Ink refill container and ink refill system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237456-A1
Application number	US-202117238923-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 23, 2021
Priority date	Jun 10, 2016
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ink refill container configured to refill an ink tank with ink and an ink refill system. An ink refill container includes a container main body having an ink chamber; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body including an ink outlet configured to allow ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to ink tank when valve is opened. The positioning structure has a positioning surface located on an opposite side to a container main body side where the container main body is located, across the valve and extends in a direction intersecting with a center axis of the ink outlet.

First claim

1 . An ink refill container configured to refill ink into an ink tank that has an ink inlet flow path portion and an ink chamber arranged to communicate with the ink inlet flow path portion,
the ink refill container comprising: a container main body provided to include an ink chamber configured to contain therein ink, which is to be refilled to the ink tank; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body to include an ink outlet configured to allow the ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to the ink tank when the valve is opened, wherein the positioning structure has a positioning surface that is located on an opposite side to a container main body side where the container main body is located, across the valve and that is extended in a direction intersecting with a center axis of the ink outlet, and the positioning surface abuts on the part of the ink tank, when the ink inlet flow path portion of the ink tank is inserted into the ink outlet to open the valve.

2 . The ink refill container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the positioning surface is located on the opposite side to the container main body side across the ink outlet in a direction along the center axis of the ink outlet.

3 . The ink refill container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the positioning surface is formed at a leading end of a tubular portion that forms the ink outlet to be open outward at an edge of the ink outlet forming portion.

4 . An ink refill container configured to refill ink into an ink tank that has an ink inlet flow path portion and an ink chamber arranged to communicate with the ink inlet flow path portion,
the ink refill container comprising: a container main body provided to include an ink chamber configured to contain therein ink, which is to be refilled to the ink tank; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body to include an ink outlet configured to allow the ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to the ink tank when the valve is opened, wherein the ink outlet is formed in a tubular portion that is part of the ink outlet forming portion, the positioning structure includes a positioning surface that is provided to be opposed to an outer face of the tubular body across a clearance and that is extended in a direction intersecting with a center axis of the ink outlet, and the positioning surface abuts on the part of the ink tank, when the ink inlet flow path portion of the ink tank is inserted into the ink outlet to open the valve.

5 . The ink refill container according to claim 4 ,
wherein an area of the positioning surface abutting on the part of the ink tank on a side farther from the ink outlet in the direction intersecting with the center axis of the ink outlet is larger than an area of the positioning surface abutting on the part of the ink tank on a side closer to the ink outlet.

6 . An ink refill container configured to refill ink into an ink tank that has an ink inlet flow path portion and an ink chamber arranged to communicate with the ink inlet flow path portion,
the ink refill container comprising: a container main body provided to include an ink chamber configured to contain therein ink, which is to be refilled to the ink tank; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body to include an ink outlet configured to allow the ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to the ink tank when the valve is opened, wherein the positioning structure includes a positioning surface that is inclined or curved in a direction intersecting with a center axis of the ink outlet, and the positioning surface abuts on the part of the ink tank, when the ink inlet flow path portion of the ink tank is inserted into the ink outlet to open the valve.

7 . The ink refill container according to claim 6 ,
wherein the positioning surface is inclined or curved in a direction gradually farther away from the center axis, with respect to a direction from the ink outlet toward the container main body.

8 . The ink refill container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the positioning structure is provided in a region exposed outside in at least one of the ink outlet forming portion and the container main body.

9 . An ink refill container configured to refill ink into an ink tank that has an ink inlet flow path portion and an ink chamber arranged to communicate with the ink inlet flow path portion,
the ink refill container comprising: a container main body provided to include an ink chamber configured to contain therein ink, which is to be refilled to the ink tank; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body to include an ink outlet configured to allow the ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to the ink tank when the valve is opened, wherein the positioning structure is provided inside of the ink outlet.

10 . An ink refill system, comprising:
an ink tank that provided to include an ink inlet flow path portion and an ink chamber arranged to communicate with the ink inlet flow path portion; the ink refill container according to claim 1 ; and an auxiliary positioning member placed between the positioning structure and the part of the ink tank when the valve of the ink refill container is positioned relative to the ink tank via the positioning structure, and configured to mediate abutting of the positioning structure and the part of the ink tank.

11 . The ink refill system according to claim 10 ,
wherein the auxiliary positioning member is formed from an ink absorber that is configured to absorb ink.

12 . An ink refill container configured to refill ink into an ink tank that has an ink inlet flow path portion and an ink chamber arranged to communicate with the ink inlet flow path portion,
the ink refill container comprising: a container main body provided to include an ink chamber configured to contain therein ink, which is to be refilled to the ink tank; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body to include an ink outlet configured to allow the ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to the ink tank when the valve is opened.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Mizutani Tadahiro
• Ishizawa Taku
• FUKASAWA Noriyuki
• Kimura Naomi
• Kudo Shoma
• Akahane Manabu

Classifications

• B41J2/175 Primary

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

• B41J2/17523

  Ink connection · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17506 Primary

  Refilling of the cartridge · CPC title

• B41J29/02

  Framework · CPC title