Abstract:
An inkjet recording device includes a main body and a movable unit. The main body includes a recording head and a pump. The recording head is configured to eject ink onto a recording medium to record an image. The pump is configured to draw the ink from the recording head. The movable unit is configured to move between a near position and a far position where is away from the near position with respect to the main body. The movable unit includes a waste liquid chamber configured to accommodate the ink drawn by the pump.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-197171 filed Sep. 9, 2011. The entire content of this priority application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device including a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium and a pump for drawing the ink from the recording head. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In a conventional inkjet recording device, an ink droplet is ejected onto a conveyed recording medium to form an image thereon. The inkjet recording device includes a recording head and a purge mechanism. The purge mechanism draws ink from nozzles of the recording head to remove the ink together with foreign materials in the nozzles. The purge mechanism is provided with a waste liquid chamber for accommodating the drawn ink. 
     SUMMARY 
     Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-262446 discloses a printer including a head as a recording head, a maintenance unit as a purge mechanism, and a waste ink tank as a waste liquid chamber. 
     The waste ink tank is disposed diagonally upward and forward relative to the head. 
     To accommodate sufficient amount of ink, the waste ink tank has a larger volume than the head. However, this configuration enlarges the size of waste ink tank in the front-to-rear direction and right-to-left direction, resulting in a large installation area of the printer. 
     In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a compact inkjet recording device. 
     In order to attain the above and other objects, the present invention provides an inkjet recording device. The inkjet recording device includes a main body and a movable unit. The main body includes a recording head and a pump. The recording head is configured to eject ink onto a recording medium to record an image. The pump is configured to draw the ink from the recording head. The movable unit is configured to move between a near position and a far position where is away from the near position with respect to the main body. The movable unit includes a waste liquid chamber configured to accommodate the ink drawn by the pump. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a multifunction device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a plan view of the multifunction device according to the embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view of an internal structure of the multifunction device; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the internal structure of the multifunction device as viewed from diagonally left and above; 
         FIG. 4A  is a side cross-sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in  FIG. 1B  when a scanner casing of the multifunction device is positioned at a third position; 
         FIG. 4B  is a partial enlarged view of a portion encircled by a dotted line in  FIG. 4A  when the scanner casing is positioned at the third position; 
         FIG. 5A  is a side cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in  FIG. 1B  when the scanner casing is positioned at a fourth position; 
         FIG. 5B  is a partial enlarged view of a portion encircled by a dotted line in  FIG. 5A  when the scanner casing is positioned at the fourth position; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of the multifunction device when the scanner casing is positioned at the fourth position and a waste liquid chamber of the multifunction device is positioned at a first position; 
         FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of the multifunction device when the scanner casing is positioned at the fourth position and the waste liquid chamber is positioned at a second position; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the multifunction device in a state shown in  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of the waste liquid chamber; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic right side view of the waste liquid chamber, a recording section, and a purge mechanism in the multifunction device; 
         FIG. 10A  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lift-up mechanism when a cap is at a fourth posture in the multifunction device; and 
         FIG. 10B  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lift-up mechanism when the cap is at a third posture in the multifunction device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A multifunction device  10  as an example of an inkjet recording device according to embodiment of the invention will be described while referring to the accompanying drawings wherein like parts and components are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid duplicating description. 
     The terms “upward”, “downward”, “upper”, “lower”, “above”, “below”, “beneath”, “right”, “left”, “front”, “rear” and the like will be used throughout the description assuming that the multifunction device  10  is disposed in a posture in which it is intended to be used. In use, the multifunction device is disposed as shown in  FIG. 1A . 
     [Multifunction Device  10 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , the multifunction device  10  is of a substantial thin rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction device  10  has an upper portion provided with a scanner section  12  scanning an image on a document by an image sensor to acquire image data, and a lower portion provided with a print section  11  forming the scanned image on a recording sheet  15 . 
