Liquid-containing cartridges and printers

Abstract

To provide a liquid storage cartridge and printer, reducing such possibility that a liquid adheres to the electric contact of a circuit board in a liquid container and improving the conduction reliability of the electric contact of the circuit board.SOLUTION: A cartridge 30 has a bottom face 106 and comprises: a case 110 storing a liquid; a circuit board 140 having an electric contact; a circuit board holder 130 holding the circuit board; and a supply port 109 supplying the liquid from a housing to outside. The circuit board holder is provided at a position separate from the bottom face compared to the supply port and thereby, the possibility of adherence of the liquid dispersed from the supply port to the electric contact of the circuit board is reduced and as a result, the reliability of conduction of the electric contact is improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid storage cartridge and a printer.

Background Art

[0002] The printer described in Patent Document 1 includes a detachable ink cartridge. The ink cartridge houses an ink container, and the ink container includes an ink outlet and a circuit board. Further, the circuit board is provided diagonally below the ink outlet. The ink in the ink container is supplied from the ink outlet to the printer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above printer, since the circuit board is provided diagonally below the ink outlet, when inserting and removing the ink cartridge from the printer, ink may splash from the ink outlet and stain the circuit board. There is a problem that when the circuit board is stained with ink, the electrical contacts of the circuit board may become poorly conductive.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid storage cartridge and a printer that reduce the possibility of liquid adhering to the electrical contacts of the circuit board of the liquid container and improve the reliability of the conduction of the electrical contacts of the circuit board.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A liquid-containing cartridge according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a housing having a bottom surface and containing liquid, a circuit board having electrical contacts, a circuit board holder for holding the circuit board, and a supply port for supplying liquid from the housing to the outside, wherein the circuit board holder is provided at a position further away from the bottom surface than the supply port.

[0007] According to the first embodiment, the circuit board holder is positioned further from the bottom than the supply port, thus reducing the possibility of liquid splashed from the supply port adhering to the electrical contacts of the circuit board. Consequently, the reliability of the electrical conductivity of the circuit board's contacts is improved.

[0008] A printer according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising the liquid storage cartridge. According to the second aspect, in the printer, when the liquid storage cartridge is inserted or removed, the possibility of liquid splashing from the supply port of the liquid container adhering to the electrical contacts of the circuit board is reduced. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical conductivity of the circuit board's electrical contacts is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of printer 1. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of printer 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the storage compartment 6. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the cartridge 30 installed in the housing 6. [Figure 5] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the cartridge 30 installed in the housing section 6. [Figure 6] This is a vertical cross-section of cartridge 30. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of cartridge 30. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing the cartridge 30 with the liquid container 100 attached. [Figure 9] This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the cartridge 30 is installed in the housing section 6. [Figure 10]This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the cartridge 30 is installed in the housing section 6. [Figure 11] This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the cartridge 30 is installed in the housing section 6. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] A printer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in order with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the mechanical elements in the drawings are shown to the actual scale in each drawing. The drawings referenced are used to explain the technical features that the present invention may adopt, and the configuration of the device described is not intended to be the sole limiting factor, but is merely an illustrative example. In the description of this embodiment, the lower left, upper right, lower right, upper left, upper, and lower sides of Figure 1 are the front, rear, right, left, upper, and lower sides of the printer 1, respectively. The lower left, upper right, lower right, upper left, upper, and lower sides of Figure 7 are the front, rear, right, left, upper, and lower sides of the cartridge 30, respectively. Figures 1 to 5 and 9 to 11 show the orientation of the printer 1, while Figures 6 to 8 show the orientation of the cartridge 30, and the cartridge 30 is mounted in the printer 1 with its front surface facing the rear of the printer 1.

[0011] <Structure of Printer 1> Referring to Figure 1, the structure of printer 1 will be described. Printer 1 is an inkjet printer that prints on long-length media. When print data is input to the input terminal (not shown), printer 1 prints the print data onto the media using its built-in printing mechanism (not shown) and discharges it from the output port 21, which will be described later. As shown in Figure 1, printer 1 is equipped with a housing 2. The housing 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped that is small enough to be placed on a tabletop and has a front wall 24, a right wall 25, a rear wall 26, a left wall 29, a bottom wall 27, a top wall 28, and a front cover 23.

