Cartridge and method of manufacturing cartridge

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of reducing the amount of liquid remaining in a liquid storage portion without being consumed.SOLUTION: A cartridge comprises: a main body portion that forms an outer shell and forms a liquid containing portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall that forms a bottom wall of the liquid containing portion; a liquid supply portion that communicates with the liquid containing portion and supplies liquid to a cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall. The main body bottom wall includes: an opening forming portion that defines an outflow opening portion through which the liquid supply portion is inserted; a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and located around the opening forming portion; and a connection bottom wall portion located on a side opposite to the opening forming portion with the connection portion interposed therebetween and connected to the connection portion. Thickness of the connection portion is larger than thickness of the connection bottom wall portion. In an inner surface of the main body bottom wall that forms a bottom surface of the liquid containing portion, a portion from the connection bottom wall portion to the outflow opening portion does not have a raised portion that is raised toward an inner side of the liquid containing portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to techniques for cartridges and methods of manufacturing cartridges. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a cartridge that includes a liquid storage section that stores liquid to be supplied to a printing device, and a liquid supply section that communicates with the liquid storage section and supplies liquid to the printing device (Patent Document 1). In this technology, the liquid storage section is formed inside the cartridge body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-53794 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some cases, a liquid storage portion is formed inside a cartridge body by blow molding, in which a blow pin inserted into a mold containing the material that forms the cartridge body blows air into the mold. In this case, the portion of the cartridge body that is pressed by the tip of the blow pin may bulge inward toward the liquid storage portion. If a portion of the cartridge body bulges inward toward the liquid storage portion, there is a risk that the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion without being consumed will increase. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cartridge. The cartridge, which is detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, comprises: a main body portion forming an outer shell and forming a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall forming the bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; and a liquid supply portion communicating with the liquid storage portion and supplying liquid to the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall, the main body bottom wall having an opening forming portion defining an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion passes, a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion, and a connecting bottom wall portion positioned on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the connecting portion having a thickness greater than a thickness of the connecting bottom wall portion, and a portion of the main body bottom wall forming the bottom of the liquid storage portion that does not have a raised portion that protrudes inwardly from the liquid storage portion.

[0006] (2) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cartridge. The cartridge, which is detachably mounted to a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, comprises: a main body portion forming an outer shell and forming a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall forming a bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; and a liquid supply portion communicating with the liquid storage portion and supplying liquid to the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall, the main body bottom wall having an opening forming portion defining an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion passes, a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion, and a connecting bottom wall portion positioned on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the liquid storage portion being formed inside the main body portion by blow molding in which air is blown into a mold containing a material for forming the main body portion, and the connecting portion forming the connecting portion on the inner surface of the mold protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion so as to be positioned closer to the outer surface of the mold than the bottom wall forming portion forming the connecting bottom wall portion.

[0007] (3) According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a cartridge, which is to be detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, the cartridge comprising: a main body portion forming an outer shell and forming a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall forming the bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; a liquid supply portion communicating with the liquid storage portion and supplying liquid to the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall; the main body bottom wall having an opening forming portion defining an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion passes, a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion, and a connecting bottom wall portion positioned on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion; The liquid container is formed inside the main body portion by blow molding, in which air is blown into a mold containing the material that will form the main body portion, and the manufacturing method of the cartridge comprises a mold preparation process in which a mold corresponding to the shape of the main body portion is prepared, a material accommodation process in which the material that will form the main body portion is accommodated in the mold, and a formation process in which a blow pin is inserted into the mold and air is blown into the mold from the blow pin to form the main body portion having the liquid accommodation portion inside, and on the inner surface of the mold, the connection formation portion that forms the connection protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall formation portion so that it is located closer to the outer surface of the mold than the bottom wall formation portion that forms the connection bottom wall portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing system. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] A view of the cartridge mounting section from the +Z direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining details of a liquid introduction section and a liquid supply section. [Figure 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the process of attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the cartridge mounting portion. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion in an insertion-completed state. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion in an mounted state. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a main body portion. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a cartridge. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing the cartridge according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] Enlarged view of the area in Figure 11. [Figure 13] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing a method for manufacturing a cartridge as a comparative example. [Figure 14] Enlarged view of the area in Figure 13. [Figure 15] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a cartridge according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] Enlarged view of the area in Figure 15. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A. First embodiment: A-1. Printing system configuration: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a printing system 1. FIG. 1 depicts three mutually orthogonal spatial axes, the X, Y, and Z axes. The directions of the X, Y, and Z arrows indicate the positive directions along the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The positive directions along the X, Y, and Z axes are referred to as the +X direction, +Y direction, and +Z direction, respectively. The directions opposite to the directions of the X, Y, and Z axes are the negative directions along the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The negative directions along the X, Y, and Z axes are referred to as the -X direction, -Y direction, and -Z direction, respectively. The directions along the X, Y, and Z axes, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, are referred to as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively.

[0010] In this embodiment, when the printing system 1 is in use, the X and Y axes are axes along a horizontal plane, and the Z axis is an axis along the direction of gravity. In the following, the direction of gravity is referred to as the -Z direction, and the anti-gravity direction is referred to as the +Z direction. The direction from the front side to the rear side of the printing system 1 is referred to as the -Y direction, and the direction from the rear side to the front side is referred to as the +Y direction. Furthermore, when viewing the printing system 1 from the front side, the direction from the right side to the left side is referred to as the +X direction, and the direction from the left side to the right side is referred to as the -X direction. Note that the "usage state of the printing system 1" refers to a state in which the printing system 1 is installed on a horizontal surface. The same applies to the following figures and explanations.

[0011] The printing system 1 includes a printing device 10 and a cartridge 4 that supplies ink as a liquid to the printing device 10.

[0012] In this embodiment, the printing device 10 is an inkjet printer that ejects ink as a liquid from an ejection head 22. The printing device 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 device 10 also includes an operation button 15 that allows the user to operate the operation of the printing device 10.

[0013] The cartridge mounting portion 6 has a first device wall 67 on the +Y direction side. The first device wall 67 has an insertion / removal opening 674 which is an entrance / exit for the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge 4. The cartridge 4 is stored in or 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 installation is the -Y direction. Furthermore, 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.

[0014] One or more cartridges 4 are removably mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6. In this embodiment, four types of cartridges 4, one for each of the four colors of ink, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, are mounted in each cartridge mounting portion 6, i.e., a total of four cartridges 4. The cartridge 4 containing black ink is also referred to as the first cartridge 4K, and the cartridge 4 containing cyan ink is also referred to as the second cartridge 4C. The cartridge 4 containing magenta ink is also referred to as the third cartridge 4M, and the cartridge 4 containing yellow ink is also referred to as the fourth cartridge 4Y. In this embodiment, the arrangement direction of the multiple cartridges 4K, 4C, 4M, and 4Y is the X direction. However, the type and number of cartridges 4 that can be accommodated in the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are not limited to this.

