Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Akihito Ono

Kosuke Nukui

Hiroaki Takahashi

Tetsuro Kobayashi

Takahiro Miyao

Naoya Okazaki

Fumio Nakazawa

Suguru Tomoguchi

Akinari Ishibe

Mikio Hirano

Tomohiro Kanbe

Yutao Wang

Tetsuro Kobayshi

Toyonori Sasaki

Yoshinori Osakabe

Yuji Koga

Hiroshi Taira

Yuki Takagi

Masahiro Hayashi

Akihito Kobayashi

Toshio Sugiura

Nanami Ashida

Takajiro Miyao

A liquid cartridge includes a first surface, a second surface spaced apart from the first surface, and a third surface extending between the first surface and the second surface, with a liquid outlet through the first surface. A circuit board is mounted on the third surface. A locking mechanism includes a locking surface that extends above the third surface, and a liquid detection mechanism includes a light access portion. The light access portion is disposed between the circuit board and the locking surface, and the circuit board is disposed between the first surface and the light access portion.

Liquid cartridge

A system includes: The housing includes: The system further includes a circuit board that is disposed on the second outer wall and has a reservoir side contact that contacts the housing side contact.

System including a reservoir configured to store liquid and a tank to which the reservoir can be connected

A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge casing having a liquid storage chamber; a first wall; a second wall; and an air communication passage. The first wall is positioned upward relative to the liquid storage chamber. The second wall is positioned upward relative to the first wall. The air communication passage has a first communication hole in communication with the liquid storage chamber and a communication opening open to an atmosphere. The air communication passage includes: an air chamber defined by the first wall and the second wall and in communication with the liquid storage chamber through the first communication hole; a second communication hole formed in the second wall; and a labyrinth path. The labyrinth path is positioned upward relative to the air chamber, and has one end in communication with the second communication hole and another end in communication with the communication opening.

Liquid cartridge capable of reducing leakage of liquid from liquid storage chamber

A liquid cartridge configured to be inserted into a cartridge-attachment section in an insertion direction includes a casing, and a lever supported by the casing. The lever is pivotable about a pivot axis between a first position and a second position. The lever includes a light-blocking portion configured to block or attenuate light traveling in a widthwise direction crossing the insertion direction and a gravitational direction, and a force-receiving portion positioned closer to a front wall of the casing than the light-blocking portion is to the front wall in the insertion direction. The light-blocking portion is positioned lower at the second position than at the first position. The pivot axis is positioned frontward of the light-blocking portion and rearward of the force-receiving portion in the insertion direction. The lever pivots from the second position to the first position upon application of an external force to the force-receiving portion.

Liquid cartridge having pivotable lever provided with light-blocking portion

A liquid cartridge configured to be inserted into a cartridge attachment section includes: a cartridge body having a liquid storage chamber, and a liquid supply portion configured to supply the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to an outside. The liquid supply portion includes: a front end face facing frontward, an outer peripheral surface extending rearward from the front end face, and at least one guide provided at the outer peripheral surface. Each of the at least one guide is guided by corresponding at least one projection of the cartridge attachment section during attachment of a liquid supply tube of the cartridge attachment section to the liquid supply portion at a time of attachment of the liquid cartridge to the cartridge attachment section. Each of the at least one guide includes: a first guide portion, and a second guide portion.

Liquid cartridge provided with liquid supply portion having guide groove

A printing-fluid cartridge is inserted into a prescribed insertion space of a cartridge-attachment section in an insertion direction crossing a gravitational direction to be attached thereto in an attached posture. The printing-fluid cartridge includes: a housing including a storage chamber, a supply portion having a supply hole, an electrical interface disposed at an upper surface of the housing, and an interfering surface. The interfering surface is positioned upward of the storage chamber and extends in a widthwise direction of the housing. The interfering surface is positioned downward and frontward relative to the electrical interface and is configured to abut against a projection provided at another insertion space different from the prescribed insertion space of the cartridge-attachment section during an insertion of the printing-fluid cartridge into the another insertion space.

Printing-fluid cartridge having interfering surface, and set of the printing-fluid cartridges

A system includes: a housing; a first tank; a second tank; a first reservoir configured to be connected to the first tank; a second reservoir configured to be connected to the second tank; and a liquid discharge head that ejects the liquid supplied from the first tank and the second tank. The housing includes: the first reservoir and the second reservoir includes: the first tank includes a first flow pipe, and the second tank includes a second flow pipe. The system further includes a circuit board that is disposed on the second outer wall and has a reservoir side contact that contacts the housing side contact.

A liquid cartridge is insertable into an attachment portion of a printing device in an insertion direction and attached thereto in an upright posture. The liquid cartridge includes: a housing defining a liquid chamber; a substrate; a contact; and a memory electrically connected to the contact. The substrate in the upright posture defines a sloped surface facing upward and sloping relative to a first imaginary plane extending in the insertion direction and a widthwise direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and a gravitational direction. The contact is formed on the sloped surface. An acute angle formed between the sloped surface and the first imaginary plane is greater than an acute angle formed between the first imaginary plane and a second imaginary plane passing through: a contact point between the contact and a contact of the device; and a lower end of a wall constituting a holder of the attachment portion.

Liquid cartridge including substrate having sloped surface

A liquid cartridge includes: a housing having a storage chamber; a liquid passage in communication with the storage chamber; a circuit board; a deformable member; and a movable surface. The liquid passage extends in a first lateral direction from the housing when the housing is in an operational posture. The circuit board is positioned higher than the storage chamber in a vertical direction perpendicular to the first lateral direction and vertically movable relative to the housing. The deformable member is positioned higher than the storage chamber and is lower than the circuit board. The deformable member is deformable vertically relative to the housing. The circuit board is movable vertically in accordance with deformation of the deformable member. The movable surface is positioned further in a second lateral direction opposite the first lateral direction than the circuit board. The movable surface faces upward and is vertically movable relative to the housing.

Liquid cartridge including circuit board and deformable member

A system includes: a housing; a cover that is supported by the housing to be movable between a covering position and an opened position; a tank; a reservoir; and a liquid discharging head that is disposed inside the housing and discharges liquid supplied from the tank, wherein the reservoir includes a liquid passage hole; the tank includes a passage tube that extends upward from the tank and is connectable to the liquid passage hole of the reservoir, the cover includes: a first wall that is positioned above the housing at the covering position, and a second wall that extends downward from an edge of the first wall, and when the cover is positioned at the covering position and the reservoir is connected to the tank, an upper end of the reservoir is positioned above a lower end of the second wall.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Akihito Ono