[0012] The front wall 24 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 and has a first front wall 241 and a second front wall 242 extending from top to bottom. The first front wall 241 and the second front wall 242 are each a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. The first front wall 241 is provided at the upper part on the front side of the housing 2, and the second front wall 242 is provided below the first front wall 241 and at the center on the front side of the housing 2. The right wall 25, the rear wall 26, and the left wall 29 are each rectangles that are long in the up-down direction. Also, the bottom wall 27 and the top wall 28 are each rectangles that are long in the front-back direction.

[0013] A discharge port 21 is provided at the boundary between the first front wall 241 and the second front wall 242. The discharge port 21 is a rectangular opening that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and discharges the printed medium. The first front wall 241 includes a display unit 3 and an operation unit 4. The display unit 3 displays characters, images, etc. The operation unit 4 is provided to the right of the display unit 3. The operation unit 4 includes a touch panel or a plurality of buttons for inputting various instructions.

[0014] The front cover 23 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 and below the second front wall 242. The front cover 23 is a rectangular lid when viewed from the front and includes a pair of hinges 231 at its lower end. The front cover 23 is rotatable by the hinges 231 between a closed position (see FIG. 1) where it closes the openings 11 and 12 of the storage unit 6 shown in FIG. 3 and an open position where it releases the openings 11 and 12.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 houses an inkjet head 8, a cartridge 30, an ink tube 48, a conveyance device 45, a partition wall 55, and a fixing unit 143 inside the housing 2.

[0016] The inkjet head 8 prints an image on the medium M supplied from the supply unit 5. The inkjet head 8 includes a plurality of nozzles 70 that discharge ink G in the discharge direction. The inkjet head 8 prints an image on the medium M by discharging the ink G from the plurality of nozzles 70. The discharge direction is downward, and the inkjet head 8 is provided above the conveyance path Q of the medium M with the plurality of nozzles 70 facing downward. The conveyance path Q is a path along which the medium M is conveyed from the supply unit 5 until it is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 through the discharge port 21.

[0017] The cartridge 30 is housed in the opening 11. The cartridge 30 houses a liquid container 100 that stores ink inside and is attached to the attachment portion 7 of the opening 11. Details will be described later. The ink tube 48 is disposed inside the housing 2 and connects between the attachment portion 7 and the inkjet head 8. The ink G inside the cartridge 30 is supplied from the cartridge 30 to the inkjet head 8 via the ink tube 48.

[0018] The conveyance device 45 includes a supply unit 5, conveyance units 270, 10, 15, 19, a support unit 80, a tension applying unit 60, and a rotating body 75. The supply unit 5 is provided in a space surrounded by a partition wall 55 and a rear wall 26 to the left of the front cover 23 in the closed position and at the lower rear of the printer 1. The supply unit 5 holds the roll R. The supply unit 5 includes a shaft portion 51 and a magazine 52. The shaft portion 51 extends in the left-right direction and is inserted into the paper tube K of the roll R. The magazine 52 is a support base having a U shape when viewed from the front. The magazine 52 supports both left and right end portions of the shaft portion 51 so as to be rotatable about the axis around which the shaft portion 51 extends in the left-right direction. The shaft portion 51 is removably supported by the magazine 52. The magazine 52 is removably supported by the printer 1. [[ID=z10]]

[0019] An operator who replaces the roll R places the front cover 23 in the open position, removes the magazine 52 from inside the housing 2, and performs the replacement operation of the roll R.

[0020] The transport unit 270 transports the medium M from the supply unit 5 toward the inkjet head 8 in a transport direction F and in a return direction B opposite to the transport direction F. The transport direction F is along the transport path Q from the supply unit 5 toward the inkjet head 8. The transport direction F from the supply unit 5 toward the tensioning unit 60 changes depending on the remaining amount of medium M and is generally upward. The transport direction F from the tensioning unit 60 toward the discharge port 21 is generally forward.

[0021] The transport unit 270 is located upstream of the inkjet head 8 in the transport direction F, and downstream of the supply unit 5 in the transport direction. That is, the transport unit 270 is located between the inkjet head 8 and the supply unit 5 in the transport path Q of the medium M. The transport unit 270 has a transport roller 271 that rotates around an axis extending in the left-right direction, and a pinch roller 272 that rotates around an axis extending in the left-right direction. The transport unit 270 uses the transport roller 271 and the pinch roller 272 to nip-transport the medium M in the transport direction F from the supply unit 5 toward the inkjet head 8.