[0015] The printing device 10 has a replacement cover 13 on the front side in the +Y direction. The replacement cover 13 is configured to be openable and closable. Opening the replacement cover 13 reveals an opening in the cartridge mounting section 6, allowing the cartridge 4 to be attached and detached. When the cartridge 4 is attached to the cartridge mounting section 6, ink is supplied to the ejection head 22 provided on the carriage 20 via a tube 24, which serves as a liquid circulation pipe for circulating the ink. Note that in other embodiments, the ink may be supplied to the ejection head 22 by sucking the ink from the cartridge 4 using a pump mechanism (not shown) of the printing device 10. A tube 24 is provided for each type of ink.

[0016] 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 device 10 is a so-called "off-carriage type" printer, 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 so-called "on-carriage type" printers, in which the cartridge mounting unit 6 is provided on the carriage 20 and moves together with the carriage 20.

[0017] The control unit 31 controls each unit of the printing device 10 and exchanges signals with the cartridge 4. The carriage 20 moves the ejection head 22 relative to the printing paper 2.

[0018] The drive mechanism 30 reciprocates the carriage 20 based on control signals from the control unit 31. The drive mechanism 30 includes a timing belt 32 and a drive motor 34. By transmitting power from the drive motor 34 to the carriage 20 via the timing belt 32, the carriage 20 moves back and forth in the main scanning direction, which is the direction along the X direction. The printing device 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 output onto the front cover 11.

[0019] A-2.Detailed configuration of cartridge mounting section: FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. 3 is a view of the cartridge mounting portion 6 as seen from the +Z direction side. In FIGS. 2 and 3, for ease of understanding, some components of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are omitted from the illustration. With respect to the cartridge mounting portion 6, the X direction is also referred to as the width direction, the Y direction is also referred to as the depth direction, and the Z direction is also referred to as 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.

[0020] The cartridge mounting portion 6 has a storage chamber 61 that stores the cartridge 4. In this embodiment, the storage chamber 61 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The shapes of slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y, which are portions of the storage chamber 61 that store the cartridges 4K, 4C, 4M, and 4Y, generally correspond to the external shapes of the cartridges 4K, 4C, 4M, and 4Y shown in FIG.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge mounting unit 6 has six device walls 62 to 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 inserting or removing it from the storage chamber 61. The second device wall 62 faces the first device wall 67 in the Y direction and forms the 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 device 10 is in use.

[0022] The upper wall 63 forms the 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 the 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 openings 614 formed for each of the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y. In this embodiment, four openings 614 are formed corresponding to the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y. The upper wall 63 and the bottom wall 64 intersect with the first wall 67 and the second wall 62. In the present disclosure, "intersect" and "intersect" refer to any of the following states (i) to (iii). (i) The state in which two components intersect and actually intersect with each other (ii) When one component is extended, it intersects with the other component. (iii) The state in which the components of each other intersect when they are extended.

[0023] 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 first device wall 67, the second device wall 62, the device top wall 63, and the device bottom wall 64, respectively.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cartridge mounting section 6 further has a support member 610, a liquid introduction section 642, a liquid storage section 699, an apparatus-side positioning section 644, an apparatus-side terminal section 670, and an engagement formation body 677.

[0025] The support member 610 has a main wall 613 that forms 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 -Z direction side. An device opening 614 is formed at the end of the main wall 613 on the side of the first device wall 67 located on the +Y direction side. The device 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 in the +Z direction from the +X direction side of the main wall 613. The second support side wall 612 rises in the +Z direction from the -X direction side of the main wall 613. The first support side wall 611 and the second support side wall 612 face each other in the X direction.

[0026] The liquid introduction portion 642 receives ink as a liquid supplied from the liquid supply portion 442 of the cartridge 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the liquid introduction portion 642 has an introduction portion-side central axis CA1. The liquid introduction portion 642 is located on the opposite side of the support member 610 with the storage chamber 61 interposed therebetween.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the details of the liquid introduction section 642 of the cartridge mounting section 6 and the liquid supply section 442 of the cartridge 4. FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the liquid introduction section 642 and the liquid supply section 442 are not connected. Details of the liquid supply section 442 will be described later. The liquid introduction section 642 has an internal flow path 661 that circulates ink as a liquid, an introduction section main body 660 that defines the internal flow path 661, and an apparatus flow path valve mechanism 680 that opens and closes the internal flow path 661. The liquid introduction section 642 has an inner diameter L2. The inner diameter L2 is the flow path diameter of the internal flow path 661.

[0028] The introduction part main body 660 forms the outer shell of the liquid introduction part 642. The internal flow path 661 communicates with the liquid storage part 699. The device flow path valve mechanism 680 is disposed within the internal flow path 661. The device flow path valve mechanism 680 has an device-side valve seat 681, which is part of the introduction part main body 660, an device-side valve body 683, a seal member 685, and an device-side biasing member 687.

[0029] The device-side valve seat 681 is a portion that comes into contact with and separates from the device-side valve element 683 via a seal member 685. The device-side valve element 683 is a cylindrical member that extends along the inlet-side central axis CA1. The device-side valve element 683 has an annular opening / closing portion 683a that extends radially outward. The opening / closing portion 683a faces the device-side valve seat 681 in the direction along the inlet-side central axis CA1. A seal member 685 is disposed on the side of the opening / closing portion 683a that faces the device-side valve seat 681. The seal member 685 is annular. The device-side biasing member 687 biases the opening / closing portion 683a toward the device-side valve seat 681. The device-side biasing member 687 is a compression coil spring that is disposed on the side of the opening / closing portion 683a opposite the side on which the device-side valve seat 681 is disposed.

[0030] When the liquid introduction portion 642 and the liquid supply portion 442 are not connected, i.e., when the device flow path valve mechanism 680 is closed, the biasing force of the device-side biasing member 687 causes the opening / closing portion 683a to abut against the device-side valve seat 681 via the seal member 685. This brings the internal flow path 661 into a non-communicating state. On the other hand, when the liquid introduction portion 642 and the liquid supply portion 442 are connected, i.e., when the device flow path valve mechanism 680 is open, the device-side valve element 683 is pressed by a cartridge-side valve element 483 (described later) of the liquid supply portion 442, and is displaced in a direction away from the device-side valve seat 681. This opens the device flow path valve mechanism 680, bringing the internal flow path 661 into a communicative state, and ink contained in the cartridge 4 is supplied to the liquid introduction portion 642 via the liquid supply portion 442. When ink is supplied from the cartridge 4 to the printing device 10, gas-liquid exchange occurs in the liquid storage section 450 that stores ink in the cartridge 4. Specifically, for example, while ink is supplied from the liquid supply section 442 to the liquid introduction section 642, air stored in the liquid storage section 699 becomes bubbles and flows through the liquid introduction section 642 and the liquid supply section 442 to the liquid storage section 450, thereby performing gas-liquid exchange.

