Replenishing container, cap for replenishing container, and inkjet recording device

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cap for a replenishing container and an inkjet recording device capable of reducing an operation force required for attaching / detaching a replenishing container while suppressing contamination caused by ink or a solvent when attaching / detaching the replenishing container for replenishing ink or a solvent. For this purpose, a replenishment container 301 comprises: a storage member 311 having a cylindrical tip part 322 extending from one end part of a storage chamber 321 and having an opening part formed at the tip; a first plug member 312 for sealing the opening part; a lid member 313 in which a first through-hole 353 concentric with the tip part 322 is formed and which fixes the first plug member 312 to the tip part 322; and a cylindrical seal member 314 in which a second through-hole 361 concentric with the first through-hole 353 is formed. The smallest inner diameter of the second through-hole 361 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through-hole 353, and an annular deformation groove 319 concentric with the second through-hole 361 is formed on a bottom surface part 317 or an upper surface part 318 of the seal member 314.

Description

Refill container, refill container cap, and inkjet recording device

[0001] The present invention relates to a refill container, a cap for the refill container, and an inkjet recording apparatus.

[0002] Patent Document 1 is a document disclosing prior art in this technical field, which states that "a supply container includes a storage member having a storage chamber for storing ink or solvent and having an opening formed therein, a plug member for sealing the opening of the storage member, and a lid member for covering the plug member, wherein a sealing member having a through hole is provided between the plug member and the lid member, the lid member has a through hole formed concentrically with the through hole of the sealing member, and the inner diameter of part or all of the through hole of the sealing member is smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole of the lid member" (see abstract).

[0003] International Publication No. 2015 / 079547

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-144999 discloses that the above-described configuration is intended to provide a refill container that can reduce staining with ink or solvent when refilling ink or solvent.

[0005] However, with this configuration, when pulling up an old ink or solvent supply container or pushing in a new ink or solvent supply container, frictional force occurs between the cylindrical portion of the ink or solvent sub-container adapter and the sealing member of the ink or solvent supply container, requiring a certain amount of pulling force or pushing force (operating force).

[0006] In particular, if sufficient pushing force is not applied when pushing in a new ink or solvent refill container, the sharp corners of the cylindrical part of the ink or solvent sub-container adapter may not be able to properly break through the plug member, and the ink or solvent may not be refilled properly.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a cap for a supply container and an inkjet recording device that can reduce the operating force required to attach and detach a supply container that replenishes ink or solvent while suppressing contamination by ink or solvent when attaching and detaching the supply container.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a supply container comprising a storage member having a storage chamber for storing ink or solvent and a cylindrical tip portion extending from one end of the storage chamber and having an opening formed at the tip, a first plug member for sealing the opening, a first lid member having a first through hole formed concentric with the tip portion and for fixing the first plug member to the tip portion, and a cylindrical sealing member disposed between the first plug member and the lid member and having a second through hole formed concentric with the first through hole, wherein the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole, and a ring-shaped deformed groove concentric with the second through hole is formed in the bottom or top surface of the sealing member.

[0009] The present invention also provides a cap for a refill container, comprising: a first plug member that seals an opening formed in a cylindrical tip portion that extends from one end of a storage chamber that stores ink or solvent; a lid member that has a first through hole formed therein that is concentric with the tip portion and that fixes the first plug member to the tip portion; and a cylindrical sealing member that is disposed between the first plug member and the lid member and has a second through hole formed therein that is concentric with the first through hole, wherein the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole, and a ring-shaped deformed groove that is concentric with the second through hole is formed in the bottom or top surface of the sealing member.

[0010] The present invention also provides an inkjet recording apparatus comprising a nozzle for ejecting ink, an ink container for storing ink to be supplied to the nozzle and recovering and re-storing ink that has been supplied to the nozzle but not used for printing, an ink sub-container for storing ink to be replenished to the ink container, a solvent sub-container for storing solvent to be used for diluting the ink and cleaning the ink paths, an ink supply container connected to the ink sub-container for replenishing the ink to the ink sub-container, and a solvent supply container connected to the solvent sub-container for replenishing the solvent to the solvent sub-container, wherein the ink supply container or the solvent supply container is Alternatively, the device may comprise a storage member having a storage chamber for storing a solvent and a cylindrical tip portion extending from one end of the storage chamber and having an opening formed at its tip; a first plug member for sealing the opening; a lid member having a first through hole formed concentric with the tip portion and for fixing the first plug member to the tip portion; and a cylindrical sealing member disposed between the first plug member and the lid member and having a second through hole formed concentric with the first through hole, wherein the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole, and a ring-shaped deformed groove concentric with the second through hole is formed in the bottom or top surface of the sealing member.

[0011] According to the present invention, when attaching or detaching a supply container for replenishing ink or solvent, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to attach or detach the supply container while suppressing stains caused by ink or solvent.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed structure of a container connection portion of the ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 3 is an overall view showing an inkjet recording device equipped with a supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of an actual usage state of an inkjet recording device equipped with a supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 5 is a view showing a control configuration of an inkjet recording device equipped with a supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 6 is a system diagram of an ink circulation system of an inkjet recording device equipped with a supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a liquid level control flow of an ink sub-container in an inkjet recording device equipped with a supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 8 is an external view of an ink circulation area of ​​an inkjet recording device equipped with a supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of a shape of a plug member of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 10 is a view showing another example of a shape of a plug member of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 11 is a view showing another example of a shape of a cover member of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 12 is a view showing another example of a shape of a cover member of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of a shape of an absorber of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 14 is a view showing another example of a shape of an absorber of an ink supply container according to Example 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connected state between an ink supply container and an ink sub-container according to Example 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the connected portion between the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a state in the middle of connecting the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an ink supply container according to Example 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a connected state between the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an ink supply container according to Example 3. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a state in the middle of connecting the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 3. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the connected portion between the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 3. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the ink supply container according to Example 3 after use. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the mouth of an ink supply container according to Example 4. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an ink supply container according to Example 5.Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection state between the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 5. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the ink supply container according to Example 6. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection state between the ink supply container and the ink sub-container according to Example 6.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural. The position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc., in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0014] In the embodiments, processing performed by executing a program may be described. Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU) and performs processing defined by the program using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be the processor. Similarly, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity performing the processing by executing the program may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0015] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in the embodiments, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0016] 2 is an overall view showing an inkjet recording apparatus 100 relating to the replenishment container of Example 1. The inkjet recording apparatus 100 is equipped with a main body 1 having an external operation display unit 3, and an ink ejection head 2, and the main body 1 and the ink ejection head 2 are connected by a conduit 4. The main body 1 is also equipped with a status indicator light 5, which can light up to indicate the operating status of the inkjet recording apparatus 100, such as a power supply status, a printable status, an alarm status, an abnormal status, etc. The inkjet recording apparatus 100 is also equipped with a maintenance door 6, which the user can open to perform maintenance such as refilling ink.

[0017] 3 shows an example of an actual use state of the inkjet recording device 100. The inkjet recording device 100 is installed on a production line in a factory where food, beverages, etc. are produced, for example, with the main body 1 installed in a position where it can be operated by a user, and the ink ejection head 2 installed in a position where it can be close to a printing target 13 being transported on a production line such as a belt conveyor 15.

[0018] In order to print at the same width regardless of the conveying speed, an encoder 16 is installed on the production line such as the belt conveyor 15, which outputs a signal corresponding to the conveying speed to the inkjet recording device 100, and a print sensor 17 is installed on the production line such as the belt conveyor 15, which detects the printing object 13 and outputs a signal to instruct the inkjet recording device 100 to print. Each of these is connected to a control unit 200 (not shown) inside the main body 1.

[0019] In response to signals from the encoder 16 and the print sensor 17, the control unit 200 controls the amount of charge and timing of charging the ink droplets 10 ejected from the nozzles 151 (shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5), and prints by causing the charged and deflected ink droplets 10 to adhere to the print object 13 while the print object 13 passes near the ink ejection head 2.

