Ink Container Groove Structure for Stable Supply Tube Coupling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink containers experience excessive movement and deformation due to the interaction of a spring-biased valve with the supply tube, leading to potential damage and inefficiencies in attachment and ink transfer.
Innovation Solution
The ink container is designed with specific grooves and surfaces that prevent excessive rotation, ensuring accurate positioning and minimizing deformation, even under load, by engaging with flat plate members in the attachment space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the spring-biased valve contacts the supply tube to bias the valve, then the valve can open and close the supply portion, but the ink container rotates excessively causing deformation of the supply tube
Solution Approach 1:
A flat plate member is introduced as an intermediary element between the ink container and the supply tube. The flat plate member includes a first flat surface that contacts the ink container and a second flat surface that contacts the supply tube, thereby mediating the interaction and preventing direct contact that would cause rotation and deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: the ink container, the flat plate member, and the supply tube. The flat plate member is separated from both the ink container and the supply tube, allowing independent optimization of each component's function while reducing harmful interactions between them.
2Ease of operation
If the ink container is allowed to move freely during attachment, then the attachment process is simpler, but the positioning accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flat plate member is pre-positioned in the attachment space before the ink container is attached. The first flat surface of the flat plate member is positioned to contact the ink container at a predetermined location, ensuring accurate positioning is established before the attachment process begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat plate member serves as a positioning intermediary that guides the ink container into the correct position during attachment. The flat surfaces provide mechanical guidance that ensures accurate positioning without requiring complex attachment mechanisms.
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 maintains the ink container's stability and enhances ink storage efficiency while preventing damage to the supply tube, ensuring reliable and efficient ink transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a supply portion that includes a cylinder, a packing, a valve, the coil spring
Implementation Method 2
By the first surface and the third surface, the ink container, or a member thereof, can be firmly positioned in an attachment space while being suppressed from rotating around a rotation axis along in the left-right direction with respect to the downward direction
Implementation Method 3
By the second surface and the fourth surface, the ink container, or a member thereof, can be firmly positioned while being suppressed from rotating around the rotation axis along in the left-right direction with respect to the upward direction
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An ink container (30) is configured to be inserted into an attachment space in a first direction. The ink container (30) comprises: a main body that includes a chamber (46) configured to store ink; and a supply port (34) configured to receive a supply tube (20) provided in the attachment space (108) for retrieving the ink from the chamber (46), the supply port (24) facing in the first direction. The main body further includes: a front surface (75) positioned in the first direction from the supply port (34); a left surface (54) that extends from the front surface (75) in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a right surface (55) that extends from the front surface (75) in the second direction; a first groove (74) that opens in the front surface (75) and the left surface (54) and extends in the second direction from the front surface (75); and a second groove (74) that opens in the front surface (75) and the right surface (55) and extends in the second direction from the front surface (75); and the first groove (74) includes a first surface (74U) and a second surface (74L) facing with each other in an up-down direction, and the second groove (74) includes a third surface (74U) and a fourth surface (74L) facing with each other in the up-down direction.