LIQUID CONTAINER AND LIQUID EJECTION APPARATUS

Abstract

To provide a liquid storing container that is improved in liquid using up property at low cost.SOLUTION: A liquid storing container includes: a flexible bag body; and a liquid supply port disposed in an end of an inside of the bag body and supplying the liquid stored in the bag body to a liquid discharge device on an outside. The liquid storing container further includes an elastic member that deforms into a flat shape when the inside of the bag body is decompressed and the elastic member has a negative pressure, in the inside of the bag body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid storage container for use in a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid. [Background technology]

[0002] A liquid storage container for supplying liquid to a liquid ejection device is known. For example, an ink storage container that uses ink is known. Among the ink storage containers that store a large amount of ink, there is an ink pack that is configured by forming a flexible film into a bag shape by heat welding or the like. When the ink in the ink pack is consumed, the ink pack that was initially bulging gradually collapses and finally becomes nearly flat. In such an ink pack, the ink pack is not collapsed uniformly in the process of consuming the ink, and some parts may remain in a bulging shape and not become flat, resulting in some parts that are not completely collapsed. As a result, the ink cannot be supplied to the remaining parts that are not completely collapsed, and the ink is left there, which deteriorates the ease of using up the ink.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which the ink pack is curled up into a spiral shape due to the elasticity of the ink pack itself or the restoring force of an elastic member attached to the ink pack, thereby pushing out the ink and reducing the amount of remaining ink. Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose technologies in which a mechanism is provided to apply pressure to the ink pack from the outside, promoting the contraction of the ink pack and reducing the amount of remaining ink. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-7817 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-226809 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2016-10911 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that accidentally occurring wrinkles or the like may locally divide the space inside the ink pack, causing some ink to remain in the ink pack due to incomplete crushing. Also, with the technology described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a large-scale pressurizing mechanism is required to properly crush the ink pack flat, making the task of replacing the ink pack complicated and increasing costs.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid storage container that is low cost and has improved ease of use of liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A liquid storage container according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a flexible bag body. 、 The liquid stored in the bag Supply and a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid to the , subjected to a decompression effect by the liquid ejection device A liquid storage container, the inside of the bag body An elastic member configured to have a lower rigidity with increasing distance from the liquid supply port is disposed on the liquid supply port. Decompression , the liquid supply port is deformed so as to gradually become flatter from the opposite side of the liquid supply port toward the liquid supply port. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid storage container that is low cost and has improved ease of use of liquid. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection device. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a liquid storage container. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a liquid supply port. [Figure 4] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating how a bag of a liquid storage container is crushed. [Diagram 5] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating how a bag of a liquid storage container is crushed. [Figure 6] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating how a bag of a liquid storage container is crushed. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating how a bag of a liquid storage container is crushed. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a liquid storage container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the present disclosure.

[0011] <<First embodiment>> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection device 100 according to the present embodiment. The liquid ejection device 100 shown in FIG. 1 repeats reciprocating movement of a liquid ejection head 101 and conveyance of a recording sheet 107, which is a recording medium, at a predetermined pitch. The liquid ejection device 100 selectively ejects ink (liquid) of multiple colors from the liquid ejection head 101 in synchronization with these movements, and causes the ink to land on a recording sheet 107, which is a recording medium, thereby forming characters, symbols, images, and the like. Any recording medium may be used as long as it is capable of forming an image by causing droplets to land on the recording medium. For example, various materials and forms such as paper, cloth, an optical disk label surface, a plastic sheet, an OHP sheet, or an envelope can be used as the recording medium.

[0012] 1, a liquid ejection head 101 is slidably supported on two guide rails and is mounted on a carriage 102 that is moved back and forth in a straight line along the guide rails by a driving means such as a motor (not shown). A recording sheet 107 that receives the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection portion of the liquid ejection head 101 is conveyed by a conveying roller 103, which is a conveying means, in a direction that intersects with the moving direction of the carriage 102, facing the liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head 101.

