod 121. The mating piece 122 is a plate-shaped member. In the slot 108A, the mating piece 122 protrudes leftward from the inner surface of the right wall 129. In the slot 108B, the mating piece 122 protrudes leftward from the right partition wall 109. In the slot 108C, the mating piece 122 protrudes leftward from the right partition wall 109. In the slot 108D, the mating piece 122 protrudes leftward from the right partition wall 109. The mating piece 123 is a plate-shaped member. In the slot 108A, the mating piece 123 protrudes rightward from the partition wall 109. In slot 108B, mating piece 123 protrudes rightward from left partition wall 109. In slot 108C, mating piece 123 protrudes rightward from left partition wall 109. In slot 108D, mating piece 123 protrudes rightward from the inner surface of left wall 128. Mating pieces 122 and 123 face each other in the left-right direction in slot 108.

[0046] 13, in each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D, a contact 125 is located on the inner surface of the upper side of the case body 101. The contact 125 is electrically connected to the IC board 60 of the ink cartridge 30. Through the contact 125, the control unit of the printer 10 reads information stored in the IC board 60 of the ink cartridge 30 and records information on the IC board 60.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 13, the ink receiving member 130 is located in the space 162 of the case body 101. The ink receiving member 130 is provided for each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D. The ink receiving member 130 has a front end 131 extending in the left-right direction. The front end 131 is supported by the case body 101. The ink receiving member 130 has a generally flat plate shape extending rearward and upward from the front end 131, and the rear end 132 is located near the rear end of the supply tube 102. The ink receiving member 130 rotates around the front end 131 as an axis such that the rear end 132 moves generally in the up-down direction. A coil spring 133 extending in the front-rear direction is located between the ink receiving member 130 and the case body 101. The coil spring 133 biases the rear end 132 of the ink receiving member 130 forward.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 13, the ink receiving member 130 biased by the coil spring 133 is held in a state in which the rear end 132 abuts against the bottom surface of the supply tube 102. When the rear end 132 of the ink receiving member 130 abuts against the bottom surface of the supply tube 102, the ink receiving member 130 is in the first position. When the ink cartridge 30 is not attached to the supply tube 102, the ink receiving member 130 abuts against the bottom surface of the supply tube 102. Therefore, even if ink drips from the tip of the supply tube 102 when the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the case main body 101, the ink is received by the ink receiving member 130 abutting against the bottom surface of the supply tube 102. The received ink moves along the ink receiving member 130 from the rear end 132 toward the front end 131 so as to move away from the ink cartridge 30. As a result, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the bottom wall of the case main body 101.

[0049] 14(A) and 14(B), when the ink receiving member 130 has moved downward against the coil spring 133, the ink receiving member 130 is in the second position. Between the ink receiving member 130 in the second position and the supply tube 102, there is a space large enough to allow the supply portion 33 of the ink cartridge 30 to be received in the supply tube 102. In other words, when the supply tube 102 is received in the supply port 34 of the ink cartridge 30 that is inserted forward into the slot 108, the ink receiving member 130 does not prevent the ink cartridge 30 from moving forward.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 2, the pressing plate 134 is located below the cover walls 171 of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D and in front of the rear wall 173. The pressing plate 134 is supported by the case body 101 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A lower end 135 of the pressing plate 134 abuts against the ink receiving member 130 between the front end 131 and the rear end 132 of the ink receiving member 130. An upper end 136 of the pressing plate 134 is located below the first key slot 115. A part of the pressing plate 134 is located below the through hole 140A of the cover wall 171. Also, a part of the pressing plate 134 is located in front of the through hole 140B of the rear wall 173. With this configuration, the pressing plate 134 can come into contact with a first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30 (described later) through the first key slot 115, the through hole 140A, and the through hole 140B. The pressing plate 134 is held in a raised position by the ink receiving member 130 biased by the coil spring 133.

[0051] Although details will be described later, when the first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30 enters the first key slot 115, the first key portion 77 and the wall 71 press the pressing plate 134 down against the biasing force of the coil spring 133. When the pressing plate 134 moves downward, the ink receiving member 130 moves from the first position to the second position.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, the second key slots 138 are located at positions corresponding to the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D on the surface 137 located on the upper side of the periphery that defines the opening 112 of the case body 101. Specifically, the second key slot 138A is located in the slot 108A of the case body 101, the second key slot 138B is located in the slot 108B, the second key slot 138C is located in the slot 108C, and the second key slot 138D is located in the slot 108D. The second key slot 138 is configured as a recess in which a part of the rear end of the top surface is recessed upward. The lower end of the second key slot 138 is continuous with the internal space of the case body 101. The rear end of the second key slot 138 opens toward the outside of the case body 101. The distance between the lower end and the upper end of the opening at the rear end of the second key slot 138 is greater than the distance between the lower end and the upper end of the opening at the front end of the second key slot 138. In this embodiment, the distance between the lower end and the upper end of the opening in the second key slot 138 gradually decreases from the rear end of the opening to the front end of the opening. Alternatively, the distance between the lower end and the upper end of the opening in the second key slot 138 may gradually increase from the rear end of the opening to the front end of the opening, and then gradually decrease. The second key slots 138A, 138B, and 138C are located to the left of the center in the left-right direction of each of the slots 108A, 108B, and 108C. The second key slot 138D is located to the right of the center in the left-right direction of the slot 108D. The second key portion 78 of the ink cartridge 30 enters the second key slot 138.

[0053] A locking portion 139 is located in the space that defines the opening of each second key slot 138. The locking portion 139 is a rod-shaped member that extends in the left-right direction. The locking portion 139 abuts against a locking surface 87 of the ink cartridge 30, which will be described later.

[0054] [Ink Cartridge 30] The ink cartridge 30 is a container that stores liquid ink. As shown in Figs. 3 to 10, the ink cartridge 30 has a container body 31, a cover 32, and an IC board 60. The container body 31 is an example of a first member and an ink frame. The cover 32 is an example of a second member. The cover 32 is located in front of the container body 31. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted with the cover 32 facing forward toward the slot 108 of the cartridge case 110.

[0055] The container body 31 has a thin, flat, cubic shape with a left-right length smaller than its up-down and front-rear lengths. The container body 31 has a supply portion 33 and a second key portion 78.

[0056] The container body 31 has a front wall 40, a rear wall 41 facing the front wall 40 in the front-rear direction, a left wall 42 connecting the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41, a right wall 43 facing the left wall 42 in the left-right direction, an upper wall 44 connecting the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41, and a lower wall 45 facing the upper wall 44 in the up-down direction. The container body 31 has an upper surface 80 which is the outer surface of the upper wall 44. The outer surface of the front wall 40 faces forward. The rear wall 41 has a rear surface 62 facing rearward. The outer surface of the left wall 42 faces leftward. The outer surface of the right wall 43 faces rightward. The outer surface of the upper wall 44 faces upward. The outer surface of the lower wall 45 faces downward.

[0057] 13, the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the left wall 42, the right wall 43, the upper wall 44, and the lower wall 45 define a storage chamber 46 in the internal space of the container body 31. The front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the left wall 42, the right wall 43, the upper wall 44, and the lower wall 45 are translucent to such an extent that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 46 can be visually confirmed from the outside. The container body 31 is an integrally molded product made of, for example, a synthetic resin.

[0058] The front wall 40 has an upper front wall 40U located above and a lower front wall 40L located below. The upper front wall 40U is located forward of the lower front wall 40L in the front-rear direction. The space behind the upper front wall 40U in the front-rear direction is also part of the storage chamber 46. In other words, the upper part of the storage chamber 46 extends forward more than the lower part of the storage chamber 46. The lower front wall 40L is continuous with the supply section 33.

[0059] As shown in Figs. 18 and 19, the left wall 42 has a front left wall 42F located at the front in the front-rear direction and a rear left wall 42R located at the rear. As shown in Fig. 5, the right wall 43 has a front right wall 43F located at the front in the front-rear direction and a rear right wall 43R located at the rear. The front left wall 42F and the front right wall 43F are continuous with the upper front wall 40U. The rear left wall 42R and the rear right wall 43R are continuous with the rear wall 41. The space between the front left wall 42F and the front right wall 43F is a part of the storage chamber 46. The left-right distance between the outer surface of the front left wall 42F and the outer surface of the front right wall 43F is smaller than the left-right distance between the outer surface of the rear left wall 42R and the outer surface of the rear right wall 43R.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 19, the outer surface of the front left wall 42F is a left surface 42S facing left. As shown in FIG. 18, the outer surface of the front right wall 43F is a right surface 43S facing right. Two protrusions 52R are located on the right surface 43S. The protrusions 52R protrude rightward from the right surface 43S. On the right surface 43S, the two protrusions 52R are aligned in the up-down direction. The protrusions 52R are rectangular in side view with a longer length in the up-down direction than in the front-rear direction. The protrusions 52R are rectangular prisms. The protrusions 52R engage with a through hole 76R of the cover 32, which will be described later. The protrusions 52R are an example of a first engagement portion, a first protrusion, and a second protrusion.

[0061] Convex portion 52R located at the top in the up-down direction has front surface 521 facing forward, rear surface 522 facing rear, upper surface 523 facing upward, and lower surface 524 facing downward. Front surface 521 and rear surface 522 are aligned in the up-down direction. Front surface 521 is an example of a first front surface. Rear surface 522 is an example of a first rear surface.

[0062] The protrusion 52R located at the bottom in the up-down direction has a front surface 525 facing forward, a rear surface 526 facing rearward, an upper surface 527 facing upward, and a lower surface 528 facing downward. The front surface 525 and the rear surface 526 are aligned in the up-down direction. The front surface 525 is an example of a second front surface. The rear surface 526 is an example of a second rear surface.

[0063] The left surface 42S has two protrusions 52L. The protrusions 52L protrude leftward from the left surface 42S. On the left surface 42S, the two protrusions 52L are lined up in the vertical direction. The protrusions 52L are rectangular in side view with the vertical length longer than the front-rear length. The protrusions 52L are quadrangular prisms. The protrusions 52L engage with through holes 76L of the cover 32, which will be described later. The protrusions 52L are an example of a second engagement portion, a third protrusion, and a fourth protrusion.

[0064] The protrusion 52L located at the top in the up-down direction has a front surface 529 facing forward, a rear surface 530 facing rearward, an upper surface 531 facing upward, and a lower surface 532 facing downward. The front surface 529 and the rear surface 530 are aligned in the up-down direction. The front surface 529 is an example of a third front surface. The rear surface 530 is an example of a third rear surface.

[0065] The protrusion 52L located at the bottom in the up-down direction has a front surface 533 facing forward, a rear surface 534 facing rearward, an upper surface 535 facing upward, and a lower surface 536 facing downward. The front surface 533 and the rear surface 534 are aligned in the up-down direction. The front surface 533 is an example of a fourth front surface. The rear surface 534 is an example of a fourth rear surface.

