Ink cartridge and inkjet recording device comprising ink cartridge

Abstract

[Problem] To provide: an ink cartridge that allows easy replacement of ink and that has a securing plate to which an ink pouch can be secured even if the rigidity of a plate material is somewhat poor; and an inkjet printer provided with this ink cartridge. [Solution] An ink cartridge includes: a box body having a bottomed box main body with an opening section in a top surface thereof and a lid for covering the opening section; and a bag body that is secured to the box main body and is filled with ink. The ink cartridge includes a plate member provided with: at least one bent section; and a first flat plate section and another flat plate section that are formed by bending of the bending section. The bag body is affixed to an upper surface of the first flat plate section. When the box body is closed, an end section of the other flat plate section abuts a corner section formed by the box main body and the lid. The first flat plate section is disposed so as to abut the bottom surface of the box main body.

Description

Ink cartridge and ink jet recording device equipped with the ink cartridge

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording device equipped with the ink cartridge, and more particularly to an ink cartridge having a bag filled with ink inside a box body, and an ink jet recording device equipped with this ink cartridge.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ink cartridges for supplying ink to inkjet recording devices such as inkjet printers have an ink pouch containing ink secured to the inside of a case with double-sided tape.

[0003] When the ink in the ink cartridge becomes empty, the ink pouch and the ink cartridge are replaced with new ones.

[0004] However, in recent years, there has been a need to reuse ink cartridge cases in order to reduce environmental impact and costs.

[0005] Patent document 1 discloses an ink cartridge in which a fixing plate is interposed between the ink pouch and the case, the ink pouch is adhered to this fixing plate, and the protrusion of the fixing plate is inserted into the gap between a rib provided on the case and the case side plate, thereby fixing the ink pouch to a predetermined position in the case via the fixing plate.

[0006] According to the ink cartridge of Patent Document 1, when replacing the ink pouch, the fixing plate can be pulled out from the gap between the rib and the case side plate, the ink pouch together with the fixing plate can be removed from the case, and then replaced with a new ink pouch.

[0007] Patent No. 5960423

[0008] However, in the ink cartridge of Patent Document 1, the protrusions of the fixing plate are fitted into the gap between the rib and the side plate of the case, making it difficult for general users to insert and remove the ink pouch. To make the ink pouch a replaceable cartridge, it is necessary for anyone to easily replace it. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the ink pouch is fixed by a single flat fixing plate, so the fixing plate must be made of a rigid plate material.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an ink cartridge that allows the ink pouch to be easily replaced and has a fixing plate that can fix the ink pouch even if the plate material is relatively lacking in rigidity, and an inkjet printer equipped with this ink cartridge.

[0010] The ink cartridge of the present invention comprises a box body having a bottomed box body with an opening on the top surface and a lid that covers the opening, and a bag body fixed to the box body and filled with ink, the ink cartridge having a plate member with at least one bent portion and a first flat portion and another flat portion formed by bending at the bent portion, the bag body being adhered to the top surface of the first flat portion, and when the box body is closed, an end of the other flat portion abuts against the corner between the box body and the lid, and the first flat portion is positioned in abutment against the bottom surface of the box body.

[0011] According to the ink cartridge, when the box is closed, at least one end of the other flat plate portion of the plate member abuts against the corner between the box body and the lid, and the first flat plate portion is positioned in a state in which it abuts against the bottom surface of the box body, so that when the lid is opened, the abutment state of the first flat plate portion against the bottom surface of the box body is released. Therefore, opening and closing the box releases / fixes the first flat plate portion, to which the bag body is adhered, from the box body, making it easy for even general users to replace the bag body (ink).

[0012] Furthermore, since the ink-filled bag is held by a plate member that is bent at least once, the rigidity of the plate member can be increased compared to the conventional use of a single fixed plate, and therefore the physical properties of the plate member can be replaced with a material that is less rigid than conventional materials.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink cartridge that allows easy ink replacement and has a fixing plate that can fix an ink pouch even if the plate material is relatively lacking in rigidity, and an inkjet printer that is equipped with this ink cartridge.