[0020] 4 shows the control configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 100. The control configuration includes an MPU 101 that has a calculation function and controls the entire inkjet recording apparatus, a ROM 102 that stores programs and data required for the MPU to operate via a bus 120, a RAM 103 that temporarily stores data required during program execution, an input device 104 that inputs print contents and setting values, etc., and a display device 105 that displays the contents and status input by the input device 104.

[0021] It is also connected to an excitation voltage generating circuit 111 that generates an excitation voltage to be applied to an excitation element 152 attached to a nozzle 151 in the ink ejection head 2, a charging voltage generating circuit 112 that generates a charging voltage to be applied to a charging electrode 153 for applying an electric charge to ink droplets 161 ejected from the nozzle 151, a deflection voltage generating circuit 113 that generates a deflection voltage to be applied to a deflection electrode 154 for deflecting the charged ink droplets 161 in accordance with the print content, an electromagnetic valve control circuit 114 that controls an electromagnetic valve that opens and closes the flow of ink and solvent, a pump control circuit 115 that controls a pump that applies pressure to the ink, and a liquid level detection circuit 116 that detects the liquid levels of the ink container 201, ink sub-container 202, and solvent sub-container 203.

[0022] The ink container 201, the ink sub-container 202, and the solvent sub-container 203 will be described later.

[0023] 5 is a system diagram of the ink circulation system of the inkjet recording apparatus 100. Inside the main body 1, there are provided an ink container 201 that stores ink to be supplied to the nozzles 151 and that collects and stores again ink that has been supplied to the nozzles but not used for printing, an ink sub-container 202 that stores ink to be replenished to the ink container 201, a solvent sub-container 203 that stores solvent used to dilute the ink and clean the paths, pumps 211 to 214 that apply pressure to the ink or solvent, solenoid valves 221 to 228 that open and close the paths of the ink and solvent, a filter 231 that collects dust in the ink, a pressure reducing valve 232 that reduces the ink pressure increased by the pump 211 and adjusts it to the required pressure, a pressure gauge 233 that measures the ink pressure, and a viscometer 234 that measures the viscosity of the ink. The ink ejection head 2 is equipped with a nozzle 151, a three-way electromagnetic valve 229 that closes one of the two paths on the IN side and opens the other to connect it to the path on the OUT side, and a gutter 241 that captures the ink ejected from the nozzle 151 that is not used for printing.

[0024] An ink supply container 301 is connected to the ink sub-container 202, and a solvent supply container 302 is connected to the solvent sub-container 203. The ink inside the ink sub-container 202 and the solvent sub-container 203 is sucked and pumped by pumps 211 and 214, respectively, and replenished to the ink container 201 via the ink and solvent paths. Although not shown, the paths connecting pumps 212, 213, and viscometer 234, which are connected to the ink container 201, can be connected to the ink sub-container 202, and the paths connecting the ink container 201 to the solenoid valve 222 and to the outside of the main body 1 can be eliminated, thereby integrating the ink container 201 and the ink sub-container 202.

[0025] 7 is a diagram showing an overview of the ink circulation area 251 of the inkjet recording apparatus 100. The ink circulation area 251 can be accessed by opening the maintenance door 6. The ink circulation area 251 is provided with an ink circulation unit 261, which unitizes the pumps 211 to 214 and the solenoid valves 221 to 228, an ink sub-container 202, and a solvent sub-container 203, which are fixed with screws or the like, although not shown.

[0026] As mentioned above, the ink sub-container 202 is connected to an ink supply container 301, and the solvent sub-container 203 is connected to a solvent supply container 302, and these ink supply containers 301 and solvent supply containers 302 can be attached, detached, and replaced by the user.

[0027] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the structure of an ink supply container 301 according to this embodiment. Note that the ink supply container 301 and the solvent supply container 302 have the same structure, and therefore, only the ink supply container 301 will be described below, and a description of the solvent supply container 302 will be omitted.

[0028] Fig. 1A shows the overall structure of the ink supply container 301, and Fig. 1B shows an enlarged view of the tip of the ink supply container 301. As shown in Fig. 1A, the ink supply container 301 includes a storage member 311, a plug member 312, a first cover member 313, a seal member 314, an absorbent material 315, and a second cover member 316. The plug member 312, the first cover member 313, the seal member 314, the absorbent material 315, and the second cover member 316 form a supply container cap 303.

[0029] Examples of materials for the ink supply container 301 include high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE), low-density polyethylene resin (LDPE), and polypropylene resin (PP) for the storage member 311, first lid member 313, and second lid member 316, and low-density polyethylene resin (LDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene resin (LLDPE) for the stopper member 312.

[0030] Moreover, butyl rubber or ethylene propylene rubber, which is an elastic material, is used for the sealing member 314, and open-cell polyolefin foam or polyolefin nonwoven fabric is used for the absorbent material 315. Note that the above materials are preferred in this embodiment, and other materials may also be used.

[0031] To explain the detailed structure of the ink supply container 301, the storage member 311 has a rectangular parallelepiped storage chamber 321, and the tip 322 of the wall extending from one end of the storage chamber 321 is cylindrical, with its end face open.

[0032] A thread is formed on the outer periphery of the tip portion 322 , and the wall connecting the tip portion 322 and the storage chamber 321 is inclined toward the inside of the storage member 311 .

[0033] A plug member 312 is attached to the opening of this tip portion 322 so as to be inserted into the interior of the storage member 311. The plug member 312 has a cylindrical portion 331, a flange portion 332, and a bottom portion 333, and the flange portion 332 is formed at the end of the cylindrical portion 331. The plug member 312 is attached by hooking this flange portion 332 onto the open end of the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311.

[0034] With this configuration, the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 331 is in continuous, tight contact with the inner surface of the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311 along the circumference, ensuring a seal, and the flange portion 332 is in continuous, tight contact with the end face of the tip portion 322 of the storage member along the circumference, ensuring a seal, and the double-seal structure prevents liquid leakage.

[0035] The bottom 333 of the plug member 312 has a thin-walled annular portion 341 that is thinner than the surrounding area. In this embodiment, when connecting the ink supply container 301 to the ink sub-container 202 on the main body 1, a connection protrusion on the ink sub-container 202 breaks through a portion of the bottom 333 of the plug member 312 of the ink supply container 301. This thin-walled portion 341 is broken through with a small operating force when refilling ink, and the thickness of the thin-walled portion is preferably approximately 0.2 to 0.5 mm. Figures 8A and 8B show examples of the shape of the plug member 312. Figure 8A shows an example in which the thin-walled portion 341 is formed continuously in an annular shape, while Figure 8B shows an example in which the thin-walled portion 341 is formed intermittently in an annular shape.

[0036] Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the first cover member 313 has a cylindrical portion 351 and a bottom portion 352, and a thread is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 351, which engages with and is fixed to the thread formed on the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311.

[0037] Bottom portion 352 of first lid member has through-hole 353, which is arranged concentrically with annular thin-walled portion 341 of plug member 312. Figures 9A and 9B show examples of the shape of lid member 313. Figure 9A shows an example in which through-hole 353 is formed in a circular shape, and Figure 9B shows an example in which through-hole 353 is formed by portion 355 along circle 354 and recessed portion 356 surrounding it.

[0038] Furthermore, a seal member 314 is provided on the bottom 333 of the plug member 312 along the periphery of the bottom 333. The seal member 314 is cylindrical and has a through hole 361. The inner surface of the through hole 361 of the seal member 314 is provided with two annular protrusions 362 and 363. The annular protrusions 362 and 363 are formed concentrically with the through hole 361 and are also arranged concentrically with the through hole 353 of the first cover member 313.