[0066] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the supply unit 33 is a cylindrical member. The supply unit 33 has an outer peripheral surface that extends rearward from the supply port 34. The outer peripheral surface is a curved surface that curves in the circumferential direction about the front-rear direction as an axis. The supply unit 33 is located at the lower end of the container body 31, and a part of the outer surface of the supply unit 33 forms the lower surface 47 of the container body 31. The supply unit 33 has a supply port 34 from which ink flows out. The supply port 34 opens toward the front in the front-rear direction. The supply port 34 is circular when viewed from the front.

[0067] The lower surface 47 includes a lower half of a circumferential surface having an axis in the front-rear direction. The lower surface 47 has a first surface 48 that is cylindrical in the front-rear direction, and a second surface 49 that is located rearward of the first surface 48 in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the supply portion 33 decreases from the first surface 48 to the second surface 49.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 13, the supply unit 33 has a cylindrical shape and has an internal space. The internal space of the supply unit 33 communicates with the supply port 34 at the front in the front-rear direction and communicates with the storage chamber 46 at the rear in the front-rear direction. The seal member 35, the valve 36, and the coil spring 37 are located in the internal space of the supply unit 33. The seal member 35 is an annular member made of an elastic member, such as rubber, and is located around the supply port 34 in the internal space of the supply unit 33. The valve 36 is movable in the front-rear direction in the internal space of the supply unit 33. The valve 36 abuts against the seal member 35, thereby sealing the supply port 34. The coil spring 37 biases the valve 36 toward the seal member 35.

[0069] When the supply tube 102 is received in the supply port 34, the valve 36 moves rearward against the biasing force of the coil spring 37. When the valve 36 moves rearward, the internal space of the supply unit 33 and the internal space of the supply tube 102 communicate with each other, and the ink in the storage chamber 46 flows into the internal space of the supply tube 102 through the internal space of the supply unit 33. The seal member 35 is in liquid-tight contact with the outer surface of the supply tube 102.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 4, a convex portion 59 that protrudes downward is located on the first surface 48 of the supply unit 33. As shown in FIG. 7, the outline of the portion where the convex portion 59 is continuous with the first surface 48 is substantially square when viewed from below upward in the vertical direction, and the length of the outline in the front-rear direction and the length in the left-right direction are substantially equal. Both left-right side surfaces of the convex portion 59 are downward-facing triangles. Both left-right side surfaces of the convex portion 59 are tapered surfaces that incline toward the center in the left-right direction as they extend downward. In other words, the convex portion 59 has a tapered shape in which the length in the left-right direction gradually decreases as it extends downward.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 13, an air open passage 38 that connects the vicinity of the upper end of the storage chamber 46 with the outside is located in the upper front wall 40U of the container body 31. The air open passage 38 opens forward in the upper front wall 40U. A valve 50 and a coil spring 51 are located in the air open passage 38. The front end of the coil spring 51 is located above and forward of the supply port 34 of the supply unit 33. The front end of the coil spring 51 is located forward of the second key portion 78. The valve 50 can move in the front-rear direction in the air open passage 38. The coil spring 51 biases the valve 50 forward. The valve 50 biased by the coil spring 51 seals the opening of the air open passage 38. Note that, although details will be described later, when the valve 50 moves backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 51, the air open passage 38 is opened and air can flow between the outside and the storage chamber 46.

[0072] The cover 32 is a rectangular parallelepiped shorter in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction than the container body 31, and is a box shape with an opening facing rearward. The cover 32 is attached to the container body 31 so as to generally cover the upper front wall 40U, the front left wall 42F, and the front right wall 43F of the container body 31.

[0073] The cover 32 has a front wall 53, a left wall 54 extending rearward from the left end of the front wall 53, a right wall 55 facing the left wall 54 in the left-right direction, an upper wall 56 extending rearward from the upper end of the front wall 53, and a lower wall 57 facing the upper wall 56 in the up-down direction. The front wall 53, the left wall 54, the right wall 55, the upper wall 56, and the lower wall 57 define an internal space of the cover 32. An opening of the cover 32 is defined by the rear ends of the front wall 53, the left wall 54, the right wall 55, the upper wall 56, and the lower wall 57.

[0074] The front wall 53 is a part of the front wall of the ink cartridge 30. The left wall 54 is a part of the left wall of the ink cartridge 30. The right wall 55 is a part of the right wall of the ink cartridge 30. The upper wall 56 is a part of the upper wall of the ink cartridge 30. The lower wall 57 is a part of the lower wall of the ink cartridge 30.

[0075] The vertical length of the cover 32 is smaller than the vertical length of the container body 31. The front-rear length of the cover 32 is smaller than the front-rear length of the container body 31. The left-right length of the cover 32 is slightly larger than the left-right distance between the outer surfaces of the front left wall 42F and the front right wall 43F of the container body 31, and is approximately the same as the left-right distance between the outer surfaces of the rear left wall 42R and the rear right wall 43R.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 21, the right wall 55 has two through holes 581, 582 aligned in the vertical direction. The left wall 54 has two through holes 583, 584 aligned in the vertical direction. The convex portion 52R of the container body 31 is located in the through holes 581, 582. The convex portion 52L of the container body 31 is located in the through holes 583, 584. The through holes 581, 582, 583, 584 are rectangular. The through hole 581 is an example of a third engagement portion, a recess, and a first through hole. The through hole 582 is an example of a third engagement portion, a recess, and a second through hole. The through hole 583 is an example of a fourth engagement portion, a recess, and a third through hole. The through hole 584 is an example of a fourth engagement portion, a recess, and a fourth through hole.

[0077] Through hole 581 has surface 591 facing front surface 521 of protrusion 52R, surface 592 facing rear surface 522, and surfaces 593 and 594 connecting surface 591 and surface 592. Surface 591 faces rearward. Surface 592 faces forward and upward. Surface 592 is inclined with respect to rear surface 522 so as to face rearward as it faces upward. Surface 591 is an example of a first surface. Surface 592 is an example of a second surface.

[0078] Through hole 582 has surface 595 facing front surface 525 of protrusion 52R, surface 596 facing rear surface 526, and surfaces 597 and 598 connecting surface 595 and surface 596. Surface 595 faces rearward and downward. Surface 596 faces forward. Surface 595 is an example of a third surface, and surface 596 is an example of a fourth surface.

[0079] 22, through-hole 583 has surface 599 facing front surface 529 of protrusion 52L, surface 560 facing rear surface 530, and surfaces 561 and 562 connecting surface 599 and surface 560. Surface 599 faces rearward. Surface 560 faces forward and upward. Surface 560 is inclined with respect to rear surface 530 so as to face rearward as it faces upward. Surface 599 is an example of a fifth surface. Surface 560 is an example of a sixth surface.

[0080] Through hole 584 has surface 563 facing front surface 533 of protrusion 52L, surface 564 facing rear surface 534, and surfaces 565 and 566 connecting surface 563 and surface 564. Surface 563 faces rearward and downward. Surface 564 faces forward. Surface 563 is an example of a seventh surface. Surface 564 is an example of an eighth surface.

[0081] A distance N3 between the upper end of face 591 of through hole 581 and the upper end of face 592 in the front-rear direction is the same as a distance N4 between the lower end of face 595 of through hole 582 and the lower end of face 596 in the front-rear direction. A distance N5 between the upper end of face 599 of through hole 583 and the upper end of face 560 in the front-rear direction is the same as a distance N6 between the lower end of face 563 of through hole 584 and the lower end of face 564 in the front-rear direction. The lower end of face 591 is located behind the lower end of face 595. The lower end of face 599 is located behind the lower end of face 563. Note that distance N3 may be greater than distance N4. Distance N5 may be greater than distance N6.

[0082] A distance N7 between the lower end of a surface 591 and the lower end of a surface 592 of the through hole 581 is longer than a length L3 in the front-rear direction between the front surface 521 and the rear surface 522 of the protrusion 52R. A distance N8 in the up-down direction between a surface 593 and a surface 594 of the through hole 581 is longer than a length L4 in the up-down direction between the upper surface 523 and the lower surface 524 of the protrusion 52R. The protrusion 52R engages with the through hole 581. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52R with the through hole 581, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 581.

[0083] A distance N9 between an upper end of a surface 595 of the through hole 582 and an upper end of a surface 596 of the through hole 582 is longer than a length L5 in the front-rear direction between a front surface 525 and a rear surface 526 of the protrusion 52R. A distance N10 in the up-down direction between a surface 597 and a surface 598 of the through hole 582 is longer than a length L6 in the up-down direction between an upper surface 527 and a lower surface 528 of the protrusion 52R. The protrusion 52R engages with the through hole 582. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52R with the through hole 582, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 582.

[0084] A distance N11 between the lower end of a surface 599 of the through hole 583 and the lower end of a surface 560 is longer than a length L7 in the front-rear direction between a front surface 529 and a rear surface 530 of the protrusion 52L. A distance N12 in the up-down direction between a surface 561 and a surface 562 of the through hole 583 is longer than a length L8 in the up-down direction between an upper surface 531 and a lower surface 532 of the protrusion 52L. The protrusion 52L engages with the through hole 583. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52L with the through hole 583, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 583.

[0085] A distance N13 in the front-rear direction between the upper end of the face 563 of the through hole 584 and the upper end of the face 564 is longer than a length L9 in the front-rear direction between the front face 533 and the rear face 534 of the protrusion 52L. A distance N14 in the up-down direction between the face 565 and the face 566 of the through hole 584 is longer than a length L10 in the up-down direction between the upper face 535 and the lower face 536 of the protrusion 52L. The protrusion 52L engages with the through hole 584. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52L with the through hole 584, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 584.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 20, when the container body 31 and the cover 32 are assembled, the protrusion 52R engages with the through holes 581 and 582, and the protrusion 52L engages with the through holes 583 and 584. The cover 32 can move relatively to the container body 31 in the up-down and front-back directions. As shown in FIG. 23, the upper protrusion 52R moves backward between the faces 591 and 592 of the through hole 581, and the lower protrusion 52R moves forward between the faces 595 and 596 of the through hole 582. This allows the cover 32 to move relative to the container body 31 not only in the up-down and front-back directions, but also in the direction in which the cover 32 rotates relative to the container body 31 and in relation to the container body 31. The cover 32 rotates relative to the container body 31, changing the distance between the rear end of the cover 32 and the first upper surface 81, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 23.

[0087] When the cover 32 is attached to the container body 31, the cover 32 covers an upper front wall 40U of the container body 31. A front wall 53 of the cover 32 is located forward of the supply port 34. The supply port 34 is located below a lower wall 57 of the cover 32.

[0088] An IC board 60 is located on the upper wall 56 of the cover 32. The IC board 60 is an example of an electrical interface. The IC board 60 extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. The IC board 60 is located above the supply port 34. The IC board 60 is a board made of, for example, silicone or glass epoxy, on which an IC and three electrodes 61 are mounted. The IC is not shown in the drawings. The three electrodes 61 face upward. The IC board 60 may be a flexible board having flexibility.

