Printing liquid container

Abstract

To provide a liquid container for printing that is just connected to a tank or the like to enable gas-liquid replacement to smoothly continue and is simply structured.SOLUTION: A bottle 130 comprises a bottle main body 131 having a third side wall 153 sectioning an opening of a storage chamber 154, and a bottle cap 132 protruding from the third side wall 153. The bottle cap 132 has a peripheral surface 173A that liquid-tightly contacts an inner surface of the third side wall 153, a base surface 180 positioned closer to a bottom wall 150 than the peripheral surface 173A, and a first flow path 181 and a second flow path 182. The first flow path 181 is communicated with the storage chamber 154 through an opening 183 positioned on the base surface 180 and is in communication with the outside through the opening 184. The second flow path 182 is communicated with the storage chamber 154 through an opening 185 positioned on the base surface 180 and is in communication with the outside through an opening 186. When a nozzle 161 is in a posture in which a tip part thereof is directed downward vertically, the openings 183 and 185 are at the same height and the openings 184 and 186 are at the same height.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing liquid container for storing printing liquid. [Background technology]

[0002] An ink supply device has been disclosed in which ink is supplied from a bottle to a tank using a so-called chicken feed method, which is a configuration that can keep the liquid level of ink stored in a tank constant by sequentially supplying ink from a bottle connected to the tank to the tank each time the ink stored in the tank is consumed (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the ink supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the bottle is connected to the tank from above. The tank has an air introduction section 4 that communicates with the atmosphere. The bottle has an ink outflow pipe 2 and an air inflow pipe 3. When the bottle is connected to the tank, the bottle and the tank communicate with each other through the ink outflow pipe 2 and the air inflow pipe 3. When the ink in the tank is consumed and the ink level becomes lower than the tip 3a of the air inflow pipe 3, air enters the tank from the air introduction section 4, and the air that has entered the tank enters the bottle through the air inflow pipe 3. Then, the ink equivalent to the volume of the air that has entered the bottle is supplied from the bottle to the tank through the ink outflow pipe 2. When the ink level reaches the tip 3a of the air inflow pipe 3, the supply of ink is stopped. In this way, the ink level in the tank is maintained constant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-133471 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the ink supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the ink outflow pipe 2 is longer than the air inflow pipe 3, and the length of the ink outflow pipe 2 protruding from the lid 1a is longer than the length of the air inflow pipe 3 protruding from the lid 1a. This makes the structure around the lid 1a of the bottle complex, and the area around the lid 1a of the bottle prone to damage. In addition, the structure for sealing the gaps between the ink outflow pipe 2 and the air inflow pipe 3 and the tank liquid-tight and air-tight when the bottle is connected to the tank becomes complex.

[0006] On the other hand, if the protruding length of the ink outflow pipe 2 from the lid portion 1a is approximately the same as the protruding length of the air inflow pipe 3 from the lid portion 1a, it is difficult to create a difference in height between the ink outflow pipe 2 and the air inflow pipe 3, i.e., a difference in head pressure, when ink is supplied from the bottle, and there is a risk that the ink outflow will not continue smoothly while the gas and liquid are replaced.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a printing liquid container having a simple structure that allows gas-liquid replacement to continue smoothly simply by connecting it to a tank or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) A printing liquid container according to the present invention includes a body having a mouth that defines an opening of a storage chamber that stores printing liquid, and a nozzle that protrudes from the mouth. The nozzle has a side circumferential surface that is in liquid-tight contact with the inner surface of the mouth, a base surface that is located closer to the bottom surface of the body than the side circumferential surface, and a first flow path and a second flow path. The first flow path communicates with the storage chamber through a first opening located on the base surface, and communicates with the outside through a second opening located at the tip of the nozzle. The second flow path communicates with the storage chamber through a third opening located on the base surface, and communicates with the outside through a fourth opening located at the tip of the nozzle. When the tip of the nozzle is in a position facing vertically downward, the first opening and the third opening are at the same height, and the second opening and the fourth opening are at the same height.

[0009] Since the first opening and the second opening are located on the base surface, the printing liquid is less likely to remain on the base surface. Also, since the length of each of the first flow path and the second flow path can be made relatively long, the printing liquid smoothly flows out to the outside through the nozzle while the gas and liquid are replaced in the storage chamber.

[0010] (2) Preferably, the nozzle has a flange protruding from a position closer to the tip than the side circumferential surface, the flange abutting against the mouth.

[0011] The nozzle is reliably positioned on the body by the flange and the mouth abutting against each other, and the dimensions around the mouth can be reduced.

[0012] (3) Preferably, the nozzle has an engaging portion extending from the flange portion to a side opposite the tip portion and having the side peripheral surface, the engaging portion being inserted into the mouth portion of the main body.

[0013] (4) Preferably, the base surface is circular, the first opening and the third opening are circular, and the shortest length between the periphery of the base surface and the first opening or the third opening is greater than the inner diameter of the first opening and the inner diameter of the third opening.

[0014] (5) Preferably, the printing liquid container further comprises a gate plate located within the mouth portion and having a fifth opening and a sixth opening, the gate plate abutting a base surface of the nozzle, the nozzle being movable between a first position and a second position, and in the first position, the first opening and the third opening are in communication with the fifth opening and the sixth opening, respectively, to allow the printing liquid to flow therethrough, and in the second position, the first opening and the third opening are in a different position from the fifth opening and the sixth opening, respectively, to prevent the printing liquid from flowing therethrough.

