Ink cartridge and ink jet printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840082-B2
Application number	US-201615063087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

To provide an ink cartridge capable of accomplishing satisfactory electrical connection relative to a printer main assembly.
An ink cartridge 1 detachably mountable to a cartridge mounting portion 33 provided with an ink receiving tube 52 and a plurality of electrical connecting portions 55 , the ink cartridge 1 including a tube inserting portion 8 into which the receiving tube 52 is insertable, a substrate 3 provided on a front side 2 c in a position above the tube inserting portion 8 , a plurality of electrical contacts 4 electrically connectable with the plurality of electrical connecting portions 55 , the electrical contacts 4 being arranged on the substrate 3 in a direction crossing with a direction from a bottom surface 2 b toward an upper surface 2 a

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ink cartridge mountable, in a mounting direction crossing with a direction of gravity, to a cartridge mounting portion provided with an ink receiving tube and a plurality of electrical connecting portions, said ink cartridge comprising:
a casing including an ink accommodating chamber configured to accommodate ink to be supplied to said ink receiving tube, said casing having a first side surface in a position at a leading end with respect to the mounting direction, an upper surface and a bottom surface;
a tube inserting portion into which the ink receiving tube is insertable and which is provided at said first side surface in a position closer to said bottom surface than to said upper surface;
a substrate provided on said first side surface and having an area above said tube inserting portion, the area crossing with the mounting direction;
a plurality of electrical contacts electrically connectable with the plurality of electrical connecting portions, said electrical contacts being arranged in the area in a direction crossing with a direction of height which is from said bottom surface toward said upper surface;
an engaging portion engageable with a locking lever provided in said cartridge mounting portion to maintain an inserted state in which the ink receiving tube is inserted in said tube inserting portion and a connected state in which said electrical contacts are connected with the electrical connecting portions;
a positioning portion provided in a position above said tube inserting portion and below said electrical contacts and engageable with a positioning member provided in the cartridge mounting portion to limit movement of said casing in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction; and
a through-opening at a position between said tube inserting portion and said positioning portion of said first side surface, said through-opening being in fluid communication with said ink accommodating chamber to supply the air into said ink accommodating chamber,
wherein said engaging portion is provided on said upper surface in the position closer to said electrical contacts than to said tube inserting portion.

2. An ink cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein said area of said substrate is parallel with said first side surface.

3. An ink cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the direction crossing with the direction of height is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of height.

4. An ink cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein said casing has a second side surface at a trailing end portion with respect to the mounting direction, a third side surface connected with said first side surface, said second side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, a fourth side surface opposite from the third side surface across said ink accommodating chamber and connected with said first side surface, said second side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and wherein the direction crossing with the direction of height is perpendicular to said third side surface and to said fourth side surface.

5. An ink cartridge according to claim 4 , wherein said third side surface has an area larger than that of any one of said first side surface, said second side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and said fourth side surface has an area larger than that of any one of said first side surface, said second side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and wherein said first side surface has an area smaller than that of any one of said third side surface, said fourth side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and said second side surface has an area smaller than that of any one of said third side surface, said fourth side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface.

6. An ink cartridge mountable, in a mounting direction crossing with a direction of gravity, to a cartridge mounting portion provided with an ink receiving tube and a plurality of electrical connecting portions, said ink cartridge comprising:
a casing including an ink accommodating chamber configured to accommodate ink to be supplied to said ink receiving tube, said casing having a first side surface in a position at a leading end with respect to the mounting direction, a second side surface in a position at a trailing end with respect to the mounting direction, a third side surface connecting said first side surface and said second side surface with each other, a fourth side surface opposite from said third side surface across said ink accommodating chamber and connecting said first side surface and said second side surface with each other, an upper surface and a bottom surface;
a tube inserting portion into which the ink receiving tube is insertable and which is provided at said first side surface in a position closer to said bottom surface than to said upper surface;
a substrate provided on said first side surface in a position above said tube inserting portion;
a plurality of electrical contacts electrically connectable with the plurality of electrical connecting portions, said electrical contacts being arranged on said substrate in a direction perpendicular to said third side surface and to said fourth side surface;
an engaging portion engageable with a locking lever provided in said cartridge mounting portion to maintain an inserted state in which the ink receiving tube is inserted in said tube inserting portion and a connected state in which said electrical contacts are connected with the electrical connecting portions;
a positioning portion provided in a position above said tube inserting portion and below said electrical contacts and engageable with a positioning member provided in the cartridge mounting portion to limit movement of said casing in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction; and
a through-opening at a position between said tube inserting portion and said positioning portion of said first side surface, said through-opening being in fluid communication with said ink accommodating chamber to supply the air into said ink accommodating chamber,
wherein said engaging portion is provided on said upper surface in the position closer to said electrical contacts than to said tube inserting portion.

7. An ink cartridge according to claim 6 , wherein said third side surface has an area larger than that of any one of said first side surface, said second side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and said fourth side surface has an area larger than that of any one of said first side surface, said second side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and wherein said first side surface has an area smaller than that of any one of said third side surface, said fourth side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface, and said second side surface has an area smaller than that of any one of said third side surface, said fourth side surface, said upper surface and said bottom surface.

8. An ink cartridge according to claim 1 , further comprising a tube insertion path provided in said casing and connecting said tube inserting portion and said ink accommodating chamber with each other, and an elastic member provided in said tube insertion path and elastically deformable in accordance with insertion of the ink receiving tube into said tube insertion path.

9. An ink cartridge according to claim 8 , wherein said elastic member includes a rubber member contactable to an outer peripheral surface of the ink receiving tube inserted in said tube insertion path.

10. An ink cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein said engaging portion is disposed in the position closer to said upper surface than to said bottom surface.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nanjo Tatsuo
• Kotaki Yasuo
• Udagawa Kenta
• Koshikawa Hiroshi
• Takahashi Wataru
• Kubo Koichi
• Fukui Shigeki
• Nabeshima Naozumi
• Kondo Soji
• Seki Masafumi
• Yoshii Kazuya
• Kimura Satoshi
• Toda Kyosuke

Classifications

• B41J2002/17516

  comprising a collapsible ink holder, e.g. a flexible bag · CPC title

• B41J2/175 Primary

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

• B41J2/1752 Primary

  Mounting within the printer · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J2/1753

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