[0089] The IC substrate 60 is adhered to the upper wall 56 of the cover 32 by, for example, a photocurable resin. The IC substrate 60 may be adhered to the cover 32 by an adhesive other than the photocurable resin, or may be attached to the cover 32 by a means other than adhesion, such as fitting.

[0090] The electrodes 61 of the IC board 60 come into contact with the contacts 125 during the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge case 110. Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge case 110, the IC board 60 comes into contact with the contacts 125 and is electrically connected.

[0091] The IC is a semiconductor integrated circuit. Information about the ink cartridge 30 is readably stored in the IC. The information about the ink cartridge 30 is data indicating information such as the lot number, the date of manufacture, and the color of ink.

[0092] The electrodes 61 are electrically connected to the IC. The electrodes 61 extend in the front-rear direction. The electrodes 61 are arranged side by side and spaced apart in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the IC substrate 60. The electrodes 61 are exposed to the upper surface of the IC substrate 60 so as to be electrically accessible.

[0093] 3, the upper wall 56 of the cover 32 has a through hole 90 in front of the IC board 60. The atmosphere open path 38 is located below the through hole 90. Guide pieces 91 extending in the front-rear direction protrude upward from both left-right ends of the upper wall 56 of the cover 32. The IC board 60 is located between the left-right sides of one guide piece 91 and the other guide piece 91. The guide pieces 91 function as guides for the cover 32 to move in the front-rear direction when the cover 32 is inserted into the cartridge case 110.

[0094] 7, a lower surface 70, which is the outer surface of the lower wall 57 of the cover 32, is located above and in front of the supply port 34. The lower surface 70 is a plane extending rearward from the lower end of the front wall 53 and is inclined so as to extend downward as it extends rearward.

[0095] The cover 32 has walls 71 extending downward from both ends in the left-right direction of the lower surface 70. One wall 71 and the other wall 71 are located apart in the left-right direction. The wall 71 is a plate-shaped member extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction and having a thickness in the left-right direction. The length of the wall 71 in the front-rear direction is greater than the length of the wall 71 in the left-right direction and the length of the wall 71 in the up-down direction. The length of the wall 71 in the up-down direction is greater than the length of the wall 71 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the front surface of the wall 71 has a first front surface 72 located at its upper part and a second front surface 73 located at its lower part. The front end of the first front surface 72 is inclined so as to extend downward as it moves forward from the upper surface of the wall 71. The second front surface 73 is inclined so as to face downward as it moves rearward.

[0096] As shown in Fig. 7, the rear ends of the two walls 71 extend forward from a sub-front wall 88. The sub-front wall 88 extends downward from the rear end of the lower surface 70. The sub-front wall 88 is a plate-shaped member that extends in the up-down and left-right directions and has a thickness in the front-to-rear direction. The length of the sub-front wall 88 in the left-to-right direction is greater than its length in the up-down direction. The outer surface of the sub-front wall 88 that faces forward is part of the front surface of the cover 32.

[0097] A groove 74 is located in the left wall 54 of the cover 32, extending in the front-rear direction above the wall 71. A groove 74 is located in the right wall 55 of the cover 32, extending in the front-rear direction above the wall 71. The groove 74 is longitudinal in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the recess of the groove 74 is composed of an upwardly facing surface 74L, a surface 74U facing the surface 74L in the vertical direction, and a surface 74M connecting the surface 74L and the surface 74U. The surface 74L is an example of a second contact surface. The surface 74U is an example of a third contact surface. The front end of the groove 74 opens in the front wall 53 of the cover 32. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 10, the first front surface 72 of the one wall 71 is a guide for guiding the rib 118 of the cartridge case 110 into the one groove 74. The first front surface 72 of the other wall 71 is a guide for guiding the rib 119 of the cartridge case 110 into one groove 74. One groove 74 has a length capable of receiving the rib 118 of the case body 101, and the other groove 74 has a length capable of receiving the rib 119 of the case body 101. Specifically, the vertical distance between the surface 74L and the surface 74U of the groove 74 is greater than the vertical lengths of the ribs 118 and 119 of the case body 101. The surfaces 74U and 74L come into contact with the ribs 118 and 119, respectively, to position the cover 32 in the vertical direction.

[0098] The outer surface of the front wall 53 of the cover 32 is the front surface 75. The front surface 75 is located forward of the supply port 34. The front surface 75 has an upper front surface 75U located at its upper portion and a lower front surface 75L located below the upper front surface 75U. The upper end of the lower front surface 75L is continuous with the upper front surface 75U. The lower end of the lower front surface 75L is located further rearward than the upper end, and is inclined upward as it approaches the front. The lower front surface 75L is a guide for guiding the ribs 118 and 119 into the groove 74. Specifically, the lower front surface 75L abuts against the front ends of the ribs 118 and 119 during the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge case 110, and guides the ribs 118 and 119 into the groove 74.

[0099] An upper front surface 75U of the front wall 53 of the cover 32 has a through hole 76. The valve 50 of the container body 31 is exposed to the outside through the through hole 76. The front end of the through hole 76 is located forward of the supply port 34 of the supply unit 33.

[0100] The underside 70 of the cover 32 has a first key portion 77. The first key portion 77 is located above the supply port 34 and below the upper surface of the electrode 61 of the IC substrate 60. The front end of the first key portion 77 is forward of the front end of the electrode 61. The first key portion 77 is located below the through-hole 76. In other words, the opening of the atmosphere open path 38 is located between the first key portion 77 and the electrode 61 in the up-down direction. The first key portion 77 is located in front of the ink cartridge 30.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 8, the first key portion 77 is located between the pair of walls 71 in the left-right direction and extends downward from the lower surface 70. The rear end of the wall 71 is connected to the sub-front wall 88. The first key portion 77 has a lower surface 77L that defines the lower end of the first key portion 77, a side surface 77S, and a front surface 77F that defines the front end. The side surface 77S of the first key portion 77 consists of a surface facing left and a surface facing right. The side surface 77S of the first key portion 77 extends along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

[0102] The lower surface 77L of the first key portion 77 extends along the front-rear direction. The lower surface 77L defines the thickness of the first key portion 77 in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the first key portion 77 is a plate-shaped member whose length in the front-rear direction is greater than its length in the left-right direction and its length in the up-down direction, but the shape of the first key portion 77 is not limited to this. For example, the length in the front-rear direction of the first key portion 77 may be smaller than its length in the up-down direction. The lower surface 77L and the upper surface of at least one electrode 61 of the IC substrate 60 are in a position where they overlap when viewed from the up-down direction. In other words, the lower surface 77L is located below at least one electrode 61 in the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the length L1 in the front-rear direction of the lower surface 77L is longer than the length L2 in the front-rear direction of the upper surface of the electrode 61. The front surface 77F of the first key portion 77 faces forward. The front surface 77F is located behind the front end of the first front surface 72 of the wall 71. The first front surface 72 is located behind the front end of the second front surface 73. Also, the front surface 77F of the first key portion 77 is located behind the front end of the front wall 53 of the cover 32. As a result, when the ink cartridge 30 is dropped with the front wall 53 of the cover 32 facing downward, even if the first front surface 72 and the second front surface 73 of the wall 71 or the front end of the front wall 53 of the cover 32 hits the floor or the like, the front surface 77F of the first key portion 77 does not hit the floor or the like. Therefore, since there is little risk that the first key portion 77 will be deformed by a direct impact, the ink cartridge 30 is properly attached to the cartridge case 110.

[0103] 11, a first key portion 77 is assigned to each of the slots 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D according to the characteristics of each ink cartridge 30 that is attached to the slots. The first key portions 77 have different mechanical characteristics, such as their arrangement and shape. The left-right position of the first key portions 77 differs according to the characteristics of the ink stored in the storage chamber 46. The ink characteristics include, for example, the color and composition of the ink.

[0104] The cover 32 has a third key portion 79. The third key portion 79 is defined as a combination of two or more of the four members consisting of a recess recessed in the left wall 54 of the cover 32, a recess recessed in the right wall 55, a protrusion protruding leftward from the left wall 54, and a protrusion protruding rightward from the right wall 55. In this embodiment, the third key portion 79 has a recess recessed in the left wall 54 of the cover 32 and a recess recessed in the right wall 55. In FIG. 8, the third key portion 79 is a combination of a recess in the left wall 54 and a recess in the right wall 55. The third key portion 79 is located above the first key portion 77 and below the upper surface of the electrode 61 of the IC board 60. In this embodiment, the third key portion 79 is located below the through hole 76. The third key portion 79 is located at both ends of the upper front surface 75U in the left-right direction. The front end of the third key portion 79 opens forward at the upper front surface 75U of the cover 32.

[0105] The mechanical characteristics such as the arrangement and shape of the third key portion 79 vary depending on the characteristics of each ink cartridge 30. The characteristics of the ink cartridge 30 indicated by the third key portion 79 may be the same as or different from the characteristics of the ink cartridge 30 indicated by the first key portion 77. In this embodiment, the characteristics of the ink cartridge indicated by the first key portion 77 are the color of the ink, and the characteristics of the ink cartridge 30 indicated by the third key portion 79 are the contract type of the printer in which the ink cartridge 30 is used. The contract type is, for example, a contract in which the user is charged according to the number of pages of image recording performed regardless of the amount of ink used. As long as this contract is concluded, a new ink cartridge 30 is delivered when the ink in the storage chamber 46 of the ink cartridge 30 is consumed, but the user does not need to pay for the ink cartridge 30 itself. Alternatively, the characteristics of the ink cartridge 30 indicated by the third key portion 79 are the sales region of the printer in which the ink cartridge 30 is used. The shape of the third key portion 79 of the ink cartridge 30 used in one sales region is different from the shape of the third key portion 79 of the ink cartridge 30 used in another sales region. For example, the third key portion 79 may be disposed on only one of the left and right sides, or the shape of the third key portion 79 opening forward may differ. Furthermore, the presence or absence and shape of the fitting pieces 122 and 123 of the cartridge case 110 may differ depending on the presence or absence and shape of the third key portion 79.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 9, the container body 31 has a rear surface 62 as an outer surface of the rear wall 41 of the container body 31. The rear surface 62 has a first rear surface 63, a second rear surface 64, and a third rear surface 65. The second rear surface 64 is to the left of the first rear surface 63. The third rear surface 65 is to the right of the first rear surface 63. The first rear surface 63 is a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The second rear surface 64 is a plane intersecting the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The right end of the second rear surface 64 is continuous with the first rear surface 63. The left end of the second rear surface 64 is to the left and rear of the first rear surface 63. The third rear surface 65 is a plane intersecting the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The left end of the third rear surface 65 is continuous with the first rear surface 63. The right end of the third rear surface 65 is to the right and rear of the first rear surface 63. The length of the first rear surface 63 in the left-right direction is constant in the up-down direction.