[0031] The liquid storage section 699 stores the liquid supplied from the cartridge 4 via the liquid introduction section 642. The liquid storage section 699 is maintained at a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure is, for example, a negative pressure. By maintaining the liquid storage section 699 at a negative pressure, ink is supplied to the ejection head 22 due to the head difference between the ink level in the liquid storage section 699 and the ejection head 22. Specifically, as the ink level in the liquid storage section 699 drops, the ink contained in the cartridge 4 is replenished via the liquid introduction section 642. This maintains the ink level in the liquid storage section 699 constant.

[0032] 2 is received in a cartridge-side supply section positioning section 448 of the cartridge 4, which is shown in Figure 8 and will be described later, thereby restricting movement of the liquid supply section 442 of the cartridge 4 relative to the liquid introducing section 642. In this embodiment, the apparatus-side positioning section 644 is a protrusion having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0033] The device-side terminal section 670 is a mechanism provided for electrically connecting the cartridge 4 to the printing device 10 when the cartridge 4 is attached to the cartridge attachment section 6. The device-side terminal section 670 has a device-side terminal 671 that comes into contact with a cartridge-side terminal 521 of the cartridge 4 shown in FIG. 8, which will be described later.

[0034] The engagement formation body 677 is formed on the first device wall 67 located on the +Y side of the support member 610. The engagement formation body 677 is also located on the -Z side of the insertion / removal opening 674. The engagement formation body 677 has four elastic attachment engagement portions (not shown) arranged thereon, which correspond to the slots 61K, 61C, 61M, and 61Y.

[0035] A-3. Explanation of the process of inserting and removing cartridges from the cartridge holder: FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the process of attaching and detaching the cartridge 4 to the cartridge mounting portion 6. In FIG. 5, of the four types of cartridges 4, 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 is 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 is not connected to the liquid introduction portion 642 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. Also, in FIG. 5, the first cartridge 4K, the third cartridge 4M, and the fourth cartridge 4Y are shown in an "attached state" in which installation into the cartridge mounting portion 6 is complete. The attached state is a state in which the cartridge 4 is attached to the cartridge mounting portion 6 after insertion is complete, and ink as liquid can be supplied to the printing device 10.

[0036] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge 4 and cartridge mounting portion 6 in the fully inserted state. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge 4 and cartridge mounting portion 6 in the mounted state. Figs. 6 and 7 both show schematic cross sections taken along the YZ plane passing through the central axis CA1 of the introduction portion.

[0037] In the mounting operation for mounting the cartridge 4 in the cartridge mounting portion 6, first, as shown in FIG. 6 , the cartridge 4 is inserted in the insertion direction D1, which is horizontal to the cartridge mounting portion 6. Specifically, the cartridge 4 is moved in the −Y direction, which is the insertion direction D1, through the insertion / removal opening 674 of the first device wall 67, and inserted into the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. As a result, the cartridge 4 is inserted to a predetermined position in the cartridge mounting portion 6, and reaches an insertion-completed state. The predetermined position is a position where contact between the cartridge-side terminals 521 of the cartridge 4 and the device-side terminals 671 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is completed.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7, after the insertion is complete, the front portion of the cartridge 4 in the insertion direction D1 is moved in a rotational mounting direction D2 having a gravity direction component, with the rear side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the insertion direction D1 as the rotation fulcrum 698. The front side of the cartridge 4 in the insertion direction D1 is the side of the main body rear wall 47 of the cartridge 4. This mounting operation connects the liquid introduction portion 642 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the liquid supply portion 442 of the cartridge 4, while maintaining contact between the device-side terminals 671 and the cartridge-side terminals 521, thereby achieving a mounted state. As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge 4 engages with an engagement formation 677 provided on the first device wall 67 side of the cartridge mounting portion 6, thereby maintaining the mounted state.

[0039] 6 and 7, in the removal operation for removing the cartridge 4 from the cartridge mounting portion 6, first, the front portion of the cartridge 4 in the insertion direction D1 is moved in the connection release direction D3, which has an anti-gravity direction component, with the rear side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the insertion direction D1 as the rotation fulcrum 698. During this rotational movement, the engagement by the engagement formation member 677 shown in FIG. 5 is released, resulting in the insertion completion state shown in FIG. 6. Next, the cartridge 4 is moved in the removal direction D4, which is the direction opposite to the insertion direction D1, relative to the cartridge mounting portion 6. As a result, the cartridge 4 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 6.

[0040] A-4. Cartridge details: FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cartridge 4. With respect to the cartridge 4, the X direction is the width direction, the Y direction is the depth direction, and the Z direction is the height direction. In the following figures, the X, Y, and Z directions of the cartridge 4 are based on the fully inserted state shown in FIG. 6. The outer shape of the cartridge 4 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, the outer shape of the cartridge 4 has the largest dimension in the Y direction, followed by the smallest dimensions in the Z direction and the X direction.

[0041] The cartridge 4 includes a liquid container 401 and an adapter 402 .

[0042] The liquid container 401 includes a main body 41 , a liquid container 450 , and a liquid supply unit 442 .

[0043] The main body 41 forms an outer shell and defines a liquid storage portion 450 therein. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the main body 41. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the main body 41 has a main body front wall 42, a main body rear wall 47, a main body top wall 43, a main body bottom wall 44, a main body first side wall 45, and a main body second side wall 46. Hereinafter, of the walls 42 to 47 that form the main body 41, the surface that forms the liquid storage portion 450 will be referred to as an inner surface 441, and the surface opposite the inner surface 441 and that faces the storage chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the mounted state will be referred to as an outer surface 443.

[0044] The main body front wall 42 forms the wall on the −Y direction side of the main body portion 41. An inner surface 441 of the main body front wall 42 forms the front surface of the liquid storage portion 450.

[0045] The main body rear wall 47 faces the main body front wall 42 in the Y direction, and forms the wall on the +Y direction side of the main body portion 41. An inner surface 441 of the main body rear wall 47 forms the rear surface of the liquid storage portion 450.

