# US 11,897,269 B2 · Print material storage container

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- Number: US 11,897,269 B2
- Document ID: US11897269B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/686,473
- Filed: 2022-03-04
- Published: 2022-09-08
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-05
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Koji Kudo; Noriyuki Fukasawa; Hiroyuki Kawate
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897269B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/17559: {Cartridge manufacturing}
- B41J 2/17513: {Inner structure}
- B41J 2/17526: {Electrical contacts to the cartridge}
- B41J 2/1753: {Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts}
- B41J 2/17546: {electronically}
- B41J 2/17553: {Outer structure}
- B41J 2002/17516: {comprising a collapsible ink holder, e.g. a flexible bag}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A print material storage container has: a substrate on which an electric circuit having terminals is provided; a fixing portion on which the substrate can be mounted by re-fixing; and a fixing member that fixes the fixing portion and a non-terminal portion, which is formed by excluding the terminals from the substrate, to each other. The non-terminal portion includes a re-fixed portion, which can be re-fixed to the fixing portion by the fixing member.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A print material storage container comprising:
a substrate on which an electric circuit having a terminal is provided, the substrate having a through hole;
a fixing portion configured so that the substrate is mounted on the fixing portion by re-fixing, the fixing portion having an initial fixing member formed thereon that, when the substrate is initially mounted on the fixing portion, the initial fixing member penetrates the through hole from a first surface of the substrate that faces the fixing portion toward a second surface of the substrate that faces away from the fixing portion; and
a fixing member configured to fix a non-terminal portion without the terminal of the substrate to the fixing portion, the fixing member being positioned on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the non-terminal portion includes a re-fixed portion configured to be re-fixed to the fixing portion by the fixing member.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The print material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the re-fixed portion includes at least one of
an unused portion different from a previously-fixed portion already been used for fixing the substrate to the fixing portion, and
a to-be-reused portion configured to be reused by removing at least part of a previously-fixing member employed as the fixing member already used for the fixing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The print material storage container according to claim 2, wherein:
the substrate has an initially-fixed portion, which is initially fixed by the initial fixing member, on a same side as one end of the substrate; and
a portion re-fixed by the fixing member in the unused portion is positioned on the same side as the one end.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The print material storage container according to claim 3, wherein:
the initially-fixed portion includes the through-hole and a periphery of the through-hole.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The print material storage container according to claim 1, wherein:
the fixing portion has a fixing hole, into which the fixing member is inserted; and
the fixing member has
a shaft configured to be inserted into the fixing hole in the fixing portion, and
a vertex provided on a base end of the shaft, the vertex fixing the non-terminal portion to the fixing portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The print material storage container according to claim 5, wherein the fixing member further has a hook portion opposite to the vertex, the hook portion having a larger outside shape than the fixing hole in a state that the hook portion protrudes from the fixing hole.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The print material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is a film member that covers the fixing portion and the non-terminal portion to fix the non-terminal portion to the fixing portion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The print material storage container according to claim 1, wherein:
the fixing member is an adhesive; and
the re-fixed portion includes at least one of an outer circumferential edge of the substrate and a rear surface of the substrate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The print material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the initial fixing member includes a protrusion, at least a leading end portion of the protrusion is removed by cutting or shaving in a state where the fixing portion is reused.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The print material storage container according to claim 9, wherein the fixing member different from the protrusion is used in a second or subsequent fixing.