[0107] 4, 5, and 9, the bottom wall 45 of the container body 31 has a first bottom wall 45A and a second bottom wall 45B extending downward from the first bottom wall 45A. The rear end of the first bottom wall 45A is continuous with the lower end of the rear wall 41. The front part of the first bottom wall 45A extends in the front-rear direction. The front end of the first bottom wall 45A is continuous with the front wall 40. The curved surface of the supply part 33, including the rear end of the supply part 33, protrudes downward from the first bottom wall 45A.

[0108] The second lower wall 45B is continuous with the lower end of the rear wall 41. The second lower wall 45B is an inclined wall that is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. The second lower wall 45B is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction so that the upper end is located rearward and above the lower end. The lower end of the second lower wall 45B is continuous with the rear end of the lower surface 47 of the supply unit 33. The lower end of the second lower wall 45B is continuous with the rear end of the supply unit 33 below the first lower wall 45A. The left-right length of the second lower wall 45B is smaller than the left-right length of the first lower wall 45A.

[0109] Since the supply part 33 is located below the first lower wall 45A, as shown in FIG. 9, when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the rear, the lower surface 47 of the supply part 33 is visible. Therefore, the user can recognize where the supply part 33 is located when viewed from the rear, and when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the slot 108, the ink cartridge 30 can be easily mounted in the correct orientation. In addition, the lower wall 45 is continuous with the rear end of the supply part 33, so that the rear end of the supply part 33 is reinforced. This prevents the supply part 33 from being deformed even if the lower end of the ink cartridge 30 receives an impact. The lower wall 45 may have only the first lower wall 45A, omitting the second lower wall 45B.

[0110] The second rear surface 64 has a recess 66 near the upper end. The recess 66 is formed by a space recessed forward from the second rear surface 64 and a surface that defines the space. The third rear surface 65 has a recess 67 near the upper end. The recess 67 is formed by a space recessed forward from the third rear surface 65 and a surface that defines the space. As shown in FIG. 1, the recesses 66, 67 accommodate a protrusion 127 protruding from a cover 126 that opens and closes the opening 112 of the cartridge case 110. The protrusion 127 of the cover 126 in the closed state abuts against the surface that forms the upper end of the recesses 66, 67. The protrusion 127 of the cover 126 in the closed state abuts against the recesses 66, 67, thereby preventing the ink cartridge 30 attached to the cartridge case 110 from coming off the cartridge case 110 due to impact or the like. 9, the left-right length of the first rear surface 63 sandwiched between the recesses 66 and 67 is greater than the left-right length of the recesses 66, and is greater than the left-right length of the recesses 67. This makes the first rear surface 63 easy to see from behind the ink cartridge 30, so that when installing the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge case 110, the user can easily press the area near the first rear surface 63, which is the upper part of the rear surface.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the rear end of the upper surface 80 of the upper wall 44 of the container body 31 includes an operation surface 68. The operation surface 68 is an inclined surface that is inclined so as to face upward and backward. The operation surface 68 is continuous with the upper end of the rear surface 62. The operation surface 68 has a plurality of protrusions 69 that protrude upward and extend along the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the protrusions 69 extend downward from both ends of the operation surface 68 in the left-right direction to the outer surfaces of the left wall 42 and the right wall 43. From the left end of the operation surface 68 to the left wall 42, three protrusions 69 extend with a space between them in the front-rear direction. From the right end of the operation surface 68 to the right wall 43, three protrusions 69 extend with a space between them in the front-rear direction. The protrusions 69 function as a slip-proofing when the user operates the operation surface 68. The anti-slip structure may be, instead of the protrusions 69, a recess recessed downward from the operation surface 68, for example.

[0112] The upper surface 80 of the container body 31 has a first upper surface 81 , a second upper surface 82 , a third upper surface 83 , an upper end surface 86 , and an operation surface 68 .

[0113] The first upper surface 81 is located at the frontmost position on the upper surface 80. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the first upper surface 81 has a surface 81A located in the center in the left-right direction, a surface 81B located on the left, and a surface 81C located on the right. The surface 81A is a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The surface 81B is continuous with the left end of the surface 81A. The surface 81C is continuous with the right end of the surface 81A. The surface 81B is a surface facing upward and to the left. The surface 81C is a surface facing upward and to the right. The left-right length of the surface 81A is smaller than the left-right length of the surface 81B. The left-right length of the surface 81A is smaller than the left-right length of the surface 81C.

[0114] The second upper surface 82 is continuous with the rear end of the first upper surface 81. The rear end of the second upper surface 82 is located higher than the front end. The second upper surface 82 has a surface 82A located in the center in the left-right direction, a surface 82B located to the left of the surface 82A, and a surface 82C located to the right of the surface 82A. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 10, the surface 82A is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so as to face forward and upward. The surface 82A is a flat surface extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The surface 82A extends toward the left as it moves toward the rear. Specifically, the surface 82A has a surface extending toward the rear and a surface extending toward the left as it moves toward the rear. The surface 82B is continuous with the left end of the surface 82A and faces toward the left. The surface 82C is continuous with the right end of the surface 82A and faces toward the right. The left-right length of surface 82A is smaller than the left-right length of surface 82B. The left-right length of surface 82A is smaller than the left-right length of surface 82C. The left-right length of surface 82A is equal to the left-right length of surface 81A. The front-rear length of surface 82A is larger than the front-rear length of surface 81A.

[0115] The third top surface 83 is continuous with the rear end of surface 82C of the second top surface 82. The third top surface 83 is a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The third top surface 83 is located higher than the first top surface 81. The rear end of the third top surface 83 is continuous with the operation surface 68. The third top surface 83 has an abutment surface 92. The abutment surface 92 extends rearward from the lower end of a lock surface 87 of the second key portion 78, which will be described later.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the second key portion 78 is located on the third upper surface 83 of the container body 31. The second key portion 78 protrudes upward from the third upper surface 83. The second key portion 78 is located above the supply port 34. The upper end of the second key portion 78 is located above the upper surface of the electrode 61 of the IC substrate 60. The second key portion 78 is located forward of the operation surface 68. When the convex portion 52 of the container body 31 is located at the upper end of the through hole 58 of the cover 32, the cover 32 is located at the lowest position relative to the container body 31. When the cover 32 is located at the lowest position relative to the container body 31, the upper end of the second key portion 78 is located above the IC substrate 60.

[0117] The second key portion 78 has a first front inclined surface 84A, a second front inclined surface 84B, a left inclined surface 85A, a right inclined surface 85B, an upper end surface 86, and a lock surface 87. The first front inclined surface 84A is a plane inclined in the front-rear direction so as to face upward and forward. The first front inclined surface 84A is continuous with the rear end of the surface 82B of the second upper surface 82. The front end of the second front inclined surface 84B is continuous with the rear end of the surface 82A. The second front inclined surface 84B extends leftward from the front end toward the rear. The rear end of the second front inclined surface 84B is continuous with the upper end surface 86. The lower end of the second front inclined surface 84B is continuous with the third upper surface 83. The left end of the second front inclined surface 84B is continuous with the right end of the first front inclined surface 84A. The boundary between the first front inclined surface 84A and the second front inclined surface 84B extends leftward from the front end toward the rear. The upper end of the boundary between the first front inclined surface 84A and the second front inclined surface 84B is continuous with the upper end surface 86.

[0118] The upper end surface 86 is a flat surface facing upward. The upper end of the locking surface 87 is continuous with the rear end of the upper end surface 86. In other words, the upper end surface 86 is located between the second front inclined surface 84B and the locking surface 87 in the front-rear direction. The locking surface 87 is a flat surface facing rearward. When the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge case 110, the locking surface 87 and the abutment surface 92 are configured to abut against the locking portion 139 of the cartridge case 110. The locking surface 87 is an example of a first abutment surface.

[0119] The left inclined surface 85A is a plane that inclines in the left-right direction so as to face upward from the left end to the right end. The left inclined surface 85A is continuous with the left end of the first front inclined surface 84A. The boundary between the left inclined surface 85A and the first front inclined surface 84A extends toward the right as it approaches the front end or the rear end. The rear end of the boundary between the left inclined surface 85A and the first front inclined surface 84A is continuous with the lock surface 87. The right inclined surface 85B is a plane that inclines in the left-right direction so as to face upward from the right end to the left end. The right inclined surface 85B is continuous with the right end of the second front inclined surface 84B. The boundary between the right inclined surface 85B and the second front inclined surface 84B extends toward the left as it approaches the front end to the rear end. The rear end of the boundary between the right inclined surface 85B and the second front inclined surface 84B is continuous with the upper end surface 86. The rear end of right inclined surface 85B is continuous with lock surface 87. Since second key portion 78 has first front inclined surface 84A, second front inclined surface 84B, left inclined surface 85A, and right inclined surface 85B, second key portion 78 has greater strength than a case in which second key portion 78 has a surface extending perpendicular to the horizontal direction. Therefore, second key portion 78 is less likely to deform when subjected to impact from the left or right direction.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8, the first angle θ1 of the second front inclined surface 84B with respect to the horizontal plane is smaller than the second angle θ2 of the left inclined surface 85A with respect to the horizontal plane. The third angle θ3 of the right inclined surface 85B with respect to the horizontal plane may be different from the second angle θ2 of the left inclined surface 85A. The first angle θ1 is, for example, within a range of 5° to 10°, and is 7° in this embodiment. The second angle θ2 is, for example, within a range of 30° to 40°. The third angle θ3 is, for example, within a range of 30° to 40°.

[0121] The mechanical characteristics of the second key portion 78, such as the arrangement and shape, differ depending on the characteristics of each ink cartridge 30. The characteristics indicated by the second key portion 78 may be the same as or different from the characteristics indicated by the first key portion 77 and the third key portion 79. In this embodiment, the characteristic of the ink cartridge 30 indicated by the second key portion 78 is the composition of the ink. The left-right position of the second key portion 78 on the second upper surface 82 differs depending on the composition of the ink. The composition of the ink refers to the material contained in the ink, for example, whether the coloring material contained in the ink is a black dye or a black pigment. The composition of the ink is an example of a characteristic of the ink.

[0122] As shown in Fig. 8, the left-right length M1 of the first key portion 77 is smaller than the left-right length M2 of the second key portion 78. As shown in Fig. 5, the up-down length M3 of the front end of the first key portion 77 is larger than the maximum length M4 of the up-down length of the second key portion 78. Length M4 corresponds to the up-down length of the locking surface 87 of the second key portion 78.