[0046] The main body upper wall 43 forms the wall on the +Z direction side of the main body portion 41. An inner surface 441 of the main body upper wall 43 forms the upper surface of the liquid storage portion 450. The main body upper wall 43 has a top wall 431 connected to the main body front wall 42, an inclined wall 433 connected to the top wall 431, and end walls 435 connected to the inclined wall 433 and the main body rear wall 47, respectively. Of the three walls 431, 433, and 435 that form the main body upper wall 43, the top wall 431 is located highest in the direction of gravity in the fully inserted state and the attached state. In other words, of the three walls 431, 433, and 435 that form the main body upper wall 43, the top wall 431 is the wall that is located furthest in the +Z direction in the fully inserted state and the attached state. The top wall 431 intersects with the main body front wall 42. The inclined wall 433 is a wall that inclines with respect to the insertion direction D1 so as to be positioned closer to the main body bottom wall 44 as it approaches the main body rear wall 47. The end wall 435 is positioned on the −Z direction side, which is lower in the direction of gravity than the top wall 431 and the inclined wall 433, in the fully inserted state and the attached state. The end wall 435 intersects with the main body rear wall 47.

[0047] The main body bottom wall 44 faces the main body upper wall 43 in the Z direction and forms the wall on the -Z direction side of the main body portion 41. In other words, the main body bottom wall 44 is the wall on the side where the liquid introduction portion 642 is located in the fully inserted state shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 9, the inner surface 441 of the main body bottom wall 44 forms the bottom surface of the liquid storage portion 450. The main body bottom wall 44 has an opening forming portion 411, a connecting portion 412, a connecting bottom wall portion 413, a first main bottom wall portion 414, a first connecting bottom wall portion 415, a first sub-bottom wall portion 416, a second main bottom wall portion 417, a second connecting bottom wall portion 418, and a second sub-bottom wall portion 419. The opening forming portion 411 defines the outflow opening 432. The connecting portion 412 is connected to the opening forming portion 411 and is located around the opening forming portion 411. The connecting bottom wall portion 413 is located on the opposite side of the connecting portion 412 from the opening forming portion 411, and is connected to the connecting portion 412. The connecting bottom wall portion 413 is a wall of the main body bottom wall 44 that is located within a predetermined range around the connecting portion 412. The connecting bottom wall portion 413 is a wall that is located, for example, within a distance range equal to the diameter L of the outflow opening 432 from the connection portion between the connecting portion 412 and the connecting bottom wall portion 413. The first main bottom wall portion 414 is connected to the connecting bottom wall portion 413 on the main body front wall 42 side. The first connecting bottom wall portion 415 is connected to the first main bottom wall portion 414. The first sub-bottom wall portion 416 is connected to the first connecting bottom wall portion 415. The first sub-bottom wall portion 416 intersects with the main body front wall 42. The second main bottom wall portion 417 is connected to the connecting bottom wall portion 413 on the main body rear wall 47 side. The second connecting bottom wall portion 418 is connected to the second main bottom wall portion 417. The second sub-bottom wall portion 419 is connected to the second connecting bottom wall portion 418. The second sub-bottom wall portion 419 intersects with the main body rear wall 47.

[0048] 8, the first main body side wall 45 forms the wall on the −X direction side of the main body portion 41. An inner surface 441 of the first main body side wall 45 forms a first side surface of the liquid storage portion 450. The first main body side wall 45 intersects with the front main body wall 42, the rear main body wall 47, the upper main body wall 43, and the bottom main body wall 44.

[0049] The second main body side wall 46 faces the first main body side wall 45 in the X direction and forms the wall on the +X direction side of the main body portion 41. An inner surface 441 of the second main body side wall 46 forms a second side surface of the liquid storage portion 450. The second main body side wall 46 intersects with the front main body wall 42, the rear main body wall 47, the upper main body wall 43, and the bottom main body wall 44.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 9, the liquid storage unit 450 is a liquid container for storing ink as the liquid to be supplied to the printing device 10. The liquid storage unit 450 is located inside the main body 41. Specifically, the liquid storage unit 450 is formed in an internal space defined by the inner surfaces 441 of the walls 42 to 47 that make up the main body 41. The liquid storage unit 450 has an outflow opening 432 for allowing the stored ink as the liquid to flow out. As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid supply unit 442 is inserted through the outflow opening 432. The outflow opening 432 has a generally cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the outflow opening 432 is formed on the +Y direction side of the main body bottom wall 44, where the main body rear wall 47 is located.

[0051] The liquid supply unit 442 is a member for supplying ink as a liquid to the liquid introduction unit 642 of the cartridge mounting unit 6. The liquid supply unit 442 is inserted through 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 toward the adapter 402 and extends along the supply unit-side central axis CA2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the supply unit-side central axis CA2 is an axis along the Z axis in the fully inserted state. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, in the mounted state, the supply unit-side central axis CA2 is parallel to the introduction unit-side central axis CA1 and inclined with respect to the Z axis. As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid supply unit 442 has a supply tip portion 442e1 forming a tip end and a supply base end portion 442e2 forming a base end. In the fully inserted state and the mounted state, the supply tip portion 442e1 is located on the liquid introduction unit 642 side and opens to the outside. The supply base end 442e2 is located within the liquid storage portion 450.

[0052] The liquid supply unit 442 has a supply flow path 461 that distributes ink as a liquid, a supply main body 460 that defines the supply flow path 461, and a cartridge-side valve mechanism 480 that opens and closes the supply flow path 461.

[0053] The supply unit main body 460 forms the outer shell of the liquid supply unit 442. The supply unit flow path 461 communicates with the liquid storage unit 450. The cartridge-side valve mechanism 480 is disposed within the supply unit flow path 461. The cartridge-side valve mechanism 480 has a cartridge-side valve seat 481, a cartridge-side valve body 483, and a cartridge-side biasing member 487. In the direction along the supply unit-side central axis CA2, the cartridge-side valve seat 481, the cartridge-side valve body 483, and the cartridge-side biasing member 487 are disposed in this order from the side closest to the supply tip portion 442e1.

[0054] The cartridge-side valve seat 481 is a portion that abuts against and separates from the cartridge-side valve body 483. The cartridge-side valve seat 481 is an annular member. The cartridge-side valve seat 481 is formed of an elastic member such as synthetic rubber or elastomer. The outer peripheral surface of the cartridge-side valve seat 481 is airtightly attached to the inner peripheral surface of the supply unit flow path 461. The cartridge-side valve seat 481 is formed with a cartridge-side valve hole 489 that penetrates in a direction along the supply unit-side central axis CA2. The cartridge-side valve body 483 is a roughly cylindrical member that extends along the supply unit-side central axis CA2. The cartridge-side biasing member 487 biases the cartridge-side valve body 483 in a direction toward the cartridge-side valve seat 481. The cartridge-side biasing member 487 is, for example, a compression coil spring.

