Ink cartridge and printer

Abstract

To enable easy handling of a sealing part for closing an opening portion into which an ink introduction part of a printer is inserted in an ink cartridge.SOLUTION: There is provided an aspect as an ink cartridge to be mounted to a printer including an ink introduction part. The ink cartridge includes: a containing part configured to contain an ink; a bottom wall being one of wall surfaces forming the ink cartridge and forming an opening portion through which the ink introduction part is inserted; a sealing part formed as a part of the bottom wall and having a shape which closes the opening portion; a separation part provided at the boundary between the sealing part and the bottom wall and configured to make the sealing part removable from the bottom wall; and an ink supply part configured to supply the ink contained in the containing part to the printer when the ink introduction part is inserted through the opening portion exposed by removing the sealing part from the bottom wall with the separation part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ink cartridge and a printing device equipped with the ink cartridge. [Background technology]

[0002] In ink cartridges that contain ink for printers, a configuration has been proposed in which a film is welded to a liquid supply port in order to prevent liquid leakage or evaporation during transportation or storage before use of the cartridge, as shown in Patent Document 1 below. On the other hand, the liquid supply port of the cartridge needs to be open when the cartridge is mounted in a device such as a printer that uses the liquid supplied from the cartridge. For this reason, when a film is welded to the liquid supply port to form a sealing portion, it has been required to peel off this film before mounting the cartridge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-148023 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the configuration of sealing the liquid supply port with a film has the problem that the film is a separate member from the cartridge and requires a process such as welding for sealing. Also, before mounting the cartridge, it is sometimes required to reliably peel off the film from the liquid supply port so that no part of the film remains after peeling. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0006] One embodiment of the present disclosure is an ink cartridge to be mounted on a printer having an ink introduction section. The ink cartridge includes a storage section for storing ink, a bottom wall that is one of the walls forming the ink cartridge and forms an opening through which the ink introduction section is inserted, a sealing section formed as part of the bottom wall and having a shape that closes the opening, a separation section that is provided at the boundary between the sealing section and the bottom wall and enables the sealing section to be removed from the bottom wall, and an ink supply section that enables the ink stored in the storage section to be supplied to the printer when the ink introduction section is inserted into the opening exposed by removing the sealing section from the bottom wall at the separation section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge taken along a YZ plane passing through the center in the X direction and seen from the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged cross-sectional shape of a liquid supply portion and a sealing portion of the ink cartridge. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a liquid supply portion and a sealing portion of the ink cartridge. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory diagram showing the periphery of a liquid supply unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the bottom wall main body of the ink cartridge from the inside. [Figure 7A] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the rear surface shape of the sealing portion by enlarging a portion VII in FIG. 6. [Figure 7B] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the back surface shape of the sealing portion by enlarging a portion VII of FIG. 6. [Figure 7C] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the back surface shape of the sealing portion by enlarging a portion VII of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing system. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10]View of the cartridge mounting section from the +Z side. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a process of mounting a cartridge to a cartridge mounting portion. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion in a state where the cartridge has been completely inserted. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion in a mounting completed state. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an ink cartridge whose sealing portion is not separated is installed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: (A1) External configuration of ink cartridge: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one of the ink cartridges (hereinafter, also simply referred to as cartridges) 4 used by being attached to a printing machine described later. A printing machine in which the ink cartridge 4 is attached and ready for printing is hereinafter referred to as a "printing device." In FIG. 1, three spatial axes, XYZ axes, which are mutually orthogonal, are depicted. The directions in which the arrows of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis point indicate the positive directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, respectively. The positive directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are respectively referred to as the +X direction, +Y direction, and +Z direction. The directions opposite to the directions in which the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis point are respectively referred to as the negative directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The negative directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are respectively referred to as the -X direction, -Y direction, and -Z direction. The directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, are referred to as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively.

[0009] The cartridge 4 is mounted on a printing machine, which will be described later. When the printing machine is in use, the X-axis and Y-axis are axes along a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis is a vertical axis perpendicular to this horizontal plane. The configurations of the printing machine and the printing device will be described later in detail as a printing machine 10 and a printing device 90, using the figures from FIG. 8 onwards. The vertical downward direction in which the ink in the cartridge 4 flows out when the cartridge 4 is mounted on the printing machine coincides with the -Z direction. FIG. 1 illustrates the cartridge 4 in the mounted state upside down. Note that the X-direction is the direction in which the cartridges 4 are arranged when multiple cartridges 4 are mounted on the printing machine in this embodiment, and the Y-direction is the direction in which the cartridge 4 moves forward and backward when the cartridge 4 is mounted on and removed from the printing machine. The X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis indicating these directions are also appropriately described in FIG. 2 and subsequent figures.

[0010] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the YZ plane at the center in the X direction and viewed from the direction of the arrow II. Below, an overview of the structure of the cartridge 4 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The cartridge 4 contains ink for printing inside, and has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with the Y direction as its longitudinal direction. The cartridge 4 is broadly composed of a liquid container 401, which is the portion that contains the ink, and an adapter 402 that has the function of exchanging ink and information between the printer.

[0011] The liquid container 401 has a generally rectangular shape and has six wall surfaces as its outer shell: a main body front wall 42 provided on the -Y direction side, a main body rear wall 47 on the opposite side, a first main body side wall 45 and a second main body side wall 46 connecting the main body front wall 42 and the main body rear wall 47 on both sides in the X direction, a main body top wall 43 provided on the Z direction side in the figure, and a main body bottom wall 44 to which an adapter 402 is attached. The second main body side wall 46 is shown in Fig. 2 as being inside the liquid container 401. A liquid container section 450 that contains ink is formed by being surrounded by these wall surfaces 42 to 47.

