Tank, tank unit, liquid ejection system, and liquid ejection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9815295-B2
Application number	US-201615296356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A tank includes a liquid containing portion, an air introduction portion that enables the air to be introduced into the liquid containing portion, a liquid injection portion that enables the liquid to be injected into the liquid containing portion. The air introduction portion includes a first air introduction portion that is in communication with the liquid containing portion, and a second air introduction portion. The first air introduction portion includes a first air introduction port and a first air flow path. The second air introduction portion includes a second air introduction port and a second air flow path. A first member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside. A second member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tank with which liquid is configured to be supplied to a liquid ejection head, comprising:
a liquid containing portion configured to contain the liquid;
an air introduction portion, through which outside air is introduced into the liquid containing portion;
a liquid injection portion, through which the liquid is injected into the liquid containing portion from outside; and
a sealing member that is detachably attached to the liquid injection portion,
wherein the air introduction portion includes a first air introduction portion that is in communication with the liquid containing portion, and a second air introduction portion,
the first air introduction portion includes a first air introduction port that is open in the liquid containing portion, and a first air flow path that is a flow path for the air from the outside to the first air introduction port,
the second air introduction portion includes a second air introduction port that is open in the liquid containing portion, and a second air flow path that is a flow path for the air from the outside to the second air introduction port,
in a state where the air and the liquid that occupies half a liquid capacity of the liquid containing portion are contained in the liquid containing portion,
(i) when the tank is in a first orientation, which is an orientation when the liquid is injected from the liquid injection portion, the first air introduction port is located in a region where the air exists, and the second air introduction port is located in a region where the liquid exists, and
(ii) when the tank is in a second orientation, in which the tank is rotated by 180 degrees relative to the first orientation such that upper and lower sides thereof are inverted, the first air introduction port is located in a region where the liquid exists, and the second air introduction port is located in a region where the air exists,
in the first air flow path, a first member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside, the first member is disposed so as to block the first air flow path, and
in the second air flow path, a second member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside, the second member is disposed so as to block the second air flow path.

2. The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first air flow path includes a first liquid containing chamber in which the liquid that flow into the first air flow path configured to be stored in an orientation obtained by rotating the tank from the first orientation.

3. The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second air flow path includes a second liquid containing chamber in which the liquid that flow into the second air flow path configured to be stored, between the second air introduction port and the second member.

4. The tank according to claim 3 ,
wherein a volume of the second liquid containing chamber is greater than or equal to a volume of a flow path space between the second air introduction port and the second liquid containing chamber.

5. The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is joined to the tank on the outside of the tank.

6. The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is detachably attached to the tank on the outside of the tank.

7. The tank according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first wall portion disposed along a horizontal plane perpendicular to a gravity direction in the first orientation;
a second wall portion opposing the first wall portion, the second wall portion being located above the first wall portion in the first orientation;
a third wall portion intersecting the first wall portion and the second wall portion;
a fourth wall portion intersecting the first wall portion and the second wall portion, and opposing the third wall portion;
a fifth wall portion intersecting the first wall portion, the second wall portion, the third wall portion, and the fourth wall portion; and
a sixth wall portion intersecting the first wall portion, the second wall portion, the third wall portion, and the fourth wall portion, and opposing the fifth wall portion,
wherein, in a state where at least the air and the liquid that occupies half a liquid capacity of the liquid containing portion are contained in the liquid containing portion,
the air exists in at least one of the first air flow path and the second air flow path when the tank is placed in any one of the first orientation, the second orientation, a third orientation in which the third wall portion is disposed along the horizontal plane and the fourth wall portion is located above the third wall portion, a fourth orientation in which the fourth wall portion is disposed along the horizontal plane and the third wall portion is located above the fourth wall portion, a fifth orientation in which the fifth wall portion is disposed along the horizontal plane and the sixth wall portion is located above the fifth wall portion, and a sixth orientation in which the sixth wall portion is disposed along the horizontal plane and the fifth wall portion is located above the sixth wall portion.

8. The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the tank is in the first orientation in a state where the air and the liquid that occupies half a liquid capacity of the liquid containing portion are contained in the liquid containing portion, at least one of the first member and the second member is located above a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion.

9. The tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein, at least in a state where the overall first member and second member are wet with the liquid, the first member and the second member can let the air pass through under a pressure lower than or equal to a limit pressure from the inside of the liquid containing portion under which the sealing member coming off of the liquid injection portion is suppressed.

10. A tank unit comprising:
the tank according to claim 1 ; and
an exterior portion that houses the tank,
wherein the tank includes a visual check portion that is configured to visually check a position of a surface of the liquid contained in the liquid containing portion,
the exterior portion includes a window portion that enables the visual check portion of the tank to be visually checked from the outside, and
when the tank is in the first orientation, the first air introduction port is located at a higher position than an upper end of the window portion.

11. A liquid ejection system comprising:
the tank unit according to claim 10 ; and
a liquid ejection apparatus to which the tank unit is connected, the liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid ejection head.

12. A liquid ejection system comprising:
the tank according to claim 1 ;
a liquid ejection head; and
an exterior portion that houses the tank and the liquid ejection head,
wherein the tank has a visual check portion that enables a liquid surface of liquid contained in the liquid containing portion to be visually checked from the outside, and
the exterior portion is provided at a position opposing the visual check portion of the tank, and has a window portion that enables the visual check portion to be visually checked from the outside of the exterior portion.

13. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein the visual check portion includes an upper limit index portion that indicates a guide of an upper limit position of the liquid surface in the liquid containing portion when the tan

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kudo Shoma
• Okawa Soshi
• Kanaya Munehide

Classifications

• B41J2/17553 Primary

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17566

  Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title

• B41J2/17536

  Protection of cartridges or parts thereof, e.g. tape · CPC title

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title

• B41J2/19 Primary

  for removing air bubbles · CPC title