[0055] When the liquid introduction section 642 and the liquid supply section 442 are not connected, i.e., when the supply section flow path 461 is closed, the cartridge-side valve element 483 comes into contact with the cartridge-side valve seat 481 by the biasing force of the cartridge-side biasing member 487, blocking the cartridge-side valve hole 489. This brings the supply section flow path 461 into a non-communicating state. On the other hand, when the liquid introduction section 642 and the liquid supply section 442 are connected, i.e., when the supply section flow path 461 is open, the cartridge-side valve element 483 is displaced in a direction away from the cartridge-side valve seat 481. This opens the cartridge-side valve mechanism 480, bringing the supply section flow path 461 into a communicative state, and ink contained in the liquid storage section 450 of the cartridge 4 is supplied to the internal flow path 661 of the liquid introduction section 642 via the liquid supply section 442.

[0056] 6 and 7, the adapter 402 is a connecting member equipped with a mechanism for electrically and physically connecting the liquid container 401 and the printing device 10. As shown in FIG. 8, the adapter 402 is attached to the main body bottom wall 44 of the liquid container 401. The adapter 402 moves integrally with the liquid container 401 during the operation of mounting the cartridge 4 into the cartridge mounting portion 6. The adapter 402 has five walls 42c, 44c to 47c that form an outer shell, a supply unit positioning portion 448, a terminal arrangement portion 500, a supply unit arrangement chamber 465, and an insertion opening 446.

[0057] The five walls 42c, 44c to 47c are an adapter front wall 42c, an adapter rear wall 47c, an adapter bottom wall 44c, an adapter first side wall 45c, and an adapter second side wall 46c. The adapter front wall 42c forms a wall on the -Y direction side of the adapter 402. The adapter rear wall 47c faces the adapter front wall 42c in the Y direction and forms a wall on the +Y direction side of the adapter 402. The adapter bottom wall 44c faces the main body bottom wall 44 of the liquid container 401 in the Z direction. The adapter bottom wall 44c intersects with the adapter front wall 42c and the adapter rear wall 47c. The adapter first side wall 45c forms a wall on the -X direction side of the adapter 402. The adapter second side wall 46c faces the adapter first side wall 45c in the X direction and forms a wall on the +X direction side of the adapter 402. Adapter first side wall 45c and adapter second side wall 46c intersect with adapter front wall 42c, adapter rear wall 47c, and adapter bottom wall 44c, respectively. Hereinafter, of the walls 42c, 44c to 47c constituting adapter 402, the surface that faces the housing chamber 61 of cartridge mounting portion 6 in the mounted state will be referred to as the outer surface, and the surface opposite to the outer surface will be referred to as the inner surface.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 7, the supply unit positioning portion 448 receives the device-side positioning portion 644 of the cartridge mounting portion 6. As shown in Fig. 8, the supply unit positioning portion 448 is a recess that is recessed from the outer surface side toward the inner surface side of the adapter bottom wall 44c.

[0059] The terminal arrangement section 500 is disposed at a corner 89 where the adapter front wall 42c and the adapter bottom wall 44c intersect. The terminal arrangement section 500 is formed by a circuit board 50. The circuit board 50 has a plurality of cartridge-side terminals 521 disposed on the front surface, which is the surface visible in FIG. 8, and a memory device (not shown) disposed on the back surface opposite the front surface. The plurality of cartridge-side terminals 521, which can be electrically connected by contacting the device-side terminals 671 shown in FIG. 2, are electrically connected to the memory device via wiring. The memory device stores information about the cartridge 4, such as the color of ink and the amount of remaining ink.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8 , the supply unit locating chamber 465 is a space provided to accommodate the liquid supply unit 442. The supply unit locating chamber 465 is formed by a portion surrounded by the inner surface of the adapter bottom wall 44c, the inner surface of the adapter first side wall 45c, and the inner surface of the adapter second side wall 46c. The insertion opening 446 exposes the supply tip 442e1, which is the tip of the liquid supply unit 442, to the outside. The insertion opening 446 is a hole formed to penetrate the inner and outer surfaces of the adapter bottom wall 44c. The supply unit locating chamber 465 and the insertion opening 446 are each positioned so as to overlap with the liquid supply unit 442 when the cartridge 4 is viewed from the adapter bottom wall 44c side. In other words, the supply unit locating chamber 465 and the insertion opening 446 are positioned so as to pass through the supply unit-side central axis CA2.

[0061] A-5. Cartridge manufacturing method: FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the cartridge 4. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a method for manufacturing the cartridge 4 in the first embodiment. The liquid storage portion 450 is formed inside the main body portion 41 by blow molding, in which air is blown into a mold 91 that contains a material for forming the main body portion 41. Specifically, first, in a mold preparation process of step S1, a mold 91 corresponding to the shape of the main body portion 41 is prepared. Next, in a material containing process of step S2, the material for forming the main body portion 41 is contained in the mold 91. Next, in a forming process of step S3, a blow pin 90 is inserted into the mold 91, and air is blown into the mold 91 from the blow pin 90. This forms the main body portion 41 having the liquid storage portion 450 therein.

[0062] A-6.Details of the mold and bottom wall: FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of region R1 in FIG. 11. The mold 91 has an end forming portion 911, a connection forming portion 912, and a bottom wall forming portion 913. The end forming portion 911 forms the opening forming portion 411 of the main body bottom wall 44. The connection forming portion 912 forms the connection portion 412 of the main body bottom wall 44. The bottom wall forming portion 913 forms the connection bottom wall portion 413 of the main body bottom wall 44. On the inner surface 941 of the mold 91, the connection forming portion 912 protrudes toward the outer surface 942 of the mold 91 relative to the bottom wall forming portion 913 so as to be located closer to the outer surface 942 of the mold 91 than the bottom wall forming portion 913. As a result, on the main body bottom wall 44, the thickness of the connection portion 412 is greater than the thickness of the connection bottom wall portion 413. In this embodiment, on the inner surface 941 of the mold 91, the connection forming portion 912 is connected to the bottom wall forming portion 913 in a stepped manner. As a result, the connecting portion 412 is connected to the connecting bottom wall portion 413 in a stepped manner on the outer surface 443 of the main body bottom wall 44 .