[0014] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 . It is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 2 . These are schematic diagrams showing other aspects of the plate member, respectively showing plate members having (A) an L-shaped cross section, (B) a U-shaped cross section, (C) a R-shaped cross section, (D) a cross section in which the corners of (B) are cut off, and (E) a cross section in which the end of (B) is folded back. These are schematic diagrams showing (A) a plate member 90 having an opening 90a, (B) a plate member 91 having a cutout 91a, and (C) a plate member 92 having cutouts 92a and 92b, respectively. This is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of an ink cartridge 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which has other aspects of the plate member. It is a schematic diagram taken along arrow A in FIG. 1 , showing the positional relationship between the undercover structure 10 according to the present invention and an exhaust pipe (a portion different from a portion under the vehicle floor). It is a schematic diagram showing a plate member having a folded back portion that is rectangular in cross section formed on the end side. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus 130 according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a schematic diagram of an ink supply system 150 of an ink jet recording apparatus 50; 3 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of ink cartridges 10 inside an ink cartridge case 136, where (A) shows a state with a large amount of ink and (B) shows a state with a small amount of ink.

[0015] <Ink Cartridge> Next, an ink cartridge 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of ink cartridge 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of Figure 2. In each figure, arrow H indicates the height direction, arrow W indicates the width direction, and arrow L indicates the length direction. Furthermore, in each figure, the upward direction in the height H direction refers to the direction of the arrow, and the downward direction in the height H direction refers to the opposite direction, the rearward direction in the width W refers to the direction of the arrow, and the forward direction in the width W refers to the opposite direction, the forward direction in the length L direction refers to the direction of the arrow, and the rearward direction in the length L direction refers to the opposite direction.

[0016] As shown in the figure, the ink cartridge 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a box body 20 , a bag body 40 , and a plate member 50 .

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1 , the box 20 is a wide, generally rectangular parallelepiped box whose width W and length L are greater than its height H, and includes a box body 22 and a lid 30 .

[0018] In this embodiment, the box body 22 comprises a substantially rectangular bottom wall 23 (see FIG. 2 ), a front wall 24, a side wall 25, a side wall 26 opposite the side wall 25, and a rear wall 27, each of which extends from an edge of the bottom wall 23. As shown in FIG. 1 , the front wall 24 protrudes slightly in the height H direction beyond the side wall 25, the side wall 26, and the rear wall 27, and the side wall 25, the side wall 26, and the rear wall 27 are all approximately the same height. Therefore, the box body 22 is a bottomed box body (the bottom is the upper surface of the bottom wall 23) with an opening on its top surface surrounded by the upper edges of the front wall 24, the side wall 25, the side wall 26, and the rear wall 27.

[0019] A U-shaped groove 24a is provided in the front wall 24 at the middle position in the width W direction, and a spout 42 of a bag body 40 (described later) is attached to this groove 24a from above in the height H direction.

[0020] The side wall 26 on the near side of the width W in Figure 1 has approximately rectangular holes 26a, 26b at a position slightly forward of the center in the length L direction and above the height H direction, and at a position rearward in the length L direction and above the height H direction.

[0021] Holes 25a and 25b are also provided in the side wall 25 on the far side in width W at positions facing the holes 26a and 26b, respectively. The rear portions of the side wall 25 in the length L direction of the holes 25a and 25b are thin-walled portions 25c and 25d that are hollowed out on the front side in the width W direction, and these thin-walled portions 25c and 25d are finally eliminated at the rear position in the length L direction by inclined surfaces 25ca and 25da that rise upward in the height H direction as they extend rearward in the length L direction.

[0022] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the side wall 26 also has thin portions 26c and 26d at positions opposite the thin portions 25c and 25d, and inclined surfaces 26ca and 26da at positions opposite the inclined surfaces 25ca and 25da.

[0023] 1, ribs 25e and 25f that protrude forward in the width W direction are provided at a position on the front side in the length L direction and at a position adjacent to the hole 25b. Similarly, ribs 26e and 26f that protrude backward in the width W direction are provided at positions opposite the ribs 25e and 25f on the side wall 26.

[0024] Next, the lid 30 will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the lid 30 has a ceiling wall 31 whose size corresponds to the bottom wall 23 of the box body 22, side frames 32 extending downward from the edges of the ceiling wall 31, side frames 33 facing the side frames 32, and a rear frame 34. No frame is provided in front of the ceiling wall 31 in the length L direction, and the heights of the side frames 32, 33, and rear frame 34 are each approximately the same as the difference in height between the front wall 24 and the side walls 25 to 27 of the box body 22.

