The present disclosure relates to a liquid storage bottle and a liquid replenishing system.
Some liquid tanks used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects ink or other liquids can be replenished the liquid from a liquid storage bottle which is prepared separately. Such liquid storage bottles for replenishing the liquid are required to ensure that the replenished liquid does not leak out unexpectedly and contaminate the user's hands and surroundings. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-177567 describes a liquid storage bottle having a bottle body and a bottle cap rotatably attached to the bottle body. The bottle cap can be rotated into a close state in which an opening of the bottle body is closed to block the pouring of the liquid from the bottle body and an open state in which the opening of the bottle body is opened to allow the pouring of liquid from the bottle body. As a result, in the liquid storage bottle disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-177567, the liquid tank is opened only when the liquid is replenished and closed for the others, thereby preventing the liquid from leaking out unexpectedly.
However, in the case of the liquid storage bottle disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-177567, even if all the liquid in the bottle is tried to be poured out, the liquid may remain inside due to the structure thereof. Therefore, when the liquid storage bottle is removed from the liquid tank after replenishing, the liquid remaining inside may drip from the bottle and adhere to the user's hands and surroundings, making them dirty.
Therefore, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a liquid storage bottle and a liquid replenishing system that can eject the liquid while preventing the liquid of the contents from remaining.
To achieve the above purpose, the liquid storage bottle of the present disclosure is a liquid storage bottle that stores a liquid to be replenished into a liquid tank, comprising: a bottle body; and a nozzle for pouring out the liquid stored in the bottle body, wherein a first fluid passage and a second fluid passage each of which respectively opens to an outside at a tip side of the nozzle and are parallel to each other, and a communication passage which opens to an inside of the bottle body at a base end side of the nozzle and communicates with the first fluid passage and the second fluid passage, are formed in an interior of the nozzle, and an inner circumferential surface of the communication passage is inclined inwardly toward the first fluid passage and the second fluid passage.
In addition, a liquid replenishing system of the present disclosure also has a liquid tank and the above described liquid storage bottle for storing the liquid to be replenished in the liquid tank.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Although a case where a liquid storage bottle and a liquid replenishing system are used to replenish ink as a liquid into a liquid ejecting apparatus is described as an aspect of a liquid storage bottle and a liquid replenishing system of the present disclosure, an application of the liquid storage bottle and the liquid replenishing system of the present disclosure is not limited to such case.
The liquid ejecting apparatus 200 includes a feeding unit 1, a conveyance unit 2, an ejecting unit 3, a liquid supply unit 4, and a display unit 5.
The feeding unit 1 has a feeding roller 10 that separates one printing medium at a time from a sheet like bundle of printing media stored in a tray and supplies the separated printing media to the conveyance unit 2. The conveyance unit 2 has a conveyance roller 11 and a medium discharge roller 12, both of which conveys the printing medium supplied from a feeding unit 1. Between the conveyance roller 11 and the medium discharge roller 12, a platen 13 is arranged to support the conveyed printing medium from below. The ejecting unit 3 has a carriage 14 positioned above the platen 13 and reciprocating in the direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the printing medium, and a liquid ejecting head 15 mounted on the carriage 14 and ejecting the liquid such as ink. The ejecting unit 3 can print the image on the printing medium supported by the platen 13 by the liquid ejecting head 15 ejecting the liquid based on an image information.
The liquid supply unit 4 has a liquid tank 16 and a flexible supply tube 17 connecting the liquid tank 16 and the liquid ejecting head 15 through a liquid passage 101. The liquid tank 16 has a storage chamber 100 inside for storing the liquid, a tank body 160 formed with an inlet 106 for injecting the liquid into the storage chamber 100, and a tank cap 105 which can be detachably attached to the tank body 160 to close the storage chamber 100. The liquid stored in the storage chamber 100 is supplied from the liquid passage 101 to the liquid ejecting head 15 through the supply tube 17 in accordance with an amount of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head 15. At this time, the same amount of air as that of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head 15 flows into the storage chamber 100 in the liquid tank 16 through an air communication port 102 provided on an upper surface of the tank body 160. In the present embodiment, four colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) of ink are used as the liquid, and the liquid tank 16 and the supply tube 17 are provided for each of the colors of ink. The colors of the liquid used is not limited to four colors, and may be one color or two or more colors. Also, in the present embodiment, the liquid tank 16 is housed inside a liquid ejecting apparatus 200 body, but the position of the liquid tank 16 is not limited to this and may be outside the liquid ejecting apparatus 200 body as long as the liquid can be supplied to the liquid ejecting head 15.
The display unit 5 displays information (operation status, operation items, menus, etc.) necessary for operating the liquid ejecting apparatus 200 and also indicates information that the user is prompted to replenish the liquid to the liquid tank 16.
A user tilts a cover 7 provided on a front surface of the liquid ejecting apparatus 200 forwardly to open it, removes a tank cap 105 attached to the liquid tank 16 to be replenished with the liquid, and exposes the inlet 106. Then, using a liquid storage bottle 20 storing the liquid to be replenished, the liquid is replenished into the liquid tank 16 through the exposed inlet 106.
