Ink refill container

Abstract

This invention provides a technology that can prevent a cap with a protrusion from being mistakenly attached to a different type of ink outlet forming section. [Solution] The ink refill container comprises a container body, an ink outlet forming part, and a cap. The ink outlet forming part comprises an outlet part, a protruding part, a positioning part, and a male screw part. The protruding part has an upper protruding part, a positioning part, and a lower protruding part. The lower protruding part has a protruding body part and a notch. The projection of the cap is spaced apart from the protruding body part at a position opposite the notch.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an example of an inkjet device, a printer that can print on a printing medium such as printing paper by discharging ink from a print head toward the printing medium is known. Such printers include an ink supply type that replenishes ink into an ink tank. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose an ink supply container used to replenish ink into an ink supply type ink tank.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the ink supply container has a slit valve for opening and closing the ink outlet of the ink outlet forming portion. The slit valve is made of an elastic member such as a silicon film, and a plurality of slits are provided. This slit valve is opened by being pushed and expanded inward when the printer's needle is inserted. Also, in the cap-attached state where the cap is attached to the ink outlet forming portion of the cap, the slit valve and the protruding portion protruding from the central portion of the cap are separated from each other, and the valve-closed state is maintained.

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Document 2, the ink supply container has an outlet valve unit in which an ink flow path is formed. The outlet valve unit has a spring member, a sealing part, and a valve body to open and close the ink flow path. The sealing part has a through hole that forms part of the ink flow path. The spring member biases the valve body toward the sealing part, causing the valve body to come into contact with the sealing part so as to close the through hole. As a result, the outlet valve unit is in a closed state.

[0006] In this case, to suppress the rise in internal pressure of the ink supply container due to temperature and pressure changes when the cap is attached, the technology described in Patent Document 2 has a projection formed in the center of the cap. The valve body is pushed away from the sealing part by the projection, thereby maintaining the valve in the open state.

[0007] If the cap of the ink supply container disclosed in Patent Document 2 is mistakenly attached to the ink outlet forming part of the ink supply container of Patent Document 1, the projection of the cap will push open the slit valve, applying an external force to the slit valve. If the external force from the projection continues to be applied to the slit valve, the slit valve may creep deform, reducing the valve's opening and closing function, which may cause ink to leak out of the supply container body. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can prevent the mistaken attachment of a cap with a projection to a different type of ink outlet forming part. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an ink supply container is provided for supplying ink to a printer, comprising: an ink introduction member having a flow path communicating with an ink tank and extending vertically; a receiving surface extending horizontally; a first hole opening in the receiving surface, the first hole in which the ink introduction member is disposed; and a pair of second holes opening in the receiving surface, the second holes being arranged on either side of the first hole. The ink supply container comprises: a container body configured to contain ink; an ink outlet forming portion connected to the container body; and a cap detachably configured to be attached to the ink outlet forming portion, wherein the ink outlet forming portion is configured to allow the ink introduction member to be inserted and has an outlet portion having a central axis; a projection portion located in the region outside the outlet portion in a direction intersecting the central axis, extending axially along the central axis, and configured so that a portion of it is inserted into the second hole; and a positioning bracket located in the region outside the outlet portion in a direction intersecting the central axis, configured to contact the receiving surface when the ink introduction member is inserted into the outlet portion. The cap comprises a male screw portion and, when the outlet portion is facing upward in an upright position, a male screw portion disposed below the protruding portion. The protruding portion has, when the upright position is an upright position, an upper protruding portion located above the positioning portion and a lower protruding portion located below the positioning portion. The lower protruding portion has a protruding body portion and a notch portion recessed toward the central axis. The cap has a top wall and a cylindrical side wall having the central axis. The inner surface of the side wall has a female screw portion configured to screw into the male screw portion, and a projection is disposed above the female screw portion when the top wall is positioned above the side wall. The projection is spaced apart from the protruding body portion at a position opposite the notch portion. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the printer in the embodiment. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing the process of replenishing ink in an ink tank using an ink refill container. [Figure 3] A view of the ink storage unit with the lid open, seen from the receiving side. [Figure 4] Exploded perspective view of the ink supply container. [Figure 5] First perspective view of the spring valve. [Figure 6] Second perspective view of the spring valve. [Figure 7] Perspective view of the ink tank. [Figure 8] Front view of the ink supply container in the upright state. [Figure 9] Perspective view of the ink supply container. [Figure 10] Plan view of the ink supply container. [Figure 11] First perspective view of the cap. [Figure 12] Second perspective view of the cap. [Figure 13] Cross-sectional view showing the supply state of replenishing ink. [Figure 14] Partial cross-sectional view of the ink supply container. [Figure 15] Diagram for explaining the ink supply container of the reference example. [Figure 16] Diagram for explaining the detailed structure of the female thread portion of the cap. [Figure 17] Diagram for explaining the detailed configuration of the protrusion. [Figure 18] First diagram for explaining the protrusion. [Figure 19] Second diagram for explaining the protrusion.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] A. Embodiment: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the printer 100 in an embodiment. This printer 100 is an inkjet printer that prints by ejecting ink onto a printing medium. Figure 1 shows mutually orthogonal XYZ axes. The X axis corresponds to the width direction of the printer 100, the Y axis corresponds to the front-to-back direction of the printer 100, and the Z axis corresponds to the height direction of the printer 100. The printer 100 is installed on a horizontal mounting surface defined by the X and Y directions. Note that "X direction" refers to the combined concept of the +X direction and the -X direction. Similarly, "Y direction" refers to the combined concept of the +Y direction and the -Y direction, and "Z direction" refers to the up and down direction, and refers to the combined concept of the vertically upward direction (+Z direction) and the vertically downward direction (-Z direction).

[0011] The printer 100 has a housing 110. Inside the housing 110 is a carriage (not shown) that is movable in the main scanning direction, which is the X direction. A print head that ejects ink onto the printing medium is installed on the carriage. An ink tank housing unit 160 that houses multiple ink tanks 700S and 700L is provided at one end of the front of the housing 110. The ink tank housing unit 160 has an openable and closable lid 162 on its top. Note that the ink tank 700S is a small-capacity tank, and the ink tank 700L is a large-capacity tank. However, in the following description, the two will not be distinguished and will simply be referred to as "ink tank 700". Each ink tank 700 is connected to the print head on the carriage by a tube (not shown). That is, the ink tanks 700 are stationary ink tanks that are not mounted on the carriage of the printer 100. Also, each ink tank 700 is an ink-replenishment type ink tank in which ink is replenished from an ink replenishment container when the ink level drops. In this embodiment, the ink tank 700 is a stationary ink tank, but it may also be mounted on the carriage of the printer 100.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which ink is replenished from an ink supply container 200 to an ink tank 700. The front surface of each ink tank 700 is formed of a transparent member, and the remaining ink amount in each ink tank 700 is visible from the outside. When the remaining ink amount decreases, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid 162 can be opened, and ink can be replenished from an ink introduction member 710 having a flow path communicating with the ink tank 700. The ink introduction member 710 is a cylindrical member extending in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction.

