JP6705361B2 - Ink supply container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank that stores ink supplied to a recording apparatus, an ink supply system including such an ink supply container, and such an ink supply system. The present invention relates to an ink supply adapter.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink tank that stores ink therein is connected to a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a medium to perform recording so that the ink can be supplied. Then, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank in such a recording device becomes very small, the ink is replenished from the outside by using an ink replenishing container (for example, Patent Document 1). ..

JP 2001-146021 A

By the way, the ink replenishment work to the ink tank needs to be appropriately performed by suppressing defective ink replenishment, and the replenishment work has been conventionally performed by the user of the recording apparatus. Therefore, in order for the user to appropriately perform the ink replenishment work, for example, further improvement has been required for the ink replenishment container and the like.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an ink supply container capable of appropriately supplying ink to an ink tank, an ink supply system including such an ink supply container, and such an ink. An object is to provide an ink supply adapter used in a supply system.

Hereinafter, the means for solving the above problems and the effects thereof will be described.
An ink supply container for solving the above problem is an ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank capable of storing ink therein, and a container body having an ink storage chamber capable of storing the ink supplied to the ink tank. And an ink outlet forming portion provided at an end portion of the container main body portion, the ink outlet forming portion having an ink outlet for allowing the ink to flow out from the ink containing chamber, and the ink outlet forming portion. A valve for opening and closing the outlet so that the ink outlet forming portion is outside the ink outlet forming portion and is closer to the container body than the valve in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet. A positioning portion is provided at a position such that when the valve is opened, the positioning portion contacts a part of the ink tank side to position the valve with respect to the ink tank.

According to this configuration, when the ink is replenished from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank, the valve is opened while being positioned with respect to the ink tank. Therefore, there is a possibility that the valve may be misaligned when the valve is opened. Problems such as ink leakage and defective ink supply can be suppressed, and ink can be appropriately supplied to the ink tank.

Further, in the ink supply container, the valve is opened by providing one or more slits in an elastic member that seals the ink outlet, and by expanding the slit from the outer side to the inner side of the ink outlet. The configuration is preferably

With this configuration, it is possible to provide an ink supply container having a simple structure with a small number of parts.
Further, in the ink supply container, it is preferable that the positioning portion is provided so as to be positioned radially outward of the ink outlet when the ink outlet is viewed in the direction of the central axis thereof.

According to this configuration, when the ink is replenished from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank, the ink replenishment container comes into contact with the positioning portion located radially outside the ink outlet with respect to a part of the ink tank side. Therefore, the ink can be replenished in a stable posture.

Further, in the ink supply container, it is preferable that the positioning portion is formed of a member different from the ink outlet forming portion.
With this configuration, the positioning portion can be optimized in accordance with the design mode of the ink tank and the ink supply container.

On the other hand, an ink supply system that solves the above-mentioned problems is provided with an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, a needle extending with a flow path communicating the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber, and a direction in which the needle extends. An ink tank having a receiving surface extending outside the tip of the needle in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the needle, the receiving surface constituting the part on the ink tank side; An ink supply container is provided, and the positioning portion contacts the receiving surface when the needle inserts a tip into the ink outlet to open the valve.

According to this configuration, when the needle of the ink tank is inserted into the ink outlet of the ink supply container to open the valve, the positioning portion of the ink supply container comes into contact with the receiving surface of the ink tank so that the valve and the needle are relatively opposed to each other. Since the physical positional relationship is determined, the valve can be appropriately opened by the needle, and the occurrence of defective ink supply can be suppressed.

Further, in the ink supply system, the ink tank has a concave portion that opens in a direction in which the needle extends in a region outside the needle in a radial direction around the needle, and the ink supply container may include: It is preferable to have a convex portion that can be fitted to the concave portion when the needle inserts the tip into the ink outlet in a region outside the ink outlet in a radial direction around the ink outlet.

According to this configuration, since the needle is not inserted into the ink outlet when the convex portion of the ink supply container is not fitted in the concave portion of the ink tank, it is possible to suppress an incompatible connection between the ink tank and the ink supply container.

Further, in the ink replenishing system, the ink replenishing container is positioned outside the ink outlet forming portion and at a position closer to the container body than the convex portion in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet. It is preferable to provide a part.

According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the incompatible connection between the ink tank and the ink supply container and to secure the insertion degree of the needle of the ink tank with respect to the ink outlet of the ink supply container in an appropriate positioning state.

In the ink supply system, it is preferable that the tip of the needle of the ink tank is located closer to the ink storage chamber than the receiving surface.
According to this configuration, since the tip of the needle of the ink tank does not project to the outside of the receiving surface, even when ink is attached to the tip of the needle, the ink cannot be replenished by the user's hand when the ink is replenished. It is possible to reduce the risk that the ink will adhere to the ink supply container.

Further, in the ink supply system, the ink tank includes two flow paths in which the flow paths of the needles are arranged side by side in a radial direction with a tip opening of each flow path centered on the needle, When one flow path functions as an ink flow path for allowing ink to flow, the other flow path preferably functions as an air flow path for causing air to flow.

According to this configuration, when the ink supply container is connected to the ink tank in a state where the ink supply container is inclined along the radial direction in which the two flow paths are arranged, the ink of the ink supply container of the two flow paths is connected. One flow path on the side of which the outlet is closer to the other side functions as an ink flow path, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path. Therefore, since the user may use either of the two flow paths as the ink flow path, the user can quickly perform the ink replenishment work without hesitating to select the flow path to be the ink flow path. it can.

Further, another ink supply system that solves the above problems is an ink storage chamber that can store ink, an ink inlet that allows the ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and a radial direction around the ink inlet. And an ink tank having a recess formed in an area outside the ink inlet, an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink to be supplied to the ink tank, and the ink can flow out from the ink storage chamber. And an ink supply container having an ink outlet, and a protrusion formed in the area outside the ink outlet in a radial direction around the ink outlet, the protrusion being capable of being fitted to the recess. The ink tank includes a first concave-convex portion at a position on the inner surface of the concave portion that is closer to the bottom surface than the opening edge of the concave portion, and the ink supply container has a first concave-convex portion that is engageable with the first concave-convex portion of the ink tank. Two uneven portions were provided on the convex portion.

According to this configuration, the convex portion of the ink supply container is fitted into the concave portion of the ink tank, and the second concave and convex portion on the outer surface of the convex portion is engaged with the first concave and convex portion on the inner surface of the concave portion. The user can recognize that a suitable ink supply container is connected to the tank. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the incompatible connection between the ink tank and the ink supply container, and since the first concave and convex portion is located on the inner surface of the recess of the ink tank at the position closer to the bottom surface than the opening edge of the recess, the ink supply The convex portion of the container is easily guided from the opening side of the concave portion of the ink tank to the bottom surface side, and the insertion operation can be easily performed.

Further, in the ink supply system, in the ink tank, a depth direction of the recess is a direction of a central axis of the ink inlet, and the first uneven portion is provided on an inner surface of the recess along a depth direction of the recess. The ink supply container is provided so as to extend so that the ink outlet is the ink inlet when the convex portion is fitted into the concave portion and the second concave-convex portion is engaged with the first concave-convex portion. Is preferably connected to.

According to this structure, the second concave-convex portion on the outer surface of the convex portion of the ink supply container is concaved with respect to the first concave-convex portion provided on the inner surface of the concave portion of the ink tank so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion. By engaging the convex portion with the fitting of the convex portion, it is possible to easily recognize the connecting direction of the ink outlet of the ink supply container to the ink inlet of the ink tank.

Further, in the ink supply system, it is preferable that a depth direction of the recess in the ink tank is a direction intersecting a horizontal direction from an upper side to a lower side in a state where the ink outlet is connected to the ink inlet. ..

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the ink from returning from the ink outlet of the ink supply container to the ink storage chamber in a state where the ink outlet of the ink supply container is connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank. It is possible to appropriately perform the ink replenishment work.

Further, another ink supply system for solving the above-mentioned problems is an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, an ink inlet capable of allowing the ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered around the ink inlet. An ink tank provided with a plurality of first fitting portions formed to be point-symmetrical with respect to the ink inlet in a region outside the ink inlet in a direction, and ink to be supplied to the ink tank. An ink containing chamber that can contain the ink, an ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out from the ink containing chamber, and the first fitting in a region outside the ink outlet in a radial direction around the ink outlet. And an ink replenishing container including a second fitting portion that is formed so as to be fitted to the portion.

