Ink supply container and method for remanufacturing the same

Abstract

To inhibit clogging in a head of a printer which is supplied with an ink from an ink supply container and a nozzle of the ink supply container, thereby facilitating reuse of the ink supply container even when foreign matters are mixed into an ink bag of the ink supply container.SOLUTION: An ink supply container includes: an ink bag having a spout; a container body that accommodates the ink bag; and a nozzle which is attachable to and detachable from the container body, and which has an ink flow path communicating with the spout while being attached to the container body and an opening portion for opening the ink flow path to the outside. The ink flow path is provided with a filter member that can capture foreign matters contained in an ink flowing in from the spout. The structure can facilitate reuse of the container body, and thus the technologies described in this specification have the potential to contribute to achievement of a sustainable society, such as a decarbonized society / circular society.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink supply container and a method for remanufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Inkjet printers perform recording on a recording medium such as paper by ejecting ink from an ink ejection head onto the recording medium, and some of them are capable of replenishing ink from an ink supply container into an ink tank in the device body. In recent years, in order to realize a sustainable society such as a carbon-free / circular society, there has been a demand for technologies to realize reuse, which is the repeated use of used products and their parts, recycling, which is the effective use of waste as raw materials or energy sources, and reduce, which is the reduction of the amount of waste. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that aims to reduce the volume of discarded parts by easily reusing part of a used ink supply container. The ink supply container in Patent Document 1 has a first ink bag and a second ink bag made of a stretchable material in the container body. The second ink bag contains the stacked ink bags, and after the ink contained in the inner first ink bag is used up, the first ink bag can be separated from the second ink bag, and the remaining container body and second ink bag can be reused. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-13034 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the ink supply container of Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that foreign matter may get into the second ink bag when the first ink bag is separated from the ink supply container. Also, there is a possibility that foreign matter may get into the second ink bag when filling the second ink bag with ink. Furthermore, because the ink bag is made of an elastic material, if the ink bag is damaged inside the ink supply container, fragments may become foreign matter inside the ink bag.

[0005] If there is foreign matter inside the ink bag, when refilling the ink tank of an inkjet printer with ink from an ink supply container, the foreign matter may enter the ink tank along with the ink. If this foreign matter flows into the head, it may clog the ink ejection port of the head, preventing ink from being ejected from the head. Also, the foreign matter may clog the nozzle that pours ink from the ink supply container, preventing ink from being ejected from the ink supply container.

[0006] To prevent clogging of the nozzles of an ink supply container or a printer head that has been refilled with ink from an ink supply container, even if foreign matter gets mixed in the ink bag of the ink supply container, thereby facilitating the reuse of the ink supply container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides an ink supply container for supplying ink to a recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a bag-shaped ink containing member capable of containing ink, the ink containing member having a spout through which the contained ink can be poured out; a container body capable of accommodating the ink containing member in a state in which ink can be poured out from the pouring outlet; The nozzle is detachable from the container body, and is attached to the container body. a nozzle having an ink flow path communicating with the outlet and an opening that opens the ink flow path to the outside; and The ink supply container is characterized in that the ink flow path is provided with a filter member capable of capturing foreign matter contained in the ink flowing in from the outlet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even if foreign matter gets mixed into the ink in an ink supply container, clogging can be prevented from occurring in the head of a printer that has been refilled with ink from the ink supply container or in the nozzles of the ink supply container, thereby making it easier to reuse the ink supply container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view showing an inkjet printer according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ink supply system of the inkjet printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which ink is replenished from an ink supply container to an ink tank according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the ink supply container according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink supply container according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a nozzle portion of the ink supply container according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which ink is replenished from an ink supply container to an ink tank according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a detailed configuration of an ink supply container according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a sealing portion of the ink supply container according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink tank of the inkjet printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a filter according to a first embodiment. [Figure 13]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a filter according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a filter according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a filter according to a fourth embodiment; [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a filter according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of an ink supply container of the present invention will be described. However, the components described in the embodiment are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In this specification, "ink" is used as a general term for liquids such as recording liquid.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an inkjet printer 11 according to this embodiment. The inkjet printer 11 according to this embodiment is a recording device that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting liquid ink from a liquid ejection head (hereinafter referred to as a head) onto the recording medium, and is an example of a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid. While this embodiment will be described using an inkjet printer as an example, the liquid ejection device of the present invention is not limited to inkjet printers as long as it has a configuration in which a liquid tank in the device body can be replenished with liquid from a liquid supply container. In the following description, the width direction of the inkjet printer 11 is defined as the X direction, the depth direction as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions as the Z direction. When the inkjet printer 11 is installed on a horizontal surface, the Z direction is parallel to the vertical direction. As will be described later, the main scanning direction of the head is parallel to the X direction, and the transport direction of the recording medium is parallel to the Y direction.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 11 includes a housing (exterior) 20, a head 13 (see FIG. 2) that performs a recording operation on a recording medium (not shown), and a The inkjet printer 11 includes an ink tank 15 as an ink storage container for storing ink. In this embodiment, the ink tank 15 is disposed on the front side (+Y direction side) of the housing 20 and is fixed to the inkjet printer 11. The top of the housing 20 also includes a scanner unit 17 that reads documents, and an operation input unit 18 that allows the user to input commands and other operations.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the inkjet printer 11. The inkjet printer 11 includes a feeding unit 500 that feeds the recording medium, transport rollers 16 that transport the recording medium, and a discharge unit 40 (see FIG. 1) that discharges the recording medium. The recording medium is fed from the feeding unit 500 into the inkjet printer 11 by rollers (not shown). The fed recording medium undergoes a recording operation by the head 13 while being transported by the transport rollers 16. After recording is completed, the recording medium is discharged from the discharge unit 40 to the outside of the inkjet printer 11. The direction in which the recording medium is transported (Y direction) is referred to as the transport direction. The carriage 12 is moved by a drive source (not shown) along a main scanning direction (X direction) that intersects with the transport direction of the recording medium. In this embodiment, the transport direction and the main scanning direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0014] The head 13 is mounted on a carriage 12 and ejects ink droplets while moving in the main scanning direction, performing a recording operation to record one band of image onto the recording medium. Once one band of image has been recorded on the recording medium, the recording medium is transported a predetermined distance in the transport direction by transport rollers 16 (intermittent transport operation). By repeating this one-band recording operation and intermittent transport operation, an image is recorded over the entire recording medium. Furthermore, the inkjet printer 11 is provided with a maintenance unit that performs maintenance on the head 13 within the movement area of ​​the carriage 12 in the main scanning direction.

