IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,926,162
Granted Patent B2
US 11,926,162 · App. 18/136,628 · Granted Mar 12, 2024

Ink refill container and ink refill system

Inventors: Tadahiro Mizutani (Shiojiri, JP); Taku Ishizawa (Matsumoto, JP); Noriyuki Fukasawa (Shiojiri, JP); Naomi Kimura (Okaya, JP); Shoma Kudo (Shiojiri, JP); Manabu Akahane (Tatsuno-machi, JP)
Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
B41J2/17506B41J2/17509B41J2/17523B41J2/17553B41J2/17596B41J29/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,926,162
App. No.
18/136,628
Granted
Mar 12, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ink refill container configured to refill an ink tank with ink and an ink refill system. An ink refill container includes a container main body having an ink chamber; an ink outlet forming portion provided at an edge of the container main body including an ink outlet configured to allow ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve provided in ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to ink tank when valve is opened. The positioning structure has a positioning surface located on an opposite side to a container main body side where the container main body is located, across the valve and extends in a direction intersecting with a center axis of the ink outlet.

Claims (11)

1. An ink refill container for refilling ink to an ink tank through a needle of the ink tank, the ink refill container comprising:

a container main body configured to contain the ink; and

an ink outlet portion connected to the container main body, the ink outlet portion including:

a cylindrical portion forming an ink outlet on an inner circumferential side of the cylindrical portion;

a positioning surface disposed within the cylindrical portion; and

a valve disposed within the cylindrical portion,

wherein the positioning surface is configured such that, in a state in which a needle has been inserted in the cylindrical portion to open the valve, the positioning surface contacts the needle.

2. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning surface has a surface extended in a direction intersecting with a center axis of the ink outlet.

3. The ink refill container according to claim 2 , wherein the positioning surface is disposed toward the center axis in a radial direction of the cylindrical portion.

4. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning surface is formed in a planar shape extended in a direction orthogonal to a center axis of the ink outlet.

5. The ink refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the valve has at least one slit in an elastic body.

Priority Claims (4)
JP 2016-116155 · Jun 10, 2016 · national
JP 2016-203332 · Oct 17, 2016 · national
JP 2016-208864 · Oct 25, 2016 · national
JP 2017-036333 · Feb 28, 2017 · national
Continuity (5)
Continuation 17946606 · Sep 16, 2022
Continuation 17238923 · Apr 23, 2021
Continuation 16885044 · May 27, 2020
Continuation 16307389
Related Publication 20230311524A1 · Oct 5, 2023