[0012] The adapter 402 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is surrounded by approximately six walls, similar to the liquid container 401. The walls 42a to 47a correspond to the walls 42 to 47 of 401. The two walls in the Y direction are the adapter front wall 42a and the adapter rear wall 47a, the two walls in the X direction are the first side wall 45a and the second side wall 46a, and the two walls in the Z direction are the adapter bottom wall 44a and the adapter top wall. The adapter 402 is joined to a bottom wall main body 440, which is a bottom wall that forms an opening through which an ink introduction part of a printer described later is inserted. For this reason, the reference numeral of the adapter top wall is not shown. The bottom wall main body 440 is formed with a liquid supply part 442, and a sealing part 100 is provided at a position that covers the liquid supply part 442. The adapter 402 is also provided with electrodes for communicating with the printer, but the description thereof will be omitted.

[0013] (A2) Configuration of liquid supply unit and sealing unit: The configurations of the liquid supply unit 442 and the sealing unit 100 provided on the bottom wall main body 440 of the adaptor 402 are shown enlarged in Fig. 3. Also, a perspective view of the state in which the sealing unit 100 is attached to the upper part of the liquid supply unit 442 is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in both figures, the liquid supply unit 442 is provided with a valve 300 that closes a bottom wall opening 446 provided on the bottom wall main body 440 of the adaptor 402. The valve 300 is biased in the -Z direction by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown), and is kept in a closed state by the cartridge 4 alone. The sealing unit 100 is provided at a position on the bottom wall main body 440 that covers the liquid supply unit 442.

[0014] The sealing part 100 includes a sealing main body 110, a connecting part 101 which is a protrusion formed from the sealing main body 110 in the -Z direction and is formed from a peripheral position of the sealing main body 110 toward the outside, and a ring-shaped grip part 102 which is a second forming part formed in a direction intersecting the connecting part 101. An ink holding part 120 is provided on the back surface of the sealing main body 110, that is, on the liquid supply part 442 side. The inner diameter of the ring-shaped grip part 102 of the sealing part 100 has a dimension that allows a user's normal finger to be held. Although the sealing main body 110 is formed of resin integrally with the bottom wall main body 440, the sealing main body 110 has one end on the connecting part 101 side connected to the bottom wall main body 440 by the thin part 105, the outer periphery of the sealing main body 110 is separated from the bottom wall main body 440 except for the thin part 105. In FIG. 4, for ease of viewing, the bottom wall body 440 surrounding the seal body portion 110 is omitted.

[0015] The ink retaining portion 120 is a member that retains liquid when ink, which is the liquid contained in the liquid storage portion 450, leaks from the outflow opening 432 of the liquid supply portion 442. In this embodiment, the ink retaining portion 120 is integrally formed on the rear surface of the sealing main body portion 110. Furthermore, a capillary flow path member 130 that guides ink from this ink retaining portion 120 to the ink adsorbent 140 provided in the adapter 402 is also provided. The shape and function of the ink retaining portion 120 will be explained later.

[0016] In the cartridge 4 of this embodiment, when the handle portion 102 of the sealing portion 100 is pinched with fingers and pulled in a direction away from the cartridge 4, the force is transmitted to the thin portion 105 via the connection portion 101, causing the thin portion 105 to break and the entire sealing portion 100 to separate from the bottom wall main body 440. In other words, the sealing portion 100 separates when a user who is about to use the cartridge 4 intentionally tries to separate it, and once separated, it does not remain in its original position. When the sealing portion 100 separates from the bottom wall main body 440, the sealing main body portion 110 also separates together, so that the liquid supply portion 442 provided on the bottom wall main body 440 of the adapter 402 becomes visible from the outside.

[0017] FIG. 5 shows the shape of the liquid supply part 442 and its surroundings that are exposed by separating the sealing part 100. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of the liquid supply part 442 as viewed from the adapter first side wall 45a side. As already described, the adapter 402 has a substantially rectangular shape and includes an outer shell including an adapter rear wall 47a, a first side wall 45a, a second side wall 46a, and an adapter bottom wall 44a. Note that the adapter front wall is not shown in FIG. 5. The adapter bottom wall 44a has a bottom wall main body 440 that forms the bottom wall of the entire cartridge 4, and a bottom wall opening 446. The bottom wall main body 440 is provided with a cartridge side supply part positioning part 448 that positions the cartridge 4 relative to the cartridge mounting part 6. The function of the cartridge side supply part positioning part 448 will be described later.

[0018] The liquid supply unit 442 provided in the space surrounded by these outer shells causes the liquid contained therein to flow out to the outside when the cartridge 4 is attached to the printing machine. Specifically, the liquid supply unit 442 is a member for supplying the liquid (here, ink) contained in the liquid storage unit 450 to the outside. The liquid supply unit 442 has an outflow opening 432 for causing the liquid to flow out to the bottom wall opening 446. The liquid supply unit 442 communicates with the liquid storage unit 450 via the outflow opening 432. The liquid supply unit 442 has a supply unit side central axis CA2. The liquid supply unit 442 is a cylindrical member that protrudes from the main body bottom wall 44 to the adapter 402 side and extends along the supply unit side central axis CA2. In this embodiment, the supply unit side central axis CA2 is an axis along the Z axis. That is, in this embodiment, the Z direction is a direction along the liquid supply unit 442.

