Patent Grant
9834001
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.
2. Related Art
In the related art, as one type of recording apparatus, an ink jet type printer has been known which performs printing by ejecting an ink onto a sheet through a recording head. In this ink jet type printer, in order to continuously and stably supply the ink to a printer head when a relatively large amount of printing is performed, a configuration has been proposed which includes an external ink supply device (liquid supply device) in a body separated from a main apparatus body of the ink jet type printer (for example, refer to JP-A-2009-202346).
This liquid supply device is provided with an ink pack (liquid container) having large containing capacity. The ink is supplied from the liquid supply device to an ink tank inside a main body of the printer, and the ink is supplied from the ink tank to the printer head.
However, since the external ink supply device as described above is arranged in the body completely separated from the main apparatus body of the ink jet type printer, there is a problem in that a large installation space is required. There is also a problem in that the ink pack of the external ink supply device is held in an unstable state.
An advantage of some aspect of the invention is to provide a recording apparatus which can be installed without increasing an installation space thereof, even in a case of an ink jet type printer using an ink pack having large containing capacity, and which enables an external ink supply device to be installed in a stabilized posture.
The invention can be realized in the following forms or application examples.
According to this application example, there is provided a recording apparatus including a recording head that can eject a liquid onto a recording medium, a transport unit that transports the recording medium to the recording head, a housing that contains the recording head and the transport unit, a liquid container that contains the liquid, a holder that is arranged on an outer surface of both sides which are adjacent to an outer surface having an insertion port of the housing, and a supply unit that supplies the liquid into the housing from the liquid container. Each holder has a bottom portion, and is arranged so that the bottom portion is positioned higher than a bottom surface of the housing.
According to the application example, the holders each have the bottom portion, and is arranged so that the bottom portion is positioned higher than the bottom surface of the housing. In this manner, it is possible to install even a recording apparatus using the liquid container having large containing capacity, without increasing an installation space for the recording apparatus.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the same number of the liquid containers may be respectively held by the holder arranged on both sides.
According to the application example, the lateral weight balance of the recording apparatus is improved. Application Example 3
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the liquid containers having different numbers may be respectively held by the holder arranged on both sides.
According to the application example, depending on types of the liquid, it is possible to change the containing capacity of the liquid which can be supplied to the recording head.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the multiple liquid containers may be held, and at least one liquid container within the multiple liquid containers may have containing capacity different from that of the other liquid container.
According to the application example, depending on types of the liquid, it is possible to change the containing capacity of the liquid which can be supplied to the recording head.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the multiple liquid containers may include a liquid container containing at least a black liquid, and the liquid container containing the black liquid may have containing capacity larger than that of the other liquid container.
According to the application example, it is possible to supply more of the black liquid which is frequently used.
The recording apparatus according to this application example may further include a recording medium holding unit that is inserted into the housing and holds the recording medium, and the insertion port that is formed on an outer surface of the housing and into which the recording medium holding unit is inserted.
According to the application example, the recording medium holding unit is detachably attached to the housing.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the liquid container may be a flexible container.
According to the application example, the liquid container contracts in response to the consumption of the liquid. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from not being supplied to the recording head side, which is caused by a negative pressure inside the container in response to the consumption of the liquid.
The recording apparatus according to this application example may further include an image forming apparatus that is arranged on the housing and has a reading device having a reading surface for reading a medium. An upper surface of the holder may be arranged so as to be aligned with the reading surface of the image forming apparatus in height.
According to the application example, documents are supported on the holder without being partially caught by the side surface of the holder.
According to this application example, there is provided a recording apparatus including a recording head that can eject a liquid onto a recording medium, a recording medium holding unit that holds the recording medium, a transport unit that transports the recording medium to the recording head, a housing that contains the recording head and the transport unit and into which the recording medium holding unit is inserted, an insertion port that is formed on an outer surface of the housing and into which the recording medium holding unit is inserted, a liquid container that contains the liquid, a holder that is arranged on at least one outer surface adjacent to an outer surface having the insertion port of the housing and that holds the liquid container, a supply unit that supplies the liquid into the housing from the liquid container, and an external recording medium holding unit that is arranged below the housing and is different from the recording medium holding unit. The holder has a bottom portion, and is arranged so that the bottom portion is positioned lower than a bottom surface of the housing.
According to the application example, the holder has the bottom portion, and the bottom portion is arranged so as to be positioned lower than the bottom surface of the housing. In this manner, even when the liquid container is increased in size or even when the number of the liquid containers is increased, it is possible to suppress an increase in size of the recording apparatus which is caused by the increased size of the holder for holding the liquid container.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the bottom portion of the holder may be arranged so as to be positioned higher than a bottom surface of the external recording medium holding unit.
According to the application example, it is possible to decrease the installation area of the recording apparatus.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the bottom portion of the holder may be arranged so as to be positioned by coinciding with a bottom surface of the external recording medium holding unit.
According to the application example, it is possible to increase a volume of the holder. Therefore, it is possible to provide a large liquid container or to increase the number of the liquid containers.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the multiple external recording medium holding units may be provided, and the bottom portion of the holder may be arranged so as to be positioned higher than the bottom surface of the lowermost external recording medium holding unit.
According to the application example, it is possible to decrease the installation area of the recording apparatus.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the multiple external recording medium holding units may be provided, and the bottom portion of the holder may be arranged so as to be positioned by coinciding with the bottom surface of the lowermost external recording medium holding unit.
According to the application example, it is possible to increase the volume of the holder. Therefore, it is possible to provide the large liquid container or to increase the number of the liquid containers.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the holder may be arranged on an outer surface of both sides which are adjacent to an outer surface having the insertion port of the housing, and the bottom portion of at least any one holder may be arranged so as to be positioned lower than the bottom surface of the housing.
According to the application example, it is possible to increase the volume of the both side holders. Therefore, it is possible to provide the large liquid container or to increase the number of the liquid containers.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, a finger hooking portion which holds the recording apparatus may be formed on the bottom surface of the housing which is positioned below the holder, and the holder may not be arranged at a position of the finger hooking portion.
According to the application example, it is possible to grasp the finger hooking portion in a state where the holder is mounted on the housing.
The recording apparatus according to this application example may further include a reading unit that reads an image drawn on a document mounted on a document table. The uppermost position of the holder may be lower than the position of the document table.
According to the application example, operability is good when a user mounts a document on the reading unit or when a document is removed from the reading unit.
According to this application example, there is provided a recording apparatus including a recording head that can eject a liquid onto a recording medium, a recording medium holding unit that holds the recording medium, a transport unit that transports the recording medium to the recording head, a housing that contains the recording head and the transport unit, and into which the recording medium holding unit is inserted, an insertion port that is formed on a side surface of the housing and into which the recording medium holding unit is inserted, a liquid container that contains the liquid, a holder that is detachably attached to at least one side surface adjacent to the side surface having the insertion port of the housing, and that stores the liquid container, a support stand that is arranged below the housing and supports the housing; and a supply unit that supplies the liquid into the housing from the liquid container. The holder is arranged over the housing and the support stand.
According to the application example, the recording apparatus includes the support stand which is arranged below the housing and supports the housing, and the holder is arranged over the housing and the support stand. In this manner, it is possible to increase the vertical length of the holder. Therefore, it is possible to increase a liquid containing amount of the liquid container contained inside the holder, and it is possible to decrease the length of the width or the depth in the holder. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the increase in size of the overall recording apparatus including the holder.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, an extension portion extending further outward from a position of the side surface of the housing may be integrally formed in the support stand, and the extension portion supports the holder.
According to the application example, the holder can be fixed to the housing via the extension portion. Therefore, the holder and the housing are integrated with each other.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the holder may be arranged on both sides, the extension portion may extend further outward from the position of the side surface on both sides of the housing, and a bottom portion of the holder arranged on both sides may be supported by the extension portion.
