The present invention relates to a liquid consuming apparatus having a tank which is configured such that a liquid can be replenished or refilled to the tank via an inlet.
Conventionally, there is known a liquid consuming apparatus provided with a tank configured such that a liquid can be replenished to the tank via an inlet, and a liquid consuming section configured to consume the liquid stored in the tank. For example, there is known a recording apparatus configured such that a cover having a visual confirmation window (viewing window) is opened to thereby allow an ink to be charged to an ink storing chamber via an inlet provided on the upper surface of an ink tank.
In a case that the cover, of the recording apparatus having the above-described configuration, is rotatable about a rotational axis extending in the left-right direction at a position below the ink tank, there is such a possibility that the ink leaked from the inlet might adhere to the cover and thus might lower the visibility of the viewing window. As another example, such a case is also conceivable that the ink adheres to a sticker attached to the cover, which in turn lowers the visibility of any information indicated or written in the sticker.
The present teaching has been made in view of the above-described circumstances; an object of the present teaching is to provide a liquid consuming apparatus capable of suppressing the lowering in visibility of a transmitting section, which is provided on the cover and which is configured to optically transmit information to a user, due to the liquid leaked from the inlet of the tank.
According to an aspect of the present teaching, there is provided a liquid consuming apparatus configured to consume liquid, including:
a tank including a liquid storing chamber configured to store the liquid therein, and an erected wall which is provided upstandingly, which defines an end of the liquid storing chamber in a first direction crossing a vertical direction and through which the liquid inside the liquid storage chamber is visible from outside of the tank, the tank including an inlet which is formed to penetrate through the erected wall;
a liquid consuming section configured to consume the liquid stored in the liquid storing chamber; and
a cover configured to rotate between a cover position at which the cover covers the erected wall in the first direction and an exposure position at which the cover allows the erected wall to be exposed, the cover being configured to rotate around an axis extending in a second direction which intersects the vertical direction and the first direction;
wherein the axis of the cover is disposed below the inlet,
wherein the cover further comprises a particular surface facing the vertical direction in the exposure position, a transmitting section disposed on the particular surface, the transmitting section being configured to transmit information optically to a user of the liquid consuming apparatus, and a checking section disposed on the particular surface, the checking section being configured to prevent the liquid moving on the particular surface of the cover from arriving at the transmitting section.
According to the above-described configuration, the liquid leaked from the inlet and adhered to the cover can be checked or stopped at the checking section. As a result, it is possible to suppress any lowering in the visibility of the transmitting section which would otherwise be caused by any contamination of the transmitting section with the liquid.
According to another aspect of the present teaching, there is provided a liquid consuming apparatus configured to consume liquid, including:
a tank configured to store the liquid therein, and an erected wall which is provided upstandingly in a vertical direction, the elected wall facing a particular direction, the tank including an inlet which is formed to penetrate through the erected wall; and
a cover configured to rotate between a cover position at which the cover covers the erected wall in the particular direction and an exposure position at which the cover allows the erected wall to be exposed, the cover being configured to rotate around an axis extending in a further direction which intersects the vertical direction and the particular direction;
wherein the axis of the cover is disposed below the inlet,
wherein the cover further comprises a particular surface facing the vertical direction in the exposure position, the particular surface includes a first area disposed below the tank under the condition the cover is at the cover position, a second area disposed further than the first area in the particular direction under the condition the cover is at the exposure position, and a checking section disposed between the first area and the second area, the checking section being configured to prevent the liquid on the first area of the particular surface from arriving at the second area under the condition the cover is at the exposure position.
An embodiment of the present teaching will be described below. Note that, however, the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present teaching; it goes without saying that it is possible to make any appropriate changes in the embodiment of the present teaching without departing from the gist and scope of the present teaching. Upward and downward are each a component of an up-down direction 7 and are opposite to each other; leftward and rightward are each a component of a left-right direction 9 and are opposite to each other; and frontward and rearward are each a component of a front-rear direction 8 and are opposite to each other. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the up-down direction 7 corresponds to the vertical direction, and each of the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 corresponds to the horizontal direction.