[0019] 5, the bottom wall opening 446 exposes the outflow opening 432. The bottom wall opening 446 is a hole formed to penetrate the inner and outer surfaces of the adapter bottom wall 44a. The liquid supply part 442 is disposed such that the supply part side central axis CA2 passes through the bottom wall opening 446.

[0020] In the cartridge 4 of this embodiment, the liquid supply part 442 is covered by the sealing part 100, and the bottom wall opening 446 in which the liquid supply part 442 is accommodated is exposed by intentionally separating the sealing part 100. The cartridge 4 is mounted on the printing machine with the sealing part 100 separated, but the cartridge 4 may be removed from the printing machine with ink remaining in the liquid storage part 450. For this reason, the cartridge 4 can be returned to a state in which the bottom wall opening 446 is not exposed to the outside by fitting a cap (not shown) to the bottom wall main body 440. For this reason, the adapter 402 includes a cartridge side arrangement determining part 57, a pair of guide ribs 48, 49, a pair of recessed parts 58, 59, a pair of square hole parts 55, 56, and a pair of cartridge side regulating parts 52, 53 as a positioning member and an attachment member of the cap with respect to the cartridge 4. Description of these members will be omitted.

[0021] (A3) Structure and function of the ink retaining section: As shown in FIG. 3, the ink retaining portion 120 is provided on the back surface of the sealing body 110 of the sealing portion 100. An example of the ink retaining portion 120 is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the adapter 402 as seen from inside. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion VII in FIG. 6. In this example, the ink retaining portion 120 has an outer shape similar to that of the sealing body 110, and on its surface, a plurality of fine protrusions 122 extending in the X direction are arranged in the Y direction at small intervals. Since the protrusions 122 are independent of each other, fine grooves 125 connected to each other are formed between the protrusions 122. The width of the grooves 125 is large (narrow) enough to exert a significant capillary force on the ink contained in the liquid storage portion 450.

[0022] A capillary flow path member 130 is provided at one end of the groove 125. The capillary flow path member 130 includes a capillary flow path 131 that guides the ink held in the ink holding portion 120 to the outside, and a capillary adsorption portion 133 that adsorbs the guided ink to the ink adsorbent 140. The ink adsorbent 140 is made of a continuous porous material (product name: Bel-Eta) using a PVA sponge. The ink adsorbent 140 used in this embodiment has an average pore size of about 130 μm and an air gap rate of about 90%. In contrast, the width of the groove 125 of the ink holding portion 120 is larger than 130 μm. As an example, it is 200 μm. Therefore, if the valve 300 of the liquid supply unit 442 opens for some reason and ink leaks from the liquid supply unit 442 and reaches the sealing unit 100 side, the leaked ink is first held in the ink holding unit 120, specifically in the groove 125, and spreads throughout the ink holding unit 120 by the capillary force of the groove 125. Therefore, regardless of how the ink leaks from the liquid supply unit 442, the ink can be held up to the entire amount held in the ink holding unit 120. Furthermore, the ink is sucked into the capillary flow path 131 and the capillary adsorption unit 133 side, which are narrower than the groove 125, and is finally adsorbed by the ink adsorbent 140. As described above, the ink adsorbent 140 used in this embodiment has a gas-flow rate of 90%, so it can adsorb a large amount of ink. In addition, since the flow path narrows in the order of groove portion 125, capillary flow path 131 and capillary adsorption portion 133, and ink adsorbent 140, stronger capillary forces are generated in this order. Therefore, ink leaking from liquid supply portion 442 is eventually sucked into the ink adsorbent 140 and adsorbed by the ink adsorbent 140.

[0023] 7B and 7C show another example of the configuration of the ink retaining portion 120. In the ink retaining portion 120B shown in FIG. 7B, a number of protrusions 122B are provided instead of the ridges 122. These protrusions 122B are independent of each other and are arranged at equal intervals in the X and Y directions. Therefore, grooves 125B of equal width are formed between the protrusions 122B. The grooves 125B are connected to the capillary flow path member 130, similar to the ink retaining portion 120 shown in FIG. 7A. By configuring the ink retaining portion 120B in this way and setting the width of the grooves 125B to be small enough to retain ink by capillary force and larger than the average pore size of the ink adsorbent 140, similar to the ink retaining portion 120, the ink leaked from the liquid supply portion 442 can be retained and ultimately absorbed by the ink adsorbent 140.

[0024] The surface structure of the ink retaining portion is not necessarily limited to a groove structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 7C, a structure in which fibrous members 122C having a predetermined hardness are alternately crossed vertically and horizontally may be used. When the members 122C are combined vertically and horizontally, these members 122C form a fine uneven structure on the surface of the ink retaining portion 120C. Therefore, this uneven structure exerts a capillary force on the ink attached to the surface, retaining the ink and spreading it over the surface of the ink retaining portion 120C. In addition, if the relationship between the width of the capillary flow path member 130 and the average pore diameter of the ink adsorbent 140 is made similar to that of the other ink retaining portions 120 and 120B, the ink on the surface of the ink retaining portion 120C can be adsorbed by the ink adsorbent 140.

[0025] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ink retaining portions 120, 120B, and 120C are all structures that retain liquid by capillary force, but they may be formed of a material that has the property of absorbing liquid, such as a porous body formed of a synthetic resin such as polyvinyl alcohol. Also, a configuration may be adopted that does not include the capillary flow path member 130 or the ink adsorbent 140. Furthermore, a structure that does not include the ink retaining portion 120, etc. in the sealing portion 100 may be adopted.