[0025] The side frame 33 of the lid 30 is provided with claws 33a and 33b that protrude further downward in the height H direction from the lower end of the side frame 33 at positions in the length L that correspond to the holes 26a and 26b in the side wall 26. Similarly, the side frame 32 of the lid 30 is provided with claws 32a and 32b that protrude further downward in the height H direction from the lower end of the side frame 32 at positions in the length L that correspond to the holes 25a and 25b in the side wall 25.

[0026] In this embodiment, the bag 40 has a structure in which the sides of two rectangular films of the same size are bonded together, and a cylindrical spout 42 is inserted about halfway into the bag 40 at the center position in the width W direction of the short side at the front in the length L direction in Figure 1. A plug 42a is attached to the front end of the spout 42 in the length L direction. The bag 40 is filled with ink.

[0027] In this embodiment, the size of the bag body 40 is slightly shorter than the length in the length L direction and the length in the width W direction of the bottom wall 23 of the box body 22 .

[0028] Next, the plate member will be described. In the present invention, the plate member includes at least one bent portion and a first flat portion and another flat portion formed by bending at the bent portion. In this embodiment, the plate member 50 is a plate member having three flat portions with a U-shaped cross section, formed by folding both ends of a rectangular flat plate at 90-degree angles in the same direction so that the folds are parallel (see FIG. 2 ), and two bent portions. As shown in FIG. 2 , the three flat portions are a first flat portion 51, a second flat portion 52, and a third flat portion 53 located on opposite sides of the first flat portion 51, and the two bent portions are a bent portion 54 between the first flat portion 51 and the second flat portion 52 and a bent portion 55 between the first flat portion 51 and the third flat portion 53.

[0029] 2, the width of the first flat plate portion 51 is shorter than the distance between the side walls 25 and 26 in the width W direction in Fig. 2, and is longer than the length in the short direction of the bag body 40. The length of the first flat plate portion 51 is a length that fits exactly between the ribs 25e to 25f of the side wall 25 and between the ribs 26e to 26f of the side wall 26 in the length L direction in Fig. 1.

[0030] The length of the second flat plate portion 52 and the third flat plate portion 53 is also the same as that of the first flat plate portion 51 in the length L direction in Figure 1, and the height of the second flat plate portion 52 and the third flat plate portion 53 is approximately the same as the height of the side walls 25 and 26 of the box body 22 in the height H direction in Figure 2.

[0031] Therefore, plate member 50 is fitted into box body 22 between ribs 25e to 25f of side wall 25 and between ribs 26e to 26f of side wall 26, and bag body 40 is placed in box body 22 with spout 42 attached to U-shaped groove 24a of box body 22 from above in the height H direction, as shown in Fig. 1. Bag body 40 is then adhered to the upper surface of first flat plate portion 51 from a position near the innermost side to a position near the innermost side of width W of bag body 40 in Fig. 1.

[0032] Next, we will explain how the lid 30 is attached to the box body 22. The claws 32a, 32b of the side frame 32 of the lid 30 and the claws 33a, 33b of the side frame 33 are engaged with the holes 25a, 25b of the side wall 25 and the holes 26a, 26b of the side wall 26, respectively, from the inside to the outside of the box body 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3 ), thereby forming the box body 20 in a closed state.

[0033] 1, when opening the box body 20, the lid 30 is simply slid rearward in the length L direction relative to the box body 22. As a result, the claws 32a, 32b of the side frame 32 and the claws 33a, 33b of the side frame 33 move out of the holes 25a, 25b of the side wall 25 and the holes 26a, 26b of the side wall 26, and move onto the thin-walled portions 25c, 25d of the side wall 25 and the thin-walled portions 26c, 26d of the side wall 26, which are located rearward in the length L direction, and then slide upward along the inclined surfaces 25ca, 25da on the side wall 25 and the inclined surfaces 26ca, 26da on the side wall 26, which are located rearward in the length L direction, thereby allowing the box body 20 to be opened quickly. The opening and closing of the lid 30 is not limited to a sliding mechanism that slides the lid 30 rearward in the length L direction relative to the box body 22, but may be a mechanism in which the lid 30 of the box body 20 is opened by lifting the lid 30 upward in the height H direction in Figure 1, or a mechanism in which a hinge for opening and closing the lid 30 is provided at the upper end of the side wall 25, and any well-known opening and closing mechanism for the box body 20 can be adopted.