[0013] On the upper surface of each ink tank 700, a cylindrical ink introduction member 710 for replenishing ink to the ink tank 700 is provided. The ink tank housing unit 160 includes a sealing cap member 164 having a sealing cap 165 for sealing the tip of the ink introduction member 710. In a state where ink is not replenished to the ink tank 700, the tip of the ink introduction member 710 is sealed with the sealing cap 165 of the sealing cap member 164. When replenishing ink to the ink tank 700, the sealing cap member 164 is removed from the ink introduction member 710, and the tip of the ink supply container 200 is inserted into the position of the ink introduction member 710 to replenish ink. Around the ink introduction member 710, two inlet forming portions 750 that fit with a supply-side identification portion (to be described later) of the ink supply container 200 are provided. The two inlet forming portions 750 have a shape that is rotationally symmetric by 180 degrees about the ink introduction member 710.

[0014] In this specification, the term "ink replenishment" means an operation of supplying ink to the ink tank 700 to increase the remaining ink amount. However, it is not necessary to fill the ink tank 700 with ink by "ink replenishment". Also, "ink replenishment" includes an operation of filling an empty ink tank 700 with ink at the first use of the printer 100. As described above, the ink supply container 200 replenishes ink to the ink tank 700 via an ink introduction member 710 having a flow path communicating with the ink tank 700.

[0015] Figure 3 is a view of the ink tank housing unit 160 with the lid 162 open, as seen from the receiving surface 168 side. The receiving surface 168 is a horizontal plane and forms the upper surface when the lid 162 of the ink tank housing unit 160 is open. The receiving surface 168 has an inlet forming portion 750 that surrounds the ink introduction member 710. The inlet forming portion 750 is a bottomed recess or through hole. The area 169 of the receiving surface 168 enclosed by the inlet forming portion 750 and the dotted line is the surface that the positioning portion of the ink supply container 200, described later, contacts when the ink supply container 200 is used to supply ink to the ink tank 700. The contact of the receiving surface 168 with the positioning portion of the ink supply container 200 determines the vertical position of the ink supply container 200 relative to the ink tank 700 during ink supply. Here, it can also be said that the inlet forming portion 750 is open to the receiving surface 168.

[0016] The inlet forming section 750 has a first hole 748 and a pair of second holes 747 that open into the receiving surface 168. The first hole 748 has a roughly circular shape. The ink introduction member 710 is positioned in the first hole 748. The pair of second holes 747 are positioned on both sides of the first hole 748 in the Y direction, which is the front-to-back direction. Each of the pair of second holes 747 has a roughly rectangular shape.

[0017] Each of the pair of second holes 747 has a tank identification member 754 for identifying an ink supply container 200 that can be connected to the corresponding ink introduction member 710. The tank identification member 754 is a raised and recessed portion whose pattern is defined by multiple ribs. If an incorrect ink supply container 200, such as one with a different ink color, is attempted to be inserted into the ink introduction member 710, the tank identification member 754 and the supply-side identification member of the ink supply container 200 (described later) will collide during the insertion process. This will interrupt the insertion process. On the other hand, if the correct ink supply container 200 is attempted to be inserted into the ink introduction member 710, the tank identification member 754 and the supply-side identification member will not collide, and the insertion process can continue.

[0018] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink supply container 200 in the embodiment. Figure 5 is a first perspective view of the spring valve 500. Figure 6 is a second perspective view of the spring valve 500. As shown in Figure 4, the ink supply container 200 comprises a container body 300, an ink outlet forming part 400, a spring valve 500, and a cap 600.

[0019] The container body 300 is configured to hold ink. The ink outlet forming section 400 is connected to the container body 300. The ink outlet forming section 400 forms an ink outlet 460 on the side opposite to the container body 300. The outlet 460 is cylindrical in shape so that an ink introduction member 710 can be inserted. The ink outlet forming section 400, including the outlet 460, has the same central axis C as the ink supply container 200.

[0020] The spring valve 500 is located inside the ink outlet forming section 400. The spring valve 500 opens when the ink introduction member 710 is inserted from the outlet section 460, and closes when the ink introduction member 710 is removed from the outlet section 460. The cap 600 is configured to be detachably attached to the ink outlet forming section 400.

[0021] The upper end of the ink supply container 200, which is the cap 600 side, is called the "tip side," and the lower end, which is the container body 300 side, is called the "rear end side." The container body 300 is a hollow cylindrical container with an opening at the tip side. An external thread 312 for attaching the ink outlet forming part 400 is provided at the small diameter portion at the tip of the container body 300. In this disclosure, the direction along the central axis C of the ink supply container 200, that is, the direction parallel to the central axis C, is called the "axial direction," and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is called the "radial direction." The direction in the axial direction from the rear end side of the container body 300 toward the outlet part 460 located at the tip side is also called the first direction D1. The direction opposite to the first direction D1 is called the second direction D2.

[0022] An outlet portion 460 is provided at the tip of the ink outlet forming portion 400. The ink outlet forming portion 400 is connected to the container body portion 300 and includes a cylindrical portion 420 having the outlet portion 460. A spring valve 500 is installed inside the cylindrical portion 420. Therefore, the spring valve 500 can also be considered as a component that constitutes part of the ink outlet forming portion 400. When replenishing ink to the ink tank 700, the ink introduction member 710 of the ink tank 700, as shown in Figure 2, is inserted into the outlet portion 460.

[0023] The spring valve 500 comprises a valve housing 517, a spring member 530, a valve body 520, and a seal portion 510. The valve housing 517 shown in Figure 4 allows the ink introduction member 710 to be inserted and removed. The valve housing 517 extends axially along the central axis C. The valve housing 517 is installed inside the cylindrical portion 420 such that there is a radial gap between it and the cylindrical portion 420. The valve housing 517 houses the spring member 530, the valve body 520, and the seal portion 510 internally. As shown in Figure 5, the valve housing 517 has a retaining portion 517A at its tip to prevent the seal portion 510 from coming out of the valve housing 517, and an engaging portion 517B with the cylindrical portion 420. Therefore, the spring valve 500 can be attached and detached as an element of the ink supply container 200 on its own, making it easy to manufacture.

