Patent Grant
10933671
The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2018-223237, filed Nov. 29, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer.
An ink jet printer having an access cover openable to replace print-related components such as an ink pack in the apparatus is described in JP-A-2018-103528. The printer includes a locking mechanism for the access cover. The locking mechanism has a movable member that can be moved between a lock position and an unlock position. Specifically, the movable member has a curved shape and is disposed at a corner portion of the apparatus. In a locking operation, a finger placing portion of the movable member is pressed in a locking direction to locate the movable member to a lock position and the finger placing portion is pressed in an unlocking direction to locate the movable member to an unlock position.
In the printer described in JP-A-2018-103528, the movable member in the locking mechanism has the curved shape and is disposed at the corner portion of the apparatus. However, the locking mechanism is not designed to be provided at a place other than the corner portion. Furthermore, when the movable member is located in the lock position, if the finger placing portion of the movable member is pressed in the unlocking direction, the movable member is moved in the unlock direction. Accordingly, in the locked state, if the finger placing portion is inadvertently pressed in the unlock direction, the movable member may be turned to the unlocked state.
A printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure for solving the above-described problems includes an insertion slot to which a container containing a print-related component relating to printing performed by a print section is to be detachably attached, an access cover openably and closably covering the insertion slots, and a locking mechanism configured to lock the access cover. The locking mechanism includes a slide member disposed inside an outer casing at a position corresponding to an opening provided in the outer casing of the printing apparatus, the slide member being configured to be moved in a slide direction to switch a state of the access cover between a locked state and an unlocked state, and a restriction portion configured to be moved in the slide direction together with the slide member. In a state in which the slide member is in a lock position on one end side of the opening in the slide direction, the restriction portion protrudes from the opening and the movement in the slide direction is regulated, in a state in which the slide member is in an unlock position on the other end side of the opening in the slide direction, the restriction portion is retracted inside the opening and the movement in the slide direction is permitted, and the restriction portion includes an operation portion configured to move the slide member from the outside of the opening between the lock position and the unlock position.
First, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be briefly described. A printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure for solving the above-described problems includes an insertion slot to which a container containing a print-related component relating to printing performed by a print section is to be detachably attached, an access cover openably and closably covering the insertion slots, and a locking mechanism configured to lock the access cover. The locking mechanism includes a slide member disposed inside an outer casing at a position corresponding to an opening provided in the outer casing of the printing apparatus, the slide member being configured to be moved in a slide direction to switch a state of the access cover between a locked state and an unlocked state, and a restriction portion configured to be moved in the slide direction together with the slide member. In a state in which the slide member is in a lock position on one end side of the opening in the slide direction, the restriction portion protrudes from the opening and the movement in the slide direction is regulated, in a state in which the slide member is in an unlock position on the other end side of the opening in the slide direction, the restriction portion is retracted inside the opening and the movement in the slide direction is permitted, and the restriction portion includes an operation portion configured to move the slide member from the outside of the opening between the lock position and the unlock position.
According to this aspect, in a state in which the slide member is in a lock position on one end side of the opening in the slide direction, the restriction portion protrudes from the opening, and in a state in which the slide member is in an unlock position on the other end side of the opening in the slide direction, the restriction portion is retracted inside the opening. Specifically, a restriction portion that is moved together with the slide member in a slide direction and at a lock position, operated separately from the slide member and protrudes from the opening is provided. With the protrusion structure of the restriction portion, in a state in which the slide member is in a lock position, even if the slide member is moved in an unlock direction, the slide member is not readily moved in the unlock direction. Accordingly, the risk of the locking mechanism of being inadvertently moved from the locked state to the unlocked state can be reduced.
In the printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect, a width of the opening in a direction intersecting the slide direction on the other end side may be narrower than a width of the restriction portion to regulate the restriction portion not to protrude from the opening and regulate the movement in the slide direction of the restriction portion that is in the lock position on the one end side and protrudes from the opening, and a width of the opening in the direction intersecting the slide direction on the one end side may be wider than a width of the restriction portion to permit the restriction portion to protrude from the opening.
According to the aspect, a width of the opening in the direction intersecting the slide direction on the other end side is narrower than a width of the restriction portion. With this structure, when the slide member is in the unlock position, the restriction portion is retracted inside the opening and thus no unnecessary protrusion protrudes from the outer surface of the outer casing of the printing apparatus.