[0015] Even if the printing liquid container is oriented so that the tip of the nozzle faces vertically downward, liquid will not flow out from the nozzle.

[0016] (6) Preferably, the mouth portion has a cylindrical shape, and the nozzle moves between the first position and the second position by rotating within the mouth portion.

[0017] The nozzle is easy to move between the first and second positions.

[0018] (7) The present invention may be seen as a liquid supplying device comprising the printing liquid container and a tank having an internal space for storing printing liquid, wherein the tank has an insertion inlet portion connecting the internal space with the outside, and the insertion inlet portion extends with its tip facing upward along an inclined direction intersecting the horizontal and vertical directions, and the printing liquid container may be seen as a liquid supplying device that is connected by inserting the nozzle into the insertion inlet portion so as to allow printing liquid to flow from the storage chamber of the main body to the internal space of the tank. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, a printing liquid container with a simple structure can be realized in which gas-liquid replacement can be smoothly continued simply by connecting it to a tank or the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a multifunction device 10. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of the printer unit 11. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded front perspective view of the tank set 99. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tank set 99 and the bottle 130. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bottle 130. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the cross-sectional shape of the bottle 130. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bottle cap 132. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the cross-sectional shape of the bottle cap 132. As shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the base surface 180. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the front part of the ink tank 100 and the bottle 130 in the installed state. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the cross-sectional shape of a bottle 130 in a modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a bottle body 131 in a modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13(A) is a cross-sectional view of the bottle body 131 and the bottle cap 132 when the bottle cap 132 in the modified example is in a first position, and FIG. 13(B) is a cross-sectional view of the bottle body 131 and the bottle cap 132 when the bottle cap 132 in the modified example is in a second position. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a bottle cap 132 in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiment described below is merely one example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the end point is expressed as the direction, and the movement on the line connecting the starting point and the end point of the arrow is expressed as the direction. In other words, the direction is one component of the direction. Furthermore, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the posture in which the multifunction device 10 is installed on a horizontal surface so that it can be used (the posture in FIG. 1, which may be referred to as the "use posture"), the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface in which the opening 13 of the multifunction device 10 is provided as the front, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front. In this embodiment, in the use posture, the up-down direction 7 corresponds to the vertical direction, the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 correspond to the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 are perpendicular to each other.

[0022] [Overall configuration of multifunction device 10] As shown in Fig. 1, the multifunction device 10 (an example of a liquid supplying device) has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction device 10 has a printer unit 11 at the bottom, which records an image on paper 12 (see Fig. 2) by inkjet recording. The printer unit 11 has a housing 14. The housing 14 has a main body 34 with an opening 13 formed in a front wall 229, and an opening / closing lid 230 supported by the main body 34.

[0023] 2, there are arranged inside the main body 34 of the housing 14 a feeding section 15, a feeding tray 20, a discharge tray 21, a transport roller section 54, a recording section 24, a discharge roller section 55, a platen 42, and a tank set 99 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The multifunction device 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a printing function.

[0024] 1 and 2 , the feed tray 20, which stores the paper 12, is inserted into and removed from the multifunction device 10 by a user along the front-rear direction 8 through the opening 13. The discharge tray 21 supports the discharged paper 12. The feed unit 15 feeds the paper 12 supported by the feed tray 20 to a transport path 65.

[0025] The transport path 65 extends upward at the rear of the printer unit 11, makes a U-turn forward, passes through the space between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42, and reaches the discharge tray 21. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 from below. The transport direction 16 of the paper 12 in the transport path 65 is indicated by a dashed arrow in FIG. 2.

[0026] The transport roller unit 54 transports the paper 12 fed to the transport path 65 in the transport direction 16 to between the recording unit 24 and the platen 42. The discharge roller unit 55 transports the paper 12 on which an image has been recorded by the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 16 to the discharge tray 21.

[0027] The recording unit 24 is disposed between the transport roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 in the transport direction 16. The recording unit 24 is disposed opposite the platen 42 in the up-down direction 7, with a transport path 65 in between. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 23 that is movable in the left-right direction 9, and a recording head 39.

[0028] An ink tube 32 (see FIG. 4) extends from the carriage 23. The ink tube 32 connects a tank set 99 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and a recording head 39. The ink tube 32 supplies ink (an example of a printing liquid) stored in each ink tank 100 of the tank set 99 to the recording head 39. The ink tank 100 is an example of a tank. Four ink tubes 32 through which ink of each color (black, magenta, cyan, yellow) flows are provided corresponding to each ink tank 100.

[0029] 2, the carriage 23 is equipped with a recording head 39. A plurality of nozzles 40 are arranged on the bottom surface of the recording head 39. As the carriage 23 moves, the recording head 39 ejects ink droplets toward the paper 12 supported by a platen 42. This causes an image to be recorded on the paper 12.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, an opening / closing lid 230 is attached to the main body 34. An accommodation space is formed behind the opening / closing lid 230 in the main body 34. The opening / closing lid 230 is rotatable between a closed position (position shown in Fig. 1) in which the accommodation space is closed, and an open position in which the accommodation space is opened. When the opening / closing lid 230 is in the open position, a portion of each of the ink tank 100 and the holding member 110 (see Figs. 3 and 4) can be seen from the outside.

[0031] [Tank Set 99] 3 and 4 is housed in the housing space of the main body 34. The tank set 99 stores ink to be supplied to the recording head 39. The tank set 99 includes four ink tanks 100 each storing a different color of ink, and a holding member 110. It is noted that the tank set 99 does not necessarily have to include the holding member 110.

