Waste Liquid Container Recess for Terminal Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Waste liquid containers in existing systems often experience faulty connections due to waste ink adhesion, which can impede electrical connectivity and data transfer.

Innovation Solution

The waste liquid container design features a recess portion on its mounting face and bottom face below the waste liquid inlet, positioning the recess between the inlet and connection terminals, preventing waste liquid from flowing towards the terminals and ensuring it accumulates in designated areas, thus minimizing adhesion and maintaining connection integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If waste liquid container is mounted with connection terminals exposed, then electrical connectivity is enabled, but waste liquid adhesion causes faulty connections

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection reliabilityVSAvoidwaste liquid adhesion
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The recess portion acts as an intermediary barrier between the waste liquid inlet and the connection terminals. It intercepts waste liquid flow path, preventing direct contact between waste liquid and connection terminals, thus eliminating the harmful adhesion effect while maintaining electrical connectivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If connection terminals are positioned near waste liquid inlet for compact design, then device complexity is reduced, but waste liquid flow directly contacts terminals causing connection failure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting structure complexityVSAvoidelectrical connection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The recess portion introduces a vertical dimension (depth) to separate the connection terminals from the waste liquid inlet horizontally. This spatial arrangement in three dimensions allows compact overall design while preventing direct linear contact between waste liquid and terminals

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3348406B1Waste liquid container
Publication Date: 2021.11.03 SEIKO EPSON CORP
  • EP3348406B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3348406B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3348406B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A waste liquid container includes a waste liquid vessel having a mounting face, a first side face, and a bottom face that are outer surfaces intersecting each other, a waste liquid inlet disposed on the mounting face, a circuit board having a connection terminal disposed along the first side face, and a first recess portion that opens in the mounting face and the bottom face below the waste liquid inlet. In the waste liquid container, when a width direction is defined as a direction in which both the mounting face and the bottom face extend, the first recess portion is disposed at a position between the waste liquid inlet and the connection terminal in the width direction.