Replay unit for waste liquid container and image forming apparatus incorporating the relay unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9555633-B2
Application number	US-201514878033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2015
Priority date	Oct 9, 2014
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a waste liquid container accommodation part, and a waste liquid drain passage member. The waste liquid container accommodation part replaceably accommodates a first waste liquid container to contain waste liquid. The waste liquid drain passage member guides waste liquid into the waste liquid container accommodation part. The apparatus body includes a mount portion to mount a second waste liquid container having a capacity greater than the waste liquid container accommodation part. The mount portion of the apparatus body is different from the waste liquid container accommodation part. The waste liquid container accommodation part accommodates a relay unit to relay a drain passage from the waste liquid drain passage member to the second waste liquid container, replaceably with the first waste liquid container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an apparatus body;
a waste liquid container accommodation part to replaceably accommodate a first waste liquid container to contain waste liquid; and
a waste liquid drain passage member to guide waste liquid into the waste liquid container accommodation part,
the apparatus body including a mount portion to mount a second waste liquid container having a capacity greater than the waste liquid container accommodation part, the mount portion of the apparatus body being different from the waste liquid container accommodation part,
the waste liquid container accommodation part to accommodate a relay unit to relay a drain passage from the waste liquid drain passage member to the second waste liquid container, replaceably with the first waste liquid container.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a connector to switch a connected state and an unconnected state of the drain passage from the waste liquid drain passage member to the second waste liquid container; and
a lever movable to switch the connected state and the unconnected state of the drain passage with the connector.

3. The image firming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the lever is movable only in a state in which the relay unit is accommodated in the waste liquid container accommodation part.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a connection sensor to detect that the connector is in the connected state.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first waste liquid container includes an information storage medium to store information,
wherein the relay unit includes an information storage medium to store information, and
wherein the information stored in the information storage medium of the first waste liquid container is different from the information stored in the information storage medium of the relay unit.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the relay unit includes an information storage medium to store information identifying the relay unit.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pump to feed waste liquid to a waste liquid drain passage in the waste liquid drain passage member; and
a pump drive controller to control driving of the pump,
wherein, when waste liquid is drained into the second waste liquid container, the pump drive controller controls the pump to be driven at a second drive amount greater than a first drive amount at which the pump is driven when waste liquid is drained into the first waste liquid container.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a liquid discharge head to discharge liquid; and
a cap to cap a nozzle face of the liquid discharge head,
wherein, when waste liquid is fed into the waste liquid drain passage, the pump drive controller controls the pump to be driven at the second drive amount.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a liquid discharge head to discharge liquid; and
a cap to cap a nozzle face of the liquid discharge head,
wherein, in a maintenance operation in which an operation including drain of waste liquid into the cap is performed plural times, when waste liquid is fed into the waste liquid drain passage after waste liquid is finally discharged into the cap, the pump drive controller controls the pump to be driven at the second drive amount.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, when the drain passage from the waste liquid drain passage member to the second waste liquid container is in a connected state and the second waste liquid container is mounted, the pump drive controller controls the pump to be driven at the second drive amount.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the pump drive controller controls the pump to be intermittently driven at the second drive amount.

12. A relay unit for a waste liquid container of an image forming apparatus, the relay unit comprising
a first connector and a second connector to be connected to a waste liquid drain passage member and a second waste liquid container, respectively, of the image forming apparatus to relay a drain passage from the waste liquid drain passage member to the second waste liquid container, the waste liquid drain passage member to guide waste liquid to a waste liquid container accommodation part of the image forming apparatus, the second waste liquid container having a capacity greater than a first waste liquid container and mountable to a portion of the image forming apparatus different from the waste liquid container accommodation part, the waste liquid container accommodation part of the image forming apparatus to replaceably accommodate the first waste liquid container,
wherein the second connector is configured and disposed to switch a connected state and an unconnected state of the drain passage from the waste liquid drain passage member to the second waste liquid container; and
a lever movable to switch the connected state and the unconnected state of the drain passage with the second connector,
wherein the relay unit is mountable in the waste liquid container accommodation part of the image forming apparatus, replaceably with the first waste liquid container.

Assignees

• Ohnishi Masashi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohnishi Masashi

Classifications

• G03G21/105 Primary

  Arrangements for conveying toner waste · CPC title

• B41J2/16508

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J2/16523 Primary

  Waste ink transport from caps or spittoons, e.g. by suction (Collecting or collectors of waste ink B41J2/1721) · CPC title

• B41J2002/1728

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B41J2/1721

  Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor · CPC title