[0032] [Ink Tank 100] 3 and 4, the ink tank 100 has a flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape with a short dimension in the left-right direction 9 and longer dimensions in each of the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8 than the dimension in the left-right direction 9. The dimension in the front-rear direction 8 is longer than the dimension in the up-down direction 7. The ink tank 100 has an opening on one side, which is sealed with a film.

[0033] The ink tank 100 is formed from a resin having a translucency such that the ink in a storage chamber 111 (an example of an internal space) that stores the ink can be seen from the outside of the ink tank 100.

[0034] The ink tank 100 has a standing wall 102 and an inclined wall 106. The standing wall 102 and the inclined wall 106 define the front side of the storage chamber 111. The standing wall 102 extends in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. The inclined wall 106 extends upward from the upper end of the standing wall 102 and then toward the rear. Of the walls constituting the ink tank 100, it is sufficient that at least the standing wall 102 is made of a resin having translucency, and the walls other than the standing wall 102 do not need to have translucency.

[0035] The standing wall 102 of each ink tank 100 is exposed to the outside of the multifunction device 10 through an opening 81 (see FIG. 3) of the holding member 110 and an opening 232 (see FIG. 1) of the opening / closing lid 230. With this configuration, the standing wall 102 of each ink tank 100 is visible from outside the multifunction device 10 even when the opening / closing lid 230 is in the closed position, and the user can check the remaining amount of ink stored in each ink tank 100.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, a first mark 146 and a second mark 147 are formed on the standing wall 102 of each ink tank 100.

[0037] First mark 146 extends in left-right direction 9. The position of first mark 146 in up-down direction 7 is at the same height as the ink level when the maximum amount of ink that is permissible for storage is stored in storage chamber 111 with multifunction device 10 in the usage position. In other words, first mark 146 indicates the ink level and height when the maximum amount of ink that is permissible for storage is stored in storage chamber 111.

[0038] The second mark 147 extends in the left-right direction 9. The second mark 147 is located lower than the first mark 146. The position of the second mark 147 in the up-down direction 7 is at the same height as the liquid level of the ink when the minimum amount of ink that requires refilling is stored in the storage chamber 111 while the multifunction device 10 is in the usage position.

[0039] The heights of the first mark 146 and the second mark 147 are not limited to those described above. Also, the ink tank 100 does not necessarily have to have the first mark 146 and the second mark 147.

[0040] The ink tank 100 has an atmosphere communication hole 98. The atmosphere communication hole 98 communicates between the storage chamber 111 and the outside of the ink tank 100. In other words, the atmosphere communication hole 98 communicates between the storage chamber 111 and the atmosphere.

[0041] 3, a through hole 112 (an example of an insertion port) for injecting ink into the storage chamber 111 is formed in the inclined wall 106 of the ink tank 100. When the opening / closing lid 230 is in the open position, the through hole 112 is exposed to the outside of the multifunction device 10 through the opening 22.

[0042] The through hole 112 penetrates the inclined wall 106. The through hole 112 extends with its tip facing upward along an inclination direction so as to become downward toward the rear. The inclination direction is a direction inclined with respect to the up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9. One end of the through hole 112 communicates with the storage chamber 111. The other end of the through hole 112 communicates with the outside of the ink tank 100. In other words, the through hole 112 communicates between the storage chamber 111 and the outside of the ink tank 100.

[0043] The through hole 112 has a circular shape when viewed along the inclination direction, and is defined by a circumferential inner surface 114 of an annular rib 109 formed in the inclined wall 106 and protruding from the outer surface of the inclined wall 106 (see FIG. 10). The shape of the through hole 112 is determined depending on the shape of a nozzle 161, which will be described later.

[0044] As described later, the nozzle 161 of the bottle 130 (one example of a printing liquid container, see FIG. 4) is inserted into the through hole 112, whereby the bottle 130 is connected to the ink tank 100 (see FIGS. 4 and 10). The bottle 130 and the ink tank 100 constitute a system 5. The bottle 130 is connected to the ink tank 100, so that the ink in the bottle 130 can flow out to the storage chamber 111 of the ink tank 100. The timing at which the bottle 130 is connected to the ink tank 100 is, for example, when the remaining amount of ink stored in the storage chamber 111 of the ink tank 100 becomes low, specifically, when the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 111 becomes equal to or lower than the second mark 147. Of course, the bottle 130 may be connected to the ink tank 100 at a timing other than the above.

[0045] [Retaining member 110] 3 and 4, the holding member 110 holds the four ink tanks 100 in a row from the front in the front-rear direction 8 along the left-right direction 9. When holding the ink tanks 100, the holding member 110 covers the front of the ink tanks 100.

[0046] The holding member 110 has openings 81 and 82. A first mark 146 and a second mark 147 formed on the standing wall 102 of each ink tank 100 can be exposed to the outside of the printer unit 11 through the opening 81 of the holding member 110 and the opening 232 of the opening / closing lid 230. The through hole 112 of each ink tank 100 can be exposed to the outside of the holding member 110 through the opening 82.

[0047] [Bottle 130] Bottle 130 shown in Fig. 5 stores ink. As shown in Fig. 5, bottle 130 includes a bottle body 131, a bottle cap 132 that is detachable from bottle body 131, and a nozzle cap 133 that is detachable from bottle cap 132. Bottle body 131 is an example of a body. Bottle cap 132 is an example of a nozzle.

