Ink refilling container

Abstract

To provide a technique that can prevent ink from leaking even if a center of an ink refilling container is inserted into a printer while being deviated in a radial direction from a center of an ink inlet passage member of the printer.SOLUTION: An ink refilling container, which refills an ink tank of a printer with ink through an ink inlet passage member communicating with the ink tank, comprises a container main body and an ink outlet forming part comprising a cylindrical part. The ink outlet forming part comprises a spring valve which comprises a valve body fitted into the cylindrical part and a spring for energizing the valve body in a direction of a center shaft of an ink outlet, and a sealing member having a valve sealing part that contacts the valve body, in a valve closed state. The sealing member has a cylindrical inner peripheral wall and an elastic part extending from the inner peripheral wall toward the center. The elastic part has a slit extending in a radial direction from the center toward the inner peripheral wall, a plurality of small piece parts partitioned by the slit, and bent parts positioned among the plurality of small piece parts and the inner peripheral wall.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, as an example of an ink jet device, an ink jet printer is known that prints on a print medium such as printing paper by ejecting ink from a print head toward the print medium. Among such ink jet printers, there is an ink refill type that is used by refilling an ink tank with ink. Patent Document 1 discloses an ink refill container that is used to refill an ink tank of an ink refill type. This ink refill container has a cylindrical portion having an ink outlet, a valve body disposed in the cylindrical portion, and a seal member disposed in the cylindrical portion and in contact with the valve body in a valve closed state. The seal member has a slit-shaped gap that passes through the center. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-51714 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional technology, when an ink flow path member of a printer is inserted into an ink outlet of an ink supply container via a seal member, the center of the ink flow path member may be inserted with the center of the seal member shifted radially from the center of the seal member. In this case, in a conventional ink supply container, variation in the opening of the slit may occur, which may prevent the seal member from following the ink inlet flow path member, and ink may leak to the outside of the ink inlet flow path member. Furthermore, if variation in the opening of the gap occurs, a lot of air may enter the ink supply container, causing over-injection of ink into the ink tank. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ink supply container that supplies ink to an ink tank of a printer via an ink inlet flow path member that communicates with the ink tank, the ink supply container comprising: a container body configured to be capable of storing ink; and an ink outlet forming portion that is connected to the container body and includes a tube portion having an ink outlet; the ink outlet forming portion is a spring valve including a valve body mounted in the cylindrical portion and a spring biasing the valve body toward the ink outlet in the direction of a central axis of the ink outlet, the spring valve being in an open state when the valve body is pressed in a direction opposite to the biasing direction by the ink inlet flow path member inserted into the cylindrical portion and being in a closed state when the ink inlet flow path member is removed from within the cylindrical portion; and a seal member mounted in the cylindrical portion and having a valve seal portion that comes into contact with the valve body in the closed state; The sealing member has a cylindrical inner wall centered on the central axis, and an elastic portion extending from the inner wall toward the center, the elastic portion having a slit including the center and extending radially from the center toward the inner wall, a plurality of small piece portions partitioned by the slits, and a bent portion located between the plurality of small piece portions and the inner wall, and the spring valve is in the open state when the ink inlet flow path member presses the elastic portion to open the slit, and the ink inlet flow path member presses the valve body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which ink is refilled into the ink tank using an ink refill container. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ink supply container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ink inlet flow path member is inserted into the outlet valve unit. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a front view of the ink supply container in the normal position. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ink supply container in the normal position. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink tank according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ink supply container is removed from the ink inlet flow path member. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a valve closed state in which the ink inlet flow path member and the seal member are not in contact with each other. FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ink inlet flow path member and a bent portion are in contact with each other. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing deformation of a bent portion in an open valve state. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a seal member according to a second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a seal member according to another embodiment 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer in the first embodiment. The printer 100 is an inkjet printer that prints by ejecting ink onto a print medium. FIG. 1 depicts X, Y and Z axes that are perpendicular to each other. The X axis corresponds to the width direction of the printer 100, the Y axis corresponds to the depth direction of the printer 100, and the Z axis corresponds to the height direction of the printer 100. The printer 100 is installed on a horizontal installation surface defined by the X axis direction and the Y axis direction. Note that the "X axis direction" refers to a concept that combines the +X direction and the -X direction. Similarly, the "Y axis direction" refers to a concept that combines the +Y direction and the -Y direction, and the "Z axis direction" refers to a concept that combines the +Z direction and the -Z direction.

[0009] The printer 100 has a housing 110. Inside the housing 110, a carriage (not shown) that can move in the main scanning direction, which is the X-axis direction, is provided. A print head that ejects ink onto a print medium is installed on the carriage. An ink tank housing unit 160 that houses multiple ink tanks 700S, 700L is provided at one end of the front of the housing 110. The ink tank housing unit 160 has an openable and closable lid 162 on its top. The ink tank 700S is a small-capacity tank, and the ink tank 700L is a large-capacity tank. However, in the following description, the two will not be distinguished and will simply be referred to as "ink tanks 700". Each ink tank 700 is connected to the print head of the carriage by a tube (not shown). In other words, the ink tank 700 is a stationary ink tank that is not mounted on the carriage of the printer 100. Also, each ink tank 700 is an ink tank of an ink refill type that is refilled with ink from an ink refill container when the remaining ink level is low. In this embodiment, the ink tank 700 is a stationary ink tank, but it may also be mounted on the carriage of the printer 100.

