Ink heating device, ink jet recording device, ink supply device and image forming system

Abstract

To efficiently warm ink contained in an ink container, with a current of warm air.SOLUTION: An ink warming device comprises: an ink container 20 including a pouch 31 filled with ink, and a case 32 having a first opening 41 and a second opening 42 and containing the pouch 31; and a blower that sends a current of warm air to inside of the case 32 via the first opening 41; where the current of warm air is discharged via the second opening 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink heating device, an ink jet recording device, an ink supply device, and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] The inkjet recording device includes a removable ink container. The ink container includes a pouch filled with ink and a case that houses the pouch. The pouch is formed into a bag shape using a film-like material and includes a spout that supplies ink to the outside. The case includes a rectangular parallelepiped main body and an opening that fixes the spout. Patent Document 1 shows an example of an ink container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-140503 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to achieve good image quality, the viscosity of the ink needs to be kept within an appropriate range, but the viscosity at room temperature tends to be higher than the appropriate range. Therefore, it is possible to heat the ink by blowing hot air onto the ink container, but there is a problem in that even if hot air is blown onto the case, the heat is not easily transferred to the ink because there is a space between the case and the pouch.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances and aims to provide an ink heating device, an ink jet recording device, an ink supply device, and an image forming system that can efficiently heat ink contained in an ink container with hot air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the ink warming device of the present invention comprises an ink container including a pouch filled with ink, a case having a first opening and a second opening and in which the pouch is housed, and a blower that blows warm air into the inside of the case through one of the first opening and the second opening, and the warm air is discharged through the other of the first opening and the second opening.

[0007] In the ink warming device, when the case is divided into two parts by a virtual plane that passes through the midpoint of a longest virtual line, which is the longest virtual line among the virtual lines from the first opening to each part of the inner surface of the case, and is perpendicular to the longest virtual line, the second opening may be located in a part different from the first opening.

[0008] The case may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the first opening may be provided on a first of four side surfaces of the case, the second opening may be provided on a second of the four side surfaces of the case, and the second opening may be provided at a position biased toward the end portion of the second side surface that is further away from the first opening when the case is viewed from above.

[0009] The ink warming device may include a container mounting portion in which the ink container is mounted, the container mounting portion having a first duct connected to the blower, the pouch having a spout for supplying the ink to the outside at an end portion at the rear side in a mounting direction of the ink container to the container mounting portion, and the case having a third opening for fixing the spout and the first opening at an end face at the rear side in the mounting direction, and configured such that when the ink container is mounted to the container mounting portion, the first opening and an opening of the first duct face each other.

[0010] The first duct may be configured to guide the hot air from the blower to the container mounting portion.

[0011] The second opening may be provided on a front side of the case in the mounting direction relative to the first opening.

[0012] The container mounting portion may include a second duct connected to the blower, the case may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the mounting direction as its longitudinal direction, the second opening may be provided at an end of a side of the case along the mounting direction that is on the front side in the mounting direction, and the container mounting portion may be configured such that the second opening faces an opening of the second duct when the ink container is mounted to the container mounting portion.

[0013] The first opening may be provided in an end face of the case on the rear side in the mounting direction, at a position offset to the opposite side to a side face on which the second opening is provided.

[0014] The ink warming device may include a plurality of sets of the ink container and the container mounting portion, and the first duct may include branch pipes leading from the blower to the plurality of ink containers.

[0015] In addition, an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that it includes any one of the ink warming devices described above, and an image creating unit that forms an image by ejecting the ink supplied from the ink warming device.

[0016] An ink supply device according to the present invention includes any one of the ink warming devices described above, and supplies the ink that has been warmed by the ink warming device.

