Ink bottle set-up device

Details Ink bottle set-up device Ink bottle set-up device

2001-02-14

2003-03-11

Bomberg, Kenneth (Department: 3754)

Dispensing

With discharge assistant

Insertable cartridge or removable container

Reexamination Certificate

active

06530503

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink bottle set-up device, and more particularly, to an ink bottle set-up device for setting up an ink bottle having a positioning projection in a given position.
One typical example of an ink bottle is shown in FIG.
8
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, an ink bottle
100
is made of plastic and comprises a cylindrical bottle body
101
internally filled with an ink, with a bottom wall having an ink discharging section
102
formed at a central position of the bottom wall. An outer periphery of the bottle body
101
is formed with three positioning ribs (positioning projections)
103
which extend along the length of the ink body
101
, i.e., along an inserting direction of the ink bottle
100
. The bottom wall of the bottle body
101
is also formed with an information indicating rib
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the present inventor, an ink bottle set-up device for which the ink bottle
100
is set up is shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
.
FIG.9
is a front view of the ink bottle set-up device wherein the ink bottle
100
is located in a set-up position, and
FIG. 10
is a cross sectional view taken along line X—X of FIG.
9
. As shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
, a bottle set-up body
105
is formed with a bottle set-up chamber
106
, and a rib-guide recess
107
opening to the bottle set-up chamber
106
and extending in a direction along the inserting direction of the ink bottle
100
. An innermost end of the bottle set-up chamber
106
has an ink receptor section
108
formed at a central position of the bottle set-up chamber
106
. Also, the innermost end of the bottle set-up chamber
106
is formed with an information detecting sensor
109
in the vicinity of the ink receptor section
108
for detecting a bottle-in state, an ink color, etc.
With such a structure, the ink bottle
100
is inserted into the bottle set-up chamber
106
while the positioning ribs
103
of the ink bottle
100
are held in alignment with the rib-guide recess
107
. During this inserting step, the positioning ribs
10
move along the rib-guide recess
107
such that the ink bottle
100
is inserted into the bottle set-up chamber
106
in a given rotated orientation. Finally, the bottle
100
is set up and the ink discharging section
102
is fitted to the sink receptor section
108
, and the information indicating rib
104
is detected by the information detecting sensor
109
.
That is, the positioning ribs
103
of the ink bottle
100
is aligned with the rib-guide recess
107
and, under this condition, the ink bottle
100
is inserted into the bottle set-up chamber
106
in the given rotated orientation. Owing to this inserting movement, it is possible for the information detecting sensor
109
to correctly detect necessary information from the ink bottle
100
and rotational movement of the ink bottle
100
is prevented from avoiding rupturing of the information detecting sensor
109
after the ink bottle
100
is set up in the given position.
In such an ink bottle set-up device, however, since it is possible for an ink bottle
100
with no positioning projections
103
to be inserted into the bottle set-up chamber
106
provided that the ink bottle
100
has a diameter substantially equal to that of the ink bottle formed with the positioning projections and the ink bottle
100
is allowed to rotate after the set-up condition of the ink bottle
100
, it is appeared that the information detecting sensor
103
is influenced owing to undesirable rotation of the ink bottle
100
.
Further, since the ink bottle
100
is made of plastic that is apt to swell owing to an inherent property of material absorbing ink, a consideration has been undertaken that the bottle set-up chamber
106
is designed to be slightly larger in diameter than the ink bottle
100
. As a result, the ink bottle
100
is undesirably caused to be inserted into the bottle set-up chamber
106
even in a case where the positioning ribs
103
are out of alignment with the rib-guide recess
107
. If the ink bottle
100
is inserted in an incorrectly rotated orientation, the ink discharging section
102
of the ink bottle
100
is set up in a wrong position displaced from the ink receptor section
108
of the bottle set-up body
105
and it may be difficult for the information detecting sensor
109
to correctly detect information of the ink bottle
100
.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described investigation by the present inventor and has an object to provide an ink bottle set-up device which can overcome the above various phenomenon by preventing an incorrect ink bottle having no positioning provision from being erroneously inserted and by preventing a correct ink bottle with a positioning projection from being erroneously inserted in an incorrectly rotated orientation.
In the present invention, an ink bottle set-up device setting up an ink bottle having a positioning projection is provided with: a bottle set-up body having a bottle set-up chamber adapted to receive the ink bottle, and a projection-guide recess guiding the positioning projection; and an ink bottle erroneous set-up prevention mechanism including a projection detecting member detecting that the positioning projection is inserted into the projection-guide recess, and a bottle stopper member allowing the ink bottle to be inserted into the bottle set-up chamber, when the projection detecting member detects that the positioning projection is inserted into the projection-guide recess, for thereby enabling the ink bottle to be set up in a given position of the set-up chamber. The bottle stopper member prevents the ink bottle from being inserted into the bottle set-up chamber when the projection detecting member detects that the positioning projection is out of alignment with the protection-guide recess.
In other words, in the present invention, an ink bottle set-up device setting up an ink bottle having a positioning projection is provided with: a bottle set-up body having a bottle set-up chamber adapted to receive the ink bottle, and a projection-guide recess guiding the positioning projection; and an ink bottle erroneous set-up prevention mechanism including a projection detecting means for detecting that the positioning projection is inserted into the projection-guide recess, and a bottle stopper means for allowing the ink bottle to be inserted into the bottle set-up chamber, when the projection detecting means detects that the positioning projection is inserted into the projection-guide recess, for thereby enabling the ink bottle too be set up in a given position of the set- up chamber. The bottle stopper means prevents the ink bottle from being inserted into the bottle set-up chamber when the projection detecting means detects that the positioning projection is out of alignment with the projection-guide recess.
Other aspect and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3685694 (1972-08-01), Ianelli
patent: 5100030 (1992-03-01), Roggenburg et al.
patent: 5174476 (1992-12-01), Steiner et al.
patent: 5261568 (1993-11-01), Corby et al.
patent: 5613625 (1997-03-01), Specht
patent: 6095370 (2000-08-01), Rhine et al.
patent: 6283330 (2001-09-01), Gillespie et al.
patent: 6412666 (2002-07-01), Hogan et al.
patent: 0 712 733 (1996-05-01), None

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