[0010] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which ink is refilled into an ink tank 700 using an ink refill container 200. The front surface of each ink tank 700 is made of a transparent material, and the amount of ink remaining in each ink tank 700 can be visually observed from the outside. When the amount of ink remaining becomes low, the lid 162 can be opened and ink can be refilled through the ink inlet flow path member 710 of the ink tank 700.

[0011] A cylindrical ink inlet flow path member 710 communicating with the ink tank 700 is provided on the upper surface of each ink tank 700. The ink tank containing unit 160 includes a sealing cap member 164 having a sealing cap 165 for sealing the tip of the ink inlet flow path member 710. When the ink tank 700 is not refilled with ink, the tip of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is sealed by the sealing cap 165 of the sealing cap member 164. When refilling the ink tank 700 with ink, the sealing cap member 164 is removed from the ink inlet flow path member 710, and the tip of the ink supply container 200 is inserted into the position of the ink inlet flow path member 710 to refill the ink. Two recesses 750 that fit with fitting portions of the ink supply container 200 described later are provided around the periphery of the ink inlet flow path member 710. These recesses 750 have a shape that is rotationally symmetrical at 180 degrees with the ink inlet flow path member 710 as the center.

[0012] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink supply container 200 in the first embodiment. The ink supply container 200 has a container body 300 configured to be able to contain ink, an ink outlet forming part 400 forming an ink outlet 460, and a cap 600 attached to the ink outlet forming part 400. The ink outlet forming part 400 has an outlet valve unit 500 inside. The upper end side of the ink supply container 200, which is the cap 600 side, is called the "front end side", and the lower end side, which is the container body 300 side, is called the "rear end side". The container body 300 is a hollow cylindrical container having an opening on the front end side. An external thread 312 for attaching the ink outlet forming part 400 is provided on the small diameter part at the front end of the container body 300. In this disclosure, the direction parallel to the central axis C of the ink supply container 200 is called the "axial direction", and the direction perpendicular to the central axis C is called the "radial direction".

[0013] An ink outlet 460 is provided at the tip of the ink outlet forming part 400. The ink outlet forming part 400 is connected to the container body 300 and includes a tubular part 420 having the ink outlet 460. An outlet valve unit 500 is attached inside the tubular part 420. The valve housing 517 is attached inside the tubular part 420 so as to provide a radial gap between the valve housing 517 and the tubular part 420. When refilling the ink tank 700 with ink, an ink inlet flow path member 710 of the ink tank 700 shown in FIG. 2 is inserted into the ink outlet 460.

[0014] Two fitting parts 450 are provided around the ink outlet 460. In this embodiment, the two fitting parts 450 have a shape that is rotationally symmetrical at 180 degrees around the central axis C of the ink supply container 200. In addition, these fitting parts 450 fit into recesses 750 provided around the ink inlet flow path member 710 of the ink tank 700 shown in FIG. 2. This makes it possible to maintain the ink supply container 200 in a stable position during ink supply. In addition, the fitting parts 450 can be configured such that, for example, the fitting part 450 of the ink supply container 200 for replenishing yellow ink fits into the recess 750 corresponding to the ink tank 700 that contains yellow ink, and the fitting part 450 of the ink supply container 200 for replenishing ink of other colors such as magenta ink or cyan ink cannot fit into the recess. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous injection of ink. However, the fitting part 450 can be omitted.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, the outlet valve unit 500 has a valve housing 517, a seal member 510, and a spring valve 535. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the outlet valve unit 500. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which an ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the outlet valve unit 500.

[0016] The ink inlet flow path member 710 shown in FIG. 2 can be inserted and removed into the valve housing 517. As shown in FIG. 4, the valve housing 517 has a retaining portion 517A for the seal member 510 on the tip side, and an engagement portion 517B for engaging with the cylindrical portion 420. As shown in FIG. 5, the valve housing 517 has a through hole Ho penetrating in a direction intersecting the axial direction. The through hole Ho is a hole penetrating the side wall of the valve housing 517 in the radial direction centered on the central axis C, and is also formed to extend in the axial direction. The through hole Ho communicates with a radial gap between the valve housing 517 and the cylindrical portion 420.

[0017] The spring valve 535 has a valve body 520 and a spring member 530. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the spring member 530 is housed in the valve housing 517. The spring member 530 is housed in the valve housing 517, at the rear end side in the axial direction. The spring member 530 can be made of, for example, a metal. In this embodiment, the spring member 530 is a coil spring. The spring member 530 biases the valve body 520 towards the ink outlet 460 in the direction of the central axis C of the ink outlet 460.

[0018] The valve body 520 is mounted in the valve housing 517 so as to be movable in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the valve body 520 has a cylindrical portion 524 and a convex portion 526. The valve body 520 has a configuration in which the convex portion 526 is arranged on the end surface of the cylindrical portion 524, which is a substantially cylindrical member. The cylindrical portion 524 faces the inner surface of the valve housing 517. The valve body 520 can be formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. As shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 526 of the valve body 520 has a tip portion 526A having a circular side surface that can abut against a partition wall 714 of the ink inlet flow path member 710, which will be described later. The tip portion 526A is not limited to a circular end surface, and may have an end surface of any other shape, such as an elliptical end surface.