[0017] Moreover, an image forming system according to the present invention is characterized by including the ink supply device and an inkjet recording device that forms an image by ejecting the ink supplied from the ink supply device. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, the ink contained in the ink container can be efficiently heated by hot air. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an oblique view illustrating the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a schematic internal configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an ink supply path according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ink container shown in FIG. 5 taken along line II. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ink container shown in FIG. 5 taken along line II-II. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container mounting portion according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container mounting portion according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the flow of hot air inside the ink warming device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the flow of hot air inside an ink container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of an ink container according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an ink warming device according to a second modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an ink supply path of an image forming system 100 according to a third modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a plan view that illustrates a schematic diagram of an ink warming device according to a third modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] A printer 1 (inkjet recording apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] First, the overall configuration of the printer 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the printer 1. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic representation of the internal configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of the ink supply path. In the following description, the front side of the paper in FIG. 2 is the front side (front side) of the printer 1, and the left and right directions are described based on the direction when the printer 1 is viewed from the front. In each figure, U, Lo, L, R, Fr, and Rr respectively indicate up, down, left, right, front, and rear.

[0022] The printer 1 is an inkjet image forming device that forms an image by ejecting ink. The printer 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main housing 3. A paper feed cassette 4 that stores individual sheets S, such as plain paper or coated paper, and a paper feed roller 5 that feeds the sheets S from the paper feed cassette 4 are provided in the lower part of the main housing 3. A transport unit 7 that attracts and transports the sheets S is provided above the paper feed cassette 4. An inkjet imaging unit 6 is provided above the transport unit 7. A pair of discharge rollers 8 that discharges the sheets S on which an image has been formed, and a discharge tray 9 on which the discharged sheets S are stacked are provided in the upper right part of the main housing 3.

[0023] The transport unit 7 includes an endless transport belt 21 having many ventilation holes (not shown) and wound around a plurality of rollers 22a to 22e, a transport plate 23 having many ventilation holes and an upper surface in contact with the inner surface of the transport belt 21, and a suction section 24 that sucks air through the ventilation holes of the transport plate 23 to adsorb the sheet S to the transport belt 21. When the roller 22a is driven by a driving section (not shown) such as a motor, the transport belt 21 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2, and the sheet S adsorbed to the transport belt 21 is transported in the Y direction.

[0024] The imaging unit 6 includes head units 11Y, 11Bk, 11C, and 11M (collectively referred to as head unit 11), which eject yellow, black, cyan, and magenta inks, respectively. Ink containers 20Y, 20Bk, 20C, and 20M (collectively referred to as ink containers 20) filled with yellow, black, cyan, and magenta inks, respectively, are connected to the head units 11Y, 11Bk, 11C, and 11M.

[0025] The head unit 11 includes one or more inkjet heads, for example, a plurality of inkjet heads arranged in a staggered pattern (not shown). The inkjet head includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction, and a nozzle plate provided on the bottom of the housing. The nozzle plate includes a large number of nozzles arranged in the front-rear direction (the width direction of the conveyor belt 21 that intersects with the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 21), and the ejection ports of each nozzle are provided on the lower surface (nozzle surface) of the nozzle plate. Each nozzle is provided with a piezoelectric element, and a drive circuit for driving the piezoelectric element is provided inside the housing.

[0026] The printer 1 has ink supply paths as shown in Fig. 3. In the figure, a supply path corresponding to one color of ink is shown, but in this embodiment, four similar supply paths are provided since four colors of ink are used. The printer 1 has a container mounting section 51 in which the ink container 20 is mounted, a filter 52 that filters the ink, a pump 53 that sucks ink from the ink container 20 through the filter 52, a sub-tank 54 that stores the ink sent from the pump 53, and a pump 55 that supplies the ink stored in the sub-tank 54 to the head unit 11. The pump 55 is connected to a socket provided in the inkjet head.

[0027] A transport path 10 is provided inside the main body housing 3, which extends from the paper feed cassette 4 through the transport unit 7 to the discharge tray 9. A plurality of transport roller pairs 17 for transporting the sheet S are provided on the transport path 10. A registration roller pair 18 is provided upstream of the imaging unit 6 in the transport direction.

[0028] Each part of the printer 1 is controlled by the control unit 2. The control unit 2 includes a processor and a memory. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory includes storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The processor performs various processes by reading and executing control programs stored in the memory. Note that the control unit 2 may be realized by an integrated circuit that does not use software.