[0039] Here, the annular protrusions 362, 363 on the inner surface of the seal member 314 ensure sealing performance by the surface pressure of the seal member 314 that increases locally at the annular protrusions 362, 363 when, for example, a cylindrical member moving in the axial direction concentric with the annular protrusions 362, 363 comes into close contact with the relevant portion and moves while compressing the seal member 314, thereby preventing unnecessarily high surface pressure from occurring in portions other than the annular protrusions 362, 363 and reducing the frictional force that occurs. Note that the number of annular protrusions is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more, and it is sufficient if sealing performance is ensured even if there are no annular protrusions.

[0040] Furthermore, by providing the deformation groove 319 on the bottom surface 317 of the seal member 314, when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, the through hole 361 of the seal member 314 is deformed so as to be pushed open by the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, which has the effect of reducing the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the seal member 314. Note that the deformation groove 319 provided on the bottom surface 317 of the seal member 314 is not limited to being annular and concentric with the through hole 361, and may be provided on only a portion of the bottom surface 317 of the seal member 314 as long as the frictional force can be reduced. Furthermore, the position where the deformation groove 319 is provided is not limited to the bottom surface 317 of the seal member 314, and the deformation groove 319 may be provided on the top surface 318 of the seal member 314. Furthermore, the deformed groove 319 provided on the bottom surface 317 or the top surface 318 may be sloped or tapered, and the shape of the deformed groove 319 is free as long as it can reduce the frictional force.

[0041] Two annular projections 364, 365 are formed on the outer surface of the sealing member 314, and the annular projections 364, 365 are in continuous, tight contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 331 of the plug member along the circumference to ensure sealing performance.

[0042] Here, the number of annular protrusions on the outer surface is not limited to two and may be one or three or more, and a form may also be employed in which there is no annular protrusion and the outer surface of the seal member 314 makes continuous, close contact with the inner surface of the stopper member along the circumference. Furthermore, when the ink supply container 301 and the adapter 502 connected to the ink supply container 301 are not connected, sealing is not required between the annular protrusions 364, 365 on the outer surface of the seal member 314 and the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 331 of the stopper member, and these portions do not need to be in close contact, and a form in which the seal member 314 deforms to make a close contact when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the adapter 502 is also acceptable.

[0043] The inner diameters 372, 373 of the annular protrusions 362, 363 on the inner surface of the seal member 314 are smaller than the inner diameter 371 of the through-hole 353 of the lid member 313. As a result, when the cartridge connection portion of the ink sub-container 202 on the main body 1 side, which has an outer diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the through-hole 353 of the lid member 313 but almost the same size as the inner diameter of the through-hole 353, is inserted coaxially through the through-hole 353 of the lid member 313, the annular protrusions 362, 363 on the inner surface of the seal member 314 and the outer surface of the cylindrical member come into continuous, tight contact along the circumference, ensuring sealing in that portion.

[0044] The cylindrical member has a shape provided on an adapter 502 that is connected to the ink supply container 301, and the adapter 502 will be described later.

[0045] Next, the absorbent material 315 will be described. As mentioned above, open-cell polyolefin foam or polyolefin nonwoven fabric is used as an example of the material for the absorbent material 315. In either case, there are continuous gaps from the outer surface of the absorbent material 315 to the inside, and these gaps can absorb liquid.

[0046] The absorbent material 315 has a through hole 381, which is arranged concentrically with the through hole 353 of the cover member 313. The absorbent material 315 can be fixed by, for example, adhering the absorbent material 315 and the sealing member 314 with double-sided adhesive tape or adhesive.

[0047] 10A and 10B show examples of the shape of the absorber 315. Fig. 10A shows an example in which a through-hole 381 is formed in a circular shape, and Fig. 10B shows an example in which the through-hole 381 is formed by a portion 383 along a circle 382 and a recessed portion 384 around the portion 383.

[0048] Next, we will explain the second cover member 316. As shown in Figure 1, the second cover member 316 has, for example, a shape with a cylindrical portion 391 and a bottom portion 392, and is arranged to cover the through-hole 353 of the cover member 313, preventing the plug member 312, sealing member 314, and absorbent material 315 from being accidentally damaged when handling or storing the ink supply container 301, and preventing dust from entering and adhering to them from the outside.

[0049] An annular protrusion 393 is provided on the inner surface of the periphery of the opening of the cylindrical portion 391 of the second cover member 316, which engages with and secures the cover member 313. This engagement is released when the user manually pulls the second cover member 316 in the removal direction, and the ink supply container 301 and adapter 502 can be connected with the second cover member 316 removed.

[0050] Furthermore, the second lid member 316 can be manually engaged with the lid member 313 by the user, and the second lid member 316 can be engaged with the used ink supply container 301 .

[0051] By providing this second lid member 316, it is possible to prevent the small amount of ink remaining inside the used ink supply container 301 from scattering to the outside due to impact during handling, and to prevent the smell of the ink inside from leaking to the outside.

[0052] Although not shown, another example of the second lid member 316 may be a label attached to cover the through-hole 353 of the lid member 313. The structure shown in Figures 1A and 1B and the contents described above with reference to Figures 1A and 1B can also be applied to the solvent supply container 302.

[0053] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the ink sub-container 202 of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 on which the ink supply container 301 according to this embodiment is mounted. The storage member 501 of the ink sub-container 202 has a storage section 511, a supply port 512, and a sensor port 513, and an adapter 502 is fixed to the supply port 512 with a screw 503. A seal member 504 is provided between the supply port 512 and the adapter 502 to ensure sealing of the relevant portion.

[0054] A block 508 to which a liquid level sensor 505, a suction pipe 506, and an air release pipe 507 are attached is fixed to the sensor port 513 of the storage member 501 by threaded engagement with a lid 509.

[0055] The liquid level sensor 505 consists of two metal rods, and when the conductive ink liquid level touches the two metal rods, the two rods are conductive, and when the ink liquid level does not touch the two metal rods, the two rods are not conductive.By using this principle, it is possible to detect whether the liquid level has reached a certain detection level 521.

[0056] Although not shown in the figure, terminals to which conductor wires are fitted are fixed to the top of the two metal rods, and the conductor wires are connected to a liquid level detection circuit 116.

[0057] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a liquid level control flow for the ink sub-container 202 in the inkjet recording apparatus 100. In step 401, it is confirmed whether the liquid level sensor 505 provided in the ink sub-container 202 detects the liquid level at the detection level 521.

[0058] If the liquid level is not detected, it means that the ink in the ink sub-container 202 is low, and an alarm is displayed in step 402. At this time, the ink supply container 301 connected to the ink sub-container 202 has discharged almost all of the ink stored therein into the ink sub-container 202, and is therefore empty.

[0059] 11, the ink supply container 301 is omitted from the drawing. An example of the connection state between the ink supply container 301 and the sub-ink container 202 will be described later. As an example of the warning display in step 402, the warning lamp of the status indicator lamp 5 is turned on, and a warning mark and a message to the effect that the ink supply container 301 needs to be replaced with a new one within a specified time T are displayed on the operation display unit 3.

[0060] Normally, the alarm lamp and alarm mark remain on until the alarm is cleared, and the message can be cleared by the user. Even if an alarm is displayed, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 can continue to print and perform other operations as normal.

[0061] If the liquid level is detected in step 401, there is sufficient ink remaining in the ink sub-container 202, so no warning is displayed.

[0062] In step 403, it is confirmed whether a specified time T has elapsed since the liquid level was not detected. If the specified time T has elapsed, it is assumed that there is almost no ink remaining in the ink sub-container 202 depending on the usage environment and printing frequency, and if printing is continued after that, air may be sucked into the ink path instead of ink, which may cause printing disturbances. Therefore, in step 406, an abnormality is displayed and operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is stopped.

[0063] If the specified time T has not elapsed, it is checked in step 404 whether the liquid level has still not been detected. If the liquid level has not been detected in step 404, the process returns to step 403.

[0064] When the ink supply container 301 is replaced with a new one, the ink in the ink supply container 301 is discharged into the ink sub-container 202, the liquid level in the ink sub-container 202 rises, the liquid level sensor detects the liquid level at detection level 521, and the process proceeds to step 405.