     The scanner section  12  includes a scanner casing  51  having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, a document cover  53  pivotally movably connected to an upper surface of the scanner casing  51 , a platen glass (not shown) on which the document is rested, and an image sensor (not shown) for reading the document on the platen glass. The scanner section  12  is configured of a flatbed type scanner. The document cover  53  is pivotally movable about a rear portion thereof, i.e., about a shaft  54  extending in a right-to-left direction  9  shown in  FIG. 4A , between a first posture in which the platen glass is covered with the cover  53  as shown in  FIG. 1A  and a second posture in which the platen glass is exposed to outside. The document can be set on the platen glass while the document cover  53  is at the second posture. The scanner casing  51  is also pivotally movable relative to the printer casing  14 , and detailed structure of this movement will be described later. The platen glass and the image sensor are accommodated in the scanner casing  51 . The platen glass is disposed below the document cover  53 . 
     The print section  11  includes a printer casing  14  formed with a front opening  13  through which a supply tray  20  and a discharge tray  21  are insertable as shown in  FIG. 1A , a primary frame  26  ( FIG. 3 ) having a pair of guide rails  43 ,  44 , and a secondary frame  68  ( FIG. 7 ) provided within the printer casing  14 . The supply tray  20  accommodates a stack of recording sheets  15  having a prescribe size. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the print section  11  further includes a sheet supply roller  25  for supplying the recording sheet  15  accommodated in the supply tray  20  to the conveying path  23 , a pair of conveying rollers  63  and a pair of discharge rollers  66  located on the conveying path  23  for conveying the recording sheet  15  supplied by the sheet supply roller  25 , and a recording section  24  for forming an image on the recording sheet  15  based on image data obtained by scanning the document by the scanner section  12 . The print section  11 A defines a conveying path  23  for guiding the recording sheet  15 . 
     [Conveying Path  23 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the conveying path  23  extends from a rear end portion of the supply tray  20  to the discharge tray  21  passing through a U-shaped curved path and below the recording section  24 . The conveying path  23  is defined between a first guide member  31  and a second guide member  32  apart from and in confrontation with the first guide member  31 . The recording sheet  15  is conveyed along the conveying path  23  in a feeding direction depicted by a dotted arrow in  FIG. 2 . 
     [A Pair of Conveying Rollers  63  and a Pair of Discharge Rollers  66 ] 
     The pair of conveying rollers  63  are disposed on the conveying path  23  upstream of the recording section  24  in the feeding direction and configured of a conveying roller  61  and a pinch roller  62 . The pinch roller  62  is in pressure contact with a circumferential surface of the conveying roller  61  by an urging member such as a spring (not shown), allowing the pair of conveying rollers  63  to nip the recording sheet  15 . 
     The pair of discharge rollers  66  are disposed on the conveying path  23  downstream of the recording section  24  in the feeding direction and configured of a discharge roller  64  and a wheel  65 . The wheel  65  is in pressure contact with a circumferential surface of the discharge roller  64  by an urging member such as a spring (not shown), allowing the pair of discharge rollers  66  to nip the recording sheet  15 . 
     The conveying roller  61  and the discharge roller  64  are driven by a rotational driving force transmitted from a motor (not shown) through a transmission mechanism (not shown) configured of planetary gears. The conveying roller  61  and the discharge roller  64  nip the recording sheet  15  respectively in cooperation with the pinch roller  62  and the wheel  65  for feeding the recording sheet  15  in the feeding direction. 
     [Recording Section  24 ] 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 to 5B , the recording section  24  is disposed on the conveying path  23 . The recording section  24  is provided with an inkjet type recording head  37  and a carriage  38  carrying the recording head  37 . The carriage  38  is reciprocally movably supported on the pair of guide rails  43 ,  44  in the right-to-left direction  9  orthogonal to the feeding direction (front-to-rear direction  8 ). 
     The recording head  37  is disposed beneath the carriage  38 . The recording head  37  has a bottom surface (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle surface  36 ”) formed with a plurality of nozzles (not shown) exposed to an outside, as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     The print section  11  has a right front portion provided with an ink tank (not shown) of each color. Each color of ink accommodated in the ink tank is supplied to the recording head  37 , and is ejected from each nozzle in the form of a small ink droplet during the reciprocally movement of the carriage  38 , forming the image on the recording sheet  15  conveyed on a platen  67  described below. 
