Printing liquid container and container set

Abstract

To provide means which enables a supply port for supply liquid to be opened or closed with a simple structure and enables fitting in a specific tank.SOLUTION: A bottle 100 includes: a nozzle material 101 having a supply port 113; a valve body 102 having a rod 122; and a housing 103. The nozzle material 101 and the housing 103 are connected so as to enable relative rotation to a first state and a second state. The nozzle material 101 has engagement ribs 114 each of which fits in a recessed groove 86 of a tank 80A. The housing 103 may rotate around an axis line 100A in a state that each protruding piece 87 enters a groove 131. Fitting between the recessed grooves 86 and the engagement ribs 114 prevents the nozzle material 101 from co-rotating with rotation of the housing 103.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In a conventional printing device, a configuration is known in which ink is supplied to a tank from a container connected to the tank each time the ink stored in the tank is consumed. When the ink stored in the tank is consumed, ink is supplied to the tank from a bottle through the tank's inlet. When multiple tanks store different types of ink, such as ink colors, the bottles are formed with an uneven shape that prevents them from being connected to the wrong bottle that supplies ink to each tank (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-6396 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The bottle has a supply port for supplying ink. To prevent ink from leaking from the supply port, the bottle is provided with a cap. However, removing and attaching the cap when using the bottle is a cumbersome operation. Furthermore, space is required to store the removed cap, and there is a risk of losing the removed cap or mixing up the caps on multiple bottles. Therefore, a bottle with a simple structure that can open and close the supply port without using a cap is desirable. On the other hand, if the external shape of the bottle changes due to the opening and closing of the supply port, it becomes difficult to fit the bottle to a specific tank.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a means by which a supply port for supplying liquid can be opened and closed with a simple structure and can be fitted with a specific tank. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The present invention provides a printing liquid container that can be fitted into either a first tank or a second tank, each of which has a fitted portion with an inlet. The printing liquid container includes a first member having a supply port communicating with an internal space, and a second member having a valve that opens or closes the supply port. The first member and the second member are connected to be relatively rotatable between a first state and a second state. The internal spaces of the first member and the second member are storage chambers that store liquid. The valve closes the supply port in the first state and opens the supply port in the second state. One of the first member or the second member has a first fitting portion that fits into the fitted portion of either the first tank or the second tank. The other of the first member or the second member is rotatable relative to the fitted portion with at least a portion inserted into the fitted portion. One of the first member or the second member does not rotate with rotation of the other of the first member or the second member due to the engagement between the fitted portion and the first fitting portion.

[0007] The first fitting portion allows the printing liquid container to selectively fit into only the fitting portion of either the first tank or the second tank. When the first fitting portion and the fitting portion are fitted together, the first member and the second member can be rotated relative to each other by operating only the other of the first member or the second member.

[0008] (2) Preferably, the other of the first member or the second member has a second fitting portion that fits with a fitting portion of at least one of the first tank or the second tank. The first fitting portion and the second fitting portion fit with the fitting portion in the first state. The second fitting portion allows the other of the first member or the second member to rotate relative to the fitting portion in a state in which the fitting portion and the first fitting portion are fitted together.

[0009] The first and second fitting portions allow the printing liquid container in the first state to be selectively fitted to either the first tank or the second tank. The combination of the first and second members allows for selective fitting with the fitted portion to be changed.

[0010] (3) Preferably, due to the engagement between the second fitting portion and the fitted portion in the second state, the other of the first member and the second member cannot be removed from the fitted portion.

[0011] The printing liquid container in the second state is prevented from being removed from the fitted portion of the first tank or the second tank.

[0012] (4) Preferably, when the second fitting portion is engaged with the fitted portion of one of the first tank or the second tank, it allows rotation relative to the fitted portion of the other of the first member or the second member, and when the second fitting portion is engaged with the fitted portion of the other of the first tank or the second tank, it does not allow rotation relative to the fitted portion of the other of the first member or the second member.

[0013] (5) Preferably, the fitted portion of each of the first tank and the second tank has a portion corresponding to the first fitting portion and a portion corresponding to the second fitting portion.

[0014] In the first tank and the second tank, the portion corresponding to the first fitting portion and the portion corresponding to the second fitting portion can be combined as separate members. Also, the portion of the first tank corresponding to the first fitting portion and the portion of the second tank corresponding to the first fitting portion can be formed as an integrated part, or the portion of the first tank corresponding to the second fitting portion and the portion of the second tank corresponding to the second fitting portion can be formed as an integrated part. This makes it less likely that the first tank and the second tank will be misaligned during manufacturing and makes assembly easier.

[0015] (6) Preferably, the first member and the second member are assembled so that the relative positions of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion around the rotation axis can be changed.

[0016] When the printing liquid container is reused, it can be selectively assembled as a printing liquid container that can be fitted to either the first tank or the second tank.

[0017] (7) Preferably, the first member has the first fitting portion, and the second member has the second fitting portion.

[0018] (8) Preferably, the first fitting portion is a first protrusion or a first groove extending radially from the periphery of the supply port.

[0019] (9) Preferably, the second fitting portion is a second groove extending in a first direction along the axis of relative rotation on the outer surface of the second member, and a third groove extending in a second direction around the axis from the second groove on the outer surface of the second member.

[0020] (10) Preferably, the outer surface of the second member along the axis is a circumferential surface.

[0021] (11) The present invention provides a container set including a first printing liquid container and a second printing liquid container. The first printing gas container and the second printing liquid container each include a first member having a supply port communicating with an internal space, and a second member having a valve that opens or closes the supply port. The first member and the second member are connected to be relatively rotatable between a first state and a second state. The internal spaces of the first member and the second member are storage chambers that store liquid. The valve closes the supply port in the first state and opens the supply port in the second state. One of the first member or the second member has a first protrusion or a first groove. The other of the first member or the second member has, on an outer surface of the other of the first member or the second member, a second groove extending in a first direction along an axis of relative rotation, and a third groove extending from the second groove in a second direction around the axis. The third groove of the first printing liquid container and the third groove of the second printing liquid container are located at different positions in the first direction on the second groove.