[0065] In step 405, the alarm displayed in step 402 is cancelled. The liquid level control flow shown in Figure 6 is similar to that for the solvent sub-container, and an example of the alarm displayed in step 402 when the liquid level sensor of the solvent sub-container does not detect the liquid level is to display a message indicating that the solvent supply container 302 needs to be replaced with a new one within a specified time T.

[0066] The detection level 521 is provided at a position a certain distance above the suction port 522 of the suction pipe 506. As a result, when the ink in the ink sub-container 202 decreases due to printing or the like while the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is in operation, the liquid level drops below the detection level 521, an alarm is issued, and a certain time lapses until suction becomes impossible, providing a grace period for the user to recognize the alarm and replace the ink supply container 301.

[0067] A fluororesin tube is connected to the upper part of the suction pipe 506 by fitting and is connected to the ink circulation unit 261, and the path is connected to the pump 211 via the electromagnetic valve 221. A fluororesin tube is connected to the upper part of the atmosphere release pipe 507 by fitting and the path is connected to the atmosphere outside the inkjet recording apparatus 100, and when ink in the ink sub-container 202 is sucked by the suction pipe 506, air flows into the ink sub-container 202 from the atmosphere release pipe.

[0068] The solvent sub-container 203 uses a different type of liquid level sensor than the ink sub-container 202 because the solvent stored therein is usually not conductive, but the liquid level control flow shown in Figure 6 is the same, and the structure shown in Figure 11 is the same except for the liquid level sensor. A float sensor or the like is used as the liquid level sensor for the solvent sub-container. A structural diagram of the solvent sub-container is omitted.

[0069] The adapter 502 is connected to the ink supply container 301, and the connection state will be described later. The adapter 502 has a cylindrical portion 531, the upper part of which forms an acute angle portion 532, and an outer wall portion 533. The material of the adapter 502 may be polypropylene resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, or the like.

[0070] 12A and 12B are diagrams showing an example of the connection state between the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202. Fig. 12A is an overall view, and Fig. 12B is a detailed view of the connection portion. The ink supply container 301 is inserted into and connected to the ink sub-container 202 with the tip 322 of the storage member 311 facing downward.

[0071] The connection is made by fitting the annular protrusions 362, 363 on the inner surface of the through hole of the sealing member 314 of the ink supply container 301 with the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, and when connected, the sharp-angled portion 532 at the top of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 breaks through the thin-walled portion 341 of the plug member 312 in an annular shape, leaving only a portion of the connecting portion 541.

[0072] At this time, the annular broken portion 542 inside the thin-walled portion of the plug member 312 is pushed up by the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 that protrudes above the bottom 333 of the plug member 312, thereby maintaining an unblocked state for the inside of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502, which serves as the flow path.

[0073] To connect, the user removes the second lid member 316 from the ink supply container 301, inserts the cylindrical portion 351 of the lid member 313 of the ink supply container 301 into the outer wall portion 533 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, and then pushes the ink supply container 301 downward.

[0074] At this time, the inner diameter of the outer wall portion 533 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202 is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 351 of the lid member 313 of the ink supply container 301, but the difference is close to the outer diameter of about 0.1 to 0.6 mm, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 is smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 353 of the lid member 313, but the difference is close to the inner diameter of about 0.1 to 0.6 mm, and each serves as a guide when inserting the ink supply container 301 into the adapter 502.

[0075] When pushing in the ink supply container 301, a certain amount of pushing force is required due to the frictional force between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202 and the sealing member 314 of the ink supply container 301, and also due to the force required for the acute-angled portion 532 of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 to break through the stopper member 312, but it can be pushed in using the above operation.

[0076] Furthermore, since the sealing member 314 has a deformation groove 319, when the ink supply container 301 is pushed in, the deformation groove 319 deforms so as to be pushed open by the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, thereby reducing the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202 and the sealing member 314 of the ink supply container 301, making it possible to perform the above operation with less force.

[0077] The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 is smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 353 of the lid member 313 of the ink supply container 301, but is almost the same size, and the inner diameter of the annular protrusions 362, 363 on the inner surface of the sealing member 314 is smaller than the outer diameter of the through hole 353 of the lid member 313 and the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502, thereby ensuring the sealing of the relevant parts as described above.

[0078] This means that when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the ink sub-container 202 and ink is supplied, the ink remains sealed at the annular protrusion 362 or 363 inside the ink supply container 301, and the outer surface of the ink supply container 301, for example, the outer surface 545 of the bottom 352 of the lid member 313 in particular, is not soiled with ink.As a result, when a user handles a used ink supply container 301, even if their hands touch any outer surface of the ink supply container 301, they can work without getting their hands soiled with ink.

[0079] Here, the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the hole created by breaking through the plug member 312 are in a fitted state, but they are not necessarily in tight contact around the entire circumference, and the sealing of this portion cannot be reliably ensured. When connected, the inside of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 becomes a flow path, allowing ink to flow from the ink supply container 301 to the ink sub-container 202 under its own weight, and at the same time, air to flow from the ink sub-container 202 to the ink supply container 301, compensating for the volume lost due to the outflow of ink inside the ink supply container 301. In this case, if the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 is small, ink may not flow down due to the effects of surface tension, etc., and therefore it is desirable for the inner diameter of the adapter 502 to be approximately 8 mm or greater.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage member 311 of the ink supply container 301 has a certain degree of rigidity, and the volume of the ink supply container 301 remains almost unchanged, but as another example, the storage member 311 of the ink supply container 301 may have low rigidity and be easily deformed and reduced in volume by the negative pressure generated when the ink inside tries to flow out under its own weight, or by an external force that pressurizes and compresses the storage member 311.

[0081] After the ink supply container 301 is connected to the ink sub-container 202 and almost all of the ink inside has flowed out, the user lifts it up and replaces it with a new ink sub-container 202. When lifting up the ink supply container 301, there is a risk that a small amount of ink remaining in, for example, the upper space 544 of the stopper member 312 or the upper space 546 of the annular protrusion 362 of the seal member 314 may flow out along the inner surface of the through hole of the seal member 314 and onto the outer surface of the ink supply container 301. However, by disposing an absorbent material between the seal member 314 and the lid member 313, the remaining ink is prevented from flowing out.

[0082] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state in the middle of connecting the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202. The acute-angled portion 532 of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 abuts against the bottom portion 333 of the plug member 312, and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 is in continuous, tight contact with the annular protrusion 363 of the seal member 314 along the circumference. This ensures sealing of the relevant portion even when the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 are in the middle of connecting.

[0083] (Summary) In Example 1, in supply containers 301 and 302, there is provided a storage member 311 having a storage chamber 321 for storing ink or solvent and a cylindrical tip portion 322 extending from one end of the storage chamber 321 and having an opening at the tip, a first plug member 312 for sealing the opening, a lid member 313 having a first through hole 353 concentric with the tip portion 322 and fixing the first plug member 312 to the tip portion 322, and a cylindrical sealing member 314 arranged between the first plug member 312 and the lid member 313 and having a second through hole 361 concentric with the first through hole 353, in which the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole 361 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole 353, and a ring-shaped deformed groove 319 concentric with the second through hole 361 is formed in a bottom surface portion 317 or a top surface portion 318 of the sealing member 314.

[0084] In addition, in Example 1, the refill container cap 303 includes a first plug member 312 that seals an opening formed at the tip of a cylindrical tip portion 322 that extends from one end of a storage chamber 321 that stores ink or solvent, a lid member 313 that has a first through hole 353 concentric with the tip portion 322 and fixes the first plug member 312 to the tip portion 322, and a cylindrical sealing member 314 that is arranged between the first plug member 312 and the lid member 313 and has a second through hole 361 that is concentric with the first through hole 353, in which the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole 361 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole 353, and a ring-shaped deformed groove 319 that is concentric with the second through hole 361 is formed in the bottom surface portion 317 or the top surface portion 318 of the sealing member 314.