According to the application example, both side holders can be fixed to the housing via the extension portion. Therefore, the holders and the housing are integrated with each other.
In the recording apparatus according to this application example, the holder may be arranged on both sides, a bottom portion of one holder between the holders respectively arranged on both sides may be supported by the extension portion, and a support which supports the bottom portion of the other holder may be arranged on a lower side of the other holder.
According to the application example, one holder is supported by the extension portion in the support stand for supporting the housing. Therefore, one holder can be fixed to the housing, and the other holder is supported by the support to be installed in a stabilized posture.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a recording apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in
The reading unit 13 has a reading surface 13a which reads the document G on an upper end thereof. An automatic document feeder 16 is arranged on the reading unit 13 so as to be capable of opening/closing the reading surface 13a. The automatic document feeder 16 sequentially feeds the multiple stacked documents G onto the reading surface 13a while reversing the documents G one by one.
As illustrated in
The ink supply device 15 includes multiple (four in the present embodiment) ink containers 17 having a substantially rectangular shape which serve as an example of a liquid container containing the ink, and a case 18 which serves as an example of a holder holding the respective ink containers 17. The case 18 includes a container body 20 having a bottomed rectangular box shape which has an opening 19 for containing the respective ink containers 17 on an upper end and is long in a longitudinal direction, and a lid body 21 covering the opening 19 so as to be openable and closeable. Both of the container body 20 and the lid body 21 are configured to have a synthetic resin material.
Four ink containers 17 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction inside the container body 20. These four ink containers 17 respectively contain a cyan ink, a magenta ink, a yellow ink and a black ink, sequentially from a rear side to a front side. In this case, the ink container 17 of the black ink frequently used is arranged on the front most side inside the container body 20.
The case 18 is detachably attached to a left side surface of the printing unit 12 (main apparatus body 14) so that an upper surface of the case 18 is aligned with the reading surface 13a in height in a state where the lid body 21 is closed. Here, in the specification, the description of “aligned in height” means that heights are the same as each other, and in addition, also includes a case where a difference in the heights falls within 2 cm. Then, in the embodiment, the height of the case 18 is lower than the height of the reading surface 13a by 5 mm.
As illustrated in
A recording head 28 ejecting the ink is supported inside the carriage 27 so as to be exposed from a lower surface of the carriage 27. The recording head 28 opposes the transport path 26. Then, the recording head 28 ejects the ink through multiple nozzles (not illustrated) onto the sheet P transported on the transport path 26 from a rear side to a front side while the carriage 27 moves in the lateral direction, thereby performing printing on the sheet P.
In a lower side of the transport path 26 inside the housing 25, an opening 30 is disposed in a central lower portion of a front surface of the housing 25. The opening 30 is an insertion port through which a sheet cassette 29 serving as a recording medium holding unit which can contain the multiple sheets P in a stacked state is detachably attached to the housing 25. The sheet P inside the sheet cassette 29 is fed on the transport path 26 from the rear side by a sheet feeding mechanism (not illustrated) while being reversed one by one.
Then, the sheet P printed on the transport path 26 is sequentially discharged through a sheet discharge port 31 which is configured to be positioned at a further upper side region than the sheet cassette 29 in the opening 30. On an upper side of the sheet cassette 29, a sheet discharge tray 32 which sequentially supports the sheet P sequentially discharged from the sheet discharge port 31 is disposed in a stretchable manner in the longitudinal direction.
As illustrated in
The respective ink supply needles 35 extend in the longitudinal direction and penetrate a side wall of the holder case 34. One end side of a flexible ink supply tube 36 is connected to a rear end portion of each of the ink supply needles 35, and the other end side of the ink supply tube 36 is connected to the recording head 28. The printing unit 12 of the embodiment is configured so that the cyan ink, the magenta ink, the yellow ink, and the black ink are respectively supplied to these four ink supply needles 35 sequentially from the left side to the right side.
Then, based on colors of the ink, an arrangement order of the respective ink supply needles 35 from the left side to the right side in the holder case 34 is the same as an arrangement order of the respective ink containers 17 from the rear side to the front side inside the container body 20. Furthermore, the respective ink containers 17 and the respective ink supply needles 35 are connected to each other by flexible connection tubes 37 serving as an example of a flow path member configuring a portion of the ink supply device 15, so as to correspond to the supplied ink of each color.
A valve body (not illustrated) is disposed in an upper portion of the ink container 17. The valve body is operated by being rotated in a direction of pressing a cap 87 downward, thereby allowing a communicating state between an interior of the ink container 17 and the connection tube 37.
Therefore, the respective inks supplied to the respective ink supply needles 35 from the respective ink containers 17 of the ink supply device 15 via the respective connection tubes 37 are supplied to the recording head 28 via the ink supply tubes 36.
Next, a configuration of the case 18 will be described in detail.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Then, the opening 19 is disposed on a side opposing the bottom wall 49. That is, the opening 19 opposes the bottom wall 49, and is formed above the bottom wall 49 in a gravitational direction. Then, in the embodiment, the right side wall 45, the left side wall 46, the rear side wall 47, and the front side wall 48 respectively configure a first side wall, a second side wall, a third side wall, and a fourth side wall. A distance between the right side wall 45 and the left side wall 46 in the container body 20 is shorter than a width of an upper end side (one end side) of the ink container 17.
The container body 20 includes a bottom wall forming member 50 having a bottomed rectangular box shape which forms the bottom wall 49, a right side wall forming member 51 which forms the right side half of the side wall and has a plate shape curved in a substantially U-shape, a left side wall forming member 52 which forms the left side half of the side wall and has a plate shape curved in a substantially U-shape, and a rectangular frame-shaped edge member 53 where a lower side configuring an peripheral edge portion of the opening 19 is an opened hollow portion.
Then, the container body 20 is configured by combining the right side wall forming member 51 serving as an example of a division member, and the left side wall forming member 52 serving as an example of a division member. That is, the side wall of the container body 20 is configured by combining the right side wall forming member 51 and the left side wall forming member 52 which are two division members divided laterally.
A vertical width of the left side wall forming member 52 is slightly wider than a vertical width of the right side wall forming member 51. Therefore, steps 54 are respectively formed at a position corresponding to a contact portion between the left side wall forming member 52 and the right side wall forming member 51 in a lower end portion of the edge member 53 and an upper end portion of the bottom wall forming member 50.
The left side wall forming member 52 is configured to have a transparent synthetic resin material. Therefore, the respective ink containers 17 contained inside the container body 20 are visibly checked through the left side wall forming member 52 from the outside of the container body 20.
As illustrated in
Right recesses 56 serving as an example of a support portion supporting the ink container 17 in a support member 92 (to be described later, refer to
Cut-out portions 57 serving as an example of an insertion portion extending upward from the lower end are formed in the vicinity of a right front corner portion on the rear side surface in the respective right protruding portion 55 and the right inner side surface of the edge member 53. The connection tubes 37 of the respective ink containers 17 side can be respectively inserted into these four cut-out portions 57. The respective cut-out portions 57 are arranged so as to be equally spaced in the longitudinal direction.
A left protruding portion 58 protruding inward (rightward) is formed corresponding to the number of the ink containers 17 on a left inner side surface of the edge member 53. In the embodiment, the ink has four colors, and the ink container 17 arranged on the front most side does not need the left protruding portion 58. Accordingly, three left protruding portions 58 are formed. The respective left protruding portions 58 are arranged at positions slightly shifted forward from the respective right protruding portions 55 in the longitudinal direction. The respective left protruding portions 58 are arranged so as to be equally spaced in the longitudinal direction. The respective left protruding portions 58 form a substantially lidded triangular box shape whose lower side is opened. In this case, the respective left protruding portions 58 form a substantially triangular shape when viewed from above. Between two sides of the protruding triangular shape, the rear side is longer than the front side.