[0034] Therefore, with the ink cartridge 10 according to this embodiment, the upper ends of the second flat plate portion 52 and the third flat plate portion 53 of the plate member 50 are in contact with the corners 21a, 21b between the box body 22 and the lid 30 when the box body 20 is closed, and the first flat plate portion is disposed in contact with the bottom surface of the box body 22, so that opening the lid 30 can easily release the first flat plate portion 51 from contact with the bottom surface of the box body 22. In other words, opening and closing the box body 20 releases or secures the first flat plate portion 51, to which the bag body 40 is adhered, from being fixed to the box body 22, making it easy for even a general user to replace the bag body 40 (ink).

[0035] Furthermore, since the ink-filled bag body 40 is held by the plate member 50 that is folded twice, the rigidity of the plate member 50 can be increased compared to when a conventional single fixed plate is used, and therefore the material of the plate member 50 can be replaced with a material that is less rigid than conventional materials, such as coated cardboard.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, there is a gap in part of the box body 20 when it is in the closed state, namely, in the engagement portion between the claw portion 33a of the side frame 33 of the lid 30 and 26a of the side wall 26 of the box body 22. By using a light-blocking material such as coated cardboard as the plate member 50 and positioning the second flat plate portion 52 of this plate member 50 in a position that blocks the gap when the box body 20 is in the closed state, it is possible to block light in the direction of arrow A that enters the box body 20 through the gap in the box body 20.

[0037] Photocurable resin may be used as the ink in the bag, and in that case, there is a risk that light entering the box through the gaps in the box will harden the ink inside the bag or increase the viscosity of the ink. However, according to this embodiment, light entering the box 20 in the direction of arrow A through the gaps is blocked, and even when photocurable resin is used as the ink in the bag 40, it is possible to prevent the ink from hardening or the viscosity from increasing.

[0038] Furthermore, the plate member 50 is positioned by the ribs 25e, 25f, 26e, and 26f provided on the box body 22, which not only prevents the plate member 50 from shifting in the width W direction and height H direction in Figure 1, but also prevents the plate member 50 from shifting in the length L direction in Figure 1.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, the plate member 50 is a plate member having three flat plate portions 51, 52, 53 that are U-shaped in cross section and two bent portions 54, 55, but is not limited to this. As described above, the plate member may be any member that has at least one bent portion and a first flat plate portion and another flat plate portion formed by bending at the bent portion.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of a plate member. The plate member in FIG. 4(A) is an L-shaped plate member in cross section, having a first flat plate portion 56, a second flat plate portion 57, and a bent portion 58. In FIG. 4(A), arrow W indicates the width direction, and arrow H indicates the height direction. Note that the arrows W and H are omitted in FIGS. 4(B) to 4(E). The plate member in FIG. 4(B) is a U-shaped plate member in cross section, having a first flat plate portion 59, a second flat plate portion 60, a third flat plate portion 61, and bent portions 62 and 63. Note that in FIG. 4(B), the angle between the first flat plate portion 59 and the second flat plate portion 60, and the angle between the first flat plate portion 59 and the third flat plate portion 61 are obtuse angles greater than 90 degrees.

[0042] The plate member in Fig. 4(C) is a plate member having a square cross section and includes a first flat plate portion 64, a second flat plate portion 65, a third flat plate portion 66, a fourth flat plate portion 67, and bent portions 68, 69, and 70. In Fig. 4(C), the second flat plate portion 65 and the fourth flat plate portion 67 may be joined at their contact portions. The plate member in Fig. 4(D) is a plate member having a first flat plate portion 72, a second flat plate portion 73, a third flat plate portion 74, a fourth flat plate portion 75, a fifth flat plate portion 76, and bent portions 77, 78, 79, and 80. The plate member has a shape similar to that of the plate member 50 according to the first embodiment, with the corners of the bent portions 54 and 55 rounded off.