[0123] 5, a first distance N1, which is the shortest distance from the center of the supply port 34 to the first key portion 77, is shorter than a second distance N2, which is the shortest distance from the center of the supply port 34 to the second key portion 78. With this configuration, as described below, when the rear end of the container body 31 is rotated upward around the supply port 34, the length of the path along which the first key portion 77 rotates is shorter than the length of the path along which the second key portion 78 rotates.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 11, the ink cartridge set 300 is composed of a plurality of ink cartridges 30. Each ink cartridge 30 constituting the ink cartridge set 300 has different mechanical characteristics such as the arrangement and shape of the first key portion 77, the second key portion 78, or the third key portion 79 according to the difference in the characteristics of the ink cartridge 30. In the four ink cartridges 30 shown in FIG. 11, the position of the first key portion 77 corresponds to the color of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 30. The position of the second key portion 78 corresponds to the composition of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 30. The position and shape of the third key portion 79 correspond to the sales region of the printer in which the ink cartridge 30 is used. The ink cartridge 30A in FIG. 11 corresponds to the ink cartridge 30 disclosed in FIG. 3 to FIG. 10.

[0125] The position of the first key portion 77 in the left-right direction corresponds to the position of the first key slot 115 of the cartridge case 110. The first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A located at the rightmost position in FIG. 11 is located to the right of the center in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 70. The first key portion 77B of the ink cartridge 30B located second from the right in FIG. 11 is located to the left of the first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 70. The first key portion 77C of the ink cartridge 30C located third from the right in FIG. 11 is located to the left of the first key portion 77B of the ink cartridge 30B in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 70. The first key portion 77D of the ink cartridge 30D located at the leftmost position in FIG. 11 is located to the left of the first key portion 77C of the ink cartridge 30C in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 70.

[0126] The left-right positions of the second key portions 78A, 78B, 78C, and 78D of the ink cartridges 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D correspond to the position of the second key slot 138 of the cartridge case 110. The second key portions 78A, 78B, and 78C of the ink cartridges 30A, 30B, and 30C are located to the left of the left-right center of the second top surface 82. The second key portion 78D of the ink cartridge 30D is located to the right of the left-right center of the second top surface 82. In this embodiment, the four ink cartridges 30 shown in FIG. 11 are from the same sales region, so the position and shape of the third key portion 79 are common.

[0127] [Installing the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge case 110] As shown in FIG. 12, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into a predetermined slot 108 in the cartridge case 110. In other words, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted so that the front wall 53 of the ink cartridge 30 faces the slot 108 of the cartridge case 110. In the four slots 108, the ink cartridges 30 storing magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks are inserted from the right end in the left-right direction. In the following, an example will be described in which the ink cartridge 30A storing magenta ink is inserted into the slot 108A at the right end in the left-right direction. The ink cartridge 30A storing magenta ink is located at the rightmost position in FIG. 11. The user pushes the first rear surface 63 of the ink cartridge 30A forward with his or her fingers to insert the ink cartridge 30A forward toward the cartridge case 110.

[0128] 13(A) and 13(B), the ink cartridge 30A is inserted into the slot 108A through the opening 112 of the case body 101. The bottom surface 47 of the inserted ink cartridge 30A is supported by the guide surface 161 of the case body 101 shown in FIG.

[0129] Before the supply port 34 of the ink cartridge 30A reaches the supply tube 102, the second key portion 78A reaches below the second key slot 138A of the case body 101. The second key portion 78A of the ink cartridge 30A is located on the left side of the center in the left-right direction of the second upper surface 82. On the other hand, the second key slot 138A is located on the left side of the center in the left-right direction of the slot 108A. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 30A is further inserted forward, the second key portion 78A enters below the second key slot 138A as shown in Figures 14(A) and 14(B). At this time, the second front inclined surface 84B of the second key portion 78A abuts against the lock portion 139, and a downward force is applied to the ink cartridge 30A. When a downward force is applied to the second front inclined surface 84B of the second key portion 78A, the ink cartridge 30A rotates clockwise in Figures 14(A) and 14(B). As a result, the lower surface 47 of the supply portion 33, which defines the lower end of the ink cartridge 30, abuts against the guide surface 161 of the case body 101, and the second key portion 78A moves forward while abutting against the lock portion 139, reaching below the second key slot 138A.

[0130] Furthermore, with the supply portion 33 abutting against the guide surface 161 of the case body 101 and the second front inclined surface 84B of the second key portion 78A abutting against the lock portion 139, the first key portion 77A enters the first key slot 115A.

[0131] Moreover, one of the pair of walls 71 enters groove 113. The other of the pair of walls 71 enters groove 114. Moreover, rib 118 enters one of the two grooves 74. rib 119 abuts against the other of the two grooves 74. One of the pair of walls 71 enters groove 113 and the other enters groove 114, thereby guiding the cover 32 forward. The rib 118 enters one of the two grooves 74 and the rib 119 enters the other, thereby guiding the cover 32 forward and positioning the cover 32 with respect to the cartridge case 110 in the up-down direction.

[0132] One of the second front faces 73 of the wall 71 moves forward while abutting against the lower surface of the groove 113, and the other of the second front faces 73 moves forward while abutting against the lower surface of the groove 114, so that one of the walls 71 is guided to the groove 113 in the vertical direction, and the other is guided to the groove 114. Also, either one of the first front faces 72 of the wall 71 or the lower front face 75L of the cover 32 moves forward while abutting against the rib 118, so that the groove 74 is guided to the rib 118 in the vertical direction. Either the other of the first front face 72 of the wall 71 or the lower front face 75L of the cover 32 moves forward while abutting against the rib 119, so that the groove 74 is guided to the rib 119 in the vertical direction. In addition, when the first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A enters the first key slot 115A, the side surface 77S of the first key portion 77A shown in Figures 4 and 8 moves forward while abutting against the protrusion 117, thereby guiding the first key portion 77A into the first key slot 115A in the left-right direction.

[0133] As the first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A enters the first key slot 115A, the second key portion 78A enters the second key slot 138A. As the second key portion 78A enters the second key slot 138A, the second front inclined surface 84B and the upper end surface 86 come into contact with the lock portion 139 in that order. As shown in FIG. 14(A) and FIG. 14(B), when the second front inclined surface 84B comes into contact with the lock portion 139, a downward and rearward force acts on the container body 31, and when the upper end surface 86 comes into contact with the lock portion 139, a downward force acts on the container body 31. When the second front inclined surface 84B or the upper end surface 86 slides on the lock portion 139, the lower surface 70 of the container body 31 slides on the guide surface 161.

[0134] When the first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A enters the first key slot 115A, the lower surface 77L of the first key portion 77A abuts against the upper end 136 of the pressing plate 134. As the first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A enters the first key slot 115A, the lower surface 77L of the first key portion 77A presses the pressing plate 134 downward, moving the ink receiving member 130 from the first position to the second position. At this time, the urging force of the coil spring 133 acts upward on the cover 32, but the surfaces 74L and 74U of the groove 74 shown in FIG. 8 abut against the rib 118, so that the cover 32 is positioned in the vertical direction. In addition, the surfaces 74L and 74U of the groove 74 abut against the rib 118, so that the cover 32 is positioned in the vertical direction. This prevents the cover 32 from moving upward. As the wall 71 moves forward, the pressing plate 134 moves downward along the second front surface 73 against the biasing force of the coil spring 133. As the pressing plate 134 moves downward, the ink receiving member 130 moves from the first position shown in Figures 13(A) and 13(B) to the second position shown in Figures 14(A) and 14(B).

[0135] When the ink receiving member 130 is in the second position, as the ink cartridge 30A moves forward, the supply port 34 becomes connected to the supply tube 102. The supply tube 102 presses the valve 36, causing the valve 36 to move rearward against the biasing force of the coil spring 37. The outer circumferential surface of the supply tube 102 connected to the supply unit 33 comes into liquid-tight contact with the seal member 35.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 15(A) and FIG. 15(B), as the ink cartridge 30 moves forward, the rod 121 of the slot 108A abuts against the valve 50 of the air release passage 38 through the opening of the cover 32. The rod 121 pushes the valve 50, and the valve 50 moves backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 51. By the valve 50 moving backward, the air release passage 38 is opened, and air can flow between the outside and the storage chamber 46. In addition, the electrode 61 of the IC board 60 abuts against the contact 125, and electrical conduction is established. In addition, the lock surface 87 of the second key portion 78A is located forward of the lock portion 139. The abutment surface 92 is located below the lock portion 139.

[0137] Although contact 125 applies a downward contact pressure to electrode 61, cover 32 does not move downward because the vertical movement of cover 32 is restricted by ribs 118 and 119 abutting groove 74. In addition, the biasing force of coil spring 133 acting upward on cover 32 and the downward contact pressure of contact 125 cancel out the vertical force applied to cover 32.

[0138] 15(B), the front-rear position where the upper end 136 of the pressing plate 134 abuts against the wall 71 and the first key portion 77A is different from the front-rear position where the contact 125 abuts against the electrode 61. Specifically, the front-rear position where the upper end 136 of the pressing plate 134 abuts against the wall 71 and the first key portion 77A is located forward of the front-rear position where the contact 125 abuts against the electrode 61. This applies a force to the cover 32 to rotate the rear end side of the cover 32 upwardly with respect to the front end side, with the left-right direction as the rotation axis. In contrast, the rotation of the cover 32 is suppressed by the abutment of the ribs 118 and 119 with the groove 74 as shown in FIG.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 17, when the ink cartridge 30A is inserted most forward in the slot 108A, the third key portion 79 fits into the fitting piece 122 and the fitting piece 123. Suppose an ink cartridge 30 sold in a different sales region and not provided with one of the third key portions 79 located on the left and right is inserted into the slot 108D. In the slot 108D, the fitting piece 122 is located on the right and the fitting piece 123 is located on the left. In the ink cartridge 30 not provided with one of the third key portions 79, the front wall 53 of the cover 32 abuts against either the fitting piece 122 or the fitting piece 123. This prevents the ink cartridge 30 from being inserted further forward into the slot 108D. Since the ink cartridge 30 cannot be inserted into the slot 108D, it is identified that the ink cartridge 30 is an ink cartridge 30 to be used in a printer in a sales region different from the printer 10.

[0140] In the state shown in FIG. 15(A) and FIG. 15(B), the container body 31 can rotate around the supply port 34 so that the rear end side faces upward in the slot 108. When the ink cartridge 30A rotates so that the rear end side moves upward, the lock surface 87 of the second key portion 78A and the lock portion 139 face each other in the front-rear direction. When the user releases his / her fingers from the ink cartridge 30A, the ink cartridge 30A moves backward due to the biasing force of the coil spring 37 and the coil spring 51, and the lock surface 87 abuts against the lock portion 139 as shown in FIG. 16(A) and FIG. 16(B). This keeps the ink cartridge 30A attached to the cartridge case 110. In addition, the abutment surface 92 abuts against the lock portion 139. This positions the container body 31 of the ink cartridge 30A in the up-down direction with respect to the cartridge case 110.

[0141] When the ink cartridge 30A is held in the cartridge case 110, the internal space of the ink cartridge 30A communicates with the atmosphere through the air release path 38. As a result, the ink in the storage chamber 46 flows into the internal space of the supply tube 102 through the internal space of the supply portion 33.