Left recesses 59 serving as an example of a support portion supporting the ink container 17 in the support member 92 (to be described later, refer to
As illustrated in
In this case, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
In a state where the ink supply device 15 is attached thereto, the housing side insertion hole 64 is not exposed. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress degradation in appearance of the printer 11.
As illustrated in
These four ribs are configured so that front ends thereof are aligned with each other, and serve as a first rib 66, a second rib 67, a third rib 68, and a fourth rib 69, sequentially from below to above. The length of the first rib 66 in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the second rib 67, and the length of the second rib 67 in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the third rib 68. The length of the third rib 68 in the longitudinal direction is the same as the length of the fourth rib 69.
In the rear end of the first rib 66, the second rib 67, and the third rib 68, the first tongue-piece portion 70, the second tongue-piece portion 71, and the third tongue-piece portion 72 which serve as an example of a plate-shaped support portion largely and horizontally protruding further inward (leftward) than these ribs 66 to 68 are respectively formed integrally with each other. The first to third tongue-piece portions 70 to 72 suppress the hanging-down of the respective connection tubes 37 by supporting the end portion of the respective ink containers 17 side in the respective connection tubes 37. The respective tongue-piece portions 70 to 72 are arranged so as to be equally spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction, and the width in the lateral direction becomes wider as it goes rearward. In this case, the respective tongue-piece portions 70 to 72 are arranged so as to correspond to the respective right protruding portions 55 (refer to
Between the first tongue-piece portion 70 and the container side insertion hole 61 in the longitudinal direction of the upper end portion of the inner side surface of the right side wall forming member 51, a pair of through-holes 77 serving as an example of a supplement portion is formed so as to interpose the first to fourth ribs 66 to 69 therebetween in the vertical direction. Between the first tongue-piece portion 70 and the second tongue-piece portion 71 in the longitudinal direction of the upper end portion of the inner side surface of the right side wall forming member 51, a pair of through-holes 77 is formed so as to interpose the second to fourth ribs 67 to 69 therebetween in the vertical direction.
Between the second tongue-piece portion 71 and the third tongue-piece portion 72 in the longitudinal direction of the upper end portion of the inner side surface of the right side wall forming member 51, a pair of through-holes 77 is formed so as to interpose the third rib 68 and the fourth rib 69 therebetween in the vertical direction. A wire 78 is caused to pass through the respective pair of through-holes 77 so as to form an annular shape, and end portions of the wire 78 are connected to each other. In this manner, the respective connection tubes 37 are reliably held.
Next, a configuration of the ink container will be described in detail. As illustrated in
The ink bag 90 is formed by welding peripheral edges of two flexible films 90a in a state where a cylindrical ink outlet portion (not illustrated) is interposed between the outer peripheral edges of the two rectangular-shaped flexible films 90a. That is, the ink bag 90 is a bag body configured to have the flexible films 90a serving as two opposing flexible walls, and is formed so that the two opposing flexible films 90a are caused to come close to each other by consumption of the ink contained inside thereof. In the embodiment, a flexible portion is configured to have the two flexible films 90a configuring the ink bag 90.
In this manner, the ink bag 90 contracts in response to the consumption of the ink. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink from not being supplied to the recording head 28 side, which is caused by a negative pressure inside the ink bag 90 in response to the consumption of the ink.
The support member 92 of the respective ink containers 17 includes a first support member 105 and a second support member 106 which are attached to an upper end portion of the ink bag 90 so as to mutually interpose the upper end portion therebetween. Cylindrical-shaped convex portions 123 inserted into an ink bag through-hole (not illustrated) formed in the ink bag 90 are respectively protruded in both end portions in the second support member 106. An engagement cut-out recess 130 engaging with the convex portion 123 inserted into the ink bag through-hole is formed in the second support member 106.
Next, an operation when the respective ink containers 17 internally filled with the ink are set in the case 18 will be described. As illustrated in
Then, both end portions of the first support member 105 are respectively inserted into the cut-out recess 56a (refer to
In the respective ink containers 17, the lower end of the ink bag 90 is lowered (illustrated by the two-dot chain line in
Then, as illustrated in
Then, if the inks of the respective ink containers 17 are consumed by the printing of the sheet P, the ink bag 90 of the respective ink containers 17 is gradually deflated in response to the consumption of the inks. At this time, since the left side wall forming member 52 configuring the container body 20 of the case 18 is transparent, a deflated condition (displacement state) of the ink bag 90 of the respective ink containers 17 inside the case 18 is visibly checked from outside of the case 18 through the left side wall forming member 52 without opening the lid body 21.
In this case, in particular, the left side wall forming member 52 occupies not only the majority of the left side surface of the container body 20, but also the majority of the left half on the front side surface and the rear side surface of the container body 20. The respective ink containers 17 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction so as to be parallel to each other in a state of being tilted so that the left side ink container is positioned at the further front side than the right side ink container inside the case 18.
Therefore, the deflated condition of the ink bag 90 of all the ink containers 17 inside the case 18 is visibly checked from the front side of the case 18 (from outside of the case 18). Accordingly, it is possible to estimate the replacement time for the respective ink containers based on the deflated condition of the ink bag 90 in the respective ink containers 17.
The above-described printer 11 includes the recording head 28 which can eject the ink onto the sheet P, the transport unit which transports the sheet P to the recording head 28, the housing 25 which contains the recording head 28 and the transport unit, the case 18 which is arranged on the outer side surface of the housing 25 so that the bottom wall forming member 50 is positioned higher than the bottom surface of the housing 25, and which serves as the holder for holding the ink container 17 containing the ink, and the supply unit (connection tube 37) which supplies the ink from the ink container 17 to the recording head 28.
According to this configuration, there is provided the case 18 which is arranged on the outer side surface of the housing 25 so that the bottom wall forming member 50 is positioned higher than the bottom surface of the housing 25, and which holds the ink container 17 containing the ink. In this manner, it is possible to install even the printer 11 using the ink container 17 having the large containing capacity without increasing the installation space for the printer 11.
In the present embodiment, the ink supply device 15 having the case 18 is provided on the left side surface (one outer side adjacent to the outer side surface having the opening 30 which is the insertion port of the housing 25) of the main apparatus body 14. However, the ink supply device may be provided which has the case holding the ink container 17 on the right side surface (the other outer side adjacent to the outer side surface having the opening 30) of the main apparatus body 14.
At least one ink container 17 out of the multiple ink containers 17 may have the containing capacity different from that of the other ink container 17. According to this configuration, depending on types of the liquid, it is possible to change the containing capacity of the liquid which can be supplied to the recording head.
For example, the multiple ink containers 17 include the ink container 17 containing at least the black ink, and the ink container 17 containing the black ink has the containing capacity larger than that of the other ink container 17. According to this configuration, it is possible to supply the recording head 28 with the more of the black ink frequently used.
The bottom wall forming member 50 of the case 18 may be arranged at a position higher than the bottom surface of the housing 25 by 50 mm. In this manner, in a state where the recording media such as the sheets are stacked one on another up to less than 50 mm, the recording media can be partially placed on the lower portion of the case 18 by being stacked thereon. Therefore, the installation area for the printer 11 including the recording media placed on the left side of the main apparatus body 14 can be reduced.
In the ink container 17, both end portions of the support member 92 are not necessarily supported and suspended by the right recess 56 and the left recess 59 of the case 18. That is, the ink container 17 may be contained in a state of being placed on the inner bottom surface of the case 18. In this case, the inner bottom surface (bottom wall 49) of the case 18 functions as a support portion for supporting the ink container 17.