According to this configuration, the ink replenishment container is provided with the second fitting portion, regardless of which of the plurality of first fittings formed point-symmetrically with respect to the ink inlet in the ink tank. Since the ink outlet of the ink supply container can be connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, it is possible to easily connect the ink supply container to the ink tank during ink supply.

Further, another ink supply system for solving the above-mentioned problems is an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, an ink inlet capable of allowing the ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered around the ink inlet. An ink tank having a first fitting portion formed in a region outside the ink inlet in a direction, an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink to be supplied to the ink tank, and an ink storage chamber from the ink storage chamber. An ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out, and a second fitting portion that is formed so as to be fittable with the first fitting portion in a region outside the ink outlet in a radial direction around the ink outlet. And an ink replenishment container having:, the ink tank has a first portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber, and the ink replenishment container is provided in the ink storage chamber. It has a 2nd part which shows the information about the ink stored, and the 1st part and the 2nd part make the 2nd fitting part of the ink replenishment container into the 1st fitting part of the ink tank. It is provided at a position where it can be seen from the outside when fitted.

According to this configuration, when the ink supply container is connected to the ink tank to supply the ink, it is easy to visually confirm whether the supplied ink is suitable or not by visually recognizing the first portion and the second portion. I can confirm.

Further, another ink supply system for solving the above-mentioned problems is an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, an ink inlet capable of allowing the ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered around the ink inlet. Direction, the ink tank having a recess formed in an area outside the ink inlet, an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink to be supplied to the ink tank, and the outflow of the ink from the ink storage chamber. And an ink replenishing container having a convex portion formed in a region outside the ink outlet in a radial direction centered on the ink outlet, the convex portion being formed so as to be capable of fitting with the concave portion. In the ink supply container, the convex portion projects in a direction opposite to the ink containing chamber from the ink outlet in a direction of a central axis of the ink outlet.

According to this configuration, when the ink is replenished, the convex portion of the ink replenishment container projects more than the ink outlet, so that it is possible to reduce the risk of the ink outlet coming into contact with the user's hand or the peripheral portion of the ink tank. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of contamination due to adhesion.

On the contrary, it is also possible to project the ink outlet in the direction opposite to the ink containing chamber in the direction of the central axis from the convex portion. In that case, it becomes easier to visually recognize the ink outlet when replenishing the ink.

Further, in the ink supply system, the convex portion of the ink supply container projects outward from an outer peripheral surface of a container main body portion in which the ink storage chamber is provided in a radial direction centered on the ink outlet. Is preferred.

With this configuration, the user can easily see the convex portion when looking at the ink supply container, and can easily fit the convex portion of the ink supply container into the concave portion of the ink tank when supplying the ink. As a result, erroneous connection of the ink supply container to the ink tank can be reduced.

Further, in the above-mentioned ink supply system, the ink supply container is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion in which the ink storage chamber is provided in the radial direction with the convex portion as the center. Preferably.

With this configuration, when the ink outlet of the ink supply container is connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, it is possible to prevent the convex portion of the ink supply container from becoming an obstacle.
Furthermore, an ink supply adapter for solving the above-mentioned problems is an ink supply adapter that connects between the ink supply container and the ink tank when supplying ink from the ink supply container to the ink tank. A tank engaging portion that can be engaged with a plurality of ink tanks having a storable ink storage chamber in a collective state, and ink that has flowed out from the ink outlet of the ink supply container into the ink storage chamber. It is possible to identify a plurality of ink inlets provided for each of the ink tanks so as to allow inflow and the ink supply container having the ink outlets provided for each of the plurality of ink inlets and connectable to the ink inlets. And a plurality of identification units that are

According to this configuration, if the ink tank has a general-purpose common structure and the plurality of ink tanks are brought into a collective state and the tank engaging portion of the replenishment adapter is engaged, the ink replenishment container at the time of ink replenishment It is possible to easily realize a structure that can prevent the wrong mounting of the.

Further, another ink replenishing adapter for solving the above-mentioned problems is an ink replenishing adapter mounted on the ink tank in a state of replenishing the ink from the ink replenishing container to the ink tank. An ink inlet passage portion provided in the ink tank so as to be able to flow into an ink storage chamber provided in the tank, and an inlet forming portion surrounding at least a part of the periphery of the ink inlet passage portion. An ink that can be engaged with a tank-side positioning portion provided in the ink tank and that is connectable to the ink inlet flow path portion and an adapter-side positioning portion that positions the ink supply adapter with respect to the ink tank And an identification section that can identify the ink supply container having an outlet.

According to this configuration, since the ink supply adapter is positioned with respect to the ink tank, positional deviation between the ink inlet flow path portion provided in the ink tank and the inlet forming portion provided in the ink supply adapter is suppressed. To be done. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately replenish the ink from the ink replenishing container to the ink tank via the ink replenishing adapter.

Further, in the ink supply adapter, it is preferable that the plurality of inlet forming portions, the identifying portions corresponding to the plurality of inlet forming portions, and the plurality of adapter side positioning portions are integrally formed. ..

With this configuration, since the inlet forming portion, the identifying portion, and the adapter-side positioning portion are integrally formed, the ink replenishing adapter can be easily manufactured as compared with the case where these are formed separately.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the schematic configuration of the first embodiment of the recording apparatus in a perspective state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ink supply unit provided in the housing of the recording apparatus. Similarly, the top view of an ink supply unit. FIG. 4 is a partially broken sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink supply container with the cap removed. FIG. 3 is a side view of the ink supply container. FIG. 3 is a front view of the ink supply container. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the ink supply container. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of FIG. 9. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state immediately before an ink supply operation to the ink tank. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state immediately before an ink supply operation to the ink tank. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state during an ink supply operation to the ink tank. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state during an ink supply operation to the ink tank. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the ink supply container is in contact with the receiving surface on the ink tank side during ink supply. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the ink supply container is in contact with the receiving surface on the ink tank side during ink supply. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a multifunction machine including the recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the multifunction machine showing a state in which ink is supplied to the ink tank. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the housing of the ink supply unit is removed. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the ink tank. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the ink tank. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the ink supply unit. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the ink supply unit. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink supply adapter from the lower surface side. The bottom view of the ink supply adapter. FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along the line F27-F27 in FIG. FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along the line F28-F28 in FIG. The side view of the ink supply container of a modification. The front view of the ink supply container of a modification. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an ink supply container of another modified example. The perspective view of the ink supply unit of a modification. The perspective view of the ink supply adapter of a modification. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a modified ink supply container. The top view of the ink outlet of a modification, and a 2nd uneven|corrugated part. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a modified ink supply container and cap. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink outlet and a sealing portion of a modified example.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the recording apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The recording apparatus of this embodiment is an inkjet printer that records (prints) an image or the like on a medium by ejecting ink onto the medium.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 21 includes a casing 22 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a left-right direction as a longitudinal direction. It should be noted that FIG. 1 is schematically illustrated in a state in which the inside of the housing 22 of the recording device 21 is seen through. A support base 23 whose longitudinal direction is in the left-right direction is provided in a lower portion of the housing 22 near the rear side so that an upper surface of the support base 23 extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The sheet P, which is an example of a medium, is supported on the upper surface of the support table 23 and is transported forward in the transport direction. Further, a guide shaft 24 extending in the left-right direction is provided above the support base 23 in the housing 22, and a carriage 26 having a recording head 25 for ejecting ink on the lower surface of the guide shaft 24. Is supported. That is, the carriage 26 is supported so as to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction with respect to the guide shaft 24 in a state where the guide shaft 24 is inserted in the support hole 27 penetrating in the left-right direction.