[0015] The inkjet printer 11 has ink tanks for each ink color used for recording. In this embodiment, the inkjet printer 11 includes a black ink tank 15K for black ink, a cyan ink tank 15C for cyan ink, a magenta ink tank 15M for magenta ink, and a yellow ink tank 15Y for yellow ink. Hereinafter, when the ink color can be described without distinction, that is, when a common configuration is described regardless of the ink color, the ink tanks may be simply referred to as ink tanks 15, omitting the suffixes Y, M, C, and K indicating the ink color. The black ink tank 15K is located to the left of the discharge unit 40 when viewed from the front side (+Y direction) of the inkjet printer 11. Meanwhile, the ink tanks for the color inks (cyan ink tank 15C, magenta ink tank 15M, and yellow ink tank 15Y) are located to the right of the discharge unit 40 when viewed from the front side of the inkjet printer 11. The discharge unit 40 is located between the black ink tank 15K and the ink tanks for the color inks.

[0016] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the ink supply system of the inkjet printer 11. Figure 3 is a view of the inkjet printer 11 as seen from the rear (-Y direction side). An ink tank 15 is provided for each ink color. A flexible tube is attached to the ink tank 15, which forms an ink supply path 14 (ink flow path) for supplying ink to the head 13. A flexible tube is also attached to the ink tank 15, which forms an air communication path 25 for connecting the interior of the ink tank 15 to the atmosphere.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state in which ink 800 (see FIG. 6) is being refilled from an ink supply container 200 (ink bottle) into an ink tank 15 of an inkjet printer 11. An inlet 21 is provided at the top of the ink tank 15, through which the user can inject ink into the ink tank 15. A cap 22 (tank cap) for sealing the inlet 21 is detachably attached to the inlet 21. The user can inject ink from the ink supply container 200 into the ink tank 15 by removing the cap 22 and connecting the nozzle 600 of the ink supply container 200 to the inlet 21.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a front view of the ink supply container 200 in a normal position. The normal position is a state in which the bottom of the ink supply container 200 is placed on a horizontal surface. The ink supply container 200 has a container body 300, a nozzle 600, and a cap 400. Ink is contained in the container body 300. By connecting the tip of the nozzle 600 to the inlet 21 of the ink tank 15, ink in the container body 300 is injected into the ink tank 15 through the nozzle 600. This allows ink to be replenished from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 15. The cap 400 is detachable from the tip of the nozzle 600. When attached to the nozzle 600, it seals the opening of the nozzle 600, and when removed from the nozzle 600, it opens the opening of the nozzle 600.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the ink supply container 200. The container body 300, in the upright position, has, from bottom to top, a cylindrical portion 301, a shoulder portion 302, and a neck portion 303. The cylindrical portion 301 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. The direction in which the cylindrical portion 301 extends is referred to as the axial direction of the container body 300 and the ink supply container 200, and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is referred to as the radial direction. The axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction in the upright position. The shape of the bottom portion may be circular, rectangular, polygonal, or the like, and is not particularly limited. A shoulder portion 302 having smaller inner and outer diameters than the cylindrical portion 301 is provided on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion 301 from the bottom. A neck portion 303 having smaller inner and outer diameters than the shoulder portion 302 is provided on the opposite side of the shoulder portion 302 from the cylindrical portion 301. An opening is provided on the neck portion 303 from the shoulder portion 302 to allow ink in the container body 300 to flow out.

[0020] An ink bag 700 is housed inside the container body 300. The ink bag 700 is a bag-shaped ink storage member capable of storing ink 800. The ink bag 700 has a spout 702 through which the stored ink 800 can be poured out. The ink bag 700 is sized so that it can be housed in the container body 300. The container body 300 can house the ink bag 700 in a state in which the ink can be poured out from the spout 702.