     [Platen  67 ] 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 to 5B , the platen  67  is disposed immediately below the recording head  37  of the recording section  24  and is supported on the primary frame  26  at its lateral ends in the right-to-left direction  9 . The platen  67  has an upper surface in confrontation with the nozzle surface  36 . The platen  67  is of generally rectangular plate shape having a longitudinal length in the front-to-rear direction  8  and a widthwise length in the right-to-left direction  9 , these length being longer than a height thereof in a top-to-bottom direction  7 . The widthwise length of the platen  67  is longer than the longitudinal length of the same. The upper surface of the platen  67  supports the recording sheet  15  conveyed in the conveying path  23 . 
     [Purge Mechanism  69 ] 
     A purge mechanism  69  is provided in the printer casing  14  as shown in  FIG. 9 , and is adapted to draw ink together with air bubbles and foreign materials from the recording head  37 . The purge mechanism  69  includes a cap  72  covering the nozzles of the recording head  37 , a pump  70  connected to the cap  72  for drawing ink from the recording head  37 , a lift-up mechanism  74  ( FIG. 10 ) that moves the cap  72  in the top-to-bottom direction  7  so as to be in contact with and away from the recording head  37 , and a pump tube  73  for connecting the pump  70  with a waste liquid chamber  71  described later. 
     [Cap  72 ] 
     The cap  72  is disposed offset from a recording sheet passage region in the conveying path  23  in the right-to-left direction  9 , i.e., the cap  72  is disposed at a retreated position away from the reciprocally movable range of the carriage  38 .  FIG. 3  shows a state where the carriage  38  is positioned at the retreated position. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the cap  72  is located below the recording section  24  when the carriage  38  is moved to the retreated position. 
     The cap  72  is made of elastic materials such as rubber. The cap  72  is adapted to be in hermetical contact with the nozzle surface  36  by the lift-up mechanism  74  to form a gap therebetween and cover the nozzles. The cap  72  has a bottom surface formed with an inlet  75  connected to the pump  70  and the waste liquid chamber  71  via the pump tube  73 . 
     [Pump  70 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the pump  70  is in fluid communication with the cap  72  via the pump tube  73 . The pump  70  is a rotary type tube pump. In the embodiment, the pump  70  includes a casing having an inner wall and a rotation roller rolling along the inner wall. The pump tube  73  is disposed between the rotation roller and the inner wall. Upon rotating the rotation roller, the ink in the pump tube  73  flows from an upstream side (cap  72 ) to a downstream side (waste liquid chamber  71 ) in an ink flowing direction. 
     [Lift-Up Mechanism  74 ] 
     The lift-up mechanism  74  is provided with a first frame  56 , a second frame  57 , and a slide cam  60  as shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B . The depiction of the lift-up mechanism  74  is omitted in the drawings other than  FIG. 10 . The lift-up mechanism  74  is not limited to the following configuration as long as the lift-up mechanism  74  vertically lifts up the cap  72 . 
     The first frame  56  has a box shape slidably supported on the slide cam  60 . The slide cam  60  is supported on the second frame  57 . The second frame  57  is fixed to the secondary frame  68 , or may be a part of the secondary frame  68 . The slide cam  60  has a guide surface with which a bottom surface of the first frame  56  is slidingly contactable. The guide surface includes a first guide surface  111  disposed at a lower position, a second guide surface  112  disposed at a higher position, and a slope surface  113  connecting the first guide surface  111  with the second guide surface  112 . 
     The first frame  56  is slidingly movable in the right-to-left direction  9  while being supported on the first guide surface  111 , the second guide surface  112 , and the slope surface  113 . The first frame  56  slidingly moves in the right-to-left direction  9  and simultaneously moves in the top-to-bottom direction  7  by means of a support of the slope surface  113 . 
