IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,734,813
Granted Patent B2
US 12,734,813 · App. 18/970,578 · Granted Sep 15, 2026

Liquid storage container

Inventors: Kyosuke Nagaoka (Tokyo, JP); Ryoji Inoue (Kanagawa, JP); Noriyasu Nagai (Tokyo, JP); Kenta Udagawa (Tokyo, JP); Hideaki Matsumura (Kanagawa, JP); Taiji Maruyama (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B41J2/17509B41J2/17513B41J2/17523B41J2/1754B65D47/123B65D49/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,734,813
App. No.
18/970,578
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ink bottle replenishes an ink tank of an inkjet printing apparatus with ink and includes a storage portion containing ink, a discharge port portion having a discharge port through which stored ink is discharged, and a coupling portion having a male thread portion arranged on the outside and a cover portion including a female thread portion on the inside, configured to be attachable to and detachable from the discharge port, the female thread portion to be screwed to the male thread portion, the male thread portion being discontinuous in the coupling portion, the discontinuous male thread portion forming one helical shape as a whole. The discharge port portion, viewed from an ink discharge direction, has first to fourth arc portions extending along a circle having a diameter of a portion of the coupling portion, excluding a projecting portion of the male thread portion and including the male thread portion.

Claims (38)

1 . An ink bottle for replenishing an ink tank of an inkjet printing apparatus with ink, the ink bottle comprising:

a storage portion that contains ink;

a discharge port portion connected to the storage portion and including a discharge port through which ink stored in the storage portion can be discharged and a coupling portion in which a male thread portion is arranged on the outside; and

a cover portion including a female thread portion on the inside and configured to be attachable to and detachable from the discharge port portion, the female thread portion configured to be screwed to the male thread portion,

wherein the male thread portion is discontinuous in the coupling portion and the discontinuous male thread portion forms one helical shape as a whole,

the discharge port portion, viewed from an ink discharge direction, has:

a plurality of arc portions including first to fourth arc portions that are along a circle having a diameter of a portion of the coupling portion excluding a projecting portion of the male thread portion and including the male thread portion,

a plane portion including a first plane portion and a second plane portion formed on an inner radial side of the circle and provided rotationally symmetrically by one hundred eighty degrees with respect to a center of the circle, and

a plurality of recess portions including a first recess portion and a second recess portion formed on the inner radial side of the circle,

wherein the first arc portion, the first plane portion, and the second arc portion are continuously provided in this order,

the third arc portion, the second plane portion, and the fourth arc portion are continuously provided in this order,

the first recess portion is provided between the first arc portion and the third arc portion, and

the second recess portion is provided between the second arc portion and the fourth arc portion.

2 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein the plane portion and the recess portion do not comprise the male thread portion.

3 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the plane portion and an arc of the circle corresponding to the plane portion is 0.5 mm or more.

4 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein in the coupling portion, a proportion of the first and second plane portions and the plurality of recess portions to the circle is between ten percent and ninety percent inclusive.

5 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein in the coupling portion, a proportion of the first and second plane portions and the plurality of recess portions to the circle is between twenty percent and seventy percent inclusive.

6 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein the first recess portion, the first arc portion, the first plane portion, the second arc portion, and the second recess portion are continuously provided in this order in the discharge port portion.

7 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , further comprising a sealing portion formed by a contact portion between the cover portion and the discharge port portion.

8 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein

the discharge port portion comprises therein a liquid stop valve,

the cover portion comprises therein a protrusion that opens the liquid stop valve as the cover portion closes, and

the protrusion opens the liquid stop valve while the cover portion is attached to the discharge port portion.

9 . The ink bottle according to claim 8 , wherein

the liquid stop valve comprises an orifice portion, a valve element, and a biasing mechanism that biases the valve element, and

a gap between the orifice portion and the valve element is closed by the biasing mechanism.

10 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein the recess portion of the coupling portion is configured to engage with a protruding portion formed in a socket provided to surround the outside of the ink tank.

11 . The ink bottle according to claim 10 , wherein the recess portion engages with the protruding portion in a case when the ink tank is replenished with ink.

12 . The ink bottle according to claim 10 , wherein

the inkjet printing apparatus comprises the plurality of ink tanks, the sockets of the ink tanks having different shapes, respectively, and

the recess portion of the coupling portion can engage with only the protruding portion formed in the socket of one ink tank of the plurality of ink tanks but does not engage with the protruding portions formed in the sockets of the other ink tanks.

13 . The ink bottle according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of recess portions engages with the protruding portion and the other recess portions do not engage with the protruding portion.

14 . The ink bottle according to claim 10 , wherein

the socket of the ink tank comprises the plurality of protruding portions,

the coupling portion comprises the plurality of recess portions, and

the plurality of recess portions engage with the plurality of protruding portions, respectively.

15 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein the ink bottle is configured to replenish the inkjet printing apparatus with ink, the inkjet printing apparatus comprising a tank cover that seals the ink tank, which is configured to be replenished with ink by opening the tank cover.

16 . The ink bottle according to claim 1 , wherein in the discharge port portion viewed from the ink discharge direction, the first recess portion and the second recess portion are portions that are ends of spaces provided rotationally symmetrically by one hundred eighty degrees with respect to the center of the circle.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-122278 · Jul 16, 2020 · national
Continuity (3)
Continuation 18364919 · Aug 3, 2023
Continuation 17370955 · Jul 8, 2021
Related Publication 20250091355A1 · Mar 20, 2025
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