[0048] In the following description, in a state where the bottle cap 132 is attached to the bottle body 131 and the nozzle cap 133 is attached to the bottle cap 132, that is, in the attached state shown in Figures 5 and 6, the direction in which the bottle cap 132 protrudes from the bottle body 131 is defined as a first direction 134 (see Figure 6). In addition, in the attached state, the opposite direction to the first direction 134 is defined as a second direction 135 (see Figure 6). In addition, in the attached state, the direction around the axial direction of the bottle 130, which is approximately cylindrical in shape (directions along the first direction 134 and second direction 135) is defined as a circumferential direction 136.

[0049] [Bottle body 131] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottle body 131 includes a bottom wall 150, a first side wall 151, a second side wall 152, and a third side wall 153.

[0050] The bottom wall 150 is a generally circular wall. The first side wall 151 is a cylindrical wall extending in the first direction 134 from the outer edge of the bottom wall 150. The second side wall 152 extends in the first direction 134 from the end of the first side wall 151 in the first direction 134 while inclining in a direction that reduces the diameter of the bottle body 131. The third side wall 153 is a cylindrical wall extending in the first direction 134 from the end of the second side wall 152 in the first direction 134. The third side wall 153 is an example of a mouth portion.

[0051] 6, a space defined by the bottom wall 150, the first side wall 151, the second side wall 152, and the third side wall 153 is a storage chamber 154. Ink is stored in the storage chamber 154.

[0052] The third side wall 153 has an opening 155 at an end in the first direction 134. The storage chamber 154 communicates with the outside of the bottle body 131 through the opening 155.

[0053] The third side wall 153 has a male thread 156 on its outer circumferential surface. The third side wall 153 has a circular rib 157 at the end of the inner circumferential surface in the first direction 134, which extends along the inner circumferential surface.

[0054] In this embodiment, the bottle body 131 is generally cylindrical, but may be another shape (for example, a rectangular prism shape). At least the first side wall 151 of the bottle body 131 is flexible. This allows the first side wall 151 to deform. The volume of the storage chamber 154 changes as the first side wall 151 deforms.

[0055] [Bottle Cap 132] As shown in Fig. 7, the bottle cap 132 is a single member. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the bottle cap 132 is detachable from the bottle body 131. Note that the bottle cap 132 may be integral with the bottle body 131.

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bottle cap 132 includes a cap body 160, a nozzle 161, an annular protrusion 162, and a rib 163.

[0057] [Cap body 160] The cap body 160 includes a bottom wall 164 and a side wall 165. The bottom wall 164 is a generally circular wall. The side wall 165 is a generally cylindrical wall extending from the outer edge of the bottom wall 164 in the second direction 135. The bottom wall 164 is an example of a flange portion.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 8, the side wall 165 has a female thread 167 on its inner circumferential surface 166. The female thread 167 can be screwed into the male thread 156 of the bottle body 131 (see Fig. 6). The bottle cap 132 is attached to the bottle body 131 by screwing the male thread 156 into the female thread 167 (see Figs. 6 and 7).

[0059] 7, the bottom wall 164 has a protrusion 169 protruding from an outer surface 168 thereof in the first direction 134. The protrusion 169 is located around an outer circumferential surface 191 of the annular projection 162 and abuts against the outer circumferential surface 191. The protrusion 169 has a generally triangular shape in a side view.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8, an engagement portion 173 protrudes from an inner surface 172 of the bottom wall 164 in the second direction 135. That is, the bottom wall 164 is closer to the tip than a peripheral surface 173A (an example of a side peripheral surface) of the engagement portion 173. As shown in FIG. 6, in the attached state, the engagement portion 173 is inserted into the inside of the third side wall 153 through the opening 155 of the bottle main body 131, and the peripheral surface 173A abuts liquid-tightly against the annular rib 157 of the third side wall 153. This prevents the ink in the storage chamber 154 from flowing out through the opening 155. At this time, the bottom wall 164 of the cap main body 160 abuts against the tip of the third side wall 153.

[0061] 7, the side wall 165 has a mark 175 on its outer circumferential surface 174. When the bottle cap 132 is viewed along the second direction 135, the mark 175 is provided at a position opposite to a second flow path 182 described later with respect to a first flow path 181 described later, and at a position opposite to the first flow path 181 with respect to the second flow path 182. In this embodiment, when the bottle cap 132 is viewed along the second direction 135, the two marks 175, the first flow path 181, and the second flow path 182 are located on a straight line, and the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 are sandwiched between the two marks 175.

[0062] The two marks 175, the first flow path 181, and the second flow path 182 do not have to be positioned on a straight line. In this embodiment, the mark 175 has an arrow shape pointing in the first direction 137, but the shape of the mark 175 is not limited to the arrow shape. The bottle cap 132 does not have to have the mark 175.

[0063] 7, side wall 165 has a plurality of ribs 176 extending along first direction 134 on outer circumferential surface 174 thereof. Ribs 176 are provided other than the portion where mark 175 is provided and the surrounding area. By providing ribs 176, when a user grips outer circumferential surface 174, the user's hand is less likely to slip.

[0064] [Nozzle 161] 7 and 8, the nozzle 161 protrudes in the first direction 134 from an outer surface 168 of the bottom wall 164 of the cap body 160. That is, in the attached state, the nozzle 161 protrudes in the first direction 134 from the bottle body 131 via the cap body 160.