[0013] The liquid ejection head 101 has a plurality of nozzle rows as a plurality of liquid ejection units for ejecting liquids of different colors. A plurality of independent liquid storage containers 200 having liquid supply ports 2 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the colors of liquids ejected from the liquid ejection head 101 are attached to the liquid supply unit 105. In this embodiment, the liquid storage containers 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d are each attached to the liquid supply unit 105. Hereinafter, the term "liquid storage container 200" refers to any one of the plurality of liquid storage containers 200a to 200d. The liquid ejection head 101 may be mounted on the carriage 102 in a manner that allows easy attachment and detachment, or in a manner that allows the liquid storage container to be fixedly disposed.

[0014] The liquid supply unit 105 and the liquid ejection head 101 are connected by a plurality of liquid supply tubes 106, each of which corresponds to a different color of liquid. By mounting the liquid storage container 200 on the liquid supply unit 105, it becomes possible to supply liquid of each color stored in the liquid storage container 200 to each nozzle row of the liquid ejection head 101 independently.

[0015] In a non-ejection region that is within the reciprocating movement range of the liquid ejection head 101 and outside the passing range of the recording sheet 107, a recovery unit 104 is disposed so as to face the liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head 101. The recovery unit 104 has a cap portion for capping the liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head 101, a suction mechanism for forcibly sucking the liquid while the liquid ejection port surface is capped, and a cleaning blade for wiping dirt from the liquid ejection surface. The suction operation is performed prior to the ejection operation of the liquid ejection device 100. As a result, even if the liquid ejection device 100 is operated after being left unused for a long period of time, the recovery process performed by the recovery unit 104 can remove residual air bubbles in the liquid ejection portion of the liquid ejection head 101 and thickened liquid near the ejection port. As a result, the ejection characteristics of the liquid ejection head 101 are maintained.

[0016] In this embodiment, the direction in which liquid storage container 200 is attached to and detached from liquid supply unit 105 is defined as the Y direction. The surface of liquid storage container 200 that is attached to liquid supply unit 105 is the -Y direction side. The width direction of liquid storage container 200 is defined as the X direction. The height direction of liquid storage container 200 (i.e., the direction of gravity) is defined as the Z direction. The gravity side (lower side) is defined as the -Z direction, and the anti-gravity side (upper side) is defined as the +Z direction.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a liquid storage container 200 in this embodiment. FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view of the liquid storage container 200. FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIb-IIb in FIG. 2(a). The liquid storage container 200 mainly includes a bag body 1, a liquid supply port 2, and water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c that are present in the bag body 1. The liquid storage container 200 is housed in a hard case (not shown). The water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c are elastic members, and the liquid storage container 200 of this embodiment includes three water-absorbent elastic porous members (i.e., a first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a, a second water-absorbent elastic porous member 3b, and a third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c). The liquid storage container 200 also includes a liquid supply port 2 that supplies the liquid W stored in the bag body 1 to the outside.

[0018] The bag 1 is filled with liquid W such as ink. A part of the liquid W is impregnated in each of the absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c. The bag 1 is formed into a bag shape by heat welding or the like of a flexible film. The shape of the bag 1 is preferably a pillow type or a three-sided type that becomes more flat when the liquid W is used up. However, it is not necessarily limited to the pillow type or the three-sided type, and may be a gusset type or other type. A two-layer type film can be used for the flexible film. For example, a polyethylene layer, which has liquid contact with the liquid W and excellent heat welding properties, can be provided on the inside of the bag. Here, having liquid contact with the liquid W means that, for example, a member is not affected (hardened, embrittled, or corroded) even when it comes into contact with the liquid W, and the components contained in the member do not dissolve in the liquid. In addition, an aluminum vapor deposition film or an aluminum laminate film with an aluminum layer formed thereon, which has low gas permeability, can be used on the outside of the bag. The film does not necessarily have to be a two-layer type film, but may be a single-layer type film.

