# US 9,039,153 B2 · Printing apparatus and printing material supply system

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- Number: US 9,039,153 B2
- Document ID: US9039153B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/739,451
- Filed: 2013-01-11
- Published: 2013-07-18
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2012-01-12
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Kazutoshi Matsuzaki; Kazumasa Harada; Satoshi Nakata; Hidetaka Kawata; Izumi Nozawa; Hidetoshi Kodama; Tadahiro Mizutani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039153B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/17526: {Electrical contacts to the cartridge}
- 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 printing apparatus adapted to have a cartridge detachably mounted thereon includes a cartridge mounting structure, a printing material supply tube, a plurality of apparatus-side terminals and a lever used for attachment and detachment of the cartridge to and from the printing apparatus. The lever has an operating member, a first apparatus-side locking portion and an axis of rotation. When an external force is applied to the operating member of the lever from the +X-axis direction to the −X-axis direction, the lever moves the first apparatus-side locking portion about the axis of rotation from a specified locking position toward the +X-axis direction and disengages the first apparatus-side locking portion from a first cartridge-side restriction portion, so as to eliminate the restriction of motion of the cartridge. This ensures stable electrical connection between cartridge-side terminals and apparatus-side terminals.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A printing apparatus adapted to have a cartridge detachably mounted thereon, wherein three space axes orthogonal to one another are represented by an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis of the cartridge,
the cartridge comprising:
a first face located on a −Z-axis direction side and a second face located on a +Z-axis direction side, as two surfaces opposed to each other in the Z-axis direction;
a third face located on a +X-axis direction side and a fourth face located on a −X-axis direction side, as two surfaces opposed to each other in the X-axis direction;
a fifth face located on a −Y-axis direction side and a sixth face located on a +Y-axis direction side, as two surfaces opposed to each other in the Y-axis direction;
a cartridge-side corner section arranged to connect the first face with the third face;
a printing material supply port placed on the first face and configured to supply printing material to the printing apparatus;
a first cartridge-side restriction portion placed on the third face;
a sloped surface arranged to form part of the cartridge-side corner section and inclined in a specific direction including the +X-axis direction component and the −Z-axis direction component; and
a plurality of cartridge-side terminals located on the sloped surface, wherein
the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis with respect to the printing apparatus in an attached state of the cartridge to the printing apparatus respectively correspond to an X axis, a Y axis and a Z axis of the printing apparatus,
the printing apparatus comprising:
a cartridge mounting structure configured to have: (i) an apparatus-side bottom wall member opposed to the first face of the cartridge in the attached state; (ii) a first apparatus-side side wall member opposed to the third face of the cartridge in the attached state; and (iii) a second apparatus-side side wall member opposed to the fourth face of the cartridge in the attached state;
a printing material supply tube structured to have a central axis parallel to the Z-axis, a base end provided on the apparatus-side bottom wall member and a peripheral end to be connected with the printing material supply port;
a plurality of apparatus-side terminals located in an apparatus-side corner section where the apparatus-side bottom wall member intersects the first apparatus-side side wall member, wherein in the attached state, the respective apparatus-side terminals are in contact with the respective cartridge-side terminals to apply a force to the cartridge in a specific direction including the +Z-axis direction component; and
a lever placed on the first apparatus-side side wall member in a rotatable manner to be used for attachment and detachment of the cartridge to and from the printing apparatus, wherein
the lever is structured to have: an operating member located at the +Z-axis direction end and configured to receive an external force applied by a user; and a first apparatus-side locking portion located at the −Z-axis direction end, wherein in the attached state, the first apparatus-side locking portion engages with the first cartridge-side restriction portion of the cartridge, so as to restrict motion of the cartridge in the +Z-axis direction,
the lever additionally has an axis of rotation at a specific position between the operating member and the first apparatus-side locking portion, wherein in the attached state, the axis of rotation is located on the +Z-axis direction side and on the +X-axis direction side of a specified locking position where the first apparatus-side locking portion engages with the first cartridge-side restriction portion, and
when an external force is applied to the operating member of the lever from the +X-axis direction to the −X-axis direction, the lever moves the first apparatus-side locking portion about the axis of rotation from the specified locking position toward the +X-axis direction and disengages the first apparatus-side locking portion from the first cartridge-side restriction portion, so as to eliminate the restriction of the motion of the cartridge.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the lever additionally has a second apparatus-side locking portion located at the −Z-axis direction end, wherein
in the attached state, the second apparatus-side locking portion engages with a second abutting part of the first cartridge-side restriction portion, which is different from a first abutting part of the first cartridge-side restriction portion that is engaged with the first apparatus-side locking portion, so as to restrict motion of the cartridge in the +X-axis direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the first apparatus-side locking portion has a cross section that is parallel to both the X axis and the Z axis and is formed in an arc shape about the axis of rotation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
the axis of rotation is located at a position near to the specified locking position with respect to the X-axis direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the lever additionally has a guide member configured to guide the first cartridge-side restriction portion to the first apparatus-side locking portion while restricting motion of the cartridge both in the X-axis direction and in the Y-axis direction, when the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting structure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