A drive pulley 28 and a driven pulley 29 are rotatably supported at positions in the housing 22 near both ends of the guide shaft 24. An output shaft of a carriage motor 30 is connected to the drive pulley 28, and an endless timing belt 31, a part of which is connected to the carriage 26, is wound between the drive pulley 28 and the driven pulley 29. .. Then, when the carriage 26 is guided by the guide shaft 24 through the timing belt 31 by the drive of the carriage motor 30 and reciprocates along the left-right direction that is the scanning direction with respect to the paper P, the carriage 26 is conveyed forward on the support table 23. Ink is ejected to the paper P from the recording head 25 on the lower surface side of the carriage 26 for the paper P to be formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, at a position on the front surface side of the housing 22 that is on the front side of the support base 23, ink from the recording head 25 is conveyed when being transported on the support base 23 in the housing 22. A rectangular ejection port 32 for ejecting the recording paper P, which has been recorded by ejection, to the front side is opened. A rectangular plate-shaped discharge tray 33 capable of supporting the paper P discharged from the inside of the housing 22 is provided in the discharge port 32 so as to be retractable in the front in the discharge direction. Further, in the discharge port 32, below the discharge tray 33, a paper feed cassette 34 capable of accommodating a plurality of sheets P used for recording in a stacked state is mounted so as to be insertable and removable in the front-rear direction.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the front surface and the top surface are rectangular at a position on the front surface of the housing 22 which is closer to the end portion side (the right end portion side in FIG. 1) in the left-right direction than the discharge port 32. An opening/closing door 35 whose right side surface is in the shape of a right-angled triangle is provided so as to be openable/closable in the front-rear direction about a rotation shaft 36 provided at the lower end and extending in the left-right direction. A window portion 37 formed of a rectangular transparent member is formed on the front surface of the opening/closing door 35, and the user can open the opening/closing door 35 inside the housing 22 (in particular, on the back side of the front surface of the opening/closing door 35). ) Is visible.

In the housing 22 of the recording device 21, ink is supplied to the recording head 25 at a position on the back side of the opening/closing door 35, that is, at a position closer to the front surface and closer to the end portion (in this case, closer to the right end portion). The ink supply unit 40 is installed. The ink supply unit 40 is a structural body that includes a plurality of (five in the present embodiment) ink tanks 41 to 45 and can be handled integrally. As described later, each ink tank 41 to 45 has a structure. Is said to be refillable with ink.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink supply unit 40 includes five deformed box-shaped ink tanks 41 to 45 that are long in the front-rear direction and five ink supplies that are drawn out from the rear surface side of each of the ink tanks 41 to 45. It is configured to include a tube 46 and an ink supply adapter 47 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, which is assembled in a state in which the ink tanks 41 to 45 are integrated. The ink replenishing adapter 47 is a stepped portion formed by notching in the upper front half of all the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state where all the ink tanks 41 to 45 are arranged side by side with the thickness direction left and right. By being assembled in 48, it is integrated with the ink tanks 41 to 45. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink supply tube 46 drawn from the ink tanks 41 to 45 is connected to an ink flow path (not shown) formed in the carriage 26, and recording is performed via the ink flow path. It is connected to the head 25. The ink supply adapter 47 may form a part of the housing 22 that covers the ink tanks 41 to 45, or may be formed integrally with the ink tanks 41 to 45.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink tanks 41 to 45 each have an ink storage chamber 49 capable of storing the ink IK therein. In the case of this embodiment, black ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tank 41 located at the right end in the side-by-side direction. Then, inks other than black (cyan, magenta, yellow, etc.) inks are stored in the ink storage chambers 49 of the other ink tanks 42 to 45 that are arranged on the left side of the rightmost ink tank 41 in the side-by-side direction. The front wall portion of the ink tanks 41 to 45, which is visible through the window 37 on the front surface of the housing 22, is made of a transparent resin that allows the liquid surface of the ink IK in the ink storage chamber 49 to be visible. The formed visual recognition part 50 is provided. Then, the visual recognition part 50 shows an upper limit standard of the liquid surface of the ink IK stored in the ink storage chamber 49 (an example of the standard of the ink amount that can be injected without causing the ink to overflow from the ink inlet 53). An upper limit mark 51 and a lower limit mark 52 indicating a lower limit standard (for example, a standard prompting ink supply) are marked.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, an ink inlet 53 that allows ink to flow from the outside into the ink storage chamber 49 is provided above the horizontal portion of the step portion 48. The ink inlet 53 includes flow paths 54 and 55 that connect the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber 49, and includes a needle 56 extending vertically upward. The flow paths 54, 55 of the needle 56 are composed of two flow paths 54, 55 whose tip openings are arranged side by side in the radial direction with the needle 56 as the center. One of the two flow paths 54, 55 The flow path 54 on the right side in FIG. 4 is formed such that the height of its tip opening is lower and the cross-sectional area of the flow path is larger than the flow path 55 on the other side (left side in FIG. 4). A remaining amount sensor 57 for detecting the remaining amount of the ink IK in the ink storage chamber 49 is provided in the lower portion of the ink storage chamber 49 toward the rear. The remaining amount sensor 57 may not be provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 is a horizontal surface along a direction orthogonal (intersecting) to the extending direction of the needle 56, and the upper surface 58 has a lower surface 59 up and down. A through hole 60 penetrating in the direction is formed as an ink inlet forming portion. The through hole 60 is composed of a circular hole-shaped ink inlet 53 in which the needle 56 is arranged at the center, and a pair of front and rear rectangular hole portions that are connected to the front and rear of the ink inlet 53, and the lower openings are the ink tanks 41 to 45. At, the needle 56 is closed by the horizontal portion of the stepped portion 48 protruding upward.

Therefore, in the region of the through hole 60, which is located outside the ink inlet 53 in the radial direction centered on the ink inlet 53, the direction in which the needle 56 extends due to the pair of front and rear rectangular hole portions that close the lower opening. A pair of front and rear recesses 61 that open to the upper side are formed so as to be point-symmetric with respect to the ink inlet 53 with the vertical downward direction as the depth direction. That is, in the area outside the ink inlet 53 including the needle 56 in the ink replenishing adapter 47 integrated with the ink tanks 41 to 45, a plurality of point-symmetrical points (in this case, before and after Two recesses 61 forming a pair will be formed. In this case, the tip of the needle 56 arranged at the center of the circular hole-shaped ink inlet 53 serves as the opening edge of the through hole 60 including the ink inlet 53 and the recess 61, and the upper surface of the ink supply adapter 47. It is located closer to the ink storage chamber 49 than 58. That is, the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 extends at a position outside the tip of the needle 56 in the extending direction of the needle 56 and in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the needle 56. On the other hand, the lower surface 59 of the ink replenishing adapter 47 functions as a tank engaging portion that collectively engages the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 laterally arranged in the left-right direction from above.

Further, on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47, the peripheral portion of the upper opening edge of each through hole 60 is colored with a specific color. That is, it is colored the same as the color of the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 into which the ink flows in via the ink inlet 53 of the through hole 60. In this respect, in the peripheral portion of the upper opening edge of each through hole 60 in the ink supply adapter 47, the ink tanks 41 to 45 in which the ink inlet 53 of the through hole 60 and the ink storage chamber 49 communicate are stored inside. It functions as the first part that externally shows the information related to the existing ink. Incidentally, the peripheral portion of the upper opening of the through hole 60 in which the ink inlet 53 communicating with the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tank 41 storing the black ink is arranged is colored black.

Further, on the inner surface of the recess 61 (specifically, the inner side surface along the vertical direction), a horizontal position is provided on the bottom surface side (that is, the horizontal portion side of the step portion 48) with respect to the upper opening edge of the recess 61. A first uneven portion (first key structure portion) 62 having a characteristic uneven shape in the direction is provided so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion 61 (in other words, the direction of the central axis of the ink inlet 53). ing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first uneven portion 62 is provided for each of the ink inlets 53 of the plurality (five in the present embodiment) of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, in the rectangular recess 61 of each through hole 60 formed at a position corresponding to each of the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the vertical direction in the ink supply adapter 47, another through hole 60 is provided for each through hole 60. A first uneven portion 62 different from the first uneven portion 62 provided on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 is formed. That is, the first uneven portion 62 has an ink supply container 63 (see FIG. 6) having an ink outlet 65 (see FIG. 6 and the like) connected to the ink inlet 53 in the through hole 60 in which the first uneven portion 62 is formed. 6) and the like). The "position on the bottom surface side of the opening edge on the upper side of the concave portion 61" means that it may be a position slightly retracted to the bottom surface side from the opening edge.

Therefore, next, an ink supply container 63 that forms an ink supply system together with the ink tanks 41 to 45 and supplies ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in which the remaining amount of ink is low will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink replenishing container 63 is provided at the cylindrical container body 64, which is the main body of the ink replenishing container 63, and the tip of the container body 64, and the ink flows out from the ink replenishing container 63. An ink outlet forming portion 66 having an opening formed at the tip is provided with an ink outlet 65 for enabling the above, and a container adding portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 so as to surround the ink outlet 65. The ink outlet 65 of the ink outlet forming portion 66, including the container adding portion 67 around the ink outlet forming portion 66, is covered with a bottomed cylindrical cap 68, and thus is hidden from the outside when the ink supply container 63 is stored. That is, a male screw portion 69 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical lower end portion of the container adding portion 67, while an unillustrated female screw portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 68. By screwing the male screw portion 69 into the female screw portion of the cap 68, the cap 68 is attached to the tip portion of the ink supply container 63 so as to cover the ink outlet 65.