[0022] Depending on whether the fitted portion of the tank matches with the third groove, the first liquid container for printing or the second liquid container for printing can be rotatable or non-rotatable relative to the tank from the first state to the second state, which makes it possible to selectively supply liquid to a specific tank using the first liquid container for printing and the second liquid container for printing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present invention, the supply port for supplying liquid can be opened and closed with a simple structure, and can be fitted to a specific tank. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a multifunction peripheral 10. As shown in FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic internal structure of the printer unit 11. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of the tanks 80A and 80B. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along the vertical direction 7 including the axis 83A of the tanks 80A and 80B. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(A) is a plan view of the tank 80A, and FIG. 5(B) is a plan view of the tank 80B. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(A) is an external perspective view of the bottle 100 in a first state, and FIG. 6(B) is an external perspective view of the bottle 100 in a second state. [Figure 7] 7(A) is a bottom view of the bottle 100, FIG. 7(B) is a bottom view of the bottle 100 in a different assembly, and FIG. 7(C) is a bottom view of the housing 103. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8(A) is a perspective view showing the nozzle material 101 and the valve body 102 in a first state, and FIG. 8(B) is a perspective view showing the nozzle material 101 and the valve body 102 in a second state. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the bottle 100 in the first state is inserted into the recess 84 of the tank 80A. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the bottle 100 in the second state is inserted into the recess 84 of the tank 80A. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the appearance of the tanks 80C and 80D. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along the vertical direction 7 including the axis 83A of the tanks 80C and 80D. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the appearance of the bottle 150. As shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a side view of the bottle 150. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention will now 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 modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the following description, the direction of an arrow refers to the direction from the start point to the end point, and the direction of movement on the line connecting the start point and end point of the arrow. In other words, the direction of movement is one component of a direction. Furthermore, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the position in which the multifunction device 10 is installed on a horizontal surface so that it can be used (the position shown in FIG. 1 , which may be referred to as the "usage position"). The front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface of the multifunction device 10 where the opening 13 is located as the front, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when viewing the multifunction device 10 from the front. In this embodiment, in the use position, 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 orthogonal to each other.

[0026] [Overall structure of the multifunction device 10] As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 10 has a housing 14 that is roughly rectangular parallelepiped in shape. A printer unit 11 is provided at the bottom of the housing 14. The multifunction device 10 has various functions, such as a facsimile function and a print function. The multifunction device 10 has the print function of recording an image on one side of paper 12 using an inkjet method. Note that the multifunction device 10 may also record images on both sides of paper 12. An operation unit 17 is provided at the top of the housing 14. The operation unit 17 is composed of buttons that are operated to issue image recording instructions and for various settings, an LCD display that displays various information, and the like. In this embodiment, the operation unit 17 is composed of a touch panel that functions as both a button and an LCD display.

[0027] 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feed tray 20, a feed unit 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a transport roller pair 59, a discharge roller pair 44, a platen 42, and a recording unit 24. These are located inside the housing 14. Also located inside the housing 14 are various status sensors that detect the status of the multifunction device 10 and output signals according to the detection results. Note that the configuration of the printer unit 11 is an example, and the configuration of the printer unit 11 may be replaced with other known configurations.

[0028] [Feed Tray 20] As shown in Fig. 1, an opening 13 is formed in the front surface 23 of the printer unit 11. The feed tray 20 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 14 through the opening 13 by moving the feed tray 20 in the front-to-rear direction 8. The feed tray 20 can be moved between a feed position (the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2) where it is attached to the housing 14 and a non-feed position where it is removed from the housing 14. The feed tray 20 moves to the feed position by being inserted rearward into the housing 14, and moves to the non-feed position by being pulled forward relative to the housing 14.

[0029] The feed tray 20 is a box-shaped member that is open at the top and stores the sheets of paper 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheets of paper 12 are supported in a stacked state on a bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20. The discharge tray 21 is located above the front part of the feed tray 20. The sheets of paper 12 that have had images recorded on them by the recording unit 24 and are discharged are supported on the top surface of the discharge tray 21.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, when the feed tray 20 is in the feed position, the paper 12 supported by the feed tray 20 can be fed to the transport path 65 .

[0031] [Feeding section 16] As shown in Figure 2, the feed unit 16 is located below the recording unit 24 and above the bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20. The feed unit 16 includes a feed roller 25, a feed arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a shaft 28. The feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the feed arm 26. The feed arm 26 rotates in the direction of arrow 29 around the shaft 28 provided at the base end. This allows the feed roller 25 to come into contact with and separate from the feed tray 20 or the paper 12 supported by the feed tray 20.

[0032] The feed roller 25 rotates by the driving force of the motor transmitted by a drive transmission mechanism 27 made up of multiple meshed gears. As a result, of the sheets 12 supported on the bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20 at the feed position, the top sheet 12 in contact with the feed roller 25 is fed to the conveyance path 65.

[0033] [Transport path 65] As shown in Figure 2, a conveying path 65 extends from the rear end of the feed tray 20. The conveying path 65 has a curved portion 33 and a straight portion 34. The curved portion 33 extends upward, making a U-turn from rear to front. The straight portion 34 extends generally along the front-rear direction 8.

[0034] The curved portion 33 is formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that face each other at a predetermined distance. The outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 extend in the left-right direction 9. The straight portion 34, in the range where the recording unit 24 is located, is formed by the recording unit 24 and a platen 42 that face each other at a predetermined distance in the up-down direction 7.

[0035] The paper 12 supported on the feed tray 20 is transported along the curved portion 33 by the feed roller 25 and reaches the pair of transport rollers 59. The paper 12 sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers 59 is transported forward along the straight portion 34 toward the recording unit 24. An image is recorded on the paper 12 that has reached directly below the recording unit 24 by ink ejected from the recording unit 24. The paper 12 with the image recorded is transported forward along the straight portion 34 and discharged onto the discharge tray 21. As described above, the paper 12 is transported along the transport direction 15 indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 2.

[0036] [Transport roller pair 59 and discharge roller pair 44] 2, a pair of conveying rollers 59 is located in the straight section 34. A pair of discharge rollers 44 is located downstream of the pair of conveying rollers 59 in the straight section 34 in the conveying direction 15.

[0037] The conveying roller pair 59 includes a conveying roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 located below the conveying roller 60. The pinch roller 61 is pressed against the conveying roller 60 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The conveying roller pair 59 can pinch the paper 12.

[0038] The discharge roller pair 44 includes a discharge roller 62 and a spur roller 63 located above the discharge roller 62. The spur roller 63 is pressed toward the discharge roller 62 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The discharge roller pair 44 is capable of sandwiching the paper 12.

[0039] The conveying roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 are rotated by a driving force applied from a motor. When the conveying roller 60 rotates while the sheet 12 is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59, the sheet 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 by the pair of conveying rollers 59 and conveyed onto the platen 42. When the discharge roller 62 rotates while the sheet 12 is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rollers 44, the sheet 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 by the pair of discharge rollers 44 and discharged onto the discharge tray 21.

[0040] [Platen 42] 2, the platen 42 is located in the straight section 34 of the transport path 65. The platen 42 faces the recording unit 24 in the up-down direction 7. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 transported along the transport path 65 from below.

[0041] [Records 24] 2, the recording unit 24 is located above a platen 42. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40, a head 38, and a tank 80.

[0042] The carriage 40 is supported by two guide rails 56, 57 spaced apart in the front-rear direction 8 so as to be movable along a left-right direction 9 perpendicular to the conveying direction 15. The guide rail 56 is located upstream of the head 38 in the conveying direction 15. The guide rail 57 is located downstream of the head 38 in the conveying direction 15. The guide rails 56, 57 are supported by a pair of side frames (not shown) located outside the straight portion 34 of the conveying path 65 in the left-right direction 9. The carriage 40 moves when a driving force is applied from a motor.