[0019] The spring valve 535 can be in a "closed state" and an "open state". Specifically, the valve body 520 is biased toward the seal member 510 by the spring member 530. When the cylindrical portion 524 comes into contact with the seal member 510, more specifically, with the valve seal portion Eg, which is an annular protrusion at the rear end of the seal member 510, due to this bias, the "closed state" is established. In the "closed state", the cylindrical portion 524 comes into contact with the seal member 510, thereby blocking an opening formed in the seal member 510 that penetrates the seal member 510 in the axial direction. On the other hand, the ink inlet flow path member 710 inserted in the tube portion 420 presses the valve body 520 in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring member 530, and the cylindrical portion 524 separates from the seal member 510, thereby establishing the "open state". In the "open state", the cylindrical portion 524 separates from the seal member 510, thereby opening an opening formed in the seal member 510 that penetrates the seal member 510 in the axial direction. In other words, when ink is replenished, the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 420 to enter an "open valve state", and the ink inlet flow path member 710 is removed from the cylindrical portion 420 to enter a "closed valve state".

[0020] 6 is a perspective view of the seal member 510. The seal member 510 has a substantially ring-like shape. The seal member 510 can be formed of, for example, a rubber member such as an elastomer having rubber elasticity. The seal member 510 has an opening through which the ink inlet flow path member 710 can be inserted and removed. The seal member 510 is attached inside the tube portion 420. As shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 510 is located on the tip side of the spring member 530 in the axial direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 6, the seal member 510 has a valve seal portion Eg, which is an annular convex portion that contacts the valve body 520 in the "closed valve state". The seal member 510 has a cylindrical inner circumferential wall 511 centered on the central axis C, and an elastic portion 512 extending from the inner circumferential wall 511 toward the center CP. The elastic portion 512 has a slit Ap including the center CP and extending radially from the center CP toward the inner circumferential wall 511, and a plurality of small piece portions 514 partitioned by the slit Ap. The plurality of small piece portions 514 have a seal member through hole 510h at the position of the center CP. In addition, the elastic portion 512 has a bent portion 516 located between the plurality of small piece portions 514 and the inner circumferential wall 511. In this disclosure, the plurality of small piece portions 514 are simply referred to as "small piece portions 514".

[0022] The spring valve 535 is brought into an “open state” when the ink inlet flow path member 710 presses the elastic portion 512 to open the slit Ap and also presses the valve body 520 .

[0023] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the seal member 510. In this embodiment, the bent portion 516 of the elastic portion 512 is bent so as to be convex toward the ink outlet 460 in the direction of the central axis C. In this embodiment, the term "convex toward the ink outlet 460" is not limited to a form in which the portion of the bent portion 516 closest to the ink outlet 460 is located closer to the ink outlet 460 than the connection portion Cn between the bent portion 516 and the inner circumferential wall 511 in a cross section including the central axis C. The term "convex toward the ink outlet 460" also includes a form in which the bent portion 516 has a portion perpendicular to the inner circumferential wall 511. In addition, in the direction of the central axis C, the thickness La of the thinnest portion of the bent portion 516 is thinner than the thickness Lb of the thinnest portion of the small piece portion 514. Therefore, the bent portion 516 has a lower hardness than the small piece portion 514. The hardness can be evaluated using, for example, Young's modulus.

[0024] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the point of the small piece portion 514 that is closest to the center CP is called the center side tip Fpe.

[0025] The components of the ink supply container 200 other than the outlet valve unit 500 may be formed from a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene.

[0026] Fig. 8 is a front view of the ink supply container 200 in the normal position, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of the ink supply container 200 in the normal position. "Normal position of the ink supply container 200" means a state in which the ink supply container 200 is placed on a horizontal surface such as a desk with the bottom of the container body 300 facing down. As shown in Fig. 2 above, ink is replenished to the ink tank 700 with the ink supply container 200 in an inverted position with the tip side facing downward. Note that Figs. 8 and 9 show the state in which the cap 600 is removed.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ink tank 700 of the first embodiment. An ink inlet flow path member 710 of the ink tank 700 protrudes upward from the ink tank 700. The ink inlet flow path member 710 has two flow paths 711, 712. The two flow paths 711, 712 are divided by a partition wall 714. In the first embodiment, the tip surface of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is flat, and the two flow paths 711, 712 are each open at the tip surface of the ink inlet flow path member 710. A part of the tip surface of the ink inlet flow path member 710 corresponds to an end of the partition wall 714. When refilling ink, the fitting portion 450 of the ink supply container 200 fits into a recess 750 around the ink inlet flow path member 710 of the ink tank 700. As a result, the two flow paths 711, 712 are respectively connected to two tank internal flow paths 721, 722 protruding into the ink storage chamber 760 below. The lower ends of these tank internal flow paths 721 and 722 extend to a position lower than the ceiling wall of the ink containing chamber 760 .

[0028] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a supply state in which ink is supplied from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 700. FIG. 11 shows the ink supply container 200 and the ink tank 700 in a cross section including the central axis C and the center-side tip Fpe of the small piece portion 514. In this supply state, the ink supply container 200 is in an inverted position, and the direction from the rear end of the ink supply container 200 to the front end is shown as the front end direction D1, which is the direction in which the ink supply container 200 is connected to the ink inlet flow path member 710. The direction from the front end of the ink supply container 200 to the rear end is shown as the rear end direction D2, which is the direction in which the ink supply container 200 is removed from the ink inlet flow path member 710. FIG. 11 shows only a portion of each of the ink supply container 200 and the ink tank 700.