Moreover, the up-down direction 7 is defined with a state that a multi-function peripheral 10 is usably installed or a posture in which the multi-function peripheral 10 is usably installed, as the reference. Note that the state that the multi-function periphery 10 is usably installed as depicted in
<Overall Configuration of Multi-function Peripheral 10>
As depicted in
<Feeding Tray 20, Discharge Tray 21>
As depicted in
<Feeding Section 15>
The feeding section 15 feeds the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 to a conveyance route 65. As depicted in
<Conveyance Route 65>
As depicted in
<Conveyance Roller Section 54>
As depicted in
<Discharge Roller Section 55>
As depicted in
<Recording Section 24>
As depicted in
As depicted in
Further, an ink tube 32 which connects the ink tank 100 and the recording head 39 and a flexible flat cable 33 which electrically connects the recording head 39 and a control circuit board having a controller (not depicted in the drawings) mounted thereon are extended from the carriage 23. The ink tube 32 supplies an ink stored in the ink tank 100 to the recording head 39. More specifically, four ink tubes 32B, 32M, 32C, and 32Y via which inks of respective colors (which are black, magenta, cyan, and yellow colors) are distributed are extended from the ink tank 100, and are connected to the carriage 23 in a bundled form. In the following description, these four ink tubes 32B, 32M, 32C, and 32Y will be collectively referred to as “ink tube(s) 32” in some cases. The flexible flat cable 33 transmits a control signal output from the controller to the recording head 39.
As depicted in
<Platen 42>
As depicted in
<Ink Tank 100>
As depicted in
Further, the multi-function peripheral 10 is provided with a box-shaped cover 70 capable of covering the front surface, of the ink tank 100, located in front of the opening 22. The cover 70 is supported by the casing of the multi-function peripheral 10 to be rotatable between a cover position at which the cover 70 covers the opening 22 and a front wall 101 of the ink tank 100 (see
As depicted in
As depicted in
The upper wall 104 defines or demarcates the upper end of the ink chamber 111 in the up-down direction 7. The lower wall 105 defines the lower end of the ink chamber 111 in the up-down direction 7. The front wall 101, the right wall 102 and the left wall 103 each as an example of the erected wall are provided upstandingly between the upper wall 104 and the lower wall 105 in a direction crossing the upper and lower walls 104 and 105. Further, each of the walls 101 to 105 has at least light transmitting property or translucency to such an extent that the ink inside the ink chamber 111 is visually observable or recognizable from the outside of the ink tank 100.
The front wall 101 is constructed of a base wall 101A extending from the lower wall 105 substantially in the up-down direction 7 and an inclined wall 101B which is connected or continued to the upper end of the base wall 101A and which is inclined relative to the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The inclined wall 101B is formed with an inlet 112 penetrating through the inclined wall 101B in the thickness direction thereof. The inclined wall 101B is inclined rearward relative to the base wall 101A (namely, inclined toward the ink chamber 111).
<Ink Chamber 111>
As depicted in
The ink chamber 111B is a space demarcated by the front wall 101, the right wall 102, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106 and the partition wall 107. The ink chamber 111M is a space demarcated by the front wall 101, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106 and the partition walls 107 and 108. The ink chamber 111C is a space demarcated by the front wall 101, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106 and the partition walls 108 and 109. The ink chamber 111Y is a space demarcated by the front wall 101, the left wall 103, the upper wall 104, the lower wall 105, the film 106 and the partition wall 109.
In the following description, the ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C, and 111Y are collectively referred to as “ink chamber(s) 111” in some cases. Further, reference numerals having different alphabetic suffixes (B, M, C, and Y) are assigned to four components provided while corresponding to the ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C and 111Y, respectively; in a case that these components are collectively referred to, then these components are assigned with a reference numeral(s) while omitting the respective alphabetic suffixes, in some cases.