[0043] The head 38 is supported by the carriage 40. A lower surface 68 of the head 38 is exposed downward and faces the platen 42. The head 38 includes a plurality of nozzles 39, ink flow paths 37, and a piezoelectric element (not shown).

[0044] The plurality of nozzles 39 are opened on the lower surface 68 of the head 38. The ink flow path 37 connects the tank 80 to the plurality of nozzles 39. The piezoelectric element deforms when power is supplied, and the deformation in the ink flow path 37 causes ink droplets to be ejected downward from the nozzles 39.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, the tank 80 (an example of the first tank and second tank) is mounted on the carriage 40. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the tank 80 has an internal space 81. Ink is stored in the internal space 81. The internal space 81 of the tank 80 communicates with the plurality of nozzles 39 via the ink flow paths 37. This allows ink to be supplied from the internal space 81 to the nozzles 39.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, the tanks 80 are located above the heads 38. In this embodiment, all of the tanks 80 are located above the heads 38, but the positional relationship between the tanks 80 and the heads 38 may be changed as appropriate. In this embodiment, the recording unit 24 includes a plurality of tanks 80. The plurality of tanks 80 respectively store, for example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks. The types of ink stored in the tanks 80 are not limited to different colors.

[0047] 3 and 4 show two tanks 80A and 80B. As mentioned above, there are four tanks 80, but here, the configuration of the tanks 80 will be explained using two tanks as an example. The upper walls 82 of the tanks 80A and 80B are each formed with a recess 84 recessed toward the internal space 81. The cross section of the recess 84 is circular, into which a bottle 100 (see FIG. 6) can be inserted. An inlet 83 for injecting ink into the internal space 81 is provided at the bottom end of the recess 84. The bottle 100, which will be described later, is fitted into the recess 84 around the inlet 83.

[0048] A plurality of grooves 86 (an example of a fitted portion) are positioned radially, and are unevenly arranged in only a portion of the circumferential direction. In other words, the grooves 86 are positioned radially around the injection port 83 at equal circumferential intervals, and at several points along the radial direction, grooves 86 that should be positioned are not positioned. Each groove 86 extends linearly outward from the injection port 83.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(A), in tank 80A, seven grooves 86 are positioned at 45-degree intervals, dividing 360 degrees around filler port 83 into eight equal parts. Therefore, the interval between two grooves 86 that sandwich one of the eight equal parts where no groove 86 is located is 90 degrees. Also, as shown in FIG. 5(B), in tank 80B, six grooves 86 are positioned at 45-degree intervals, dividing 360 degrees around filler port 83 into eight equal parts. No groove 86 is located between two of the eight equal parts where no groove 86 is located. Therefore, the interval between two grooves 86 that sandwich two of the eight equal parts where no groove 86 is located is 135 degrees.

[0050] Three protrusions 87 (an example of a fitted portion) are located at the upper end of the recess 84. The three protrusions 87 are located at positions that are 120 degrees apart from each other about the axis 83A of the injection port 83. Each protrusion 87 protrudes from the upper end of the recess 84 toward the axis 83A.

[0051] The tanks 80A and 80B have different circumferential positions of the upper ends of the recesses 84 for the three protrusions 87. In other words, the relative positional relationship between the three protrusions 87 and the locations around the filler port 83 where the grooves 86 are not located differs between the tanks 80A and 80B. In this embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the three protrusions 87 and the locations around the filler port 83 where the grooves 86 are not located differs by 90 degrees clockwise between the tanks 80A and 80B. Similarly, two more tanks can be designed in which the relative positional relationship between the three protrusions 87 and the locations around the filler port 83 where the grooves 86 are not located differs by another 90 degrees clockwise. In other words, four types of tanks can be designed in which the relative positional relationship between the three protrusions 87 and the locations around the filler port 83 where the grooves 86 are not located differs by another 90 degrees clockwise.

[0052] The inner surface of the recess 84 is a two-step circumferential surface in which the inner diameter of the lower cross section 84L is smaller than the inner diameter of the upper cross section 84U. A notch 88 extending downward is formed in part of the circumferential direction of the upper end of the lower cross section 84L. The COB 116 enters the notch 88. Note that contacts electrically connected to the COB 116 are located outside the notch 88, but are not shown in the drawings.

[0053] 2, a lid 85 is fitted into the recess 84. When the lid 85 is removed, the injection port 83 is exposed to the outside. In this state, the bottle 100 is inserted into the recess 84, and ink is injected from the bottle 100 into the internal space 81 through the injection port 83.

[0054] Although not shown in the drawings, the tank 80 may be provided with an air vent. The air vent may be openable and closable by a solenoid valve or the like.

[0055] [100 bottles] The bottle 100 will be described below with appropriate reference to Figures 6 to 9. The bottle 100 (an example of a printing liquid container) stores ink (an example of a printing liquid). The bottle 100 is fitted with one of a plurality of tanks 80 and supplies ink to the fitted tank 80 through an inlet 83. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the bottle 100 has a nozzle material 101, a valve body 102, and a housing 103. The nozzle material 101 is an example of a first member. The valve body 102 and the housing 103 are examples of a second member.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 6, the outer shape of bottle 100 is a generally cylindrical shape that is elongated in the vertical direction 7. In Figs. 6, 8, and 9, bottle 100 is shown with supply port 113 facing downward, but bottle 100 may be in a position with supply port 113 facing upward during transportation or storage.

[0057] 8 and 9, the nozzle material 101 is located inside the housing 103, and a portion of it protrudes outward (downward in each drawing) from the nozzle material 101. The nozzle material 101 has a nozzle portion 111 and an inserted portion 112.

[0058] The nozzle portion 111 has an outer shape that is generally cylindrical and tapers downward. A supply port 113 opens at a lower end surface 111L of the nozzle portion 111. The supply port 113 is circular and connects the internal space of the nozzle portion 111 to the outside. A plurality of elongated engaging ribs 114 (an example of a first protrusion, a first fitting portion) extending in the up-down direction 7 are positioned on an outer peripheral surface 111C of the nozzle portion 111.

[0059] 7, the multiple engagement ribs 114 are arranged radially from the supply port 113 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, with only one engagement rib 114 missing. In this embodiment, seven engagement ribs 114 are positioned at 45-degree intervals, dividing the 360 ​​degrees around the supply port 113 into eight equal parts. Therefore, the interval between two engagement ribs 114 that sandwich a portion of the eight equal parts where an engagement rib 84 is not positioned is 90 degrees.

[0060] Each engagement rib 114 enters and engages with each recessed groove 86 of the tank 80. The number and arrangement of the engagement ribs 114 match the number and arrangement of the recessed grooves 86 of the tank 80A. Therefore, when the circumferential rotational position of the bottle 100 is adjusted relative to the recessed portion 84 of the tank 80A so that the locations where an engagement rib 114 is missing match the locations where a groove 86 is not located, each engagement rib 114 engages with each recessed groove 86. On the other hand, the number and arrangement of the engagement ribs 114 do not match the number and arrangement of the recessed grooves 86 of the tank 80B.