The entire outer surface of the container adding section 67 is colored with a specific color. That is, it is colored in the same color as the ink contained in the container body 64 to which the container adding section 67 is added. In this respect, the container adding portion 67 of the ink supply container 63 functions as a second portion that externally shows information about the ink contained in the ink supply container 63. Incidentally, the outer surface of the container adding portion 67 of the ink supply container 63 containing the black ink is colored black. Further, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of protrusions 70 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the base end portions of the container body 64 and the cap 68 at equal angular intervals (90 degrees as an example). Incidentally, these protrusions 70 are formed to prevent the cylindrical ink supply container 63 from rolling. Furthermore, for example, the container body 64 of the ink supply container 63 containing the black ink may be formed thicker than the container body 64 of the ink supply container 63 containing the ink of another color. In that case, the ink outlet forming portion 66 may have a common thickness and shape for the black ink and the inks of other colors.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, ink is radiated from the ink outlet 65 in a radial direction above the lower end of the cylinder having a male screw portion 69 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container adding portion 67. In a region outside the outlet 65, a convex portion 71 that protrudes upward in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 and in the direction opposite to the ink outlet 65 from the container body 64 is formed. When the tip of the needle 56 on the ink inlet 53 side is inserted into the ink outlet 65, the convex portion 71 can be fitted with the concave portion 61 of the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 as a first fitting portion. It functions as a fitting part, and is provided so as to form a pair with the ink outlet 65 sandwiched from the front and rear, similarly to the pair of recesses 61 sandwiching the ink inlet 53 from the front and rear. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the convex portion 71 is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion 64 in the ink supply container 63 in a radial direction centered on the ink outlet 65.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, on the outer surface (the left and right side surfaces in FIGS. 6 and 9) of each convex portion 71, the first concave-convex portion (first concave-convex portion) formed on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 of the ink supply adapter 47 is formed. A second concavo-convex portion (second key structure portion) 72 engageable with the 1-key structure portion 62 is formed. The second concave-convex portion 72 is provided so as to extend along the protruding direction of the convex portion 71 (in other words, the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65), and the convex portion 71 is fitted into the concave portion 61. When the second uneven portion 72 is engaged with the first uneven portion 62, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink inlet 53 on the side of the ink tanks 41 to 45.

Further, between the cylindrical lower end portion of the container adding portion 67 in which the male screw portion 69 is formed and the convex portion 71 in which the second uneven portion 72 is formed, it intersects (intersects) with the central axis of the ink outlet 65. The planar-shaped positioning portion 73 is provided so as to be positioned radially outside the ink outlet 65 when the ink outlet 65 is viewed in the direction of the central axis thereof. That is, the positioning portion 73 constitutes a part of the outer surface of the container addition portion 67 which is a part of the outer surface of the ink supply container 63, and is positioned in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 rather than the tip of the convex portion 71. It is provided at a position on the side of the portion 64. Since the positioning portion 73 is provided in the container adding portion 67 that is added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 in the ink supply container 63, the positioning portion 73 is a separate member from the ink outlet forming portion 66, and the ink is formed. It can be said that the structure is provided outside the outlet forming portion 66.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the ink outlet 65 formed in the ink outlet forming portion 66, a valve 74 made of an elastic member such as a silicon film for sealing the ink outlet 65 so as to be openable and closable is provided. ing. The valve 74 is provided at a position where the positioning portion 73 is closer to the container body 64 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 (see, for example, FIG. 14 ). The valve 74 is provided with a plurality (three in the present embodiment) of slits 75 that intersect at the center of the valve 74 at equal angular intervals (120° intervals as an example), and these slits 75 are the ink outlets. The valve 65 is configured to open by being expanded from the outside to the inside. That is, when the tip of the needle 56 on the ink inlet 53 side is inserted into the ink outlet 65, the valve 74, which is a normally closed valve, is pushed inward by the tip of the needle 56 and opens.

Then, at that time, the positioning portion 73 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 in which the through hole 60 including the ink inlet 53 and the concave portion 61 is formed outside the ink outlet 65 in the radial direction, and the ink outlet 65. The valve 74 is positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the central axis direction of the. In this respect, the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 positions the ink replenishment container 63 when the valve 74 of the ink outlet 65 of the ink replenishment container 63 is opened to replenish the ink tanks 41 to 45. The part 73 is a part on the side of the ink tanks 41 to 45 with which the part 73 abuts, and functions as a receiving surface that receives the planar positioning part 73.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the container body 64 of the ink supply container 63 is a bottle-shaped member having an ink storage chamber 76 capable of storing the ink IK therein, and the neck portion at the upper end thereof. A male screw portion 78 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of 77. On the other hand, the ink outlet forming portion 66 provided at the upper end portion of the container body portion 64 has a large diameter portion 79 located on the outer peripheral side of the neck portion 77 of the container body portion 64 and the ink at the position farthest from the container body portion 64. It has a small diameter portion 80 that forms the outlet 65 and an intermediate portion 81 that connects the large diameter portion 79 and the small diameter portion 80. Then, the female screw portion 82 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 79 is screwed into the male screw portion 78 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 77 of the container body 64, whereby the ink outlet forming portion 66 is formed. It is attached to the upper end of the container body 64.

Further, the container adding portion 67, which is added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 of the ink supply container 63 so as to surround the ink outlet 65, has a cylindrical lower end portion having a male screw portion 69 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Forming a joint portion 83 joined to the upper end surface of the large diameter portion 79 of the ink outlet forming portion 66. The surface area of the inner peripheral surface of the joint portion 83 facing in the front-rear direction is in surface contact with the outer surface on the front side and the outer surface on the rear side of the intermediate portion 81 of the ink outlet forming portion 66. It is joined to the large diameter portion 79.

Therefore, next, the operation of the ink supply system configured as described above will be described below, focusing on the operation when ink is supplied to the ink tanks 41 to 45 of the ink supply unit 40 using the ink supply container 63. ..

Note that, as a premise, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid level height of the ink in the ink tank 41 of the black ink located on the rightmost side among the plurality of laterally arranged ink tanks 41 to 45 is the visual recognition portion 50. Since the height is lowered to the height of the lower limit mark 52 shown in the lower part of the above, the case of supplying ink to the ink tank 41 will be described below. Further, it is assumed that the ink supply container 63 used for ink supply sufficiently contains black ink, and the cap 68 has been previously removed from the ink supply container 63. Further, the shape of the second uneven portion 72 formed on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 is the first shape formed on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 located before and after the ink inlet 53 to the ink tank 41. It is assumed that the shape matches the shape of the concave and convex portion 62 and can be engaged when the convex portion 71 is inserted into the concave portion 61.

When supplying ink to the ink tank 41, the user first turns the open/close door 35 of the housing 22 from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 around the rotation shaft 36 to the open state. Then, in the ink supply unit 40, the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 in which the ink inlet 53 into the ink tanks 41 to 45 is formed is exposed to the outside of the housing 22, and the user can select the desired ink inlet 53. On the other hand, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 can be connected from above.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the user turns the ink supply container 63 containing the black ink used for ink supply upside down so that the ink outlet 65 has the rightmost through hole in the ink supply adapter 47. Hold so as to be located above 60. That is, the center axis of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is aligned with the center axis of the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 to which ink is supplied. At this time, the user determines that the color (second portion) colored in the container addition portion 67 of the ink supply container 63 held by the hand and the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 to be the ink supply target at that time are This is compared with the color (first portion) colored around the opening edge on the upper side of the provided through hole 60. Then, if the respective colors are the same (black in this case), it is confirmed that the ink supply container 63 suitable for the current ink supply is held in the hand, and the subsequent work in the ink supply is started.

Then, the ink supply container 63 is lowered from the state shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 is inserted into the concave portion 61 of the ink supply adapter 47 integrated with the ink tank 41. Then, by realizing the insertion state of the convex portion 71 with respect to the concave portion 61, the state where the central axis of the ink outlet 65 and the central axis of the ink inlet 53 coincide with each other is secured. In this case, since the concave portion 61 is in a position symmetrical with respect to the needle 56 which is the center of the ink inlet 53, the convex portion 71 can be inserted into any of the concave portions 61. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the ink supply container 63 many times around the center axis of the ink outlet 65 to check the matching positional relationship between the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71, and the user does not have to do the convex portion 71 with respect to the concave portion 61. Can be easily inserted.