[0021] FIG. 6 shows the ink bag 700 containing ink 800. The ink bag 700 is made of a stretchable material. Examples of stretchable materials include butyl rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, and a thermoplastic elastomer. The open end 701 of the ink bag 700 is expanded radially outward and folded axially downward. The ink bag 700 is fixed to the neck portion 303 of the container body 300 by a radially inward elastic force generated by elastic deformation of the ink bag 700 itself. Alternatively, a sealing member having an opening may be inserted into the neck portion 303, and the ink bag 700 may be sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the sealing member and the inner peripheral surface of the neck portion 303. This configuration allows the ink bag 700 to be more securely fixed.

[0022] When the ink 800 inside the ink bag 700 decreases, the ink bag 700 shrinks as a whole and becomes separable from the container body 300. When the ink bag 700 is separated from the container body 300, the portion to which the ink 800 is attached is separated from the container body 300, and therefore, there are no components of the container body 300 to which the ink 800 is attached. Therefore, the remaining container body 300 can be reused. When reusing the container body 300, a new ink bag 700 is placed in the container body 300, and new ink 800 is placed inside the new ink bag 700.

[0023] The nozzle 600 is detachably attached to the container body 300. The nozzle 600 has a communication portion 602, a container attachment portion 603, a cap attachment portion 609, and a filter 1. The cap 400 is detachably attached to the cap attachment portion 609. The tip portion 601 of the cap attachment portion 609 has an opening 610 through which ink can flow out, and has a shape that can be connected to the fill port 21 of the ink tank 15. An ink tank 602 is provided inside the cap attachment portion 609, and the ink tank 602 is detachably attached to the cap attachment portion 609. A flow path 612 is formed. The ink flow path 612 communicates with the outlet 702 via the communication part 602 when the nozzle 600 is attached to the container body 300. The ink in the container body 300 flows to the tip 601 of the nozzle 600 via the outlet 702 and the communication part 602.

[0024] The filter 1 is fixed to the communication part 602 and is a filter member that can capture foreign matter if it is present in the ink 800 that flows from the spout 702 into the ink flow path 612. The container attachment part 603 is detachable from the shoulder part 302 of the container body 300. The nozzle 600 is attached to the container body 300 by fixing the container attachment part 603 to the shoulder part 302, and the nozzle 600 can be removed from the container body 300 by removing the container attachment part 603 from the shoulder part 302.

[0025] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the nozzle 600 in FIG. 6. A helical male thread 604 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the container attachment portion 603 of the nozzle 600, and a helical female thread 305 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shoulder portion 302 of the container body 300. With the male thread 604 and the female thread 305 engaged, the nozzle 600 can be attached to the container body 300 by rotating and screwing the nozzle 600 in a first direction relative to the container body 300. Furthermore, with the male thread 604 and the female thread 305 engaged, the nozzle 600 can be detached from the container body 300 by rotating the nozzle 600 in a second direction opposite to the first direction relative to the container body 300. Note that the mechanism for attaching and detaching the nozzle 600 to the container body 300 is not limited to the above-described screw mechanism, and may be, for example, an engagement mechanism between an engaging portion and an engaged portion, or a fitting mechanism between a fitting portion and a fitted portion.

[0026] A recess 605 is provided on the surface of the communication part 602 of the nozzle 600 facing the container body 300. The shape of the recess 605 is substantially the same as that of the filter 1, and the filter 1 can be fitted into the recess 605. With the filter 1 fitted into the recess 605, the outer periphery of the filter 1 is heated to thermally weld the filter 1 to the communication part 602, thereby fixing the filter 1 to the communication part 602. Note that the method of fixing the filter 1 is not limited to thermal welding. For example, the filter 1 may be fixed to the communication part 602 by applying an adhesive to the outer periphery of the filter 1. Alternatively, the outer diameter of the filter 1 may be made larger than the inner diameter of the recess 605, and the filter 1 may be fixed by press-fitting it into the recess 605.

[0027] With the nozzle 600 attached to the container body 300, the communicating part 602 of the nozzle 600 is pressed against the spout 702, the filter 1 is sandwiched and fixed between them, and the space between the communicating part 602 and the spout 702 is sealed.

[0028] The filter 1 preferably has a columnar shape with a thickness in the axial direction of the ink supply container 200. This shape allows the filter 1 to be easily attached to the communication part 602, and prevents the filter 1 from being crushed when the communication part 602 of the nozzle 600 is pressed against the outlet 702 of the container body 300. Furthermore, the outer dimensions of the filter 1 (dimensions in an imaginary plane perpendicular to the axial direction) are larger than the outer dimensions of the outlet 702. In other words, the position and dimensions of the filter 1 are configured so that when the nozzle 600 with the filter 1 fixed to the recess 605 is attached to the shoulder part 302 of the container body 300, the projection of the filter 1 in the axial direction covers the projection of the outlet 702 in the axial direction. This makes it possible to prevent leakage of the ink 800 at the communication part 602.

[0029] 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the ink supply container 200 is connected to the ink tank 15 in order to supply ink 800 from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 15 of the inkjet printer 11. As shown in FIG. 8, ink can be supplied to the ink tank 15 by inserting the tip 601 of the nozzle 600 into the filler port 21.

