US 11,667,123 B2
Ink refill container and ink refill system
Tadahiro Mizutani, Shiojiri (JP); Taku Ishizawa, Matsumoto (JP); Noriyuki Fukasawa, Shiojiri (JP); Naomi Kimura, Okaya (JP); Shoma Kudo, Shiojiri (JP); and Manabu Akahane, Tatsuno-machi (JP)
Assigned to SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Sep. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/946,606.
Application 17/946,606 is a continuation of application No. 17/238,923, filed on Apr. 23, 2021, granted, now 11,541,662.
Application 17/238,923 is a continuation of application No. 16/885,044, filed on May 27, 2020, granted, now 11,007,787, issued on May 18, 2021.
Application 16/885,044 is a continuation of application No. 16/307,389, granted, now 10,752,003, issued on Aug. 25, 2020, previously published as PCT/JP2017/021276, filed on Jun. 8, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. JP2016-116155 (JP), filed on Jun. 10, 2016; application No. JP2016-203332 (JP), filed on Oct. 17, 2016; application No. JP2016-208864 (JP), filed on Oct. 25, 2016; and application No. JP2017-036333 (JP), filed on Feb. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0016176 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. B41J 2/175 (2006.01); B41J 29/13 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/17506 (2013.01) [B41J 2/17509 (2013.01); B41J 2/17523 (2013.01); B41J 2/17553 (2013.01); B41J 2/17596 (2013.01); B41J 29/13 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ink refill container configured to refill ink to a printer that has a circular hole-shaped ink inlet in which a needle having a flow path is arranged, the ink refill container comprising:
a container main body configured to contain ink; and
an ink outlet forming portion connected to the container main body, the ink outlet forming portion including:
an ink outlet;
a valve having at least one slit formed in an elastic member, the valve configured to be opened by insertion of the needle into the ink outlet and to be closed by removal of the needle from the ink outlet; and
a positioning portion located at a top of the ink outlet forming portion, the positioning portion configured and arranged to be guided by an arc face forming an inner circumferential face of the ink inlet in a direction for allowing the needle to be inserted into the ink outlet, the positioning portion contacting a part of the ink inlet in a state that the valve is opened.