In the printing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the restriction portion may be configured to be slid with respect to the slide member, and the restriction portion may include a pressing member configured to press the restriction portion in a direction protruding from the opening in a state in which the slide member has been moved to the lock position.
According to the aspect, the restriction portion includes a pressing member configured to press the restriction portion in a direction protruding from the opening. With this structure, when the slide member is moved to the unlock position, the restriction portion automatically protrudes from the opening, and thus the good operability is provided.
In the printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, the operation portion may be a protrusion, and a width of the opening in the direction intersecting the slide direction on the one other end side may be wider than a width of the protrusion, and the protrusion may always protrude from the opening.
According to the aspect, in a state in which the slide member is moved to the unlock position and the restriction portion is moved inside the opening, the protrusion that functions as an operation portion protrudes from the opening. With this structure, the protrusion can be readily operated to change the state of the slide member to the locked state, and the good operability can be provided.
In the printing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, the restriction portion may have a through hole in the portion protruding from the opening.
According to the aspect, the restriction portion has a through hole in the portion protruding from the opening. With this structure, for example, a lock such as a padlock may be inserted into the through hole and locked to prevent the slide member from being moved. With this lock, the cover member can be maintained in the closed state and the cover member cannot be opened without unlocking the lock such as the padlock and detaching the lock from the through hole.
In the printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, a link mechanism configured to be moved in response to a movement of the slide member may be provided. When the slide member is in the lock position, the link mechanism regulates the operation for opening the access cover.
According to the aspect, with a link mechanism configured to be moved in response to a movement of the slide member, the open operation of the access cover is regulated. With this structure, the slide member only needs the operation portion for operating the link mechanism, and the simple structure can be provided. Furthermore, the link mechanism enables the access cover to be in a locked state, and thus the link mechanism can readily provide the structure in the secure and stable state.
In the printing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the sixth aspect, the link mechanism may include a swing link plate configured to swing about a pivot within a predetermined angle range and has a long working length, an urging member configured to urge the swing link plate in an unlock direction, an engagement receiving portion provided in a portion of the swing link plate and is configured to engage with an engaging claw portion that is provided with respect to the slide member, and an engagement hook provided in a portion of the swing link plate and is configured to enter an engagement groove portion provided in the access cover and engage with an engagement bar that is disposed in the engagement groove portion.
According to the aspect, the link mechanism includes, as a main component, a swing link plate configured to swing about a pivot within a predetermined angle range and has a long working length. With this structure, the rigid link mechanism can be provided, and the position for operating the locking mechanism and the lock position can be located apart. Furthermore, when an external force for opening the access cover is applied, the force acts on the straight line connecting the pivot of the swing link plate and the engagement hook, and the force does not act in a swing direction for swinging the swing link plate in the unlock direction. With this structure, it can be prevented that the external force acts on the slide member having the operation portion of the locking mechanism, causing damage to the slide member or the engagement hook is accidentally disengaged from the engagement bar.
In the printing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, the slide member may include an engaging portion, and when the slide member is in the lock position, the engaging portion may regulate the operation for opening the access cover.
According to the aspect, when the slide member is in the lock position, the engaging portion regulates the operation for opening the access cover. With this structure, the operation for opening the access cover can be regulated without increasing the number of components.
Hereinafter, a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to
Operations of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be specifically described with the descriptions of a basic operation of the printing apparatus, attachment and detachment operations of a container, lock and unlock operations of a locking mechanism, and an access cover attachment operation. Furthermore, a modification of the structure of an urging member in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure and the operation of the urging member will be described, and then the operations and effects of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Then, other embodiments of the present disclosure having some structures different from those in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment will be briefly described.
1. Schematic Overall Structure of Printing Apparatus (see
A printing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes an insertion slot 11 (see
The restriction portion 21 protrudes from the opening 17 when the slide member 19 is in a lock position S1 (see
The printing apparatus 1 in the drawings is a multifunction ink jet printer including, stacked in sequence, a scanner 3, which is an image reading apparatus provided in an upper part, a printer body 4, which is provided under the scanner 3, a medium cassette mounting section 5, which is provided under the printer body 4, and the liquid cassette mounting section 6, which is a lowermost part. On a front side of the liquid cassette mounting section 6, the insertion slot 11 for attaching a liquid cassette 9 is provided. The liquid cassette 9 is a container that accommodates large capacity liquid storage packs Q, which are example print-related components. For example, four liquid storage packs Q for storing inks of four colors of black (B), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) respectively are provided. For the liquid storage packs Q, four liquid cassettes 9B (black), 9C (cyan), 9M (magenta), and 9Y (yellow) corresponding to the inks of the four colors are provided.