[0061] The inserted portion 112 extends upward from the upper end of the nozzle portion 111. The inserted portion 112 is generally cylindrical. The axis of the nozzle portion 111 and the axis of the inserted portion 112 coincide with the axis 100A of the bottle 100. The inserted portion 112 is inserted into the internal space of the valve body 102. The internal space of the inserted portion 112 is continuous with the internal space of the nozzle portion 111.

[0062] The peripheral wall of the inserted portion 112 has guide grooves 115 that form part of a spiral shape around the axis 100A. The guide grooves 115 are formed at three locations around the axis 100A and penetrate the peripheral wall of the inserted portion 112. The guide grooves 115 extend downward as they extend to the right in FIG. 8. A protrusion 124 is fitted into each guide groove 115. With each protrusion 124 fitted into each guide groove 115, the valve body 102 and the nozzle member 101 can rotate relatively around the axis 100A. This relative rotation allows each protrusion 124 to move near the right end or left end of each guide groove 115.

[0063] The COB 116 is located on the peripheral wall of the inserted portion 112, between the nozzle portion 111 and the guide groove 115 in the vertical direction 7. The COB 116 is an electronic chip with an electrical interface exposed to the outside. The COB 116 has a memory for storing electronic information. The electronic information stored in the memory of the COB 116 can be read through the electrical interface. Electronic information can also be written to the memory of the COB 116 through the electrical interface. The COB 116 protrudes outward from the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the inserted portion 112.

[0064] An annular protrusion 117 that protrudes outward is located on the outer peripheral surface of the inserted portion 112. The protrusion 117 is located higher than the COB 116 on the outer peripheral surface of the inserted portion 112. The outer diameter of the annular protrusion 117 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the housing 103. The inserted portion 112 of the nozzle material 101 is inserted inward from the lower end of the housing 103. The nozzle material 101 and the housing 103 are assembled by press-fitting the protrusion 117 of the inserted portion 112 into the housing 103.

[0065] 8 and 9, the valve body 102 is located inside the housing 103. The outer shape of the valve body 102 is generally cylindrical. The axis of the valve body 102 coincides with the axis 100A.

[0066] 8 and 9, the valve body 102 has a cylindrical tube portion 121 and a rod 122 (an example of a valve) located inside the tube portion 121. The rod 122 is columnar, and its lower end protrudes downward from the lower end of the tube portion 121. The dimension of the rod 122 in the up-down direction 7 is longer than the dimension of the nozzle material 101 in the up-down direction 7. The outer shape of the lower end of the rod 122 matches the inner diameter of the supply port 113 of the nozzle portion 111. As shown in FIG. 8(A), the rod 122 fits into the supply port 113, thereby closing the supply port 113.

[0067] 8 and 9, the upper end of the rod 122 is connected to the tubular portion 121 by a plurality of connecting portions 123. The connecting portions 123 are positioned around the upper end of the rod 122 at intervals in the circumferential direction. A space is formed between two adjacent connecting portions 123, through which ink can flow. The connecting portions 123 connect the rod 122 and the tubular portion 121, with the axis of the rod 122 coinciding with the axis 100A. The rod 122 extends downward from the connecting portions 123 and enters the internal spaces of the inserted portion 112 and the nozzle portion 111 from above the nozzle material 101.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 9, the cylindrical portion 121 is inserted into the internal space of the housing 103. The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 121 is smaller than the inner diameter of the housing 103. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cylindrical portion 121 has protrusions 124 that protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface. The protrusions 124 are located at three positions around the axis 100A. When viewed along the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 121, the protrusions 124 have an outline that is roughly a parallelogram. The protrusions 124 are fitted into the guide grooves 115 of the nozzle member 101. With each protrusion 124 fitted into each guide groove 115, the valve body 102 and the nozzle member 101 can rotate relatively around the axis 100A. This relative rotation allows each protrusion 124 to move near the right end or left end of the corresponding guide groove 115.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 8(A), in a state where each convex portion 124 is positioned near the right end of each guide groove 115, as shown in FIG. 9, the valve body 102 is in a state (an example of a first state) where it has moved downward relative to the nozzle material 101, and the lower end portion of the rod 122 closes the supply port 113.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 8(B), in a state where each convex portion 124 is positioned near the left end of each guide groove 115, as shown in FIG. 10, the valve body 102 is in a state (an example of a second state) where it has moved upward relative to the nozzle material 101, and the lower end of the rod 122 is positioned above the supply port 113, thereby opening the supply port 113.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 8, two annular ribs 125 extending annularly in the circumferential direction are located on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 121. The annular ribs 125 protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 121. The two annular ribs 125 are located above the guide groove 115 and spaced apart in the up-down direction 7. Each annular rib 125 has four notches 126 formed at positions that are 90 degrees apart about the axis 100A. The notches 126 of the two annular ribs 125 form a pair in the up-down direction 7. The pair of notches 126 is aligned along the axis 100A. Guide rails 133 (see FIG. 7(C)) of the housing 103 fit into the pair of notches 126. The four guide rails 133 protrude inward from the inner peripheral surface of the housing 103 and extend in the up-down direction 7. The guide rails 133 are positioned at 90-degree intervals around the axis 100A.

[0072] The upper end of the cylindrical portion 121 is closed by a plug member 130. The internal space of the cylindrical portion 121 and the internal space of the nozzle material 101 form a storage chamber 104 in which ink is stored.

[0073] 8 and 9, two through holes 127 that connect the internal space of the plug member 130 to the outside are located near the upper end of the outer peripheral surface of the plug member 130. The two through holes 127 are located at positions 180 degrees apart about the axis 100A. The through holes 127 connect the storage chamber 104 to the outside.

[0074] An annular receiving portion 128 is located on the outer peripheral surface of the plug member 130 above the through hole 127. The receiving portion 128 protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface and supports an O-ring 129. The O-ring 129 is made of an elastically deformable resin and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the housing 103. The O-ring 129 seals the space between the housing 103 and the plug member 130 airtight and liquidtight. The valve body 102 is supported via the O-ring 129 so as to be slidable relative to the housing 103 in the up-down direction 7.

[0075] 6 and 9, the outer shape of the housing 103 is generally cylindrical. The dimension of the housing 103 in the up-down direction 7 is greater than the dimension of the valve body 102 in the up-down direction 7. Therefore, the valve body 102 is housed in the internal space of the housing 103 and is movable in the up-down direction 7 within the internal space of the housing 103. From the lower end of the housing 103, the nozzle portion 111 of the nozzle material 101 and the portion of the inserted portion 112 where the periphery of the COB 116 is located protrude.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface of the housing 103 is a circumferential surface. Three grooves 131 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 103. The three grooves 131 are located at positions 120 degrees apart around the axis 100A. Each groove 131 includes a first groove 131A (an example of a second groove) that opens at the bottom end surface of the housing 103 and extends along the up-down direction 7, and a second groove 131B (an example of a third groove) that extends from the upper end of the first groove 131A to the right in the figure along the circumferential direction. The first groove 131A and the second groove 131B define a continuous space. The protrusion 87 of the tank 80 can enter the groove 131.