A hard support portion having a shape which can be supported by the right recess 56 and the left recess 59 of the case 18 may be disposed in the upper end portion (one end side which is the cap 87 side) of the ink bag 90 of the ink container 17, as a liquid container support portion instead of the support member 92. According to this configuration, the ink container 17 can be handled by gripping the support portion. Therefore, it is possible to easily attach and detach the ink container 17 to and from the right recess 56 and the left recess 59 of the case 18.
The ink container 17 is not necessarily supported by the right recess 56 and the left recess 59 of the case 18 via the support member 92. The distance between the right side wall 45 and the left side wall 46 in the case 18 is not necessarily shorter than the width of the ink container 17.
The case 18 holds the multiple ink containers 17 so as not to be overlapped with each other in the height direction of the housing 25. In this manner, the ink containers 17 do not get affected by each other, and the ink can be fully used up.
The case 18 does not necessarily have the transparent left side wall forming member 52 through which the deflated condition of the ink bag 90 in response to the consumption of the ink inside the ink container 17 is visibly checked. The opening 19 of the case 18 is not necessarily disposed in the upper end of the container body 20, and may be disposed on a side surface of the container body 20.
The lid body 21 of the case 18 may be omitted. The ink bag 90 is not necessarily configured to entirely have the flexible film 90a. That is, the ink bag 90 may be configured to have a flexible portion, a portion of which is formed of a flexible material. The material configuring the flexible portion of the ink bag 90 may be transparent or opaque.
The side wall of the container body 20 of the case 18 is not necessarily configured by assembling the right side wall forming member 51 and the left side wall forming member 52 which are laterally divided. That is, the side wall of the container body 20 may be configured by assembling three or more divided members, or may be configured to have one undivided member.
The through-hole 77 formed in the container body 20 of the case 18 may be omitted. The cut-out portion 57 disposed in the edge member 53 of the case 18 may be omitted. Instead of the cut-out portion 57, a hole into which the connection tube 37 can be inserted may be disposed in the edge member 53 of the case 18 as an insertion portion. The right side wall forming member 51 and the left side wall forming member 52 which configure the container body 20 may have a plate shape which is bent in an L-shape.
The color of the respective caps 87 may be matched with the color of the ink contained in the respective ink containers 17 corresponding to the respective caps 87. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the cap 87 from being erroneously connected to the ink container 17.
In the printer 11, the case 18 is not necessarily detachably attached to the printing unit 12 of the main apparatus body 14. That is, the case 18 may be fixedly attached to the printing unit 12 of the main apparatus body 14.
In the printer 11, the height of the case 18 is not necessarily set to be lower than the height of the reading surface 13a. That is, the height of the case 18 may be set to be the same as the height of the reading surface 13a, or may be set to be higher than the height of the reading surface 13a.
Next, an operation when the document G larger than the reading surface 13a is read by the reading unit 13 of the printer 11 will be described.
As illustrated in
At this time, the height of the case 18 is aligned with the height of the reading surface 13a. That is, the height of the case 18 is lower than the height of the reading surface 13a by 5 mm.
Therefore, the document G is supported on the case 18 without being partially caught on the side surface of the case 18. Then, if the reading unit 13 is operated in a state where the automatic document feeder 16 is closed, the region on the reading surface 13a in the document G is read.
In this manner, the portion of the document G which protrudes from the reading surface 13a is partially supported by the case 18. Accordingly, the position of the document G is stabilized, thereby enabling the reading unit 13 to accurately read the document G.
The above-described embodiment may be modified to another embodiment as follows.
As illustrated in
According to this configuration, it is possible to increase the containing capacity of the respective ink containers 17 containing the cyan ink, the magenta ink, and the yellow ink which are contained in the right side ink supply device 15b. The ink container 17a containing only the black ink is arranged in the left side ink supply device 15a. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the containing capacity of the ink container 17a containing the black ink which is frequently used.
On the other hand, the ink supply device containing the ink containers 17 respectively containing the cyan ink, the magenta ink, and the yellow ink may be arranged on the left side, and the ink supply device containing the ink container 17a containing the black ink may be arranged on the right side. The outer diameter dimensions in the ink supply device 15a and the ink supply device 15b may be substantially the same as each other, or may be different from each other.
The ink supply devices 15a and 15b are respectively attached to the left side wall and the right side wall of the printing unit 12 so that the bottom wall forming member 50 is positioned higher than the printing unit 12. In this manner, the ink supply devices 15a and 15b are arranged in a state where similar to the bottom wall forming member 50 in
The ink may be supplied from the ink supply device 15 to the recording head 28 contained inside the housing of the printing unit 12 via the connection tube 37 passing through a gap formed by the cut-out portion 330.
As illustrated in
According to this configuration, the housing 25 or the cover 33 does not need to be processed. The ink is supplied from the ink container 17 arranged outside the housing 25 to the recording head 28 contained inside the housing 25.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In this manner, there is no possibility that the connection tube 37 may be deformed by being interposed and pressed between the reading unit 13 and the housing 25. Accordingly, there is no possibility that the flow of the ink inside the connection tube 37 may be suppressed.
A lid body 21a and a container body 20a which configure the case 18a are configured to be laterally symmetric with the lid body 21 and the container body 20 which configure the case 18. That is, a left side wall forming member 51a, a right side wall forming member 52a, and a bottom wall forming member 50a which configure the container body 20a are configured to be laterally symmetric with the right side wall forming member 51, the left side wall forming member 52, and the bottom wall forming member 50 which configure the container body 20.
Similar to the left side wall forming member 52, the right side wall forming member 52a is configured to have a transparent synthetic resin material. Therefore, the respective ink containers 17 contained inside the container body 20a are visibly checked from outside of the container body 20a through the right side wall forming member 52a.
Similar to the ink supply device 15, the ink supply device 15c is attached to the right side wall of the main apparatus body 14 so that the bottom wall forming member 50a is positioned higher than the bottom surface of the main apparatus body 14.
The configuration of arranging the container bodies 20 and 20a on both sides of the main apparatus body 14 can increase the number of the ink containers 17. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the containing capacity for the ink. Furthermore, since the ink containers 17 containing the ink with the ink colors of light cyan and light magenta can be arranged, it is possible to increase the number of the ink colors.
The ink containers 17 may be held in the container bodies 20 and 20a arranged on both sides of the main apparatus body 14 so as to respectively have the same number of the ink containers 17. According to this configuration, the lateral weight balance of the printer 11 is improved.
Multiple ink containers 17 may be held in one container body 20 (20a), and the containing capacity of at least one ink container 17 out of the multiple ink containers 17 may be different from that of the other ink container 17. According to this configuration, depending on each color of the ink (types of the liquid), it is possible to change the containing capacity of the ink which can be supplied to the recording head 28.
In the cover 152 of
The front surface portion 151a of the cover 151 covers the right half of the front surface of the containing box 154, and the rear surface portion 151b of the cover 151 covers the right half of the rear surface of the containing box 154. The containing box 154 having a rectangular box shape which contains the ink container 17 is disposed inside the covers 151 and 152. The containing box 154 functions as a holder for holding the ink container 17.
The cover 152 has the upper portion 152c of the containing box 154 in a closed state, the side surface portion 152b which is connected from the upper portion 152c to the lower portion, the front surface portion 152a, and the rear surface portion 152d, and is provided so as to be pivotally movable with respect to the containing box 154.
According to this configuration, when the cover 152 is in an opened state, a range for exposing the containing box 154 is increased. In this manner, the relevant work is facilitated when the ink container 17 is contained in the containing box 154 or when the ink container 17 is removed from the containing box 154.
Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to the drawings.