The liquid storage bottle 20 is a cylindrical container for replenishing the liquid into the liquid tank 16, and together with the liquid tank 16, constitutes the liquid replenishing system of the present embodiment. The liquid storage bottle 20 has a bottle body 21 for storing the liquid, a nozzle 22 for pouring out the liquid stored in the bottle body 21, and a cap 23 that can be detachably attached to the nozzle 22 to close a tip end of the nozzle 22. An upper part of the bottle body 21 is provided with a bottle screw part 21a with a male screw formed on an outer circumferential surface, and a lower part of the nozzle 22 is provided with a cylindrical nozzle screw part 22a protruding with a female screw formed on the inner circumferential surface. The nozzle 22 is fixed to the bottle body 21 by screwing the female screw of the nozzle screw part 22a with the male screw of the bottle screw part 21a. The bottom surface of the cap 23 (the surface facing the tip end of the nozzle 22) is provided with an annular rib 23a that covers the tip end of the nozzle 22 when the cap 23 is attached to the nozzle 22.
Two fluid passages 24, 25 parallel to each other and a communication passage 26 communicating with them are formed inside the nozzle 22. The two fluid passages 24, 25 open to an outside on a tip end side of the nozzle 22, respectively, and are formed symmetrically with respect to a central axis (hereinafter also referred to simply as ‘central axis’) C of the liquid storage bottle 20, that is, the nozzle 22 (and the bottle body 21), as shown in
The communication passage 26 has an inner circumferential surface that opens into the bottle body 21 at the base end side of the nozzle 22 and is inclined inwardly toward the two fluid passages 24, 25, and more specifically, has an inner circumferential surface that continuously connects without a step to the inner circumferential surface of the two fluid passages 24, 25, respectively. In other words, the inner circumferential surface of the communication passage 26 is shaped like two oblique cones coalescing into one, and smoothly connects to the inner circumferential surfaces of the two fluid passages 24, 25 at the apex of each oblique cone. Here, “inclination” means that there is a predetermined inclination angle θ1 (0 degrees<θ1<180 degrees), with respect to the central axis C, and includes not only the case of linear inclination but also the case of curvilinear inclination in the cross section including the central axis C. In addition, in the following description, when “inclination angle” is used, unless otherwise noted, the inclination angle with respect to the central axis C shall be indicated.
On an upper part of the bottle body 21, an abutting wall 27 that projects annularly from the inner circumferential surface and abuts the nozzle 22 when the nozzle 22 is fixed to the bottle body 21, is formed. The abutting wall 27 is inclined inwardly toward an upward and has an inner circumferential surface of a frustum shape that continuously connects to the inner circumferential surface of the communication passage 26 without a step. The inclination angle θ2 of the inner circumferential surface can be arbitrarily set to avoid sudden tapering on an area from the inside of the bottle body 21 to the communication passage 26 of the nozzle 22. Also, the inner circumferential surface of the abutting wall 27, like the inner circumferential surface of the communication passage 26, is not limited to a form that is linearly inclined in the cross section including the central axis C, but may be inclined with a curvature.
The tank body 160 of the liquid tank 16 is formed in a roughly rectangular solid shape, and an adapter 30 into which the nozzle 22 of the liquid storage bottle 20 can be inserted is formed on an inclined surface 163 formed between an upper surface 161 and a side surface 162. The adapter 30 protrudes cylindrically from the periphery of the inlet 106 for pouring out the liquid into the storage chamber 100, and has an inner circumferential surface that can be fitted into the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle 22 of the liquid storage bottle 20.
In the liquid replenishing operation, the user holds the liquid storage bottle 20, and by inserting and fitting the nozzle 22 of the liquid storage bottle 20 into the adapter 30 of the liquid tank 16, the liquid storage bottle 20 is held in the liquid tank 16. At this time, the liquid (not shown) in the liquid storage bottle 20 flows downwardly toward the nozzle 22, passes through one of the two fluid passages 24, 25, and is poured into the storage chamber 100 in the liquid tank 16. At the same time, air (gas) in a storage chamber 100 is pumped into the liquid storage bottle 20 through the other of the two fluid passages 24, 25. The liquid in the liquid storage bottle 20 is replenished into the liquid tank 16 by such gas-liquid exchange action. After the replenishing of the liquid is completed, the replenishing operation of the liquid is completed when the user removes the liquid storage bottle 20.
In the present embodiment, as described above, the inner circumferential surface of the communication passage 26 in the nozzle 22 is inclined inwardly toward the two fluid passages 24, 25. Therefore, when the liquid storage bottle 20 is tilted, there is hardly any recess formed inside the nozzle 22 which can be a liquid storage part. In addition, as shown in
When the liquid storage bottle 20 is tilted, it is preferable that no recess is formed between the nozzle 22 and the bottle body 21 as well as the inside of the nozzle 22, which can be the storage part for the liquid. For this reason, it is preferable that the inner circumferential surface of the nozzle 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the bottle body 21 are continuous without any step as described above, and in other words, it is preferable that the opening diameter of the base end side of the nozzle 22 and the opening diameter of the bottle body 21 are substantially the same. In addition, the inner circumferential surface of the bottle body 21 is preferably composed of a cylindrical inner circumferential surface and the frustum shaped inner circumferential surface, which are continuously connected to each other without steps as shown in the figure. As a result, when the liquid storage bottle 20 is tilted, the formation of the recess in the bottle body 21, which can be the liquid storage part, can also be suppressed.