     The first frame  56  has a right end portion provided with a lever  58  upstanding from a bottom surface thereof. The lever  58  has a top end portion overlapped with a moving region of the carriage  38 . 
     The cap  72  covers the nozzle of the recording head  37  disposed at a position, as depicted by chain-line in  FIG. 10A , immediately above the purge mechanism  69  ( FIG. 10B ). In the embodiment, the cap  72  is supported on the first frame  56  and resiliently movable in the top-to-bottom direction  7  via a first coil spring  78  disposed between an inner bottom surface of the first frame  56  and the bottom surface of the cap  72 . 
     Upon being supported on the first guide surface  111 , the cap  72  has a fourth posture in which the nozzle surface  36  of the recording head  37  separates from the cap  72  as shown in  FIG. 10A . Upon being supported on the second guide surface  112 , the cap  72  has a third posture in which the nozzle surface  36  of the recording head  37  is in contact with and covered with the cap  72  as shown in  FIG. 10B . 
     The second frame  57  is provided with a protrusion  57 A protruding upward. A second coil spring  79  is interposed between a left surface  56 A of the first frame  56  and the protrusion  57 A. The second coil spring  79  is at its natural length when the first frame  56  is supported on the first guide surface  111 , i.e., the cap  72  has the fourth posture as shown in  FIG. 10A , whereas the second coil spring  79  is at its extending state when the first frame  56  is supported on the second guide surface  112 , i.e., the cap  72  has the third posture as shown in  FIG. 10B . That is, the second coil spring  79  is a tension spring that resiliently urges the cap  72  toward the fourth posture. 
     In the state shown in  FIG. 10A , the carriage  38  reciprocally moves to the purge mechanism  69  side (rightward) and then is brought into contact with the lever  58  to push the lever  58  rightward. Thus, the first frame  56  slidingly moves rightward against a resilient force of the second coil spring  79 . 
     The first frame  56  is moved along the guide surface and displaced diagonally rightward and upward, while the first frame  56  is supported successively on the first guide surface  111 , on the slope surface  113 , and then on the second guide surface  112  in this order, so that the cap  72  changes its posture from the fourth posture to the third posture. 
     [Drawing Ink] 
     An ink drawing (suction) procedure executed by the purge mechanism  69  will be described. As shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , the cap  72  changes its posture from the fourth posture to the third posture by means of the lift-up mechanism  74 . Then, the recording head  37  is covered with the cap  72 . Next, the pump  70  is activated for drawing ink from the nozzles through the gap between the nozzle surface  36  and the cap  72 . Consequently, the ink drawn by the pump  70  flows to the waste liquid chamber  71  via the pump tube  73 . 
     [Waste Liquid Chamber  71 ] 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  is provided at the scanner casing  51  and adapted to accommodate the ink drawn by the pump  70 . As the following description, top-to-bottom direction  7 , front-to-rear direction  8 , and right-to-left direction  9  are used herein to define the various parts when the waste liquid chamber  71  is disposed in an orientation shown in  FIG. 6A . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the waste liquid chamber  71  is provided with a main body  90  having generally L-shape in plan view, an ink absorbing member  95  provided in the main body  90 , and a cover  88  covering the ink absorbing member  95 . The cover  88  and an exposed part of the main body  90  are painted with deep color, such as black or deep blue. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the main body  90  includes a first main body  91  configured of longitudinal part of L-shape extending in right-to-left direction  9  and a second main body  92  configured of lateral part of L-shape extending in front-to-rear direction  8 . The detailed configuration of the first main body  91  and the second main body  92  will be described later. 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  has a front portion supported on a first cover  93  described later and a rear end portion pivotably supported on the secondary frame  68  as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  is positioned above the platen  67  in a state shown in  FIG. 6A . That is, the waste liquid chamber  71  covers the conveying path  23  passing above the platen  67 . In this state, it is troublesome for a user to remove the recording sheet  15  jammed at the platen  67 . In the embodiment, the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable. When the recording sheet  15  is jammed at the platen  67 , the user pivotally moves the waste liquid chamber  71  from a state shown in  FIG. 6A  to a state shown in  FIG. 6B . By this pivotal movement, the conveying path  23  above the platen  67  is exposed to outside, allowing the user to easily remove the jammed recording sheet  15  on the platen  67 . 