[0142] In addition, the ink cartridge 30A is biased backward by the coil springs 37 and 51, but the backward movement of the ink cartridge 30A is restricted by the contact between the lock surface 87 of the ink cartridge 30A and the lock portion 139 of the cartridge case 110. As a result, the ink cartridge 30A is held in the cartridge case 110.

[0143] Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 30A is held in the cartridge case 110, the electrode 61 of the IC board 60 abuts against the contact 125. Furthermore, when the cover 126 is closed, the electrode 61 is in electrical contact with the contact 125, enabling communication with the control unit of the printer 10.

[0144] Furthermore, when ink cartridge 30A is in the installed state, the downward force that electrode 61 of ink cartridge 30A receives from contact 125 is transmitted to supply tube 102 inserted into the internal space of supply unit 33. The downward force transmitted to supply tube 102 is weakened by being received by pressure plate 134, thereby reducing the possibility of supply tube 102 being deformed.

[0145] Suppose that the ink cartridge 30A is mistakenly inserted into the slot 108B of the cartridge case 110 shown in FIG. 2. In the second slot 108B from the right, the first key slot 115B is located slightly to the right of the center of the slot 108B in the left-right direction. Therefore, the left-right positions of the first key portion 77A of the ink cartridge 30A and the first key slot 115B of the slot 108B are misaligned, so the first key portion 77A cannot enter the first key slot 115B and abuts against the rear wall 173. As the front surface 77F of the first key portion 77A abuts against the rear wall 173, the ink cartridge 30A cannot be further inserted into the slot 108B. Since the ink cartridge 30A cannot be inserted into the slot 108B, the user understands that the ink cartridge 30A is not the ink cartridge 30 that should be inserted into the slot 108B.

[0146] Assume that the ink cartridge 30, which has the first key portion 77 in the same position as the ink cartridge 30A and the second key portion 78 in the same position as the ink cartridge 30D, is inserted into the rightmost slot 108A of the cartridge case 110 shown in FIG. 2. In the rightmost slot 108A, the first key slot 115A is located to the right of the slot 108A in the left-right direction, so the first key portion 77 of the ink cartridge 30 can enter the first key slot 115A. On the other hand, the second key slot 138A is located to the left of the center of the slot 108A in the left-right direction. Therefore, the second key portion 78 of the ink cartridge 30 and the second key slot 138A of the slot 108A are misaligned in the left-right direction, so that the upper end surface 86 abuts against the case body 101 before the second key portion 78 enters the second key slot 138A as the ink cartridge 30 rotates. As a result, the lock surface 87 and the lock portion 139 do not face each other in the front-rear direction, and therefore the ink cartridge 30 is not held in the slot 108D. Because the container body 31 cannot rotate, the user understands that the ink cartridge 30 is not the ink cartridge 30 that should be inserted into the slot 108A.

[0147] Next, the movement of the ink cartridge 30A when the ink cartridge 30A mounted in the cartridge case 110 is removed from the cartridge case 110 will be described. As shown in Fig. 17, in the mounted state, the vertical movement and rotation of the cover 32 are restricted by the ribs 118 and 119 that abut against the grooves 74. Since the container body 31 is movable relative to the cover 32, even if the vertical movement and rotation of the cover 32 is restricted, only the container body 31 can rotate about the supply port 34. The rotation of the container body 31 causes the lock surface 87 and the lock portion 139 to engage with each other or to separate from each other in the vertical direction.

[0148] In the attached state, when the user presses down on the operation surface 68 of the container body 31 with his / her finger, the rear end side of the container body 31 moves downward. This causes the lock surface 87 and the lock portion 139 to separate in the vertical direction. Then, when the user removes his / her finger from the operation surface 68, the urging force of the coil spring 37 and the coil spring 51 causes the ink cartridge 30A to move backward in the slot 108A.

[0149] In the mounted state, the protrusion 59 of the ink cartridge 30A is located in the space 162 of the case body 101. As the ink cartridge 30A moves rearward through the slot 108A, the protrusion 59 also moves rearward through the space 162 and abuts against the front end of the guide surface 161. This restricts the rearward movement of the ink cartridge 30A, and as shown in Figures 14(A) and 14(B), the ink cartridge 30A does not jump out of the slot 108A and remains stationary with the front side of the ink cartridge 30A positioned in the slot 108A. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 13(A) and 13(B), as the ink cartridge 30A moves rearward, the protrusion 59 of the ink cartridge 30A moves away from the guide surface 161 of the slot 108A, and the ink cartridge 30A is removed from the slot 108A.

[0150] [Effects of this embodiment] The surfaces 74L and 74U of the groove 74 come into contact with the ribs 118 and 119, thereby positioning the cover 32 in the vertical direction in the cartridge case 110. The container body 31 is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the cover 32 positioned in the vertical direction. The rotation of the container body 31 causes the lock surface 87 to come into contact with the lock portion 139. The lock surface 87 comes into contact with the lock portion 139, thereby preventing the ink cartridge 30 from moving backward in the cartridge case 110.

[0151] In the cartridge case 110, the cover 32 is positioned in the vertical direction regardless of the vertical position of the container body 31. By positioning the cover 32 in the vertical direction, the electrodes 61 of the IC substrate 60 are also positioned in the vertical direction. This allows the contacts 125 to be in stable electrical contact with the electrodes 61 of the IC substrate 60.

[0152] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, surface 592 is inclined relative to rear surface 522 so as to move rearward as it extends upward. Surface 560 is inclined relative to rear surface 530 so as to move rearward as it extends upward. However, surface 592 may be parallel to rear surface 522 without being inclined. That is, surface 592 may extend along the up-down direction. Surface 560 may be parallel to rear surface 530 without being inclined. That is, surface 560 may extend along the up-down direction.

[0153] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, the protrusions 52R, 52L are rectangular prisms, but the protrusions 52R, 52L may have a shape other than a rectangular prism. For example, as shown in Figs. 24 and 25, protrusions 93R, 93L may be positioned instead of the protrusions 52R, 52L positioned on the upper side. Furthermore, through holes 585, 586 may be positioned instead of the through holes 581, 583 positioned on the upper side.

[0154] The protrusion 93R has a front surface 601 facing forward, a rear surface 602 facing rearward, an upper surface 603 facing upward, and a lower surface 604 facing downward. The front surface 601 is aligned in the up-down direction. The rear surface 602 is inclined with respect to the surface 612 of the through hole 585 so as to face forward as it faces upward. The front surface 601 is an example of a first front surface. The rear surface 602 is an example of a first rear surface.

[0155] The protrusion 93L has a front surface 605 facing forward, a rear surface 606 facing rearward, an upper surface 607 facing upward, and a lower surface 608 facing downward. The front surface 605 is aligned in the up-down direction. The rear surface 606 is inclined with respect to the surface 615 of the through hole 586 so as to face forward as it faces upward. The front surface 605 is an example of a third front surface. The rear surface 606 is an example of a third rear surface.

[0156] Through hole 585 has a surface 611 facing front surface 601 of protrusion 93R, a surface 612 facing rear surface 602, and surfaces 613 and 614 connecting surface 611 and surface 612. Surface 611 faces rearward. Surface 612 faces forward. Surface 611 is an example of a first surface. Surface 612 is an example of a second surface.

[0157] Through hole 586 has a surface 615 facing front surface 605 of protrusion 93L, a surface 616 facing rear surface 606, and surfaces 617 and 618 connecting surface 615 and surface 616. Surface 615 faces rearward. Surface 616 faces forward. Surface 615 is an example of a fifth surface. Surface 616 is an example of a sixth surface.

[0158] A distance N15 between the lower ends of the faces 611 of the through-holes 585 is longer than a length L11 in the front-rear direction between the lower end of the front face 601 and the lower end of the rear face 602 of the convex portion 93R. A distance N16 in the up-down direction between the faces 613 and 614 of the through-holes 585 is longer than a length L12 in the up-down direction between the upper face 603 and the lower face 604 of the convex portion 93R. The convex portion 93R engages with the through-hole 585. In other words, by engaging the convex portion 93R with the through-hole 585, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through-hole 585.

[0159] A distance N17 between the lower end of a surface 615 of the through hole 586 and the lower end of a surface 616 is longer than a length L13 in the front-rear direction between the lower end of a front surface 605 and the lower end of a rear surface 606 of the protrusion 93L. A distance N18 in the up-down direction between a surface 617 and a surface 618 of the through hole 586 is longer than a length L14 in the up-down direction between an upper surface 607 and a lower surface 608 of the protrusion 93L. The protrusion 93L engages with the through hole 586. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 93L with the through hole 586, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 586.

[0160] The container body 31 can rotate about a rotation axis along the left-right direction with respect to the cover 32 that is positioned in the up-down direction by the convex portions 93R, 93L and the through holes 585, 586. In addition, since the size of the through holes 585, 586 can be reduced, a decrease in the strength of the cover 32 can be suppressed.

[0161] [Variation 3] 26 and 27, convex portions 94R and 94L may be positioned instead of the convex portions 52R and 52L positioned on the upper side. Also, through holes 587 and 588 may be positioned instead of the through holes 581 and 583 positioned on the upper side.

[0162] The protrusion 94R has a first front surface 621 facing forward and upward, a second front surface 622 facing forward and downward, a rear surface 623 facing rear, an upper surface 624 facing upward, and a lower surface 625 facing downward. The first front surface 621 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face rearward as it faces upward. The second front surface 622 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face forward as it faces upward. The rear surface 623 is an example of a first rear surface.

[0163] The protrusion 94L has a third front surface 626 facing forward and upward, a fourth front surface 627 facing forward and downward, a rear surface 628 facing rear, an upper surface 629 facing upward, and a lower surface 630 facing downward. The third front surface 626 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face rearward as it faces upward. The fourth front surface 627 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face forward as it faces upward. The rear surface 628 is an example of a first rear surface.

[0164] The through hole 587 has a surface 631 facing the first front surface 621 of the protrusion 94R, a surface 632 facing the second front surface 622, a surface 633 facing the rear surface 623, a surface 634 connecting the surfaces 631 and 633, and a surface 635 connecting the surfaces 632 and 633. The surface 631 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face rearward as it extends upward. The surface 632 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face forward as it extends upward. The surface 631 is an example of a first surface. The surface 632 is an example of a second surface.

[0165] The through hole 588 has a surface 636 facing the third front surface 626 of the protrusion 94L, a surface 637 facing the fourth front surface 627, a surface 638 facing the rear surface 628, a surface 639 connecting the surfaces 636 and 638, and a surface 640 connecting the surfaces 637 and 638. The surface 636 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face rearward as it goes upward. The surface 637 is inclined with respect to the up-down direction so as to face forward as it goes upward. The surface 636 is an example of a third surface. The surface 637 is an example of a fourth surface.

[0166] In the present modified example 3, a surface 595 of the through-hole 582 is aligned along the vertical direction. A surface 563 of the through-hole 584 is aligned along the vertical direction.