[0024] The spring member 530 shown in Figure 4 is supported by the valve housing 517 within the valve housing 517. The spring member 530 is housed at the rear end of the valve housing 517, which is in the second axial direction D2. The spring member 530 can be made of, for example, metal. In this embodiment, the spring member 530 is a coil spring. The spring member 530 biases the valve body 520 in the first axial direction D1 toward the outlet portion 460. In other words, the spring member 530 biases the valve body 520 toward the seal portion 510.

[0025] The valve body 520 is positioned within the valve housing 517 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The valve body 520 opens and closes the flow path that connects the container body 300 and the through hole 510h of the seal portion 510. The valve body 520 is located axially on the outlet portion 460 side of the spring member 530. The valve body 520 is biased by the spring member 530 in the first direction D1. The valve body 520 faces the seal portion 510 in the axial direction.

[0026] The seal portion 510 shown in Figure 4 is supported by the valve housing 517 inside the valve housing 517. In other words, the seal portion 510 is installed inside the valve housing 517. The seal portion 510 is formed of an elastic material. The seal portion 510 is formed of a rubber material such as an elastomer with rubber elasticity. The elements of the ink supply container 200 other than the spring member 530 and the seal portion 510 can be formed of synthetic resins such as polyethylene or polypropylene. The seal portion 510 is located axially closer to the outlet portion 460 than the valve body 520. The seal portion 510 is annular in shape. A through hole 510h is formed in the seal portion 510 that penetrates axially. The ink introduction member 710 is inserted into and removed from the through hole 510h axially.

[0027] In the spring valve 500, the spring member 530 biases the valve body 520 toward the seal portion 510. In other words, the spring member 530 maintains the state of the spring valve 500 in a closed state where the valve body 520 contacts the seal portion 510 so as to close the through hole 510h of the seal portion 510.

[0028] As shown in Figure 6, the valve housing 517 has a total of four through-holes Ho that penetrate radially. The through-holes Ho communicate with the radial gap between the valve housing 517 and the valve body 520. The through-holes Ho are also formed to extend axially. When the valve is open, the through-holes Ho communicate with a flow path formed inside the ink introduction member 710 (described later), thereby facilitating gas-liquid exchange between the ink introduction member 710 and the ink supply container 200. This allows ink to be supplied from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 700.

[0029] The configuration of the ink tank 700 will be described before further detailing of the ink supply container 200. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the ink tank 700 of the embodiment. The ink introduction member 710 of the ink tank 700 protrudes upward from the ink tank 700. The ink introduction member 710 has a side surface 717 and a tip surface 715.

[0030] The ink introduction member 710 has two flow paths 711 and 712. The two flow paths 711 and 712 are separated by a partition wall 714. When replenishing ink, one of the flow paths 711 and 712 constitutes the flow path for ink from the ink replenishment container 200, and the other constitutes the flow path for air from the ink tank 700 to the ink replenishment container 200. Note that the number of flow paths 711 and 712 in the ink introduction member 710 is not limited to two; there may be three or more.

[0031] The tip 715 of the ink introduction member 710 is flat, and the two flow paths 711 and 712 open at the tip 715 of the ink introduction member 710. Also, a portion of the tip 715 of the ink introduction member 710 corresponds to the end of the partition wall 714. The two flow paths 711 and 712 communicate with two internal tank flow paths 721 and 722 that protrude into the ink storage chamber 760 below. The lower ends of these internal tank flow paths 721 and 722 extend below the ceiling wall of the ink storage chamber 760. The reason for this is that when replenishing ink from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 700, when the liquid level in the ink storage chamber 760 reaches the lower ends of the internal tank flow paths 721 and 722, gas-liquid exchange stops, and ink replenishment stops accordingly, making the ink replenishment process easy.

[0032] The detailed structure of the ink supply container 200 will be explained using the figures from Figure 8 onwards. Figure 8 is a front view of the ink supply container 200 in its upright position. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the ink supply container 200. Figure 10 is a plan view of the ink supply container 200. The ink supply container 200 shown in Figures 8 to 10 is in the state with the cap 600 removed. "Upright position of the ink supply container 200" means that the outlet 460 is facing upwards, and the container body 300 is placed on a horizontal surface such as a desk with the bottom facing downwards. "Outlet 460 facing upwards" means that the direction in which the outlet 460 opens is vertically upwards. As shown in Figure 2 above, ink is supplied to the ink tank 700 in an inverted state with the tip of the ink supply container 200 facing downwards.

[0033] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the ink outlet forming portion 400 of the ink supply container 200 has an outlet portion 460, a protruding portion 470, a positioning portion 452, and a base end portion 457 on which a male thread portion 454 is formed.

[0034] The protrusions 470 are located in the area outside the outlet portion 460 in a direction intersecting the central axis C. More specifically, the protrusions 470 project radially outward from the side wall of the outlet portion 460. Two protrusions 470 are provided at positions opposite each other on either side of the outlet portion 460. The protrusions 470 extend to have a constant dimension in the axial direction. The protrusions 470 are configured so that a portion of them is inserted into the second hole 747 shown in Figure 3. The portion inserted into the second hole 747 is the upper protrusion 471, which will be described later, located on the first direction D1 side of the protrusion 470.

[0035] Each of the two protrusions 470 has an upper protrusion 471 and a lower protrusion 476. The upper protrusion 471 is located above the positioning portion 452 when the outlet portion 460 is facing upward. The upper protrusion 471 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape. In the axial direction, the end of the upper protrusion 471 on the first direction D1 side is located slightly towards the first direction D1 side than the outlet portion 460. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the upper protrusion 471 has a replenishment side identification portion 450 formed thereon, which corresponds to the tank identification member 754 shown in Figure 3. The replenishment side identification portion 450 is formed as a groove that receives the tank identification member 754, which is formed by ribs. The shape of the replenishment side identification portion 450 differs depending on the type of ink contained in the ink replenishment container 200. In other words, the replenishment side identification portion 450 has an identification shape for identifying the type of ink contained in the container body portion 300.

[0036] During ink replenishment, the replenishment-side identification part 450 is inserted into or fitted into the tank identification member 754 shown in Figure 3, which is provided around the ink introduction member 710 of the ink tank 700, thereby positioning the ink replenishment container 200 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis C. Positioning is at least one of the following functions: for example, the ink replenishment container 200 for replenishing yellow ink is fitted into the inlet forming part 750 corresponding to the ink tank 700 that contains yellow ink, and the ink replenishment container 200 for replenishing other colored inks such as magenta ink or cyan ink cannot be fitted, thereby preventing accidental ink injection; and stabilizing the ink injection posture of the ink replenishment container 200. The function of preventing accidental ink injection is not limited to the color of the ink, but also prevents accidental injection of dye ink and pigment ink, for example, black ink. In this embodiment, the two replenishment-side identification parts 450 have a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetric with respect to the central axis C of the ink replenishment container 200. Similarly, the tank identification member 754 provided on the ink introduction member 710 of the ink tank 700 also has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical with respect to the ink introduction member 710. When replenishing ink, the orientation of the ink replenishing container 200 is limited to two orientations that are 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical by fitting the replenishing side identification part 450 of the ink replenishing container 200 into the tank identification member 754. As a result, it is possible to maintain the ink replenishing container 200 in a stable position when replenishing ink. However, the replenishing side identification part 450 is optional. Note that "fitting" includes loose fitting with a small gap between them.