     The first main body  91  has a box shape with the top portion open as shown in  FIG. 8 . The first main body  91  accommodates the ink absorbing member  95  inserted from above. The first main body  91  has a front right end portion formed with a hole  101  ( FIG. 7 ), a front left end portion formed with a hole  102  ( FIG. 7 ), and a right wall provided with a connector  97  ( FIG. 8 ) to which the pump tube  73  is connected. The ink absorbing member  95  is made of porous material such as foamed polyurethane. The ink flows into void formed in the porous material, thereby being absorbed in the ink absorbing member  95 . 
     The ink flowing from the connector  97  into the waste liquid chamber  71  is absorbed into the ink absorbing member  95  and spreading leftward. The ink absorbing member  95  is exchangeably mounted in the first main body  91 . The ink absorbing member  95  is replaced with a new one when the ink absorbed in the ink absorbing member  95  exceeds an acceptable amount. 
     The second main body  92  protrudes rearward from a right end portion of the first main body  91 . The second main body  92  includes a right plate  82 , a left plate  83 , and a bottom plate  84  those defining a groove  85 . As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the right plate  82  has a rear end portion formed with a through hole  81 , and the left plate  83  has a rear end portion formed with a through hole (not shown) aligned with the through hole  81  in the right-to-left direction  9 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the pump tube  73  extends downward from the bottom surface of the cap  72 , bends at a position adjacent to a bottom surface of the print section  11 , rearward, bends at a position beneath a rear end portion of the second main body  92 , upward, passes through the groove  85  of the second main body  92 , and is connected to the connector  97 . 
     The groove  85  passes between the through hole  81  of the right plate  82  and the through hole of the left plate  83 . That is, the groove  85  is formed in a space ambient to the through hole  81 . A pivot shaft of the waste liquid chamber  71  is inserted into the through hole  81  described later. The pump tube  73  extends along the groove  85  and passes at a position adjacent to an axis of the pivot shaft. 
     The connector  97  is constituted by two protrusions protruding rightward from the right wall of the first main body  91  and is formed with a hole. This hole extends through a length of the connector  97  and is in fluid communication with an inner space of the first main body  91 . The pump tube  73  is connected to the connector  97 . The ink drawn from the nozzles by the pump  70  is introduced into the waste liquid chamber  71  via the pump tube  73 . The pump tube  73  provides a fluid communication between the waste liquid chamber  71  and the pump tube  73 . The main body  90  holds the ink absorbing member  95  and the connector  97 . 
     [First Cover  93 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 6B , the printer casing  14  is formed with a concave portion  89  depressed downward and having a bottom surface serving as the first cover  93 , i.e., the first cover  93  is located downward from an upper surface of the printer casing  14  as shown in  FIG. 6B . As shown in  FIGS. 4B and 5B , the first cover  93  is disposed above the platen  67  and the recording section  24 . In the embodiment, the first cover  93  is fixed to the secondary frame  68 . Alternatively, the first cover  93  can be integrally formed with the secondary frame  68 , or integrally formed with another frame. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B,  6 B, and  7 , the first cover  93  is of a generally plate shape having a widthwise length in the right-to-left direction  9  and a longitudinal length in the front-to-rear direction  8  each longer than a height in the top-to-bottom direction  7 . The first cover  93  is formed with an elongated opening  94  having rectangular shape. The elongated opening  94  is located in confrontation with the platen  67  and locus of the carriage  38 . The platen  67  and the recording section  24  are exposed to an outside through the elongated opening  94  upon the pivotal movement of the waste liquid chamber  71  as shown in  FIG. 6B . Even if the conveyance of the recording sheet  15  is interrupted and halted due to mechanical interference of the sheet with an internal mechanism in the multifunction device  10 , the user can remove the jammed recording sheet  15 . 
