US 7,922,281 B2Granted

Protection device for an ink cartridge storage unit

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorHiroyasu Yano

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Abstract

A protection device for an ink cartridge storage unit having an ink inducing member is provided with a supporting beam, a funnel member having a narrow conical end and a wide conical end, the narrow conical end being connected to a distal end of the supporting beam, and an elastic cap arranged inside the funnel member. The elastic cap seals the ink inducing member in an engaged state. In the course of removing the protection device from the ink cartridge storage unit, the protection device can be lifted in the upper direction. The upper rim of the wide conical end makes contact with the rear surface of the ink cartridge storage unit in due course. As the protection device is lifted further, the part of the elastic cap is constricted, and the upper rim of the wide conical end functions as the fulcrum for the leverage.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A protection device for an ink cartridge storage unit comprising a storage main body with one side having an opening, and an ink inducing member arranged on a surface of the storage main body facing the side having the opening, in a manner that the ink inducing member vertically protrudes inside the storage main body with respect to the surface, the protection device comprising:

a main body;
a supporting beam including one end and another end opposite to the one end, the one end of the supporting beam being connected to the main body of the protection device;
a funnel member having a narrow conical end and a wide conical end, the narrow conical end being connected to the another end of the supporting beam;
and
an elastic cap arranged inside the funnel member, wherein the elastic cap seals the ink inducing member in an engaged state;
wherein when the protection device is angled toward a direction, a part of the wide conical end corresponding to the direction makes contact with the surface where the ink inducing member is arranged and slides thereon.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.