[0019] The liquid supply port 2 is disposed at an end of the bag body 1. The liquid supply port 2 is provided with a liquid outflow hole 21. The liquid W stored in the bag body 1 is supplied to the outside through the liquid outflow hole 21. The liquid discharge device 100 is provided with a pump mechanism (negative pressure generating means) that sucks the liquid contained in the liquid storage container 200. The liquid in the liquid storage container 200 is sucked into the liquid discharge device 100 by the negative pressure generated by the suction by this pump mechanism. Note that, when the bag body 1 is crushed due to consumption of the liquid W, it is preferable that the shape of the liquid supply port 2 avoids a shape in which the liquid outflow hole 21 etc. enters the inside of the bag body 1 to form a convex part, so that the shape becomes as flat as possible. In addition, in order to suppress the backflow of the liquid W or the inclusion of air from the outside, the liquid supply port 2 is preferably provided with a check valve inside.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the liquid supply port 2. FIG. 3(a) is an enlarged view of the liquid supply port 2, and FIG. 3(b) is a view of the liquid supply port 2 of FIG. 3(a) viewed from the -Y direction side. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b), the liquid outlet hole 21 is formed as a single hole. Note that the liquid W is a liquid (e.g., pigment ink) having a sedimentation component, and the occurrence of sedimentation may cause quality problems. In such a case, the liquid outlet hole 21 does not necessarily have to be formed as a single hole. FIG. 3(c) is an enlarged view of another liquid supply port 2, and FIG. 3(d) is a view of the liquid supply port 2 of FIG. 3(c) viewed from the -Y direction side. As shown in FIGS. 3(c) and (d), the liquid supply port 2 may have a plurality of liquid outlet holes 21 in the vertical direction, and may be configured to suck in and mix the liquid W from areas where the concentration of the liquid W is high and areas where the concentration of the liquid W is low.

[0021] Next, the water-absorbent elastic porous member 3 will be described. In this embodiment, the water-absorbent elastic porous member arranged at the position farthest from the liquid supply port 2 is the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a. Next, the water-absorbent elastic porous member arranged at the intermediate position is the second water-absorbent elastic porous member 3b, and the water-absorbent elastic porous member arranged at the position closest to the liquid supply port 2 is the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c. These three water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c each exhibit a capillary force depending on the amount of liquid W and the degree of coarseness. In addition, the three water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c have different coarseness and density. Specifically, the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a arranged at the position farthest from the liquid supply port 2 is the coarsest. The third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c arranged at the position closest to the liquid supply port 2 is the densest. The number of water-absorbent elastic porous members 3 does not necessarily have to be three, and a suitable number of water-absorbent elastic porous members may be arranged according to the size of the bag body 1, etc.

[0022] In addition, in order to improve the supply efficiency of the liquid W, it is preferable that each member is in close contact with each other. That is, it is preferable that the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a and the second water-absorbent elastic porous member 3b, the second water-absorbent elastic porous member 3b and the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c, and the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c and the liquid supply port 2 are in close contact with each other. However, it is preferable that the adhesion region is a part of the region that does not hinder the liquid supply so that the liquid supply path is secured. Note that it is preferable that each member is in close contact with each other, but it is not necessary that they are in close contact with each other. Also, some members may not be in close contact with each other, and other members may be in close contact with each other.

[0023] In this embodiment, each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c is made of the same material. Each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c is adjusted to have a predetermined rigidity by making the density different. Specifically, the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a is the most easily deformed, and the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c is the least easily deformed. The material of each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c is a material that has a high elastic deformation ability, such as a urethane foam material or a polyolefin nonwoven fabric, which has a liquid contact property with the liquid W. By compressing each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c, the liquid W impregnated inside each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c is easily discharged to the outside. That is, it is discharged (supplied) from the liquid supply port 2 to the liquid discharge device 100. The density of each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c may be appropriately adjusted according to the material. For example, if the material is a foam material, the expansion ratio may be adjusted. If the material is a nonwoven fabric, the fiber density may be adjusted. By such adjustment, appropriate capillary force and rigidity are imparted to each of the water-absorbent, elastic, porous members 3a to 3c. It is preferable that the rigidity of each of the water-absorbent, elastic, porous members 3a to 3c is adjusted so that the members become as flat as possible when the pressure inside the bag body 1 is reduced to a negative pressure.