[0026] The structure of the cartridge 4 and the structure of the sealing portion 100 provided in the cartridge 4, as well as the structures and functions of the ink retaining portions 120, 120B, 120C have been described above. Such a cartridge 4 may be transported alone after storing ink in the liquid storage portion 450, and the functional effect of the sealing portion 100 can also be obtained in the cartridge 4, but ultimately, such a cartridge 4 is used by being attached to a printing machine. Therefore, hereinafter, a description will be given of the printing machine to which the cartridge 4 is attached and the mounting relationship between the cartridge 4 and the printing machine.

[0027] (A4) Overall configuration of the printing machine: An example of the configuration of a printing device 90 consisting of the above-mentioned cartridge 4 and a printing machine 10 on which the cartridge 4 is mounted is shown in Fig. 8. In this embodiment, the printing device 90 is an inkjet printer that ejects ink as a liquid from an ejection head 22. The printing machine 10 includes a cartridge mounting unit 6, a control unit 31, a carriage 20, an ejection head 22, and a drive mechanism 30. The printing machine 10 also includes an operation button 15 that allows the user to operate the operation of the printing machine 10.

[0028] The cartridge mounting portion 6 has a first device wall 67 located on the +Y direction side. The first device wall 67 has an insertion / removal opening 674 which is an entrance to the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. The cartridge 4 is stored in and removed from the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 through the insertion / removal opening 674. In this embodiment, an insertion direction D1 in which the cartridge 4 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6 for mounting is the -Y direction. Also, a removal direction D4 in which the cartridge 4 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 6 is the +Y direction. Therefore, the -Y direction side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is also referred to as the back side, and the +Y direction side is also referred to as the front side.

[0029] One or more cartridges 4 are detachably mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6. In this embodiment, four types of cartridges 4 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6, one for each of the four colors of ink, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, i.e., a total of four cartridges 4. The cartridge 4 containing black ink is also called the first cartridge 4K, and the cartridge 4 containing cyan ink is also called the second cartridge 4C. The cartridge 4 containing magenta ink is also called the third cartridge 4M, and the cartridge 4 containing yellow ink is also called the fourth cartridge 4Y. In this embodiment, the arrangement direction of the multiple cartridges 4K, 4C, 4M, and 4Y is the X direction. Note that the type and number of cartridges 4 that can be accommodated in the accommodation chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are not limited to this.

[0030] The printer 10 has a replacement cover 13 on the front surface on the +Y direction side. The replacement cover 13 is configured to be openable and closable. By opening the replacement cover 13, an opening of the cartridge mounting section 6 appears, and the cartridge 4 can be attached and detached. When the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting section 6, ink is supplied to the ejection head 22 provided on the carriage 20 through a tube 24 serving as a liquid circulation pipe for circulating the ink. Specifically, the ink is supplied to the ejection head 22 by the head difference between the ink liquid level in the cartridge mounting section 6 and the ejection head 22. Note that in another embodiment, the ink may be supplied to the ejection head 22 by sucking the ink in the cartridge 4 with a pump mechanism (not shown) of the printer 10.

[0031] The ejection head 22 is provided with nozzles 220 for each type of ink. The ejection head 22 ejects ink from the nozzles 220 toward the printing paper 2 to print data such as characters and images. In this embodiment, the printing machine 10 is a printer called an "off-carriage type" in which the cartridge mounting unit 6 does not move in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 20. In contrast, the technology disclosed herein can also be applied to printers called an "on-carriage type" in which the cartridge mounting unit 6 is provided on the carriage 20 and moves together with the carriage 20.

[0032] The control unit 31 controls each part of the printing machine 10 and sends and receives signals to and from the cartridge 4. The carriage 20 moves the ejection head 22 relative to the printing paper 2.

[0033] The drive mechanism 30 reciprocates the carriage 20 based on a control signal from the control unit 31. The drive mechanism 30 includes a timing belt 32 and a drive motor 34. The power of the drive motor 34 is transmitted to the carriage 20 via the timing belt 32, causing the carriage 20 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction, which is a direction along the X direction. The printing press 10 also includes a transport mechanism for moving the print paper 2 in the sub-scanning direction. When printing is performed, the transport mechanism moves the print paper 2 in the sub-scanning direction, which is the +Y direction, and the print paper 2 after printing is completed is output onto the front cover 11.

[0034] (A5) Detailed configuration of the cartridge mounting section: FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. 10 is a view of the cartridge mounting portion 6 as viewed from the +Z direction side. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, for ease of understanding, some components of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are omitted. With respect to the cartridge mounting portion 6, the X direction is also called the width direction, the Y direction is also called the depth direction, and the Z direction is also called the height direction. In the following, unless otherwise specified, each component will be described assuming that the cartridge mounting portion 6 is in an initial arrangement state in which the cartridge 4 is not mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6.

[0035] 9, the cartridge mounting portion 6 has a storage chamber 61 in which the cartridge 4 is stored. In this embodiment, the storage chamber 61 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The shapes of the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y, which are portions of the storage chamber 61 that store the cartridges 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C, generally correspond to the external shapes of the cartridges 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C shown in FIG.

[0036] The cartridge mounting section 6 has six device walls 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67 that form the storage chamber 61. In this disclosure, the term "wall" is a concept that includes not only a single wall, but also a wall formed by multiple walls. The first device wall 67 forms an insertion / removal opening 674 through which the cartridge 4 passes when it is inserted into or removed from the storage chamber 61. The second device wall 62 faces the first device wall 67 in the Y direction and forms a wall on the -Y direction side of the storage chamber 61. The second device wall 62 is a wall that is approximately perpendicular to a horizontal plane along the Z direction when the printing machine 10 is in use.

