Ink container, holder for ink container, ink jet recording...

Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means

Reexamination Certificate

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Reexamination Certificate

active

06511167

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a holder for containing ink to be supplied to recording means, a holder on which the ink container is mounted, an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the holder and a mounting method for mounting the ink container to the holder, wherein the mounting property is improved.
An ink jet recording apparatus is known which comprises a recording head for effecting recording on a recording material by ejecting the ink, an ink container for accommodating the ink to be supplied to the recording head and a container holder for detachably mountably holding the ink container, the container holder having the recording head. Among such apparatuses, a color printer capable of color printing has recording heads for magenta, yellow, cyan and black inks, and ink containers corresponding to recording head are exchangeable at specified positions in the holder.
Various methods for preventing mounting at erroneous position in such a recording device have been made to assure the mounting at the correct positions.
For example, the position in the holder determined for the respective colors are recognized by a label; a warning display is effected in response to detection of an erroneous mounting of the container after the container mounting; or the erroneous mounting is detected on the basis of an abnormality in the image when the printing is effected.
In a second example, configurations of the joint portion of the ink container for connection with an ink supply port of a recording head portion are made different for the colors to prevent the erroneous mounting. In a third example, a projection is provided outside the ink container, and the container holder is provided with a corresponding to the projection is provided, and such discrimination structure is made different for the respective colors.
Recently, the ink jet printer has been improved in the image quality, and greater kinds of inks are used. For example, it is known that two different inks are chemically reacted on the surface of the sheet of paper by which the ink is fixed thereon with improved water-resistance and wearing property, in such a case, if the ink container were erroneously mounted, the functions of the recording head per se and the quality of the recorded image are seriously damaged.
However, with the conventional erroneous mounting prevention function is not satisfactory. In the first example, the erroneous mounting is detected after the mounting of the ink container, and therefore, the ink may be solidified and plug the ink ejection output with the result of an ejection failure, an image defect and the apparatus failure. In the case of apparatus of an ink container exchangeable type, an exchange of the recording exchange may be required.
In the second example, the ink container is not completely mounted, but it is required that joint portion has to be contacted before the detection of erroneous mounting, so that mixture of the ink occurs at the time of the contact, and therefore, the same troubles may result. In addition, unnecessary exchange of the recording heads is required in the case of the apparatus of the ink container exchangeable type.
In the third example, the erroneous mounting is prevented physically, and therefore, the liability of the ink mixing is low, and the erroneous mounting prevention structure is quite effective. However, the packaging type for the ink container to protect the projection extended from the ink container is complicated and bulky, with the result of high cost. Additionally, the size of the apparatus is increased due to the increase of the number of IDs (the none of the types to be discriminated) resulting from increase of the number of inks with the tendency of demands for the high image quality and for the multi-function of the ink and due to the increase of the space required by the increased ID members.
On the other hand, in the case of an exchangeable ink container, it is preferable that holder to which the ink container is mounted and the ink container per se have structures with which the users can easily and assuredly mounting the ink container.
Structures with which the ink container is mounted to or demounted from the recording head and the cartridge having integral head and ink container, are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. SHO 60-192643, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 5-162301, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 5-162323, EP0640482, EP0655336, EP0698497, EP0640482, EP0655336, EP0698497 for example. In the structures disclosed there, a cartridge is provided with a center shaft, around which the cartridge is rotated while it is mounted; the ink container or the cartridge is engaged with a hook or a lever, and is guided by the hook or the lever while it is mounted; the container is directly by the user and is pushed into the mounting petition; or the container is provided with an elastic lever which facilitates the mounting operation. The ink container or the cartridge having such a structure has a rectangular outer structure, and therefore, the space required for the mounting including the moving space therefor is relatively large with the result of bulkiness of the apparatus. It is particularly remarkable in the structure in which transitional motion is used for the mounting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an ink accommodating container in which the apparatus is downsized with respect to the discrimination structure for the prevention of the color mixture due to erroneous mounting, and the mounting is easy and assured, a holder assembly to which the ink accommodating container is mounted, an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the holder assembly, and a mounting method for mounting the ink accommodating container to the holder.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink container for containing ink to be supplied to a recording head, the ink container comprising: an ink container casing; an ink supplying portion provided in the ink container casing and constituting an opening for permitting supply of the ink to the recording head; and an inclined portion provided in a region of the casing which is above, in a use state of the ink container, the ink supplying portion on a side of the casing having the ink supplying portion, the inclined portion being inclined toward inside of the casing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink container for containing ink to be supplied to a recording head, the ink container comprising: a first inclined portion which is provided above, in use sate of the ink container, an ink supplying portion constituting an opening for permitting supply of the ink to the recording head on a side having the ink supplying portion, the first inclined portion being inclined in a direction gradually reducing an outer shape of the ink container; and a second inclined portion provided on a bottom, in a use state of the ink container, portion of the ink container, the second inclined portion being inclined in a direction of gradually reducing the outer shape of the ink container.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holder for detachably mounting therein an ink container retaining ink to be supplied to a recording head, comprising: an ink supply tube for connecting with an ink supplying portion provided in the ink container and for receiving the ink; an engaging portion in the form of a recess or projection corresponding to a peculiar projection or recess of the ink container; a guiding member for guiding mounting of the ink container to guide the ink supply tube into an ink supplying portion of the ink container.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting method of mounting an ink container to a holder, the holder including an engaging portion in the form of a recess or projection for erroneous mounting prevention, an ink supp

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