[0065] The nozzle 161 protrudes from the bottom wall 164 in the first direction 134 and also protrudes from the bottom wall 164 in the second direction 135. In this embodiment, the portion of the nozzle 161 that protrudes from the bottom wall 164 in the second direction 135 is an engagement portion 173 (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

[0066] Nozzle 161 has a generally cylindrical shape. Nozzle 161 has an outer peripheral surface 177 that is a circumferential surface. As shown in Fig. 8, outer peripheral surface 178, which is a part of outer peripheral surface 177, extends in first direction 134 while inclining in a direction that reduces the diameter of nozzle 161. Note that nozzle 161 may have a shape other than a cylindrical shape, for example, a square prism shape.

[0067] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the nozzle 161 has a first flow path 181 and a second flow path 182.

[0068] The first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 penetrate the nozzle 161 along the first direction 134. In the present embodiment, the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 extend along the first direction 134, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 may be curved. The length of the first flow path 181 along the ink flow direction is the same as the length of the second flow path 182 along the ink flow direction. In the present embodiment, the ink flow direction is the direction in which the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 penetrate, that is, the first direction 134. The length of the first flow path 181 along the ink flow direction may be different from the length of the second flow path 182 along the ink flow direction.

[0069] The first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 have the same shape and the same size. In other words, the cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path 181 are the same as the cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area of ​​the second flow path 182. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shapes of the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 are both circular, and the areas of the circles are the same. The cross-sectional shapes of the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 may be shapes other than circular. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the first flow path 181 may be different from the cross-sectional shape of the second flow path 182, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path 181 may be different from the cross-sectional area of ​​the second flow path 182.

[0070] In the mounted state, one end of the first flow path 181 communicates with the storage chamber 154 through an opening 183 (an example of a first opening). The other end of the first flow path 181 communicates with the outside of the nozzle 161 through an opening 184 (an example of a second opening). In the mounted state, one end of the second flow path 182 communicates with the storage chamber 154 through an opening 185 (an example of a third opening). The other end of the second flow path 182 communicates with the outside of the nozzle 161 through an opening 186 (an example of a fourth opening). In this embodiment, the storage chamber 154 and the outside of the bottle body 131 are communicated with only by the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182.

[0071] The openings 183, 185 are formed in a base surface 180, which is a surface of the engagement portion 173 facing the second direction 135. In the attached state, the base surface 180 defines an end of the storage chamber 154 in the first direction 134. The openings 183, 185 are circular. The openings 183, 185 may be of a shape other than a circle. In addition, the base surface 180 has a protruding piece 180A formed around the openings 183, 185, which protrudes slightly.

[0072] 9, the shortest length D1 between the periphery 180B of the base surface 180 and the opening 183 or the opening 185 is larger than the inner diameter D2 of the opening 183 and the inner diameter D3 of the opening 185. In this embodiment, the shortest length D1 between the periphery 180B of the base surface 180 and the opening 183 is the same as the shortest length D1 between the periphery 180B of the base surface 180 and the opening 183, but these may be different. Also, the inner diameter D2 and the inner diameter D3 are the same as each other, but these may be different.

[0073] When the tip of the nozzle 161 is in a vertically downward orientation in the attached state, the base surface 180 defines the lower end of the storage chamber 154. The position in which the tip of the nozzle 161 is in a vertically downward orientation is the position of the nozzle 161 in which the first direction 134 is vertically downward in FIG.

[0074] 7 and 8, the openings 184, 186 are formed in a tip surface 179 that constitutes the end of the nozzle 161 in the first direction 134. In other words, the openings 184, 186 are formed on the same surface.

[0075] The openings 184, 186 are circular. Note that the openings 184, 186 may be a shape other than circular. Also, the openings 184, 186 may be formed anywhere as long as it is at the tip of the nozzle 161, and is not limited to the tip surface 179. The tip of the nozzle 161 is, for example, a portion of the nozzle 161 that is constituted by the tip surface 179 and the outer circumferential surface 177.

[0076] When the tip of nozzle 161 faces vertically downward (when openings 184 and 186 face vertically downward), opening 183 is at the same height as opening 185, and opening 184 is at the same height as opening 186.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle 161 has a recess 187 on its outer circumferential surface 177. The recess 187 extends in the first direction 134 from the vicinity of the base end to the vicinity of the tip end of the nozzle 161. In this embodiment, the recess 187 is formed in two places, but the recess 187 may be formed in one place or three or more places. In this embodiment, the recess 187 extends from the vicinity of the base end to the vicinity of the tip end of the nozzle 161, but it is sufficient that the recess 187 extends from the inside (storage chamber 111) of the ink tank 100 to the outside at least in a state in which the nozzle 161 is inserted into the through hole 112 of the ink tank 100 (the state shown in FIG. 13). The nozzle 161 does not have to have the recess 187.

[0078] 7 and 8, the nozzle 161 has a recess 188 at its tip. The recess 188 is defined by a tip surface 179 and an inner circumferential surface of an annular rib 189 protruding from an outer edge of the tip surface 179 in the first direction 134. In other words, the tip surface 179 is recessed from the tip of the nozzle 161 (the tip of the annular rib 189). The annular rib 189 extends in the first direction 134 while inclining in a direction that expands the diameter of the recess 188.

[0079] [Annular protrusion 162] 7 and 8, the annular protrusion 162 protrudes from an outer surface 168 of the bottom wall 164 in the first direction 134. The annular protrusion 162 protrudes from the periphery of the nozzle 161. In other words, when the bottle cap 132 is viewed in the second direction 135, the annular protrusion 162 surrounds the nozzle 161. As a result, a groove 193 extending in the circumferential direction 136 is formed by the annular protrusion 162, the nozzle 161, and the bottom wall 164.