The reading unit 413 is arranged on the printing unit 412. A document table (not illustrated) formed of a transparent plate-shaped member such as glass is provided in the reading unit 413, and thus, it is possible to read the document G mounted on the document table. An automatic document feeder 416 connected to an upper end portion on a rear surface of the reading unit 413 via a hinge portion (not illustrated) is arranged on the reading unit 413. The automatic document feeder 416 can read the document G by sequentially feeding the document G onto a reading window (not illustrated) formed of a transparent plate-shaped member such as the glass while reversing multiple stacked documents G one by one.
A sheet cassette 429 is disposed in an opening 430 formed on the front surface side of the housing 425 so as to be inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction. The opening 430 is an insertion port through which the sheet cassette 429 is detachably attached to the housing 425. A sheet discharge tray 432 is disposed on an upper side of the sheet cassette 429 so as to be stretchable in the longitudinal direction.
Multiple sheets in a stacked state are mounted on the sheet cassette 429. The sheets mounted on the sheet cassette 429 are supplied into the housing 425 one by one, and the printed sheet is discharged from a sheet discharge port 431 to be mounted on the sheet discharge tray 432.
An additional cassette unit 541 is provided under the housing 425. A sheet cassette 540 which can be inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction is disposed in the additional cassette unit 541.
A configuration of a case 418 of the ink supply devices 415a and 415b will be described in detail. A lid body 421 of the case 418 is configured so that a container body 420 side is open, and forms a bottomed rectangular box shape which is long in the longitudinal direction and is shallower than the container body 420. The lid body 421 is connected to an upper end portion on a rear surface of the container body 420 via a hinge portion (not illustrated). Therefore, when opened and closed, the lid body 421 is pivotally moved about the hinge portion serving as the fulcrum. That is, the lid body 421 is opened from the front side of the container body 420, and is closed on the front side of the container body 420.
The container body 420 includes a bottom wall forming member 450 having a bottomed rectangular box shape, an inner side wall forming member 451 which forms the inner half of the side wall (half of the main apparatus body 414 side in the lateral direction) and has a plate shaped bent in a substantially U-shape, an outer side wall forming member 452 which forms the outer half of the side wall (half opposite side to the main apparatus body 414 side in the lateral direction) and has a plate shaped bent in a substantially U-shape, and an edge member 453 which configures a peripheral edge portion of the opening, is hollow, and forms a rectangular frame shape.
The container body 420 is configured by combining the inner side wall forming member 451 serving as an example of a divided member and the outer side wall forming member 452 serving as an example of a divided member. That is, the side wall of the container body 420 is configured by combining the inner side wall forming member 451 and the outer side wall forming member 452 which are two divided members.
A locking mechanism 422 is disposed on the front surface side of the lid body 421 and the edge member 453 of the ink supply devices 415a and 415b. The locking mechanism 422 can maintain a closed state of the lid body 421 with respect to the container body 420 by using a so-called padlock 460.
A broken line 413a indicates a position in the height direction of the document table on which the document G is mounted. In a closed state of the lid body 421, the ink supply devices 415a and 415b are provided so that a position of an upper end 421a of the lid body 421 is the same as a position of the broken line 413a of a reading surface (document table) in the height direction, or is lower than a position of the broken line 413a.
This configuration allows a user to enjoy good operability in an operation where the user lifts up and pivotally moves the automatic document feeder 416 in
The ink bag 490 is formed by welding peripheral edges of two flexible films 490a in a state where a cylindrical ink outlet portion (not illustrated) is interposed between the peripheral edges of the two rectangular flexible films 490a.
The support member 492 of the ink containers 417a and 417b includes a first support member 505 and a second support member 506 which are attached to an upper end portion of the ink bag 490 so as to mutually interpose the upper end portion therebetween. Cylindrical convex portions 523 inserted into an ink bag through-hole (not illustrated) formed in the ink bag 490 are respectively protruded in both end portions in the second support member 506. Engagement cut-out recesses 530 respectively engaging with the convex portions 523 inserted into the ink bag through-hole are formed in the second support member 506.
The three ink containers 417b hold a protruding piece 522 in a recess (not illustrated) inside the container body 420 in a posture where the longitudinal direction of the first support member 505 is tilted to the lateral direction by a certain angle (for example, 30 degrees).
A valve body (not illustrated) is disposed in the upper portion of the ink containers 417a and 417b, the valve body is operated by rotating a cap 487 in a pressing-downward direction, thereby allowing a communication state between the inside of the ink containers 417a and 417b and connection tubes 437a and 437b.
A depth length in the case 418 of the ink supply device 415a is shorter than a depth length in the case 418 of the ink supply device 415b. Positions of the front surface side end portion of the ink supply device 415a and the ink supply device 415b are substantially the same as each other in the longitudinal direction. However, a position of the rear surface side of the ink supply device 415a is in front of a position of the rear surface side of the ink supply device 415b. Therefore, the ink supply device 415a is not arranged in the left side rear surface portion of the housing 425.
According to this configuration, a user can easily carry out connection work when a plug (not illustrated) for supplying AC power which is connected to a power code is connected to a plug receiver (not illustrated) disposed in the left side rear surface portion of the housing 425.
A width length L1 in the case 418 of the ink supply device 415a is shorter than a width length L2 in the case 418 of the ink supply device 415b, and a height dimension in the case 418 of the ink supply device 415a is shorter than a height dimension in the case 418 of the ink supply device 415b. In this way, the case 418 of the ink supply device 415a has a size different from that of the case 418 of the ink supply device 415b.
A recording head 428 ejecting the ink is supported inside the carriage 427 so as to be exposed from a lower surface of the carriage 427. The recording head 428 opposes the transport path 426. The recording head 428 ejects the ink through multiple nozzles (not illustrated), onto the sheet P which is transported from the rear side to the front side on the transport path 426 while the carriage 427 is moved in the lateral direction, thereby performing the printing on the sheet P.
A sheet cassette 429 is provided on the lower side of the transport path 426 inside the housing 425. The sheet P inside the sheet cassette 429 is fed from the rear side onto the transport path 426 by a sheet feeding mechanism (not illustrated) while being reversed one by one.
The sheet P printed on the transport path 426 is sequentially discharged from the sheet discharge port 431 in
A holder case 434 whose front side is open and which forms a rectangular box shape is disposed in a left end portion inside the housing 425. Four hollow ink supply needles (not illustrated) juxtaposed in the lateral direction are provided inside the holder case 434.
Each ink supply needle extends in the longitudinal direction and passes through a side wall of the holder case 434. One end side of a flexible ink supply tube 436 is connected to a rear end portion of each ink supply needle, and the other end side of the ink supply tube 436 is connected to the recording head 428.
One end side of one flexible connection tube 437a is connected to a front end portion of the ink supply needle, and the other end side of the connection tube 437a is connected to an ink container 417a contained in the ink supply device 415a (refer to
One end side of three flexible connection tubes 437b is connected to the front end portion of each ink supply needle, and the other end side of the connection tubes 437b is connected to each ink container 417b contained in the ink supply device 415b (refer to
A valve body (not illustrated) is disposed in an upper portion of the ink containers 417a and 417b. The valve body is operated by rotating a cap 487 in a pressing-down direction, thereby allowing a communication state between the inside of the ink containers 417a and 417b and the connection tubes 437a and 437b.
Therefore, a monochrome ink is supplied to the recording head 428 from the ink container 417a contained in the ink supply device 415a via the connection tube 437a, the ink supply needle, and the ink supply tube 436.
The color inks of the yellow ink, the magenta ink, and the cyan ink are respectively supplied to the recording head 428 from the ink containers 417b contained in the ink supply device 415b via the connection tube 437b, the ink supply needle, and the ink supply tube 436.
