Tank and liquid consuming apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017282575-A1
Application number	US-201715473831-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tank is installed in a liquid consuming apparatus having a liquid consuming unit and is connected to the liquid consuming unit. The tank includes: a casing having a bottom wall and a side wall in a usable posture of the tank, the side wall extending in a direction intersecting the bottom wall; a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber provided in the casing and configured to store the liquid; an inlet provided to inject the liquid into the first storage chamber; a first communication port that communicates the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; a second communication port provided in the second storage chamber to let the liquid flow out to an outside of the tank; and an air opening port that opens the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber to the air.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tank configured to be installed in a liquid consuming apparatus having a liquid consuming unit and be connected to the liquid consuming unit such that liquid flows between the tank and the liquid consuming unit, the tank comprising:
a casing having a bottom wall and a side wall in a usable posture of the tank, the side wall extending in a direction intersecting the bottom wall; a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber provided in the casing and configured to store the liquid; an inlet provided to inject the liquid into the first storage chamber; a first communication port that communicates the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; a second communication port provided in the second storage chamber to let the liquid flow out to an outside of the tank; and an air opening port that opens the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber to the air, wherein the second storage chamber includes:
a first space extending along the bottom wall from the second communication port; and
a second space connected to the first space in a vicinity of the second communication port and extending along the side wall from the second communication port, and
in a state that at least a minimum storage amount of the liquid is stored in the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, a first pressure loss when the liquid stored in the second storage chamber flows from the first communication port to the second communication port via the first space is equal to a second pressure loss when the liquid stored in the second storage chamber flows to the second communication port along the second space.

2 . The tank according to claim 1 , wherein the first pressure loss and the second pressure loss are less than a pressure loss from the second communication port to the liquid consuming unit.

3 . The tank according to claim 1 , further comprising a residual amount detector,
wherein the residual amount detector has a pair of outer walls separated in a fixed direction and having translucency, the pair of outer walls define an internal space of the residual amount detector, and the liquid flows between the internal space and the second storage chamber.

4 . The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the casing includes: a frame having the bottom wall, the side wall, and an opening; and a film sealing said opening, and in the usable posture of the tank, regarding a direction along a liquid surface of the liquid stored in the first storage chamber and along the film, a first length of the first storage chamber is longer than a second length of the second storage chamber.

5 . The tank according to claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the frame demarcating the first storage chamber has translucency such that a liquid surface of the liquid stored in the first storage chamber can be visually confirmed.

6 . A liquid consuming apparatus comprising:
the tank as defined in claim 1 ; and the liquid consuming unit.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Shirono Taichi
• Hayashi Masahiro
• Kawagoe Masako
• Osakabe Yoshinori

Classifications

• B41J2002/17573

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• B41J2/17523 Primary

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• B41J2/17566

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• B41J2/1753

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• B41J2/17553

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