     [Pivotal Movement of the Waste Liquid Chamber  71 ] 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the secondary frame  68  has a right side inner surface provided with a right-side protrusion (not shown) protruding leftward and a left side inner surface provided with a left-side protrusion (not shown) protruding rightward. The right-side protrusion is disposed at an upper rear end portion of the right side inner surface, and the left-side protrusion is disposed at an upper rear end portion of the left side inner surface. The right-side protrusion extends through the through hole  81 . A casing-side protrusion  80  is provided on the scanner casing  51  extending through the through hole formed on the left plate  83 . Thus, a space is provided between a free end of the casing-side protrusion  80  and a free end of the right side protrusion of the secondary frame  68 , so that the pump tube  73  can be positioned at the space. 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable about the right-side protrusion of the secondary frame  68  and the casing-side protrusion  80 . That is, the support portion of the present invention includes a pivot support portion configured of the secondary frame  68 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A to 6B , the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable between a first position where the waste liquid chamber  71  is positioned above the platen  67  and the recording section  24  shown in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  6 A, and a second position where the waste liquid chamber  71  moves obliquely upward from the first position shown in  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B, and  6 B. The waste liquid chamber  71  pivotably supported on the secondary frame  68  is located immediately above the first cover  93 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  6 A, the waste liquid chamber  71  is rested on the first cover  93  upon positioning at the first position. Specifically, the waste liquid chamber  71  has a peripheral portion supported on a peripheral part of the elongated opening  94  and a center portion located directly above the elongated opening  94 . Thus, the waste liquid chamber  71  is supported by the first cover  93  and the secondary frame  68 . The waste liquid chamber  71  positioned at the first position is supported on the first cover  93  so as to be fittingly inserted into the concave portion  89 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B, and  6 B, the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally moved upward, and is separated from the elongated opening  94 . Therefore, in the second position, the elongated opening  94  is exposed to the outside of the printer casing  14 . The waste liquid chamber  71  is not supported to the first cover  93  but is supported to the secondary frame  68  when positioning at the second position. 
     The secondary frame  68  and the first cover  93  permit the waste liquid chamber  71  to cover the elongated opening  94  when the waste liquid chamber  71  is positioned at the first position, and permit the elongated opening  94  to be exposed to the outside when the waste liquid chamber  71  is positioned at the second position. 
     Since the pump tube  73  is positioned to passes at a position adjacent to the pivotal axis of the waste liquid chamber  71 , a length of the pump tube  73  from the pivotal axis to the connector  97  is maintained constant during the pivotal movement of the waste liquid chamber  71 . Further, a length of the pump tube  73  from the pivotal axis to the pump  70  is also maintained constant during the pivotal movement, thereby preventing the pump tube  73  from being disconnected from the connector  97  or the pump  70  during the pivotal movement. Providing a longer pump tube  73  on the premise of the disconnection of the pump tube  73  from the connector  97  is not necessary. 
     In the embodiment, the second position of the waste liquid chamber  71  can be maintained by a locking engagement between the waste liquid chamber  71  and the scanner casing  51  by means of a lock portion  86  described later. 
     [Pivotal Movement of the Scanner Casing  51 ] 
     The scanner casing  51  has a rear end portion provided with the casing-side protrusion  80  protruding rightward and a shaft receiving portion  52  protruding downward. The shaft receiving portion  52  has a right end portion formed with a bore  87  and a left end portion formed with a bore (not shown). The casing-side protrusion  80  is disposed leftward of the bore  87  so as to protrude toward the bore  87 . The bore  87 , the casing-side protrusion  80 , and the bore (not shown) are aligned an identical imaginary axis extending in the right-to-left direction  9 . 
     The right-side protrusion of the secondary frame  68  protruding leftward extends through the bore  87 . That is, the right-side protrusion of the secondary frame  68  penetrates the bore  87  and is inserted into the through hole  81  formed on the right plate  82  of the waste liquid chamber  71 . 
     The casing-side protrusion  80  is, as described above, extends through the through hole formed on the left plate  83  of the waste liquid chamber  71 . The left-side protrusion of the secondary frame  68  extends through the bore at the left end portion of the shaft receiving portion  52 . 