The sheet cassette 429 in the embodiment configures a recording medium holding unit, the ink containers 417a and 417b configure a liquid container, the case 418 configures a holder, and an additional cassette unit 541 configures an external recording medium holding unit.
As described above, the printer 411 of the embodiment includes the recording head 428 which can eject the ink onto the sheet P, the sheet cassette 429 which holds the sheet P, the transport unit which transports the sheet P to the recording head 428, the housing 425 which contains the recording head 428 and the transport unit and into which the sheet cassette 429 is inserted, the insertion port (opening 430) which is formed on the outer side surface of the housing 425 and into which the sheet cassette 429 is inserted, the ink containers 417a and 417b which contain the ink, the case 418 which is arranged on at least one outer side surface adjacent to the outer side surface having the opening 430 of the housing 425 and holds the ink container, and the supply unit (including at least the connection tubes 437a and 437b) which supplies the ink into the housing 425 from the ink container. The case 418 has a bottom portion 450a in
According to this configuration, even when the ink containers 417a and 417b are increased in size or the number of the ink containers 417a and 417b is increased, it is possible to suppress the increase in the size of the case 418 holding the ink containers 417a and 417b, and to suppress the increase in the size of the printer 411.
The bottom portion 450a of the case 418 is arranged so as to be positioned higher than the bottom surface of the additional cassette unit 541. This can decrease the installation area of the printer 411.
This can increase the containing capacity of the case 704. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the printer 700 with larger ink containers 417a and 417b (liquid containers), or to increase the number of the ink containers 417a and 417b.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
This configuration can increase the containing capacity of the case 707. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the printer 700b with larger ink containers 417a and 417b, or to increase the number of the ink containers 417a and 417b.
In the embodiment, the bottom portion 450a of both side cases 418 is arranged so as to be positioned lower than the bottom surface 425a of the housing 425. However, the bottom portion 450a of one side case 418 may be arranged so as to be positioned lower than the bottom surface 425a of the housing 425.
The sheet cassette 429 and the sheet cassette 540 in the embodiment have a containing size different from each other. In this manner, it is possible to respectively contain the sheets having different sizes.
The sheet cassette 429 and the sheet cassette 540 may have the same containing size. In this manner, it is possible to respectively contain the sheets having the same size.
In Embodiment 2, the case 418 has been described in which the pivotal axis of the lid body 421 is disposed on the rear surface side and the front surface side is open. However, in Embodiment 3, a case will be described in which the pivotal axis extending in the longitudinal direction is disposed in the lower portion of the lid body and the side surface side of the housing is open.
As illustrated in
A main apparatus body 603 is configured to have a reading unit 601 and a printing unit 602. An eaves portion 604 protruding rightward from a wall surface of a housing 605 containing the printing unit 602 is formed on a right side of the reading unit 601. That is, as illustrated in
In the lid body 608, the lower portion has a thickness thinner than that of the other portions, and the lid body 608 has a shape whose lower portion is narrowed. A convex portion 611 protruding outward in a convex shape from a narrowed wall surface 612 of the lid body 608 is formed in the lower portion of the narrowed lid body 608. A protruding amount of the convex portion is the same as that of the other region which is not narrowed. In other words, the narrowed region causes the convex portion to relatively have a protruding shape. A concave portion (not illustrated) formed along the shape of the convex portion 611 is formed on an inner side wall surface of the lower portion of the lid body 608. This enables the concave portion to hold one end side of the lower portion of the ink container (refer to
A transparent member 613 having transparency is disposed in the lid body 608. This functions as a window through which the ink container contained in the container body 607 is visibly checked. Therefore, deflated conditions of the ink bag of all the ink containers inside the case 609 are visibly checked from the front side of the case 609 (from outside of the transparent member 613). Therefore, based on the deflated conditions of the ink bag 490 of each ink container, it is possible to estimate the replacement time for each ink container.
An opening/closing lever 614 used when the lid body 608 is opened and closed is disposed in the lid body 608 in
A locking mechanism 615 which can maintain the lid body 608 to be in the closed state is provided in the lid body 608 and the container body 607.
A holding member 617 is provided in the upper portion of the lid body 608. A pivotal movement member 618 is provided in the holding member 617 so as to be pivotally movable. A lever 619 is provided in an end portion of the pivotal movement member 618. If a user inserts a key 621 into an opening of the pivotal movement member 618 and pivotally moves the key 621, the lever 619 is pivotally moved and engages with an engagement portion 620 disposed in the container body 607. In this manner, the lid body 608 is in a state of closing the container body 607.
An additional cassette unit 606 is provided below the housing 605, separately from a sheet cassette (not illustrated) removably inserted into an insertion port of the housing 605. The lower end portion of the case 609 is positioned at a position below a bottom surface 605a of the housing 605, and the lower end portion of the case 609 is positioned at a position above a bottom surface 606a of the additional cassette unit 606.
A concave finger hooking portion 622 which is long in the longitudinal direction is disposed in a right side corner portion of the bottom surface 606a of the additional cassette unit 606. The finger hooking portion 622 is disposed at a position which is not vertically overlapped with the lid body 608 and the container body 607. In a state where the ink supply device 610 is mounted on the housing 605, a user grips the finger hooking portion 622. In this manner, the user can move the printer by lifting up the printer 600 in a state of holding the additional cassette unit 606 and the main apparatus body 603 on which the additional cassette unit 606 is mounted. The finger hooking portion 622 is clearly shown. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent damage to the ink supply devices 615a and 615b which is caused by erroneous holding of the ink supply devices 615a and 615b when moved.
Embodiment 4 will be described with reference to the drawings.
The case 805 is detachably attached to a side surface 804c on the left side of a housing 804 in the main apparatus body, and the case 806 is detachably attached to a side surface 804b on the right side of the housing 804. An ink container 830 (refer to
The reading unit 802 is arranged on the printing unit 803. The reading unit 802 includes a document table (not illustrated) formed of a transparent plate-shaped member such as glass, and can read the document mounted on the document table. An automatic document feeder 828 connected to an upper end portion on a rear surface of the reading unit 802 via a hinge portion (not illustrated) is arranged on the reading unit 802. The automatic document feeder 828 can read the document by sequentially feeding the document onto a reading window (not illustrated) formed of a transparent plate-shaped member such as the glass while reversing multiple documents stacked on a document mounting unit one by one.
An opening 813 is formed on a side surface 804a on the front surface side of the housing 804. In a lower side region in the opening 813, a sheet cassette 812 serving as recording medium holding unit is removably inserted in the longitudinal direction. That is, the lower side region in the opening 813 serves as an insertion port for detachably attaching the sheet cassette 812 to the housing 804. A transport path 811 through which a sheet (not illustrated) printed inside the printing unit 803 is transported is disposed on the upper side of the sheet cassette 812. A sheet discharge port for the printed sheet is formed in an upper side region in the opening 813.
Multiple sheets in a stacked state are mounted on the sheet cassette 812. The sheets mounted on the sheet cassette 812 are supplied into the housing 804 one by one. The printed sheet is discharged from the sheet discharge port formed on the upper side in the opening 813, and is mounted on a sheet discharge tray (not illustrated).
An operation button 810 for switching on and off power or for setting printing conditions or reading conditions is provided on the front surface side of the main apparatus body. A display unit 819 configured to have a liquid crystal panel for displaying the printing conditions or the reading conditions is provided on the front surface side of the main apparatus body.
A support stand 890 is provided on the lower side of the housing 804 and the case 805 so as to be attachable to and detachable from the housing 804 and the case 805. The support stand 890 is configured to have a main body portion 890b and extension portion 890a extending leftward from the main body portion 890b. The main body portion 890b and the extension portion 890a are formed integrally with each other. The extension portion 890a extends further outward from a position of the side surface 804c of the housing 804.