[0024] As described above, the liquid storage container 200 of this embodiment is configured using a flexible bag body 1 that can store liquid therein and is easily deformed. The liquid storage container 200 also has a liquid supply port 2 at an inner end of the bag body 1, and water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c that deform flat when the pressure inside the bag body 1 is reduced to negative pressure. Therefore, in the process in which the bag body 1 gradually collapses due to consumption of the liquid W, the bag body 1 first collapses in a manner imitating the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c. Then, as the liquid W is further consumed, the water-absorbent elastic porous members deform thin and flat until they balance with the negative pressure inside the bag body, and the bag body 1 also deforms accordingly.

[0025] In the liquid storage container 200 of this embodiment, the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c in the bag 1 are arranged so that the rigidity decreases as they are farther from the liquid supply port 2. Therefore, in the process in which the bag is gradually crushed due to consumption of the liquid W, the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c are deformed flat in order from the side opposite the liquid supply port 2 toward the liquid supply port 2. That is, the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a, the second water-absorbent elastic porous member 3b, and the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c are deformed flat in this order. As a result, the bag 1 is also crushed regularly in order from the end opposite the liquid supply port 2 toward the liquid supply port 2. This allows the liquid W remaining in the bag 1 to be reliably guided to the liquid supply port 2.

[0026] Furthermore, when each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c is crushed flat, the liquid W impregnated in each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members is pushed outward. This can minimize the influence of residual liquid caused by the volume or thickness of the water-absorbent elastic porous members. On the other hand, each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c also has a function of retaining liquid inside by capillary force. This can prevent the liquid from spouting or spilling when replacing the liquid storage container 200. Here, the capillary force of each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c may be the minimum necessary to prevent the liquid from spouting or spilling, and basically, it is sufficient to design the water-absorbent elastic porous members so that when they are crushed flat, the liquid W inside them is pushed outward as much as possible.

[0027] In addition, an example in which a water-absorbent elastic porous member is used as the elastic member of this embodiment has been described. As described above, the water-absorbent elastic porous member can suppress the liquid from spouting or spilling when replacing the liquid storage container 200. On the other hand, in terms of disposability, as a modification of this embodiment, the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c can be replaced with elastic members such as hollow leaf springs having different rigidities, for example, to achieve the same function. That is, as the liquid W is consumed, the leaf springs are regularly deformed in sequence from the side opposite the liquid supply port 2 toward the liquid supply port 2. Even with this configuration, disposability can be improved. In addition, as another modification, multiple types of elastic members may be used. For example, a water-absorbent elastic porous member may be provided near the liquid supply port 2, and a leaf spring may be provided in another position.