[0085] In the first embodiment, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a nozzle 151 that ejects ink, an ink container 201 that stores ink to be supplied to the nozzle 151 and recovers and stores again ink that has been supplied to the nozzle 151 but not used for printing, an ink sub-container 202 that stores ink to be replenished to the ink container 201, a solvent sub-container 203 that stores a solvent used for diluting the ink and cleaning the paths, an ink supply container 301 that is connected to the ink sub-container 202 and supplies ink to the ink sub-container 202, and a solvent supply container 302 that is connected to the solvent sub-container 203 and supplies solvent to the solvent sub-container 203, and the ink supply container 301 or the solvent supply container 302 is configured to supply ink or The storage member (311) has a storage chamber (321) for storing a solvent and a cylindrical tip portion (322) extending from one end of the storage chamber (321) and having an opening at its tip; a first plug member (312) for sealing the opening; a lid member (313) having a first through hole (353) concentric with the tip portion (322) and for fixing the first plug member (312) to the tip portion (322); and a cylindrical sealing member (314) disposed between the first plug member (312) and the lid member (313) and having a second through hole (361) concentric with the first through hole (353), the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole (361) being smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole (353), and an annular deformed groove (319) concentric with the second through hole (361) being formed in a bottom surface (317) or a top surface (318) of the sealing member (314).

[0086] According to the first embodiment configured as described above, the smallest inner diameters 372, 373 of the through hole 361 of the seal member 314 are smaller than the inner diameter 371 of the through hole 353 of the cover member 313, so that when attaching or detaching the supply containers 301, 302, the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 361 of the seal member 314 come into close contact continuously along the circumference, ensuring a seal. This makes it possible to suppress contamination by ink or solvent.

[0087] Furthermore, by forming an annular deformation groove 319 concentric with the second through-hole 361 in the bottom surface 317 or the top surface 318 of the seal member 314, when the supply containers 301, 302 are connected to the adapter 502, the through-hole 361 of the seal member 314 is deformed so as to be pushed open by the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502. This reduces the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter and the seal member 652, making it possible to reduce the operating force required to attach and detach the supply containers 301, 302. Note that the operating force is reduced by about 30% compared to when the deformation groove 319 is not provided.

[0088] Furthermore, in Example 1, seal member 314 has annular protrusions 362, 363 formed on the inner circumferential surface of second through hole 361, and the smallest inner diameter of second through hole 361 is the same as inner diameters 372, 373 of annular protrusions 362, 363. As a result, when cylindrical portion 531 of adapter 502 moves through second through hole 361 of seal member 314, the surface pressure of seal member 314 increases locally at portions of annular protrusions 362, 363, ensuring sealing, while preventing unnecessarily high surface pressure from being generated in portions other than annular protrusions 362, 363, thereby reducing the frictional force generated between cylindrical portion 531 of adapter 502 and seal member 314.

[0089] Furthermore, in Example 1, the annular protrusions 362, 363 are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the second through hole 361 at positions spaced apart from the bottom surface 317 and the top surface 318 of the seal member 314. This prevents the annular protrusions 362, 363 from being turned outward from the second through hole 361 when the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 moves through the second through hole 361 of the seal member 314.

[0090] In the first embodiment, the seal member 314 is made of an elastic material, which improves the sealing performance between the inner circumferential surface of the tip end portion 322 of the storage member 311 and the seal member 314.

[0091] Furthermore, the supply containers 301, 302 in Example 1 are provided with a cylindrical absorbent material 315 that is disposed between the seal member 314 and the cover member 313 and has a third through-hole 381 that is concentric with the first through-hole 353 and the second through-hole 361. This allows the absorbent material 552 to capture residual liquid that attempts to flow out of the supply containers 301, 302 when handling used supply containers 301, 302.

[0092] 14A and 14B are diagrams showing the configuration of an ink supply container 301 according to Example 2. Fig. 14A shows the structure of the opening of the ink supply container 301, and Fig. 14B shows an example of the connection state between the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202.

[0093] The ink supply container 301 comprises a storage member 311, a plug member 312, a cover member 313, a seal member 551, an absorber 552, and a second cover member 316. This embodiment is similar to the content described above with reference to Figures 1A and 1B, with the seal member 314 corresponding to the seal member 551, and the absorber 315 corresponding to the absorber 552. In this embodiment, the shapes of the seal member 314 and the absorber 315 are partially changed, and the changed parts will be described below.

[0094] The inner diameter of the through hole 381 of the absorbent material 552 is smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 353 of the cover member 313, and when the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 are connected and the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 is inserted into that portion, the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the inner surface of the through hole 381 of the absorbent material 552 are in close contact with each other.

[0095] As a result, during the process of lifting the ink supply container 301 from the ink sub-container 202, the sealing engagement between the sealing member 551 and the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 is released, and even if a small amount of ink remaining in the ink supply container 301 as described above attempts to flow out onto the outer surface of the ink supply container 301, the ink can be reliably captured by the absorbent material 552.Furthermore, as the absorbent material 315 moves above the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 while remaining in close contact with the cylindrical portion 531, the ink adhering to the outer surface above the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 can be wiped off.

[0096] The seal member 551 has a circular recess 561 concentric with the through hole 361, and the circular recess 561 is disposed opposite the absorber 552. The inner diameter of the circular recess 561 is larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 353 of the cover member 313, so that when the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 are connected, the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the inner surface of the through hole 381 of the absorber 552 come into close contact with each other as described above, causing a curled portion 571 to form in the absorber 552. However, the curled portion 571 is contained within the circular recess 561 of the seal member 551, preventing the curled portion 571 from being caught in the close contact between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the seal member 551.

[0097] The absorbent material 552 is fixed in place by, for example, pushing the absorbent material 552 in with a protrusion 562 provided on the seal member 551 to form a wedge-like fit and fix it in place. Note that the structure shown in Figures 14A and 14B and the contents described above with reference to Figures 14A and 14B can also be applied to the solvent supply container 302.

[0098] (Summary) In the second embodiment configured as described above, as in the first embodiment, when attaching or detaching the supply containers 301, 302 that replenish ink or solvent, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to attach or detach the supply containers 301, 302 while suppressing contamination by ink or solvent.

[0099] In the second embodiment, the inner diameter of the third through-hole 381 of the absorbent 552 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through-hole 353 of the cover member 313. This allows the absorbent 552 to reliably capture any residual liquid that attempts to flow out from the supply containers 301, 302 to the outer surfaces when the supply containers 301, 302 are removed, and further, the absorbent 315 moves above the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 while remaining in close contact with the cylindrical portion 531, thereby making it possible to wipe off any ink or solvent adhering to the outer surface above the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502.

[0100] Furthermore, in Example 2, a circular recess 561 is formed on the upper surface of the seal member 551. The circular recess 561 communicates with the second through hole 361, is concentric with the second through hole 361, and has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the first through hole 353 of the cover member 313. As a result, when the supply containers 301, 302 are connected to the sub-containers 202, 203, a turned-up portion 571 of the absorber 552, which occurs when the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the inner surface of the through hole 381 of the absorber 552 come into close contact with each other, is contained within the circular recess 561 of the seal member 551, and therefore, the turned-up portion 571 can be prevented from being caught in the close contact portion between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the seal member 551.

[0101] In addition, in Example 2, a protrusion 562 is formed on the upper surface of the sealing member 551, and the bottom surface of the absorbing material 552 is deformed by the pressure of the protrusion 562. This allows the sealing member 551 to be stably fixed even when the contact area between the absorbing material 552 and the sealing member 551 is reduced by providing the circular recess 561. Furthermore, since the sealing member 551 can be fixed without using double-sided tape or adhesive, the workability of assembling the sealing member 551 is improved.