[0029] The basic image formation operation of the printer 1 is as follows. When an image formation job is input to the printer 1 from an external computer or the like, the paper feed roller 5 feeds the sheet S from the paper feed cassette 4 to the transport path 10, and the pair of registration rollers 18, whose rotation has been stopped, corrects any skew of the sheet S. When the pair of registration rollers 18 feeds the sheet S to the transport unit 7 at a predetermined timing, the transport unit 7 attracts the sheet S to the transport belt 21 and transports it in the Y direction. When the control unit 2 supplies gradation data corresponding to each nozzle of the inkjet head to the drive circuit in synchronization with the transport of the sheet S, the drive circuit supplies a drive signal corresponding to the gradation data to the piezoelectric element, causing ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzle, and an image is formed on the sheet S. The pair of discharge rollers 8 discharges the sheet S on which the image has been formed to the discharge tray 9.

[0030] Next, the ink warming device 60 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the pouch 31. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the ink container 20. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of the ink container 20 shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the ink container 20 shown in Fig. 5. Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views of the container mounting portion 51. Fig. 10 is an exploded view of the container mounting portion 51.

[0031] The printer 1 includes an ink heating device 60 that heats ink, and an imaging unit 6 that forms an image by ejecting the ink supplied from the ink heating device 60. The ink heating device 60 includes an ink container 20 that includes a pouch 31 filled with ink, a case 32 that includes a first opening 41 and a second opening 42 and that houses the pouch 31, and a blower 63 that sends hot air into the case 32 through one of the first opening 41 and the second opening 42, and the hot air is discharged through the other of the first opening 41 and the second opening 42. Note that this embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink heating device 60 that includes four ink containers 20 and container mounting parts 51, but the present invention may also be applied to an ink heating device 60 that includes one to three or five or more ink containers 20 and container mounting parts 51.

[0032] [Ink container] The ink container 20 is attached to the container attachment portion 51 by being pushed in from the front, and is removed from the container attachment portion 51 by being pulled out forward. Hereinafter, the attachment direction of the ink container 20 refers to the direction from the front to the rear.

[0033] [Pouch] The pouch 31 (see Figs. 4, 6, and 7) is, for example, a container with a longitudinal direction, and is formed of a film in which a resin and a metal are laminated. The resin is, for example, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, or the like. The metal is, for example, aluminum. The pouch 31 is formed by joining the edges of a pair of upper and lower films and a pair of left and right films, and is formed into a gusseted bag shape. The films are joined by welding, adhesion, or the like. A spout 33 that supplies ink to the outside is provided at the rear end of the pouch 31 (an example of an end on the far side in the mounting direction of the ink container 20 to the container mounting part 51). The spout 33 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a valve 33V that prevents the ink from flowing out when the ink container 20 is not mounted to the container mounting part 51 is provided.

[0034] [case] The case 32 (see Figs. 5 to 7) is a box-shaped container whose dimensions in the up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions are larger than those of the pouch 31. The case 32 includes a case main body 32B that occupies most of the front-rear direction, and a connection part 32C provided at the rear end (end at the rear side in the mounting direction) of the case main body 32B. The case main body 32B is made of cardboard. The connection part 32C is made of resin. The rear end face of the case main body 32B is open and is covered by the connection part 32C. That is, the connection part 32C forms the end face at the rear side in the mounting direction of the case 32. The pouch 31 accommodated in the case 32 contacts the bottom part of the case 32, and spaces through which air can circulate are formed above, to the left, to the right, in front, and behind the pouch 31.

[0035] The case 32 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the mounting direction as the longitudinal direction, and includes a first opening 41, a second opening 42, and a third opening 43. The upper and lower surfaces of the case 32 are the two surfaces with the largest areas among the six surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first opening 41 is provided on a first side surface (in this example, the rear end surface) among the four side surfaces of the case 32, and the second opening 42 is provided on a second side surface (in this example, the left side surface) among the four side surfaces of the case 32, and the second opening 42 is provided at a position biased toward the end side (in this example, the front end side) that is longer from the first opening 41 among both ends of the second side surface when the case 32 is viewed from above. Note that a position biased toward one end side is a position where the distance from one end is shorter than the distance from the other end when comparing the distances from both ends.