The scanner 3 is a so-called flatbed scanner, and includes a cover 25 that can be opened upward or closed downward, a document positioning plate for setting a document in the apparatus, and a body section 27 including an image sensor for reading image information on a document, a drive mechanism for driving the image sensor in a scanning direction, and other components. The printer body 4 includes a feeding section 29 for feeding a medium P set in a medium cassette 7, a transport section 31 for transporting the medium P fed from the feeding section 29, and a print section 33 for performing printing to the medium P transported from the transport section 31.
The feeding section 29 includes a pickup roller 35, a first feeding path 37, a separation roller 39, a guide roller 41, a second feeding path 43, a feeding roller 45, a reversing roller 46, a feed drive motor (not illustrated), and a feed gear train (not illustrated). The pickup roller 35 is disposed in the medium cassette mounting section 5. The first feeding path 37 feeds a medium P picked up by the pickup roller 35 toward the printer body 4 disposed above. The separation roller 39 and the guide roller 41 are disposed on the first feeding path 37. The second feeding path 43 feeds the medium P from an end of the first feeding path 37 toward a transport roller 47, which will be described below. The feeding roller 45 and the reversing roller 46 are disposed on the second feeding path 43. The feed drive motor and the feed gear train apply a driving force to the pickup roller 35, the separation roller 39, the feeding roller 45, and the reversing roller 46.
The transport section 31 includes the transport roller 47, a platen 49, a discharging roller 53, a transport drive motor (not illustrated), and a transport gear train (not illustrated). The transport roller 47 nips the medium P fed by the feeding section 29 and transports the medium P toward the print section 33. The platen 49 supports the medium P to which the transport force has been applied by the transport roller 47. The discharging roller 53 discharges the printed medium P toward a discharge stacker 51. The transport drive motor and the transport gear train apply a driving force to the transport roller 47 and the discharging roller 53. The illustrated embodiment also includes a reversing path 55 that is rotated in a reverse direction with the transport roller 47 and the discharging roller 53, from the discharging roller 53 through the transport roller 47, further through under the feeding roller 45 and the reversing roller 46, and merges at the end of the first feeding path 37.
The print section 33 includes a print head 57, a carriage 59, a carriage drive motor (not illustrated), a timing belt (not illustrated), and a liquid tube 61. The print head 57 discharges an ink, which is an example liquid supplied from the liquid storage pack Q, onto an upper surface, which is a surface to be printed, of a medium P to perform desired printing. The carriage 59 reciprocates in a scanning direction, for example, in an apparatus width direction X, with the print head 57 mounted thereto. The carriage drive motor drives the carriage 59. The liquid tube 61 connects the print head 57 and the liquid storage pack Q.
The illustrated printing apparatus 1 includes the discharge stacker 51 that protrudes, for example, from the front +Y of the outer casing 2 toward the front side +Y. An operation panel 63 is disposed, for example, above the discharge stacker 51. In the printer body 4, a control device 60 that controls various operations in accordance with instructions from the operation panel 63 or a personal computer (PC) is provided.
The illustrated medium cassette mounting section 5 is integrated with the printer body 4 by using the outer casing 2 of the printer body 4 as the outer casing 2 of the medium cassette mounting section 5. An insertion slot (not illustrated) is provided on the front side of the outer casing 2 of the medium cassette mounting section 5, and the medium cassette 7 containing media P placed flat can be detachably attached to the insertion slot from the front side +Y. The pickup roller 35 is disposed at the back of the medium cassette mounting section 5, to which the medium cassette 7 is attached, so that a plurality of media P stacked in the medium cassette 7 can be picked up one by one from the uppermost one and supplied to the first feeding path 37. The medium cassette mounting section 5 is provided with a separate additional medium cassette mounting section 5 (not illustrated) that is provided separately from the printer body 4. The additional medium cassette mounting section 5 is attached, for example, to a lower part of the liquid cassette mounting section 6.