Such configuration makes it easier for the liquid in the liquid storage bottle 20 to flow toward the two fluid passages 24, 25, thereby enhancing the replenishment efficiency of the liquid in the liquid tank 16. From this point of view, the adapter 30 may not necessarily be provided on the inclined surface 163 of the tank body 160, for example, it may be provided on the surface parallel to the horizontal plane of the tank body 160, i.e., the upper surface 161.
In the liquid replenishing operation described above, which of the two fluid passages 24, 25 the liquid in the liquid storage bottle 20 flows is determined by the effect of gravity. That is, the liquid in the liquid storage bottle 20 flows easily through the fluid passage, among the two fluid passages 24, 25, where the opening on the side of the communication passage 26 is located more downward when the liquid storage bottle 20 is held by the liquid tank 16. However, in the present embodiment, both the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the adapter 30 are cylindrical, and therefore, the nozzle 22 is rotatable with respect to the adapter 30 even when both are engaged. Therefore, for example, when the nozzle 22 is positioned so that the two fluid passages 24, 25 face each other in the horizontal direction, the gas-liquid exchange efficiency between the liquid tank 16 and the liquid storage bottle 20 may decrease, which may hinder the smooth fluid replenishment.
Therefore, it is preferable that the nozzle 22 is inserted into the adapter 30 and then rotated with respect to the adapter 30 to position the nozzle 22 in the optimal liquid replenishing posture where the two fluid passages 24, 25 are positioned opposite vertically to each other across the central axis C. Such position ensures more reliable gas-liquid exchange between the liquid tank 16 and the liquid storage bottle 20, thereby realizing smooth liquid replenishment. To facilitate such positioning, a user-visible positioning mark may be provided on each of the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the adapter 30. Although
In the above embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the communication passage 26 is connected to the inner circumferential surfaces of the two fluid passages 24, 25 without a step, respectively, but the shape of the inner circumferential surface of the communication passage 26 is not limited to this as long as it is inclined inwardly toward the two fluid passages 24, 25. For example, as shown in
However, in the modified example shown in
The liquid storage bottle 20 of the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the two fluid passages 24, 25. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the passage cross-sectional areas of the two fluid passages 24, 25 are the same, but in the present embodiment, the passage cross-sectional area of the first fluid passage 24 is larger than that of the second fluid passage 25. Although in the first embodiment, the distances from the center axis C of the nozzle 22 to each of the center axis of the two fluid passages 24, 25 are the same, in the present embodiment, the distance d2 between the center axis C and the center axis of the second fluid passage 25 is larger than the distance d1 between the center axis C and the center axis of the first fluid passage 24.
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the first fluid passage 24 having a large passage cross-sectional area is selected as the fluid passage through which the liquid in the liquid storage bottle 20 flows when replenishing the liquid. That is, the nozzle 22 is fitted to the adapter 30 only at a specific circumferential position so that the two fluid passages 24, 25 are vertically opposed to each other and the first fluid passage 24 is located below the second fluid passage 25. As a method for regulating the circumferential position of the nozzle 22, for example, an engagement part (e.g., protrusion) of the nozzle is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle 22, and an engagement part (e.g., recess) engageable with the engagement part of the nozzle is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the adapter 30.
Thus, in the liquid replenishing operation of the present embodiment, in addition to making it easier to discharge the liquid in the liquid storage bottle 20 through the first fluid passage 24 having a large passage cross-sectional area, it becomes easier to take air into the liquid storage bottle 20 through the second fluid passage 25 located higher. As a result, the gas-liquid exchange between the liquid tank 16 and the liquid storage bottle 20 is more enhanced, and the liquid can be more efficiently replenished into the liquid tank 16. Also, in the present embodiment, since the nozzle 22 is fitted to the adapter 30 only in the optimal liquid replenishing posture, there is no need to rotate the nozzle 22 after inserting it into the adapter 30 to adjust the circumferential position of the nozzle 22 with respect to the adapter 30. Therefore, the user can perform the liquid replenishing operation without touching the liquid storage bottle 20, thereby reducing the risk of the user's hands and surroundings becoming dirty with the liquid.
In the cross-sectional view shown in
In order to regulate the circumferential position of the nozzle 22 with respect to the adapter 30, the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle 22 may be elliptically cylindrical, and correspondingly the inner circumferential surface of the adapter 30 may also be elliptically cylindrical, as shown in
However, in such a configuration, it is also possible to fit the nozzle 22 into the adapter 30 with the first fluid passage 24 upside-down with respect to the optimal fluid replenishment posture located below the second fluid passage 25. Therefore, as shown in
According to the present disclosure, the liquid can be poured out while the liquid of the contents is restrained from remaining.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-168119, filed Oct. 13, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021-168119 | Oct 2021 | JP | national |
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