[0030] (Reusing ink supply containers) When remanufacturing the ink supply container 200 by reusing the container body 300 of a used ink supply container 200, the nozzle 600 is removed from the container body 300 of the used ink supply container 200, and the ink bag 700 is separated and removed from the container body 300. Then, a new ink bag 700 is attached to the container body 300, the new ink bag 700 is filled with ink 800, and a new nozzle 600 is attached to the container body 300. In other words, the nozzle 600 and ink bag 700 of the ink supply container 200 that have ink attached to them are discarded. The filter 1 fixed to the nozzle 600 is also discarded along with the nozzle 600. A container body 300 that does not have ink attached to it can be reused. The cap 400 can also be reused if it does not have ink attached to it.

[0031] When filling a new ink bag 700 with ink 800, there is a possibility that foreign matter may be mixed into the ink 800. Furthermore, if the ink bag 700 made of a stretchable material is damaged, the broken pieces may become foreign matter in the ink 800.

[0032] According to the ink supply container 200 of this embodiment, a filter 1 is provided in the communication portion 602. Therefore, even if foreign matter is present in the ink 800 in the ink bag 700, the foreign matter is captured by the filter 1 when the ink 800 is supplied from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 15. This prevents foreign matter from clogging the nozzle 600 or the ink flow path 612, or from entering the ink tank 15 and reaching the head 13, clogging the head 13.

[0033] (Embodiment 2) Figure 9 is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the ink supply container 200 of embodiment 2. Figure 9(a) is an exploded view showing the components that make up the ink supply container 200. Figure 9(b) is a cross-sectional view of the ink supply container 200. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the sealing structure of the ink supply container 200. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the ink tank 15.

[0034] The ink supply container 200 has a container body 300, an ink bag 700, a nozzle 600, and a cap 400. The ink bag 700 has an open end 701 fixed to the neck portion 303 of the container body 300. A filter 1 is fixed to the nozzle 600. The nozzle 600 is detachable from the shoulder portion 302 of the container body 300. In addition, the cap 400, which can seal the opening of the tip portion 601, is detachable from the nozzle 600. With the nozzle 600 attached to the container body 300, the filter 1 comes into close contact with the spout 702.

[0035] Inside the nozzle 600 of the ink supply container 200, there are provided a seal 34 having an opening, a valve body 35 that opens and closes the opening of the seal 34, a spring 36 that urges the valve body 35 in the valve closing direction, a holder 37 that holds the spring 36, and a filter 1. The filter 1 is configured to capture foreign matter if foreign matter is mixed into the ink in the ink supply container 200.

[0036] When replenishing the ink tank 15 with ink from the ink supply container 200 , the tip of the nozzle 600 of the ink supply container 200 and the filling port 21 of the ink tank 15 are connected.

[0037] A recess is provided near the tip 601 of the nozzle 600, and a protrusion is provided near the filler port 21 of the ink tank 15, and these recess and protrusion are configured to be engageable. By engaging the recess of the ink supply container 200 with the protrusion of the ink tank 15, the ink supply container 200 can be easily positioned when connecting the tip 601 of the nozzle 600 and the filler port 21 of the ink tank 15.

[0038] The inlet 21 of the ink tank 15 and the tip 601 of the nozzle 600 of the ink supply container 200 When the ink supply container 200 is connected, the ink in the ink supply container 200 flows into the tank body 150 of the ink tank 15 through the inlet 21 due to the hydraulic head difference. At that time, even if foreign matter is mixed in the ink, the foreign matter is captured by the filter 1, so that the foreign matter can be prevented from entering the ink tank 15 through the inlet 21.

[0039] (Sealing structure of ink supply container) The ink supply container 200 has a first sealing structure 61 and a second sealing structure 62 that can seal the interior and exterior of the ink supply container 200. As shown in FIG. 10(a), the first sealing structure 61 is sealed by fitting the cap 400 and the nozzle 600 together. As shown in FIG. 10(b), the second sealing structure 62 is sealed by a valve structure within the nozzle 600. The sealing structures will be described below.

[0040] The left side of Figure 10(a) is a cross-sectional view of the top of the ink supply container 200 with the cap 400 attached to the nozzle 600, and the right side of Figure 10(a) is an enlarged view of that view. By attaching the cap 400 to the nozzle 600, the cap seal portion 410 of the cap 400 and the nozzle seal portion 611, which is part of the tip portion 601 of the nozzle 600, fit together to form a first sealing structure 61. The cap 400 is provided with a protrusion 402 extending downward from the top, and the cap seal portion 410 is part of the side surface of the protrusion 402. The tip portion 601 of the nozzle 600 has an opening through which the protrusion 402 can be inserted, and the nozzle seal portion 611 is part of the inner circumferential surface of the opening.

[0041] An example of a structure for attaching the cap 400 to the nozzle 600 is a screw-fitting structure. As shown in FIGS. 9(a), 9(b), and 10(a), a male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cap attachment portion 609 of the nozzle 600. The cap 400 has an upper surface 405 and a cylindrical portion 403, and a female thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 403. By screwing together these male and female threads, the cap 400 is fixed to the cap attachment portion 609 of the nozzle 600, and the nozzle seal portion 611 and the cap seal portion 410 are tightly attached to each other. The annular gap between the tip portion 601 and the protrusion 402 is sealed, forming the first sealing structure 61.