[0037] The upper wall 63 forms a wall on the +Z direction side of the storage chamber 61. The bottom wall 64 faces the upper wall 63 in the Z direction and forms a wall on the -Z direction side of the storage chamber 61. The bottom wall 64 is formed by a support member 610. The bottom wall 64 has an opening 614 formed for each of the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y. In this embodiment, four openings 614 are formed according to the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y. The upper wall 63 and the bottom wall 64 intersect with the second wall 62 and the first wall 67. In this disclosure, "intersect" or "intersect" means any of the following states (i) to (iii). (i) The state in which two components intersect and actually intersect with each other; (ii) A state in which one component intersects with another component when extended; (iii) A state in which the components of each other intersect when each is extended.

[0038] The first device side wall 65 forms a wall on the +X direction side of the storage chamber 61. The second device side wall 66 faces the first device side wall 65 in the X direction and forms a wall on the -X direction side of the storage chamber 61. The first device side wall 65 and the second device side wall 66 intersect with the second device wall 62, the first device wall 67, the device top wall 63, and the device bottom wall 64, respectively.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cartridge mounting section 6 further has a support member 610, a liquid storage section 699, a liquid introduction section 642, an apparatus-side supply section positioning section 644, an apparatus-side terminal section 670, and an engagement formation body 677.

[0040] A plurality of support members 610 are provided according to the number of cartridges 4 to be mounted. In this embodiment, the support members 610 support the cartridges 4 from the -Z direction side, which is the gravity direction side. The support members 610 are concave-shaped members extending along the Y direction.

[0041] The support member 610 has a main wall 613 forming the device bottom wall 64, a first support side wall 611, and a second support side wall 612. The main wall 613 forms a concave bottom located on the gravity direction side. An apparatus opening 614 is formed at the end of the main wall 613 on the first device wall 67 side located on the +Y direction side. The apparatus opening 614 penetrates the main wall 613 in the thickness direction of the main wall 613, which is the direction along the Z direction. The first support side wall 611 rises from the +X direction side of the main wall 613 in the +Z direction, which is the opposite direction to the gravity direction. The second support side wall 612 rises from the -X direction side of the main wall 613 in the +Z direction, which is the opposite direction to the gravity direction. The first support side wall 611 and the second support side wall 612 face each other in the X direction.

[0042] The liquid storage portion 699 receives the liquid in the cartridge 4. The liquid introduction portion 642 has an introduction portion side central axis CA1.

[0043] 9, the apparatus-side supply section positioning section 644 is received in a cartridge-side supply section positioning section 448 of the cartridge 4, which is shown in Fig. 12 and described below, thereby restricting movement of the liquid supply section 442 of the cartridge 4 relative to the liquid introducing section 642. The apparatus-side supply section positioning section 644 is a protrusion having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0044] The device-side terminal portion 670 is a mechanism provided for electrically connecting the cartridge 4 and the printing machine 10 when the cartridge 4 is attached to the cartridge mounting portion 6. The device-side terminal portion 670 has a device-side terminal 671 that comes into contact with the cartridge-side terminal 89 of the cartridge 4.

[0045] The engagement formation body 677 is formed on the first device wall 67 side located on the +Y direction side of the support member 610. The engagement formation body 677 is also located on the -Z direction side of the insertion / removal opening 674. The engagement formation body 677 is provided with four elastic mounting engagement portions (not shown) that correspond to the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y.

[0046] (A6) Cartridge installation process: FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the process of mounting the cartridge 4 to the cartridge mounting portion 6. In FIG. 11, among the four types of cartridges 4K, 4C, 4M, and 4Y, the first cartridge 4K, the third cartridge 4M, and the fourth cartridge 4Y are shown in an "mounting completed state" in which mounting to the cartridge mounting portion 6 is completed. The mounting completed state is a state in which the cartridge 4 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 6 and ink as liquid can be supplied to the printing machine 10. Before the cartridge 4 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 6, as described above, the user pinches the handle portion 102 of the sealing portion 100 and pulls it in a direction away from the cartridge 4, thereby breaking the sealing portion 100 at the thin portion 105 and removing the sealing portion 100 from the cartridge 4. As a result, the sealing main body portion 110 is also removed, and the bottom wall opening 446 of the liquid supply portion 442 provided in the bottom wall main body 440 of the cartridge 4 is exposed to the outside, and then the cartridge 4 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 6. 11, the second cartridge 4C is shown in an "insertion complete state" in which insertion into the cartridge mounting portion 6 is complete. The insertion complete state refers to a state in which the cartridge 4 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6, but the liquid supply portion 442 of the cartridge 4 and the liquid introduction portion 642 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are not connected.

[0047] Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge 4 and the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the insertion completed state. Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge 4 and the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the mounting completed state. Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 each show a schematic cross section taken along the YZ plane passing through the central axis CA1 of the introduction portion.

[0048] 11 and 12, the cartridge 4 is inserted to a predetermined position in the cartridge mounting portion 6 by moving in an insertion direction D1 along the horizontal direction. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, the cartridge 4 is rotated in a rotational mounting direction D2 having a -Z direction component around a rotation fulcrum 698 at the rear side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the insertion direction D1, thereby completing the mounting to the cartridge mounting portion 6. Specifically, when the cartridge 4 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 6, a mounting process is performed. The mounting process includes a terminal connecting process and a supply unit connecting process that is performed following the terminal connecting process.