[0029] 11, the tube portion 420 is formed such that a gap Be into which the elastic portion 512 enters is provided between the inner surface of the tube portion 420 and the outer surface of the ink inlet flow path member 710. When the elastic portion 512 is pushed open by the insertion of the ink inlet flow path member 710, the elastic portion 512 enters the gap Be.

[0030] The ink inlet flow path member 710 of the ink tank 700 is inserted into the tubular flow path section 410 through the opening of the seal member 510. The tubular flow path section 410 is configured as a flow path space inside the tube section 420. The tubular flow path section 410 includes a supply flow path that is a flow path on the inner circumferential surface side of the tube section 420. The supply flow path is divided into two supply flow paths 411, 412 formed by a gap between the valve housing 517 and the inner circumferential surface of the tube section 420 when the convex portion 526 of the valve body 520 abuts against the partition wall 714 of the ink inlet flow path member 710. The gap forming the supply flow paths 411, 412 may also include a gap between the valve body 520 and the spring member 530 housed in the valve housing 517 and the inner circumferential surface of the tube section 420 via the through hole Ho. Therefore, the gap can also be said to be a gap between the outlet valve unit 500 and the inner circumferential surface of the tube section 420 via the through hole Ho. As described later, in the ink refill state, one of the two refill flow paths 411, 412 is used as an ink flow path, and the other is used as an air flow path. As a result, the ink refill container 200 can refill ink while performing gas-liquid exchange with the ink tank 700. Note that the flow path of the tubular flow path portion 410 does not need to be divided into two refill flow paths 411, 412 via the flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the through hole Ho of the valve housing 517, and may be formed as one refill flow path. Also, the tubular flow path portion 410 may be divided into three or more refill flow paths by abutting the convex portion 526 of the valve body 520 against a partition wall 714 that divides the ink inlet flow path member 710 into three or more flow paths.

[0031] The outlet valve unit 500 is configured such that, in a refill state, the two refill flow paths 411, 412 communicate with the two flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710. Note that in order for gas and liquid to flow in and out by communicating the refill flow paths 411, 412 with the two flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710, it is necessary for the state to be an "open valve state" in which gas and liquid can flow through the through-hole Ho.

[0032] The protrusion 526 of the valve body 520 is provided at a position facing the partition wall 714 of the ink inlet flow path member 710. In the refill state, the protrusion 526 of the valve body 520 is pushed by the ink inlet flow path member 710 and retreats toward the container body 300 side shown in FIG. 3, and the two flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710 communicate with the two refill flow paths 411, 412, respectively, via the through hole Ho. This places the ink refill container 200 in an open state. As a result, ink in the container body 300 is permitted to flow into the ink inlet flow path member 710 via the refill flow paths 411, 412. In FIG. 11, the solid arrows indicate the flow of ink, and the dashed arrows indicate the flow of air. In this way, in the replenishing state, ink can be efficiently replenished from the ink replenishing container 200 to the ink tank 700 while performing gas-liquid exchange, utilizing the two replenishing flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the two replenishing flow paths 411, 412 of the tubular flow path section 410. In order to perform this gas-liquid exchange smoothly, it is preferable that the replenishing flow path of the tubular flow path section 410 is divided into a plurality of replenishing flow paths. The same is true for the ink inlet flow path of the ink inlet flow path member 710. In this case, it is preferable that in the replenishing state, one or more of the plurality of replenishing flow paths are configured to communicate with one or more of the plurality of ink inlet flow paths, and one or more other of the plurality of replenishing flow paths are configured to communicate with one or more other of the plurality of ink inlet flow paths.

[0033] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ink supply container 200 is removed from the ink inlet flow path member 710. In FIG. 12, the ink inlet flow path member 710 is separated from the valve body 520, and the cylindrical portion 524 comes into contact with the valve seal portion Eg of the seal member 510, thereby blocking the axial opening including the through hole Ho. Therefore, the two flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the two supply flow paths 411, 412 of the tubular flow path portion 410 do not communicate with each other. As a result, the ink supply container 200 is in a valve-closed state. In this embodiment, the small piece portion 514 is formed such that the center-side tip Fpe is located on the rear end side direction D2 side from the base Ba in the axial direction, and the cross-sectional shape is an arc shape.

[0034] 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the ink supply container 200 has a fitting portion 450, which is adapted to fit into a recess 750 of the ink tank 700. However, before the fitting portion 450 and the recess 750 are fitted together, or when the ink supply container 200 does not have the fitting portion 450, the ink inlet flow path member 710 may be inserted with a radial deviation relative to the seal member 510.

[0035] In a conventional ink supply container in which the seal member 510 does not include the bent portion 516, if the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted with a radial deviation from the center CP of the seal member, the opening of the slit Ap in the elastic portion may vary. In this case, the elastic portion may not be able to follow the ink inlet flow path member 710, and ink may leak to the outside of the ink inlet flow path member 710. In addition, if the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted with a radial deviation from the seal member, the gap between the elastic portion and the ink inlet flow path member 710 may expand, and air may flow into the ink supply container through the gap. In this case, excessive ink may flow out of the ink supply container, or the ink tank 700 may be filled with ink beyond its upper limit.