[0167] A distance N19 between the boundary between the surface 631 and the surface 632 of the through hole 587 and the lower end of the surface 633 is longer than a length L15 in the front-rear direction between the boundary between the first front surface 621 and the second front surface 622 and the rear surface 623 of the protrusion 94R. A distance N20 in the up-down direction between the surface 634 and the surface 635 of the through hole 587 is longer than a length L16 in the up-down direction between the upper surface 624 and the lower surface 625 of the protrusion 94R. The protrusion 94R engages with the through hole 587. In other words, the protrusion 94R engages with the through hole 587, and thus the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 587.

[0168] A distance N21 between the boundary between the surface 636 and the surface 637 of the through hole 588 and the lower end of the surface 638 is longer than a length L17 in the front-rear direction between the boundary between the third front surface 626 and the fourth front surface 627 of the protrusion 94L and the rear surface 628. A distance N22 in the up-down direction between the surface 639 and the surface 640 of the through hole 588 is longer than a length L18 in the up-down direction between the upper surface 624 and the lower surface 625 of the protrusion 94L. The protrusion 94L engages with the through hole 588. In other words, the protrusion 94L engages with the through hole 588, so that the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 588.

[0169] The container body 31 can rotate about a rotation axis along the left-right direction with respect to the cover 32, which is positioned in the up-down direction by the convex portions 94R, 94L and the through holes 587, 588. The first front surface 621 of the convex portion 94R abuts against the surface 631 of the through hole 587, and the second front surface 622 abuts against the surface 632 of the through hole 587, thereby determining the up-down position of the convex portion 94R at the through hole 587. The third front surface 626 of the convex portion 94L abuts against the surface 636 of the through hole 588, and the fourth front surface 627 abuts against the surface 637 of the through hole 587, thereby determining the up-down position of the convex portion 94L at the through hole 588.

[0170] [Variation 4] 28 and 29, convex portions 96R and 96L may be positioned instead of convex portions 52R and 52L positioned on the lower side. The convex portion 96R is cylindrical. The convex portion 96L is cylindrical. The outer diameter R1 of the convex portion 96R is smaller than the distances N4 and N10 of the through hole 582. The outer diameter R2 of the convex portion 96L is smaller than the distances N6 and N13 of the through hole 584. The outer peripheral surface of the convex portion 96R abuts against the surfaces 595 and 596 of the through hole 582. The outer peripheral surface of the convex portion 96L abuts against the surfaces 563 and 564 of the through hole 583.

[0171] The protrusion 96R engages with the through hole 582. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 96R with the through hole 582, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 582. The protrusion 96L engages with the through hole 584. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 96L with the through hole 584, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 584.

[0172] The container body 31 can rotate about a rotation axis along the left-right direction that passes through the center of the protrusion 96R and the center of the protrusion 96L with respect to the cover 32 that is positioned in the up-down direction by the protrusions 96R, 96L and the through holes 582, 584. The cross-sectional shape of the protrusions 96R, 96L perpendicular to the left-right direction may be elliptical rather than circular.

[0173] [Variation 5] 30 and 31, the two protrusions 52R may be positioned differently in the front-rear direction and aligned vertically. In FIG. 30, the upper protrusion 52R is positioned further rearward than the lower protrusion 52R. The two protrusions 52L may be positioned differently in the front-rear direction and aligned vertically. In FIG. 31, the upper protrusion 52L is positioned further rearward than the lower protrusion 52L.

[0174] In the fifth modification, the front surface 521 of the protrusion 52R faces upward and forward. The rear surface 522 faces downward and rear. The upper surface 523 faces upward and rear. The lower surface 524 faces downward and forward. The front surface 525 of the protrusion 52R faces upward and forward. The rear surface 526 faces downward and rear. The upper surface 527 faces upward and rear. The lower surface 528 faces downward and forward.

[0175] The front surface 529 of the protrusion 52L faces upward and forward. The rear surface 530 faces downward and rearward. The top surface 531 faces upward and rearward. The bottom surface 532 faces downward and forward. The front surface 533 of the protrusion 52L faces upward and forward. The rear surface 534 faces downward and rearward. The top surface 535 faces upward and rearward. The bottom surface 536 faces downward and forward.

[0176] 30, the through hole 581 is located further rearward than the through hole 582. As shown in FIG 31, the through hole 583 is located further rearward than the through hole 584.

[0177] Face 591 of through hole 581 faces rearward and downward. Face 592 faces forward and upward. Face 593 faces downward and forward. Face 594 faces upward and rearward. Face 595 of through hole 582 faces rearward and downward. Face 596 faces forward and upward. Face 597 faces downward and forward. Face 598 faces upward and rearward.

[0178] Face 599 of through hole 583 faces rearward and downward. Face 560 faces forward and upward. Face 561 faces downward and forward. Face 562 faces upward and rearward. Face 563 of through hole 584 faces rearward and downward. Face 564 faces forward and upward. Face 565 faces downward and forward. Face 565 faces upward and rearward.

[0179] A front-to-rear distance N3 between an upper end of face 591 of through hole 581 and an upper end of face 592 is greater than a front-to-rear distance N4 between a lower end of face 595 of through hole 582 and a lower end of face 596 of through hole 582. A front-to-rear distance N5 between an upper end of face 599 of through hole 583 and an upper end of face 560 of through hole 583 is greater than a front-to-rear distance N6 between a lower end of face 563 of through hole 584 and a lower end of face 564 of through hole 584.

[0180] A distance N7 between the lower end of a surface 591 and the lower end of a surface 592 of the through hole 581 is longer than a length L3 in the front-rear direction between the front surface 521 and the rear surface 522 of the protrusion 52R. A distance N8 in the up-down direction between a surface 593 and a surface 594 of the through hole 581 is longer than a length L4 in the up-down direction between the upper surface 523 and the lower surface 524 of the protrusion 52R. The protrusion 52R engages with the through hole 581. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52R with the through hole 581, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 581.

[0181] A distance N9 between an upper end of a surface 595 of the through hole 582 and an upper end of a surface 596 of the through hole 582 is longer than a length L5 in the front-rear direction between a front surface 525 and a rear surface 526 of the protrusion 52R. A distance N10 in the up-down direction between a surface 597 and a surface 598 of the through hole 582 is longer than a length L6 in the up-down direction between an upper surface 527 and a lower surface 528 of the protrusion 52R. The protrusion 52R engages with the through hole 582. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52R with the through hole 582, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 582.

[0182] A distance N11 between the lower end of a surface 599 of the through hole 583 and the lower end of a surface 560 is longer than a length L7 in the front-rear direction between a front surface 529 and a rear surface 530 of the protrusion 52L. A distance N12 in the up-down direction between a surface 561 and a surface 562 of the through hole 583 is longer than a length L8 in the up-down direction between an upper surface 531 and a lower surface 532 of the protrusion 52L. The protrusion 52L engages with the through hole 583. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52L with the through hole 583, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 583.

[0183] A distance N13 in the front-rear direction between the upper end of the face 563 of the through hole 584 and the upper end of the face 564 is longer than a length L9 in the front-rear direction between the front face 533 and the rear face 534 of the protrusion 52L. A distance N14 in the up-down direction between the face 565 and the face 566 of the through hole 584 is longer than a length L10 in the up-down direction between the upper face 535 and the lower face 536 of the protrusion 52L. The protrusion 52L engages with the through hole 584. In other words, by engaging the protrusion 52L with the through hole 584, the movement in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction are limited to a predetermined range by the through hole 584.

[0184] The container body 31 is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction with respect to the cover 32 which is positioned in the up-down direction by the convex portions 92R, 92L and the through holes 581, 582, 583, 584. The positions of the convex portions 92R, 92L and the through holes 581, 582, 583, 584 may be the positions shown in FIGS.

[0185] [Variation 6] In the embodiment described above, the convex portions 52R and 52L are located on the container body 31. Furthermore, the through holes 581, 582, 583, and 584 are located on the cover 32. Alternatively, the concave portions 151, 152, 153, and 154 may be located on the container body 31. Furthermore, the convex portions 155, 156, 157, and 158 may be located on the cover 32.

[0186] As shown in FIG. 34, recesses 151, 152 are located in two locations on the right surface 43S of the container body. Recess 151 is recessed leftward from the right surface 43S. Recess 152 is recessed leftward from the right surface 43S. On the right surface 43S, the two recesses 151, 152 are lined up in the vertical direction. Recess 151 is a rectangle whose vertical length is longer than its front-to-rear length in side view. Recess 152 is a rectangle whose vertical length is longer than its front-to-rear length in side view. Recess 151 is an example of a first engagement portion, a first recess. Recess 152 is an example of a first engagement portion, a second recess.

[0187] Recesses 153, 154 are located in two locations on the left surface 42S of the container body. Recess 153 is recessed from the left surface 42S to the right. Recess 154 is recessed from the left surface 42S to the right. On the left surface 42S, the two recesses 153, 154 are lined up in the vertical direction. Recess 153 is a rectangle whose vertical length is longer than its front-to-rear length in side view. Recess 153 is a rectangle whose vertical length is longer than its front-to-rear length in side view. Recess 153 is an example of a second engagement portion and a third recess. Recess 154 is an example of a second engagement portion and a fourth recess.

[0188] Convex portions 155, 156 are located at two positions on the inner surface 32R of the cover 32 facing the right surface 43S of the container body 31. The convex portion 156 protrudes to the left from the inner surface 32R. The convex portion 156 protrudes to the left from the inner surface 32R. On the inner surface 32R, the two convex portions 155, 156 are lined up in the vertical direction. The convex portion 155 is a rectangular prism whose vertical length is longer than its front-to-rear length in a side view. The convex portion 156 is a rectangular prism whose vertical length is longer than its front-to-rear length in a side view. The convex portion 155 is an example of a third engagement portion and a first convex portion. The convex portion 156 is an example of a third engagement portion and a second convex portion.

[0189] Convex portions 157, 158 are located at two positions on the inner surface 32L of the cover 32 facing the left surface 42S of the container body 31. The convex portion 157 protrudes leftward from the inner surface 32R. The convex portion 158 protrudes leftward from the inner surface 32R. On the inner surface 32R, the two convex portions 157, 158 are lined up in the vertical direction. The convex portion 157 is a rectangular prism whose vertical length is longer than its front-rear length in a side view. The convex portion 158 is a rectangular prism whose vertical length is longer than its front-rear length in a side view. The convex portion 157 is an example of a fourth engagement portion and a third convex portion. The convex portion 158 is an example of a fourth engagement portion and a fourth convex portion.

[0190] The recess 151 of the container body 31 engages with the protrusion 155, and has a length in the front-rear direction longer than the length of the protrusion 155 in the front-rear direction and a length in the up-down direction longer than the length of the protrusion 155 in the up-down direction. The recess 152 engages with the protrusion 156, and has a length in the front-rear direction longer than the length of the protrusion 156 in the front-rear direction and a length in the up-down direction longer than the length of the protrusion 156 in the up-down direction.