[0037] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the upright position, the lower projection 476 is located below the positioning portion 452 and the upper projection 471. The lower projection 476 has a projection body portion 474 and a notch portion 477. The projection body portion 474 is a plate-like member with a smaller thickness than the upper projection portion 471. As shown in Figure 8, the projection length Pt2 of the projection body portion 474 that protrudes radially outward from the side surface of the outlet portion 460 is smaller than the projection length Pt1 of the upper projection portion 471 that protrudes radially outward from the side surface of the outlet portion 460. In other words, the lower projection 476 can be said to form a spatial region demarcated by a dotted line by the difference between the projection lengths Pt1 and Pt2. This spatial region can also be considered as a notch portion 477 that is recessed toward the central axis C. The notch portion 477 is a region that is recessed radially toward the central axis C than the upper projection portion 471.

[0038] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the positioning portion 452 is located in the area outside the outlet portion 460 in the radial direction intersecting the central axis C of the outlet portion 460. In the axial direction, the positioning portion 452 is located at the boundary between the upper projection 471 and the lower projection 476. The positioning portion 452 is configured to contact the receiving surface 168 shown in Figure 3 when the ink introduction member 710 is inserted into the outlet portion 460. The positioning portion 452 is a plane having an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the inlet forming portion 750 shown in Figure 3. The positioning portion 452 is a surface facing the first direction D1. As shown in Figure 10, the positioning portion 452 is located on both radial sides of the outlet portion 460. The positioning portion 452 contacting the receiving surface 168 determines the vertical position of the ink supply container 200 relative to the ink tank 700 during ink replenishment.

[0039] As shown in Figure 9, the base end portion 457 having the male threaded portion 454 is a cylindrical member. The base end portion 457 has a larger outer diameter than the outlet portion 460. When in the upright position, the base end portion 457 having the male threaded portion 454 is positioned below the protruding portion 470. The outer circumferential surface of the base end portion 457 has a male threaded portion 454 that screws into the cap 600. The male threaded portion 454 is composed of multiple stages of male threads. The inner circumferential surface of the base end portion 457 has a screw that screws into the external thread 312 of the container body portion 300 shown in Figure 4.

[0040] Figure 11 is a first perspective view of the cap 600. Figure 12 is a second perspective view of the cap 600. The detailed configuration of the cap 600 will be explained mainly using Figures 4, 11, and 12. As shown in Figure 4, the cap 600 has a top wall 601 that faces the outlet 460 in the axial direction, and a cylindrical side wall 603 having a central axis C. The top wall 601 is located at the very top when the ink supply container 200 is in an upright position.

[0041] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the inner surface 603fi of the side wall 603 is provided with a female threaded portion 654 and two protrusions 630. The female threaded portion 654 is configured to screw into the male threaded portion 454 of the ink outlet forming portion 400 shown in Figure 9. The female threaded portion 654 is composed of multiple stages of female threads 654a, 654b, 654c, 654d, and 654e. Each stage of female threads 654a, 654b, 654c, 654d, and 654e is approximately half a turn or less in length on the inner surface 603fi of the side wall 603, and does not extend circumferentially.

[0042] The two protrusions 630 are located above the female thread portion 654 when the top wall 601 is positioned on the side wall 603, i.e., in the upright position. When distinguishing between the two protrusions 630, the reference numerals 630A and 630B are used. The two protrusions 630A and 630B have the same shape. The two protrusions 630A and 630B project radially inward from the inner surface 603fi of the side wall 603. The two protrusions 630A and 630B are provided in radially opposing positions. The two protrusions 630A and 630B are elements to prevent the cap 600 from being mistakenly attached to an ink supply container of the type in which the ink flow path is opened and closed by a slit valve with a different slit than the spring valve 500 in Figure 4. The details of this will be described later.

[0043] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the replenishment state in which ink is supplied from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 700. In this replenishment state, the ink supply container 200 is inverted. The ink introduction member 710 of the ink tank 700 is inserted into the tubular flow path 410, which is the fluid flow path within the ink outlet forming section 400, through the through hole 510h of the seal section 510. As a result, the valve body 520 is displaced in a second direction D2, which is away from the seal section 510, by the ink introduction member 710, causing the valve body 520 to separate from the seal section 510. This causes the spring valve 500 to open. The ink in the container body 300 is supplied to the ink introduction member 710 through the tubular flow path 410, which is formed by the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical section 420 and the valve housing 517, and air flows into the container body 300 from the ink storage chamber 760. This causes a gas-liquid exchange, and ink is supplied to the ink tank 700. In Figure 13, the solid arrows schematically represent the flow of ink, and the dotted arrows schematically represent the flow of air.

[0044] When the ink supply to the ink tank 700 is complete and the ink supply container 200 is removed from the ink introduction member 710, the biasing force of the spring member 530 causes the valve body 520 to contact the seal portion 510. As a result, the through hole 510h of the seal portion 510 is blocked by the valve body 520, causing the spring valve 500 to close. When the spring valve 500 is closed, it is possible to prevent the ink from leaking out of the ink supply container 200. Note that when supplying ink from the ink supply container 200 to the ink tank 700, it is not necessary to compress the container body 300. Ink supply containers that can be supplied with ink without compressing the container body 300 in this way are also called "non-compression type" containers.

[0045] Figure 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ink supply container 200. Figure 14 shows the cap 600 attached to the ink outlet forming section 400 and the cap 600 in a closed state. The cap 600 has a central projection 602 that protrudes from the central part of the top wall 601 toward the valve body 520. When the cap 600 is attached to the ink outlet forming section 400, i.e., when the cap 600 is closed, the central projection 602 presses the valve body 520 in a second direction D2, which is away from the seal section 510. In other words, when the cap 600 is closed, the valve body 520 is pushed by the central projection 602 in a second direction D2, which is opposite to the biasing direction of the spring member 530. As a result, the valve body 520 separates from the seal section 510 and the spring valve 500 opens. This open state is maintained from the closed state of the cap 600 until a predetermined point in the process of opening the cap 600. In detail, the open state using the central projection 602 is maintained until a predetermined point in time when the cap 600 is rotated around the central axis C and a gap is formed between the cap 600 and the ink outlet forming part 400. This allows the internal pressure of the container body 300 to be reduced by releasing the inside of the container body 300 to the atmosphere during the opening process of the cap 600 when the pressure inside the container body 300 rises due to changes in atmospheric pressure or temperature. In other words, by providing a cap 600 with projection 630, when the internal pressure of the ink supply container 200 rises due to changes in temperature or atmospheric pressure, the area where the internal pressure has risen can be released to the atmosphere when opening the cap 600 from a closed state, thereby preventing ink from spraying out.