[0063] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing method of a cartridge 4e as a comparative example. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of region R9 in FIG. 13. When the connection forming portion 912e does not protrude toward the outer surface 942 of the mold 99 relative to the bottom wall forming portion 913, as in the comparative mold 99, the following problem may occur. In this case, when the blow pin 90 is inserted into the mold 99, the portion pushed in by the tip of the blow pin 90, i.e., the portion of the main body bottom wall 44e from the connection bottom wall portion 413 to the outflow opening 432, may protrude toward the inside of the liquid storage portion 450, forming a protruding portion 495. This protruding portion 495 may act as a barrier when liquid flows from the liquid storage portion 450 to the liquid supply portion 442, potentially increasing the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion 450 without being consumed.

[0064] 11 and 12 , according to the first embodiment, the mold 91 protrudes toward the outer surface 942 of the mold 91 relative to the bottom wall forming portion 913. This allows the portion of the blow pin 90 pressed in by the tip of the blow pin 90 when the blow pin 90 is inserted into the mold 91 to be accommodated in the connection forming portion 912. Therefore, in the cartridge 4 of this embodiment, the portion of the main body bottom wall 44, on the inner surface 441 that forms the bottom surface of the liquid storage portion 450, from the connection bottom wall portion 413 to the outflow opening 432 does not have a raised portion 495 that protrudes inward of the liquid storage portion 450. This allows the amount of liquid that remains in the liquid storage portion 450 without being consumed to be reduced.

[0065] 12, on the inner surface 941 of the mold 91, the connection forming portion 912 is connected to the bottom wall forming portion 913 in a stepped manner. In this way, on the outer surface 443 of the main body bottom wall 44, the connection portion 412 can be formed thicker than the connection forming portion 912 so that the connection portion 412 is connected to the connecting bottom wall portion 413 in a stepped manner. This makes it possible to prevent the portion of the main body bottom wall 44 from the connecting bottom wall portion 413 to the outflow opening 432 from protruding inward of the liquid storage portion 450. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion 450 without being consumed.

[0066] According to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , when the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6, it is inserted in an insertion direction D1, which is horizontal to the cartridge mounting portion 6. After the cartridge 4 is completely inserted, the front portion of the cartridge 4 in the insertion direction D1 is moved in a rotational mounting direction D2, which has a component in the direction of gravity, with the rear side of the cartridge 4 in the insertion direction D1 as the rotation fulcrum 698. This mounting operation mounts the cartridge 4 in the cartridge mounting portion 6. Furthermore, when the cartridge 4 is completely inserted, the liquid supply portion 442 is formed on the front side of the insertion direction D1, aligned with the direction of gravity. As a result, in the mounted state shown in FIG. 7 , the main body bottom wall 44 is inclined so as to be positioned downward in the direction of gravity from the main body front wall 42 toward the outflow opening 432, and is inclined so as to be positioned downward in the direction of gravity from the main body rear wall 47 toward the outflow opening 432. This configuration facilitates the flow of liquid contained in the liquid storage portion 450 toward the liquid supply portion 442. This makes it possible to further reduce the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion 450 without being consumed.

[0067] B. Second embodiment: Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing method of the cartridge 4a in the second embodiment. Figure 16 is an enlarged view of region R2 in Figure 15. In this embodiment, part of the configuration of the mold 92 is different from that of the first embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and will not be described.

[0068] In this embodiment, the thickness of the connection forming portion 912a increases from the end forming portion 911 toward the bottom wall forming portion 913. That is, on the inner surface 941a of the mold 92, the connection forming portion 912a is connected to the bottom wall forming portion 913 in a tapered manner. Therefore, the thickness of the connection portion 412a in the main body bottom wall 44a increases from the connection bottom wall portion 413 toward the opening forming portion 411. That is, on the outer surface 443a of the main body bottom wall 44a, the connection portion 412a is connected to the connection bottom wall portion 413 in a tapered manner.

[0069] According to the second embodiment, the thickness of the mold 92 increases from the end forming portion 911 toward the bottom wall forming portion 913. In this way, the main body bottom wall 44a can be formed so that the thickness of the connection portion 412a increases from the connecting bottom wall portion 413 toward the opening forming portion 411. This makes it possible to prevent the portion of the main body bottom wall 44a from the connecting bottom wall portion 413 to the outflow opening portion 432 from protruding inward of the liquid storage portion 450. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion 450 without being consumed.

[0070] C. Other Embodiments: C-1. Alternative embodiment 1: The liquid may be supplied from the cartridge 4 to the printing device 10 by a method other than a head-fed system in which the liquid is supplied by gravity.

[0071] C-2. Alternative embodiment 2: The configuration of the cartridge 4 and the method of mounting the cartridge 4 to the cartridge mounting portion 6 are not limited to those described above. It is sufficient that the thickness of the connection portions 412, 412a of the main body bottom walls 44, 44a is greater than the thickness of the connection bottom wall portion 413 of the main body bottom walls 44, 44a. Therefore, the connection shape of the connection portions 412, 412a to the connection bottom wall portion 413 may be other than a stepped or tapered shape. That is, it is sufficient that the connection forming portions 912 of the molds 91, 92 protrude toward the outer surface 942 of the molds 91, 92 relative to the bottom wall forming portion 913 so that they are positioned closer to the outer surface 942 of the molds 91, 92 than the bottom wall forming portion 913. Therefore, the connection shape of the connection forming portions 912, 912a to the bottom wall forming portion 913 may be other than a stepped or tapered shape.

[0072] D. Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0073] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cartridge. The cartridge, which is detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, comprises: a main body portion forming an outer shell and forming a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall forming the bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; and a liquid supply portion communicating with the liquid storage portion and supplying liquid to the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall, the main body bottom wall having an opening forming portion defining an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion passes, a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion, and a connecting bottom wall portion positioned on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the connecting portion having a thickness greater than a thickness of the connecting bottom wall portion, and a portion of the main body bottom wall forming the bottom of the liquid storage portion that does not have a raised portion that protrudes inwardly from the liquid storage portion. In this embodiment, the connecting portion is formed thicker than the connecting forming portion, so that the portion of the inner surface of the bottom wall of the main body from the connecting bottom wall portion to the outflow opening does not have a raised portion that would act as a barrier when liquid flows from the liquid storage portion to the liquid supply portion, thereby reducing the amount of liquid that remains unconsumed in the liquid storage portion.

[0074] (2) In the above embodiment, the connecting portion may be connected to the connecting bottom wall portion in a stepped manner on an outer surface of the main body bottom wall opposite to the inner surface. According to this embodiment, the connecting portion is formed thicker than the connecting forming portion so that the connecting portion is connected to the connecting bottom wall portion in a stepped manner, and thereby the portion from the connecting bottom wall portion to the outflow opening portion can be shaped without a raised portion that protrudes inwardly from the liquid storage portion.