[0049] 12, the terminal connection process is a process of inserting the cartridge 4 to a predetermined position by moving the cartridge 4 in the -Y direction, which is the insertion direction D1, through the insertion / removal opening 674 of the first device wall 67 and inserting it into the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. The predetermined position is a position where contact between the cartridge side terminals 89 of the cartridge 4 and the device side terminals 671 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is completed.

[0050] As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the supply unit connecting process is a process of connecting the liquid introduction unit 642 of the cartridge mounting unit 6 and the liquid supply unit 442 of the cartridge 4 while maintaining contact between the device-side terminal 671 and the cartridge-side terminal 89. A detailed configuration of the cartridge 4, such as the liquid supply unit 442, will be described later. In the supply unit connecting process, the liquid introduction unit 642 and the liquid supply unit 442 are connected by rotating the main body rear wall 47 side of the cartridge 4 in the rotation mounting direction D2 indicated by the arrow around the rotation fulcrum 698 of the cartridge mounting unit 6. Note that the cartridge 4 is held in the mounting completion state by being engaged with an engagement formation body 677 provided on the first device wall 67 side of the cartridge mounting unit 6 as shown in Fig. 11.

[0051] 12 and 13, when removing the cartridge 4 from the cartridge mounting portion 6, the user lifts the main body rear wall 47 side of the cartridge 4. As a result, the user rotates the main body front wall 42 side located on the opposite side to the main body rear wall 47 side in the Y direction in the connection release direction D3, which is the opposite direction to the rotation mounting direction D2, starting from the rotation fulcrum 698. During this rotational movement, the engagement by the engagement formation body 677 shown in FIG. 11 is released. After the cartridge 4 is rotated in the connection release direction D3 and reaches the insertion completion state shown in FIG. 12, the cartridge 4 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 6 by moving the cartridge 4 in the +Y direction, which is the removal direction D4.

[0052] In the above description, the sealing portion 100 is removed by the user before the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. 14 illustrates a case where the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6 without removing the sealing portion 100. In this case, the handle portion 102 of the sealing portion 100 protrudes from the bottom wall main body 440, which is the outer surface in the -Z direction of the adapter 402 of the cartridge 4, by the height of the connection portion 101. Therefore, when the cartridge 4 is moved in the direction of the arrow IS to be inserted into any one of the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y of the cartridge mounting portion 6, the sealing portion 100 hits a part of the engagement formation body 677. Therefore, the cartridge 4 cannot be inserted any further. In other words, unless the sealing portion 100 is removed in advance by the user, the cartridge 4 cannot be in a fully inserted state, and of course cannot be in a fully mounted state either. Therefore, there is no risk of forgetting to remove the film for sealing the liquid supply portion 442 before inserting the cartridge 4, or forcibly attaching the cartridge 4 with the film still attached to the liquid supply portion 442 of the cartridge 4.

[0053] In the state shown in FIG. 14, if the cartridge 4 is forcibly pushed in the direction of the arrow IS, if the sealing part 100 has sufficient strength, the insertion of the cartridge 4 will be prevented. On the other hand, if the mounting strength of the sealing part 100 to the adapter 402 is low, the force of pushing the cartridge 4 may cause the sealing body part 110 to break from the thin part 105. This type of mounting is not recommended, but in this case, since the thin part 105 and the connection part 101 are located at the rear end side as viewed from the insertion direction IS of the cartridge 4, the broken sealing part 100 falls out to the outside of the cartridge mounting part 6 of the printing machine 10, and it is unlikely that it will remain inside the printing machine 10. Therefore, even if such a situation occurs, a malfunction due to the broken sealing part 100 is unlikely to occur.

[0054] (A7) Effects obtained from the embodiment: The cartridge 4 having the sealing part 100 described above and the printing device 90 in which the cartridge 4 is mounted and used for printing can prevent ink evaporation and ink leakage from the liquid supply part 442 when the cartridge 4 is transported within a factory before use or when it is delivered in a logistics process. Moreover, the sealing part 100 used for this purpose can be formed in one operation when the outer shell of the cartridge 4 is resin molded, so the number of parts required can be reduced. Moreover, there is no need to attach a film to prevent ink leakage, etc., so the number of steps in manufacturing the cartridge 4 is not unnecessarily increased. Moreover, separating the sealing part 100 is easier than peeling off a film, so the liquid supply part 442 of the cartridge 4 can be easily made available for use.

[0055] Furthermore, since the cartridge 4 of the above embodiment does not use a film, it is easy to configure it so that the cartridge 4 cannot be mounted on the printer 10 without forgetting to separate the sealing portion 100. Therefore, in this printing device 90, the risks that arise from mounting the cartridge 4 on the cartridge mounting portion 6 of the printer 10 without separating the sealing portion 100 can be avoided or reduced. Such risks may include ink leakage due to mounting an abnormal cartridge 4, poor connection of the liquid supply portion 442, and contamination of the ink with unwanted matter such as film fragments. The benefit of being able to reduce or avoid these risks is great.

[0056] Furthermore, since the sealing part 100 is easy to remove, the risk of ink scattering during removal can be suppressed. Also, by providing the ink retaining part 120 on the back side of the sealing main body part 110 of the sealing part 100, that is, inside the adapter 402, the ink adhering to the ink retaining part 120 can be moved to the ink adsorbent 140 prepared in the cartridge 4 by utilizing the difference in capillary force, further reducing the risk of ink scattering when the sealing part 100 is separated and removed.

[0057] For these reasons, the film does not become clogged inside the printing device 90, making it easy to prevent breakdowns and achieve a maintenance-free printing device 90. For users of the printing device 90, there is no need to peel off the film when mounting the cartridge 4 in the printing machine 10, and the liquid supply section 442 of the cartridge 4 can be easily exposed, simplifying the mounting operation of the cartridge 4.