[0043] 4(E) is a plate member having a first flat plate portion 81, a second flat plate portion 82, a third flat plate portion 83, a fourth flat plate portion 84, a fifth flat plate portion 85, and bent portions 86, 87, 88, and 89. In terms of shape, it can be said that the upper ends of the second flat plate portion 52 and the third flat plate portion 53 of the plate member 50 in the height H direction are further bent inward in the width W direction.

[0044] Furthermore, the plate members of FIGS. 4(C), (D), and (E) can be said to have four or more flat plate portions by being folded in the same direction at least three times along non-intersecting creases.

[0045] In each of the plate members shown in Figure 4, the ends of the other flat plate portions abut the corners between the box body 22 and the lid 30, so that the movement of the plate member and the bag body 40 adhered to this plate member (specifically, the first flat plate portion) in the height H and width W directions is restricted, and the bag body 40 filled with ink can be fixed to the box body 22.

[0046] In the present invention, when the end of the other flat plate portion abuts against the corner between the box body 22 and the lid 30, it does not necessarily mean that the end of the other flat plate portion must abut against both the box body 22 and the lid 30 at this corner. For example, as shown in Figure 2, in a case where the side frame 33 extends downward from the edge of the ceiling wall 31 of the lid 30 and the side wall 26 of the box body 22 is located outside it, the end of the other flat plate portion (second flat plate portion 52) may abut only against the lid 30 at the corner.

[0047] Furthermore, although the plate member 50 according to the present embodiment does not have any openings or cutouts, the plate member may have openings and / or cutouts in the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing (A) a plate member 90 having an opening 90a, (B) a plate member 91 having a cutout 91a, and (C) a plate member 92 having cutouts 92a and 92b. In Figure 5(A), arrow H indicates the height direction, arrow L indicates the length direction, and arrow W indicates the width direction. Note that the arrows H, L, and H are omitted from Figures 5(B) to 5(C).

[0048] As shown in Figure 5(A), plate member 90 has a rectangular opening 90a at the center of the first flat plate portion in the length L direction, and as shown in Figure 5(B), plate member 91 has a rectangular cutout portion 91a at the front of the first flat plate portion in the length L direction, and as shown in Figure 5(C), plate member 92 has rectangular cutout portions 92a and 92b at the center of the second and third flat plate portions, respectively, in the length L direction.

[0049] By providing openings and / or notches as in the plate members 90 to 92, the amount of material used can be reduced, leading to cost reductions.

[0050] Furthermore, the plate member may be folded multiple times in the same direction at the end of the plate member so that sides are substantially parallel to one another, thereby forming a folded portion having a polygonal cross-sectional shape. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2 of an ink cartridge 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which has another form of plate member. Note that in this embodiment, descriptions of parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0051] As shown in Figure 6, the plate member 102 has a first flat plate portion 103, a second flat plate portion 104, a third flat plate portion 105, a fourth flat plate portion 106, and a fifth flat plate portion 107, as well as sixth to ninth flat plate portions 108 to 111 corresponding to the second to fifth flat plate portions, and has bent portions 112 to 119 as shown.

[0052] Therefore, the plate member 102 is folded three times in the same direction at each end of the plate member 102 so that sides are substantially parallel to one another, thereby forming a folded portion 120 that is triangular in cross section. Of the second flat plate portion 104, third flat plate portion 105, and fourth flat plate portion 106 that form the folded portion 120 that is triangular in cross section, the third flat plate portion 105 faces the ceiling wall 31 of the lid 30. The same applies to the folded portion 121, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the underside of the ceiling wall 31 of the lid 30 is provided with cylindrical protrusions 31a, 31b that protrude downward in the height H direction, and these protrusions protrude up to the height position of the corners 21a, 21b between the box main body 22 and the lid 30 (see Figures 2 and 3).

[0054] Therefore, by providing folded portions 120, 121 that are triangular in cross section on the end side of the plate member 102, the pressing force from the lid portion 30 can be concentrated on both ends of the first flat plate portion 103 in the width W direction as shown in Figure 6, and as a result, the first flat plate portion 103 is not simply pressed from above in the height H direction in Figure 6, but is also pulled in the direction of both ends of the width W, and the bag body adhered to the first flat plate portion 103 can also be firmly fixed to the bottom (bottom wall 23) of the box main body 22 via this first flat plate portion 103.