However, at this point, the tip of the needle 56 located at the center of the ink inlet 53 also has an opening of the ink outlet 65 slightly protruding from the tip of the protrusion 71 even if the protrusion 71 is slightly inserted into the recess 61. Although inserted inside, it does not reach the valve 74 located inside the ink outlet 65. The reason is that, as shown in FIG. 13, the tip of the convex portion 71 is longer than the distance L1 between the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 where the opening edge of the concave portion 61 is located and the upper end of the first uneven portion 62 in the concave portion 61. This is because the distance L2 between the valve 74 and the valve 74 in the ink outlet 65 is longer. Therefore, when the convex portion 71 is further inserted downward in the depth direction of the concave portion 61 from that state, the second concave and convex portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 engages with the first concave and convex portion 62 on the inner surface of the concave portion 61. To meet. When the convex portion 71 is further inserted toward the bottom side in the depth direction of the concave portion 61 while maintaining the engaged state, the tip of the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 reaches the position of the valve 74 of the ink outlet 65. Then, the valve 74 is opened.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the tip of the needle 56 pushes the slit 75 from the lower side to the upper side (that is, from the outer side to the inner side of the ink outlet 65) with respect to the valve 74, thereby opening the valve 74. Open the valve. As a result, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 and the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 are connected, and black ink is supplied from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tank 41. At this time, the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 has one of two flow paths 54 and 55, one of which has a tip opening that comes into contact with the ink flowing out from the ink outlet 65 by opening the valve 74. It functions as an ink flow path for circulating ink, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path for circulating air. For example, when the user tries to connect the ink outlet 65 to the ink inlet 53 with the ink supply container 63 tilted, the ink flow path becomes one of the two flow paths 54 and 55 due to the difference in the tilting direction. The flow path is also changed.

If the second concave-convex portion 72 does not engage with the first concave-convex portion 62 after inserting the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61, at that point, the user inserts the ink supply container 63 of a color other than black. You can recognize that you are trying to insert it by mistake. In this case, if the upper end of the first uneven portion 62 is located at the same height as the opening edge of the concave portion 61, the engagement of the second uneven portion 72 with the first uneven portion 62 is rejected. In addition to the above, since the insertion of the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61 is rejected, the user may repeatedly try to insert the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61, resulting in a waste of work time. is there. In this regard, in the present embodiment, since the height of the first concave-convex portion 62 is lower than the opening edge of the concave portion 61, when the convex portion 71 is inserted into the concave portion 61, the convex portion 71 is guided toward the bottom surface side in the depth direction of the concave portion 61. Therefore, the work time is prevented from being unnecessarily lengthened.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 14, 16 and 17, when the valve 56 in the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is opened by the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 on the ink tank 41 side, the ink supply container 63 is The positioning portion 73 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47, which is a part of the ink tank 41 side. In other words, in the ink supply container 63, the valve 74 is positioned in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 with respect to the needle 56 on the ink tank 41 side by the contact between the positioning portion 73 and the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47. The valve is opened in the opened state.

Further, at that time, since the positioning portion 73 is positioned on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink outlet 65, the ink supply container 63 can stably maintain the posture in which the ink outlet 65 is connected to the ink inlet 53. Further, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 contacts the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47, the ink inlet 53 at which the proximal end of the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 is located. There is a gap between the bottom surface of the ink container and the tip of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63. Therefore, the ink is likely to collect on the bottom surface of the ink inlet 53 where the base end of the needle 56 is located, but it is also avoided that the ink thus collected adheres to the tip of the ink outlet 65 and stains the ink supply container 63. It

Then, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, when the ink supply from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tank 41 is completed, the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank 41 is higher than the upper limit mark 51 of the visual recognition unit 50. If it is still low, the same black ink supply container 63 may be used to perform additional ink supply up to the upper limit mark 51. The above ink replenishment work is similarly performed for ink tanks 42 to 45 of colors other than the black ink ink tank 41.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When ink is supplied from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the valve 74 is opened while being positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, problems such as ink leakage and defective ink replenishment that may occur when the valve 74 is displaced during valve opening can be suppressed, and ink can be appropriately replenished to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

(2) Since the valve 74 is a slit valve in which one or more slits 75 are provided in the elastic member made of a silicon film or the like, it is possible to provide the ink supply container 63 having a simple structure with a small number of parts.

(3) When the ink is replenished from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 is positioned radially outside the ink outlet 65 with respect to a part of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Since they come into contact with each other in a state, the ink can be replenished in a stable posture.

(4) Since the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 is provided in the container addition portion 67 which is a member different from the ink outlet forming portion 66, the positioning is performed according to the design mode of the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63. The part 73 can be optimized.

(5) When the needle 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 is inserted into the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 to open the valve 74, the ink supply functioning as the receiving surface of the ink supply container 63 in the ink tanks 41 to 45. The positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 comes into contact with the upper surface 58 of the adapter 47 to determine the relative positional relationship between the valve 74 and the needle 56. Therefore, the valve 74 can be appropriately opened by the needle 56, and the occurrence of defective ink supply can be suppressed.

(6) At the time of ink replenishment, the needle 56 is not inserted into the ink outlet 65 when the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishing container 63 is not fitted in the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Incompatible connection with the container 63 can be suppressed.

(7) The ink supply container 63 is provided with a positioning portion 73 outside the ink outlet forming portion 66 and at a position closer to the container body 64 than the convex portion 71 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65. Therefore, while suppressing the incompatible connection between the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63, the insertion state of the needle 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 into the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is ensured in an appropriate positioning state. it can.

(8) Further, since the tips of the needles 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 do not protrude outward from the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 which is the receiving surface of the positioning portion 73 of the ink replenishment container 63, Even when the ink is attached to the tip, it is possible to reduce the risk that the ink is attached to the hand of the user who performs the ink supply operation or the ink supply container 63.

(9) In the case where the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state of being inclined from the extending direction of the needle 56 along the radial direction in which the two flow paths 54, 55 are arranged, the two flow paths 54, One of the flow paths 55 on the side closer to the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 functions as an ink flow path, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path. Therefore, the user may use any one of the two flow paths 54 and 55 as the ink flow path, so that the ink supply operation can be quickly performed without hesitating to select the flow path to be the ink flow path. It can be carried out.

(10) The convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 is fitted into the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45, and the second concave and convex portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 is fitted to the first concave and convex portion 62 on the inner surface of the concave portion 61. By engaging them, the user can recognize that the suitable ink supply container 63 has been connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, incompatible connection between the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63 can be suppressed. In addition, since the first uneven portion 62 is located on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 on the bottom side of the opening edge of the concave portion 61, the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 has the convex portion 71. It is easy to be guided from the opening side of the concave portion 61 of 45 to the bottom side, and the insertion work can be easily performed.

(11) Convex portion of the ink supply container 63 with respect to the first uneven portion (first key structure portion) 62 provided on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion 61. The second concave-convex portion 72 (second key structure portion) on the outer surface of the portion 71 can be engaged with the concave portion 61 as the convex portion 71 is fitted. As a result, the connection direction of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be easily recognized.

(12) Since the depth direction of the recess 61 provided on the outer side of the ink inlet 53 in the radial direction is a direction directed vertically downward, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink inlets 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. In the connected state, the ink can be suppressed from returning from the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 into the ink containing chamber 76. As a result, the ink replenishment work from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be appropriately performed.

(13) The ink supply container 63 has a plurality of concave portions (first fitting portions) 61 which are formed so that the convex portions (second fitting portions) 71 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 are symmetrical about the ink inlet 53. In either case, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 can be connected to the ink inlets 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, at the time of ink supply, the work of connecting the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be easily performed.

(14) The color colored around the ink inlet 53 of the ink replenishment adapter 47 in the ink tanks 41 to 45 functions as the first portion indicating the information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 49, The color colored in the container addition portion 67 of the supply container 63 functions as a second portion that indicates information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 76. Therefore, when the ink replenishment container 63 is connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45 to replenish the ink, it is determined whether or not the ink to be replenished is compatible with the first portion on the ink tank 41 to 45 side and the ink replenishment container 63. It can be easily confirmed by visually recognizing the second portion on the side.