[0102] Figures 15A to 15D are diagrams showing the configuration of an ink supply container 301 according to Example 3. Figure 15A shows the structure of the opening of the ink supply container 301, Figure 15B shows an example of a state in which the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 are in the process of being connected, Figure 15C shows an example of a state in which the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 are connected, and Figure 15D shows the structure of the opening of a used ink supply container 301. The ink supply container 301 in this example comprises a storage member 311, a plug member 312, a first cover member 801, a seal member 802, and a second cover member 316.

[0103] In this embodiment, only the changed parts will be described because the ink supply container 301 shown in Figure 1 has the same configuration and features except for the differences in the cover member 313, seal member 314, and absorber 315. Also, the second cover member 316 is omitted from Figures 15A to 15D.

[0104] In this embodiment, the through hole 813 of the sealing member 802 has a structure in which it tapers from the top surface 812 of the sealing member 802 toward the bottom surface 811 of the sealing member 802, and the through hole diameter 815 of the top surface 812 of the sealing member 802 is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, but because the through hole 813 is tapered, the through hole diameter 814 of the bottom surface 811 of the sealing member 802 is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502.

[0105] A deformed groove 821 with a slope is provided on a bottom surface 811 of the seal member 802 so as to fit along the through-hole 813 of the seal member 802. Two annular protrusions 823, 824 are formed on the outer surface of the seal member 802, and the annular protrusions 823, 824 are in continuous, tight contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 331 of the plug member 312 along the circumference, ensuring sealing performance.

[0106] Here, the number of annular protrusions on the outer surface is not limited to two, but may be one or three or more. Also, there may be no annular protrusions, and the outer surface of the sealing member 802 may be in continuous, close contact with the inner surface of the plug member 312 along the circumference.

[0107] The outer periphery of the upper surface 812 of the seal member 802 is provided with a hook portion 816, which is in continuous, circumferential contact with the end face of the cylindrical portion 831 of the lid member 801 to ensure sealing. The groove width of the hook portion 816 is approximately the same as, but slightly narrower than, the width of the cylindrical portion 831 of the lid member 801. This allows the hook portion 816 to be fastened to the cylindrical portion 831 of the lid member 801 by the elastic force of the seal member 802, and the frictional force generated between the hook portion 816 and the cylindrical portion 831 of the lid member 801 to secure the seal member 802. This engagement can be released by the user manually pulling the seal member 802 in the direction of removal. Furthermore, the seal member 802 may be prevented from falling off by providing projections and recesses that engage with the hook portion 816 and the outer surface 832 of the lid member 801.

[0108] In the state in which the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 are in the process of being connected as shown in Figure 15B, the through hole diameter 814 of the bottom portion 811 of the sealing member 802 is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502. However, when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the ink sub-container 202, first the acute angled portion 532 of the adapter 502 comes into contact with the inner surface 817 of the sealing member 802, and then the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 comes into contact with the annular protrusions 818, 819 on the inner surface 817 of the sealing member 802, and the deformed groove 821 is deformed so as to be pushed open, allowing the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 to pass through the through hole 813 of the sealing member 802.

[0109] 15C , the annular protrusions 818, 819 on the inner surface 817 of the sealing member 802 and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202 are in continuous, circumferential contact with each other, ensuring a tight seal at that portion. Here, the number of annular protrusions on the inner surface 817 of the sealing member 802 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more, or there may be no annular protrusions.

[0110] After connecting the ink supply container 301 to the ink sub-container 202 and draining almost all of the ink therein, the user lifts it up and replaces it with a new ink supply container 301. When the ink supply container 301 is pulled out of the ink sub-container 202, the elastic force of the seal member 802 causes the deformed groove 821 to return to its original shape, and as shown in FIG. 15D , the inner diameter 822 of the deformed groove 821 becomes smaller than the hole diameter 842 of the breakthrough hole 841 in the plug member 312. As a result, even if a small amount of ink remains in the ink supply container 301, the remaining liquid flows down the seal member 802 and accumulates in the deformed groove 821, further reducing contamination caused by the remaining liquid. Note that the structure shown in FIGS. 15A to 15D and the contents described above with reference to FIGS. 15A to 15D can also be applied to the solvent supply container 302.

[0111] (Summary) In the third embodiment configured as described above, as in the first embodiment, when attaching or detaching the supply containers 301, 302 that replenish ink or solvent, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to attach or detach the supply containers 301, 302 while suppressing contamination by ink or solvent.

[0112] Furthermore, in Example 3, the second through-hole 813 of the seal member 802 is formed so that its inner diameter decreases from the top surface 812 to the bottom surface 811 of the seal member 802, and the deformed groove 821 is formed so that its width increases from the top surface 812 to the bottom surface 811 of the seal member 802 and so that its inner diameter 822 is smaller than the hole diameter 842 of the breakthrough hole 841 of the first plug member 312. As a result, even if a small amount of ink or solvent remains in the supply containers 301, 302, the remaining liquid flows down the seal member 802 and accumulates in the deformed groove 821, thereby further suppressing stains caused by the remaining liquid.

[0113] In addition, in Example 3, a hook portion 816 is formed on the outer periphery of the upper surface portion 812 of the seal member 802, which engages with the cylindrical portion 831 of the cover member 801. This allows the seal member 802 to be fixed without being sandwiched between the two parts, the cover member 801 and the plug member 312, thereby improving the ease of assembling the seal member 802.

[0114] Figure 16 shows the configuration of an ink supply container 301 according to Example 4, particularly the structure of the tip portion. This example has the same configuration and features as the ink supply container 301 shown in Figure 1, except for the difference in the plug member 312 and the seal member 314. The ink supply container 301 in this example comprises a storage member 311, a plug member 601, a cover member 313, an absorber 315, and a second cover member 316. The second cover member 316 is omitted from Figure 16.

[0115] The plug member 601 comprises a cylindrical portion 611, a flange portion 612, and a bottom portion 613, and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 611 is in continuous, tight contact with the inner surface of the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311 along the circumference to ensure a seal, while the flange portion 612 is in continuous, tight contact with the end face of the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311 along the circumference to ensure a seal. In other words, the plug member 601 is made of an elastic body and is formed integrally with the seal member 314.

[0116] By providing the deformation groove 631 on the top surface 614 of the plug member 601, when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the adapter 502 of the ink sub-container 202, the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 deforms the plug member 601, thereby reducing the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 502 and the plug member 601. The deformation groove 631 on the top surface 614 of the plug member 601 is not limited to a ring shape concentric with the through-hole 353 of the lid member 313, and may have a structure in which the groove is provided only partially. Providing the deformation groove 631 on the bottom 613 can also reduce the frictional force, but there is a risk that if the ink supply container 301 is tilted or turned upside down, ink in the ink supply container 301 will adhere to and solidify in the deformation groove 631, which could result in the deformation groove 631 becoming filled with solidified ink. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable to provide the deformation groove 631 on the top surface 614 of the plug member 601.

[0117] The plug member 601 is made of an elastic material such as butyl rubber or ethylene propylene rubber. The bottom portion 613 may be flat or have an uneven shape. Two annular protrusions 621 and 622 are provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 611 of the plug member 601 and are formed concentrically with the cylindrical portion 611. The annular protrusions 621 and 622 are also arranged concentrically with the through-hole 353 of the lid member 313.

[0118] Here, the number of annular protrusions on the inner surface is not limited to two, but may be one, three or more, or there may be no annular protrusions. The inner diameters of the annular protrusions 621, 622 on the inner surface of the plug member 601 are each smaller than the inner diameter of the through-hole 353 of the lid member, and the effect thereof is the same as that described above with respect to the seal member 314. The connection state with the ink sub-container 202 is similar to the structure shown in FIG. 12. The structure shown in FIG. 16 and the description described above with respect to FIG. 16 can also be applied to the solvent refill container 302.

[0119] (Summary) In Example 4 configured as described above, as in Example 1, when attaching or detaching the supply containers 301, 302 that replenish ink or solvent, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to attach or detach the supply containers 301, 302 while suppressing contamination by ink or solvent.