[0022] The transport unit 10 is located downstream of the transport unit 270 in the transport direction F and transports the medium M in the transport direction F and the return direction B. The transport unit 10 rotates the roll R held by the supply unit 5 to transport the medium M in the return direction B and wind it onto the roll R. The transport unit 10 is removably engaged with the shaft 51 of the supply unit 5. The transport unit 10 rotates the roll R held by the supply unit 5 to transport the medium M in the transport direction F and feeds the medium M from the roll R toward the inkjet head 8.

[0023] The support section 80 is located downstream of the conveying section 270 in the conveying direction F, and upstream of the conveying section 10 in the conveying direction F, and supports the tension-applying section 60 and the rotating body 75. The tension-applying section 60 is located between the conveying section 270 and the conveying section 10 in the conveying path Q. The tension-applying section 60 is positioned above the supply section 5 and is supported so as to be able to swing around an axis extending in the left-right direction, upstream of the conveying section 270 in the conveying direction F. The tension-applying section 60 contacts the medium M and bends the medium M. In this way, the tension-applying section 60 applies tension to the medium M. The tension is a tension that acts in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the medium M.

[0024] The rotating body 75 is supported so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the left-right direction, upstream of the conveying section 270 in the conveying direction F, and at the upstream end of the tension-applying section 60 in the conveying direction F, that is, downstream of the lower end of the tension-applying section 60 in the conveying direction F.

[0025] The transport unit 15 is located below the inkjet head 8 and downstream of the transport unit 270 in the transport direction, and transports the medium M in the transport direction F. The transport unit 15 includes a drive roller 113, a driven roller 14, and an endless belt 16. The drive roller 113 and the driven roller 14 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The endless belt 16 is stretched between the drive roller 113 and the driven roller 14. As the endless belt 16 rotates, the driven roller 14 rotates. The upper end of the outer surface of the endless belt 16 is approximately the same as the vertical position of the nip point 89 where the medium M is nipped by the transport unit 270, and faces the multiple nozzles 70 of the inkjet head 8. In the transport direction F, the upper end of the outer surface of the endless belt 16 transports the medium M being transported between the transport unit 270 and the transport unit 19 from below, while it is attracted to the endless belt 16 by static electricity or negative pressure.

[0026] The fuser unit 143 is positioned downstream of the inkjet head 8 in the transport direction and upstream of the transport unit 19 in the transport direction. The fuser unit 143 is also located below the transport path Q. The fuser unit 143 includes a heat source 144 capable of conductive heating and a heating plate 142 heated by the heat source 144. The heating plate 142 supports the medium M passing through the transport path Q from below. As the medium M is heated by the heating plate 142, the ink G ejected onto the medium M by the inkjet head 8 is fixed to the medium M.

[0027] The transport unit 19 is located downstream of the inkjet head 8 and the fixing unit 143 in the transport direction, and upstream of the discharge port 21 in the transport direction, and transports the medium M in the transport direction F and the return direction B. The transport unit 19 has a transport roller 17 that rotates around an axis extending in the left-right direction and a pinch roller 18, and performs nip transport by sandwiching the medium M from above and below with the transport roller 17 and the pinch roller 18.

[0028] When printing is performed, the control unit of printer 1 drives the transport units 270, 10, 15, and 19 to transport the medium M. Printer 1 adjusts the drive amount of the transport units 270 and 10 so that tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioning unit 60. The control unit of printer 1 drives the inkjet head 8 in synchronization with the transport of the medium M to eject the ink G supplied from the cartridge 30 via the ink tube 48 onto the medium M. The control unit of printer 1 drives the heat source 144 to fix the ink G on the medium M. The medium M is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 from the discharge port 21.