[0046] Furthermore, the projection 630 formed on the inner surface 603fi of the side wall 603 of the cap 600 is spaced apart from the protruding main body portion 474 at a position opposite the notch portion 477 without interfering with it. In the cap-attached state shown in Figure 14, a part of the projection 630 is located within the notch portion 477, and the projection 630 is spaced apart from the protruding main body portion 474. In addition, the projection 630 passes through the notch portion 477, which is a spatial area, without interfering with the protruding main body portion 474 during the process of attaching the cap 600 to the ink outlet forming portion 400 or during the opening process. As a result, the cap 600 having the projection 630 can be attached to and detached from the ink outlet forming portion 400.

[0047] Furthermore, in the axial direction, the notch dimension M1, which is the dimension of the notch portion 477, and the projection dimension M2 of the projection 630 have the relationship expressed by the following formula (1). M1>P×N+M2 Formula (1) Here, "P" is the pitch of the male thread portion 454, and "N" is the number of turns of engagement between the male thread portion 454 and the female thread portion 654. In other words, "P × N" represents the engagement length between the male thread portion 454 and the female thread portion 654.

[0048] Furthermore, the "P × N" in equation (1) above can also be said to represent the distance the projection 630 moves axially from the initial mounting point when the male thread portion 454 and the female thread portion 654 begin to engage when closing the cap 600, to the completion point when the cap 600 is fully mounted to the ink outlet forming portion 400. In other words, having the relationship in equation (1) above means that during the mounting operation period of the cap 600 and the removal operation period of the cap 600, the projection 630 can pass through the notch portion 477 or be positioned within the notch portion 477 without interfering with the upper projection portion 471 or the projection body portion 474. The mounting operation period is the period from the initial mounting point to the completion of mounting. The removal operation period is the period from the completion of mounting of the cap 600 to the point when the engagement between the male thread portion 454 and the female thread portion 654 is released. As described above, the ink supply container 200 has the relationship shown in formula (1) above, so that when the male threaded portion 454 and the female threaded portion 654 are screwed together, or when the male threaded portion 454 and the female threaded portion 654 are released from being screwed together, the projection 630 can pass through the notch portion 477 or the projection 630 can be positioned within the notch portion 477. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the attachment and detachment operation of the cap 600 to the ink outlet forming portion 400 from being obstructed.

[0049] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example ink supply container 200t. The differences between the ink supply container 200t and the ink supply container 200t are the shape of the protrusion 470t of the ink outlet forming portion 400t and the presence of a slit valve 510t instead of a spring valve 500. Other components are the same, so components identical to those in the ink supply container 200 are given the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0050] Figure 15 illustrates the case where the cap 600 for the ink outlet forming section 400 is mistakenly attached to the ink outlet forming section 400t. The slit valve 510t is a disc-shaped valve made of a rubber material with rubber elasticity, such as an elastomer. Multiple slits are formed in the slit valve 510t. Each slit extends radially from the center of the slit valve. The slit valve 510t is normally in a closed state. On the other hand, when the ink introduction member 710 is inserted into the ink outlet forming section 400t from the outlet section 460, the slit valve 510t is pushed open by the ink introduction member 710 and opens. The slit valve 510t also opens when the internal pressure of the container body section 300 rises above a certain level due to temperature or pressure changes.

[0051] The protruding portion 470t of the ink outlet forming portion 400t has an element corresponding to the upper protruding portion 471 shown in Figure 14 that extends to the portion corresponding to the lower protruding portion 476. In other words, the protruding portion 470t does not have a notch portion 477 and has a constant protruding length Pt1 from the side surface of the outlet portion 460. The protruding length Pt1 of the protruding portion 470t is, for example, the same as the protruding length Pt1 of the upper protruding portion 471 shown in Figure 8.

[0052] If the cap 600 for the ink outlet forming section 400t is mistakenly attached to the ink outlet forming section 400t, the central projection 602 will push open the slit valve 510t, and an external force from the central projection 602 will continue to be applied to the slit valve 510t while the cap is attached. This may cause the slit valve 510t to creep deform, reducing its opening and closing function and potentially causing ink to leak out of the container body 300. On the other hand, if the cap 600 is mistakenly attached to the ink outlet forming section 400t, the attachment operation can be prevented as follows. That is, if the user rotates the cap 600 around the central axis C relative to the ink outlet forming section 400t in order to close the cap 600, the projection 630 will collide with the protruding part 470t, preventing the attachment operation of rotating the cap 600. This reduces the possibility of the cap 600 being mistakenly attached to the ink supply container 200t having the ink outlet forming section 400t. Furthermore, the correct cap fitted to the ink outlet forming section 400t does not have the projection 630. Also, the correct cap either does not have the central projection 602, or has a central projection 602 that is not long enough to open the slit valve 501t when the cap 600 is fitted.

[0053] Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating the detailed structure of the female thread portion 654 of the cap 600. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the female thread portion 654 has multiple female threads 654a, 654b, 654c, 654d, and 654e arranged at different positions in the axial direction. Of the multiple female threads 654a, 654b, 654c, 654d, and 654e, the female thread 654a that is located furthest from the top wall 601 in the axial direction is designated as the first stage female thread 654a. Furthermore, of the threads of the female thread 654, the side facing the top wall 601 is designated as the top surface 654fa, and the side opposite to the top surface 654fa is designated as the bottom surface 654fb. In the above case, in the first-stage female thread 654a, the angle A1 formed by the plane HL perpendicular to the central axis C and the top surface of the thread 654fa is greater than the angle A2 formed by the plane HL and the bottom surface of the thread 654fb. In other words, in the first-stage female thread 654a, the degree of inclination of the top surface of the thread 654fa is gentler than the degree of inclination of the bottom surface of the thread 654fb. For example, angle A1 is 50 degrees or more, preferably 60 degrees or more, and more preferably around 70 degrees.