[0120] In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the first plug member 601 is made of an elastic body and is formed integrally with the seal member 314. This reduces the number of parts in the supply containers 301 and 302, thereby reducing the cost of the supply containers 301 and 302.

[0121] 17A and 17B are diagrams showing the configuration of an ink supply container 301 according to Example 5. Fig. 17A shows the structure of the tip of the ink supply container 301, and Fig. 17B shows an example of the connection state between the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202.

[0122] This embodiment has the same configuration and features as the ink supply container 301 shown in Fig. 1 except for the plug member 312 and the seal member 314, and the ink supply container 301 in this embodiment comprises a storage member 311, a plug member 651, a seal member 652, a cover member 313, an absorber 315, and a second cover member 316. The second cover member 316 is omitted in Figs. 17A and 17B.

[0123] The plug member 651 is, for example, disk-shaped and is fixed by fitting to the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311 of the ink supply container 301. The plug member 651 is made of, for example, low-density polyethylene resin or linear low-density polyethylene resin.

[0124] The outer surface of the plug member 651 is in continuous, tight contact with the inner surface of the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311 of the ink supply container 301 along the circumference, ensuring a seal. The plug member 651 can be disengaged from the storage member 311 by applying an external force in the axial direction. A seal member 652 is provided between the plug member 651 and the lid member 313.

[0125] Seal member 652 has a cylindrical shape with a through hole, and is provided on its inner surface with annular protrusions 661, 662, which are formed concentrically with the cylindrical shape of seal member 652. Annular protrusions 661, 662 are also arranged concentrically with through hole 353 of cover member 313. Annular protrusions 663, 664 are formed on the outer surface of seal member 652, and annular protrusions 663, 664 are in continuous, circumferential contact with the inner surface of tip end 322 of storage member 311, ensuring sealing performance.

[0126] Furthermore, by providing the deformation groove 853 in the bottom surface portion 851 of the seal member 652, when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the adapter 671 of the ink sub-container 202, the through hole 854 of the seal member 652 is deformed so as to be pushed open by the cylindrical portion 531 of the adapter 671 of the ink sub-container 202, which has the effect of reducing the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion 681 of the adapter 671 and the seal member 652. Note that the deformation groove 853 provided in the bottom surface portion 851 of the seal member 652 is not limited to being annular and concentric with the through hole 854, and may be provided in only a portion of the bottom surface portion 851 of the seal member 652 as long as the frictional force can be reduced. Furthermore, the position where the deformation groove 853 is provided is not limited to the bottom surface portion 851 of the seal member 652, and the deformation groove 853 may be provided in the top surface portion 852 of the seal member 652. Furthermore, the deformed groove 853 provided on the bottom surface portion 851 or the top surface portion 852 may be sloped or tapered, and the shape of the deformed groove 319 is free as long as it can reduce the frictional force.

[0127] In the connected state of the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 shown in Figure 17B, the cylindrical portion 681 provided on the adapter 671 of the ink sub-container 202 pushes up the stopper member 651, disengaging the stopper member 651 from the storage member 311 of the ink supply container 301, and the inside of the ink supply container 301 and the inside of the ink sub-container 202 are connected to each other.

[0128] At this time, the plug member 651 is not fixed and does not take the position shown in Figure 17B. Even if the plug member 651 remains in the position shown in Figure 17B, a slit 682 is provided in the cylindrical portion 681 of the adapter 671, so that the flow path is not blocked by the removed plug member 651. The other details of this embodiment are similar to those described above with reference to Figures 12A and 12B and will not be described further. The structure shown in Figures 17A and 17B and the details described above with reference to Figures 17A and 17B can also be applied to the solvent supply container 302.

[0129] (Summary) In Example 5 configured as described above, as in Example 1, when attaching or detaching the supply containers 301, 302 that replenish ink or solvent, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to attach or detach the supply containers 301, 302 while suppressing contamination by ink or solvent.

[0130] In addition, in Example 5, the first plug member 651 has a shape that allows it to move inside the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311 toward the storage chamber 321. This eliminates the need for the adapter 671 to break through the plug member 651, and further reduces the operating force required to attach the supply containers 301 and 302.

[0131] 18A and 18B are diagrams showing the configuration of an ink supply container 301 according to Example 6. Fig. 18A shows the structure of the tip of the ink supply container 301, and Fig. 18B shows an example of the connection state between the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202.

[0132] 1 except for the plug member 312 and the seal member 314, the ink supply container 301 in this embodiment is similar in configuration and features to the ink supply container 301 shown in Fig. 1, and includes a storage member 311, a first plug member 701, a second plug member 702, a compression coil spring 703, a seal member 704, a cover member 313, an absorber 315, and a second cover member 316. The second cover member 316 is omitted in Figs. 18A and 18B.

[0133] Examples of materials for the first plug member 701 include low-density polyethylene resin and linear low-density polyethylene resin, for the second plug member 702, polypropylene resin, high-density polyethylene resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, and for the compression coil spring 703, stainless steel.

[0134] 1A and 1B, the first plug member 701 has a cylindrical portion 711 and a flange portion 712, and ensures sealing between the first plug member 701 and the tip portion 322 of the storage member 311. The first plug member 701 also has a guide portion 713 and an opening portion 714.

[0135] The second plug member 702 has a shaft portion 721 and a valve portion 722, the shaft portion 721 engages with a guide portion 713 of the plug member 701 in a state in which it can move freely in the axial direction, and the valve portion 722 receives the force of a compression coil spring 703 and is pressed against a seal member 704 installed inside a cylindrical portion 711 of the plug member 701, and this portion is in continuous close contact along the circumference, ensuring sealing. By providing a deformation groove 863 in a bottom portion 861 of the seal member 704, when the ink supply container 301 is connected to the adapter 731 of the ink sub-container 202, the through hole 864 of the seal member 704 is deformed so as to be pushed open by the cylindrical portion 681 of the adapter 731 of the ink sub-container 202, which has the effect of reducing the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion 681 of the adapter 731 and the seal member 704. The deformation groove 863 provided in the bottom surface portion 861 of the seal member 704 is not limited to being annular and concentric with the through hole 864, and may be provided in only a portion of the bottom surface portion 861 of the seal member 704 as long as it can reduce frictional force. The position where the deformation groove 863 is provided is not limited to the bottom surface portion 861 of the seal member 704, and the deformation groove 863 may be provided in the top surface portion 862 of the seal member 704. Furthermore, the deformation groove 863 provided in the bottom surface portion 861 or the top surface portion 862 may be sloped or tapered, and the shape of the deformation groove 863 is free as long as it can reduce frictional force.

[0136] In the connected state of the ink supply container 301 and the ink sub-container 202 shown in Figure 18B, the second plug member 702 is pushed up by the adapter 731 of the ink sub-container 202, opening the gap between the second plug member 702 and the sealing member 704, and the inside of the ink supply container 301 and the inside of the ink sub-container 202 are in communication.

[0137] At this time, the valve portion 722 of the second plug member 702 and the end face of the cylindrical portion 681 of the adapter 731 are in close contact with each other, but the cylindrical portion 681 of the adapter 731 has a slit 682 so that the flow path is not blocked.

[0138] 12A and 12B, the structure shown in Figures 18A and 18B and the contents described above with reference to Figures 18A and 18B are also applicable to the solvent supply container 302.

[0139] (Summary) In Example 6 configured as described above, as in Example 1, when attaching or detaching the supply containers 301, 302 that replenish ink or solvent, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to attach or detach the supply containers 301, 302 while suppressing contamination by ink or solvent.

[0140] Furthermore, in Example 6, the replenishing containers 301, 302 are equipped with a second plug member 702, the first plug member 701 has a guide portion 713 and an opening 714, the second plug member 702 has a shaft portion 721 and a valve portion 722, the shaft portion 721 is engaged with the guide portion 713 in a state where it can move in the axial direction, the replenishing containers 301, 302 are equipped with a compression coil spring 703 arranged between the first plug member 701 and the valve portion 722, the valve portion 722 is pressed against the seal member 704 by the force of the compression coil spring 703, thereby sealing the second through-hole 864. As a result, when the replenishing containers 301, 302 are removed, the valve portion 722 is pressed against the seal member 704 again to seal the second through-hole 864 of the seal member 704, thereby preventing residual liquid in the replenishing containers 301, 302 from dripping.