[0036] 13 to 16 are cross-sectional views for explaining the flow from the closed state to the open state when the ink inlet flow path member 710 is radially displaced and inserted into the ink outlet 460 in the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the closed state in which the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the seal member 510 are not in contact. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the bent portion 516 are in contact. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the deformation of the bent portion 516 when the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the convex portion 526 are in contact. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the deformation of the bent portion 516 in the open state. Note that only a portion of each of the ink supply container 200 and the ink tank 700 is shown in FIGS. 13 to 16.

[0037] In FIG. 13, the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted so as to be shifted in the radial direction with respect to the center CP of the seal member 510. In the present disclosure, the supply flow path 411 side as viewed from the central axis C in the radial direction is expressed as the d1 direction, and the supply flow path 412 side as viewed from the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is expressed as the d2 direction. Here, the d1 direction is the flow path 711 side as viewed from the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 on a straight line that passes through the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 and is perpendicular to the partition wall 714, and the d2 direction is the flow path 712 side. In FIG. 13, the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted so as to be shifted in the d1 direction with respect to the center CP of the seal member 510. In the present embodiment, the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted so as to be shifted in the d1 direction with respect to the center CP of the seal member 510, but it may be in the d2 direction or any direction perpendicular to the central axis C.

[0038] 13, in this embodiment, the small piece portion 514 forms a sealing member through hole 510h at the position of the center CP, and the tip portion 526A of the valve body 520 is inserted into the sealing member through hole 510h when the spring valve 535 is in the closed state, and is separated from the multiple small piece portions 514. In other words, the tip portion 526A of the valve body 520 is located on the tip direction D1 side of the center side tip Fpe of the small piece portion 514. Furthermore, between the small piece portion 514 and the valve body 520, there is a gap Gp through which ink can pass.

[0039] In Fig. 13, the length along the outer surface of the elastic portion 512 is Lc. The length Lc along the outer surface of the elastic portion 512 is the length from the connection portion Cn to the center side tip Fpe of the small piece portion 514. The length Lc is the length of the thick line in Fig. 13. The length in the direction of the central axis C from the connection portion Cn between the bent portion 516 and the inner circumferential wall 511 to the valve seal portion Eg is Ld.

[0040] When the ink inlet flow path member 710 moves in the rear end direction D2 from the state in Figure 13, it comes into contact with the bent portion 516, as shown in Figure 14. Since the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted while being shifted in the d1 direction from the center CP of the seal member 510, it first comes into contact with the bent portion 516A located on the d1 direction side of the seal member 510. Note that in this disclosure, in a cross section including the central axis C and the center-side tip Fpe of the small piece portion 514, the bent portion 516 located on the d1 direction side of the center CP is referred to as the bent portion 516A, and the bent portion 516 located on the d2 direction side of the center CP is referred to as the bent portion 516B.

[0041] When the ink inlet flow path member 710 moves further in the rear end direction D2 from the state in FIG. 14, it comes into contact with the bent portion 516B located on the d2 side of the seal member 510, and then comes into contact with the tip portion 526A of the valve body 520 as shown in FIG. 15. When the ink inlet flow path member 710 comes into contact with the bent portions 516A and 516B, the bent portions 516A and 516B have a lower hardness than the small piece portion 514, and therefore are deflected by the external force from the ink inlet flow path member 710. Therefore, compared to a seal member that does not have a bent portion 516, even if the ink inlet flow path member 710 presses the seal member 510 at a position radially shifted from the center CP, the deflection of the bent portions 516A and 516B causes the adjacent small piece portions 514A and 514B to be displaced following the ink inlet flow path member 710, and they are more likely to come into close contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to suppress ink leakage. Furthermore, since the small piece portion 514 is in close contact with the ink inlet flow path member 710, it is possible to prevent air from entering the ink supply container 200, thereby reducing the possibility of over-injection of ink.

[0042] Furthermore, when the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the seal member 510 while being shifted from the center CP in the radial direction, as described above, the ink inlet flow path member 710 comes into contact with the bent portion 516 before the convex portion 526 of the valve body 520. As a result, even if there is a gap Gp between the valve body 520 and the small piece portion 514 through which ink leaks, the small piece portions 514A and 514B can come into close contact with the ink inlet flow path member 710 before the ink inlet flow path member 710 presses the valve body 520 to open it. This makes it possible to prevent ink from leaking. Furthermore, since the small piece portion 514 comes into close contact with the ink inlet flow path member 710, it is possible to prevent air from entering the ink supply container 200, thereby reducing the possibility of over-injection of ink.

[0043] When the ink inlet flow path member 710 moves from the state of FIG. 15 toward the rear end side D2, the valve body 520 transitions to an open state as shown in FIG. 16. In a conventional ink supply container (not shown) in which the seal member 510 does not include the bent portion 516, when the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted with the center of the ink inlet flow path member 710 shifted to the left side d1 direction from the center CP of the seal member, the opening of the slit Ap located in the d1 direction of the elastic portion varies. Therefore, the elastic portion located in the d1 direction cannot follow the ink inlet flow path member 710, and ink may leak. Furthermore, when the opening of the slit Ap varies, the slit Ap cannot maintain the capillary force, and ink may leak. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the bent portion 516 bends, and the small piece portion 514 can be maintained in close contact with the ink inlet flow path member 710. This makes it possible to suppress ink leakage.

