Inkjet Printer Holder Positioning for Space and Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet type printers require a large installation space and suffer from instability in the external ink supply device, which is separate from the main apparatus body, leading to space and balance issues.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus design that incorporates a housing with a liquid container and a holder positioned higher than the housing's bottom surface, allowing for the installation of a liquid supply unit without increasing the apparatus' size, and enabling stabilization and balanced placement of multiple liquid containers with varying capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If an external ink supply device with large capacity ink pack is used, then the ink supply duration is extended, but the installation space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is positioned above the housing rather than beside it, utilizing the vertical dimension to accommodate the ink pack. This allows the ink supply device to have large capacity without increasing the horizontal installation footprint of the printer.
Solution Approach 2:
The ink pack is nested within the holder which is itself positioned on top of the housing. This nested arrangement allows efficient space utilization where the ink supply components are stacked vertically rather than spread horizontally.
2Quantity of substance
If the external ink supply device is completely separated from the main apparatus body, then the ink pack capacity can be increased, but the device stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is merged with the housing by positioning it on top of the housing, creating a combined structure. This integration provides stability to the ink pack while maintaining the external supply configuration that allows for larger capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ink supply device transitions from a completely separate lateral configuration to a vertically integrated configuration. By moving the holder to the vertical dimension above the housing, the device achieves both large capacity and improved stability through gravitational alignment and structural integration.
3Area of stationary object
If the holder bottom is positioned at the same level as housing bottom, then the installation space is minimized, but the ink pack capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of expanding the holder horizontally at the same level as the housing bottom, the solution utilizes the vertical dimension by positioning the holder above the housing. This allows the ink pack to achieve large capacity without increasing the horizontal installation footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder is positioned in a specific location (above the housing) that is optimized for both space efficiency and capacity. This localized positioning above the housing creates the optimal balance between installation space and ink pack capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a recording apparatus including a recording head that can eject an ink onto a sheet, a transport unit that transports the sheet to the recording head, a housing that contains the recording head and the transport unit, a case that is arranged on an outer surface of the housing so that the bottom portion thereof is positioned higher than a bottom surface of the housing, and that serves as a holder which holds an ink container containing an ink, and a supply unit that supplies the ink from the ink container to the recording head.