# US 7,607,769 B2 · Refill unit

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- Number: US 7,607,769 B2
- Document ID: US7607769B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/605,864
- Filed: 2006-11-29
- Published: 2007-06-14
- Granted: 2009-10-27
- Earliest claimed: 2005-11-30
- Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Takaichiro Umeda; Yasutake Yamaguchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7607769B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/17509: {Whilst mounted in the printer}
- B41J 2/1752: {Mounting within the printer}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A refill unit that includes a case, a door, a locking member and an unlocking member. The locking member slides between a protruded position and a retracted position and is engageable with the case at an intermediate position between the protruded position and the retracted position to lock the door in a closed position. the locking member is displaced toward the retracted position to release the engagement. The unlocking member is turnably supported on the door and is capable of moving, when the door is in the closed position, between a neutral position and a housed position. The unlocking member is displaced from the neutral position to a fallen position to displace the locking member from the intermediate position to the retracted position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A refill unit comprising:
a case having an opening formed in a front face thereof for inserting/extracting an ink cartridge and a holding portion communicated with the opening for housing the ink cartridge;
a door being capable of moving between a closed position to close the opening and an opened position to open the opening;
a locking member being capable of sliding between a protruded position, at which the locking member is protruded from the door, and a retracted position, at which the locking member is retracted toward the door, and adapted to engage with the case at an intermediate position between the protruded position and the retracted position to lock the door in the closed position, the locking member being capable of being displaced toward the retracted position to release the engagement; and
an unlocking member turnably supported on the door and being capable of moving, when the door is in the closed position, between a neutral position, at which the unlocking member is inclined from the front face of the case, and a housed position, at which the unlocking member is substantially parallel with the front face of the case, the unlocking member being capable of being displaced from the neutral position to a fallen position to displace the locking member from the intermediate position to the retracted position.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises an elastic member that urges the locking member toward the protruded position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein the locking member comprises an abutting portion, against which a predetermined portion of the unlocking member abuts, and
the unlocking member comprises, at its predetermined portion, an interlocking cam that presses the abutting portion in association with the displacement of the unlocking member from the housed position to the fallen position and displaces the locking member to the retracted position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises a housing portion that houses the unlocking member when the unlocking member is displaced to the housed position.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein the unlocking member is provided with a mark that indicate a direction in which the unlocking member is displaced toward the fallen position.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is provided on one side of the door and the unlocking member is provided on another side of the door.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein an upper face of the locking member, which comes into sliding contact with the case when the door is moved toward the closed position, is sloped.