The liquid cassette mounting section 6 is provided under the medium cassette mounting section 5 that is integrated with the printer body 4. The liquid cassette mounting section 6 has, for example, an outer casing 2A that is separated from the outer casing 2 of the printer body 4. On a front side of the outer casing 2A of the liquid cassette mounting section 6, four insertion slots 11B, 11C, 11M, and 11Y are provided in upper and lower parts, and in the upper part, three narrow insertion slots 11C, 11M, and 11Y are disposed at equal intervals, and in the lower part, the wide insertion slot 11B is disposed (see
Into the four insertion slots 11B, 11C, 11M, and 11Y, the liquid cassettes 9B, 9C, 9M, and 9Y can be detachably attached respectively. When the liquid cassettes 9B, 9C, 9M, and 9Y are inserted into the insertion slots 11B, 11C, 11M, and 11Y and attached, the connection portions of the liquid storage packs Q set in the respective liquid cassettes 9B, 9C, 9M, and 9Y are connected to the liquid tubes 61, and thus the inks of respective colors can be supplied toward the print head 57.
On the front side of the outer casing 2A of the liquid cassette mounting section 6, the access cover 13 is provided. For example, the access cover 13 can be set in a horizontal open position in which the access cover 13 is open on the front +Y side or in a vertical closed position in which the access cover 13 covers the front side of the outer casing 2A, about a rotation shaft 69 (see
2. Specific Structure of Main Components and Peripheral Components of Printing Apparatus (See
Next, main components and their peripheral components of the printing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be specifically described. As illustrated in
The slide member 19 is a curved rectangular plate-like member as illustrated in
The restriction portion 21 includes a pivot shaft 21c that is fitted into the bearings 75 of the slide member 19, an arm portion 21b that extends from the pivot shaft 21c toward the opening 73 of the slide member 19, and the head portion 21a that protrudes from an end of the arm portion 21b toward the opening 73 side of the slide member 19. As illustrated in
With this structure, in a state in which the slide member 19 is in the lock position S1, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the head portion 21a of the restriction portion 21, a protrusion 81 that functions as an operation portion to be used to move the slide member 19 in the slide direction S is provided. The protrusion 81 is a plate-like member having a thickness suitable for a user to hold with fingers, and has a shape in which the width W2 of the opening 17 in the unlock direction −S on the end side where the ribs 71 are provided is wider than the width W4 of the protrusion 81 in the height direction Z. Accordingly, W1>W3>W2>W4. The shape of the protrusion 81 is not limited to the protruding shape, but may be various shapes such as a concave shape, a ring shape, or a hook shape for users to place a finger or hand.
The restriction portion 21 has a through hole 83 that is open along the height direction Z with respect to the head portion 21a protruding from the opening 17. Into the through hole 83, for example, a bar 85a of a lock 85 such as a padlock may be inserted to lock as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The link mechanism 87 includes a swing link plate 91, an extension spring 94, a V-shaped engagement receiving portion 95, and a curved L-shaped engagement hook 99. The swing link plate 91 swings about a pivot 89 within a predetermined angle range and has a long working length L. The extension spring 94 is an example urging member 93 that urges the swing link plate 91 in the unlock direction −S. The V-shaped engagement receiving portion 95 is an example engagement receiving portion that is provided in a portion of the swing link plate 91 and engages with the engaging claw portion 77 that is provided with respect to the slide member 19. The engagement hook 99 is provided in a portion of the swing link plate 91 and engages with an engagement bar 98 that is disposed in a groove width direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of an engagement groove portion 97 (see
The swing link plate 91 is a substantially right-angled triangular plate-like member having a right angle portion in which the engagement hook 99 is provided. In a remaining corner, the pivot 89 is provided, and in another remaining corner, the engagement receiving portion 95 is provided. A spring locking portion 92 for hooking a hook at one end of the extension spring 94 is provided in a middle of the side between the two corner portions where the pivot 89 and the engagement receiving portion 95 are provided respectively. A locking hole 10a for hooking a hook at the other end of the extension spring 94 is provided in a top plate 10 of the liquid cassette mounting section 6.
