Ink Cartridge Deformable Protrusion Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image printing apparatuses face issues with ink cartridges jumping out of their mounting portions due to fatigue of resilient claw hooks, leading to ineffective prevention of ink splashing and potential cartridge breakage during replacement.
Innovation Solution
A liquid container and mounting portion design featuring a guide portion with deformable protrusions that contact stoppers, allowing the ink cartridge to be inserted and removed while being urged by a coil spring, with a retaining member to secure it in place, reducing the likelihood of jumping and minimizing wear on the stoppers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a resilient claw hook is used to prevent the ink cartridge from jumping out, then the ink cartridge is retained in the mounting portion, but the claw hook becomes fatigued and fractured after repeated use
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the mounting portion resilient to absorb impact (claw hook), the invention makes the ink cartridge resilient through the deformable portion that contacts the stopper. This inverts the location of the resilient element from the stationary mounting portion to the movable ink cartridge, preventing fatigue of the mounting portion while achieving the same shock absorption effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable portion is integrated into the ink cartridge, which is a disposable item replaced by users. This allows the resilient function to be provided by a component that is naturally replaced after use, eliminating the problem of fatigue accumulation in the permanent mounting portion.
2Ease of operation
If the ink cartridge is moved with great force for easy removal, then the ink cartridge can be readily removed from the mounting portion, but the ink cartridge may jump out and cause ink splashing or breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable portion is positioned to contact the stopper before the ink cartridge can jump out of the mounting portion. This beforehand cushioning mechanism absorbs the impact energy and limits the maximum displacement of the ink cartridge, preventing both ink splashing and breakage while allowing easy removal through normal operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively prevents ink cartridges from jumping out of the mounting portion, even with repeated use, by attenuating the cartridge's velocity and distributing the force, thus reducing the risk of ink splashing and cartridge damage.
Implementation Method 1
The mounting portion has a coil spring configured to urge the ink cartridge positioned in the mounting portion in a direction in which the ink cartridge is removed from the mounting portion
Implementation Method 2
the first deformable portion is configured to resiliently deform when the first protrusion contacts the first stopper
Data Source
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AI summary
A liquid container is configured to be inserted into a mounting portion in an insertion direction and to be removed from the mounting portion in a removal direction opposite the insertion direction. The liquid container includes a main body comprising a liquid chamber configured to store liquid therein, a liquid supply portion positioned at the main body and configured to supply liquid from an interior of the liquid chamber to an exterior of the liquid chamber, and a first cartridge-surface positioned vertically below the main body and extending in the insertion direction and the removal direction, wherein the first cartridge-surface comprises a first deformable portion configured to be resiliently deformable in a width direction perpendicular to the insertion direction and the removal direction, and the first deformable portion comprises a first protrusion.