(15) In the ink supply container 63, the convex portion 71 is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion 64 in which the ink storage chamber 76 is provided in the radial direction with the ink outlet 65 as the center, and therefore, the ink tank. When the ink outlets 65 of the ink supply containers 63 are connected to the ink inlets 53 of the ink supply tanks 41 to 45, the convex portions 71 of the ink supply container 63 can be less likely to get in the way.

(16) The ink supply adapter 47 engages the lower surface (tank engaging portion) 59 side of the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 together, and then the ink tanks 41 to 45 together. The plurality of first concave-convex portions (identification portions) 62 for identifying the ink supply container 63 having the ink outlet 65 connectable to the ink inlet 53 of the above. Therefore, the ink tanks 41 to 45 have a general-purpose common structure, and the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 are put in a collective state so that the lower surface 59 that serves as a tank engaging portion of the ink supply adapter 47 is engaged. In this case, it is possible to easily realize a structure that can prevent erroneous mounting of the ink supply container 63 during ink supply.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the recording apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the positioning of the ink tank and the ink supply adapter. Since the other points are almost the same as those of the first embodiment, the same configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 18, the multi-function peripheral 14 includes a recording device 21 and an image reading device 15 which is arranged on the recording device 21 and covers the upper side of the recording device 21, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. On the front side (front side) of the recording device 21, an operation unit 16 such as buttons for performing various operations of the multifunction device 14, and a display unit 17 for displaying information of the recording device 21 and the multifunction device 14 are provided. An operation panel 18 is provided. Further, an ink supply unit 40 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 18.

As shown in FIG. 19, the image reading device 15 is attached via a rotation mechanism 19 such as a hinge provided on the rear side (back side). The image reading device 15 can be opened and closed with respect to the recording device 21, and rotates between a closed position shown in FIG. 18 and an open position shown in FIG. Then, when the image reading device 15 is positioned at the open position, the unit cover 100 and the elastic cap 92 of the ink supply unit 40 can be opened and closed. When ink is supplied to the ink tanks 41 to 45 (see FIG. 20), the image reading device 15, the unit cover 100, and the elastic cap 92 are positioned at the open position as shown in FIG. Is connected to the ink supply adapter 47 and the ink tanks 41 to 45. That is, the ink replenishing adapter 47 is mounted so as to be located above the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state where ink is replenished from the ink replenishing container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45. In other words, the ink supply adapter 47 connects between the ink supply container 63 and the ink tanks 41 to 45 when supplying ink from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the ink supply unit 40, two types of ink tanks 41 to 45 having different amounts of accommodable ink are arranged side by side with the thickness direction being the left-right direction. The ink tank 41 having a large storage amount and the ink tanks 42 to 45 having a small storage amount have different thicknesses but the same configurations. Therefore, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

Now, the needle 56 is formed so as to project upward from the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. A tank-side positioning portion 113 is provided on a side surface 112 on the visual recognition portion 50 side (front side) that intersects with the top surface 111 so as to project forward. The tank-side positioning portions 113 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 are located at substantially the same position in the vertical direction, and the tank-side positioning portions 113 of the adjacent ink tanks 41 to 45 have substantially the same spacing.

The top surface 111 of each of the ink tanks 41 to 45 is provided with an absorbent material 123 that is substantially rectangular in plan view and that can absorb ink. A plurality of (six in the present embodiment) circular holes 123 a are formed in the absorbent material 123. Then, the absorbent material 123 allows the needle 56 to be inserted into each of the circular holes 123a, and folds a portion of the film 124 that seals the openings of the ink tanks 41 to 45 and extends above the top surface 111. Attached to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Further, the absorbent 123 may have a size that covers the entire top surface 111 (see FIG. 28).

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the tank-side positioning portion 113 is provided at a position lower than the top surface 111 so as to project from the side surface 112, and is erected upward from the bottom wall 114. And a pair of side walls 115. The tank-side positioning portion 113 is provided so as to open toward the front and the top.

Further, on the top surface 111 of each of the ink tanks 41 to 45, a projecting protrusion 116 that supports the ink replenishing adapter 47 is provided at a front end position adjacent to the tank-side positioning portion 113. The protrusion 116 is also provided at the rear end of the top surface 111. In other words, the pair of protrusions 116 are provided at both ends of the top surface 111 in the front-rear direction with the needle 56 interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 22, in the cylindrical needle 56, a partition wall 117 extending in the up-down direction is formed at the center position in the front-rear direction. Then, the partition walls 117 partition the flow paths 54 and 55. Therefore, the flow paths 54 and 55 of the present embodiment are formed so that the height and cross-sectional area of the tip opening are substantially equal. Further, the needle 56 is provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45 so that the ink can flow into the ink storage chamber 49 provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45.

Next, the ink supply adapter 47 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the ink supply adapter 47 includes an inlet forming portion 119 that surrounds at least a part of the periphery of the needle 56 that is an example of the ink inlet flow passage portion. The inlet forming portions 119 are provided on the upper surface 58 of the ink replenishing adapter 47 side by side in the left-right direction (five in this embodiment, the same number as the ink tanks 41 to 45). The inlet forming portion 119 of the present embodiment is a bottomed concave portion, and its shape is substantially the same as the through hole 60 (see FIG. 3) in plan view. Further, the ink replenishing adapter 47 includes a first uneven portion 62 that is an example of an identifying portion that allows the ink replenishing container 63 having the ink outlet 65 that can be connected to the needle 56 to be identified. The first concavo-convex portion 62 of the present embodiment is provided so that the convex portion stands from the bottom surface of the inlet forming portion 119.

As shown in FIG. 24, an insertion hole 120 through which the needle 56 can be inserted is formed on the bottom surface of each inlet forming portion 119. The diameter of the insertion hole 120 is larger than the diameter of the needle 56, and a gap is provided between the needle 56 and the insertion hole 120. Therefore, when ink leaks from the ink supply container 63 or the needle 56, the leaked ink is absorbed by the absorbent 123 through the gap between the insertion hole 120 and the needle 56.

As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the lower surface 59 of the ink supply adapter 47 is provided with an adapter side positioning portion 121 for positioning the ink supply adapter 47 with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. The adapter-side positioning portion 121 is engageable with the tank-side positioning portion 113 provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45, and a plurality of the adapter-side positioning portions 121 in the left-right direction (in the embodiment, the ink tank 41 ~45, the same number as 5) are provided side by side. In addition, the lateral distance between the plurality of adapter-side positioning portions 121 is substantially equal to the lateral distance between the tank-side positioning portions 113 included in the ink tanks 41 to 45.

Further, on the lower surface 59 of the ink supply adapter 47, a plurality of pairs (five in this embodiment) of a pair of ribs 122 provided at intervals in the front-rear direction are arranged side by side. The distance between the pair of ribs 122 in the front-rear direction is substantially equal to the size of the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. The adapter-side positioning portion 121 and the rib 122 are provided one on each side of the one insertion hole 120 in the left-right direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26, the distance B between the center line A passing through the center of the insertion hole 120 and extending in the front-rear direction and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 is the distance C between the center line A and the rib 122. Almost equal. The corners of the adapter-side positioning portion 121 and the rib 122 are chamfered.

As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the ink supply adapter 47 includes a plurality of inlet forming portions 119, a first uneven portion 62 corresponding to the plurality of inlet forming portions 119, a plurality of adapter side positioning portions 121, Plural sets of ribs 122 are integrally formed.

Next, the operation of the ink supply adapter 47 configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, when the ink replenishment adapter 47 is attached to the ink tanks 41 to 45 so that the needle 56 can be inserted into the insertion hole 120 of the ink replenishment adapter 47, the adapter side positioning portion 121 causes the tank to move. It engages with the side positioning portion 113. Specifically, the adapter-side positioning portion 121 is positioned in the left-right direction by being inserted between the side walls 115 of the tank-side positioning portion 113. Further, the ink supply adapter 47 is positioned in the front-rear direction by the ribs 122 sandwiching the ink tanks 41 to 45 from both front and rear sides. The ink supply adapter 47 positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is fixed to the housing 22 with screws (not shown).

Further, the absorbent material 123 provided between the ink supply adapter 47 and the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 may be provided for each of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Further, the absorbent material 123 may be provided so as to extend from the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 to the side surface 112 (only the portion corresponding to the ink tank 45 is shown in FIG. 27).

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (16) of the first embodiment.
(17) Since the ink supply adapter 47 is positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the positions of the needles 56 provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the inlet forming portion 119 provided on the ink supply adapter 47. The deviation is suppressed. Therefore, the ink can be appropriately replenished from the ink replenishing container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 via the ink replenishing adapter 47.