[0028] 4 to 7 are diagrams illustrating how the bag collapses when the liquid in the liquid storage container 200 of this embodiment gradually decreases. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the container is filled with liquid W, and FIG. 7 shows a state in which the liquid W has been used up. The manner in which the liquid decreases from FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 are also shown in (a) to (b), respectively. The cross-sectional line is the same as the line described in FIG. 2.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the bag 1 is filled with liquid W. In Fig. 4, a predetermined amount of liquid W is stored inside the bag 1, and the area other than the spaces occupied by the water-absorbent, elastic, porous members 3a to 3c is filled with liquid W. Also, each of the water-absorbent, elastic, porous members 3a to 3c is impregnated with liquid W until it reaches a saturated state.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the spaces other than the elastic members (each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a-3c) are crushed. The liquid W in the bag 1 is gradually consumed, and first the areas other than the spaces occupied by each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a-3c are crushed. As described above, each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a-3c is arranged such that the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a, which is the furthest from the liquid supply port 2, is the coarsest, and the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c, which is the closest to the liquid supply port 2, is the densest. Therefore, the liquid W moves from the low-density area to the high-density area by capillary force, and is efficiently guided to the liquid supply port 2.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the spaces of the elastic members (each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a-3c) are crushed. When the liquid W is further consumed from the state shown in FIG. 5, the pressure inside the bag body 1 is reduced, and the negative pressure generated causes each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a-3c to be compressed by an amount corresponding to their rigidity. The bag body 1 is further crushed according to the amount of compression. As described above, each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a-3c is arranged so that the first water-absorbent elastic porous member 3a is most easily deformed and the third water-absorbent elastic porous member 3c is least easily deformed. Therefore, the bag body 1, which is crushed according to the amount of compression, is crushed in order from the end opposite the liquid supply port 2 toward the liquid supply port 2 in a regular manner. This allows the liquid W remaining in the bag body 1 to be reliably guided to the liquid supply port.

[0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the liquid W is used up and the liquid storage container 200 is replaced. From the state of FIG. 6, the liquid W is further consumed, the pressure inside the bag 1 is reduced, and the negative pressure generated rises to the limit on the container, and each of the water-absorbent elastic porous members 3a to 3c is compressed flat to its limit. The bag 1 is also crushed to its limit according to the amount of compression. When the liquid inside the liquid storage container 200 is used up, the user prepares a new separate liquid storage container that is full of liquid and performs replacement. At this time, the small amount of liquid W remaining in the used bag 1 is held by the capillary force of the water-absorbent elastic porous member, so that the liquid can be prevented from spouting or spilling. As described above, this capillary force may be a minimum, and basically, it is sufficient to design the water-absorbent elastic porous member so that when it is crushed flat, the liquid inside is pushed out as much as possible to the outside.

[0033] In the present embodiment, a liquid storage container having three water-absorbent elastic porous members has been described as an example, but a plurality of elastic members having different rigidities may be provided in the bag body. For example, two water-absorbent elastic porous members may be provided, or four or more water-absorbent elastic porous members may be provided. In either case, it is sufficient to use elastic members whose rigidity is lower at a position farther from the liquid supply port and whose rigidity increases toward the liquid supply port.

[0034] As described above, the liquid storage container of this embodiment is configured using a flexible bag body that can store liquid therein and is easily deformed. In addition, the bag body has a liquid supply port and an elastic member that deforms flat when negative pressure is generated in the bag body at an end of the bag body. Therefore, in the process in which the bag body is gradually crushed due to consumption of liquid such as ink, the bag body also deforms flat in accordance with the elastic member, and the liquid remaining in the bag body is reliably guided to the liquid supply port, thereby improving the liquid useability. In other words, the liquid useability can be improved without using a large-scale pressurizing mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to provide a liquid storage container that improves the liquid useability at low cost. In addition, by using a water-absorbent elastic porous member that can be impregnated with liquid as the elastic member, it is possible to suppress the liquid from spouting or spilling when replacing the liquid storage container. Therefore, the usability when replacing the liquid storage container is also improved.

[0035] <<Second embodiment>> In the first embodiment, an example in which a water-absorbent elastic porous member is used as the elastic member has been described. Then, an example in which three water-absorbent elastic porous members are closely attached has been described. In this embodiment, an example in which a single water-absorbent elastic porous member is used as the elastic member will be described. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a liquid storage container 300 in this embodiment. FIG. 8(a) is a transparent perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the liquid storage container 300. FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIIb-VIIIb in FIG. 8(a). As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid storage container 300 in this embodiment includes a single water-absorbent elastic porous member 3. The single water-absorbent elastic porous member 3 is made of, for example, a urethane foam material or a polyolefin nonwoven fabric. The water-absorbent elastic porous member 3 in this embodiment has a coarse-dense distribution within the same member. The coarse-dense distribution is configured so that it gradually becomes dense from the opposite side to the liquid supply port 2 toward the liquid supply port 2. In the case of a foam material, this coarse-dense distribution is obtained by changing the foaming ratio within the same member and forming it as one piece, and in the case of a nonwoven fabric, it is obtained by laminating fibers with different densities by cross laying or the like in the lamination process and then joining them.