[0054] Here, if a user attempts to attach the cap 600 to the ink outlet forming section 400 in a position different from the correct position, for example, in a tilted position, the engagement between the first stage female thread 654a of the female thread 654 and the male thread 454 may not occur correctly during the cap 600 attachment process. In this case, a so-called deadlock state may occur, restricting the rotational operation for attaching or detaching the cap 600, making it impossible to attach or detach the cap 600. In this case, the angle A1 between the plane HL and the upper thread surface 654fa of the first stage female thread 654a is greater than the angle A2 between the plane HL and the lower thread surface 654fb of the first stage female thread 654a. Therefore, when the cap 600 is pulled up in the first direction D1 away from the ink outlet forming section 400, the engagement between the upper thread surface 654fa of the first stage female thread 654a and the male thread 454 can be released. Thus, the cap 600 in the deadlock state can be removed from the ink outlet forming section 400.

[0055] In this embodiment, the female threads 654b to 654e from the second to fifth stages have the same shape, and their shape differs from that of the female thread 654a from the first stage. In the female threads 654b to 654e from the second to fifth stages, the angle A3 between the top surface 654fa of the thread and the plane HL is smaller than the angle A4 between the bottom surface 654fb of the thread and the plane HL.

[0056] Figure 17 is a diagram illustrating the detailed configuration of the projection 630. Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the cap 600 as viewed in the axial direction. For example, in Figure 17, the cap 600 is viewed from the second direction D2 side in the axial direction, that is, from the opening side facing the top wall 601 of the cap 600.

[0057] The projection 630 has an asymmetrical shape when viewed in the axial direction. The projection 630 has a top surface 635 located radially inward, a first projection surface 631, and a second projection surface 632. The top surface 635 is the part of the side wall 603 furthest from the inner surface 603fi and is the top of the projection 630. The first projection surface 631 is a surface that extends from one end 635e1 of the top surface 635 to the inner surface 603fi. That is, when the cap 600 is viewed in the axial direction, the first projection surface 631 has an end 635e1 and an end 631e1 connected to the inner surface 603fi. The first projection surface 631 is located on the side that rotates the cap 600 in the closing direction DC. The second projection surface 632 is a surface that extends from the other end 635e2 of the top surface 635 to the inner surface 603fi. In other words, when the cap 600 is viewed in the axial direction, the second projection surface 632 has an end portion 635e2 and an end portion 632e2 connected to the inner surface 603fi. The second projection surface 632 is located on the side that rotates the cap 600 in the opening direction DO. The first projection surface 631 and the second projection surface 632 may each be a flat surface, a curved surface, a combination of multiple flat surfaces, a combination of multiple curved surfaces, or a combination of a flat surface and a curved surface.

[0058] Viewing the cap 600 in the axial direction, the inclination angle of the second projection surface 632 is gentler than the inclination angle of the first projection surface 631. That is, viewing the cap 600 in the axial direction, the angle Aa between the reference direction SD perpendicular to the top surface 635 and the first projection surface 631 is smaller than the angle Ab between the reference direction SD and the second projection surface 632. The top surface 635 may be a flat surface or a curved surface. If the top surface 635 is a curved surface, the reference direction SD is the direction perpendicular to the virtual plane connecting the ends 635e1 and 635e2. The angle Aa is, for example, 30 degrees or less. The angle Aa may also be less than zero. That is, the first projection surface 631 may extend from the end 635e1 toward the inner surface 603fi toward the dotted line indicating the reference direction SD drawn in Figure 17. The angle Ab is, for example, in the range of 30 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less.

[0059] Figure 18 is the first diagram illustrating the projection 630. Figure 19 is the second diagram illustrating the projection 630. Figures 18 and 19 show schematic diagrams of the case when the cap 600 is mistakenly attached to or detached from the ink outlet forming section 400t shown in Figure 15.

[0060] When a user attempts to attach a cap 600 to an ink outlet forming section 400t having a protrusion 470t, the cap 600 is rotated in the closing direction DC. In this case, as shown in Figure 18, the interference between the steeply inclined first projection surface 631 and the protrusion 470t increases, preventing the projection 630 from overcoming the protrusion 470t and rotating the cap 600 in the closing direction DC. This makes it easier to notice when attempting to mistakenly attach a cap 600 to a different, unsuitable ink outlet forming section 400t.

[0061] On the other hand, the second projection surface 632, which has a large angle Ab with respect to the reference direction SD and a gentle inclination angle, can easily overcome the protrusion 470t. Therefore, even if the first projection surface 631 overcomes the protrusion 470t, as shown in Figure 19, the user can easily overcome the second projection surface 632 by rotating the cap 600 in the opening direction DO. This allows the cap 600 to be removed from the incompatible ink outlet forming section 400t.

[0062] According to the above embodiment, if the cap 600 is to be attached to an ink outlet forming portion 400t where the protrusion 470t does not have a notch 477, the projection 630 will interfere with the protrusion 470t. Therefore, the user can easily realize that they are mistakenly trying to attach the cap 600 to an ink supply container 200t that has a different type of ink outlet forming portion 400t that is not compatible. This reduces the possibility of the cap 600 being mistakenly attached to a different type of ink outlet forming portion 400t. Furthermore, by reducing the possibility of the cap 600 being mistakenly attached to a different type of ink outlet forming portion 400t, it is possible to suppress the cap 600 from degrading the function of the different type of ink outlet forming portion 400t. For example, it is possible to suppress damage or deformation of the protrusion 470t without a notch 477 by forcibly attaching the cap 600 to a different type of ink outlet forming portion 400t. Furthermore, when a user attempts to attach the cap 600 to a suitable ink outlet forming section 400, the projection 630 of the cap 600 separates from the notch 477 of the lower projection 476 without interfering, allowing the cap 600 to be easily attached to the suitable ink outlet forming section 400. Therefore, since the cap 600 can be easily attached to a suitable ink outlet forming section 400, leakage of ink to the outside of the ink supply container 200 due to incomplete attachment of the cap 600 can be suppressed. In addition, since the upper projection 471 is longer in the direction intersecting the central axis C than the projection body portion 474 of the lower projection 476, the posture of the ink supply container 200 can be stabilized when the ink supply container 200 is attached to the printer 100 for ink replenishment. Furthermore, since the upper projection 471 is inserted into the rectangular second hole 747 shown in Figure 3 to assume the ink replenishment posture, a stable ink replenishment posture can be maintained as shown in Figure 2.

[0063] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, a refill-side identification portion 450, which has an identification shape, is formed on the upper protrusion 471. This allows the upper protrusion 471 to be used for identification to identify the type of ink contained in the container body portion 300.