The position of the front end having the locking hole 10a of the top plate 10 is on the back −Y side relative to the position of the spring locking portion 92, and thus the urging force of the extension spring 94 acts in the unlock direction −S to urge the swing link plate 91 in the clockwise direction in
As illustrated in
Furthermore, a reinforcement frame 101 is provided across the left and right side frames 102 to the upper surface of the liquid cassette mounting section 6 on the side closest to the front side as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The access cover 13 and the side frames 102 on the left and right sides of the liquid cassette mounting section 6 are connected by link arms 109 as illustrated in
To the slide supporting point shaft 115, two washers 117 that function as spring washers are attached. A compression coil spring 119 is compressed between the two washers 117. Two braking ribs 121 extending along the engagement hole 113 are vertically provided on the outer sides of the link arm 109 in the arm width direction across the engagement hole 113. The braking rib 121 is formed such that its height gradually increases from around a middle portion of the engagement hole 113 and from a point the height becomes a predetermined height, the height is kept toward the base end portion of the link arm 109.
The inner washer 117 that is urged inward by the compression coil spring 119 comes into contact with the braking ribs 121, and thereby a braking force corresponding to the height of the braking ribs 121 can be obtained. With the braking ribs 121 of the above-described shape employed in this embodiment, the access cover 13 is smoothly opened with a little braking force in an initial state in which the access cover 13 is opened from the closed position, the braking force is gradually increased as the access cover 13 is further opened, and the braking force becomes maximum just before the access cover 13 becomes horizontal and is opened slowly with substantially no impact noise.
The rotation shaft 69 of the main body hinge section 65 is rotatably supported by a bearing structure 123 provided in a base end portion of the access cover 13 as illustrated in
The hinge pressing member 133 has a first spring acting portion 135 having an L-shaped end, a U-shaped second spring acting portion 137, and a horizontal pressing portion 139 connecting the first spring acting portion 135 and the second spring acting portion 137. The L-shaped end portion of the first spring acting portion 135 comes into contact with an inner wall surface of the first recessed portion 127 on the base end side in the front panel 125, locking one end of the hinge pressing member 133. An end portion of the first cover portion 131 is held by a locking convex portion 142 provided in a base section of the first spring acting portion 135 and the horizontal pressing portion 139, and thus the hinge pressing member 133 is attached. An engagement groove 141 is provided in the U-shaped end portion of the second spring acting portion 137, and into the engagement groove 141, an end of the second cover portion 132 is fitted to lock the other end of the hinge pressing member 133.
The hinge pressing member 133 having the above-described structure is attached by being pressed from above with respect to the rotation base end portion of the access cover 13 that has been opened in a state in which the two recessed portions 127 and 128 and the two cover portions 131 and 132 are combined, and the hinge pressing member 133 is fixed with a relatively small force by snap-fit as illustrated in
3. Operations of Printing Apparatus (See
Operations of the printing apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment will be specifically described with the descriptions of (A) basic operations of the printing apparatus, (B) open and close operations of the access cover, (C) attachment and detachment operations of the container, (D) lock and unlock operations of the locking mechanism, and (E) an access cover attachment operation.
A. Basic Operations of Printing Apparatus (see
The printing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment can perform an operation of reading an image on a document by using the scanner 3, a print operation to a medium P by using the printer body 4, and an operation of copying a document by using both the scanner 3 and the printer body 4.
In reading image information on a document, the cover 25 of the scanner 3 is opened to set the document on a document positioning plate, and an instruction is issued via the operation panel 63 or a personal computer (PC) to start the reading of the image information. In accordance with the instruction, an image sensor in the body section 27 starts scanning, and reading of the image information is performed. In performing printing to a medium P, the medium cassette 7 in which the media P are set is attached to the medium cassette mounting section 5, and an instruction is issued from a PC to start the printing. In accordance with the instruction, the media P is picked up one by one from the uppermost one by the pickup roller 35 and supplied to the printing area through the first feeding path 37 and the second feeding path 43 with the transportation force applied by the feeding roller 45 and the transport roller 47.
In the printing area, the inks to be supplied from the liquid storage pack Q through the liquid tubes 61 are discharged from the print head 57 mounted on the carriage 59 that reciprocates in the width direction X, which is the scanning direction, to perform desired printing, and after the printing, the medium P is discharged to the discharge stacker 51 with the transportation force applied by the discharging roller 53. In printing on both sides of the medium P, after printing has been performed on the front side of the medium P, the medium P is supplied to the reversing path 55, and printing is performed on the back side similarly to the front side. In copying a document, an original document to be copied is set on the document positioning plate of the scanner 3, and a copying instruction is issued via the operation panel 63 to start the copying. After the operation, the printing operation is performed to a medium P, and a copy image based on the image information read by the scanner 3 is output on the medium P.