[0044] 16, the sealing member 510 is formed so that the length Lc along the outer surface of the elastic portion 512 in a cross section including the central axis C and the central tip Fpe, which is the point of the small piece portion 514 closest to the center CP, is shorter than the length Le in the direction of the central axis from the connection Cn between the bent portion 516 and the inner circumferential wall 511 to the tip of the ink inlet flow path member 710 in the open state. Note that the length Lc along the outer surface of the elastic portion 512 is the length from the connection Cn to the central tip Fpe of the small piece portion 514. The length Lc is the length of the thick line in FIG. 16. Also, the length Lc is the same before and after the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the ink supply container 200. The above length relationship makes it possible to prevent the elastically deformed small piece portion 514 from interfering with the flow of ink and gas between the flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the inside of the container body 300 in the "open valve state" in which the ink inlet flow path member 710 presses the valve body 520 and the valve body 520 is separated from the valve seal portion Eg. This allows for smooth ink supply.

[0045] In FIG. 16, the seal member 510 is formed so that the length Lc along the outer surface of the elastic portion 512 in a cross section including the central axis C and the center-side tip Fpe, which is the point of the small piece portion 514 closest to the center CP, is shorter than the length Ld in the direction of the central axis C from the connection portion Cn between the bent portion 516 and the inner circumferential wall 511 to the valve seal portion Eg. The length Ld is the same before and after the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the ink supply container 200. Because of the above-mentioned length relationship, in the "open valve state" in which the ink inlet flow path member 710 presses the valve body 520 and the valve body 520 is separated from the valve seal portion Eg, the elastically deformed small piece portion 514 can be prevented from interfering with the flow of ink and gas between the flow paths 711, 712 of the ink inlet flow path member 710 and the inside of the container body 300. This allows smooth ink supply.

[0046] According to the first embodiment described above, the elastic portion 512 of the seal member 510 has a bent portion 516. Therefore, even if the ink inlet flow path member 710 is pressed at a position radially displaced from the center CP, the bent portion 516 flexes so that the small piece portion 514 easily follows the ink inlet flow path member 710 and comes into close contact with it. This makes it possible to prevent ink leakage. Furthermore, the small piece portion 514 comes into close contact with the ink inlet flow path member 710, thereby preventing air from entering the ink supply container 200, thereby reducing the possibility of over-injection of ink.

[0047] Furthermore, the seal member 510 is formed such that the thickness of the thinnest part of the bent portion 516 is thinner than the thickness of the thinnest part of the small piece portion 514 in the direction of the central axis C, and the hardness of the bent portion 516 is lower than the hardness of the small piece portion 514. This increases the flexibility of the bent portion 516, making it easier for the small piece portion 514 to follow the ink inlet flow path member 710. This makes it possible to suppress ink leakage. Furthermore, the small piece portion 514 follows the ink inlet flow path member 710 and comes into close contact with it, so that the capillary force of the slit Ap works to suppress ink leakage. Furthermore, the small piece portion 514 comes into close contact with the ink inlet flow path member 710, making it possible to suppress air from entering the ink supply container 200, thereby further reducing the possibility of over-injection of ink.

[0048] B. Second embodiment: FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the seal member 510 in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the bent portion 516d is different from that of the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the thickness of the thinnest part of the bent portion 516d in the direction of the central axis is the same as the thickness of the thinnest part of the small piece portion 514d in the direction of the central axis. On the other hand, the bent portion 516d is made of a material having a lower hardness than the small piece portion 514d. For example, the seal member 510d except for the bent portion 516d can be made of an elastomer, and the bent portion 516d can be made by two-color molding of an elastomer and a low-hardness elastomer. The low-hardness elastomer can be, for example, munch, which is a thermoplastic elastomer. In addition, the bent portion 516d may be made of a single material having a lower hardness than the seal member 510d except for the bent portion 516d. As described above, the hardness can be evaluated using, for example, Young's modulus. The seal member 510d of the second embodiment also has a structure in which the bent portion 516d is more flexible than the small piece portion 514d, and therefore the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0049] C. Other embodiments: (C1) In the first embodiment described above, the bent portion 516 is bent so as to be convex toward the ink outlet 460 in the direction of the central axis C, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In addition, when the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the ink outlet 460 while being displaced in the radial direction from the center CP, the ink inlet flow path member 710 is in contact with both of the bent portions 516A and 516B, but this is not limited to this. The bent portion 516 does not have to be in a form that is convex toward the ink outlet 460 in the direction of the central axis C. In addition, when the ink inlet flow path member 710 is inserted into the ink outlet 460 while being displaced in the radial direction from the center CP, the ink inlet flow path member 710 only needs to be in contact with either one of the bent portions 516A and 516B, and does not need to be in contact with both of the bent portions 516A and 516B. In other words, the length Lc along the outer surface of the elastic portion 512 may be smaller than that of the first embodiment. In this embodiment as well, since the bent portion 516 bends when ink is replenished, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0050] (C2) In the first embodiment described above, the thickness La of the thinnest portion of the bent portion 516 is thinner than the thickness Lb of the thinnest portion of the small piece portion 514, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The thickness La of the thinnest portion of the bent portion 516 does not have to be thinner than the thickness Lb of the thinnest portion of the small piece portion 514.