[0042] It is to be noted that a male thread may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 403 of the cap 400, and a female thread may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cap attachment portion 609 of the nozzle 600. The structure for attaching the cap 400 to the nozzle 600 is not limited to the above-described screw structure. For example, a fitting structure for attaching and detaching the cap 400 and the nozzle 600 may be provided separately from the first sealing structure 61. For example, a fitting structure between the inner peripheral surface of the cap 400 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 600, or a fitting structure (inner lid structure) between the outer peripheral surface of the cap 400 and the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 600 may be used.

[0043] The left side of FIG. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view of the upper part of the ink supply container 200 when the cap 400 is not attached to the nozzle 600, and the right side of FIG. 10(b) is an enlarged view of this.

[0044] The second sealing structure 62 is constituted by a liquid stop valve structure provided inside the nozzle 600 of the ink supply container 200. As shown in Figure 10(b), a seal 34, which is an orifice portion having an opening 341 into which the filler port 21 of the ink tank 15 can be inserted, is provided at the tip 601 of the nozzle 600. A valve body 35 of the liquid stop valve is urged toward the seal 34 by a spring 36. This brings a bottom end 342 of the seal 34 into close contact with an upper surface 351 of the valve body 35, closing the opening 341 of the seal 34 and sealing the container body 300.

[0045] Nozzle 600 has a shape in which multiple cylindrical parts with different inner diameters are connected, and a holder 37 that holds spring 36 is provided in the internal space below tip 601. Seal 34 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or elastomer.

[0046] The second sealing structure 62 formed by this liquid stop valve structure makes it possible to keep the inside of the container body 300 sealed even when the cap 400 is not attached to the nozzle 600 as shown in FIG. 10(b).

[0047] When replenishing the ink tank 15 with ink from the ink supply container 200, the filler port 21 of the ink tank 15 is inserted from the tip 601 of the nozzle 600 of the ink supply container 200 into the opening 341 of the seal 34. As a result, the tip of the filler port 21 presses the upper surface 351 of the valve body 35 downward, causing the valve body 35 to move downward against the biasing force of the spring 36, releasing the tight contact between the upper surface 351 of the valve body 35 and the lower end 342 of the seal 34 and opening the second sealing structure 62. This allows liquid to flow between the opening 341 and the container body 300, and ink in the container body 300 flows into the tank body 150 through the filler port 21 due to the hydraulic head difference.

[0048] (Simultaneous opening of two sealing structures) In the ink supply container 200 of this embodiment, there are times when both the first sealing structure 61 and the second sealing structure 62 are in an open state when the cap 400 is removed from the nozzle 600 and when the cap 400 is attached to the nozzle 600. When both the first sealing structure 61 and the second sealing structure 62 are in an open state, the inside of the container body 300 (ink bag 700) communicates with the atmosphere, and the pressure inside the container body 300 (ink bag 700) becomes equal to the external atmospheric pressure. This will be explained in detail below.

[0049] First, when the cap 400 is attached to the nozzle 600, the first sealing structure 61 is in a sealed state, as shown in Figure 10(a). When the cap 400 is attached to the nozzle 600, the lower end 404 of the protrusion 402 is configured to be axially lower than the lower end 342 of the seal 34. As a result, when the cap 400 is attached to the nozzle 600, the protrusion 402 presses the valve body 35 downward from the closed position, forming a gap between the seal 34 and the valve body 35, and the second sealing structure 62 is in an open state. In other words, when the cap 400 shown in Figure 10(a) is attached to the nozzle 600, the first sealing structure 61 is sealed, and the second sealing structure 62 is in an open state.

[0050] The left side of FIG. 10(c) is a cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the ink supply container 200 when the cap 400 is being removed from the nozzle 600 as shown in FIG. 10(a), and the right side of FIG. 10(c) is an enlarged view of the cap 400. When the cap 400 begins to be removed from the nozzle 600, the cap 400 moves upward. As the cap 400 moves, the cap seal portion 410 and the nozzle seal portion 611 are disengaged, and the first sealing structure 61 enters an open state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the lower end 404 of the protrusion 402 of the cap 400 is still positioned below the lower end 342 of the seal 34, pushing the valve element 35 downward from the closed position. Therefore, the second sealing structure 62 remains open. At this time, both the first sealing structure 61 and the second sealing structure 62 are open.

[0051] After that, when the cap 400 is further moved upward, the position of the bottom end 404 of the protrusion 402 becomes higher than the position of the bottom end 342 of the seal 34, and the protrusion 402 moves away from the valve body 35. At this time, the biasing force of the spring 36 brings the valve body 35 and the seal 34 into close contact, and the second sealing structure 62 enters a sealed state. The first sealing structure 61 remains in an open state.

[0052] When the cap 400 is not attached to the nozzle 600, the first sealing structure 61 is in an open state and the second sealing structure 62 is in a sealed state. When the cap 400 begins to be attached to the nozzle 600, the cap 400 moves downward. Before the cap seal portion 410 reaches a position where it fits into the nozzle seal portion 611, the lower end 404 of the protrusion 402 of the cap 400 contacts the upper surface 351 of the valve body 35. The length of the protrusion 402, the position where the valve body 35 is held by the holder 37, and the positions of the cap seal portion 410 and the nozzle seal portion 611 are set in this manner. As a result, the valve body 35 is pushed in by the protrusion 402 before the first sealing structure 61 is sealed, and the second sealing structure 62 is opened. In other words, both the first sealing structure 61 and the second sealing structure 62 are opened. When the cap 400 is moved further downward, the cap seal portion 410 reaches a position where it fits into the nozzle seal portion 611, and the first sealing structure 61 is sealed. The second sealing structure 62 is opened.

