Seiko Epson Corporation

Takeshi Komaki

Manabu Yamada

Yuichi Urabe

Yuji Aoki

Toshiyuki Sasaki

Noriyuki Fukasawa

Masahiro Karasawa

Naoki Naito

Tomoji Suzuki

Hiroshi Nose

Atsushi Tanaka

Kazuyuki Hirata

Kazuya Oshida

Takanori Matsuda

Shunpei Ogaya

Naoki Natio

A liquid ejection system includes: a liquid ejection apparatus; and a liquid storage container, wherein the liquid ejection apparatus includes a mounting unit having an apparatus-side terminal portion that is elastically deformable in a mounting direction, and an apparatus-side locking portion that restricts the liquid storage container from moving in a direction opposite to the mounting direction of the liquid storage container, and the liquid storage container includes a top surface located on an upper side in a vertical direction in a mounted state in which the liquid storage container is mounted, a container-side locking portion, the container-side locking portion being provided on the top surface, and a container-side terminal portion coupled to the apparatus-side terminal portion, the container-side terminal portion being provided at a position closer to the top surface than to a center of the liquid storage container in the vertical direction.

Liquid ejection system and liquid storage container

There is provided with a cartridge comprising a liquid supply portion; a contact portion that is located on a +Z-axis direction side of the liquid supply portion and that is arranged to contact with an electrical connecting element; and a positioning structure that is located between the liquid supply portion and the contact portion in a Z-axis direction. The liquid supply portion is configured to receive a first external force in a &#x2212;Y-axis direction from the liquid introducing structure when the liquid supply portion is connected with the liquid introducing structure. The contact portion is configured to receive a second external force in a direction including a &#x2212;Y-axis direction component from the electrical connecting element when the contact portion comes into contact with the electrical connecting element. This configuration suppresses position misalignment of the cartridge or a connector to a mounting structure.

Cartridge and connector

Printing can continue while replacing ink cartridges. The printerdetects and reports an ink supply disabled state in which ink cannot be supplied from ink cartridgestoIf a cover-open state, in which the coverthat opens and closes the cartridge holderis open, is detected and the ink supply disabled state is also detected while printing is in progress, printing is permitted to continue using ink in buffer tanks (pressure control chambersto) while displaying a warning instead of going to an error state. Interruptions to printing due to a cover-open error while replacing ink cartridgestocan therefore be avoided.

Control method of a printing device, and a printing device

A fluid storage container enables the easy removal of recovered fluid and reuse of the container without incurring the added costs of disassembly and replacing an absorbent material. In one exemplary embodiment, an ink cartridgecan have an ink storage unitthat stores waste ink, an ink inlet/outletdisposed in a frame partthat can be the outside wall of the ink storage unit, an ink pathof which one endcommunicates with the ink inlet/outletand the other endis disposed opening into the ink storage unit, wall partsthat divide the ink storage unitinto an upper air chamberand a lower fluid chamberthat communicate with each other through a communication path, and an outside air channel, of which one endcommunicates with the air chamberand the other endenables communication with the outside at a position further from the air chamberthan the fluid chamber. Other embodiments of fluid storage containers are also disclosed.

Fluid storage container

The caseof a waste ink tankhas ribsthat partition the space between a waste ink inletand an air vent. Air passagesthat connect the waste ink storage spaces S, S, Spartitioned by the ribs are formed at the top ends of the ribs. Waste ink permeates all of a spongethrough the space between the ribsand the bottom wall. Because a path for air to flow to the air ventis constantly maintained inside the caseby the air passages, air is discharged from the air ventas waste ink is introduced to the case. The strength of the case can therefore be increased without interfering with introducing waste ink to the case and absorption of introduced waste ink by the sponge.

Waste ink tank and inkjet printer

A fluid storage container enables the easy removal of recovered fluid and reuse of the container without incurring the added costs of disassembly and replacing an absorbent material. In one exemplary embodiment, an ink cartridgecan have an ink storage unitthat stores waste ink, an ink inlet/outletdisposed in a frame partthat can be the outside wall of the ink storage unitan ink pathof which one endcommunicates with the ink inlet/outletand the other endis disposed opening into the ink storage unit, wall partsthat divide the ink storage unitinto an upper air chamberand a lower fluid chamberthat communicate with each other through a communication pathand an outside air channelof which one endcommunicates with the air chamberand the other endenables communication with the outside at a position further from the air chamberthan the fluid chamberOther embodiments of fluid storage containers are also disclosed.

In one exemplary embodiment of a fluid storage container or cartridge that can be reused, the ink cartridge can have an ink storage unit that stores waste ink, an ink inlet/outlet disposed in a frame part that can be the outside wall of the ink storage unit, an ink path of which one end communicates with the ink inlet/outlet and the other end is disposed opening into the ink storage unit, wall parts that divide the ink storage unit into an upper air chamber and a lower fluid chamber that communicate with each other through a communication path, and an outside air channel, of which one end communicates with the air chamber and the other end enables communication with the outside at a position further from the air chamber than the fluid chamber. Other embodiments of fluid storage containers and methods of removing fluid therefrom are also disclosed.

The cartridge case of an ink cartridge has cover panels removably attached to both sides of a case core. A locking mechanism that can be disengaged and holds the cover panels to the case core forcibly elastically deforms the first latch plates of the cover panel, and engages or disengages the first protruding catch of the case core. Elastic deformation of the first latch plates is limited by the locking tab of the other cover panel, and as long as the other cover panel is not removed from the case core, the locking mechanism will not disengage and the one cover panel will not separate from the case core.

Fluid container

Ink cartridge

A rolled sheet is accommodated in an accommodating section. A cover is movable between an open position for opening the accommodating section and a closed position for covering the accommodating section. A part of the rolled sheet fed from the accommodating section is transported through the transporting path. A print head is disposed in a first side relative to the transporting path and operable to perform printing on the part of the rolled sheet in the transporting path. A cutter is disposed in the first side and movable between an operable position at which the cutter is operable to cut the part of the rolled sheet and a covered position at which the cutter is not operable to cut the part of the rolled sheet. The cutter is moved to the operable position when the cover is moved from the open position to the closed position, and is moved to the covered position when the cover is moved from the closed position to the open position. A cutter cover covers the cutter in the covered position.

Printer equipped with cutter mechanism

A paper supply device for reliably delivering sheets of paper one at a time from a stock of multiple sheets even when the leading ends of the sheets are not neatly aligned together. This paper supply device Mhas a paper insertion partfor holding a plurality of sheets of paper S; a rotationally driven supply rollerhaving a fan-shaped profile including a circular arc partand a bowed part; a pressure memberfor resiliently urging the paper S to the supply rollersurface; a pressure member control mechanismfor displacing the pressure memberto a position separated from the supply rollerwhen the bowed partis opposite the pressure member; a separation padbeing resiliently urged toward the trailing end of the stacked paper and having a rotating free end that pivots freely to change the angle of contact of the separation pad with the leading edge of the paper S and a pad control mechanismfor displacing the separation padto a position for aligning the ends of the paper S when the bowed partopposes the pressure member

Growing community of inventors

Matsumoto, Japan

Takeshi Komaki