Inks of different colors are stored in the ink chambers 111, respectively. Specifically, black ink is stored in the ink chamber 111B, cyan ink is stored in the ink chamber 111C, magenta ink is stored in the ink chamber 111M, and yellow ink is stored in the ink chamber 111Y. Each of the color inks is an example of a liquid. However, the number of ink chambers 111 and the colors of the inks are not restricted to the number and the colors in the above-described example. The ink chambers 111 are arranged along the left-right direction 9. Further, among the four ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C and 111Y, the ink chamber 111B is arranged at the rightmost side and the ink chamber 111Y is arranged at the leftmost side. Namely, the ink chambers 111B, 111M1111C and 111Y are arranged such that the ink chamber 111B storing the black ink is located to be most separated away from the ink chamber 111Y storing the yellow ink. Furthermore, the ink chamber 111B has a volume larger than the any other ink chambers 111M, 111C and 111Y.
<Inlet 112>
The inclined wall 101B of the ink tank 100 is provided with inlets 112B, 112M, 112C, and 112Y (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “inlet(s) 112”) via which the inks are allowed to flow into the ink chambers 111, respectively. The inlet 112 penetrates through the inclined wall 101B in a direction of the thickness of the inclined wall 101B, and makes the corresponding ink chamber 111 communicate with the outside of the ink tank 100. The inner surface of the inclined wall 101B faces the ink chamber 111, and the outer surface of the inclined wall 101B faces the outside of the ink tank 100. The inclined wall 101B is inclined such that the outer surface thereof is located at a position above the inner surface of the inclined wall 101B. Consequently, the inlet 112 allows the ink chamber 111 and the outside of the ink tank 100 to directly communicate with each other. Namely, between the inlet 112 and the ink chamber 111, there is no channel which is bent or curved and which has a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the inlet 112. Further, it is allowable that the inlet 112 is formed in the upper wall 104, rather than in the inclined wall 101B.
The inclined wall 101B and the inlet 112 provided on the inclined wall 101B are exposed to the outside of the multi-function peripheral 10 by locating the cover 70 at the exposure position under a condition that the cover 70 is located at the exposure position as depicted in
The ink tank 100 has caps 113B, 113M, 113C and 113Y (hereinafter collectively referred to as “cap(s) 113” in some cases) that are detachably attached with respect to the inlets 112. As depicted in
Note that an ink outflow channel (not depicted in the drawings) is provided in each of the ink chambers 111B, 111M, 113C and 113Y. The ink outflow channel is a channel that allows the ink stored in the corresponding ink chamber 111 to flow out of the ink tank 100. An end of the ink outflow channel is connected to the ink chamber 111 corresponding thereto; the other end of the ink outflow channel is connected to the ink tube 32 corresponding thereto. With this, the ink stored in each of the ink chambers 111 is supplied to the recording head 39 via one of the ink outflow channels and one of the ink tubes 32 which correspond to the ink chamber 111.
Further, atmosphere communicating holes (not depicted in the drawings) are provided on the ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C and 111Y, respectively. The atmosphere communicating hole allows the ink chamber corresponding thereto to communicate with the atmosphere. With this, the internal pressure in each of the ink chambers 111 is maintained at the atmospheric pressure. As a result, any excessive supply of the ink due to the increase in inner pressure in the ink chamber 111 or any backflow of the ink due to the decrease in inner pressure in the ink chamber 111, etc. are suppressed. Further, the atmosphere communicating hole is provided with a semipermeable membrane, etc. configured to suppress any leaking of the ink.
<Cover 70>
As depicted in
Further, the cover 70 is provided with a transparent window 76. The transparent window 76 allows the front wall 101, of the ink tank 100, to be visually observable from the outside of the multi-function peripheral 10 in a state that the cover 70 is located at the cover position. The transparent window 76 is an example of the transmitting section configured to optically transmit information to a user of the multi-function peripheral 10.
In this embodiment, the term “information to be optically transferred” means the position of the liquid surface (liquid level) of the ink which can be visually observed through the front wall 101. Namely, the transmitting section in the embodiment is configured such that the transmitting section itself does not possess any information to be transmitted, but allows an object (the front wall 101 in the embodiment) having the information to be transmitted to be visually observable from the outside.