[0077] 7(A), in the tank 100 in the first state, the relative positional relationship between the locations where the engaging rib 114 is not located and the positions of the three first grooves 131A is determined around the supply port 113. The nozzle member 101 having the engaging rib 114 and the housing 103 having the first grooves 131 are positioned around the supply port 113 by the engagement between the notch 126 of the valve body 102 and the guide rail 133 of the housing 103.

[0078] Because the four notches 126 and guide rails 133 are positioned at 90-degree intervals, the relative positions of the three first grooves 131A to the locations where the engagement ribs 114 are not located are shifted by 90 degrees, resulting in four different types of bottles 100 (see, for example, FIG. 7(B)). In other words, one set of four types of bottles 100 can be configured. In this embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the locations where the engagement ribs 114 are not located on the bottle 100 and the positions of the three first grooves 131A matches the relative positional relationship between the locations where the recessed grooves 86 are not located around the inlet 83 of the tank 80A and the three protrusions 87, but does not match that of the tank 80B.

[0079] As shown in Figures 6 and 9, two grooves 132 are formed near the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the housing 103. The two grooves 132 are located at positions 180 degrees apart about the axis 100A. The grooves 132 open to the upper end surface of the housing 103 and extend in the up-down direction 7. As shown in Figure 9, the lower end of the grooves 132 is located above the O-ring 129 of the valve body 102 in the first state.

[0080] As shown in Fig. 10, the lower end of groove 132 is located below O-ring 129 of valve body 102 in the second state. The two grooves 132, together with through-hole 127 of valve body 102, form an atmosphere-communicating passage that connects reservoir chamber 104 with the outside. Therefore, in the first state shown in Fig. 9, the atmosphere-communicating passage is closed. In the second state shown in Fig. 10, the atmosphere-communicating passage is opened.

[0081] Four guide rails 133 are located below the grooves 132 on the inner circumferential surface of the housing 103. As shown in FIG. 7(C), the guide rails 133 are located at positions that are 90 degrees apart around the axis 100A. The guide rails 133 protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface of the housing 103 and extend linearly in the up-down direction 7. The dimension of the guide rails 133 in the circumferential direction is slightly smaller than the dimension of the notches 126 in the circumferential direction. The guide rails 133 fit into a pair of notches 126 and guide the valve body 102 movably in the up-down direction 7.

[0082] [Supply of ink to tank 80 by bottle 100] Hereinafter, a method for supplying ink to the tank 80 from the bottle 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0083] When ink is consumed in tank 80A by discharging ink from nozzles 39 of head 38, for example, in response to a notification indicating that the remaining amount of ink in tank 80A is low, the user refills ink into tank 80A. When refilling ink into tank 80A, the user exposes top wall 82 of tank 80A to the outside by, for example, rotating the top cover of multifunction device 10. Then, the user removes lid 85 to expose recess 84 to the outside.

[0084] The user prepares the bottle 100 in which ink is stored, and inserts the nozzle portion 111 of the bottle 100 into the recess 84 of the tank 80A with the supply port 113 facing downward. At this time, the bottle 100 is in a state in which the rod 122 closes the supply port 113, i.e., in the first state.

[0085] When inserting the nozzle portion 111, the user aligns the first groove 131A of the housing 103 with the protruding piece 87 of the recess 84. When the positions of the first groove 131A and the protruding piece 87 match, the protruding piece 87 can enter the first groove 131A, and the bottle 100 can be inserted into the recess 84 using the protruding piece 87 as a guide.

[0086] 9, when protrusion 87 reaches the upper end of first groove 131A, supply port 113 (the lower end of nozzle portion 111) of bottle 100 fits into fill port 83 of tank 80, and supply port 113 and fill port 83 communicate to allow ink to flow therebetween. Also, engagement rib 114 of bottle 100 fits into recessed groove 86 of tank 80A. In this state, axis 83A and axis 100A are aligned.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 7, the engaging rib 114 of the bottle 100 is located at seven locations around the supply port 113. As shown in Fig. 5(A), the recessed grooves 86 of the tank 80A are located at seven locations around the injection port 83. Furthermore, in the bottle 100, the relative positional relationship between the one location around the supply port 113 where the engaging rib 114 is not present and the three first grooves 131A matches the relative positional relationship between the locations on the tank 80A where the recessed groove 86 is not located and the three protruding pieces 87, so when the protruding piece 87 reaches the upper end of the first groove 131A, the engaging rib 114 fits into the recessed groove 86 of the tank 80A.

[0088] On the other hand, in bottle 100, the relative positional relationship between one location around supply port 113 where there is no engagement rib 114 and the three first grooves 131A does not match the relative positional relationship between a location on tank 80B where no recessed groove 86 is located and the three protruding pieces 87. Also, bottle 100 has seven engagement ribs 114, while tank 80B has six recessed grooves 86. Therefore, even if bottle 100 in the first state is inserted into recessed portion 84 of tank 80B with housing 103 rotated 90 degrees with respect to nozzle member 101, at least one engagement rib 114 will not fit into recessed groove 86, and therefore protruding piece 87 will not reach the upper end of first groove 131A.

[0089] 9 (first state), the housing 103 can be rotated around the axis 100A relative to the tank 80 using the protrusion 87 as a guide. When the user rotates the housing 103 clockwise, the protrusion 87 enters the second groove 131B. In other words, the groove 131B allows the housing 103 to rotate when the engagement rib 114 is fitted into the recessed groove 86. Even when the housing 103 is rotated, the engagement rib 114 is fitted into the recessed groove 86, so the nozzle member 101 is prevented from rotating relative to the tank 80. In other words, the nozzle member 101 does not rotate as the housing 103 rotates. Therefore, the housing 103 rotates clockwise relative to the nozzle member 101.

[0090] Since the notch 126 is fitted into the guide rail 133, the valve element 102 is subjected to the rotation of the housing 103 and rotates together with the housing 103. In other words, the valve element 102 also rotates clockwise relative to the nozzle member 101. When the valve element 102 rotates clockwise relative to the nozzle member 101 from the first state shown in Fig. 7(A), the valve element 102 is guided by the engagement between the convex portion 124 of the nozzle member 101 and the guide groove 115 of the valve element 102, and slides upward relative to the housing 103 while rotating relative to the nozzle member 101.

