Liquid consuming apparatus including liquid tank with rotatable cover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10328708-B2
Application number	US-201715816429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

There is provided a liquid consuming apparatus including: a tank having a liquid storing chamber, an erected wall through which the liquid inside the liquid storage chamber is visible from outside of the tank, and an inlet which is formed to penetrate through the erected wall and via which the liquid is poured into the liquid storage chamber; a liquid consuming section which consumes the liquid stored in the liquid storing chamber; and a cover. A transmitting section and a checking section are formed in an upper surface, of the cover, under a condition that the cover is in the exposure position, the transmitting section configured to transmit information optically to a user of the liquid consuming apparatus and the checking section configured to prevent the liquid moving on a particular surface of the cover from arriving at the transmitting section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid consuming apparatus configured to consume liquid, comprising:
a tank including a liquid storing chamber configured to store the liquid therein, and an erected wall which is provided upstandingly, which defines an end of the liquid storing chamber in a first direction crossing a vertical direction and through which the liquid inside the liquid storage chamber is visible from outside of the tank, the tank including an inlet;
a liquid consuming section configured to consume the liquid stored in the liquid storing chamber; and
a cover covering the erected wall;
wherein the cover further comprises a particular surface facing the erected wall, a transmitting section disposed on the particular surface, the transmitting section being configured to transmit information optically to a user of the liquid consuming apparatus, and a checking section disposed on the particular surface, the checking section being arranged between the erected wall and the transmitting section in the first direction and extending in a second direction which intersects the vertical direction and the first direction.

2. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the checking section is one of a rib, groove and a stepped portion, which are provided on the particular surface of the cover.

3. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the checking section is configured to hold the liquid by surface tension.

4. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the checking section extends in an extending direction along an outer edge of the transmitting section, and is configured to lead the liquid in the extending direction by capillarity.

5. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the checking section surrounds a periphery of the transmitting section.

6. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting section is a transparent portion via which the erected wall is visually observable from outside of the liquid consuming apparatus.

7. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a letter, figure or symbol is drawn in the transmitting section.

8. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the checking section is a rib formed in the particular surface of the cover; and
the rib has a portion which is arranged between the erected wall of the tank and the transmission section in the first direction and which extends in the second direction.

9. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the rib surrounds a periphery of the transmitting section.

10. The liquid consuming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the rib is located away from the erected wall of the tank.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Osakabe Yoshinori
• Higuchi Tomohisa

Classifications

• G03G15/0877

  Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit · CPC title

• G03G21/1633

  using doors or covers (G03G21/1638 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/556

  for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement · CPC title

• B41J2/1752

  Mounting within the printer · CPC title

• G03G15/10

  using a liquid developer · CPC title