[0029] <Structure of storage compartment 6> Referring to Figures 3 to 5, the structure of the storage compartment 6 located inside the printer 1 will be described. Figures 3 to 5 show only the storage compartment 6, and other structures of the printer 1 are omitted. The storage compartment 6 is located inside the front cover 23 of the printer 1. The storage compartment 6 is a rectangular parallelepiped extending in the left-right direction, and comprises a first storage compartment 61 and a second storage compartment 62 from left to right. The first storage compartment 61 and the second storage compartment 62 are each rectangular parallelepiped spaces, each having an opening 11 and an opening 12 that opens forward. When the front cover 23 is opened from the closed state, the openings 11 and 12 of the storage compartment 6 are exposed. The openings 11 and 12 are each rectangular openings. The first storage compartment 61 houses the cartridge 30, which will be described later.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the first housing section 61 includes a rear wall 610. The rear wall 610 is a rectangular wall located at the rearmost side of the first housing section 61 and extends in the vertical, horizontal, and vertical directions. The rear wall 610 includes a mounting section 7. The mounting section 7 is located below the vertical center of the rear wall 610. When the cartridge 30 is housed in the first housing section 61, the stopper 105 of the liquid container 100 housed in the cartridge 30 is attached to the mounting section 7. The mounting section 7 is provided with a supply needle 9 that protrudes forward. The inside of the supply needle 9 is hollow. When the cartridge 30 is housed in the first housing section 61 and the stopper 105 is attached to the mounting section 7, the supply needle 9 enters the inside of the supply port 109 of the connection section 107 of the liquid container 100. Thus, the ink in the liquid container 100 is supplied to the inkjet head of the printer 1.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, a pair of positioning protrusions 611 and 612 are provided on the rear wall 610 of the first housing section 61. The positioning protrusions 611 and 612 are positioned symmetrically with respect to the supply needle 9. The positioning protrusions 611 and 612 protrude forward. The front ends of the positioning protrusions 611 and 612 protrude further forward than the front end of the supply needle 9. When the cartridge 30 is inserted into the first housing section 61, the positioning protrusion 612 fits into the round hole 72 of the first positioning section 71, which will be described later, and the positioning protrusion 611 fits into the elongated hole 74 of the second positioning section 73, which will be described later.

[0032] The second housing section 62 houses a maintenance box (not shown). The maintenance box is rectangular in shape, similar to the cartridge 30. The maintenance box is fixed in place within the second housing section 62. The maintenance box contains a container holding nozzle cleaning fluid for maintenance. During maintenance, the nozzle cleaning fluid is supplied from the maintenance box to the inkjet head.

[0033] <Structure of Cartridge 30> As shown in Figure 7, the cartridge 30 is rectangular in shape and comprises a lower case 37 and a cover 36. As shown in Figure 8, the cartridge 30 houses a liquid container 100 inside the lower case 37. The liquid container 100 is a container for holding liquid. The liquid container 100 is a pouch made of synthetic resin. Below, an example in which ink is contained in the liquid container 100 will be described.

[0034] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the lower case 37 comprises a front wall 31, a rear wall 32, a right wall 33, a left wall 34, and a bottom wall 35. The bottom wall 35 is a rectangular plate that is long in the front-to-back direction. The front wall 31 extends upward from the front end of the bottom wall 35. A stopper engagement portion 41 is provided on the lower left side of the front wall 31. The stopper engagement portion 41 is an opening that penetrates the front wall 31 in the front-to-back direction and opens upward. As shown in Figure 8, the stopper 105 of the liquid container 100 engages with the stopper engagement portion 41 from above. The front wall 31 supports the stopper 105 of the liquid container 100. The front wall 31, the right wall 33, the left wall 34, and the rear wall 32 form an opening 39 that opens upward. The liquid container 100 is housed in the opening 39.

[0035] As shown in Figure 8, the cover 36 comprises an upper wall 365, a front wall 361, a rear wall (not shown), a right wall 364, and a left wall 363. A pair of bearing portions 367 of the cover 36 are rotatably supported on a pair of shafts 321 of the lower case 37, respectively, so that the cover 36 can rotate between a closed state that covers the opening 39 and an open state that does not cover the opening 39. In the open state shown in Figure 8, the operator can attach and detach the liquid container 100 to the cartridge 30. When the cover 36 is in the closed state, the cartridge 30 can be stored in the storage section 6 of the printer 1.

[0036] <Structure of liquid container 100> The structure of the liquid container 100 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 8. The liquid container 100 contains, for example, ink. An example of ink is, for instance, black ink. The liquid container 100 comprises a case 110, which is formed from a pouch made of a constituent resin. The case 110 is a rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the front-to-back direction. As shown in Figure 8, the case 110 comprises a front surface 101, a rear surface 102, a right side surface 103, a left side surface 104, a bottom surface 106 (see Figure 5), and a top surface 108. The bottom surface 106 and the top surface 108 are rectangles that are elongated in the front-to-back direction. The front surface 101 is a rectangle that extends upward from the front end of the bottom surface 106. The right side surface 103 is a rectangle that extends upward from the right end of the bottom surface 106 and is elongated in the front-to-back direction. The left side surface 104 is a rectangle that extends upward from the left end of the bottom surface 106 and is elongated in the front-to-back direction. The rear surface 102 is a rectangle extending upward from the rear end of the bottom surface 106.