B. Open and Close Operations of Access Cover (See
To attach the liquid cassette 9 in which a liquid storage pack Q has been set to the liquid cassette mounting section 61, or to detach a used liquid storage pack Q from the liquid cassette mounting section 6 to replace it with a new liquid storage pack Q, the open and close operations of the access cover 13 are performed. To open the access cover 13 in a closed state, the user places a finger on the operation section 23, which protrudes from the opening 17 on the upper part of the left side of the liquid cassette mounting section 6 near the front side +Y, and presses the operation section 23 inward to release the locked state between the head portion 21a of the restriction portion 21 and the ribs 71 in the opening 17.
Then the user slides the operation section 23 in the unlock direction −S with the finger placed on the operation section 23, and the slide member 19 integrally moves in the unlock direction −S, releasing the locked state of the access cover 13 to become the unlocked state. After the operation, the user put a hand on a holding portion 14 in the central part of the rotation free end side of the access cover 13 and turns the access cover 13 downward toward the front, and then the access cover 13 is moved from the vertical closed position to the horizontal open position. In this operation, by the frictional force between the braking ribs 121 in the link arms 109 and the washers 117 urged by the compression coil springs 119, in the initial stage of the open operation, the access cover 13 smoothly rotates and just before the completion of the open operation, the access cover 13 slowly rotates, suppressing the impact noise at the completion of the open operation.
With the bearing structure 123 in which the rotation shaft 69 of the main body hinge section 65 is held by the first recessed portion 127, the first cover portion 132, and the first spring acting portion 135, the access cover 13 is rotated about the rotating shaft 69, and smoothly opened while being guided by the slide supporting point shaft 115 engaging with the engagement hole 113 in the link arm 109. To move the access cover 13 in the open state to the closed state, the user puts a hand on the holding portion 14 of the access cover 13 and turns the access cover 13 upward, and then the access cover 13 is moved from the horizontal open position to the vertical closed position in the reverse order of the open operation.
C. Attachment and Detachment Operations of Container (see
To attach the large-capacity liquid cassette 9B for black (B) ink, which is a container, to the liquid cassette mounting section 6, the liquid cassette 9B to which the liquid storage pack Q containing the black (B) ink has been set is placed on the back side 13b of the access cover 13 that has been opened by the above-described operation as illustrated in
The other three liquid cassettes 7C, 7M, and 7Y are lighter than the liquid cassette 7B, and accordingly, the liquid cassettes 7C, 7M, and 7Y can be held by hands, directly inserted into the insertion slots 11C, 11M, and 11Y, and pushed to the back, respectively, and thus the attachment is completed. To detach the liquid cassettes 7B, 7C, 7M, and 7Y, which are containers, from the liquid cassette mounting section 6, the user puts a finger on a finger placing section, or the like of the front panel of the individual liquid cassettes 7B, 7C, 7M, and 7Y, and pulls the liquid cassettes 7B, 7C, 7M, and 7Y toward the user, respectively, and thus the liquid cassettes 7B, 7C, 7M, and 7Y can be detached from the liquid cassette mounting section 6 respectively.
D. Lock and Unlock Operations of Locking Mechanism (see
To move the locking mechanism 15 in the unlocked state illustrated in
On the other hand, to move the locking mechanism 15 in the locked state illustrated in
In a state in which the slide member 19 is in the lock position S1 as illustrated in
E. Access Cover Attachment Operation (see
To attach the access cover 13 to the front side of the liquid cassette mounting section 6, as illustrated in
In this state, the rotation free end of the access cover 13 is lowered to place the access cover 13 in a horizontal position. Then, the hinge pressing member 133 is pressed from above to locate the first spring acting portion 135 in the first recessed portion 127 and the second spring acting portion 137 in the second recessed portion 128. In this process, by the spring action of the first spring acting portion 135 and the second spring acting portion 137, the end portion 136 of the first spring acting portion 135 and the engagement groove 141 of the second spring acting portion 137 are displaced inward respectively, and thus the attachment of the hinge pressing member 133 is completed with a relatively small force.