(18) Since the inlet forming portion 119, the first concave-convex portion 62, and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 are integrally formed, the ink supply adapter 47 can be manufactured more easily than when these are separately formed. ..

The above embodiment may be modified as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, in the ink supply container 63, even if the tip of the convex portion 71 projects in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 to the side opposite to the container body portion 64 than the ink outlet 65. Good. According to this configuration, since the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 projects more than the ink outlet 65 during ink supply, the ink outlet 65 may touch the user's hand or the peripheral portion of the ink supply container 63. Can be reduced, and the occurrence of contamination due to ink adhesion can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 31, the ink supply container 63 is located at a position closer to the container body 64 than the valve 74 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 when the ink tank 41 to 45 is supplied with ink. The protrusion 71 may not be provided as long as it has a positioning portion 73 that abuts a portion of the ink tanks 45 to 45 and positions the valve with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. In this case, the recess 61 may not be provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side.

As in the modification shown in FIG. 32, the ink supply unit 40 may have a structure where the ink inlet 53 is normally closed. That is, the ink supply unit 40 of this modification includes the lever-shaped cap support member 90 for each of the plurality of ink inlets 53. The base end portion of the cap support member 90 is rotatably supported by a rotary shaft 91 provided on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 so as to extend in a direction (horizontal direction) intersecting the central axis of the ink inlet 53. Has been done. An elastic cap 92 having a shape that can be fitted into the ink inlet 53 is provided on the tip side of the center of each cap supporting member 90 in the longitudinal direction. The elastic cap 92 of the cap supporting member 90 is usually the ink inlet 53. It is in a closed state fitted to. When the ink is replenished, the elastic cap 92 is fitted into the ink inlet 53, and the cap supporting member 90 in the closed state holds the bent handle portion 93 at the tip of the cap supporting member 90. It is tilted to an open state where it is separated from 53. As shown in FIG. 32, a unit cover 100 that collectively covers the upper portions of the plurality of cap support members 90 may be provided so as to be openable and closable. The elastic cap 92 is made of an elastic material such as an elastomer, and the cap support member 90 is made of a material having a higher rigidity than the elastic cap 92, such as polystyrene or ABS resin.

The ink supply adapter 47 may be attached to the ink supply unit 40 so as to be movable with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 44, as in the modification shown in FIG. That is, the ink replenishing adapter 47 includes the fixed portion 125 fixed to the housing 22, the displacement portion 126 displaceable with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 44, and the connection portion connecting the fixed portion 125 and the displacement portion 126. And 127. The connecting portion 127 is deformable, and the displacing portion 126 is displaceable in a direction intersecting the vertical direction in which the needle 56 extends. Therefore, the displacement portion 126 is displaced with the ink supply container 63 engaged with the inlet forming portion 119, and the ink supply container 63 and the needle 56 can be relatively moved. Therefore, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 and the needle 56 can be easily aligned with each other, and the risk of ink leakage can be reduced.

The groove 129 may be formed at the tip of the ink outlet 65 as in the modification shown in FIG. Further, at least one (two in this modification) annular protrusions 130 may be formed along the outer circumference of the small diameter portion 80 between the tip of the ink outlet 65 and the positioning portion 73. By providing the groove portion 129, it is possible to reduce the risk of ink dripping from the ink outlet 65 when the ink supply container 63 that has supplied ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is erected. Furthermore, by providing the annular convex portion 130, even if the ink drips from the ink outlet 65, the ink can be blocked.

As in the modification shown in FIG. 35, a pair of convex portions 71 formed along a straight line D passing through the center of the ink outlet 65 is divided into a plurality (six in this modification) of regions E, and each region E is divided. The second uneven portion 72 may be configured by the provided identification convex portions 132a to 132c. In addition, in the present modification, the second concave-convex portion 72 is configured by the three types of identification convex portions 132a to 132c. Specifically, the first identification convex portion 132a having a long length from the straight line D to the side surface of the convex portion 71, the second identification convex portion 132b shorter than the first identification convex portion 132a, and the second identification convex portion 132b. The second unevenness portion 72 may be configured by arbitrarily combining the shorter third identification convex portion 132c. By increasing the number of regions E and the types of the identification convex portions 132a to 132c, it is possible to increase the pattern of the second concave-convex portion 72 and respond according to the amount and type of ink.

-As in the modification shown in Fig. 36, the small diameter portion 80 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material. Further, the inner surface of the small-diameter portion 80, which is closer to the ink storage chamber 76 than the valve 74 may be a rough surface 80a having irregularities formed by, for example, texturing. Since the rough surface 80a has high wettability and ink is likely to remain, the color of the ink can be easily recognized from the outside of the small diameter portion 80.

-As in the modification shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, the cap 68 is attached so as to contact the attachment surface 134 of the ink supply container 63, and is in the attached state. Further, the cap 68 includes an annular sealing portion 135 that seals the ink outlet 65 in the attached state. The inner surface 135a of the sealing portion 135 is formed obliquely so that it extends toward the tip. Then, the cap 68 seals the ink outlet 65 when the inner surface 135a contacts the corner 136 of the ink outlet 65 in the attached state. Therefore, even when the cap 68 is loosely engaged and attached to the attachment surface 134, it is possible to reduce the risk of ink leakage from the ink outlet 65 due to the contact between the inner surface 135a and the corner 136. The corner 136 is a portion where two surfaces facing different directions intersect with each other and may be curved.

In the ink supply adapter 47, at least one of the first uneven portion 62, the adapter-side positioning portion 121, and the rib 122 may be formed separately. Further, among the ribs 122 provided on the front and rear sides, the front rib 122 may not be provided. At least one rear rib 122 may be provided, and the ink supply adapter 47 may be positioned in the front-rear direction by the rear rib 122 and the adapter-side positioning portion 121. Furthermore, the rib 122 may not be provided.

The shape of the tank side positioning portion 113 and the adapter side positioning portion 121 can be arbitrarily changed as long as they can engage with each other and position the ink supply adapter 47 in the ink tanks 41 to 45. For example, the tank-side positioning portion 113 may be a step portion formed around the needle 56, and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 may be a recess or a hole that surrounds the step portion. By providing the tank-side positioning portion 113 and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 at positions near the needle 56, the positional accuracy of the inlet forming portion 119 with respect to the needle 56 can be improved.

In the ink supply container 63, the convex portion 71 may protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the container body 64 in which the ink storage chamber 76 is provided in the radial direction with the ink outlet 65 as the center. According to this configuration, the user can easily visually recognize the convex portion 71 when looking at the ink supply container 63, and the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 can be set to the concave portion 61 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side when the ink is supplied. It becomes easy to fit. As a result, erroneous connection of the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be reduced.

An ink supply container as information indicating the information stored in the ink tanks 41 to 45 and information related to the ink stored in the first portion provided in each of the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63. The second portion provided for each 63 may be character information or shape information other than the coloring information. Further, the configuration relating to the first portion and the second portion may be omitted.

If the plurality of concave portions 61 are provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side, the convex portion 71 on the ink supply container 63 side may have a single structure. Further, as long as there are a plurality of recesses 61, they need not necessarily be arranged in point symmetry around the ink inlet 53.

The plurality of recesses 61 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side are provided in a point-symmetrical position, in addition to the pair of 180-point-point-symmetrical recesses 61, three 120-degree point-symmetrical portions and four 90-degree point-symmetrical portions. Other plural point-symmetrical arrangement configurations may be used.

Of the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71 to be fitted at the time of ink replenishment, the convex portion 71 is provided as the first fitting portion on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side, and the concave portion 61 is the second fitting portion on the ink supply container 63 side. It may be provided.

If the depth direction of the recess 61 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side is along the extending direction of the needle 56 located at the center of the ink inlet 53, it does not necessarily need to be directed vertically downward, but diagonally to the vertical direction. It may be a direction intersecting with. However, in order to suppress ink leakage, it is not preferable to set the direction along the horizontal direction as the depth direction of the recess 61.

The height of the tip of the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61 may be equal to or higher than the height of the opening edge of the recess 61.
If a distinguishing portion is provided separately for distinguishing the ink supply container 63 having the ink outlet 65 connectable to the ink inlets 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45, the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61 is provided. The second concavo-convex portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 is not necessarily required.