[0091] The engagement between notch 126 and guide rail 133 does not prevent valve element 102 from sliding in vertical direction 7 relative to housing 103, so valve element 102 rotates together with housing 103 and slides upward along axis 100A in the internal space of housing 103, reaching the second state shown in Fig. 10. In the process of bottle 100 changing from the first state to the second state, supply port 113 is opened, and then the atmosphere-communicating passage is opened through groove 132.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 10 , in the second state, the lower end of groove 132 in housing 103 is below O-ring 129 in the up-down direction 7 and is in communication with through-hole 127 in valve body 102. As a result, storage chamber 104 of bottle 100 is in communication with the outside and open to the atmosphere through through-hole 127 and groove 132. Also, as shown in FIG. 10 , in the second state, the lower end of rod 122 is located above supply port 113, so supply port 113 is opened. As a result, ink stored in storage chamber 104 flows down through supply port 113 and injection port 83 into internal space 81 of tank 80.

[0093] 10, in the second state, the protruding piece 87 of the tank 80 is inserted into the second groove 131B of the housing 103, and therefore the bottle 100 is prevented from moving upward relative to the tank 80. That is, in the second state, the bottle 100 cannot be pulled out of the tank 80.

[0094] When the supply of ink from bottle 100 to tank 80 is completed, the user rotates housing 103 clockwise relative to tank 80 from the second state shown in Fig. 10 to the first state shown in Fig. 9. This allows protrusion 87 of tank 80 to enter first groove 131A of housing 103, allowing bottle 100 to move upward relative to tank 80. Note that with bottle 100 in the first state, rod 122 closes supply port 113, so that even if ink remains in storage chamber 104 of bottle 100, ink will not flow out of supply port 113 of bottle 100 removed from tank 80.

[0095] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the embodiment described above, the bottle 100 is selectively fitted only into the recessed groove 86 of the tank 80A by the engagement rib 114 of the bottle 100. When the engagement rib 114 and the recessed groove 86 are fitted together, the nozzle member 101, the valve body 102, and the housing 103 can be rotated relative to one another by operating only the housing 103.

[0096] Furthermore, the engaging rib 114 and groove 131 of the bottle 100 allow the bottle 100 in the first state to be selectively fitted only to the tank 80A. Furthermore, the relative positional relationship between the location where the engaging rib 114 is not located and the first groove 131A can be changed by combining the nozzle member 101 and the valve body 102 with the housing 103. As a result, when multiple used bottles 100 are disassembled, cleaned, and then reassembled and reused, the relative positional relationship between the location where the engaging rib 114 is not located and the first groove 131A can be changed to make the bottle 100 fitable into either the tank 80A or the tank 80B.

[0097] Furthermore, the protruding piece 87 of the tank 80A fits into the second groove 131B of the bottle 100 in the second state, thereby preventing the bottle 100 in the second state from being removed from the tank 80A.

[0098] Furthermore, in tanks 80A and 80B, the lower portion having groove 86 and the upper portion having protrusion 87 can be combined as separate members. Also, in tanks 80A and 80B, the upper portion having protrusion 87 can be made into an integrated part. This makes it less likely that mistakes will occur in arranging tanks 80A and 80B during manufacturing, and makes assembly easier.

[0099] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, the three protrusions 87 of the tanks 80A, 80B and the three grooves 131 of the bottle 100 have the same shape except for their positions around the axes 83A, 100A, but the shapes of the protrusions 87 and grooves 131 may differ depending on their locations. Below, modifications of the above-described embodiment in which the shapes of the protrusions 87 and grooves 131 are different will be described. Since the configuration is the same except for the protrusions 87 and grooves 131, detailed description will be omitted below.

[0100] 11 and 12, tanks 80C and 80D (examples of a first tank and a second tank) have a plurality of grooves 86 (an example of a fitted portion) positioned radially, and unevenly arranged in only a portion of the circumferential direction. In other words, the grooves 86 are positioned radially around the filler port 83 at equal circumferential intervals, and at several points along the radial direction, grooves 86 that should be positioned are not positioned. Each groove 86 extends linearly outward from the filler port 83.

[0101] In this modification, in each of the tanks 80C and 80D, seven grooves 86 are positioned at 45-degree intervals, dividing 360 degrees around the filler port 83 into eight equal parts. Therefore, the interval between two grooves 86 that sandwich one point among the eight equal parts where no groove 86 is positioned is 90 degrees.

[0102] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, tanks 80C and 80D each have three protrusions 91, 92, and 93 (examples of mating portions) that are differently positioned around filler port 83. The three protrusions 91, 92, and 93 are located at positions that are 120 degrees apart around the axis 83A of filler port 83. Each protrusion 91, 92, and 93 has a common configuration in that it protrudes from the upper end of recess 84 toward axis 83A, but its position and dimensions in the vertical direction 7 are different. On the other hand, the three protrusions 91, 92, and 93 are located at common positions every 120 degrees relative to a single point where groove 86 is not located. In other words, tanks 80C and 80D each have three protrusions 91, 92, and 93, and the positions of the protrusions 91, 92, and 93 around filler port 83 differ by 120 degrees or 240 degrees.

[0103] The protrusion 91 is similar to the protrusion 87 (see Figures 3 and 4). The protrusion 91 is roughly square when viewed radially from the axis 83A. The upper end of the protrusion 91 coincides with the upper end of the recess 84 (the upper surface of the upper wall 82). The dimension L1 of the protrusion 91 in the up-down direction 7 is the same as the dimension L1 of the protrusion 92 in the up-down direction, and is roughly half the dimension L2 of the protrusion 93 in the up-down direction 7 (dimension L1 < dimension L2, dimension L1 × 2 = dimension L2). The dimension of the protrusion 91 in the circumferential direction of the axis 83A is the same as the dimension of the protrusions 92 and 93 in the circumferential direction of the axis 83A.

[0104] The protrusion 92 is located at a position 120 degrees clockwise away from the protrusion 91 around the axis 83A. The protrusion 92 has the same square shape as the protrusion 91 when viewed radially from the axis 83A. The upper end of the protrusion 92 is located below the upper end of the recess 84 (the upper surface of the upper wall 82). In other words, the position of the protrusion 92 in the up-down direction 7 is lower than that of the protrusion 91.

[0105] Projection piece 93 is located at a position 120 degrees clockwise around axis 83A different from projection piece 92. Projection piece 93 has a rectangular shape that is long in the up-down direction 7 when viewed radially from axis 83A. The upper end of projection piece 92 coincides with the upper end of recess 84 (the upper surface of upper wall 82). In other words, in terms of position in the up-down direction 7, the upper end of projection piece 93 coincides with the upper end of projection piece 91, and the lower end of projection piece 93 coincides with the lower end of projection piece 92.

[0106] 13 and 14, bottle 150 has three grooves 181, 182, and 183 formed on the outer circumferential surface of casing 103. The three grooves 181, 182, and 183 are located at positions that are 120 degrees apart from each other about axis 100A.