the guide member has a guide bottom wall formed along the Y-axis direction and a pair of guide walls vertically angled toward the −X-axis direction from the guide bottom wall and opposed to each other in the Y-axis direction,
the guide bottom wall and the pair of guide walls are extended from a location of the operating member of the lever to a location of the first apparatus-side locking portion, and
distance between the pair of guide walls is less than the Y-axis direction length of the cartridge in the attached state but is greater than the Y-axis direction length of the first cartridge-side restriction portion in the attached state.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
one of the pair of guide walls is located at the −Y-axis direction end of the guide bottom wall,
the other of the pair of guide walls is located at the +Y-axis direction end of the guide bottom wall, and
the guide member is arranged to form a recess by the guide bottom wall and the pair of guide walls to receive the first cartridge-side restriction portion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the operating member of the lever is structured to have: an operation surface arranged to receive an external force applied to the operating member to eliminate the restriction of the motion of the cartridge by the first apparatus-side locking portion; and an operating-member opposed surface arranged to be in contact with a projection located on the +Z-axis direction side of the first cartridge-side restriction portion located on the third face of the cartridge, wherein
the operating-member opposed surface comes into contact with the projection to apply a force in a specific direction including the +Z-axis direction component to the cartridge and thereby eliminate the restriction of the motion of the cartridge.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
the operating-member opposed surface is inclined in a specific direction including the −X-axis direction component and the +Z-axis direction component in the attached state.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an elastic member that is elastically deformable, wherein
the elastic member is configured to apply an external force including the−X-axis direction component to a specific part of the lever located on the −Z-axis direction side of the axis of rotation at least during a mounting operation of mounting the cartridge on the cartridge mounting structure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
the elastic member is arranged to apply the external force to the specific part of the lever located on the −Z-axis direction side of the axis of rotation in the attached state.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
the elastic member is arranged to apply no external force to the lever in the attached state.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the lever has center of gravity at a location where the first apparatus-side locking portion is moved to the specified locking position by dead weight of the lever.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the lever additionally has a pair of shaft bodies to form the axis of rotation, and
one of the pair of shaft bodies is provided as a projection protruded from an outer surface on the +Y-axis direction side and the other of the pair of shaft bodies is provided as a projection protruded from an outer surface on the −Y-axis direction side.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The printing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein
each of the pair of shaft bodies is structured to have: a first curved surface arranged to form a first arc about the axis of rotation on a cross section parallel to both the X axis and the Z axis; and a second curved surface arranged to form a second arc about the axis of rotation on the cross section parallel to both the X axis and the Z axis, wherein the second arc has a greater radius than radius of the first arc, and
the first curved surface is located on the −X-axis direction side of the second curved surface.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a second apparatus-side restriction portion located on the second apparatus-side side wall member, wherein
the second apparatus-side restriction portion engages with a second cartridge-side restriction portion located on the fourth face of the cartridge, so as to restrict motion of the cartridge in the +Z-axis direction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The printing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein
the second apparatus-side restriction portion is provided as a recess or a through hole to receive the second cartridge-side restriction portion as a projection formed on the fourth face of the cartridge.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a third apparatus-side restriction portion formed on the apparatus-side bottom wall member at a location nearer to the first apparatus-side side wall member than the printing material supply tube, wherein
the third apparatus-side restriction portion is provided as a projection, wherein
in the attached state, the projection is located between a pair of projection members protruded from in the +X-axis direction from a stepped surface, which is formed to connect the sloped surface with the first face of the cartridge, to restrict motion of the cartridge in the Y-axis direction.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

A printing material supply system, comprising:
the printing apparatus according to claim 1; and
a cartridge,
the cartridge comprising:
a first face located on a −Z-axis direction side and a second face located on a +Z-axis direction side, as two surfaces opposed to each other in the Z-axis direction;
a third face located on a +X-axis direction side and a fourth face located on a −X-axis direction side, as two surfaces opposed to each other in the X-axis direction;
a fifth face located on a −Y-axis direction side and a sixth face located on a +Y-axis direction side, as two surfaces opposed to each other in the Y-axis direction;
a cartridge-side corner section arranged to connect the first face with the third face;
a printing material supply port placed on the first face and configured to supply printing material to the printing apparatus;
a first cartridge-side restriction portion placed on the third face;
a sloped surface arranged to form part of the cartridge-side corner section and inclined in a specific direction including the +X-axis direction component and the −Z-axis direction component; and
a plurality of cartridge-side terminals located on the sloped surface.