     The right-side protrusion, the left-side protrusion, and the casing-side protrusion  80  are aligned on the identical imaginary axis extending in the right-to-left direction  9 . 
     With this configuration, the scanner casing  51  is pivotally movable about the right-side protrusion and the left side protrusion as a pivot shaft. The secondary frame  68  supports the waste liquid chamber  71  and the scanner casing  51  such that the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable about the imaginary axis which is the pivotal axis. 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  is releasable from the scanner casing  51  unless the waste liquid chamber  71  is locked on the scanner casing  51  by the lock portion  86  described later. That is, although the waste liquid chamber  71  and the scanner casing  51  are pivotally movable about the pivotal axis, the waste liquid chamber  71  pivotally moves independently of the pivotal movement of the scanner casing  51  unless the lock portion  86  locks the waste liquid chamber  71 . When the waste liquid chamber  71  is in an unlocked state and the scanner casing  51  is opened (positioned at a fourth position described later) as shown in  FIG. 6A , the waste liquid chamber  71  can be positioned at the first position, allowing the ink absorbing member  95  accommodated in the waste liquid chamber  71  to be replaceable. 
     The scanner casing  51  is pivotably movable between a third position where the scanner casing  51  covers the first cover  93  from above as shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  4 A, and  4 B, and the fourth position where the first cover  93  is exposed as shown in  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B,  6 A, and  6 B. 
     The scanner casing  51  positioned at the third position is rested on the printer casing  14  so as to be supported on the upper surface of the printer casing  14  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The first cover  93  is disposed on the upper surface of the printer casing  14 . The scanner casing  51  covers the first cover  93  from above upon positioning at the third position. 
     When the scanner casing  51  is positioned at the fourth position, a front end portion of the scanner casing  51  is supported by a sliding member  77  described later while the rear end portion of the scanner casing  51  is pivotably supported on a rear end portion of the printer casing  14 . The sliding member  77  has a front end part  77 A pivotably supported on a left front end portion of the printer casing  14 , and a rear end part  77 B slidably mounted on a left end portion of the scanner casing  51 . When the scanner casing  51  is positioned at the third position, the sliding member  77  extends in the front-to-rear direction  8  so that the rear end part  77 B is positioned at the rear end portion of the scanner casing  51 . The rear end part  77 B slidingly moves from the front end portion of the scanner casing  51  to the rear end portion thereof in conjunction with the pivotal movement of the scanner casing  51  from the third position to the fourth position. The sliding member  77  supports the front end portion of the scanner casing  51  when the scanner casing  51  is positioned at the fourth position. 
     [Lock Portion  86 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the scanner casing  51  has a bottom surface provided with two protrusions  98  and  99  whose free end portion is formed with a female-thread. The protrusion  98  is disposed at a position confrontable with the hole  101 , and the protrusion  99  is disposed at a position confrontable with the hole  102 . When the waste liquid chamber  71  is in abutment with the scanner casing  51 , the female-thread of the protrusion  98  and the hole  101  are aligned with each other and the female-thread of the protrusion  99  and the hole  102  are aligned with each other. In the embodiment, screws  103  are threadingly engaged with the female-thread of the protrusion  98  via the hole  101  and the female-thread of the protrusion  99  via the hole  102 , respectively. Each screw  103  is threadingly engaged with each female-thread while the scanner casing  51  is open, i.e., the scanner casing  51  is at the fourth position. 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable together with the scanner casing  51  when being locked on the scanner casing  51 . Specifically, the waste liquid chamber  71  is positioned at the first position when the scanner casing  51  is positioned at the third position. Upon pivotal movement of the scanner casing  51  from the third position to the fourth position, the waste liquid chamber  71  is brought into the second position from the first position. 