[0051] (C3) In the first and second embodiments described above, the small piece portion 514 of the sealing member 510 was not subjected to any processing capable of promoting the capillary force, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the small piece portion 514 may be subjected to a hole-making process, or the slit Ap of the small piece portion 514 may be subjected to an uneven process. Note that the processing for promoting the capillary force is not limited to the hole-making process or uneven process described above, and other processing may be performed.

[0052] (C4) In the first and second embodiments described above, the seal member 510 has six small pieces 514 separated by six slits Ap, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The small piece 514 may have any number of small pieces 514 separated by any number of slits Ap. The seal member 510 may not have the small piece 514. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a seal member 510e in another embodiment 1. The seal member 510e has a cylindrical external shape, and includes an inner circumferential wall 511e and an elastic portion 512e, similar to the seal member 510 of the first embodiment and the seal member 510d of the second embodiment. The inner circumferential wall 511e has a cylindrical external shape centered on the central axis of the ink outlet 460. The elastic portion 512e is configured to extend from the inner circumferential wall 511e toward the center CP, and includes 516e at a position where it is connected to the inner circumferential wall 511e. A single slit-shaped gap 513e including the center CP is formed in the elastic portion 512e. The gap 513e has a linear appearance in plan view. The gap 513e may have a curved appearance in plan view instead of a linear appearance. This gap 513e corresponds to the seal member through hole 510h of the first embodiment. The elastic portion 512e corresponds to the elastic portions 512 and 512d of the seal member 510 of the first embodiment and the seal member 510d of the second embodiment.

[0053] (C5) In the first embodiment described above, as shown in Fig. 10, a part of the tip surface of the ink inlet flow path member 710 corresponds to the end of the partition wall 714, and the partition wall 714 does not protrude in the axial direction from the ink inlet flow path member 710, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The partition wall 714 may protrude in the axial direction from the ink inlet flow path member 710, for example.

[0054] (C6) In the first embodiment described above, the ink inlet flow path member 710 has a cylindrical peripheral wall and an end face in the axial direction is flat, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The ink inlet flow path member 710 may have a cylindrical peripheral wall and a step that is concave in the axial direction at the tip of the peripheral wall on the ink inlet side, and the seal member 510 may be formed so that the width of the base of the small piece portion 514 is larger than the width of the step. This makes it difficult for the small piece portion 514 to fit into the step, making it difficult to obstruct the flow of liquid or gas. In addition, since it is easy to prevent some of the small piece portions 514 from fitting into the step, multiple small piece portions 514 are easy to restore simultaneously, making it easier to exert the effect of preventing ink leakage.

[0055] D. Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0056] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ink supply container that supplies ink to an ink tank of a printer via an ink inlet flow path member that communicates with the ink tank, the ink supply container comprising: a container body configured to be capable of storing ink; an ink outlet forming part including a cylindrical part connected to the container body and having an ink outlet, the ink outlet forming portion is a spring valve including a valve body mounted in the cylindrical portion and a spring biasing the valve body toward the ink outlet in the direction of a central axis of the ink outlet, the spring valve being in an open state when the valve body is pressed in a direction opposite to the biasing direction by the ink inlet flow path member inserted into the cylindrical portion and being in a closed state when the ink inlet flow path member is removed from within the cylindrical portion; and a seal member mounted in the cylindrical portion and having a valve seal portion that comes into contact with the valve body in the closed state; The sealing member has a cylindrical inner wall centered on the central axis, and an elastic portion extending from the inner wall toward the center, the elastic portion having a slit including the center and extending radially from the center toward the inner wall, a plurality of small piece portions partitioned by the slits, and a bent portion located between the plurality of small piece portions and the inner wall, and the spring valve is in the open state when the ink inlet flow path member presses the elastic portion to open the slit, and the ink inlet flow path member presses the valve body. According to this embodiment, even if the seal member is pressed at a position where the ink inlet flow path member is radially displaced from the center, the bending of the bent portion makes it easier for the small piece portion to follow the ink inlet flow path member and come into close contact with it, thereby preventing ink leakage. Furthermore, the small piece portion coming into close contact with the ink inlet flow path member prevents air from entering the ink supply container, thereby reducing the possibility of over-injection of ink.

[0057] (2) In the above embodiment, the multiple small piece portions define a through hole at the center position, the tip portion of the valve body is inserted into the through hole when the spring valve is in a closed state and is spaced apart from the multiple small piece portions, and the bent portion of the elastic portion is bent so as to be convex toward the ink outlet side in a direction along the central axis. According to this aspect, when the ink inlet flow path member is inserted into the seal member off-center, the ink inlet flow path member comes into contact with the bent portion before the valve body. This allows the small piece portion to come into close contact with the ink inlet flow path member before the ink inlet flow path member presses the valve body to open the valve, even if there is a gap between the valve body and the small piece portion through which ink can leak. This makes it possible to prevent ink leakage.

[0058] (3) In the above embodiment, the bent portion may have a hardness lower than that of the plurality of small piece portions. According to this aspect, the bent portion is more easily flexible, so that the small piece portion can more easily conform to the ink inlet channel member, thereby making it possible to prevent ink leakage.