The transparent window 76 has an opening 77 having a substantially rectangular shape and penetrating through the main wall 72 in the thickness direction thereof, and a film 78 closing the opening 77. The film 78 is formed of a light-transmitting or translucent material. The film 78 in this embodiment is adhered to the periphery of the opening 77, on the side of the outer surface of the main wall 72 (namely, the surface of the cover 70 on the opposite side to the inner surface thereof which faces the front wall 101).
Further, the side walls 74 and 75 are provided with bearings 79 and 80, respectively. The bearings 79 and 80 are arranged on the rotational axis 71 in a state that the cover 70 is attached to the casing. Furthermore, as depicted in
Moreover, as depicted in
The rib 81 is constructed of a first rib 82 arranged on the rotational base end side of the cover 70, a second rib 83 arranged on the rotational distal end side of the cover 70, a third rib 84 arranged on the side of the side wall 74, and a fourth rib 85 arranged on the side of the side wall 75. The end portions of the first and second ribs 82 and 83 are connected to the end portions of the third and fourth ribs 84 and 85. The first and second ribs 82 and 83 are formed to extend in the left-right direction 9 (an example of the extending direction). The third and fourth ribs 84 and 85 are formed to extend in the up-down direction 7 (another direction of the extending direction) under the condition that the cover 70 is located at the cover position, and are formed to extend in the front-rear direction 8 (yet another direction of the extending direction) under the condition that the cover 70 is located at the exposure position.
The first to fourth ribs 82 to 85 project rearward from the inner surface of the main wall 72 under the condition that the cover 70 is located at the cover position (for example, see
In the multi-function periphery 10 of the embodiment as described above, in a case that a user attempts to replenish or recharge the ink to the ink tank 100, the user causes the cover 70 to rotate to the exposure position, removes the cap 113 from the inlet 112, and pours the ink from the released inlet 112. In this situation, the ink not poured into the inlet 112 or the ink overflowed from the inlet 112 moves on the front wall 101 and flows downward, and adheres to the inner surface (upper surface) of the cover 70 in the inflow posture. However, according to the above-described embodiment, the ink adhered to the inner surface of the cover 70 is checked or stopped by the rib 81 and is guided to the extending direction of the rib 81. As a result, it is possible to suppress the lowering in visibility of the front wall 101 due to the contamination of the transparent window 76 with the ink.
Note that in the embodiment, the explanation has been given, by way of example, about the rib 81 having the first to fourth ribs 82 to 85 surrounding the periphery of the transparent window 76. With this, it is possible to effectively suppress the adhesion of the ink to the transparent window 76. Further, the rib 81 functions also as a reinforcing section configured to reinforce the rigidity, of the cover 70, lowered due to the provision of the opening 77. As a result, it is possible to suppress any twisting of the cover 70 when the cover 70 is pivoted or rotated. The arrangement of the rib 81, however, is not limited to this. For example, it is sufficient that only the first rib 82 is disposed, such that the first rib 82 is located between the front wall 101 and the transparent window 76 in the front-rear direction 8 in the state that the cover 70 is at the exposure position. With this, it is possible to cut off any route via which the liquid mainly moves or flows on the cover 70. Further, it is allowable to omit the second rib 83 located at the farthest from the ink tank 100 under the condition that the cover 70 is located at the exposure position, and to construct the rib 81 with the first rib 82, the third rib 84 and the fourth rib 85.
Further, in the embodiment, the explanation has been made regarding the rib 81 as an example of the checking section. However, the specific example of the checking section is not limited to this. For example, it is allowable to provide a groove, a stepped portion, etc. in the inner surface of the main wall 72, instead of providing the rib 81.
Moreover, an ink absorbing member configured to absorb the ink may be arranged around the checking section. The ink absorbing member may be formed of a porous material such as foamed polyurethane. In a case that the checking section is the rib 81 or the stepped portion, the ink absorbing member may be arranged along the rib 81 or the stepped portion. Further, in a case that the checking section is the groove, the ink absorbing member may be filled inside the groove. With this, it is possible to further effectively check and stop the ink moving toward the transparent window 76.