[0191] The recess 153 engages with the protrusion 157, and has a length in the front-rear direction longer than that of the protrusion 157 and a length in the up-down direction longer than that of the protrusion 157. The recess 154 engages with the protrusion 158, and has a length in the front-rear direction longer than that of the protrusion 158 and a length in the up-down direction longer than that of the protrusion 158.

[0192] When the container body 31 and the cover 32 are assembled, the cover 32 can move vertically and front-to-back relative to the container body 31. Moreover, the cover 32 can move relative to the container body 31 not only vertically and front-to-back, but also in a direction in which the cover 32 rotates relative to the container body 31.

[0193] In the above embodiment, the atmosphere open passage 38 is located in the upper front wall 40U of the container body 31. However, the atmosphere open passage 38 may be located in a wall other than the front wall 40 of the container body 31, for example, in the upper wall 44.

[0194] In the above embodiment, the pressing plate 134 and the ink receiving member 130 are disposed inside the cartridge case 110, but these may be omitted. In other words, the first key portion 77 may only realize the function of identifying the characteristics of the ink cartridge 30.

[0195] In the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge 30 is shown as an example of an ink container, but the ink container may be a bottle for refilling ink into the printer tank or the like, rather than a cartridge that is installed in the printer 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0196] 30···Ink cartridge (ink container) 31: Container body (first member, ink frame) 32 Cover (second member) 32R, 32L...Inner surface 33...supply section 34 Supply port 42S...Left side 43S...Right side 52R, 93R, 94R, 96R... Convex portion (first engagement portion, first convex portion, second convex portion) 52L, 93L, 94L, 96L... Convex portion (second engagement portion, second convex portion, second convex portion) 60···IC board (electrical interface) 61...electrode (contact surface) 74L...surface (second contact surface) 74U surface (3rd contact surface) 87 Lock surface (first contact surface) 151 Recess (first engagement portion, first recess) 152 recess (first engagement portion, second recess) 153 Recess (second engagement portion, third recess) 154 Recess (second engagement portion, fourth recess) 155....convex portion (third engagement portion, first convex portion) 156....convex portion (third engagement portion, second convex portion) 157.... convex portion (fourth engagement portion, third convex portion) 158....convex portion (fourth engagement portion, fourth convex portion) 521,601...Front (1st front) 522,602...Rear surface (1st rear surface) 525...Front (2nd front) 526...Rear surface (2nd rear surface) 529,605...Front (3rd front) 530,606...Rear surface (3rd rear surface) 533...Front (4th front) 534...Rear surface (4th rear surface) 581...Through hole (third engagement portion, recess, first through hole) 582...Through hole (third engagement portion, recess, second through hole) 583...Through hole (fourth engagement portion, recess, third through hole) 584...Through hole (fourth engagement portion, recess, fourth through hole) 591,611... side (first side) 592,612... side (2nd side) 595···Page (Page 3) 596···Page (4th page) 599,613···Page (5th page) 560,614···Page (6th page) 563···Page (Page 7) 564···Page (Page 8) 621···No.1 front 621 622···No.2 623···Back (1st back) 626···Page 3 627···No.4Before627 628···Back (1st back) 631···Page (1st page) 632···Page (Page 2) 636···Page (Page 3) 637···Page (4th page)

Claims

1. An ink container to be mounted in a mounting space of a mounting portion, a first member having a storage chamber for storing ink and a supply section having a supply port that opens forward in a front-rear direction from the storage chamber; a second member located in front of the first member, the first member is spaced above the supply port in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, faces rearward in the front-rear direction, and has a first contact surface that contacts the mounting portion when the ink container is mounted on the mounting portion, a first engagement portion provided on one side in a left-right direction intersecting the front-rear direction and the vertical direction, and a second engagement portion provided on the other side in the left-right direction; the second member has a second abutment surface that faces upward in the vertical direction and abuts against the mounting portion in the mounted state, a third abutment surface that faces downward in the vertical direction and abuts against the mounting portion in the mounted state, a third engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion, and a fourth engagement portion that engages with the second engagement portion, The first member is rotatable relative to the second member about a rotation axis along the left-right direction.

2. the second member has an electrical interface with an upwardly facing electrode; 2. The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the first member is movable in the vertical direction relative to the second member.

3. The first member has a right surface facing right in the left-right direction and a left surface facing left in the left-right direction, the first engagement portion is a protrusion protruding rightward from the right surface, the second engagement portion is a protrusion protruding leftward from the left surface, the third engagement portion is a recess that engages with the first engagement portion, 2. The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the fourth engagement portion is a recess that engages with the third engagement portion.

4. The first engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion that are the convex portions, the second engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, the third engagement portion has a first through hole and a second through hole which are the recesses, the fourth engagement portion has a third through hole and a fourth through hole which are the recesses, The first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, The third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, the first through hole engages with the first protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the up-down direction; the second through hole engages with the second protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the second protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the second protrusion in the up-down direction, the third through hole engages with the third protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the up-down direction; An ink container as described in claim 3, wherein the fourth through hole engages with the fourth convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the fourth convex portion in the front-to-rear direction, and the length in the up-to-down direction is longer than the length of the fourth convex portion in the up-to-down direction.

5. the first protrusion is a rectangular prism having a first front surface and a first rear surface; the second protrusion is a rectangular prism having a second front surface and a second rear surface; the third protrusion is a rectangular prism having a third front surface and a third rear surface, the fourth protrusion is a quadrangular prism having a fourth front surface and a fourth rear surface, The first through hole has a first surface opposite to the first front surface and a second surface opposite to the first rear surface, the second through hole has a third surface facing the second front surface and a fourth surface facing the second rear surface, the third through hole has a fifth surface facing the third front surface and a sixth surface facing the third rear surface, the fourth through hole has a seventh surface facing the fourth front surface and an eighth surface facing the fourth rear surface, the first front surface, the second front surface, the third front surface, and the fourth front surface are aligned along the up-down direction; a distance between the first surface and the second surface in the front-rear direction is greater than a distance between the third surface and the fourth surface in the front-rear direction; 5. The ink container according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the fifth surface and the sixth surface in the front-to-rear direction is greater than a distance between the seventh surface and the eighth surface in the front-to-rear direction.

6. The first surface is located rearward of the third surface, 6. The ink container according to claim 5, wherein the fifth surface is located rearward of the seventh surface.

7. The second surface is inclined with respect to the first rear surface so as to extend rearward as it extends upward, 7. The ink container according to claim 5, wherein the sixth surface is inclined with respect to the third rear surface so as to extend rearward as it extends upward.

8. The first rear surface is inclined with respect to the second surface so as to extend forward as it extends upward, 7. The ink container according to claim 5, wherein the third rear surface is inclined with respect to the sixth surface so as to extend rearward as it extends upward.

9. the first protrusion has a first front surface and a second front surface; the second protrusion has a third front surface and a fourth front surface; The first through hole has a first surface opposite the first front surface and a second surface opposite the second front surface, the second through hole has a third surface opposite the third front surface and a fourth surface opposite the fourth front surface, The first front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend rearward as it extends upward, The second front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend forward as it extends upward, The third front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend rearward as it extends upward, The fourth front surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend forward as it extends upward, The first surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend rearward as it extends upward, The second surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend forward as it extends upward, The third surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend rearward as it extends upward, 5. The ink container according to claim 4, wherein the fourth surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so as to extend upward and forward.

10. The first engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion that are the convex portions, the second engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, the third engagement portion has a first through hole and a second through hole which are the recesses, the fourth engagement portion has a third through hole and a fourth through hole which are the recesses, The first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, The third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, the first through hole engages with the first protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the up-down direction; The second through hole engages with the second protrusion, the third through hole engages with the third protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the up-down direction; the fourth through hole engages with the fourth protrusion, The first protrusion is a quadrangular prism, The second protrusion is a cylinder, The third protrusion is a quadrangular prism, 4. The ink container according to claim 3, wherein the fourth protrusion is cylindrical.

11. The first engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion that are the convex portions, the second engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, the third engagement portion has a first through hole and a second through hole which are the recesses, the fourth engagement portion has a third through hole and a fourth through hole which are the recesses, The first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, The third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, the first through hole engages with the first protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the up-down direction; the second through hole engages with the second protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the second protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the second protrusion in the up-down direction, the third through hole engages with the third protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the up-down direction; the fourth through hole engages with the fourth protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the fourth protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the fourth protrusion in the up-down direction; the first convex portion and the second convex portion are positioned at different positions in the front-rear direction and are aligned in the up-down direction, 4. The ink container according to claim 3, wherein the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are positioned at different positions in the front-rear direction and are aligned in the up-down direction.

12. The second member has an inner surface facing the first member, the third engagement portion is a protrusion protruding rightward from an inner surface of the second member, the fourth engagement portion is a protrusion protruding leftward from an inner surface of the second member, the first engagement portion is a recess that engages with the third engagement portion, 3. The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the second engaging portion is a recess that engages with the fourth engaging portion.

13. the third engagement portion has a first convex portion and a second convex portion that are the convex portions, the fourth engagement portion has a third convex portion and a fourth convex portion which are the convex portions, The first engagement portion has a first recess and a second recess, which are the recesses, the first engagement portion has a third recess and a fourth recess which are the recesses, The first convex portion and the second convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, The third convex portion and the fourth convex portion are aligned in the up-down direction, the first recess engages with the first protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion in the up-down direction; the second recess engages with the second protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the second protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the second protrusion in the up-down direction; the third recess engages with the third protrusion, the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the front-rear direction, and the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the third protrusion in the up-down direction; An ink container as described in claim 12, wherein the fourth recess engages with the fourth convex portion, the length in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the fourth convex portion in the front-to-rear direction, and the length in the up-to-down direction is longer than the length of the fourth convex portion in the up-to-down direction.

14. a cover to be attached to an ink frame having a storage chamber for storing ink, a supply portion extending in a front-rear direction from the storage chamber, a left surface facing left in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, a first engagement portion protruding leftward from the left surface, a right surface facing rightward in the left-right direction, and a second engagement portion protruding rightward from the right surface, a third engaging portion which is a recess that engages with the first engaging portion, and a fourth engaging portion which is a recess that engages with the second engaging portion, The cover engages with the ink frame such that the ink frame is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the cover.

15. a cover to be attached to an ink frame having a storage chamber for storing ink, a supply portion extending in a front-rear direction from the storage chamber, a left surface facing left in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, a first engagement portion protruding leftward from the left surface, a right surface facing rightward in the left-right direction, and a second engagement portion protruding rightward from the right surface, a third engaging portion which is a protruding portion that engages with the first engaging portion; and a fourth engaging portion which is a protruding portion that engages with the second engaging portion, The cover engages with the ink frame such that the ink frame is rotatable about a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the cover.

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