The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 10, 2009
Filed:
May. 26, 2006
Kanae Amemiya, Tokyo, JP;
Kanae Amemiya, Tokyo, JP;
Ricoh Company. Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
In an expendable part installation structure and an imaging apparatus implementing such a structure, both disclosed herein, identification features for identifying an expendable part and its corresponding setting part are improved and a replacement procedure for replacing an expendable part is facilitated. A carriage in an ink jet printer includes plural setting parts that are provided with solid portions. Ink cartridges that are arranged to be set to the setting parts are also provided with solid portions. The number of protrusions provided at the solid portion of a setting part is arranged to equal the number of protrusions provided at the solid portion of a corresponding ink cartridge to facilitate identification of a match between the parts. For example, it may be easily determined that an ink cartridge with one protrusion is arranged to be set to a setting part with one protrusion. The solid portions may be easily recognized through touch, and thereby, setting positions of the ink cartridges may be easily determined.