[0037] In this way, by using a liquid storage container 300 having a single water-absorbent elastic porous member 3, it is possible to provide a liquid storage container that has improved liquid use-up properties at low cost, as in the example described in the first embodiment.

[0038] In this embodiment, an example has been given of a coarse-dense distribution that gradually becomes denser from sparse to dense from the side opposite the liquid supply port 2 towards the liquid supply port 2, but the configuration may also be such that the coarse-dense distribution is slightly reversed in some areas as long as it does not impede the conductivity of the liquid.

[0039] <<Other embodiments>> In the first embodiment, an example was described in which three water-absorbent elastic porous members with different densities were used. In the second embodiment, an example was described in which a single water-absorbent elastic porous member with a densification distribution was used in the same member. As another embodiment, the first embodiment and the second embodiment may be combined. For example, the fourth water-absorbent elastic porous member with the coarsest density may be arranged at the position furthest from the liquid supply port, and then the fifth water-absorbent elastic porous member with a densification distribution in the same member may be arranged. However, the coarsest part in the densification distribution in the fifth water-absorbent elastic porous member is denser than the fourth water-absorbent elastic porous member. Even in such a combination, the elastic members are configured to have lower rigidity in sequence from the furthest from the liquid supply port when viewed as a whole, so that the same effect as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

[0040] Also, the water-absorbent elastic porous member may be made of different materials to have a predetermined rigidity. For example, the water-absorbent elastic porous member located farthest from the liquid supply port may be made of a urethane foam material, and the water-absorbent elastic porous member located closest to the liquid supply port may be made of a polyolefin nonwoven fabric. In such a case, a member whose rigidity is adjusted so that the rigidity of the urethane foam material is lower than that of the polyolefin nonwoven fabric may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 bag body 2 Liquid supply port 3a-3c Water-absorbent elastic porous material 100 Liquid dispensing device 200 Liquid storage container

Claims

1. A liquid storage container comprising a flexible bag and a liquid supply port for supplying liquid stored in the bag, the liquid storage container being subjected to a decompression action by a liquid ejection device, An elastic member is disposed inside the bag body, the elastic member being configured to have a lower rigidity with increasing distance from the liquid supply port, A liquid storage container, characterized in that the container deforms gradually from an opposite side of the liquid supply port toward the liquid supply port so as to become more and more flattened due to the reduced pressure applied for supplying the liquid.

2. A liquid storage container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the elastic member is composed of a combination of at least two or more elastic members.

3. A liquid storage container as described in Claim 2, characterized in that the at least two or more elastic members are made of the same material and have a predetermined rigidity according to their density.

4. A liquid storage container as described in claim 2, characterized in that the at least two or more elastic members are made of different materials and have a predetermined rigidity according to the materials.

5. 5. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a water-absorbent porous member capable of impregnating the interior of the elastic member with liquid.

6. 6. The liquid container according to claim 5, wherein the porous member is in close contact with the liquid supply port.

7. A liquid storage container as described in claim 5, characterized in that the porous members, which are a combination of at least two or more, are in close contact with each other.

8. A liquid storage container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the elastic member is a single elastic member whose rigidity varies depending on the position within the bag body, such that the rigidity decreases the further away from the liquid supply port.

9. 2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a leaf spring.

10. A liquid storage container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the elastic member is a combination of an absorbent porous member capable of impregnating liquid therein and a leaf spring, the porous member being provided near the liquid supply port and the leaf spring being provided at another position.

11. A liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a negative pressure generating means for reducing the pressure in the liquid container.

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