[0075] (3) In the above embodiment, the thickness of the connection portion may increase from the connection bottom wall portion toward the opening-forming portion. According to this embodiment, the thickness of the connection portion increases from the connection bottom wall portion toward the opening-forming portion, so that the portion from the connection bottom wall portion to the outflow opening portion does not have a raised portion that protrudes inwardly from the liquid storage portion.

[0076] (4) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cartridge. The cartridge, which is detachably mounted to a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, comprises: a main body portion forming an outer shell and forming a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall forming the bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; and a liquid supply portion communicating with the liquid storage portion and supplying liquid to the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall, the main body bottom wall having an opening forming portion defining an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion passes, a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion, and a connecting bottom wall portion positioned on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the liquid storage portion being formed inside the main body portion by blow molding in which air is blown into a mold containing a material for forming the main body portion, and the connecting portion forming the connecting portion on the inner surface of the mold protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion so as to be positioned closer to the outer surface of the mold than the bottom wall forming portion forming the connecting bottom wall portion. According to this embodiment, the mold protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion. This allows the portion pushed in by the tip of the blow pin when the blow pin is inserted into the mold to be accommodated in the connection forming portion. This prevents the portion from extending from the connection bottom wall portion to the outflow opening from protruding inward of the liquid storage portion. This reduces the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion without being consumed.

[0077] (5) In the above embodiment, the connection forming portion may be connected to the bottom wall forming portion in a stepped manner on the inner surface of the mold. According to this embodiment, the connection forming portion is connected to the bottom wall forming portion in a stepped manner on the inner surface of the mold. In this way, the connection portion can be formed thicker than the connection forming portion on the outer surface of the main body bottom wall so that the connection portion is connected to the connection bottom wall portion in a stepped manner. This makes it possible to prevent the portion from extending from the connection bottom wall portion to the outflow opening from protruding inwardly of the liquid storage portion.

[0078] (6) In the above embodiment, the thickness of the connection forming portion may increase from the end forming portion that forms the opening forming portion toward the bottom wall forming portion. According to this embodiment, the thickness of the mold increases from the end forming portion toward the bottom wall forming portion. In this way, the main body bottom wall can be formed so that the thickness of the connection portion increases from the connecting bottom wall portion toward the opening forming portion. This prevents the portion from the connecting bottom wall portion to the outflow opening from protruding inwardly of the liquid storage portion.

[0079] (7) In the above embodiment, after the cartridge is inserted in an insertion direction that is horizontal to the cartridge mounting portion, the cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion by a mounting operation in which a front portion of the cartridge in the insertion direction is moved in a rotational mounting direction having a gravity direction component, with the rear side in the insertion direction as a rotation fulcrum. The liquid supply portion may be formed along the gravity direction on the front side in the insertion direction when the insertion is complete. According to this embodiment, the bottom wall of the cartridge mounted to the cartridge mounting portion is inclined so as to be positioned downward in the direction of gravity from the front wall of the cartridge toward the outlet opening, and is inclined so as to be positioned downward in the direction of gravity from the rear wall of the cartridge toward the outlet opening. This facilitates the flow of liquid contained in the liquid storage portion toward the liquid supply portion. This further reduces the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion without being consumed.

[0080] (8) According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a cartridge, which is to be detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, the cartridge comprising: a main body portion forming an outer shell and forming a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall forming the bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; and a liquid supply portion communicating with the liquid storage portion and supplying liquid to the cartridge mounting portion, the liquid supply portion protruding from the main body bottom wall, the main body bottom wall having an opening forming portion defining an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion passes, a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion, and a connecting bottom wall portion positioned on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the liquid storage portion comprising: The cartridge is formed inside the main body by blow molding, in which air is blown into a mold containing a material for forming the main body. The manufacturing method for the cartridge includes a mold preparation step of preparing a mold corresponding to the shape of the main body, a material containing step of containing the material for forming the main body in the mold, and a forming step of inserting a blow pin into the mold and blowing air into the mold from the blow pin to form the main body having the liquid storage portion therein. On the inner surface of the mold, a connection forming portion that forms the connection portion protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion so as to be located closer to the outer surface of the mold than the bottom wall forming portion that forms the connection bottom wall portion. According to this embodiment, the mold protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion. This allows the portion pressed by the tip of the blow pin when inserted into the mold to be accommodated in the connection forming portion. This prevents the portion from protruding inward from the connection bottom wall portion to the outflow opening. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage portion without being consumed.

[0081] (9) In the above embodiment, the connection forming portion may be connected to the bottom wall forming portion in a stepped manner on the inner surface of the mold. According to this embodiment, the connection forming portion is connected to the bottom wall forming portion in a stepped manner on the inner surface of the mold. In this way, the connection portion can be formed thicker than the connection forming portion on the outer surface of the main body bottom wall so that the connection portion is connected to the connection bottom wall portion in a stepped manner. This prevents the portion from extending from the connection bottom wall portion to the outflow opening from protruding inwardly of the liquid storage portion.

[0082] (10) In the above embodiment, the thickness of the connection forming portion may increase from the end forming portion that forms the opening forming portion toward the bottom wall forming portion. According to this embodiment, the thickness of the mold increases from the end forming portion toward the bottom wall forming portion. In this way, the main body bottom wall can be formed so that the thickness of the connection portion increases from the connecting bottom wall portion toward the opening forming portion. This prevents the portion from the connecting bottom wall portion to the outflow opening from protruding inwardly of the liquid storage portion.