[0058] B. Other embodiments: (1) The present disclosure can also be implemented in the following forms. One of the other embodiments is an ink cartridge mounted on a printer having an ink introduction section. The ink cartridge includes a storage section for storing ink, a bottom wall that is one of the walls forming the ink cartridge and forms an opening through which the ink introduction section is inserted, a sealing section formed as a part of the bottom wall and having a shape that closes the opening, a separation section that is provided at the boundary between the sealing section and the bottom wall and allows the sealing section to be removed from the bottom wall, and an ink supply section that allows the ink stored in the storage section to be supplied to the printer when the ink introduction section is inserted into the opening exposed by removing the sealing section from the bottom wall at the separation section. In this way, the sealing section can be formed integrally, so that the manufacturing process of the cartridge can be simplified. Moreover, since the sealing section can be separated by the separation section, it is easy to expose the opening through which the ink introduction section is inserted, and once the sealing section is separated, the sealing section does not return to a state in which it seals the opening. The ink contained in the ink cartridge can be of any type or volume, including water-based, oil-based, dye-based, pigment-based, and colored.

[0059] (2) In the above configuration, the separation portion may be formed such that the strength of a portion of the bottom wall is lower than that of the remaining portion of the separation portion. In this way, the sealing portion can be easily separated by the separation portion. The strength of the portion of the bottom wall can be easily made lower than that of the remaining portion of the separation portion by, for example, making the portion of the separation portion thinner, using a material with lower strength, or providing a so-called perforation in advance. It is sufficient to lower the strength in the direction in which the separation portion is separated, and it is not necessary for the strength to be low in directions other than the separation direction.

[0060] (3) In the above configurations (1) and (2), the sealing portion may have a protrusion formed toward the outside of the bottom wall, and the protrusion may function as a handle for removing the sealing portion from the bottom wall in the separation portion by moving the protrusion toward the outside of the bottom wall. In this way, separation of the sealing portion becomes easier. The handle may have a shape that is easy for a user to grasp, and when separation is performed using a jig, the handle may have a shape that is easy to hold with the jig.

[0061] (4) In the above configuration, the protrusion may include a first forming portion formed from a position closer to the periphery of the sealing portion toward the outside of the bottom wall, and a second forming portion formed in a direction intersecting the first forming portion. This makes it easier to grasp the protrusion and to separate the sealing portion.

[0062] (5) In the above configurations (1) to (4), an ink retaining portion may be provided on the opening side of the sealing portion. In this way, even if ink leaks from the ink supply portion when the ink cartridge is in a stand-alone state, the leaked ink is retained in the ink retaining portion and does not adhere to unintended locations. In addition, the possibility of ink leaking and causing an unexpected incident when the sealing portion is separated can be reduced. The ink retaining portion may simply retain ink when it adheres, and may be structured so that the ink can be wiped off later, or may be structured so that the ink is absorbed as it is, chemically solidified, or decomposed.

[0063] (6) In the above configuration, the ink retaining portion may be at least a part of the inner surface of the sealing portion on the opening side, and may be a portion formed with an ink retaining shape that generates a capillary force of a predetermined magnitude or more for the ink. In this way, ink that comes into contact with the ink retaining portion is retained in the ink retaining portion by capillary force. Capillary force is a force that acts on ink through narrow grooves or holes due to the surface tension of the ink. In this case, since the ink is merely retained, it can be transferred to another member or wiped off.

[0064] (7) In the above configuration, the ink holding shape may be one of a shape having multiple grooves formed in one direction, a shape combining multiple grooves formed in different directions, and a shape having a surface shape with repeated protrusions and subsidence in a mesh-like configuration. In this way, an ink holding portion that generates a desired capillary force can be easily realized. The ink holding shape is not limited to such a groove or mesh-like configuration, and can be realized, for example, by a porous body having openings on the surface. In this case, the capillary force depends on the average pore size of the porous body.

[0065] (8) The above configurations (1) to (7) may further include an ink absorbing member that absorbs the ink, and at least a portion of the portion where the ink retaining shape is provided may be in contact with the ink absorbing member, and at least a portion of the contacting portion may have a capillary force on the surface of the ink absorbing member that is greater than the capillary force on the ink caused by the ink retaining shape. In this way, at least a portion of the ink retained in the ink retaining portion of the sealing portion moves from the portion in contact with the ink absorbing member to the ink absorbing member and is absorbed or adsorbed by the ink absorbing member. Note that the portion where the ink retaining shape is provided does not need to be in direct contact with the ink absorbing member, and may be in contact with the ink absorbing member via, for example, a capillary flow path member that exerts a similar level of capillary force.

[0066] (9) In the configurations (1) to (8) above, the width of the groove of the ink holding shape may be greater than the width of the groove of the structure on the surface of the ink absorbing member at least in part of the contact area. This allows the difference in capillary force related to the movement of ink to be managed as the width of the groove or the width of the groove, making design and maintenance easier.

[0067] (10) Other embodiments of the present disclosure may include a printing device and a printing system. These include an ink cartridge according to any one of (1) to (9) above, an installation section in which the ink cartridge is installed with the sealing section removed, an ink introduction section that is inserted into the opening of the ink cartridge installed in the installation section, and a printing section that performs printing using ink supplied from the ink cartridge through the ink introduction section. In this way, the sealing section of the ink cartridge can be easily separated, and installation in a printing machine is simplified, making it easier to use the printing device. Moreover, there is no need to take the trouble of peeling off a film to enable the ink supply section to be used, and a film that is forgotten to be peeled off or left behind does not get into the printing machine, making handling and maintenance easier. In addition, if a part of the separation section includes a shape that protrudes outward from the bottom wall of the ink cartridge, it is easy to use the shape to prevent an ink cartridge whose sealing section is not separated from being installed in a printing machine.