     The waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable independently from the scanner casing  51  when being unlocked on the scanner casing  51 . Specifically, the waste liquid chamber  71  is positioned at the first position so as to be superimposed with the scanner casing  51  and cover the elongated opening  94  when the scanner casing  51  is positioned at the third position. Despite the pivotal movement of the scanner casing  51  from the third position to the fourth position, the waste liquid chamber  71  remains at the first position and the cover  88  of the waste liquid chamber  71  is exposed. In this state, the waste liquid chamber  71  still covers the elongated opening  94 . To expose the elongated opening  94 , the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally moved from the first position to the second position independently of the pivotal movement of the scanner casing  51 . 
     Advantageous Effect 
     Desirably, no components should be disposed above the platen  67  in order to easily remove the recording sheet  15  jammed at the platen  67 . In the embodiment, the waste liquid chamber  71  is disposed at a position above the platen  67  yet capable of facilitating removal of the jammed sheet, thereby effectively utilizing a space in the multifunction device  10  and reducing an installation area of the multifunction device  10 . That is, according to the embodiment, the waste liquid chamber  71  is movable. Even if the recording sheet  15  is jammed above the platen  67 , the recording sheet  15  can be easily removed by virtue of the movement of the waste liquid chamber  71 . More specifically, the waste liquid chamber  71  can be positioned at the first position, effectively utilizing the space in the multifunction device  10 . The waste liquid chamber  71  can be positioned at the second position, allowing the recording sheet  15  jammed above the platen  67  to be easily removed. 
     According to the embodiment, since the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotable, the position of the waste liquid chamber  71  can be easily changed between the first and second positions. 
     According to the embodiment, the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable independently of the movement of the scanner casing  51 . That is, the pivotal movement of the scanner casing  51  does not lead to pivotal movement of the waste liquid chamber  71 , reducing useless pivotal movement of the waste liquid chamber  71  and therefore reducing a possibility of the ink leakage from the waste liquid chamber  71 . 
     According to the embodiment, the waste liquid chamber  71  locked by the lock portion  86  is pivotally movable together with the scanner casing  51 . In order to remove the recording sheet  15  jammed above the platen  67 , only the scanner casing  51  is operated, and respective operation of the scanner casing  51  and the waste liquid chamber  71  is not necessary. 
     According to the embodiment, the connector  97  leading the pump tube  73  to the ink absorbing member  95  is held on the main body  90  of the waste liquid chamber  71 , reducing a possibility of disconnection of the pump tube  73  from the main body  90  due to the pivotal movement of the main body  90 . 
     According to the embodiment, upon pivotally moving the waste liquid chamber  71 , a moving amount of the pivotal axis of the waste liquid chamber  71  is much lower than any other region away from the pivotal axis. In the embodiment, the pump tube  73  passes at a position adjacent to the pivotal axis, thereby reducing a possibility of disconnection of the pump tube  73  from the main body  90  upon the pivotal movement. 
     According to the embodiment, the waste liquid chamber  71  is disposed above the platen  67  on which the recording sheet  15  is supported during printing operation. The ink may adhere to the waste liquid chamber  71  during the printing operation. However, since the waste liquid chamber  71  is painted with black, or other deep color, a pollution of the ink adhering to the waste liquid chamber  71  is unnoticeable. 
     Modification 
     In the above-described embodiment, although the waste liquid chamber  71  is pivotally movable together with the scanner casing  51 , the waste liquid chamber  71  can be pivotally moved independently of the scanner casing  51  without the lock portion  86 . In this case, a pivotal axis of the waste liquid chamber  71  may be different from that of the scanner casing  51 . Further, a pivoting direction of the waste liquid chamber  71  may be different from that of the scanner casing  51 . For example, the scanner casing  51  may be pivotable about a rear end portion thereof, while the waste liquid chamber  71  may be pivotable about a front end portion thereof. Further, the waste liquid chamber  71  may be not pivotable but slidable or removable from the elongated opening  94 . 
     In the above-described embodiment, although the pump tube  73  passes through the pivotal axis, the pump tube  73  may not pass therethrough. In the latter, the pump tube  73  should have a sufficient length for avoiding disconnection from the connector  97 . 
     While the invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiment thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.