[0080] The protruding length of the annular protrusion 162 is shorter than the protruding length of the nozzle 161. In other words, the end of the annular protrusion 162 in the first direction 134 is located further in the second direction 135 than the end of the nozzle 161 in the first direction 134.

[0081] [Rib 163] 7 and 8, the rib 163 protrudes from the outer circumferential surface 177 of the nozzle 161. The rib 163 extends from the base end of the nozzle 161 toward the tip end in the first direction 134. An end of the rib 163 in the second direction 135 reaches the bottom wall 164. An end of the rib 163 in the first direction 134 is located closer to the first direction 134 than the annular protrusion 162. A plurality of ribs 163 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction 136. The plurality of ribs 163 protrude radially from the center of the nozzle 161 (the axial center of the cylindrical shape).

[0082] [Connection of bottle 130 to ink tank 100] 4 and 10, the nozzle 161 of the bottle 130 is inserted into the through-hole 112 of the ink tank 100, thereby connecting the bottle 130 to the ink tank 100. Hereinafter, the attitude of the bottle 130 when the bottle 130 is connected to the ink tank 100 is also referred to as the connected attitude.

[0083] When the nozzle 161 of the bottle 130 is inserted into the through-hole 112 of the ink tank 100, the attitude of the bottle 130 is adjusted so that the mark 175 faces vertically upward, whereby one of the openings 184, 186 is higher than the other when the openings 184, 186 are positioned in the storage chamber 111. In this embodiment, in the connected attitude, the opening 186 is higher than the opening 184.

[0084] 10, when the bottle 130 is in the connected position, the outer peripheral surface 177 of the nozzle 161 abuts against the inner peripheral surface 114 of the through-hole 112. Furthermore, when the bottle 130 is in the connected position, the rib 163 abuts against the annular rib 109 of the ink tank 100. When the bottle 130 is in the connected position, the openings 184, 186 are located below the atmosphere communication hole 98.

[0085] The inner diameter of the through hole 112 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the portion of the nozzle 161 that is inside the through hole 112 in the connected posture. As a result, in the connected posture, the bottle 130 rotates due to its own weight such that the bottle body 131 moves downward and the tip of the nozzle 161 moves upward. The nozzle 161 of the rotated bottle 130 abuts against the inner circumferential surface 114 of the through hole 112 at two locations, positions P1 and P2.

[0086] Position P1 is the edge of the inner circumferential surface 114 on the storage chamber 111 side. The outer circumferential surface 177 of the nozzle 161 abuts against this edge from below. Position P2 is the edge on the outer side of the inner circumferential surface 114. The outer circumferential surface 177 of the nozzle 161 abuts against this edge from above. This causes the nozzle 161 to engage with the through hole 112. As a result, the bottle 130 is maintained in the connected position.

[0087] When the bottle 130 is in the connected posture, the first side wall 151 is located higher than the positions P1 and P2.

[0088] Nozzle 161 has a recess 187 (see FIG. 7). When bottle 130 is in the connected position, the end of recess 187 on the tip side of nozzle 161 is inside storage chamber 111, and the end of recess 187 on the base side of nozzle 161 is outside ink tank 100. This allows storage chamber 111 to communicate with the outside of ink tank 100 via recess 187. In other words, when in the connected position, ink tank 100 communicates with the atmosphere through recess 187 in addition to atmosphere communication hole 98.

[0089] The supply of ink from the bottle 130 to the ink tank 100 when the bottle 130 is in the connected position will be described below. In the following description, the supply of ink from the bottle 130 to the ink tank 100 is performed by a so-called chicken feed method.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 10, when the bottle 130 is connected to the ink tank 100 and the openings 184 and 186 are positioned within the storage chamber 111 of the ink tank 100, the storage chamber 154 and the storage chamber 111 communicate with each other through the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182. As a result, the ink stored in the storage chamber 154 flows into the first flow path 181 through the opening 183, and flows into the storage chamber 111 from the opening 184. In addition, when the ink flows, air enters the storage chamber 111 from the atmosphere communication hole 98 and flows into the storage chamber 154 through the second flow path 182. Here, the volume of the ink flowing from the storage chamber 154 to the storage chamber 111 and the volume of the air flowing from the storage chamber 111 to the storage chamber 154 are approximately the same. In this manner, so-called gas-liquid replacement is performed. When all the ink in the storage chamber 154 of the bottle 130 flows into the storage chamber 111 of the ink tank 100, the gas-liquid substitution is completed.

[0091] [Effects of the embodiment] According to bottle 130 of this embodiment, openings 183, 185 are located on base surface 180, so ink is less likely to remain on base surface 180. Also, since the length of each of first flow path 181 and second flow path 182 can be made relatively long, ink flows smoothly to the outside through first flow path 181 and second flow path 182 while air and liquid are replaced.

[0092] [Variation 1] In the embodiment described above, the bottle cap 132 has a bottom wall 164 and a side wall 165, and the bottle cap 132 is assembled to the bottle body 131 by screwing the female thread 167 formed on the side wall 165 with the male thread 156 formed on the third side wall 153 of the bottle body 131. However, the bottle cap 132 may not have a side wall 165. In that case, the engagement portion 173 protruding from the bottom wall 164 in the second direction 135 is inserted into the inside of the third side wall 153 of the bottle body 131, and the bottom wall 164 abuts against the tip of the third side wall 153, so that the bottle cap 132 is assembled to a predetermined position of the bottle body 131. According to the configuration of such a first modification, the bottom wall 164 does not need to protrude outward from the third side wall 153, so that the outer diameter of the bottom wall 164 of the bottle cap 132 can be reduced.