[0055] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the third flat plate portion 105 and the seventh flat plate portion 109 face the ceiling wall 31 of the lid 30, and when the box body 20 is closed, the third flat plate portion 105 and the seventh flat plate portion 109 abut against the protrusions 31a and 31b, respectively, so that a pressing force can be applied reliably and stably to the first flat plate portion 103, thereby more effectively suppressing rattling within the box body 20 of the plate member 102 to which the bag body 40 is fixed.

[0056] In the second embodiment, the folded portions 120 and 121 of the plate member 102 are triangular in cross section, but this is not limiting. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plate member having folded portions formed at its end portions that are rectangular in cross section. As shown, the plate member 124 is folded three times in the same direction at each end of the plate member 124 so that sides are substantially parallel to each other, thereby forming folded portions 125 and 126 that are rectangular in cross section. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the length of the first flat portion 51 of the plate member 50 was set to fit exactly between the ribs 25e-25f of the side wall 25 and between the ribs 26e-26f of the side wall 26 in the length L direction of FIG. 1 , thereby positioning the first flat portion 51 within the box body 22. However, the ribs 25e-25f and 26e-26f are not essential components. In the absence of these ribs, it is preferable that the lengths of the flat plate portion in two different directions (the width W direction and the length L direction in FIG. 1 ) within the plane of the first flat plate portion 51 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first flat plate portion 51 (the height H direction in FIG. 1 ) are equal to the lengths of the two directions when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first flat plate portion 51 (the width W direction and the length L direction in FIG. 1 ) within the range in which the flat plate portion is disposed inside the box body 20. According to this configuration, the first flat plate portion 51 of the plate member 50 fits snugly within the box body 20, and the behavior of the first flat plate portion 51 (and the bag body 40 bonded to the first flat plate portion 51) in the width W direction and the length L direction in FIG. 1 is suppressed.In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an ink cartridge having a box body having a box main body with an opening and a lid that covers the opening, and a bag body placed inside the box body and filled with ink, wherein the ink cartridge has a plate member with at least one bending portion and a first flat plate portion and another flat plate portion formed by bending at the bending portion, the bag body is adhered to one surface of the first flat plate portion, and at least a portion of the other flat plate portion is located on the side of the one surface, and when the plate member and the bag body are placed in the box body, the length of the other flat plate portion when viewed in a direction parallel to the surface of the first flat plate portion (i.e., the length L direction in Figure 1) (i.e., the length in the height H direction in Figure 2) is equal to the length when viewed in a direction parallel to the surface of the first flat plate portion (i.e., the length L direction in Figure 1) within the range where the flat plate portion is placed inside the box body (i.e., the width of the inside of the box in the height H direction in Figure 2). With this ink cartridge, too, it is possible to provide an ink cartridge that allows easy ink replacement and has a fixing plate that can fix an ink pouch even if the plate material is somewhat lacking in rigidity.

[0057] <Inkjet Recording Apparatus> Next, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is a perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus 130 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an ink supply system 150 of an inkjet recording apparatus 50, and Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of ink cartridges within an ink cartridge case, with (A) showing a state with a large amount of ink and (B) showing a state with a small amount of ink. In Figures 8 and 10, arrow Y indicates the main scanning direction, arrow X indicates the secondary scanning direction, and arrow H indicates the height direction. Furthermore, in Figure 9, ink supply system 150 exemplifies the ink supply system between ink cartridge 10a and ink head 145a.

[0058] The ink jet recording device 130 of this embodiment comprises the ink cartridge 10 of the first embodiment described above, an ink head 145 that ejects the ink filled in the ink cartridge 10, and an ink supply system 150 that guides the ink filled in the ink cartridge to the ink head 145.

[0059] The inkjet recording device 130 includes a main body 134, a main body case 140, a right leg 132R, a left leg 132L, an ink head unit 146, and an ink cartridge case 136. The main body 134 has its longitudinal direction in the main scanning direction Y, and the right leg 132R and the left leg 132L are attached to the lower part of the main body 134 to support the main body 134.

