Plug member and liquid container unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016264306-A1
Application number	US-201615066547-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is provided a plug member that is detachably mounted to a liquid inlet to close the liquid inlet. The plug member comprises a sealing part configured to close the liquid inlet, such that at least part of the sealing part is inserted in the liquid inlet; and a cover part arranged around at least part of circumference of the sealing part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A plug member that is detachably mounted to a liquid inlet to close the liquid inlet, the plug member comprising:
a sealing part configured to close the liquid inlet, such that at least part of the sealing part is inserted in the liquid inlet; and a cover part arranged around at least part of circumference of the sealing part.

2 . The plug member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cover part is arranged to cover entire circumference of the sealing part.

3 . The plug member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cover part comprises a grip portion that is connected with an opposite end portion of the sealing part opposite to a mounting direction of the plug member to the liquid inlet and is extended along a direction intersecting with the mounting direction.

4 . The plug member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cover part comprises:
a cover main body arranged around at least part of the circumference of the sealing part; and
a grip portion in a columnar shape that is connected with an opposite end portion of the cover main body opposite to a mounting direction of the plug member to the liquid inlet.

5 . The plug member according to claim 4 ,
wherein the liquid inlet is provided in a liquid container assembly configured to contain a liquid, and the grip portion comprises:
a recess that is provided in a grip portion end portion opposite to the mounting direction; and
an identification portion that is placed in the recess and is configured to identify a type of the liquid contained in the liquid container assembly.

6 . The plug member according to claim 1 ,
wherein degree of hardness of the sealing part is different from degree of hardness of the cover part.

7 . The plug member according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounted part that is connected with the cover part and is attachable to a mounting structure provided in a neighborhood of the liquid inlet.

8 . A liquid container unit, comprising:
the plug member according to claim 7 ; a liquid container assembly configured to have the liquid inlet; a case configured to cover at least part of the liquid container assembly; and the mounting structure placed in the case.

9 . The liquid container unit according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a plug member-placing structure placed in the case and configured such that the plug member is placed on the plug member-placing structure.

10 . A liquid container unit, comprising:
the plug member according to claim 1 ; a liquid container assembly configured to have the liquid inlet; a case configured to cover at least part of the liquid container assembly; and a plug member-placing structure placed in the case and configured such that the plug member is placed on the plug member-placing structure.

11 . The liquid container unit according to claim 9 , comprising two sets of the plug members, the liquid container assemblies, the mounting structures and the plug member-placing structures, wherein
one set is specified as a first plug member, a first liquid container assembly, a first mounting structure and a first plug member-placing structure, and the other set is specified as a second plug member, a second liquid container assembly, a second mounting structure and a second plug member-placing assembly, wherein the mounted part of the first plug member may be configured to have such a length that does not allow the sealing part of the first plug member to be inserted into the liquid inlet of the second liquid container assembly and that does not allow the first plug member to be placed on the second plug member-placing structure, in a state that the mounted part of the first plug member is attached to the first mounting structure.

12 . The liquid container unit according to claim 11 ,
wherein the first mounting structure and the second mounting structure are arranged across the first plug member-placing structure and the second plug member-placing structure with regard to a predetermined direction, wherein the first mounting structure is disposed on the first plug member-placing structure side, and the second mounting structure is disposed on the second plug member-placing structure side.

13 . The liquid container unit according to claim 9 ,
wherein the plug member-placing structure has a sealing part-mounting portion that is configured such that the sealing part of the plug member is mountable to the sealing part-mounting portion, wherein when the sealing part is mounted to the sealing part-mounting portion, a bottom face of the plug member-placing structure and the cover part are arranged to be away from each other by an interval.

14 . The liquid container unit according to claim 13 ,
wherein the sealing part has a recess that is open on a mounting direction side of the plug member to the liquid inlet, and the sealing part-mounting portion is a projection that is protruded from the bottom face and is inserted into the recess.

15 . The liquid container unit according to claim 9 ,
wherein the plug member-placing structure comprises a first surface which the cover part is placed on, and a receiving portion that is in a concave shape to receive the sealing part and has a bottom face that is located at a lower position than the first surface.

16 . A liquid container unit comprising a liquid container assembly configured to contain a liquid that is to be supplied to a liquid ejecting portion, and an exterior member configured to cover the liquid container assembly, the liquid container unit comprising:
a liquid inlet provided in the liquid container assembly and configured to inject the liquid into the liquid container assembly; a plug member configured to close the liquid inlet; a visible portion configured to make a liquid level in the liquid container assembly visible from outside; and a plug member-placing structure placed on the exterior member and configured such that the plug member is placed on the plug member-placing structure, wherein the plug member-placing structure is located on an opposite side to the visible portion across the liquid inlet.

17 . A liquid container unit comprising a liquid container assembly configured to contain a liquid that is to be supplied to a liquid ejecting portion, and an exterior member configured to cover the liquid container assembly, the liquid container unit comprising:
a liquid inlet provided in the liquid container assembly and configured to inject the liquid into the liquid container assembly; a plug member configured to close the liquid, inlet; a visible portion configured to make a liquid level in the liquid container assembly visible from outside; and a mounting structure provided on the exterior member and configured such that the plug member is attached to the mounting structure, wherein the mounting structure is located on an opposite side to the visible portion across the liquid inlet, the plug member comprises a mounted part that is to be attached to the mounting structure, and the mounted part is configured to have a length that is shorter than a distance from the mounting structure to the visible portion in a state that the mounted part is attached to the mounting structure.

18 . The liquid container unit according to claim 16 ,
wherein the exterior member comprises a recess having a first bottom face in which an insertion hole is formed and a second bottom face which is located at a higher position than the first bottom face and on which the plug member-placing structure is formed, and

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nishimaki Koji
• Kimura Naomi
• Kudo Shoma
• Ishizawa Shoichi
• Tanaka Yoshiyuki
• Kawai Koji
• Omuro Makoto

Classifications

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• B41J2/17509

  Whilst mounted in the printer · CPC title

• B41J2/17523

  Ink connection · CPC title

• B41J2/17543

  Cartridge presence detection or type identification · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title