Ink Container Oblique Electrical Connection for Leakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink containers for recording apparatuses face challenges in ensuring efficient ink supply and electrical connection, particularly in maintaining the integrity of the ink flow path and preventing ink leakage into electrical components.
Innovation Solution
The ink container features a flexible ink storage portion with a ridge portion to maintain the ink flow path and an obliquely arranged electrical connection portion to prevent ink leakage, ensuring reliable ink supply and connection to the recording apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electrical connection portion is arranged horizontally (parallel to the mounting surface), then the ink container structure is simpler, but ink may leak into the electrical connection portion when mounted upside down
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection portion is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the mounting direction. Specifically, the electrical connection portion is positioned such that its longitudinal axis forms an angle of 45 degrees or more and less than 135 degrees with the mounting direction, creating an asymmetric configuration that prevents ink leakage while maintaining structural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an angle constraint as an intermediary parameter to control the orientation of the electrical connection portion. By defining the angle between the electrical connection portion's longitudinal axis and the mounting direction (45° ≤ θ < 135°), the design mediates between the need for leak prevention and structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If the ink storage portion uses more plastic material, then the structural integrity and ink containment are improved, but the plastic usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ink storage portion is designed with local quality variations through the strategic placement of ridge portions at specific locations where structural support is most needed. This localized reinforcement approach maintains the integrity of the ink flow path while minimizing overall plastic consumption, as plastic is concentrated only where functionally necessary rather than uniformly distributed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the ink storage portion by introducing ridge portions with specific geometric characteristics (height, width, and positioning). These parameter changes enhance the structural integrity and ink containment capability without proportionally increasing the total plastic material used, achieving improved reliability with controlled material consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
An ink container and a recording apparatus capable of further developing the related art. The ink container attachable/detachable to/from an apparatus body of the recording apparatus includes an ink storage portion capable of storing ink, an ink supply portion capable of supplying the ink to the apparatus body by being connected to an ink inlet portion of the apparatus body, and an electrical connection portion functionally connectable to an electric contact of the apparatus body. The electrical connection portion is disposed such that, when it is projected on a plane orthogonal to a mounting direction of the ink container onto the apparatus body, a long side of a projected portion thereof crosses a direction of gravity at less than 90 degrees while the ink container is in a mounting position by being mounted on the apparatus body.