[0036] Specifically, the first opening 41 and the third opening 43 are provided in the connection portion 32C, i.e., the rear end face of the case 32 (an example of an end face on the rear side in the mounting direction). The spout 33 is fixed to the third opening 43. The second opening 42 is provided in the front end part of the left side face of the case 32 (an example of an end part on the front side in the mounting direction of the side face along the mounting direction). The first opening 41 is provided in a position biased to the right side (an example of the opposite side to the side face on which the second opening 42 is provided) on the rear end face of the case 32. The second opening 42 may be provided on the right side face of the case 32, and the first opening 41 may be provided on the left side of the rear end face of the case 32.

[0037] It is desirable that the distance between the first opening 41 and the second opening 42 is long. For example, imaginary lines from the first opening 41 to each part of the inner surface of the case 32 are considered, and the imaginary line with the longest length among the imaginary lines is defined as the longest imaginary line. The case 32 is divided into two parts, a first part and a second part, by an imaginary plane that passes through the midpoint of the longest imaginary line and is perpendicular to the longest imaginary line. The first opening 41 and the second opening 42 are arranged in different parts, that is, the first opening 41 is arranged in the first part and the second opening 42 is arranged in the second part, so that the distance between the first opening 41 and the second opening 42 can be increased.

[0038] The spout 33 may close the third opening 43. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the hot air that has entered through the first opening 41 will exit the case 32 from a portion other than the second opening .

[0039] [Container mounting section] Container mounting parts 51Y, 51Bk, 51C, and 51M (collectively referred to as container mounting parts 51) are provided in the lower left part inside the main body housing 3 (see FIGS. 8 to 10). An openable container door 3a is provided in the lower left part of the front of the main body housing 3, and opening the container door 3a exposes the container mounting part 51, making it possible to replace the ink container 20. Ink containers 20Y, 20Bk, 20C, and 20M are attached to the container mounting parts 51Y, 51Bk, 51C, and 51M, respectively.

[0040] The container mounting part 51 is formed in a box shape with an open front, and a connection port 59 is provided at the rear thereof to which the spout 33 of the ink container 20 is connected. A needle 59N is provided at the center of the connection port 59, and when the ink container 20 is mounted on the container mounting part 51, the valve 33V of the spout 33 is pushed open by the needle 59N.

[0041] The container mounting section 51 includes a first duct 61 connected to the blower 63, and when the ink container 20 is mounted in the container mounting section 51, the first opening 41 faces the opening of the first duct 61. The first duct 61 guides hot air from the blower 63 to the container mounting section 51. The container mounting section 51 also includes a second duct 62 connected to the blower 63, and when the ink container 20 is mounted in the container mounting section 51, the second opening 42 faces the opening of the second duct 62. The second duct 62 guides hot air discharged from the second opening 42 to the blower 63. The first duct 61 includes a branch pipe that guides hot air from the blower 63 to the multiple ink containers 20, and the second duct 62 includes a collecting pipe that guides hot air discharged from the multiple ink containers 20 to the blower 63. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the hot air sent from the blower 63 passes through the first duct 61, the first opening 41, the inside of the case 32, the second opening 42, and the second duct 62 in this order, and returns to the blower 63. That is, the hot air circulates. Note that the circulating direction of the hot air may be reversed.

[0042] [Blower] The blower 63 includes a second duct connection portion 632 to which the second duct 62 is connected, a fan 63F, a heater 63H, and a first duct connection portion 631 to which the first duct 61 is connected. The fan 63F generates an airflow that flows from the second duct connection portion 632 to the first duct connection portion 631. The fan 63F is an axial fan, a centrifugal fan, or the like. The heater 63H is, for example, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater, and heats the airflow generated by the fan 63F.

[0043] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the ink warming device 60. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the flow of hot air inside the ink warming device 60. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the flow of hot air inside the ink container 20.

[0044] The hot air generated by the blower 63 is supplied to each ink container 20 through the first duct 61. Inside the ink container 20, the hot air flowing in from the first opening 41 passes from the rear of the pouch 31 through the spaces above, to the right, to the left, and in front of the pouch 31, and is discharged from the second opening 42. The discharged hot air passes through the second duct 62 and is collected by the blower 63.