[0053] In this way, when attaching or detaching the cap 400 to or from the nozzle 600, there is a timing when both the first sealing structure 61 and the second sealing structure 62 are in an open state. Therefore, at that timing, the inside of the container body 300 (ink bag 700) is in communication with the atmosphere, and the internal pressure of the container body 300 (ink bag 700) can be equalized to the external air pressure. This makes it possible to prevent ink from being blown out due to an increase in the internal pressure of the container body 300 when the cap 400 is removed from the nozzle 600 and ink is refilled from the ink supply container 200 into the ink tank 15. It also makes it possible to prevent ink from overflowing from the tank body 150. Furthermore, when the cap 400 is removed from the nozzle 600, the second sealing structure 62 maintains the sealed state of the container body 300, making it possible to prevent ink from leaking even if the ink supply container 200 is tilted from the upright position.

[0054] Various embodiments of the filter 1 will now be described.

[0055] Example 1 FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the structure of the filter 1 of Example 1. The filter 1 of Example 1 has a flat substrate 50 and a plurality of openings 51 provided in the substrate 50. The substrate 50 is a plate-shaped member. The openings 51 are holes having dimensions that allow the ink 800 to flow through them while capturing foreign matter in the ink 800 without allowing it to flow through them. The inner diameter of the openings 51 is preferably, but not limited to, 0.5 mm to 1 mm. In Example 1, the substrate 50 is provided with a plurality of circular openings 51 having a diameter of 1 mm or less. The plurality of openings 51 are arranged at equal intervals along two intersecting directions parallel to the surface of the substrate 50. The shape of the openings 51 is not limited to a circular shape. The arrangement of the plurality of openings 51 is not limited to the example described above. The filter 1 is fixed to the communication portion 602 by heat welding. As described above, the method of fixing the filter 1 is not limited to heat welding. An appropriate fixing method can be adopted depending on the material of the substrate 50 of the filter 1, the material of the communicating portion 602 of the nozzle 600, and the like.

[0056] When the ink bag 700 housed in the container body 300 is broken, large fragments larger than the inner diameter of the opening 51 and foreign matter in the ink 800 cannot pass through the opening 51, and are therefore prevented from entering the ink flow path 612 side from the substrate 50. Therefore, the filter 1 can capture foreign matter in the container body 300, making it possible to prevent foreign matter from clogging the ink flow path 612 and preventing foreign matter from entering the ink tank 15.

[0057] Resin or SUS can be exemplified as the material of the filter 1. Examples of the method for manufacturing the filter 1 include injection molding using a resin material and cutting of SUS material.

[0058] Example 2 13 is a perspective view showing the structure of a filter 1X of Example 2. The filter 1X of Example 2 has a substrate 50, a plurality of openings 51 provided in the substrate 50, and protrusions 52 protruding from the substrate 50 in the axial direction toward the container body 300. The protrusions 52 extend in a direction toward the container body 300 in a state where the nozzle 600 is attached to the container body 300. The substrate 50 and the openings 51 are the same as those of Example 1. The plurality of protrusions 52 are provided at positions different from the plurality of openings 51 within the surface of the substrate 50. In Example 2, the plurality of protrusions 52 are provided at a plurality of positions. The protrusions 52 are provided between the openings 51. Therefore, like the multiple openings 51, the multiple protrusions 52 are arranged at equal intervals along two mutually intersecting directions parallel to the surface of the substrate 50. The protrusions 52 are fixed to the substrate 50 by heat welding facing the container body side. The method of fixing the protrusions 52 to the substrate 50 is not limited to heat welding. An appropriate fixing method can be adopted depending on the material of the substrate 50, the material of the protrusions 52, etc. The filter 1X is fixed to the communicating portion 602 by heat welding. As described above, the method of fixing the filter 1X is not limited to heat welding. An appropriate fixing method can be adopted depending on the material of the substrate 50 of the filter 1X, the material of the communicating portion 602 of the nozzle 600, etc.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 12(b), when the ink bag 700 housed in the container body 300 is damaged, large fragments H that are larger than the spacing between the protrusions 52 are caught on the ends of the multiple protrusions 52 on the container body 300 side. This prevents the fragments H from reaching the surface of the substrate 50 on which the opening 51 is formed. This prevents the fragments H from blocking the opening 51. Foreign matter that is larger than the inner diameter of the opening 51 and that is not captured by the protrusions 52 cannot pass through the opening 51, and is therefore prevented from entering the ink flow path 612 side of the substrate 50. This allows the filter 1X to capture foreign matter in the container body 300, making it possible to prevent foreign matter from clogging the ink flow path 612 and entering the ink tank 15.

[0060] Examples of the material of the filter 1X include resin and SUS. Examples of the manufacturing method of the filter 1X include injection molding using a resin material and cutting of SUS material.