[0060] The main body 134 is provided with a guide rail 135 extending in the main scanning direction Y, and an ink head unit 146 is attached to the guide rail 135 via a carriage (not shown), and the ink head unit 146 moves back and forth in the main scanning direction along the guide rail 135.

[0061] The recording paper P is placed on the main body 134 at a position opposite the ink head unit 146 .

[0062] The ink cartridge case 136 is provided inside the main body case 140 at the right side position in the main scanning direction Y of the main body part 134, and multiple ink cartridges 10 (six in this embodiment) are arranged side by side inside the ink cartridge case 136, as shown in Figure 10 (A), with the side wall 25 of the box main body 22 facing downward in the direction of height H in Figure 8 and the side wall 26 facing upward in the direction of height H in Figure 8.

[0063] The six ink cartridges 10 (respectively designated 10a to 10f, see FIG. 8) normally have inks of different colors filled in the pouches 40, respectively.

[0064] The ink head unit 146 is equipped with six ink heads 145a to 145f (see FIG. 8) that use an ink jet method to eject the different color inks onto the recording paper P. Although not shown, the bottom surfaces of the six ink heads 145a to 145f are provided with a plurality of ink jet nozzles, which are ejection ports that eject ink onto the recording paper P, facing downward in the height H direction and facing the recording paper P.

[0065] The ink supply system 150 supplies ink from the ink cartridges 10a to 10f to the ink heads 145a to 145f, and as shown in Fig. 9, includes an ink path 151, a valve 152, a supply pump 153, and a damper 154. The supply pump is an example of an ink supply device. As shown in Fig. 9, the ink head 145a and the damper 154 are mounted on a carriage (not shown) and move back and forth in the main scanning direction Y.

[0066] On the other hand, the ink cartridge 10a is not mounted on a carriage and does not move back and forth in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, to prevent the ink paths 151 from being damaged even when the carriage moves in the main scanning direction Y, most of the ink paths 151 (at least half of their total length) are arranged to extend in the main scanning direction Y. In this embodiment, a total of six ink paths 151 are provided.

[0067] According to the ink jet recording apparatus 130 of this embodiment, the ink in the ink cartridges 10a to 10f can be supplied to the ink heads 146a to 146f via the ink supply system 150, and recording can be performed on the recording paper P.

[0068] Furthermore, when the ink in the ink cartridge 10 runs out, the user removes the ink cartridge 10 from the ink cartridge case 136, and as already mentioned, opening and closing the box body 20 releases / fixes the first flat plate portion 51 to which the bag body 40 is adhered to the box main body 22, making it easy to replace the bag body 40 (ink).

[0069] 10A, the ink cartridge 10 is placed horizontally within the ink cartridge case 136, with the side wall 25 of the box body 22 facing downward in the direction of height H in Fig. 10 and the side wall 26 facing upward in the direction of height H in Fig. 10A. The bag body 40 is attached to the upper surface of the first flat plate portion 51, with the adhesive portion Ad extending from the rearmost position to the frontmost position of the width W of the bag body 40 in Fig. 1, i.e., from the upper end to the lower end in the direction of height H in Fig. 10A.

[0070] In the ink cartridge 10 of Figure 10 (A), the pigment in the ink generally sinks downward in the direction of height H, so the ink is thicker at the bottom of the bag body 40, thinner at the top, and maintained at a just-right thickness in the middle in the central portion.Since the spout 42 is located in the central portion in the direction of height H in Figure 10, ink of this just-right thickness can be supplied to the ink head 145 via the ink supply system 150.

[0071] Furthermore, when the ink in the ink cartridge 10 is used and the ink in the bag body 40 becomes low, as shown in Figure 10(B), the volume of the bag body 40 decreases and the entire bag body 40 moves toward the first flat plate portion 51. However, because the adhesive portion Ad is located from near the top end to near the bottom end of the bag body 40 in the height H direction in Figure 10, ink can be supplied from the center of the bag body 40 in the height H direction to the end, and therefore the ink in the bag body 40 can be used up to the last drop while maintaining just the right concentration. This is because the first flat plate portion 51 is stably fixed to the bottom wall 23 when the box body 20 is closed, and the bag body 40 is fixed to the bottom wall 23 via this first flat plate portion 51.