[0045] According to the ink warming device 60 of the present embodiment described above, hot air is sent into the inside of the case 32 through the first opening 41, and the hot air is exhausted through the second opening 42. According to this configuration, heat is directly supplied to the pouch 31 by the hot air hitting the pouch 31, so that the ink can be heated more efficiently than in a configuration in which the hot air hits the outside of the case 32.

[0046] Furthermore, in the ink warming device 60 according to this embodiment, the second opening 42 is provided at a position biased toward the end portion that is farther away from the first opening 41 than both ends of the second side surface when the case 32 is viewed from above. With this configuration, the hot air is less biased inside the case 32 compared to when the second opening 42 is provided at a position biased toward the end portion that is closer to the first opening 41, so heat can be applied efficiently to the entire pouch 31.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the ink warming device 60 of this embodiment, when the ink container 20 is attached to the container attachment portion 51, the first opening 41 and the opening of the first duct 61 face each other. With this configuration, since the work of connecting the first duct 61 to the first opening 41 is not necessary, it is possible to avoid an increase in the amount of work. Furthermore, when hot air is supplied from the first duct 61, the hot air can be efficiently sent to the inside of the case 32. When hot air is collected from the first duct 61, the heat of the hot air discharged from the first opening 41 is efficiently collected, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

[0048] Moreover, according to the ink warming device 60 of this embodiment, the first duct 61 guides the warm air from the blower 63 to the container mounting part 51. According to this configuration, the temperature drop of the ink in the vicinity of the spout 33 is small, so that power consumption can be reduced.

[0049] Furthermore, in the ink warming device 60 according to this embodiment, the second opening 42 is provided on the front side in the mounting direction of the case 32 than the first opening 41. With this configuration, hot air flows smoothly between the first opening 41 and the second opening 42, so that a lot of heat can be imparted to the ink.

[0050] In addition, according to the ink warming device 60 of this embodiment, the second opening 42 is provided at the end of the side surface along the mounting direction of the case 32 on the front side in the mounting direction, and when the ink container 20 is mounted in the container mounting portion 51, the second opening 42 and the opening of the second duct 62 face each other. With this configuration, the second duct 62 does not interfere with the mounting of the ink container 20. In addition, since there is no need to connect the second duct 62 to the second opening 42, an increase in the amount of work can be avoided. In addition, when hot air is collected from the second duct 62, the heat of the hot air discharged from the second opening 42 is efficiently collected, so that power consumption can be suppressed. When hot air is supplied from the second duct 62, the hot air can be efficiently sent to the inside of the case 32.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the ink warming device 60 of this embodiment, the first opening 41 is provided at a position offset to the opposite side of the side surface on which the second opening 42 is provided, on the end face on the rear side in the mounting direction of the case 32. With this configuration, the hot air is less biased inside the case 32 compared to when the first opening 41 is provided on the same side as the side surface on which the second opening 42 is provided, so that heat can be applied efficiently to the entire pouch 31.

[0052] Moreover, according to the ink warming device 60 of this embodiment, the first duct 61 includes a branch pipe that guides hot air from the blower 63 to the multiple ink containers 20. With this configuration, multiple ink containers 20 can be heated by one blower 63.

[0053] The above embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0054] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of an ink container 120 according to a first modified example. In this example, in addition to the configuration of the above embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 32R with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction are provided on the upper surface of the bottom of the case 32. With this configuration, hot air flows not only in the spaces behind, above, right, left and front of the pouch 31, but also in the space below, so that ink can be heated more efficiently than in the above embodiment.

[0055] Moreover, instead of the above-described reinforcing rib 32R, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 32R may be provided with a longitudinal direction that corresponds to a straight line connecting the first opening 41 and the second opening 42. According to this configuration, the reinforcing rib 32R guides hot air from the first opening 41 to the second opening 42, so that the ink can be heated more efficiently than in the above-described modified example.

