Cartridge and printing material supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8974044-B2
Application number	US-201414173294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2014
Priority date	Jan 12, 2012
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

A cartridge comprises an ink supply structure, a terminal bearing structure, and a first restriction portion. The terminal bearing structure has terminals arranged in a terminal plane which is neither parallel nor perpendicular to a plane defined by a mounting direction leading edge of the ink supply structure, so that the contact portions of the terminals receive a force in a direction opposite (RD) from the mounting direction. An engagement portion of the first restriction portion is provided at a position adjacent to the terminal bearing structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus comprising a lever having an engagement portion and a plurality of apparatus-side contact forming members, the liquid supply system comprising:
an electrical device configured to be electrically connecting to the plurality of apparatus-side contact forming members;
a liquid source;
a liquid supply structure adapted and configured to supply liquid from the liquid source to the printing apparatus, the liquid supply structure having a mounting direction leading edge defining a plane; and
an adapter having:
electrically conductive terminals coupled to the electrical device, the terminals arranged to make contact with and receive elastic force from the contact forming members at contact portions of the terminals when the supply system supplies liquid to the printing apparatus, the contact portions of the terminals arranged substantially in a contact portion plane which is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the plane defined by the leading edge; and
a first restriction portion provided on a front of the adapter including an engagement portion configured to engage with the engagement portion of the lever so as to restrict movement of the adapter in a direction opposite the mounting direction, the first restriction portion positioned adjacent at least one of the contact portions.

2. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the contact portion plane is at an angle of between 25 and 40 degrees to the plane defined by the leading edge.

3. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , wherein when the front of the adapter is viewed with the liquid supply structure facing down, the engagement portion of the first restriction portion is located to the left of an extended line of a right edge of a rightmost terminal of the plurality of terminals and to the right of an extended line of a left edge of a leftmost terminal of the plurality of terminals.

4. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the adapter further comprising: a second restriction portion on an rear of the adapter, the second restriction portion including an engagement portion adapted to engage with a respective portion of the printing apparatus, wherein the distance between the engagement portion of second restriction portion and the plane defined by the leading edge is more than the distance between the engagement portion of the first restriction portion and the plane defined by the leading edge, when the distances are measured in an orthogonal direction to the plane defined by the leading edge.

5. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , wherein when viewing the adapter from the angle with the engagement portion of the first restriction portion to the right and the liquid supply structure facing down, the distance between the engagement portion of the first restriction portion and the plane defined by the leading edge is less than the distance between a pivot point of the lever and the plane defined by the leading edge when the adapter is mounted, when the distances are measured in an orthogonal direction to the direction to the plane defined by the leading edge.

6. The liquid supply system of claim 5 , wherein when viewing the adapter from the angle with the engagement portion of the first restriction portion to the right and the liquid supply structure facing down, the engagement portion of the first restriction portion is to the left of the pivot point of the lever when the adapter is mounted.

7. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , wherein when the front of the adapter is viewed with the liquid supply structure facing down, at least a portion of the engagement portion of the first restriction portion is located substantially at the widthwise center of the adapter when the adapter is mounted.

8. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , further comprising a container assembly having the liquid source therein and adapted to be mated with the adapter.

9. The liquid supply system of claim 8 , wherein the liquid supply structure is provided on the container assembly.

10. The liquid supply system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tank having the liquid source therein;
an auxiliary adapter having the liquid supply structure; and a tube connecting the tank and the auxiliary adapter.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kodama Hidetoshi
• Nozawa Izumi
• Mizutani Tadahiro
• Matsuzaki Kazutoshi
• Harada Kazumasa
• Nakata Satoshi
• Kawata Hidetaka

Classifications

• B41J2/17546

  electronically · CPC title

• B41J2/1753 Primary

  Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts · CPC title

• B41J2/17526

  Electrical contacts to the cartridge · CPC title

• B41J2/1752 Primary

  Mounting within the printer · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title