[0083] Not all of the multiple components of each of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are essential, and in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, it is possible to change, delete, or replace some of the multiple components with new components, or delete some of the limitations, as appropriate. Furthermore, in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, it is also possible to combine some or all of the technical features included in one embodiment of the present disclosure with some or all of the technical features included in another embodiment of the present disclosure to form an independent embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] The present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than cartridges and methods of manufacturing cartridges, such as a printing device having a cartridge mounting unit, or a printing system having a cartridge and a printing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1...printing system, 2...printing paper, 4, 4a, 4e...cartridge, 4C...second cartridge, 4K...first cartridge, 4M...third cartridge, 4Y...fourth cartridge, 6...cartridge mounting section, 10...printing device, 11...front cover, 13...replacement cover, 15...operation button, 20...carriage, 22...ejection head, 24...tube, 30...drive mechanism, 31...control section, 32...timing belt, 34...drive motor, 41...main body, 42...main body front wall, 42c...adapter front wall, 43...main body top wall, 44, 44a, 44e...main body bottom wall, 44c...adapter bottom wall, 45...main body first side wall, 45c...adapter first side wall, 46...main body second side wall, 46c...adapter second side wall, 47...main body rear wall, 47c...adapter rear wall, 50...circuit Substrate, 61...container chamber, 61K, 61C, 61M, 61Y...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...corner portion, 90...blow pin, 91, 92, 99...mold, 220...nozzle, 401...liquid container, 402...adapter, 411...opening forming portion, 412, 412a...connection Connection portion, 413...connecting bottom wall portion, 414...first main bottom wall portion, 415...first connecting bottom wall portion, 416...first sub-bottom wall portion, 417...second main bottom wall portion, 418...second connecting bottom wall portion, 419...second sub-bottom wall portion, 431...top wall, 432...outflow opening portion, 433...inclined wall, 435...end wall, 441...inner surface of main body portion, 442...liquid supply portion, 442e1...supply tip portion, 442e2...supply base end portion, 443,443a...outer surface of main body portion, 446...insertion opening, 448...supply portion positioning portion, 450...liquid storage portion, 460...supply portion main body, 461...supply portion flow path, 465...supply portion placement chamber, 480...cartridge side valve mechanism, 481...cartridge side valve seat, 483...cartridge side valve body, 487...cartridge side biasing member, 489...cartridge side valve hole, 495...raised portion, 500...terminal placement portion, 521...cartridge side terminal, 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 positioning portion, 660...introduction portion main body, 661...internal flow path, 670...device side Terminal portion, 671...device side terminal, 674...insertion / removal opening, 677...engagement forming body, 680...device flow path valve mechanism, 681...device side valve seat, 683...device side valve body, 683a...opening / closing portion, 685...sealing member, 687...device side biasing member, 698...rotation fulcrum, 699...liquid storage portion, 911...end forming portion, 912, 912a, 912e...connection forming portion, 913...bottom wall forming portion, 941, 941a...inner surface of mold, 942...outer surface of mold, CA1...introduction portion side central axis, CA2...supply portion side central axis, D1...insertion direction, D2...rotational mounting direction, D3...connection release direction, D4...removal direction, L...diameter of outflow opening, L2...inner diameter of liquid introduction portion, R1, R2, R9...area,

Claims

1. A cartridge that is detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting section of a printing device, a main body portion that forms an outer shell and defines a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall that defines a bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; a liquid supply section that communicates with the liquid storage section and supplies liquid to the cartridge mounting section, the liquid supply section protruding from the bottom wall of the main body; The main body bottom wall is an opening forming portion that defines an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion is inserted; a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion; a connecting bottom wall portion located on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, The thickness of the connection portion is greater than the thickness of the connection bottom wall portion, A cartridge in which the inner surface of the main body bottom wall that forms the bottom surface of the liquid storage section, the portion from the connecting bottom wall portion to the outflow opening, does not have a raised portion that protrudes toward the inside of the liquid storage section.

2. 10. The cartridge of claim 1, The cartridge, wherein the connecting portion is connected to the connecting bottom wall portion in a stepped manner on an outer surface of the main body bottom wall opposite to the inner surface.

3. 10. The cartridge of claim 1, A cartridge, wherein the thickness of the connection portion increases from the connection bottom wall portion toward the opening forming portion.

4. A cartridge that is detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting section of a printing device, a main body portion that forms an outer shell and defines a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall that defines a bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; a liquid supply section that communicates with the liquid storage section and supplies liquid to the cartridge mounting section, the liquid supply section protruding from the bottom wall of the main body; The main body bottom wall is an opening forming portion that defines an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion is inserted; a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion; a connecting bottom wall portion located on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the liquid storage portion is formed inside the main body portion by blow molding, in which air is blown into a mold containing a material for forming the main body portion; A cartridge in which, on the inner surface of the mold, a connection forming portion that forms the connection portion protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion so as to be located closer to the outer surface of the mold than the bottom wall forming portion that forms the connection bottom wall portion.

5. 5. The cartridge of claim 4, A cartridge, wherein the connection forming portion is connected to the bottom wall forming portion in a stepped manner on the inner surface of the mold.

6. 5. The cartridge of claim 4, A cartridge, wherein the thickness of the connection forming portion increases from the end forming portion that forms the opening forming portion toward the bottom wall forming portion.

7. 7. A cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, After completion of insertion of the cartridge in an insertion direction that is horizontal to the cartridge mounting portion, the cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion by a mounting operation in which a front portion of the cartridge in the insertion direction is moved in a rotational mounting direction having a gravity direction component, with the rear side in the insertion direction as a rotation fulcrum, The liquid supply portion is formed along the direction of gravity on the front side in the insertion direction when the insertion is completed.

8. A method of manufacturing a cartridge that is detachably mounted in a cartridge mounting portion of a printing device, comprising: The cartridge comprises: a main body portion that forms an outer shell and defines a liquid storage portion therein, the main body portion having a main body bottom wall that defines a bottom wall of the liquid storage portion; a liquid supply section that communicates with the liquid storage section and supplies liquid to the cartridge mounting section, the liquid supply section protruding from the bottom wall of the main body; The main body bottom wall is an opening forming portion that defines an outflow opening through which the liquid supply portion is inserted; a connecting portion connected to the opening forming portion and positioned around the opening forming portion; a connecting bottom wall portion located on the opposite side of the connecting portion from the opening forming portion and connected to the connecting portion, the liquid storage portion is formed inside the main body portion by blow molding, in which air is blown into a mold containing a material for forming the main body portion; The method for manufacturing the cartridge includes: a mold preparation step of preparing a mold according to the shape of the main body portion; a material containing step of containing a material for forming the main body portion in the mold; a forming step of inserting a blow pin into the mold and blowing air into the mold from the blow pin to form the main body portion having the liquid storage portion therein, A method for manufacturing a cartridge, wherein, on the inner surface of the mold, a connection forming portion that forms the connection portion protrudes toward the outer surface of the mold relative to the bottom wall forming portion so as to be positioned closer to the outer surface of the mold than the bottom wall forming portion that forms the connection bottom wall portion.

9. A method for manufacturing the cartridge according to claim 8, comprising the steps of: A method for manufacturing a cartridge, wherein the connection forming portion is connected to the bottom wall forming portion in a stepped manner on the inner surface of the mold.

10. A method for manufacturing the cartridge according to claim 8, comprising the steps of: A method for manufacturing a cartridge, wherein the thickness of the connection forming portion increases from the end forming portion that forms the opening forming portion toward the bottom wall forming portion.

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