# US 10,864,745 B2 · Liquid ejecting apparatus and cartridge

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- Number: US 10,864,745 B2
- Document ID: US10864745B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/541,291
- Filed: 2019-08-15
- Published: 2019-12-05
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-31
- Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Daiki Higashiguchi; Isao Kubo; Takahiko Watari; Satoshi Yoshioka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864745B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/17566: {Ink level or ink residue control}
- B41J 2/175: Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor}
- B41J 2/17509: {Whilst mounted in the printer}
- B41J 2/17526: {Electrical contacts to the cartridge}
- B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
- G01F 23/263: by measuring variations in capacitance of capacitors
- B41J 2002/17579: {Measuring electrical impedance for ink level indication}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME

## Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes an ejection portion and a circuit. The ejection portion has a plurality of ejection ports configured to eject liquid supplied from a liquid storage portion defining a liquid storage space configured to store liquid. The circuit is electrically connected to at least one of a bottom electrode and a side electrode. The circuit is configured to detect a capacitance between the bottom electrode and the side electrode. The bottom electrode is provided at a bottom surface of the liquid storage portion. The side electrode is provided at one side surface of the liquid storage portion and electrically isolated from the bottom electrode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cartridge configured to be mounted on a liquid ejecting apparatus including an ejection portion having a plurality of ejection ports configured to eject liquid and a circuit configured to detect a capacitance between electrodes, the cartridge comprising:
a liquid storage portion defining a liquid storage space configured to store liquid supplied to the ejection portion;
a bottom electrode provided at a bottom surface of the liquid storage portion; and
a side electrode provided at one side surface of the liquid storage portion and electrically isolated from the bottom electrode,
wherein when the cartridge is mounted on the liquid ejecting apparatus, at least one of the bottom electrode and the side electrode being electrically connected to the circuit, and a capacitance between the bottom electrode and the side electrode being detected by the circuit,
wherein an end portion of the bottom electrode adjacent to the side electrode is provided at an end portion of the bottom surface, and forms an acute angle with a surface that is parallel to the side electrode and that extends upward from a tip end of the end portion of the bottom electrode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the bottom surface is adjacent to the one side surface, is slanted relative to a horizontal direction and forms an acute angle with the one side surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the side electrode is located at a higher position than a lower end of the liquid storage space.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising another side electrode provided at another side surface facing the one side surface among a plurality of side surfaces of the liquid storage portion, the another side electrode being electrically connected to the bottom electrode and electrically isolated from the side electrode.