The main body portion 890b is positioned on the lower side of the housing 804 to support the housing 804. The extension portion 890a is positioned on the lower side of the case 805 to support the case 805. A stepped portion is formed between the main body portion 890b and the extension portion 890a. The extension portion 890a is formed to be lower than the main body portion 890b.
Therefore, the position of the bottom surface of the case 805 is lower than the position of the bottom surface of the housing 804, and the position of the bottom surface of the case 805 is lower than the position of the upper end of the main body portion 890b in the support stand 890. That is, the case 805 is arranged over the housing 804 and the support stand 890.
A support 891 is provided on the lower side of the case 806 so as to be attachable to and detachable from the case 806. The support 891 is formed separately from the support stand 890. The height of the support surface of the support 891 is lower than that of the main body portion 890b. Therefore, the position of the bottom surface of the case 806 is lower than the position of the bottom surface of the housing 804, and the position of the bottom surface of the case 806 is lower than the position of the upper end of the main body portion 890b in the support stand 890. That is, the case 806 is arranged over the housing 804 and the support stand 890.
The position of the upper surface of the cases 805 and 806 is positioned at a position below the document table of the reading unit 802. In this manner, when a user pivotally moves the automatic document feeder 828 to leave the document table in an exposed state, and places the document on the document table, or removes the document from the document table, the cases 805 and 806 do not hinder the user.
A finger hooking portion 895 serving as a first finger hooking portion is formed in a left side bottom portion of the extension portion 890a. The finger hooking portion 895 is a cut-out portion which is cut out so that a corner portion of the bottom portion of the extension portion 890a extends to be long in the longitudinal direction. A user can put and hook the user's several fingers into the finger hooking portion 895 in a state where the user's palm faces upward.
A cut-out portion extending in the lateral direction is also formed in a front side bottom portion of the main body portion 890b of the support stand 890, thereby configuring a finger hooking portion 890c for hooking the user's fingers. A cut-out portion extending in the lateral direction is also formed in a rear side bottom portion of the main body portion 890b of the support stand 890, thereby configuring a finger hooking portion (not illustrated) for hooking the user's fingers.
A reversing unit (not illustrated) which reverses the sheet is provided in the printer 801. The sheet P inside the sheet cassette 812 provided on the lower side of the transport path 811 is fed from the rear side onto the transport path 811 while being reversed one by one by the reversing unit.
The printer 801 includes a transport unit configured to have a transport roller and a sheet feeding motor (both of these are not illustrated). The sheet P is transported from the rear side to the front side along the transport path 811 by the transport unit. The ink is ejected onto the transported sheet P through the recording head 820 which is provided in the carriage 821 and is reciprocally moved, thereby performing the printing on the sheet P.
As described above, the sheet P printed on the transport path 811 is sequentially discharged from a sheet discharge port configured to have a further upper side region from the sheet cassette 812 in the opening 813.
Four hollow ink supply needles (not illustrated) juxtaposed in the lateral direction are provided inside a holder case 824 whose front side is open and which forms a rectangular box shape.
Each ink supply needle extends in the longitudinal direction, and passes through a side wall of the holder case 824. One end side of a flexible ink supply tube 825 is connected to a rear end portion of each ink supply needle, and the other end side of the ink supply tube 825 is connected to the recording head 820.
One end side of one flexible connection tube 822 is connected to a front end portion of the ink supply needle, and the other end side of the connection tube 822 is connected to an ink container 830 contained in the case 805 (refer to
One end side of three flexible connection tubes 823 is connected to the front end portion of each ink supply needle, and the other end side of the connection tubes 823 is connected to each ink container 830 contained in the case 806 (refer to
The ink bag 833 is formed by welding peripheral edges of two flexible films in a state where a cylindrical ink outlet portion (not illustrated) is interposed between the peripheral edges of the two rectangular flexible films.
A valve body (not illustrated) is disposed in an upper portion of the ink container 830. The valve body is operated by rotating a cap 831 in a pressing-down direction, thereby allowing a communication state between the inside of the ink container 830 and connection tubes 822 and 823.
A monochrome ink is supplied to the recording head 820 from the ink container 830 contained in the case 805 in
A lid body 814 is provided so as to be pivotally movable in the arrow direction, about a pivotal axis 836 serving as a fulcrum, which is illustrated by a dashed line. The housing 804 side of the lid body 814 is opened, and the lid body 814 is pivotally moved from the state in
The protruding portion 891b serving as an engagement portion which protrudes from a side surface 891a of the support 891 is disposed on the housing 804 side of the support 891. A concave portion 890d recessed inward from the side surface 804b is formed in the main body portion 890b of the support stand 890.
The protruding portion 891b of the support 891 is inserted into and engages with the concave portion 890d, and the support 891 is fixed to the support stand 890 by an engagement member such as a screw (not illustrated). In the height direction, the position of the bottom surface of the support 891 is the same as the position of the bottom surface of the support stand 890.
As described above, the printer 801 of the embodiment includes the recording head 820 which can eject the ink onto the sheet P, the sheet cassette 812 which holds the sheet P, the transport unit which transports the sheet P to the recording head 820, the housing 804 which contains the recording head 820 and the transport unit and into which the sheet cassette 812 is inserted, the opening 813 which is formed on the side surface 804a of the housing 804 and into which the sheet cassette 812 is inserted, the ink container 830 which contains the ink, the cases 805 and 806 which are mounted on the side surfaces 804b and 804c adjacent to the side surface 804a having the opening 813 of the housing 804 so as to be attachable and detachable and store the ink container 830, the support stand 890 which is arranged below the housing 804 and supports the housing 804, and the supply unit (connection tubes 822 and 823) which supplies the ink into the housing 804 from the ink container 830. The cases 805 and 806 are arranged over the housing 804 and the support stand 890.
According to this configuration, the vertical length of the cases 805 and 806 can be lengthened. Therefore, it is possible to increase the ink containing capacity of the ink container 830 contained inside the cases 805 and 806, and it is possible to shorten the width length or the depth length of the cases 805 and 806. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in the overall size of the printer 801 including the cases 805 and 806.
The extension portion 890a extending outward from the position of the side surface 804c of the housing 804 is integrally formed in the support stand 890, and the extension portion 890a supports the case 805 from below. According to this configuration, the case 805 can be fixed to the housing 804 via the extension portion 890a. Therefore, the case 805 and the housing 804 are integrated with each other.
In the embodiment, the extension portion 890a extending to one side of the main body portion 890b is formed, but the extension portion extending both sides of the main body portion 890b may be formed. That is, the cases 805 and 806 may be respectively arranged on both sides of the housing 804, and the respective extension portions 890a may extend further outward from the position of the side surfaces 804b and 804c on both sides of the housing 804. In this manner, the bottom portion of the cases 805 and 806 respectively arranged on both sides may be configured to be supported by the extension portion.
According to this configuration, the cases 805 and 806 can be fixed to the housing 804 via the extension portion. Therefore, the cases 805 and 806, and the housing 804 are integrated with each other.
The cases 805 and 806 in
According to this configuration, the case 805 is supported by the extension portion 890a in the support stand 890 supporting the housing 804. Therefore, the case 805 can be fixed to the housing 804, and the case 806 is supported by the support 891, thereby being installed in a stabilized posture.
The support 891 in
If a usage amount of the monochrome ink contained in the ink container 830 inside the case 805 is less than a usage amount of the color ink contained in the ink container 830 inside the case 806, the case 805 supported by the extension portion 890a may be smaller than the case 806 supported by the support 891. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the increase in the size of the printer 801.