[0093] [Variation 2] 11, the bottle body 131 may have a gate plate 115 located inside the third side wall 153. Configurations different from the above-described embodiment will be described in detail below. Note that members with the same reference numerals as those in the above-described embodiment have the same configuration.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 12, a C-shaped protrusion 116 protruding inward is located on the inner peripheral surface of the third side wall 153 of the bottle body 131. The protrusion 116 is located in the second direction 135 on the third side wall 153 from the base surface 180 of the engagement portion 173. The protrusion 116 extends along the inner peripheral surface of the third side wall 153 and is not continuous over the entire circumference, and there are parts of the inner peripheral surface of the third side wall 153 where the protrusion 116 is not located. A key 117 (see FIG. 13) protruding from the edge of the gate plate 115 in the second direction 135 fits into the part where the protrusion 116 is not located. As a result, the gate plate 115 abutting against the protrusion 116 does not rotate around the axis.

[0095] 14, the openings 183, 185 opening in the base surface 180 of the engagement portion 173 are fan-shaped rather than circular. In other words, the openings 183, 185 have a shape in which the radial width is narrow near the center of the circular base surface 180 and the radial width gradually increases as the openings move away from the center. The width of each of the openings 183, 185 is smaller than ¼ of the entire radial circumference of the base surface 180. The openings 183, 185 are shaped point-symmetric with respect to the center of the base surface 180.

[0096] Gate plate 115 has a disk shape with an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of third side wall 153. As shown in Fig. 10, gate plate 115 has openings 118, 119. Openings 118, 119 have the same shape and arrangement as openings 183, 185 of base surface 180. In other words, openings 118, 119 have a shape that is point-symmetric with respect to the center of the surface of gate plate 115 that faces second direction 135. Openings 118, 119 are examples of a fifth opening and a sixth opening.

[0097] The gate plate 115 is located inside the third side wall 153 and is supported by the protrusion 116. The surface of the gate plate 115 facing the first direction 134 abuts against the base surface 180 of the engagement portion 173. That is, the gate plate 115 is sandwiched between the protrusion 116 and the engagement portion 173 inside the third side wall 153. In this modification, the protrusion piece 180A is not formed on the base surface 180 of the engagement portion 173. The abutment portion between the gate plate 115 and the protrusion 116 and the abutment portion between the gate plate 115 and the engagement portion 173 are liquid-tight. Therefore, the ink stored in the storage chamber 154 of the bottle body 131 does not flow out to the outside of the bottle body 131 from places other than the openings 118 and 119.

[0098] 11, no male thread 156 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the third side wall 153 of the bottle body 131. Moreover, no female thread 167 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 165 of the bottle cap 132. Therefore, with the engaging portion 173 of the bottle cap 132 inserted inside the third side wall 153 of the bottle body 131, the bottle cap 132 can rotate around the axis relative to the bottle body 131. In other words, the engaging portion 173 rotates inside the third side wall 153.

[0099] 13(A), the openings 118, 119 of the gate plate 115 and the openings 183, 185 of the base surface 180 substantially overlap and communicate with each other. This allows the ink stored in the storage chamber 154 to flow out by gas-liquid replacement through the first flow path 181 and the second flow path.

[0100] 13(B), openings 118, 119 of gate plate 115 do not substantially overlap with openings 183, 185 of base surface 180. As a result, first flow path 181 and second flow path are closed by gate plate 115 so that ink cannot flow out. Therefore, even if bottle 130 is oriented so that the tip of nozzle 161 faces vertically downward, ink stored in storage chamber 154 does not flow out through nozzle 161 to the outside.

[0101] [Other variations] In the above embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182 is circular, and the openings 183, 184, 185, and 186 are also circular. However, the shapes of the first flow path 181, the second flow path 182, and the openings 183, 184, 185, and 186 may be different from those in the above embodiment. For example, the cross-sectional shape of each of the openings 183, 184, 185, and 186 may be semicircular, and two openings formed on each surface may join together to form a circle.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the nozzle 161 has two flow paths (the first flow path 181 and the second flow path 182), but the nozzle 161 may have three or more flow paths.

[0103] In the ink tank 100, the through hole 112 may be formed in a part other than the inclined wall 106. For example, the through hole 112 may be formed in the upper wall of the ink tank 100 and extend along the vertical direction. In this case, the nozzle 161 is inserted into the through hole 112 from above.

[0104] In the above embodiment, ink has been described as an example of the liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, instead of ink, a pretreatment liquid that is ejected onto the recording paper prior to the ink during printing, or water that is sprayed near the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39 to prevent the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39 from drying, etc. may be an example of the printing liquid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 10...Multifunction device (liquid supply device) 100···Ink tank (tank) 111 Storage chamber (internal space) 112... Through hole (insertion opening) 115 Gate plate 118···Aperture (5th aperture) 119···Aperture (6th aperture) 130··· Bottle (liquid container for printing) 131···Bottle body (main body) 132 Bottle cap (nozzle) 153...Third side wall (mouth) 154...Storage chamber 155...Aperture 164 Bottom wall (flange) 173 Engagement part 173A...Surrounding surface (side circumferential surface) 180...base 181...First flow path 182...Second flow path 183···Aperture (1st aperture) 184···Aperture (2nd aperture) 185··· opening (third opening) 186···Aperture (4th aperture)

Claims

1. A printing liquid container that stores a printing liquid in a storage chamber, a nozzle having a circular base surface with two openings communicating with the reservoir; a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of one of the two openings on the base surface is different from a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of the other of the two openings; Projected images of the two openings in a direction perpendicular to the base surface are located at the bottom of the storage chamber, A printing liquid container, in which an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the bottom of the storage chamber and passes through the center of the bottom of the storage chamber passes through the base surface.