[0037] As shown in Figure 8, a stopper 105 is provided on the lower left side of the front surface 101. The stopper 105 includes a connecting portion 107, a first positioning portion 71, a second positioning portion 73, and a circuit board holder 130. The connecting portion 107 is a cylinder that extends forward in a direction perpendicular to the front surface 101. The connecting portion 107 has a supply port 109 opening forward in its center. The supply port 109 of the connecting portion 107 is a supply port that supplies ink from the liquid container 100 to the outside. The connecting portion 107 extends from the front surface 101 in the direction of the opening of the supply port 109. In addition, a sealing member (not shown) is provided on the rear side (back side) of the supply port 109. The sealing member prevents ink from leaking from the supply port 109 when the cartridge 30 is removed from the mounting portion 7 and the connection between the supply port 109 of the connecting portion 107 and the supply needle 9 is released.

[0038] The first positioning section 71 is positioned diagonally to the lower left in an intersecting direction that crosses the opening direction (forward direction) of the supply port 109. The front end of the first positioning section 71 is provided with a circular hole 72. The second positioning section 73 is positioned diagonally to the lower right in an intersecting direction that crosses the opening direction (forward direction) of the supply port 109. The front end of the second positioning section 73 is provided with an elongated hole 74 that is elongated in the lateral direction.

[0039] Furthermore, the first positioning section 71 extends from the front surface 101 in the direction of the opening of the supply port 109. Also, the second positioning section 73 extends from the front surface 101 in the direction of the opening of the supply port 109. In addition, the positional relationship between the supply port 109, the first positioning section 71, and the second positioning section 73 of the connecting section 107 is the same as that of the supply needle 9, positioning projection 611, and positioning projection 612 provided in the first housing section 61. When the cartridge 30 is inserted into the first housing section 61, the supply port 109, the first positioning section 71, and the second positioning section 73 are positioned opposite the supply needle 9, positioning projection 612, and positioning projection 611, respectively.

[0040] <Structure of circuit board 140 and circuit board holder 130> As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the spout 105 is equipped with a circuit board holder 130 above the supply port 109. That is, the circuit board holder 130 is located at a position further away from the bottom surface 106 than the supply port 109 (a higher position). Specifically, the circuit board holder 130 is located at a position further away from the bottom surface 106 of the liquid container 100 than the supply port 109 (a higher position). The circuit board holder 130 detachably holds the circuit board 140. The circuit board 140 contains an electronic circuit and has exposed electrical contacts 141. The circuit board 140 stores information about the remaining amount of liquid contained in the liquid container 100. An example of the circuit board 140 is an IC chip. The circuit board 140 is held in the circuit board holder 130 with the side on which the electrical contacts 141 are located facing upwards. Furthermore, the electrical contact 141 of the circuit board 140 contacts the electrical contact 613 (see Figure 3) provided in the first housing section 61.

[0041] As shown in Figure 6, the circuit board holder 130 comprises a first holding member 131, a second holding member 132, and a biasing member 170. An example of the biasing member 170 is a coil spring. The first holding member 131 is cylindrical with a closed upper end and holds the circuit board 140 at its upper end. The second holding member 132 is held within the cylinder of the first holding member 131 so as to be able to move up and down, and has a downwardly projecting projection 132A at its lower end. The projection 132A has inclined surfaces 132AA and 132AB at the front and rear, respectively. The biasing member 170 is also provided inside the second holding member 132, with the first holding member 131 connected to one end 171 of the biasing member 170, and the second holding member 132 connected to the other end 172 of the biasing member 170. Therefore, both the first holding member 131 and the second holding member 132 clamp the biasing member 170.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, the first housing section 61 includes a projection 150 that protrudes downward from above. The projection 150 has inclined surfaces 150A and 150B in the front-to-back direction of the printer 1, respectively. The projection 150 abuts against the upper end of the first retaining member 131 when the cartridge 30 is mounted in the printer 1. The first housing section 61 also includes an inclined section 161. The inclined section 161 has an inclined surface 161A that is inclined upward with respect to the mounting direction of the cartridge 30 in the printer 1. The inclined section 161 has a horizontal surface 161B connected above the inclined surface 161A. When the cartridge 30 is mounted in the printer 1, the projection 132A of the second retaining member 132 abuts against the inclined surface 161A of the inclined section 161, and when the cartridge 30 is mounted in the first housing section 61, the projection 132A of the second retaining member 132 is held by the horizontal surface 161B. As shown in Figure 3, the first housing section 61 is equipped with an electrical contact 613. When the cartridge 30 is installed in the first housing section 61, the electrical contact 141 of the circuit board 140 makes contact with the electrical contact 613.