[0107] Groove 181 is similar to groove 131. Groove 181 has a first groove 181A (an example of a second groove) that opens to the lower end surface of housing 103 and extends in the up-down direction 7, and a second groove 181B (an example of a third groove) that extends from the upper end of first groove 181A in the circumferential direction to the right in the figure. First groove 181A and second groove 181B define a continuous space. Protrusions 91 of tanks 80C and 80D can enter groove 181.

[0108] The dimension of first groove 181A in the circumferential direction about axis 100A is approximately the same as the dimension of protrusion 91 in the circumferential direction. Second groove 181B extends rightward from the upper end of first groove 181A. The dimension of second groove 181B in the up-down direction 7 is approximately the same as dimension L1 of protrusion 91 in the up-down direction 7.

[0109] Groove 182 is positioned 120 degrees clockwise from groove 181 around axis 100A. Groove 182 has a first groove 182A (an example of a second groove) that opens on the lower end surface of housing 103 and extends along the up-down direction 7, and a second groove 182B (an example of a third groove) that extends from below the upper end of first groove 182A along the circumferential direction to the right in the figure. First groove 182A and second groove 182B define a continuous space. Protrusions 92 of tanks 80C and 80D can enter groove 182.

[0110] The dimension of the first groove 182A in the circumferential direction about the axis 100A is approximately the same as the dimension of the protruding piece 92 in the circumferential direction. That is, the dimension of the first groove 181A in the circumferential direction about the axis 100A is equal to the dimension of the first groove 182A in the circumferential direction about the axis 100A. The second groove 182B extends from below the upper end of the first groove 182A to the right. The difference in dimension between the second groove 182B and the upper end of the first groove 182A matches the difference in dimension between the protruding piece 92 and the upper end of the recess 84. The dimension of the second groove 182B in the up-down direction 7 is approximately the same as the dimension L1 of the protruding piece 92 in the up-down direction 7. That is, the dimension of the second groove 181B in the up-down direction 7 is equal to the dimension of the second groove 182B in the up-down direction 7.

[0111] Groove 183 is positioned 120 degrees clockwise around axis 100A from groove 182. Groove 183 has a first groove 183A (an example of a second groove) that opens on the lower end surface of housing 103 and extends along the up-down direction 7, and a second groove 183B (an example of a third groove) that extends from the upper end of first groove 183A along the circumferential direction to the right in the figure. First groove 183A and second groove 183B define a continuous space. Protrusions 93 of tanks 80C and 80D can enter groove 183.

[0112] The dimension of first groove 183A in the circumferential direction about axis 100A is approximately the same as the dimension of protrusion 93 in the circumferential direction. In other words, the dimension of first groove 181A in the circumferential direction about axis 100A is equal to the dimension of first groove 183A in the circumferential direction about axis 100A. Second groove 183B extends from below the upper end of first groove 183A to the right. The dimension of second groove 183B in the up-down direction 7 is approximately the same as dimension L2 of protrusion 93 in the up-down direction 7.

[0113] Although not shown in the drawings, when the bottle 150 is configured such that three notches 126 and three guide rails 133 (see FIGS. 7(C) and 8) are positioned at 120-degree intervals, the relative positions of the three grooves 181, 182, and 183 to the locations where the engaging rib 114 is not positioned are three types that are shifted in relative positions at 120-degree intervals. Therefore, depending on the combination of the nozzle material 101 and the valve body 102 with the housing 103, the relative positional relationship between the locations where the engaging rib 114 is not positioned and the grooves 181, 182, and 183 can be changed.

[0114] Like bottle 100, bottle 150 has seven engagement ribs 114, but the engagement rib 114 is not located at one of eight positions spaced at 45-degree intervals around supply port 113. The relative positional relationship of grooves 181, 182, and 183 to the positions where engagement ribs 114 are not located in bottle 150 corresponds to the relative positional relationship of protrusions 91, 92, and 93 to the positions where recessed grooves 86 are not located in tank 80C. That is, when the seven engagement ribs 114 are fitted into the seven recessed grooves 86, protrusion 91 enters groove 181, protrusion 92 enters groove 182, and protrusion 93 enters groove 183.

[0115] The user inserts the nozzle portion 111 of the bottle 150 into the recess 84 of the tank 80C with the supply port 113 facing downward. At this time, the bottle 150 is in a state where the rod 122 closes the supply port 113, that is, in the first state.

[0116] When inserting the nozzle portion 111, the user aligns the first grooves 181, 182, and 183 of the housing 103 with the protruding pieces 91, 92, and 93 of the recess 84. When the first grooves 181, 182, and 183 and the protruding pieces 91, 92, and 93 of the recess 84 are aligned, the protruding pieces 91, 92, and 93 can enter the first grooves 181A, 182A, and 183A, respectively.

[0117] With the seven engagement ribs 114 fitted into the seven grooves 86, the housing 103 can be rotated around the axis 100A relative to the tank 80C using the protrusions 91, 92, and 93 as guides. When the user rotates the housing 103 clockwise, the protrusion 91 enters the second groove 181B. The protrusion 922 enters the second groove 182B. The protrusion 93 enters the second groove 183B. Even when the housing 103 is rotated, the engagement ribs 114 are fitted into the grooves 86, preventing the nozzle member 101 from rotating relative to the tank 80C. Therefore, the housing 103 rotates clockwise relative to the nozzle member 101. This places the bottle 150 in the second state, causing the rod 122 to open the supply port 113 and allowing the ink in the storage chamber 104 to flow into the tank 80C.

[0118] The bottle 150 corresponds to the tank 80C, but can also be inserted into the recess 84 of the tank 80D, but cannot rotate. All of the protruding pieces 91, 92, and 93 can enter the first grooves 181A, 182A, and 183A. Therefore, the nozzle portion 111 of the bottle 150 can also be inserted into the recess 84 of the tank 80D. For example, suppose that the protruding piece 93 enters the first groove 181A, the protruding piece 91 enters the first groove 182A, and the protruding piece 92 enters the first groove 183A. In this case, the protruding piece 93 cannot enter the second groove 181B. Furthermore, the protruding piece 91 cannot enter the second groove 182B. Therefore, when the bottle 150 is inserted into the recess 84 of the tank 80D, the housing 103 cannot rotate around the axis 100A.

[0119] [Other variations] The combination of tanks 80A and 80B in the embodiment described above and the combination of tanks 80C and 80D in the modified example are merely examples, and other combinations may be used. For example, tanks 80A and 80C may be combined with a set of bottles 100 and 150. In this case, the set of bottles 100 and 150 is a set in which the position of second groove 131B in the up-down direction 7 is different from the position of second groove 182B in the up-down direction 7.

[0120] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modified examples, groove 132 functions as an atmosphere communication part, but an atmosphere communication part need not be provided in bottle 100, 150. In that case, two flow paths along axis 100A may be formed in rod 122, and when the tip of rod 122 protrudes from supply port 113, the two flow paths may communicate storage chamber 104 with the outside, and ink in storage chamber 104 may flow out to the outside by gas-liquid substitution.