Furthermore, it is allowable that the checking section may be configured to hold the ink by, for example, surface tension. With this, it is possible to effectively prevent the ink from arriving at the transparent window 76. Note that the specific shape of the checking section for holding the ink by the surface tension is appropriately selected depending on the kind of the ink (mainly the viscosity of the ink), the wettability of the surface of the cover 70, etc.
Moreover, the checking section may be configured to guide the ink in the left-right direction 9 by, for example, the capillarity. With this, it is possible to reduce the amount of the ink which might flow across the checking section, thereby making it possible to effectively prevent the ink from arriving at the transparent window 76. Note that the specific shape of the checking section for causing the capillarity is appropriately selected depending on the kind of the liquid (mainly the viscosity of the liquid), the wettability of the surface of the cover 70, etc. The checking section configured to cause the capillarity is preferably realized by a groove.
Further, although the ink tank 100 according to the embodiment has the four ink chambers 111B, 111M, 111C and 111Y which store the four color inks, respectively, the specific configuration of the ink tank 100 is not limited to this. For example, the ink tank may be configured to store only the black ink.
Furthermore, in the embodiment, the explanation has been given about the transparent window 76 as an example of the transmitting section. However, the specific example of the transmitting section is not limited to this. For example, as shown in
Namely, the transmitting section according to the modification is different from the transmitting section of the embodiment in that the transmitting section itself has the information to be transmitted. Further, the transmitting section according to the modification optically transmits, to the user, the information that the transmitting section itself has, under the condition that the cover 70 is located at the exposure position. In other words, the user can see the letter, etc. drawn in the transmitting section by locating the cover 70 according to the modification at the exposure position.
By checking and stopping the ink moving toward the letter, etc. drawn in the main wall 72 by the above-described checking section, it is possible to suppress the lowering in visibility of the letter, etc. Note that the letter, etc., may be expressed by concave/convex portions formed in the inner surface of the main wall 72, or may be drawn in a sticker adhered to the inner surface of the main wall 72.
Further, in the above embodiment, although the explanation has been given about the ink as an example of the liquid, the present teaching is not restricted to this. Namely, instead of the ink, the liquid may be a pretreatment liquid which is to be discharged onto a recording paper before discharging an ink at the time of printing, or may be water, etc. which is to be sprayed in the vicinity of the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39 for preventing drying of the nozzles 40 of the recording head 39. Note that the present teaching is particularly effective by being applied to a liquid consuming apparatus provided with a tank storing a color liquid.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2014-200868 | Sep 2014 | JP | national |
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/447,705, filed Jun. 20, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,850,528), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 15/816,429, filed Nov. 17, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,328,708), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/290,555 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,821,563), filed Oct. 11, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/854,160, filed Sep. 15, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,469,117), all of which further claim priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-200868 filed on Sep. 30, 2014, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20090256884 | Aoki | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20130169720 | Nakamura et al. | Jul 2013 | A1 |
20130176367 | Kimura | Jul 2013 | A1 |
20140104347 | Iizawa | Apr 2014 | A1 |
20140104349 | Kimura et al. | Apr 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2014-79908 | May 2014 | JP |
2014-079909 | May 2014 | JP |
2014-79933 | May 2014 | JP |
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Entry |
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Office Action (Notice of Reasons for Rejection) issued in related Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-200868, dated Jul. 17, 2018. |
Office Action (Notice of Reasons for Rejections) issued in related Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-206332, dated Jul. 9, 2019. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210078335 A1 | Mar 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16447705 | Jun 2019 | US |
Child | 17106378 | US | |
Parent | 15816429 | Nov 2017 | US |
Child | 16447705 | US | |
Parent | 15290555 | Oct 2016 | US |
Child | 15816429 | US | |
Parent | 14854160 | Sep 2015 | US |
Child | 15290555 | US |