2. A printing liquid container that stores a printing liquid in a storage chamber, a nozzle having a circular base surface with two openings communicating with the reservoir; a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of one of the two openings on the base surface is different from a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of the other of the two openings; The nozzle has a first flow path and a second flow path, The first flow path communicates with the storage chamber through a first opening as the one opening, and communicates with the outside through a second opening located at a tip portion of the nozzle, The second flow path communicates with the storage chamber through a third opening as the other opening, and communicates with the outside through a fourth opening located at the tip of the nozzle, a length in a direction in which the first flow path extends is longer than a maximum length in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first flow path extends, passing through a center of the one opening or a center of the other opening, at least in one of the one opening and the other opening; A printing liquid container, wherein when the tip of the nozzle is in a position facing vertically downward, the first opening and the third opening are at the same height, and the second opening and the fourth opening are at the same height.

3. The storage chamber has an opening, and the main body has an opening. The nozzle is a side peripheral surface that is in liquid-tight contact with the inner surface of the mouth portion; a protrusion protruding from the mouth portion, The printing liquid container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base surface is located closer to a bottom surface of the main body than the side peripheral surface.

4. A printing liquid container that stores a printing liquid in a storage chamber, A main body having a mouth portion defining an opening of the storage chamber; a nozzle having a circular base surface with two openings communicating with the reservoir; a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of one of the two openings on the base surface is different from a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of the other of the two openings; The nozzle is a side peripheral surface that is in liquid-tight contact with the inner surface of the mouth portion; a protrusion protruding from the mouth portion, The base surface is located closer to a bottom surface of the main body than the side peripheral surface.

5. the nozzle has a flange protruding from a position closer to a tip of the nozzle than the side circumferential surface, 5. The printing liquid container according to claim 3, wherein the flange portion abuts against the mouth portion.

6. the nozzle has an engagement portion extending from the flange portion toward an opposite side to the tip portion and having the side peripheral surface, The printing liquid container according to claim 5 , wherein the engaging portion is inserted into the mouth of the main body.

7. a gate plate located within the mouth and having a fifth opening and a sixth opening; the gate plate abuts against the base surface of the nozzle, The nozzle is movable between a first position and a second position; In the first position, the first opening as the one opening and the third opening as the other opening are in communication with the fifth opening and the sixth opening, respectively, so as to be able to flow printing liquid therethrough; 7. The printing liquid container according to claim 3, wherein in the second position, the first opening and the third opening are located at different positions from the fifth opening and the sixth opening, respectively, such that printing liquid cannot flow therethrough.

8. The mouth portion is cylindrical, 8. The printing liquid container according to claim 7, wherein the nozzle moves between the first position and the second position by rotating within the mouth.

9. The nozzle has a first flow path, A printing liquid container as described in claim 1 or 4, wherein the first flow path is connected to the storage chamber through a first opening as the one of the openings, and is connected to the outside through a second opening located at the tip of the nozzle.

10. 10. The printing liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a shortest length between a periphery of the base surface and the one opening is different from a shortest length between a periphery of the base surface and the other opening.

11. The one opening is circular, the other opening is circular; 11. The printing liquid container according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the one opening is different from an inner diameter of the other opening.

12. The one opening is circular, the other opening is circular; 12. The printing liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the shortest length between the periphery of the base surface and the one opening or the other opening is greater than the inner diameter of the one opening and the inner diameter of the other opening.

13. A liquid supply device including a printing liquid container that stores a printing liquid in a storage chamber, and a tank having an internal space that stores the printing liquid, The tank has an insertion port that communicates the internal space with the outside, The insertion opening portion extends with a tip facing upward along an inclined direction intersecting a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, The printing liquid container includes a nozzle having a circular base surface in which two openings communicating with the storage chamber are located; a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of one of the two openings on the base surface is different from a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of the other of the two openings; The printing liquid container is a liquid supply device connected to the tank so that printing liquid can flow from the storage chamber to the internal space of the tank by inserting the nozzle into the insertion opening.

14. A printing liquid container for storing a printing liquid in a storage chamber, comprising: a nozzle having a circular base surface on which two openings communicating with the reservoir are located; A main body having a mouth portion defining an opening of the storage chamber, a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of one of the two openings on the base surface is different from a distance from a center of the nozzle to a center of the other of the two openings; The nozzle is A first flow path; a side peripheral surface that is in liquid-tight contact with the inner surface of the mouth portion; a protrusion protruding from the mouth portion, The first flow path communicates with the storage chamber through a first opening as the one opening, and communicates with the outside through a second opening located at a tip portion of the nozzle, a length in a direction in which the first flow path extends is longer than a maximum length in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first flow path extends, passing through a center of the one opening or a center of the other opening, at least in one of the one opening and the other opening; The base surface is located closer to a bottom surface of the main body than the side peripheral surface.

Images