Ink refill container, ink refill system, and ink refill adapter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11179944-B2
Application number	US-202017070064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2020
Priority date	Jun 10, 2016
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

An ink refill container includes a container main body including an ink storage chamber, an ink outlet-forming portion provided on an end portion of the container main body forming an ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out from the ink storage chamber, and a valve provided in the ink outlet-forming portion configured to openably seal the ink outlet, in which the ink outlet-forming portion includes a positioning portion on an outer side of the ink outlet-forming portion. in which the positioning portion is closer to the container main body than the valve is to the container main body in a central axis direction of the ink outlet, and in which the positioning portion partially abuts against an ink tank when the valve is opened for refilling the ink to the ink tank, to thereby position the valve relative to the ink tank.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ink refill container, when a vertical direction is an up and down direction, one direction perpendicular to the up and down direction is a front-back direction and a direction perpendicular to the up and down direction and to the front-back direction is a left-right direction, configured to refill ink to an ink tank that is provided with,
an ink storage chamber;
a needle having a flow passage communicating with the ink storage chamber and extending upward from below; and
a receiving surface that extends in a direction intersecting with an extending direction of the needle at a position above an end of the needle, and
in which a circular hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle arranged therein, and a pair of rectangular holes continuous to the ink inlet and extending in the front-back direction are formed downward to be open in the receiving surface,
the ink refill container comprising:
a container main body; and
an ink outlet-forming portion that is connected to the container main body and has an ink outlet, and

when the ink outlet is directed upward, and viewed from the ink outlet in a direction of a central axis of the ink outlet,
a pair of convex portions that extend in the front-back direction and the up and down direction in a radially outward region of the ink outlet with the ink outlet at a center, and are configured to be insertable in the pair of rectangular holes respectively; and
a positioning portion having parts located on a left side and a right side across the pair of convex portions at a position lower than a position of the ink outlet, wherein
the positioning portion is configured to abut against the receiving surface having an opening edge of the ink inlet and the rectangular holes, with the pair of convex portions inserted in the rectangular holes.

2. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein
the front-back direction of the convex portions corresponds to a longitudinal direction, and the left-right direction of the convex portions corresponds to a short-length direction.

3. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a valve provided in the ink outlet-forming portion and configured to be opened by the needle inserted from the ink outlet, wherein the valve is provided with one or more slits in an elastic member sealing the ink outlet, and is opened when the one or more slits are pushed inward from outside the ink outlet.

4. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the rectangular holes of the ink tank are provided with a first concave/convex portion, and the convex portions are provided with a second concave/convex portion configured to engage with the first concave/convex portion.

5. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein a tip of the ink outlet includes a groove portion formed therein.

6. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning portion and the convex portions are provided on a container appendage attached to the ink outlet-forming portion.

7. The ink refill container according to claim 6 , wherein the container appendage is integrally formed with the ink outlet-forming portion.

8. The ink refill container according to claim 6 , wherein the container appendage is colored a color associated with the ink that is stored in the container main body.

9. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a bottomed tubular cap adapted to cover the ink outlet of the ink outlet-forming portion.

10. The ink refill container according to claim 9 , wherein the cap includes an annular sealing portion adapted to seal the ink outlet.

11. The ink refill container according to claim 9 , wherein the cap includes a plurality of protrusions formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof at equal intervals.

12. The ink refill container according to claim 9 , wherein the cap is configured to be screw-connected with the ink outlet-forming portion closer to the container main body than the positioning portion.

13. The ink refill container according to claim 2 , wherein the ink outlet forming portion includes a large-diameter portion connected to the container main body and a small-diameter portion having an outer periphery smaller than an outer periphery of the large-diameter portion and having the ink outlet.

14. The ink refill container according to claim 13 , wherein the small diameter portion is made of a transparent or translucent material, or a surface on an inner side of the small-diameter portion is formed to be a rough surface.

15. The ink refill container according to claim 13 , wherein the ink outlet-forming portion includes at least one cyclic convex portion formed between a tip of the ink outlet and the positioning portion, the cyclic convex portion extending along the outer periphery of the small-diameter portion.

16. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the convex portions are formed in a radially inward region of an outer periphery surface of the container main body, in a radial direction centered about the ink outlet when viewed from the ink outlet in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet.

17. An ink refill container configured to refill ink to an ink tank that is provided with
an ink storage chamber configured to store ink;
a needle having a flow passage formed therein, the passage communicating with the ink storage chamber; and
a pair of rectangular holes continuous to a circular hole-shaped ink inlet with the needle positioned at a center thereof so as to sandwich the ink inlet,
the ink refill container comprising:
a container main body including an ink chamber capable of containing therein ink to be supplied to the ink tank;
an ink outlet-forming portion including an ink outlet formed therein, the ink outlet being configured to allow ink to flow out from the ink chamber; and
a valve provided in the ink outlet-forming portion and configured to be opened by the needle inserted from the ink outlet,

wherein the ink outlet-forming portion comprises:
an ink outlet part including the ink outlet and insertable into the ink inlet; and
a container appendage attached to the ink outlet forming portion so as to surround the ink outlet part when viewed from the ink outlet in a direction of a central axis of the ink outlet, wherein

the container appendage includes a pair of parts mutually extending in opposing directions in a direction intersecting with a central axis centered about the ink outlet, when viewed in a direction of the central axis of the ink outlet, wherein
the pair of parts are configured to be inserted in the pair of rectangular holes when the ink outlet part is inserted in the ink inlet.

18. The ink refill container according to claim 17 , wherein the container appendage is colored a color associated with the ink that is stored in the container main body.

19. The ink refill container according to claim 17 , wherein the pair of parts protrude from the ink outlet in a direction opposite to the container main body, in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet.

20. An ink refill container configured to refill ink to an ink tank that is provided with
an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink;
a needle having a flow passage formed therein, the passage communicating with the ink storage chamber; and
a receiving surface that is provided with a hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle and in which the needle is arranged, and a pair of concave portions continuous to the ink i

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Mizutani Tadahiro
• Tanaka Ryoichi
• Akahane Manabu
• Kobayashi Makoto
• Kimura Naomi
• Okumura Hideki
• Kudo Shoma
• Takamoto Tetsuya
• Sakai Hiroaki

Classifications

• B41J2/175 Primary

  Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor} · CPC title

• B65D2583/005

  Dispensers provided with a replaceable cartridge, recharge or pouch located within the dispenser · CPC title

• B41J2/17596

  Ink pumps, ink valves · CPC title

• B41J2/17523

  Ink connection · CPC title

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title