The finger hooking portion 895 is formed in the support stand 890. According to this configuration, in a state where the case 805 and the housing 804 are integrated with each other, a user grips the finger hooking portion 895 with the user's finger. In this manner, the user can move the printer by lifting up the printer 801.
The finger hooking portion 896 is formed in the support 891. The support 891 is fixed to the support stand 890. According to this configuration, in a state where the cases 805 and 806 and the housing 804 are integrated with each other, one or more users grip the finger hooking portions 895 and 896 by the user finger or the users fingers. In this manner, the user or the users can move the printer by lifting up the printer 801.
In the height direction, the position of the bottom surface of the support 891 is the same as the position of the bottom surface of the support stand 890. According to this configuration, the cases 805 and 806 on both sides and the housing 804 can be installed in a stabilized posture.
In the ink container 830, the ink bag 833 is configured to have the flexible film. According to this configuration, the ink bag 833 of the ink container 830 contracts in response to the consumption of the ink. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink from not being supplied to the recording head 820 due to the negative pressure generated inside the ink container 830.
In Embodiment 5, a printer will be described which includes a case on one side of the housing and does not include a case on the other side.
A monochrome liquid is contained in the ink container 830 contained in the case 805. According to this configuration, the printer 801a can be used as a dedicated printer using the monochrome ink. The other configurations of the printer 801a are the same as the configurations of the printer 801 which have been described in Embodiment 4.
A support stand 892 supporting the additional cassette unit 851 and a case 805a is provided so as to be attachable and detachable, on the lower side of the additional cassette unit 851 and the case 805a serving as a holder. The support stand 892 has a main body portion 892b and an extension portion 892a extending to the left side of the main body portion 892b, and these are formed integrally with each other. The extension portion 892a extends further outward from the position of the side surface 804c.
The main body portion 892b supports the additional cassette unit 851, and the extension portion 892a supports the case 805a. A stepped portion is formed between the main body portion 892b and the extension portion 892a. The extension portion 892a is positioned lower than the main body portion 892b. Therefore, the position of the bottom surface of the case 805a is lower than the position of the bottom surface of the additional cassette unit 851, and is lower than the upper end of the main body portion 892b.
A support 893 is provided so as to be attachable to and detachable from the case 806a, on the lower side of the case 806a serving as the holder. The support 893 is disposed separately from the support stand 892. The support 893 is positioned lower than the main body portion 892b. Therefore, the position of the bottom surface of the case 806a is lower than the position of the bottom surface of the additional cassette unit 851, and is lower than the upper end of the main body portion 892b.
According to this configuration, the cases 805a and 806a are arranged from the housing 804 over to the support stand 892. Therefore, since the position of the bottom surface of the cases 805a and 806a can be lowered, the vertical length of the cases 805a and 806a can be further lengthened. Therefore, it is possible to further increase the ink containing capacity of the ink container 830 contained inside the cases 805a and 806a.
The additional cassette unit 851 and the cases 805a and 806a may be supported from below by the support stand 890 and support 891 in
A cut-out portion where a corner portion is cut out over the lateral direction is formed in a front side bottom portion of the main body portion 892b, and functions as a finger hooking portion 892c for hooking the user's fingers. A cut-out portion where a corner portion is cut out over the lateral direction is also formed in a rear side bottom portion of the main body portion 892b of the support stand 892, and functions as a finger hooking portion 892d.
According to this configuration, in a state where the cases 805a and 806a and the main apparatus body are integrated with each other, one or more users grip the finger hooking portions 892c and 892d by the user finger or the users fingers. In this manner, the user or the users can move the printer by lifting up the printer.
An outer side sliding portion 881 is positioned further outside from the inner side fixing portion 882, and is provided so as to be vertically slidable with respect to the inner side fixing portion 882.
According to this configuration, it is possible to change the height of the case 880. Therefore, in accordance with a change in the height of the housing 804 when the housing 804 in
A case 885 as a holder in
A case 900 serving as a holder in
An intermediate fixing portion 903 in
In this manner, in accordance with the height of the main apparatus body side, it is possible to change the height of the cases 880, 885, and 900. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide the case in accordance with the height of the main apparatus body side. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the increase in the manufacturing cost of the case.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-118572 | Jun 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-177663 | Aug 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-203486 | Sep 2013 | JP | national |
The present application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/297,132 filed on Jun. 5, 2014, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-118572, filed on Jun. 5, 2013, No. 2013-177663, filed on Aug. 29, 2013, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-203486, filed on Sep. 30, 2013, which applications are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5369429 | Erickson | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5686947 | Murray et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5909226 | Takeda | Jun 1999 | A |
| 6353899 | Martin et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 7008051 | Akermalm | Mar 2006 | B2 |
| 7706701 | Wakide | Apr 2010 | B2 |
| 7789487 | Kawamura | Sep 2010 | B2 |
| 7866810 | Campion | Jan 2011 | B2 |
| 7891657 | Fujita | Feb 2011 | B2 |
| 8085432 | Hattori et al. | Dec 2011 | B2 |
| 9118830 | Okazawa | Aug 2015 | B2 |
| 9248653 | Yoda | Feb 2016 | B2 |
| 20020001499 | Hayashi | Jan 2002 | A1 |
| 20040021751 | Steinmetz | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040046842 | Rhee | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20050151782 | Ishida et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20080030530 | Ishida et al. | Feb 2008 | A1 |
| 20080099982 | Yamanaka | May 2008 | A1 |
| 20090201347 | Hamano | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| 20100091315 | Shiraki | Apr 2010 | A1 |
| 20100171799 | Takeuchi | Jul 2010 | A1 |
| 20100182365 | Kayanaka | Jul 2010 | A1 |
| 20100225726 | Chan et al. | Sep 2010 | A1 |
| 20120038719 | Shimizu et al. | Feb 2012 | A1 |
| 20130222457 | Nakada et al. | Aug 2013 | A1 |
| 20140043403 | Nakano | Feb 2014 | A1 |
| 20140043408 | Kudo | Feb 2014 | A1 |
| 20140063147 | Iwamuro et al. | Mar 2014 | A1 |
| 20140253643 | Yoda | Sep 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2803705 | Aug 2006 | CN |
| 102381042 | Mar 2012 | CN |
| 09-156782 | Jun 1997 | JP |
| 11-180463 | Jul 1999 | JP |
| 2000153619 | Jun 2000 | JP |
| 2000-313120 | Nov 2000 | JP |
| 2001-253448 | Sep 2001 | JP |
| 2002001993 | Jan 2002 | JP |
| 2003-205624 | Jul 2003 | JP |
| 2005-191929 | Jul 2005 | JP |
| 2006-192782 | Jul 2006 | JP |
| 2009-202346 | Sep 2009 | JP |
| 2010-162812 | Jul 2010 | JP |
| 2012096379 | May 2012 | JP |
| 2012-183830 | Sep 2012 | JP |
| 2013-082102 | May 2013 | JP |
| 2013-123846 | Jun 2013 | JP |
| 2013123846 | Jun 2013 | JP |
| 2013-144413 | Jul 2013 | JP |
| WO 9742035 | Nov 1997 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| Machine generated English translation of JP 2012-096379 A, “Printing Method, Program, and Printer” to Urabe Yuichi. Generated via https://www4.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/eng/tokujitsu/tkbs—en/TKBS—EN—GM101—Top.action on Sep. 28, 2015; 7pp. |
| Machine generated English translation of JP 2002-001993 A, “Ink Jet Image Forming Device” to Tatsumi et al. Generated via https://www4.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/eng/tokujitsu/tkbs—en/TKBS—EN—GM101—Top.action on Sep. 28, 2015. 4pp. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150258800 A1 | Sep 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14297132 | Jun 2014 | US |
| Child | 14722960 | US |