[0061] Example 3 FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the structure of a filter 1Y according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14(a) is a plan view of the filter 1Y, and FIG. 14(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 14(a). The filter 1Y according to the third embodiment includes a flat substrate 50, a plurality of recesses 55 provided on the surface of the substrate 50 facing the container body 300, and a plurality of openings 51 provided at the bottom of the recesses 55. The recesses 55 are provided on the surface of the substrate 50 facing the container body 300 when the nozzle 600 is attached to the container body 300. The openings 51 are holes having dimensions that allow the ink 800 to flow through them and can capture foreign matter in the ink 800 without allowing it to flow through them. The recesses 55 have a linear shape that extends in a first direction (the direction of arrow M) parallel to the surface of the substrate 50. The recesses 55 are formed to extend from one end to the other end of the substrate 50 in the first direction. A plurality of recesses 55 are provided at equal intervals along a second direction (direction of arrow N) that intersects (is perpendicular to) the first direction. The width of the bottom of each recess 55 in the second direction is greater than the inner diameter of opening 51. A plurality of openings 51 are provided at the bottom of each recess 55 at equal intervals along the first direction.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 14(a), even if a large fragment H is captured at a position where the opening 51 is present in a plan view, ink 800 can flow through the recess 55 to the opening 51 below the fragment H as long as the recess 55 is not entirely blocked. This prevents the fragment H from blocking the opening 51. The filter 1Y is fixed to the communicating portion 602 by thermal welding, with the surface of the substrate 50 on which the recess 55 is provided facing the container body 300. As described above, the fixing method for the filter 1Y is not limited to thermal welding. An appropriate fixing method can be adopted depending on the material of the substrate 50 of the filter 1Y and the material of the communicating portion 602 of the nozzle 600, etc.

[0063] Large fragments H that are generated when the ink bag 700 housed in the container body 300 is broken do not enter the recess 55 but are captured on the surface of the substrate 50. Foreign matter that enters the recess 55 and has a size equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the opening 51 cannot pass through the opening 51, and is therefore prevented from entering the ink flow path 612 side of the substrate 50. Therefore, the filter 1Y can capture foreign matter inside the container body 300, making it possible to prevent foreign matter from clogging the ink flow path 612 and preventing foreign matter from entering the ink tank 15.

[0064] Examples of the material of the filter 1Y include resin and SUS. Examples of the method for manufacturing the filter 1Y include injection molding using a resin material and cutting of SUS material.

[0065] Example 4 FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the structure of a filter member 1Z of Example 4. The filter member 1Z of Example 4 has a two-layer structure consisting of a first filter and a second filter located farther from the container body 300 than the first filter (closer to the ink flow path 612) when the nozzle 600 is attached to the container body 300. The filter member 1Z has the filter 1X shown in Example 2 as the first filter (layer on the container body 300 side) and a mesh filter 4 as the second filter (layer on the ink flow path 612 side). The filter member 1Z is fixed by thermal welding to the communication part 602 with the protrusion 52 of the first filter 1X facing the container body 300 side. As described above, the method of fixing the filter member 1Z is not limited to thermal welding. An appropriate fixing method can be adopted depending on the material of the substrate 50 of the filter member 1Z and the material of the communication part 602 of the nozzle 600, etc.

[0066] The first filter 1X can capture large fragments that are generated when the ink bag 700 housed in the container body 300 is broken. Foreign matter that is larger than the inner diameter of the opening 51 and cannot be captured by the protrusion 52 cannot pass through the opening 51, thereby preventing it from entering the ink flow path 612 from the substrate 50. Foreign matter that passes through the opening 51 but is larger than the mesh openings of the second filter 4 can be captured by the second filter 4. The opening 51 of the first filter 1X can be a circular hole with a diameter of 1 mm or less, and the second filter 4 can be a mesh with a mesh opening finer than 1 mm. Note that the sizes of the opening 51 and the mesh openings are not limited to these. The filter member 1Z of the fourth embodiment can capture foreign matter in the container body 300, preventing foreign matter from clogging the ink flow path 612 and preventing foreign matter from entering the ink tank 15.

[0067] Resin and SUS can be exemplified as materials for the filter 1X. SUS can be exemplified as a material for the filter 4. Examples of a method for manufacturing the filter 1X include injection molding using a resin material and cutting of a SUS material.

[0068] Although the fourth embodiment exemplifies a combination of the filter 1X of the second embodiment and the mesh-shaped filter 4, the filter to be combined with the filter 4 may be the filter 1 of the first embodiment or the filter 1Y of the third embodiment.

[0069] Example 5 FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a filter 1W according to a fifth embodiment. A helical male thread 102 is provided on an outer peripheral surface 101 of the filter 1W according to the fifth embodiment. A recess 605 is provided in a communication portion 602 of a nozzle 600, and a helical female thread 607 is provided on an inner peripheral surface 606 of the recess 605. By rotating the filter 1W (e.g., clockwise) with the male thread 102 and the female thread 607 engaged, the filter 1W is sunk into the recess 605 of the communication portion 602. By rotating the filter 1W until it stops rotating, the filter 1W can be fixed by screwing it into the recess 605 of the communication portion 602. By rotating the filter 1W in the opposite direction to when it was attached (e.g., counterclockwise), the filter 1W rises from the recess 605. The filter 1W can be removed from the recess 605 by further rotating the filter 1W. In this way, the filter 1W of the fifth embodiment can be attached to and detached from the communication part 602 of the nozzle 600 with a simple operation. After using the ink supply container 200, the filter 1W can be removed from the nozzle 600, washed, and then reattached to the nozzle 600, thereby making it possible to reuse the filter 1W and reduce waste. With the ink supply container 200 of the fifth embodiment, the nozzle 600 and ink bag 700 with ink adhering thereto can be discarded after use, and the container body 300 with no ink adhering thereto and the washed filter 1W can be reused.