[0064] B. Other embodiments: B-1. Other Embodiments 1: According to the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 11, 12, and 14, the position and number of protrusions 640 were two, located at radially opposing positions, but this is not limited to this. There may be one protrusion 640, or three or more, spaced equally in the circumferential direction. However, it is preferable that the number of protrusions 630 be two, located at radially opposing positions, as in the above embodiment. If there is only one protrusion 630, even if the cap 600 is mistakenly attached, it may be pushed to one side in the radial direction, causing the screw rotation of the cap 600. However, by providing two protrusions at radially opposing positions, this is more easily avoided. By providing two protrusions 630 at radially opposing positions, the possibility of the cap 600 being mistakenly attached to an incompatible ink outlet forming section 400t that does not have a notch 477 can be further reduced. Also, if there are too many protrusions 640, the number of protrusions 640 increases the possibility of them colliding with other elements of the ink supply container 200 during the attachment process, which may prevent the attachment operation from being performed smoothly.

[0065] B-2. Other Embodiments 2: In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 16, the shapes of the thread top surface 654fa and thread bottom surface 654fb of the first-stage female thread 654a differed from those of the other female threads 654b, 654c, 654d, and 654e, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the thread top surface 654fa and thread bottom surface 654fb of the multiple female threads 654a, 654b, 654c, 654d, and 654e may be the same.

[0066] C. Other forms: This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from its spirit. For example, this disclosure can also be implemented in the following forms. The technical features in the embodiments described below that correspond to the technical features in each of the forms described below can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the problems of this disclosure, or to achieve some or all of the effects of this disclosure. Furthermore, if such technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

[0067] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an ink supply container is provided for supplying ink to a printer, comprising: an ink introduction member having a flow path communicating with an ink tank and extending in the vertical direction; a receiving surface extending in the horizontal direction; a first hole opening in the receiving surface, the first hole in which the ink introduction member is disposed; and a pair of second holes opening in the receiving surface, the second holes being arranged on either side of the first hole. The ink supply container comprises: a container body configured to contain ink; an ink outlet forming portion connected to the container body; and a cap detachably configured to be attached to the ink outlet forming portion, wherein the ink outlet forming portion is configured to allow the ink introduction member to be inserted and has an outlet portion having a central axis; a projection portion located in the region outside the outlet portion in a direction intersecting the central axis, extending in the axial direction along the central axis, and configured so that a portion of it is inserted into the second hole; and a positioning bracket located in the region outside the outlet portion in a direction intersecting the central axis, configured to contact the receiving surface when the ink introduction member is inserted into the outlet portion. The cap comprises a male screw portion and, when the outlet portion is facing upward in an upright position, a male screw portion disposed below the protruding portion. The protruding portion has, when the upright position is an upright position, an upper protruding portion located above the positioning portion and a lower protruding portion located below the positioning portion. The lower protruding portion has a protruding body portion and a notch portion recessed toward the central axis. The cap has a top wall and a cylindrical side wall having the central axis. The inner surface of the side wall has a female screw portion configured to screw into the male screw portion, and a projection is disposed above the female screw portion when the top wall is positioned above the side wall. The projection is spaced apart from the protruding body portion at a position opposite the notch portion. According to the above configuration, if a user attempts to attach a cap to an ink outlet forming part that does not have a notch, the projection will interfere with the projection, allowing the user to easily realize that they are mistakenly trying to attach the cap to an ink refill container with a different type of ink outlet forming part. This reduces the possibility of the cap being mistakenly attached to a different type of ink outlet forming part. Furthermore, by reducing the possibility of the cap being mistakenly attached to a different type of ink outlet forming part, it is possible to prevent the cap from impairing the function of the different type of ink outlet forming part. For example, it is possible to prevent the projection without a notch from being damaged or deformed by being forcibly attached to a different type of ink outlet forming part. In addition, when a user attempts to attach a cap to a compatible ink outlet forming part, the projection of the cap will separate from the notch of the lower projection without interfering with it, allowing the cap to be easily attached to the compatible ink outlet forming part. Therefore, since the cap can be easily attached to a compatible ink outlet forming part, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking out of the ink refill container due to improper attachment of the cap. Furthermore, because the upper protrusion is longer than the main protrusion of the lower protrusion in the direction intersecting the central axis, the orientation of the ink refill container can be stabilized when the ink refill container is attached to the printer for ink replenishment.

[0068] (2) In the above embodiment, the notch dimension, which is the dimension of the notch portion, and the projection dimension of the projection may have the relationship expressed by the following formula (1) in the axial direction. M1>P×N+M2 Formula (1) Here, M1 is the notch dimension, P is the pitch of the male thread portion, N is the number of turns of engagement between the male thread portion and the female thread portion, and M2 is the projection dimension. According to the above configuration, since the ink supply container has the relationship shown in formula (1) above, when the male threaded portion and the female threaded portion are screwed together or when the male threaded portion and the female threaded portion are released, the projection can pass through the notch or be positioned inside the notch, thereby preventing obstruction to the operation of attaching and detaching the cap to the ink outlet forming portion.

[0069] (3) In the above configuration, the upper protrusion may have an identification shape for identifying the type of ink contained in the container body. According to the above configuration, the upper protrusion can be used for identification purposes to identify the type of ink.

[0070] (4) In the above embodiment, the female thread portion of the cap has a plurality of female threads, and among the plurality of female threads, the female thread located furthest from the top wall in the axial direction is designated as the first stage female thread, and among the threads of the female thread, the surface facing the top wall is designated as the top surface of the thread, and the surface opposite to the top surface of the thread is designated as the bottom surface of the thread, in the first stage female thread, the angle between the plane perpendicular to the central axis and the top surface of the thread may be greater than the angle between the plane and the bottom surface of the thread. Here, if the cap is attached to the ink outlet forming section in a position different from the correct position, for example, in a tilted position, the first stage of the female thread and the male thread may not engage correctly during the cap attachment process. In this case, a so-called deadlock state occurs, restricting the rotational operation for attaching and detaching the cap, and it may become impossible to attach or detach the cap. In this case, according to the above configuration, by making the angle between the plane and the top surface of the thread in the first stage of the female thread greater than the angle between the plane and the bottom surface of the thread, when the cap is pulled up away from the ink outlet forming section, the engagement between the top surface of the thread of the first stage of the female thread and the male thread can be released, allowing the deadlocked cap to be removed from the ink outlet forming section.