[0121] In the embodiment described above, the nozzle material 101 has the guide groove 115, and the valve body 102 has the convex portion 124, but since the relationship between the convex portion and the groove is relative, it is sufficient if either the nozzle material 101 or the valve body 102 has the convex portion and the other has the groove portion. Therefore, a guide groove (an example of a first groove) may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inserted portion 112 of the nozzle part 101, and a convex portion (an example of a second convex portion) that protrudes inward may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular part 121 of the valve body 102, and these guide grooves and convex portions may be fitted together. Furthermore, the guide groove 115 and the convex portion 124 may be realized by a male thread and a female thread.

[0122] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the engagement rib 114 of the nozzle material 101 is engaged with the recessed groove 86 of the tank 80, but the configuration for preventing rotation of the nozzle material 101 around the axis 100A is not limited to the engagement rib 114. For example, a groove may be formed in the nozzle material 101, and the groove may engage with a protrusion formed on the tank 80, thereby preventing rotation of the nozzle material 101.

[0123] Furthermore, the nozzle material 101, the valve body 102, and the housing 103 do not necessarily have to be a single member, but may be a combination of multiple members. Furthermore, the shape of the supply port 113 is not limited to a circle, but may be other shapes such as an oval or a square. Furthermore, the atmosphere communication passage is not limited to one formed by the through-hole 127 and the groove 132. Furthermore, the COB 116 does not have to be provided on the bottle 100, 150.

[0124] Furthermore, in the tank 80, the injection port 83 and the recess 84 may be formed in a location other than the top wall 82. For example, the injection port 83 and the recess 84 may be formed in an inclined wall on the outer surface of the tank 80 that is inclined with respect to the up-down direction 7. Furthermore, the tank 80 does not necessarily need to be mounted on the carriage 40; instead, the head 38 and the tank 80 may be connected by a tube or the like so that ink can flow therebetween.

[0125] In the above-described embodiment, ink is described as an example of the printing liquid, but the printing liquid is not limited to ink. For example, the printing liquid may be a pretreatment liquid that is ejected onto the recording paper prior to the ink during printing, or water that is sprayed onto the nozzles 39 of the head 38 to prevent them from drying out. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 80, 80A, 80B, 80C, 80D... Tanks (1st tank, 2nd tank) 83...Inlet 86...Concave groove (mated part) 87,91,92,93...Protruding piece (fitted part) 100, 150 bottles (liquid containers for printing) 101 Nozzle material (first member) 102 Valve body (second member) 103 Housing (second member) 104...Storage chamber 113 Supply port 114 Engagement rib (first fitting portion, first protrusion) 122 Rod (valve) 124···Guide groove (second groove) 126...Notch (3rd groove) 131, 181, 182, 183... Groove (second fitting part) 131A, 181A, 182A, 183A...Groove (2nd groove) 131B, 181B, 182B, 183B...Groove (3rd groove)

Claims

1. A printing liquid container that can be fitted into either a first tank or a second tank, each of which has a fitting portion having an inlet, a first member having a supply port communicating with the internal space; a second member having a valve for opening or closing the supply port, The first member and the second member are connected to be relatively rotatable between a first state and a second state, the internal space of the first member and the internal space of the second member are storage chambers that store liquid, the valve closes the supply port in the first state and opens the supply port in the second state; one of the first member and the second member has a first fitting portion that fits into a fitted portion of either the first tank or the second tank, the other of the first member and the second member is rotatable with respect to the fitted portion in a state where at least a portion of the other is inserted into the fitted portion, The printing liquid container, wherein one of the first member or the second member does not rotate with rotation of the other of the first member or the second member due to the engagement between the fitted portion and the first fitting portion.

2. A printing liquid container that can be fitted into either a first tank or a second tank, each of which has a fitting portion with an inlet, a first member having a supply port communicating with the internal space; a second member having a valve for opening or closing the supply port, The first member and the second member are connected to be relatively rotatable between a first state and a second state, the internal space of the first member and the internal space of the second member are storage chambers that store liquid, the valve closes the supply port in the first state and opens the supply port in the second state; one of the first member and the second member has a first fitting portion that fits into a fitted portion of either the first tank or the second tank, the other of the first member and the second member has a second fitting portion that fits into a fitted portion of at least one of the first tank and the second tank, the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are fitted with the fitted portion in the first state, the second fitting portion allows the other of the first member and the second member to rotate relative to the fitted portion when the fitted portion and the first fitting portion are fitted together, the other of the first member and the second member is rotatable with respect to the fitted portion in a state where at least a portion of the other is inserted into the fitted portion, The printing liquid container, wherein one of the first member or the second member does not rotate with rotation of the other of the first member or the second member due to the engagement between the fitted portion and the first fitting portion.

3. 3. The printing liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the other of the first member and the second member cannot be removed from the fitted portion due to the second fitting portion and the fitted portion being fitted together in the second state.

4. the second fitting portion, when fitted with the fitted portion of one of the first tank or the second tank, allows rotation of the first member or the second member relative to the fitted portion of the other of the first member or the second member; 3. A printing liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the second fitting portion, when fitted with the other fitting portion of the first tank or the second tank, does not allow rotation of the other fitting portion of the first member or the second member relative to the other fitting portion of the first member or the second member.

5. 5. A printing liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the mating portions of the first tank and the second tank each have a portion corresponding to the first mating portion and a portion corresponding to the second mating portion.

6. 6. A printing liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the first member and the second member are assembled so that the relative positions of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion around the rotation axis can be changed.

7. the first member has the first fitting portion, 7. The printing liquid container according to claim 2, wherein the second member has the second fitting portion.

8. 8. The printing liquid container according to claim 7, wherein the first fitting portion is a first protrusion or a first groove extending radially from the periphery of the supply port.

9. The second fitting portion is a second groove extending in a first direction along an axis of relative rotation on an outer surface of the second member; 9. The printing liquid container according to claim 7, wherein a third groove extends from the second groove in a second direction around the axis on the outer surface of the second member.

10. 10. The printing liquid container according to claim 9, wherein the outer surface of the second member along the axis is a circumferential surface.

11. A container set including a first printing liquid container and a second printing liquid container, The first liquid container for printing and the second liquid container for printing are a first member having a supply port communicating with the internal space; and a second member having a valve for opening or closing the supply port, The first member and the second member are connected to be relatively rotatable between a first state and a second state, the internal space of the first member and the internal space of the second member are storage chambers that store liquid, the valve closes the supply port in the first state and opens the supply port in the second state; One of the first member or the second member has a first protrusion or a first groove, the other of the first member or the second member has, on an outer surface of the other of the first member or the second member, a second groove extending in a first direction along an axis of relative rotation, and a third groove extending from the second groove in a second direction along the axis, The third groove of the first printing liquid container and the third groove of the second printing liquid container are located at different positions in the first direction relative to the second groove.

Images