[0070] According to the ink supply container 200 of the present disclosure described above, by reusing the container body 300, clogging of the ink flow path 612 of the ink supply container 200 can be prevented even if foreign matter is mixed into the ink inside the container body 300. Furthermore, by reusing the container body 300, clogging of the head 13 by foreign matter can be prevented even if the ink tank 15 of the inkjet printer 11 is refilled with ink using an ink supply container 200 in which foreign matter has been mixed inside the container body 300. This eliminates concerns about reusing the container body 300 and promotes reuse. Furthermore, the amount of waste can be reduced compared to disposing of the entire ink supply container 200 after it has been used up, thereby promoting reduction. For these reasons, the technology described herein can contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, such as a decarbonized / recycling-based society.

[0071] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) An ink supply container for supplying ink to a recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a bag-shaped ink containing member capable of containing ink, the ink containing member having a spout through which the contained ink can be poured out; a container body capable of accommodating the ink containing member in a state in which ink can be poured out from the pouring outlet; a nozzle detachable from the container body, the nozzle having an ink flow path that communicates with the outlet when attached to the container body, and an opening that opens the ink flow path to the outside; and The ink supply container is characterized in that the ink flow path is provided with a filter member capable of capturing foreign matter contained in the ink flowing in from the outlet. (Configuration 2) 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, wherein the filter member has a filter having a flat substrate and a plurality of openings formed in the substrate. (Configuration 3) The ink supply container according to configuration 2, wherein the filter is provided with a plurality of protrusions provided between the plurality of openings in the substrate, the protrusions protruding in a direction toward the container body when the nozzle is attached to the container body. (Configuration 4) The ink supply container according to configuration 1 has a filter, wherein the filter member has a flat substrate, a plurality of recesses provided on a surface of the substrate that faces the container body when the nozzle is attached to the container body, and a plurality of openings provided on the bottom of each of the plurality of recesses. (Configuration 5) the filter member has a two-layer structure including a first filter and a second filter located farther from the container body than the first filter when the nozzle is attached to the container body; the first filter is the filter, 5. The ink supply container according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein the second filter is a mesh filter. (Configuration 6) The ink supply container according to any one of configurations 2 to 5, wherein the opening has a diameter of 1 mm or less. (Configuration 7) 7. The ink supply container according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the filter member is detachable from the nozzle. (Configuration 8) 8. The ink supply container according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the ink containing member is made of a stretchable material. (Configuration 9) 9. The ink supply container according to claim 8, wherein the elastic material contains at least one of butyl rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, and a thermoplastic elastomer. (Method 1) A method for remanufacturing an ink supply container according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, comprising: removing the used nozzle and the used ink containing member from the container body of the used ink supply container; attaching a new ink containing member to the container body; filling a new ink containing member with ink; attaching a new nozzle to the container body; A method for remanufacturing an ink supply container having the above structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: filter, 11: inkjet printer, 200: ink supply container, 700: ink bag, 702: spout, 300: container body, 600: nozzle, 612: ink flow path, 610: opening

Claims

1. An ink supply container for supplying ink to a recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a bag-shaped ink containing member capable of containing ink, the ink containing member having a spout through which the contained ink can be poured out; a container body capable of accommodating the ink containing member in a state in which ink can be poured out from the pouring outlet; a nozzle detachable from the container body, the nozzle having an ink flow path that communicates with the outlet when attached to the container body, and an opening that opens the ink flow path to the outside; and The ink supply container is characterized in that the ink flow path is provided with a filter member capable of capturing foreign matter contained in the ink flowing in from the outlet.

2. 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, wherein the filter member has a filter having a flat substrate and a plurality of openings formed in the substrate.

3. 3. The ink supply container according to claim 2, wherein the filter has a plurality of protrusions provided between the plurality of openings in the substrate, the protrusions protruding in a direction toward the container body when the nozzle is attached to the container body.

4. 2. The ink supply container according to claim 1, wherein the filter member has a filter including a flat substrate, a plurality of recesses provided on a surface of the substrate that faces the container body when the nozzle is attached to the container body, and a plurality of openings provided on the bottom of each of the plurality of recesses.

5. the filter member has a two-layer structure including a first filter and a second filter located farther from the container body than the first filter when the nozzle is attached to the container body, the first filter is the filter, 5. The ink supply container according to claim 2, wherein the second filter is a mesh filter.

6. 5. The ink supply container according to claim 2, wherein the opening has a diameter of 1 mm or less.

7. 5. The ink supply container according to claim 1, wherein the filter member is detachable from the nozzle.

8. 5. The ink supply container according to claim 1, wherein the ink containing member is made of a stretchable material.

9. 9. The ink supply container according to claim 8, wherein the elastic material contains at least one of butyl rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, and a thermoplastic elastomer.

10. A method for remanufacturing an ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: removing the used nozzle and the used ink containing member from the container body of the used ink supply container; attaching a new ink containing member to the container body; filling a new ink containing member with ink; attaching a new nozzle to the container body; A method for remanufacturing an ink supply container having the above structure.

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