[0071] (5) In the above embodiment, the projection of the cap has an asymmetric shape when viewed in the axial direction, and the projection of the cap has a top surface that forms the top of the projection, a first projection surface on the side that rotates in the direction of closing the cap, and a second projection surface on the side that rotates in the direction of opening the cap, and when viewed in the axial direction, the angle between the reference direction perpendicular to the top surface and the first projection surface may be smaller than the angle between the reference direction and the second projection surface. According to the above embodiment, when rotating the cap in the direction of closing the cap on the ink supply container, the interference between the first projection surface and the protrusion increases, making it difficult for the projection to overcome the protrusion. As a result, the user is more likely to realize that they are trying to mistakenly attach the cap to a different type of incompatible ink outlet forming part. On the other hand, the second projection surface, which has a large angle with respect to the reference direction and a gentle inclination angle, can easily overcome the protrusion. Therefore, even if the first projection surface overcomes the protrusion, the user can remove the cap from the incompatible ink outlet forming part by rotating the cap in the direction of opening it.

[0072] (6) In the above embodiment, the invention further comprises a spring valve disposed inside the ink outlet forming portion, the spring valve comprising a seal portion having a through hole formed in the axial direction, a valve body facing the seal portion in the axial direction, and a spring member that biases the valve body toward the seal portion so as to close the through hole and cause the spring valve to be in a closed state, the cap having a central projection protruding from the top wall toward the valve body, and in the state in which the cap has been attached to the ink outlet forming portion, the valve body may be pushed by the central projection in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring member, thereby separating the valve body from the seal portion and causing the spring valve to be in an open state. According to the above configuration, when the cap is attached to the ink outlet forming part, the spring valve is in an open state, which suppresses the increase in pressure inside the container body due to environmental changes such as temperature changes and pressure changes.

[0073] This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than those described above. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a method for manufacturing an ink supply container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 100...Printer, 110...Housing, 160...Ink tank housing unit, 162...Lid, 164...Sealing cap member, 165...Sealing cap, 168...Receiving surface, 169...Area, 200, 200t...Ink refill container, 300...Container body, 312...External thread, 400, 400t...Ink outlet forming part, 410...Tubular flow path part, 420...Cylinder part, 450...Refill side identification part, 452...Position 454…Male threaded part, 457…Base end, 460…Outlet part, 470, 470t…Protruding part, 471…Upper protruding part, 474…Protruding main body part, 476…Lower protruding part, 477…Notch part, 500…Spring valve, 510…Seal part, 510h…Through hole, 510t…Slit valve, 517…Valve housing, 517A…Male threaded part, 517B…Engaging part, 520…Valve body, 530…Spring member, 600…Cap Top, 601...Top wall, 602...Central projection, 603...Side wall, 603fi...Inner surface, 630, 630A, 630B...Projection, 631...First projection surface, 632...Second projection surface, 635...Top surface, 640...Projection, 654...Female thread part, 654fa...Climbing surface, 654fb...Climbing surface, 700, 700L, 700S...Ink tank, 710...Ink introduction member, 711...Flow path, 714...Partition wall, 715 ...tip, 717...side, 721...internal flow path in the tank, 747...second hole, 748...first hole, 750...inlet forming part, 754...tank identification member, 760...ink storage chamber, 631e1...end, 635e1...end, 632e2...end, 635e2...end, C...central axis, D1...first direction, D2...second direction, DC...closing direction, DO...opening direction, HL...plane, Ho...through hole, SD...reference direction

Claims

1. An ink introduction member having a flow path that communicates with the ink tank and extending in the vertical direction, A receiving surface extending horizontally, A first hole opening in the receiving surface, the first hole in which the ink introduction member is arranged, A second hole opening into the receiving surface, comprising a pair of second holes arranged on either side of the first hole, An ink supply container for supplying ink to a printer equipped with, A container body configured to hold ink, The ink outlet forming section connected to the container body, A cap that is detachably configured to be attached to the ink outlet forming portion, Equipped with, The ink outlet forming section is, The aforementioned ink introduction member is configured to be inserted into an outlet portion having a central axis, A projection is positioned in the region outside the exit portion in a direction intersecting the central axis, extending in the axial direction along the central axis, and configured such that a portion of it is inserted into the second hole. A positioning portion is positioned in the region outside the outlet portion in a direction intersecting the central axis of the outlet portion, and is configured to contact the receiving surface when the ink introduction member is inserted into the outlet portion. When the outlet portion is facing upward, the system includes a male screw portion disposed below the protruding portion, The aforementioned protrusion has, when in the correct position, an upper protrusion located above the positioning portion and a lower protrusion located below the positioning portion. The lower projection has a projection body and a notch that is recessed toward the central axis. The aforementioned cap is It has a top wall and cylindrical side walls having the aforementioned central axis, On the inner surface of the side wall, there is a female threaded portion configured to screw into the male threaded portion, and a projection is provided above the female threaded portion when the top wall is positioned on the side wall. The aforementioned projection is spaced apart from the protruding main body portion at a position opposite to the notch portion, in an ink supply container.

2. An ink supply container according to claim 1, An ink supply container wherein, in the axial direction, the notch dimension, which is the dimension of the notch portion, and the projection dimension of the projection have a relationship expressed by the following formula (1). M1>P×N+M2 Formula (1) Here, M1 is the notch dimension, P is the pitch of the male thread portion, N is the number of turns of engagement between the male thread portion and the female thread portion, and M2 is the projection dimension.

3. An ink supply container according to claim 1, The upper protrusion has an identification shape for identifying the type of ink contained in the container body, in an ink refill container.

4. An ink supply container according to claim 1, The female thread portion of the cap has multiple female threads, Of the aforementioned multiple female threads, the female thread located furthest from the top wall in the axial direction is designated as the first-stage female thread. In the case where the top wall side of the female thread is considered the top surface of the thread and the opposite side of the top surface of the thread is considered the bottom surface of the thread, An ink supply container in which, in the first stage of the female thread, the angle between the plane perpendicular to the central axis and the upper surface of the thread is greater than the angle between the plane and the lower surface of the thread.

5. An ink supply container according to claim 1, The projection of the cap has an asymmetrical shape when viewed in the axial direction. The projection of the cap has a top surface that forms the top of the projection, a first projection surface that rotates in the direction of closing the cap, and a second projection surface that rotates in the direction of opening the cap. An ink supply container in which, when viewed in the axial direction, the angle between the reference direction perpendicular to the top surface and the first projection surface is smaller than the angle between the reference direction and the second projection surface.

6. An ink supply container according to claim 1, further, The ink outlet forming section has a spring valve located inside it, The aforementioned spring valve is The sealing portion having a through hole formed in the axial direction, In the axial direction, the valve body facing the seal portion, The spring member biases the valve body toward the seal portion, causing the spring valve to be in a closed state where the valve body contacts the seal portion to close the through hole, The cap has a central projection that protrudes from the top wall toward the valve body, An ink supply container in which, when the cap is attached to the ink outlet forming portion, the valve body is pushed by the central projection in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring member, thereby separating the valve body from the seal portion and opening the spring valve.

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