[0043] <Attachment and detachment of cartridge 30 and effects of the embodiment> When installing cartridge 30 into printer 1, the user opens the front cover 23 of printer 1 and inserts cartridge 30 into the first storage compartment 61 as shown in Figure 4. Also, if the ink runs low during use of printer 1 and the display unit 3 indicates that cartridge 30 should be replaced, the user opens the front cover 23 of printer 1 and replaces cartridge 30. In these cases, the first positioning unit 71 and the second positioning unit 73 position the supply port 109 relative to the supply needle 9, and cartridge 30 is installed in the first storage compartment 61. In addition, the electrical contacts 141 of the circuit board 140 held by the circuit board holder 130 contact the electrical contacts 613 on the printer 1 side. Therefore, printer 1 can obtain information on the remaining amount of ink stored in cartridge 30 and can also write information on the amount of ink used to the circuit board 140.

[0044] Referring to Figures 5 and 9 to 11, the operation of the circuit board holder 130 when the cartridge 30 is installed in the first housing 61 will be explained. Figure 5 shows the state after the cartridge 30 has been installed in the first housing 61, and Figures 9 to 11 show the state as the installation of the cartridge 30 in the first housing 61 progresses sequentially. First, as shown in Figure 9, when the supply needle 9 is not inserted into the supply port 109, the first retaining member 131 of the circuit board holder 130 does not come into contact with the protruding portion 150 of the first housing 61. Also, the protruding portion 132A of the second retaining member 132 does not come into contact with the inclined portion 161 of the first housing 61.

[0045] As shown in Figure 10, when the cartridge 30 is inserted inward toward the rear wall 610 within the first housing 61, the inclined surface 132AA of the protruding portion 132A of the second retaining member 132 comes into contact with the inclined surface 161A of the inclined portion 161. At this time, the upper end of the first retaining member 131 comes into contact with the inclined surface 150A of the protruding portion 150. Therefore, the biasing member 170 is compressed as it is sandwiched between the protruding portion 150 of the first retaining member 131 and the inclined portion 161 of the second retaining member 132.

[0046] Next, as shown in Figure 11, when the cartridge 30 is inserted further into the first housing 61 toward the rear wall 610, the protruding portion 132A of the second retaining member 132 is guided to the upper end of the inclined portion 161. At this time, the upper end of the first retaining member 131 begins to disengage from contact with the protruding portion 150.

[0047] Next, as shown in Figure 5, when the cartridge 30 is inserted further into the first housing 61 toward the rear wall 610, the protruding portion 132A of the second holding member 132 climbs up the inclined surface 161A of the inclined portion 161 and contacts and holds against the horizontal surface 161B. At this time, the upper end of the first holding member 131 is not in contact with the protruding portion 150. When the contact of the first holding member 131 with the protruding portion 150 is released and the biasing member 170 extends upward, the electrical contact 141 of the circuit board 140 contacts the electrical contact 613 of the printer 1 (see Figure 3), which is located above the electrical contact 141. The horizontal surface 161B of the inclined portion 161 supports the circuit board holder 130 which has been moved upward. Therefore, the circuit board 140 is held at a position further away (higher) than the supply port 109. Therefore, the possibility of liquid splashing from the supply port 109 adhering to the electrical contacts 141 of the circuit board 140 is further reduced. Consequently, the reliability of the electrical conductivity of the electrical contacts 141 of the circuit board 140 is improved.