[0056] 14 is a perspective view of an ink warming device 160 according to a second modified example. In this example, the diameter of the tube downstream of the branch of the first duct 161 increases with increasing distance from the blower 63. That is, the tube 1611 farthest from the blower 63 has the largest diameter, the tube 1612 second farthest has the second largest diameter, the tube 1613 third farthest has the third largest diameter, and the tube 1614 closest has the smallest diameter. The temperature of the hot air decreases with increasing distance from the blower 63, but with this configuration, the volume of the hot air increases with increasing distance from the blower 63, so that the temperature difference of the hot air due to the distance from the blower 63 can be suppressed.

[0057] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an ink supply path of an image forming system 100 according to a third modified example. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of an ink warming device 260 according to a third modified example. In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a printer 1 including an ink warming device 60 and an imaging unit 6 that forms an image by ejecting ink supplied from the ink warming device 60 is shown. In contrast, the third modified example shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink supplying device 70 that includes an ink warming device 260 and supplies ink heated by the ink warming device 260. The third modified example also shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an image forming system 100 that includes an ink supplying device 70 and a printer 1 that forms an image by ejecting ink supplied from the ink supplying device 70.

[0058] In the printer 1, the ink container 20, filter 52, pump 53, and sub tank 54 are connected by a main pipe 56 (see FIG. 15). A coupling 58 is provided on the rear surface of the main body housing 3 of the printer 1, and one end of a relay pipe 57 is connected to the coupling 58. When the ink supply device 70 is used, the upstream end of the main pipe 56 is attached to the other end of the relay pipe 57 instead of the ink container 20. The ink supply device 70 includes a container mounting section 74 to which the ink container 220 is attached, and a heater unit 75 that heats the ink delivered from the ink container 220.

[0059] The ink container 220 has a larger capacity than the ink container 20 provided in the printer 1. In this example, the multiple ink containers 220 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (see FIG. 16), but the multiple ink containers 220 may be arranged in any manner. In this example, the ink container 220 is attached to the container attachment section 74 from above.

[0060] The ink container 220 includes a pouch 231 filled with ink, and a case 232 having a first opening 241 and a second opening 242 and housing the pouch 231. The case 232 includes a case main body 232B and a connection part 232C provided at the front end of the case main body 232B. The first opening 241 is provided at the left end of the rear surface of the case main body 232B. The second opening 242 is provided at the right end of the front surface of the connection part 232C.

[0061] The hot air generated by the blower 73 is supplied to each ink container 220 through the first duct 71. Inside the ink container 220, the hot air that flows in from the first opening 241 passes through the spaces above, to the right, to the left, and to the rear of the front of the pouch 231 and is discharged from the second opening 242. The discharged hot air is collected by the blower 73 through the second duct 72. Note that, for the sake of convenience, the blower 73 is illustrated on the side of the ink container 220 in FIG. 16, but the blower 73 may be disposed below the ink container 220.

[0062] In the ink warming device 60 according to the third modification, the second opening 242 is provided at a position biased toward the end portion that is farther away from the first opening 241 than both ends of the second side surface when the case 232 is viewed from above. With this configuration, the hot air is less biased inside the case 232 compared to when the second opening 242 is provided at a position biased toward the end portion that is closer to the first opening 241, so that heat can be applied efficiently to the entire pouch 231.

[0063] In the above embodiment, an example in which the ink warming device 60 includes the second duct 62 has been shown, but when hot air is sent from the first duct 61 to the ink container 20, the ink warming device 60 may not include the second duct 62. In this case, the position of the second opening 42 does not have to be the end of the side surface along the mounting direction of the case 32 on the front side in the mounting direction. For example, the second opening 42 may be provided on the end face on the front side in the mounting direction of the case 32. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example in which the ink warming device 60 includes the first duct 61 has been shown, but when hot air is sent from the second duct 62 to the ink container 20, the ink warming device 60 may not include the first duct 61.