[0068] (11) In each of the above embodiments, a part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced by software. At least a part of the configuration realized by software may be realized by a discrete circuit configuration. In addition, when a part or all of the functions of the present disclosure are realized by software, the software (computer program) may be provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium. The term "computer-readable recording medium" is not limited to portable recording media such as flexible disks and CD-ROMs, but also includes internal storage devices in a computer such as various RAMs and ROMs, and external storage devices fixed to a computer such as a hard disk. In other words, the term "computer-readable recording medium" has a broad meaning including any recording medium to which a data packet can be fixed, not temporarily.

[0069] 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 in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention column 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 the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 2...printing paper, 4...ink cartridge, 4K, 4C, 4M, 4Y...first, second, third, fourth cartridges, 6...cartridge mounting section, 10...printing machine, 13...replacement cover, 15...operation button, 20...carriage, 22...ejection head, 24...tube, 30...driving mechanism, 31...control section, 32...timing belt, 34...driving motor, 42...main body front wall, 42a...adapter front wall, 43...main body upper wall, 44...main body bottom wall, 44a...adapter bottom wall, 45...first main body side wall, 45a...first side wall, 46...second main body side wall, 46a...second side wall, 47...main body rear wall, 47a...adapter rear wall, 48...guide rib, 52...cartridge side regulating portion, 55...rectangular hole portion, 57...cartridge side arrangement determining portion, 58...recess portion, 61...accommodating chamber, 61K...slot, 62...second device wall, 63...device upper wall, 64...device bottom wall, 65...first device side wall, 66...second device side wall, 67...first device wall, 89...cartridge side terminal, 90... Printing device, 100... sealing portion, 101... connection portion, 102... grip portion, 105... thin portion, 110... sealing body portion, 120... ink holding portion, 120B... ink holding portion, 120C... ink holding portion, 122... ridge, 122B... protrusion, 122C... member, 125... groove portion, 125B... groove portion, 130... capillary flow path member, 131... capillary flow path, 133... capillary adsorption portion, 140... ink adsorption material, 220... nozzle, 300... valve, 401... liquid container, 402... adapter, 4 32...outflow opening, 440...bottom wall main body, 442...liquid supply portion, 446...bottom wall opening, 448...cartridge side supply portion positioning portion, 450...liquid storage portion, 610...support member, 611...first support side wall, 612...second support side wall, 613...main wall, 614...device opening, 642...liquid introduction portion, 644...device side supply portion positioning portion, 670...device side terminal portion, 671...device side terminal, 674...insertion / removal opening, 677...engagement formation body, 698...rotation fulcrum, 699...liquid storage portion

Claims

1. An ink cartridge to be installed in a printer having an ink introduction section, a storage section for storing ink; a bottom wall that is one of the walls that form the ink cartridge and that forms an opening through which the ink introduction portion is inserted; a sealing portion formed as a part of the bottom wall and having a shape that closes the opening; a separation portion provided at a boundary between the sealing portion and the bottom wall, the separation portion enabling the sealing portion to be detached from the bottom wall; an ink supply section that, when the ink introduction section is inserted into the opening portion exposed by removing the sealing section from the bottom wall in the separation section, can supply the ink contained in the container section to the printing machine; An ink cartridge comprising:

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the separation portion is formed such that a portion of the bottom wall has a lower strength than a portion other than the separation portion.

3. The sealing portion includes a protrusion formed outwardly of the bottom wall, The protrusion functions as a handle for removing the sealing portion from the bottom wall in the separation portion by being moved outwardly of the bottom wall. The ink cartridge according to claim 1 .

4. The ink cartridge according to claim 3 , wherein the protrusion has a first forming portion formed from a position closer to the periphery than the center of the sealing portion toward the outside of the bottom wall, and a second forming portion formed in a direction intersecting the first forming portion.

5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1 , further comprising an ink holding portion on the opening side of the sealing portion.

6. 6. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the ink retaining portion is at least a part of an inner surface of the sealing portion on the opening side, and is a portion formed with an ink retaining shape that generates a capillary force on the ink of a predetermined magnitude or greater.

7. 7. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the ink retention shape is one of a shape having a plurality of grooves formed in one direction, a shape combining a plurality of grooves formed in different directions, and a shape having a surface shape with repeated protrusions and depressions arranged in a mesh pattern.

8. Further, an ink absorbing member for absorbing the ink is provided, At least a portion of the portion where the ink retention shape is provided is in contact with the ink absorbing member, at least a part of the contacting portion, a capillary force acting on the ink on the surface of the ink absorbing member is greater than a capillary force acting on the ink by the ink holding shape; 7. The ink cartridge according to claim 6.

9. 9. The ink cartridge according to claim 8, wherein in at least a portion of the contacting portion, a width of the groove of the ink holding shape is greater than a width corresponding to a groove of a structure present on the surface of the ink absorbing member.

10. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a printing machine including: an installation section into which the ink cartridge is installed with the sealing section removed; an ink introduction section that is inserted into the opening of the ink cartridge installed in the installation section; and a printing section that performs printing using ink supplied from the ink cartridge via the ink introduction section; A printing device comprising:

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