[0141] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments are presented to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0142] 1...Main body, 2...Ink ejection head, 3...Operation display unit, 4...Conduit, 5...Status indicator light, 6...Maintenance door, 10...Ink particles, 13...Printing object, 15...Belt conveyor, 16...Encoder, 17...Printing sensor, 33...Refill container cap, 100...Inkjet recording device, 104...Input device, 105...Display device, 111...Excitation voltage generation circuit, 112...Charging voltage generation circuit, 113...Deflection voltage generation circuit, 114...Solenoid valve control circuit, 115...Pump control circuit, 116...Liquid level detection circuit, 120...Bus, 151...Nozzle, 152...Excitation element, 153...Charging electrode, 1 54...deflection electrode, 161...ink particles, 200...controller, 201...ink container, 202...ink sub-container, 203...solvent sub-container, 211-214...pump, 221-228...solenoid valve, 229...three-way solenoid valve, 231...filter, 232...pressure reducing valve, 233...pressure gauge, 234...viscometer, 241...gutter, 251...ink circulation area, 261...ink circulation unit, 301...ink supply container, 302...solvent supply container, 303...supply container cap, 311...storage member, 312...first plug member, 313...first cover member, 314...sealing member, 315...absorbent material, 31 6...second cover member, 317...bottom surface portion, 318...upper surface portion, 319...deformed groove, 321...storage chamber, 322...tip portion, 331...cylindrical portion, 332...flange portion, 333...bottom portion, 341...thin-walled portion, 351...cylindrical portion, 352...bottom portion, 353...first through-hole, 354...circle, 355, 356...portions, 361...second through-hole, 362-365...annular protrusion portion, 371-373...inner diameter, 381...third through-hole, 382...circle, 383, 384...portions, 391...cylindrical portion, 392...bottom portion, 393...annular protrusion portion, 401-406...steps, 501...storage member, 502...adapter, 504...sealing portion material, 505... liquid level sensor, 506... suction pipe, 507... atmosphere release pipe, 508... block, 509... lid, 511... storage section, 512... refill port, 513... sensor port, 521... detection level, 522... suction port, 531... cylindrical section, 532... acute angle section, 533... outer wall section, 541... connecting section, 542... section, 544... upper space, 545... outer surface, 546... upper space, 551... sealing member, 552... absorbent material, 561... circular recess, 562... protrusion, 571... turned-up section, 601... first plug member, 611... cylindrical section, 612... flange section, 613... bottom section, 614... upper surface section, 621,622... annular protrusion, 631... deformed groove, 651... first plug member, 652... sealing member, 661 to 664... annular protrusion, 671... adapter, 681... cylindrical portion, 682... slit, 701... first plug member, 702... second plug member, 704... sealing member, 711... cylindrical portion, 712... flange portion, 713... guide portion, 714... opening portion, 721... shaft portion, 722... valve portion, 731... adapter, 801... first cover member, 802... sealing member, 81 1...bottom surface portion, 812...upper surface portion, 813...second through hole, 814, 815...through hole diameter, 816...hook portion, 817...inner surface, 818, 819...annular protrusion portion, 821...deformed groove, 822...inner diameter, 823, 824...annular protrusion portion, 831...cylindrical portion, 832...outer surface, 841...hole, 842...hole diameter, 851...bottom surface portion, 852...upper surface portion, 853...deformed groove, 854...through hole, 861...bottom surface portion, 862...upper surface portion, 863...deformed groove, 864...through hole.

Claims

1. A supply container comprising: a storage member having a storage chamber for storing ink or solvent and a cylindrical tip extending from one end of the storage chamber and having an opening at its tip; a first plug member for sealing the opening; a lid member having a first through hole formed concentrically with the tip and for fixing the first plug member to the tip; and a cylindrical sealing member disposed between the first plug member and the lid member and having a second through hole formed concentrically with the first through hole, wherein the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole, and a circular deformed groove concentric with the second through hole is formed in the bottom or top surface of the sealing member.

2. A refill container as described in claim 1, wherein the sealing member has an annular protrusion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second through hole, and the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole matches the inner diameter of the annular protrusion.

3. A supply container as described in claim 2, wherein the annular protrusion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the second through hole at a position spaced apart from the bottom and top surfaces of the sealing member.

4. A refill container according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing member is made of an elastic material.

5. A refill container according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a cylindrical absorbent material disposed between the sealing member and the lid member, the absorbent material having a third through-hole concentric with the first through-hole and the second through-hole.

6. A refill container according to claim 5, wherein the inner diameter of the third through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole.

7. A refill container as described in claim 6, characterized in that a circular recess is formed on the upper surface of the sealing member, which is connected to the second through-hole, is concentric with the second through-hole, and has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the first through-hole.

8. A refill container according to claim 7, wherein a protrusion is formed on the upper surface of the sealing member, and the bottom surface of the absorbent material is deformed by the pressure of the protrusion.

9. A refill container according to claim 1, wherein the first plug member is made of an elastic material and is formed integrally with the sealing member.

10. A refill container according to claim 1, wherein the first plug member has a shape that allows it to move inside the tip portion toward the storage chamber.

11. A refill container as described in claim 1, wherein the second through hole is formed so that its inner diameter decreases from the top surface to the bottom surface of the sealing member, and the deformed groove is formed so that its width increases from the top surface to the bottom surface of the sealing member and its inner diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the breakthrough hole in the first plug member.

12. A refill container as described in claim 11, wherein the outer diameter of the upper surface of the sealing member is larger than the cylindrical portion of the lid member, a hook portion is provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the sealing member, and the hook portion and the cylindrical portion of the lid member are engaged with each other.

13. A refill container as described in claim 1, comprising a second plug member, wherein the first plug member has a guide portion and an opening, the second plug member has a shaft portion and a valve portion, the shaft portion is engaged with the guide portion in a state where it can move axially, the refill container comprising a compression coil spring arranged between the first plug member and the valve portion, and the valve portion is pressed against the sealing member by the force of the compression coil spring, thereby sealing the second through hole.

14. A refill container cap comprising: a first plug member that seals an opening formed in a cylindrical tip portion that extends from one end of a storage chamber that stores ink or solvent; a lid member that has a first through hole formed concentric with the tip portion and that secures the first plug member to the tip portion; and a cylindrical sealing member that is disposed between the first plug member and the lid member and has a second through hole formed concentric with the first through hole, wherein the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole, and a circular deformed groove that is concentric with the second through hole is formed in the bottom or top surface of the sealing member.

15. An inkjet recording device comprising: a nozzle for ejecting ink; an ink container for storing ink to be supplied to the nozzle and for recovering and re-storing ink that has been supplied to the nozzle but not used for printing; an ink sub-container for storing ink to be replenished to the ink container; a solvent sub-container for storing solvent used for diluting the ink and cleaning the paths; an ink supply container connected to the ink sub-container for replenishing ink to the ink sub-container; and a solvent supply container connected to the solvent sub-container for replenishing solvent to the solvent sub-container, wherein the ink supply container or the solvent supply container comprises: a storage member having a storage chamber for storing ink or solvent and a cylindrical tip portion extending from one end of the storage chamber and having an opening formed at its tip; a first plug member for sealing the opening; and a lid member having a first through-hole concentric with the tip portion and for fixing the first plug member to the tip portion. an inkjet recording device comprising: a cylindrical sealing member disposed between the first plug member and the lid member, the cylindrical sealing member having a second through hole formed therein and concentric with the first through hole; the smallest inner diameter of the second through hole being smaller than the inner diameter of the first through hole; and an annular deformed groove concentric with the second through hole formed in a bottom or top surface of the sealing member.

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