[0064] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the second opening 42 faces the opening of the second duct 62 when the ink container 20 is attached to the container attachment portion 51, but in the case where hot air is sent from the first duct 61 to the ink container 20, the second opening 42 does not have to face the opening of the second duct 62. Also, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first opening 41 faces the opening of the first duct 61 when the ink container 20 is attached to the container attachment portion 51, but in the case where hot air is sent from the second duct 62 to the ink container 20, the first opening 41 does not have to face the opening of the first duct 61. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Printer (inkjet recording device) 6 Imaging unit 20, 20Y, 20Bk, 20C, 20M ink container 31 Pouch 32 cases 33 Spout 41 First opening 42 Second Opening 43 Third Opening 51, 51Y, 51Bk, 51C, 51M Container mounting area 60 Ink heating device 61 First Duct 62 Second Duct 63 Blower

Claims

1. an ink container including a pouch filled with ink and a case having a first opening and a second opening and in which the pouch is housed; a blower that blows hot air into the inside of the case through either the first opening or the second opening, The hot air is discharged through the other of the first opening and the second opening, An ink warming device characterized in that when the case is divided into two parts by a virtual plane that passes through the midpoint of a longest virtual line, which is the longest virtual line among the virtual lines from the first opening to each part of the inner surface of the case, and is perpendicular to the longest virtual line, the second opening is located in a part different from the first opening.

2. an ink container including a pouch filled with ink and a case having a first opening and a second opening and in which the pouch is housed; a blower that blows hot air into the inside of the case through either the first opening or the second opening, The hot air is discharged through the other of the first opening and the second opening, The case is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, The first opening is provided in a first side surface of four side surfaces of the case, The second opening is provided in a second side surface of the four side surfaces of the case, An ink heating device characterized in that the second opening is provided at a position biased toward the end that is longer than the first opening when viewed from above of both ends of the second side surface.

3. an ink container including a pouch filled with ink and a case having a first opening and a second opening and in which the pouch is housed; a blower that blows hot air into the inside of the case through either the first opening or the second opening, The hot air is discharged through the other of the first opening and the second opening, a container mounting portion to which the ink container is mounted, the container mounting portion includes a first duct connected to the blower, the pouch is provided with a spout for supplying the ink to an outside at an end portion on a rear side in a mounting direction of the ink container to the container mounting portion, The case includes a third opening for fixing the spout and the first opening at an end surface at a rear side in the mounting direction, The ink warming device according to claim 1, wherein the first opening and an opening of the first duct face each other when the ink container is attached to the container attachment portion.

4. a container mounting portion to which the ink container is mounted, the container mounting portion includes a first duct connected to the blower, the pouch is provided with a spout for supplying the ink to an outside at an end portion on a rear side in a mounting direction of the ink container to the container mounting portion, The case includes a third opening for fixing the spout and the first opening at an end surface at a rear side in the mounting direction, 3. The ink warming device according to claim 1, wherein the first opening and the opening of the first duct face each other when the ink container is attached to the container attachment portion.

5. 5. The ink heating device according to claim 3, wherein the first duct guides the hot air from the blower to the container mounting portion.

6. 6. The ink warming device according to claim 3, wherein the second opening is provided on a front side of the case in the mounting direction relative to the first opening.

7. the container mounting portion includes a second duct connected to the blower, The case is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the mounting direction as a longitudinal direction, The second opening is provided at an end portion of a side surface of the case along the mounting direction on a front side in the mounting direction, The ink warming device according to claim 3 , wherein the second opening and the opening of the second duct face each other when the ink container is attached to the container attachment portion.

8. The ink warming device according to claim 7 , wherein the first opening is provided on an end face of the case at a rear end in the mounting direction, the end face being biased toward the opposite side to the side on which the second opening is provided.

9. A plurality of sets of the ink container and the container mounting portion are provided, 9. The ink warming device according to claim 3, wherein the first duct includes branch pipes leading from the blower to a plurality of the ink containers.

10. An ink heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9; an image forming unit that forms an image by ejecting the ink supplied from the ink warming device.

11. 10. An ink supplying device comprising the ink heating device according to claim 1, wherein the ink supplying device supplies the ink heated by the ink heating device.

12. The ink supply device according to claim 11 ; an inkjet recording device that forms an image by ejecting the ink supplied from the ink supply device.

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