Cartridge and printing material supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214018-B2
Application number	US-201514969977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Jan 12, 2012
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A printing material supply system includes a printing device and a cartridge. The printing device has a cartridge mounting structure. The cartridge is removably attached to the cartridge mounting structure. The cartridge mounting structure has a device-side terminal, a lever, a first device-side locking element and a second device-side locking element. The device-side terminal is configured to contact with a cartridge-side terminal. The first device-side locking element is configured as part of the lever. The second device-side locking element is configured to engage with a second locking surface of a second cartridge-side locking element. The cartridge-side terminal has a cartridge-side contact portion configured to be in contact with the device-side terminal. The cartridge-side contact portion is provided on the negative Z-axis side of the second locking surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ink cartridge for attachment and detachment to or from a holder of an ink jet printing apparatus, the ink jet printing apparatus comprising one or more device side terminals, a head, and a lever having a pair of wall members facing each other and a first device side locking element, the ink cartridge comprising:
an ink chamber;
an ink supply port configured to supply ink from the ink chamber to the head;
a first cartridge side locking element having a first locking surface;
an electrical circuit device;
a circuit board; and
one or more cartridge side terminals provided on the circuit board configured to be coupled to the electrical device and to be electrically connected with the one or more device side terminals in an attached state of the cartridge to the holder,
wherein the first cartridge side locking element is configured to be guided between the pair of wall members of the lever in the course of attachment or detachment of the cartridge to or from the holder as the lever and pair of wall members rotate together as the first cartridge side locking element is guided by the pair of wall members of the lever,
wherein a positive Z-axis direction is an upward direction with respect to gravity, and a negative Z-axis direction is a direction opposite to the positive Z-axis direction, and the first device side locking element has a first device side locking surface facing in the negative Z-axis direction,
wherein the circuit board is configured to receive a pressing force from the one or more device side terminals, the pressing force including a positive Z-axis component in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder, and
wherein the first locking surface of the first cartridge side locking element is configured to engage with the first device side locking element to restrict the motion of the cartridge in the positive Z-axis direction in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder.

2. The ink cartridge of claim 1 ,
wherein a Y-axis direction represents a facing direction of the pair of wall members facing each other and the distance between the pair of wall members along the Y-axis is greater than the length of the first cartridge side locking element along the Y-axis.

3. The ink cartridge of claim 2 ,
wherein the first cartridge side locking element is configured to be guided between the pair of wall members to restrict the motion of the cartridge in the Y-axis direction in the course of attachment or detachment of the cartridge to or from the holder.

4. The ink cartridge of claim 1 ,
the ink jet printing apparatus further comprising an ink supply tube and an elastic member provided around the ink supply tube,
wherein the ink supply port is configured to receive a pressing force including a positive Z-axis component from the elastic member in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder.

5. The ink cartridge of claim 4 ,
the lever further comprising a flat surface and a sloped surface which is provided between the pair of wall members as a plane linked with the flat surface, and when a negative X-axis represents a facing direction of the flat surface, and an X-axis is orthogonal to the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, the sloped surface is inclined in the negative X-axis direction, the cartridge is configured to be turned along a plane parallel to the Z-axis and the X-axis for attachment of the cartridge to the holder, and the first cartridge side locking element is configured to be guided by the sloped surface to restrict the motion of the cartridge in the X-axis direction in the course of the attachment of the cartridge to the holder.

6. The ink cartridge of claim 5 ,
the ink cartridge further comprising a structure facing in the positive X-axis direction and configured to prevent the lever from running on the positive Z-axis side of the first locking surface in the course of attachment of the cartridge to the holder.

7. The ink cartridge of claim 6 ,
the lever further comprising an undercut surface; and
wherein the structure configured to be accommodated in a space above the undercut surface in the state that the first cartridge element locks the device side locking element.

8. The ink cartridge of claims 6 and 7 ,
wherein the first cartridge side locking element and the structure are configured to be integrally formed.

9. The ink cartridge of claims 4 to 7 ,
wherein the first cartridge side locking element and the circuit board are configured to be integrally formed.

10. The ink cartridge one of claims 4 to 7 ,
the first cartridge side locking element and the circuit board configured to be constructed as a combination of plurality of members.

11. The ink cartridge of claims 6 and 7 , wherein the structure and the circuit board are configured to be integrally formed.

12. The ink cartridge one of claims 6 and 7 ,
the first cartridge side locking element and the structure configured to be constructed as a combination of plurality of members.

13. The ink cartridge one of claims 6 and 7 ,
the structure and the circuit board configured to be constructed as a combination of plurality of members.

14. The ink cartridge of claim 1 ,
when a Y-axis direction represents a facing direction of the pair of wall members each other, the first cartridge side locking element configured to be guided to between the pair of wall members to restrict the motion of the cartridge in the Y-axis direction in the course of attachment or detachment of the cartridge to or from the holder.

15. The ink cartridge of claim 14 ,
when a positive Z-axis direction represents a facing direction of the first locking surface in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder, and a negative Z-axis direction represents a reverse direction to the positive Z-axis direction, the first device side locking element has a first device side locking surface facing in the negative Z-axis direction, and
wherein the first locking surface configured to engage with the first device locking surface of the first device side locking element to restrict the motion of the cartridge in the positive Z-axis direction in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder.

16. The ink cartridge of claim 15 ,
the ink jet printing apparatus further comprising device side terminals, and
the ink cartridge further comprising an electrical device, circuit board, and cartridge side terminals provided on the circuit board, the cartridge side terminals configured to be coupled to the electrical device and to be electrically connected with the device side terminals in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder,
wherein the circuit board configured to be applied a pressing force including the positive Z-axis component from the device side terminals in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder.

17. The ink cartridge of claims 16 ,
the first cartridge side locking element and the circuit board configured to be integrally formed.

18. The ink cartridge of claim 15 ,
the ink jet printing apparatus further comprising an ink supply tube and an elastic member provided around the ink supply tube,
wherein the ink supply port configured to be applied a pressing force including the positive Z-axis component from the elastic member in the attached state of the cartridge to the holder.

19. The ink cartridge of claims 16 ,
the first cartridge side locking element and the circuit board configured to be constructed as a combination of plurality of members.

20. The ink cartr

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nozawa Izumi
• Kodama Hidetoshi
• Mizutani Tadahiro
• Matsuzaki Kazutoshi
• Harada Kazumasa
• Nakata Satoshi
• Kawata Hidetaka

Classifications

• B41J2/17526 Primary

  Electrical contacts to the cartridge · CPC title

• B41J2/17546

  electronically · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J2/045

  by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers · CPC title

• B41J2/04501

  Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits · CPC title