Once the hinge pressing member 133 is attached, the locking action by the end portion 136 of the first spring acting portion 135 and the protrusion portion 127a of the first recessed portion 127, the holding action by the locking convex portion 142, which is provided in the base section of the first spring acting portion 135, and the horizontal pressing portion 139, and the engaging action by the engagement groove 141 of the second spring acting portion 137 and the second cover portion 132 work, and thus the secure fixation of the access cover 13 with respect to the liquid cassette mounting section 6 is provided, and the access cover 13 is not readily detached.
4. Structure and Operation of Urging Member According to Modification (see
The urging member 93 for smoothing the swing of the swing link plate 91 in the unlocking direction −S may be, instead of the extension spring 94 illustrated in
The slide member 19 has a locking piece 153 having a hole 151 into which an end portion of the first locking portion 147 is installed. On the back side of the outer casing 2A of the liquid cassette mounting section 6, two bearing portions 157 and 158 for supporting an upper end and a lower end of a rotation shaft, that is, the straight portion 155 from the cranked portion to the tip portion, are disposed.
When the torsion spring 143 having such a structure is used as the urging member 93, the position of the locking piece 153 that locks the end portion of the first locking portion 147 is changed depending on the slide position of the slide member 19, and the urging state of the torsion spring 143 is changed. Specifically, in a state in which the first locking portion 147 is located on the unlock direction −S side from a neutral position at which the straight portion 155 of the second locking portion 149 and the first locking portion 147 are balanced as illustrated in
5. Operations and Effects of Printing Apparatus
In the printing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment having such a structure and configured to perform the operations, when the locking mechanism 15 is locked, the through hole 83 for attaching the lock 85 is located outside the outer casing 2, enabling the user to readily attach the lock 85. With the large and rigid swing link plate 91 having the long working length L, the position for operating the locking mechanism 15 and the lock position can be located apart, and thus the slide member 19 can be provided without preventing the opening and closing of the access cover 13, and a reliable and secure closed state of the access cover 13 can be maintained.
By the braking force generated by the compression coil springs 119 between the link arms 109 and the slide supporting point shafts 115, the braking ribs 121, and the washers 117, the impact noise generated in opening or closing the access cover 13 can be suppressed. With the main body hinge section 65 on the liquid cassette mounting section 6 side and the bearing structure 123 on the access cover 13 side, the access cover 13 can be readily attached and after the attachment, the secure hinge section can be provided.
With the adjusted height of the back side 13b of the access cover 13 and the guiding operation by the guide ribs 107 on the back side of the access cover 13, the liquid cassette 9B can be readily attached to the insertion slot 11B in the lower part. Furthermore, with the urging member 93, that is, the extension spring 94 between the swing link plate 91 and the top plate 10 of the liquid cassette mounting section 6, the swing link plate 91 can be smoothly swung in the unlock direction −S. When the torsion spring 143 is disposed between the slide member 19 and the outer casing 2, an unstable movement of the swing link plate 91 that will occur around the middle position in the swing range of the swing link plate 91 can be reduced.
The printing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure basically has the above-described structure; however, the structure may be partially modified or omitted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
For example, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present disclosure is not limited to the multifunction ink jet printer including the integrated printer body 4 and image reading apparatus 3 in the above-described embodiment; alternatively, a multifunction laser printer, a copying machine, or a single printing apparatus not having the image reading apparatus 3 and having only the printer body 4 may be employed. The print-related component Q is not limited to the liquid storage pack Q storing liquid such as ink, and may be a liquid cartridge or a liquid tank storing similar liquid. In addition, the print-related component Q may include various components relating to printing such as a medium P for printing, a waste liquid tank for collecting liquid such as ink not used in printing, and other replacement parts to be replaced necessary for printing in the printer body 4.
The structure having the different widths W in the opening 17 on the unlock position S2 side and the lock position S1 side is not limited to the structure having the opening 17 provided with the ribs 71; alternatively, the shape of the opening 17 may be a shape having different shapes on the unlock position S2 side and the lock position S1 side. Furthermore, the locking mechanism 15 may include only the slide member 19 and the restriction portion 21 without the link mechanism 87. In such a case, an engaging portion, or, for example, a lock operation portion 159 illustrated in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2018-223237 | Nov 2018 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060056901 | Shiraishi | Mar 2006 | A1 |
| 20180178569 | Tamai | Jun 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| H08-339240 | Dec 1996 | JP |
| 2018-103528 | Jul 2018 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200171864 A1 | Jun 2020 | US |