[0072] 10, the bag body 40 is bonded to the upper surface of the first flat plate portion 51 from a position near the innermost side to a position near the innermost side in the width W of the bag body 40 in FIG. 1 (i.e., the position from near the upper end to near the lower end in the height H direction in FIG. 10(A) is the adhesive portion Ad), but the bag body 40 does not necessarily have to be bonded to the first flat plate portion 51 from a position near the innermost side to a position near the innermost side in the width W of FIG. 1. The inventors have confirmed that as long as the bag body 40 is bonded to the first flat plate portion 51 over a range of at least 4 / 5 of the lateral length of the bag body 40, with the center position of the adhesive portion being the center position of the height direction of the bag body 40 in FIG. 10, the ink in the bag body 40 can be used from start to finish at an acceptable density that is neither too dark nor too light.

[0073] 10, 100 Ink cartridge 20 Box body 22 Box main body 30 Lid 40 Bag body 50, 102 Plate member 51, 56, 59, 64, 72, 81, 103 First flat plate portion 52 Second flat plate portion (another flat plate portion) 53 Third flat plate portion (another flat plate portion) 57, 60, 61, 65 to 67, 73 to 76, 82 to 85, 104 to 111 Other flat plate portions 21a, 21b Corner portions 54, 55, 58, 62, 63, 68 to 70, 77 to 80, 86 to 89, 112 to 119 Bent portions 90a Openings 91a, 92a, 92b Cutout portions 120, 121, 125, 126 Folded portions 130 Ink jet recording apparatus 145 Ink head 150 Ink supply system

Claims

1. An ink cartridge having a box body with an opening and a lid that covers the opening, and a bag body placed inside the box body and filled with ink, wherein the ink cartridge has a plate member with at least one bent portion and a first flat portion and another flat portion formed by bending at the bent portion, the bag body is adhered to one surface of the first flat portion, and at least a part of the other flat portion is located on the side of the one surface, and when the plate member and bag body are placed on the box body, the length of the other flat portion when viewed in a direction parallel to the surface of the first flat portion is equal to the length of the flat portion inside the box body when viewed in a direction parallel to the surface of the first flat portion in the range where the flat portion is placed.

2. An ink cartridge having a box body with a bottom and an opening on the top surface, a box body having a lid that covers the opening, and a bag body fixed to the box body and filled with ink, wherein the ink cartridge has a plate member with at least one bent portion and a first flat portion and another flat portion formed by bending at the bent portion, the bag body is bonded to the top surface of the first flat portion, and when the box body is closed, an end of the other flat portion abuts against the corner between the box body and the lid, and the first flat portion is abutted against the bottom surface of the box body.

3. An ink cartridge as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the plate member is a plate member having two non-intersecting bent portions and thereby having three flat plate portions, the other flat plate portions being a second flat plate portion and a third flat plate portion located on opposite sides of the first flat plate portion, and when the box body is closed, the end of the second flat plate portion and the end of the third flat plate portion respectively abut against opposing corner portions formed by the box body and the lid.

4. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plate member has an opening and / or a notch.

5. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a gap exists in a part of the box body when it is in a closed state, and the plate member is made of a light-blocking material and is positioned so as to block the gap when the box body is in a closed state.

6. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plate member is folded multiple times in the same direction at the end of the plate member so that sides are approximately parallel to each other, thereby forming a folded portion having a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

7. An ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the plate member is folded three times in the same direction at the end of the plate member so that sides are substantially parallel to each other, thereby forming a folded portion having a triangular cross-sectional shape.

8. The ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein at least one surface of said other flat plate portion forming said folded portion having a triangular cross section faces said lid.

9. An ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the plate member is folded multiple times in the same direction at the end of the plate member so that sides are substantially parallel to each other, thereby forming a folded portion having a rectangular cross section.

10. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5, wherein the plate member is a plate member having four or more flat surfaces formed by folding the plate member in the same direction at least three times along non-intersecting creases.

11. An ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the lengths of the flat portion in two different directions within the plane of the first flat portion when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first flat portion are equal to the lengths of the two directions when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first flat portion in the range where the flat portion is positioned inside the box.

12. An ink jet recording device comprising: an ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 11; an ink head that ejects ink filled in said ink cartridge; and an ink supply system that guides the ink filled in said ink cartridge to said ink head.