The two flow paths 54 and 55 of the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 may have the same height at both tip openings, or may have a plurality of flow path configurations other than two.
The convex portion 71 and the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 may be formed directly on the ink outlet forming portion 66 instead of the container adding portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66. That is, the container adding section 67 may be formed integrally with the ink outlet forming section 66 instead of being added to the ink outlet forming section 66.

If the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 is a region outside the ink outlet 65 in the radial direction with the ink outlet 65 as the center, the ink outlet 65 is not outside from a plurality of radial directions but outside one radial direction. May be provided in the.

The valve of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is not limited to three as long as it has one or more slits 75, and a plurality of other slits 75 such as two or four may be provided. Further, the valve is not limited to the slit valve provided with the slit 75, and may be a valve that is displaced by the needle 56 from below in the valve opening direction without the slit 75.

The positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 is not limited to a planar shape, and may have one or more protrusion shapes or rib shapes as long as it contacts the upper surface (receiving surface) 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 during ink supply. But it's okay.

40... Ink supply unit, 41-45... Ink tank, 46... Ink supply tube, 47... Ink supply adapter, 48... Step part, 49... Ink storage chamber, 50... Visual part, 53... Ink inlet, 54, 55 ... flow path, 56... needle (ink inlet flow path portion), 57... remaining amount sensor, 58... upper surface (receiving surface), 59... lower surface (tank engaging portion), 60... through hole, 61... concave portion (first (Fitting portion), 62... First uneven portion (identification portion), 63... Ink supply container, 64... Container body portion, 65... Ink outlet, 66... Ink outlet forming portion, 67... Container addition portion, 69... Male screw portion , 70... Protrusion, 71... Convex part (second fitting part), 72... Second uneven part, 73... Positioning part, 74... Valve, 75... Slit, 76... Ink storage chamber, 113... Tank side positioning part, 119... Inlet forming part, 121... Adapter side positioning part, IK... Ink.

Claims (24)

An ink storage chamber capable of storing ink,
A needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber,
A hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle and having the needle disposed therein, and a pair of recesses connected to the ink inlet so as to sandwich the ink inlet are provided, and extend in a direction intersecting a direction in which the needle extends. An ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank having a receiving surface,
A container body configured to be able to store ink,
An ink outlet forming part connected to the container body,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion,
An ink outlet configured to be able to insert the needle,
A convex portion that extends in the direction along the central axis of the ink outlet and that protrudes in the direction along the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet opposite to the container body portion and that can be inserted into the concave portion. When,
Positioned on the side of the container body with respect to the tip of the protrusion in the direction along the central axis, and on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. And a positioning portion configured to be capable of contacting the receiving surface,
Ink supply container. The ink supply container according to claim 1,
An ink supply container further comprising a valve provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to be opened by the needle inserted from the ink outlet. The ink supply container according to claim 2,
The valve has a structure in which one or more slits are provided in an elastic member that seals the ink outlet, and the slit is opened from the outside to the inside of the ink outlet to open the valve. .. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A first concave-convex portion is provided in the concave portion of the ink tank,
The ink supply container is provided with a second concave-convex portion configured to be engageable with the first concave-convex portion on the convex portion. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
An ink supply container, wherein a groove is formed at the tip of the ink outlet. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The ink supply container, wherein the positioning part and the convex part are provided in a container adding part attached to the ink outlet forming part. The ink supply container according to claim 6,
The ink supply container, wherein the container adding portion is integrally formed with the ink outlet forming portion. The ink supply container according to claim 6 or 7, wherein
The ink supply container, wherein the container adding portion is colored with the same color as the ink contained in the container body. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The ink supply container further comprising a bottomed cylindrical cap that covers the ink outlet of the ink outlet forming portion. The ink supply container according to claim 9,
The cap is an ink supply container including an annular sealing portion capable of sealing the ink outlet. The ink supply container according to claim 9 or 10, wherein
The cap is an ink supply container having a plurality of protrusions formed on the outer peripheral surface at equal angular intervals. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein:
The ink supply container is configured such that the cap can be screwed into the ink outlet forming portion on the container body side of the positioning portion. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
An ink supply container, wherein the ink outlet forming portion includes a large diameter portion connected to the container body portion, and a small diameter portion having an outer circumference smaller than the outer circumference of the large diameter portion and having the ink outlet. The ink supply container according to claim 13,
The small-diameter portion is an ink supply container, which is formed of a transparent or semi-transparent material or whose inner surface is roughened. The ink supply container according to claim 13 or claim 14,
The ink outlet forming portion is an ink supply container in which at least one annular convex portion is formed along the outer periphery of the small diameter portion between the tip of the ink outlet and the positioning portion. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
The convex portions are provided so as to form a pair with the ink outlet in between, in a region that is outside in the radial direction of the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. Ink supply container. The ink supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 16 ,
The convex portion is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container body in the radial direction centered on the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. Ink supply container. An ink storage chamber capable of storing ink,
A needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber,
A hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle and having the needle disposed therein, and a pair of recesses connected to the ink inlet so as to sandwich the ink inlet are provided, and extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends. An ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank having a receiving surface,
A container body configured to be able to store ink,
An ink outlet forming part connected to the container body,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion,
An ink outlet configured to be able to insert the needle,
A protrusion extending in a direction along the central axis of the ink outlet and configured to be inserted into the recess,
Positioned on the side of the container body with respect to the tip of the protrusion in the direction along the central axis, and on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. And a positioning portion configured to be capable of contacting the receiving surface,
A first concave-convex portion is provided in the concave portion of the ink tank,
In the ink supply container, the convex portion is provided with a second concave-convex portion configured to be engageable with the first concave-convex portion,
Ink supply container. An ink storage chamber capable of storing ink,
A needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber,
A hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle and having the needle disposed therein, and a pair of recesses connected to the ink inlet so as to sandwich the ink inlet are provided, and extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends. An ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank having a receiving surface,
A container body configured to be able to store ink,
An ink outlet forming part connected to the container body,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion,
An ink outlet configured to be able to insert the needle,
A protrusion extending in a direction along the central axis of the ink outlet and configured to be inserted into the recess,
Positioned on the side of the container body with respect to the tip of the protrusion in the direction along the central axis, and on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. And a positioning portion configured to be capable of contacting the receiving surface,
A groove is formed at the tip of the ink outlet,
Ink supply container. An ink storage chamber capable of storing ink,
A needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber,
A hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle and having the needle disposed therein, and a pair of recesses connected to the ink inlet so as to sandwich the ink inlet are provided, and extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends. An ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank having a receiving surface,
A container body configured to be able to store ink,
An ink outlet forming part connected to the container body,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion,
An ink outlet configured to be able to insert the needle,
A protrusion extending in a direction along the central axis of the ink outlet and configured to be inserted into the recess,
Positioned on the side of the container body with respect to the tip of the protrusion in the direction along the central axis, and on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. And a positioning portion configured to be capable of contacting the receiving surface,
The positioning portion and the convex portion are provided in a container adding portion attached to the ink outlet forming portion,
Ink supply container. The ink supply container according to claim 20, wherein
The ink supply container, wherein the container adding portion is integrally formed with the ink outlet forming portion. The ink supply container according to claim 20 or 21,
The ink supply container, wherein the container adding portion is colored with the same color as the ink contained in the container body. An ink storage chamber capable of storing ink,
A needle having a flow path communicating with the ink storage chamber,
A hole-shaped ink inlet including the needle and having the needle disposed therein, and a pair of recesses connected to the ink inlet so as to sandwich the ink inlet are provided, and extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle extends. An ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank having a receiving surface,
A container body configured to be able to store ink,
An ink outlet forming part connected to the container body,
Equipped with
The ink outlet forming portion,
An ink outlet configured to be able to insert the needle,
A protrusion extending in a direction along the central axis of the ink outlet and configured to be inserted into the recess,
Positioned on the side of the container body with respect to the tip of the protrusion in the direction along the central axis, and on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink outlet when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet from the ink outlet side. And a positioning portion configured to be capable of contacting the receiving surface,
A large diameter portion connected to the container body,
A small-diameter portion having an outer circumference smaller than that of the large-diameter portion and having the ink outlet,
Equipped with
In the ink outlet forming portion, at least one annular convex portion is formed along the outer periphery of the small diameter portion between the tip of the ink outlet and the positioning portion,
Ink supply container. The ink supply container according to claim 23,
The small-diameter portion is an ink supply container, which is formed of a transparent or semi-transparent material or whose inner surface is roughened.

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