[0059] (4) In the above embodiment, the thickness of the thinnest portion of the bent portion in the direction of the central axis may be smaller than the thickness of the thinnest portion of each of the plurality of small piece portions. According to this aspect, the bent portion is more easily flexible, so that the small piece portion can more easily conform to the ink inlet channel member, thereby making it possible to prevent ink leakage.

[0060] (5) In the above embodiment, the sealing member may be formed so that a length along an outer surface of the elastic portion in a cross section including the central axis and a central tip of the small piece portion, which is the point closest to the center, is shorter than a length in the direction of the central axis from a connection between the bent portion and the inner wall to a tip of the ink inlet flow path member in the open valve state. According to this aspect, when the ink inlet flow path member presses the valve body and the valve body is separated from the valve seal portion in an open valve state, the elastically deformed small piece portion is prevented from impeding the flow of ink and gas between the flow path of the ink inlet flow path member and the inside of the container body, thereby allowing smooth ink replenishment.

[0061] (6) In the above embodiment, the sealing member may be formed so that the length along the outer surface of the elastic portion in a cross section including the central axis and the center side tip of the small piece portion, which is the point closest to the center, is shorter than the length in the direction of the central axis from the connection between the bent portion and the inner wall to the valve seal portion. According to this aspect, when the ink inlet flow path member presses the valve body and the valve body is separated from the valve seal portion in an open valve state, the elastically deformed small piece portion is prevented from impeding the flow of ink and gas between the flow path of the ink inlet flow path member and the inside of the container body, thereby enabling smooth ink replenishment.

[0062] The present disclosure can be realized in various forms, and in addition to the forms described above, the present disclosure can be realized in the form of a manufacturing method for an ink supply container, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100... printer, 110... housing, 160... ink tank housing unit, 162... lid, 164... sealing cap member, 165... sealing cap, 200... ink supply container, 300... container body, 312... external screw, 400... ink outlet forming portion, 410... tubular flow path portion, 411, 412... supply flow path, 420... cylinder portion, 450... fitting portion, 460... ink outlet, 500... outlet valve unit, 510, 510d, 510e... sealing member, 510h... sealing member through hole, 511, 511e... inner peripheral wall, 512, 512e... elastic portion, 513e... gap, 514, 514A, 514B... small piece portion, 516, 516A, 516B, 516C, 516D, 516E, 516F, 516G, 516H ... 16B, 516d...bending portion, 517...valve housing, 517A...retaining portion, 517B...engagement portion, 520...valve body, 524...cylindrical portion, 526...projection portion, 526A...tip portion, 530...spring member, 535...spring valve, 600...cap, 700, 700L, 700S...ink tank, 710...ink inlet flow path member, 711, 712...flow path, 714...partition wall, 721...flow path inside tank, 750...recess, 760...ink storage chamber, Ap...gap, Ba...base, Be...gap, C...center axis, CP...center, Cn...connection portion, D1...tip side direction, D2...rear end side direction, Eg...valve seal portion, Fpe...center side tip, Ho...through hole

Claims

1. An ink supply container that supplies ink to an ink tank of a printer through an ink inlet flow path member that communicates with the ink tank, A container body configured to be capable of containing ink; an ink outlet forming part including a cylindrical part connected to the container body and having an ink outlet, The ink outlet forming portion is a spring valve including a valve body mounted in the cylindrical portion and a spring biasing the valve body toward the ink outlet in the direction of a central axis of the ink outlet, the spring valve being in an open state when the valve body is pressed in a direction opposite to the biasing direction by the ink inlet flow path member inserted into the cylindrical portion and being in a closed state when the ink inlet flow path member is removed from within the cylindrical portion; a seal member that is attached within the cylindrical portion and has a valve seal portion that contacts the valve body in the valve closed state, The seal member has a cylindrical inner circumferential wall centered on the central axis and an elastic portion extending from the inner circumferential wall toward the center, the elastic portion has a slit including the center and extending radially from the center toward the inner circumferential wall, a plurality of small piece portions partitioned by the slits, and a bent portion located between the plurality of small piece portions and the inner circumferential wall, The spring valve is in the open state when the ink inlet flow path member presses the elastic portion to open the slit, and when the ink inlet flow path member presses the valve body.

2. 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, The plurality of small pieces form a through hole at the center position, a tip portion of the valve body is inserted into the through hole when the spring valve is in a closed state, and is spaced apart from the plurality of small pieces; The bent portion of the elastic portion is bent so as to be convex toward the ink outlet side in the direction of the central axis.

3. The ink supply container according to claim 1 , The bent portion has a hardness lower than that of the plurality of small pieces.

4. 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, An ink supply container, wherein the thickness of the thinnest portion of the bent portion in the direction of the central axis is thinner than the thickness of the thinnest portion of the plurality of small piece portions.

5. 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, an ink supply container, wherein the sealing member is formed so that the length along the outer surface of the elastic portion in a cross section including the central axis and the central tip, which is the point of the small piece portion closest to the center, is shorter than the length in the direction of the central axis from the connection between the bent portion and the inner wall to the tip of the ink inlet flow path member in the open valve state.

6. 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, An ink supply container, wherein the sealing member is formed so that the length along the outer surface of the elastic portion in a cross section including the central axis and the central tip of the small piece portion, which is the point closest to the center, is shorter than the length in the direction of the central axis from the connection between the bent portion and the inner wall to the valve seal portion.

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