[0048] Printer 1 can be fitted with the cartridge 30 configured as described above. Therefore, when inserting or removing the cartridge 30 from printer 1, the possibility of liquid splashing from the supply port 109 of the liquid container 100 adhering to the electrical contacts 141 of the circuit board 140 is reduced. Consequently, the reliability of the electrical conductivity of the electrical contacts 141 of the circuit board 140 is improved.

[0049] In the above embodiment, cartridge 30 is an example of the "liquid-containing cartridge" of the present invention. Case 110 is an example of the "housing" of the present invention.

[0050] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. The liquid container 100 is not limited to a box shape. The liquid container 100 contains ink, but is not limited to this. For example, the liquid container 100 may contain a liquid other than ink. For example, the liquid container 100 may contain a storage liquid (storage liquid, shipping liquid) that is introduced into the ink tube 48 connecting the cartridge 30 and the inkjet head 8 to suppress the solidification of the ink in the ink tube 48 when the printer 1 is shipped or during long-term storage. Also, the lower case 37 and cover 36 of the cartridge 30 may be omitted, and the liquid container 100 may be directly attached to the printer 1.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the ink was, for example, black ink, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be cyan, magenta, yellow, white, or clear ink.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the shape of the liquid container 100 was a rectangular parallelepiped, but it is not limited to this. For example, the shape of the liquid container 100 may be another polyhedron or a cylinder. Also, the liquid container 100 does not have to be symmetrical in the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, the biasing member 170 is not limited to a coil spring, but may be an elastic body made of rubber or synthetic resin.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the spout 105 is positioned off-center on the left side 104 in the left-right direction, but is not limited to this. For example, the spout 105 may be positioned off-center on the right side 103. In this case, the mounting portion 7 of the first housing portion 61 may be provided at the corresponding position. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1. Printer 30 cartridges 37 Lower case 100 liquid containers 106 Bottom 109 Supply port 110 cases 130 Circuit board holder 131 First retaining member 132 Second retaining member 132AA sloped surface 140 Circuit Boards 141 Electrical contacts 150 Protrusion 150A slope 160 Moving mechanism 161 Slope 161A Slope 161B Horizontal surface 170 Biasing member 613 Electrical contacts

Claims

1. A liquid-containing cartridge configured to be installed in a printer, A housing for containing liquid, having a bottom surface and a front surface facing the direction in which the liquid-containing cartridge is installed, A circuit board having electrical contacts, A circuit board holder that holds the circuit board, A supply port is provided on the front surface for supplying liquid from the housing to the outside. Equipped with, The liquid-containing cartridge is characterized in that the circuit board holder is provided on the front surface at a position further away from the bottom surface than the supply port, the circuit board holder is movable in a direction away from the bottom surface during the process of the liquid-containing cartridge being mounted in the printer, and the circuit board holder is provided with a biasing member that biases the circuit board away from the bottom surface.

2. The circuit board holder comprises a first holding member connected to one end of the biasing member and holding the circuit board, and a second holding member connected to the other end of the biasing member and clamping the biasing member together with the first holding member. During the process of the liquid-containing cartridge being installed in the printer, in the first position where the printer's supply needle is not inserted into the supply port, the first retaining member is not in contact with a protruding part that is part of the printer, and the second retaining member is not in contact with an inclined part that is part of the printer. In the process of the liquid-containing cartridge being mounted to the printer, at the second position where the liquid-containing cartridge is moved further in the mounting direction from the first position relative to the printer, the first retaining member contacts a protruding portion which is part of the printer and protrudes downward from above, and the second retaining member contacts an inclined portion which is part of the printer and inclined upward with respect to the mounting direction of the liquid-containing cartridge to the printer, and the biasing member is compressed as it is sandwiched by the contact of the first retaining member with the protruding portion and the contact of the second retaining member with the inclined portion. The liquid-containing cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the process of mounting the liquid-containing cartridge to the printer, at the third position where the liquid-containing cartridge is moved further in the mounting direction from the second position relative to the printer, the contact of the first retaining member with the protrusion is released, the biasing member extends upward, so that the electrical contacts of the circuit board come into contact with the electrical contacts of the printer located above the electrical contacts, and when the mounting of the liquid-containing cartridge to the printer is completed, the second retaining member is supported by the inclined portion so that the contact of the electrical contacts of the circuit board with the electrical contacts of the printer is maintained.

3. A printer characterized by comprising the liquid-containing cartridge described in claim 1 or 2.

Images