Patent Publication Number: US-11654705-B2

Title: Inkjet printer

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/991,482, filed Aug. 12, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,161,360, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/377,467, filed Apr. 8, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,805, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/812,006, filed Nov. 14, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,259,244, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/358,944, filed Nov. 22, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,821,580, which further claims priority from Chinese Utility Model Application No. 201520981492.7, filed on Nov. 27, 2015, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to an inkjet printer, in particular to an ink-refill-type inkjet printer. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Known inkjet printers typically print by ejecting ink from a recording head to a recording medium, such as a printing paper. Generally, inkjet printers may be categorized in two categories; one is home printer suitable in private home, and the other is business printer suitable in workplace. The business printers typically have high specification for printing, copying, and scanning and typically print and copy more pages than the home printers, the business printers are relatively large in size to accommodate more complex structures and large-capacity ink cartridges. Because the business printers consume large volume of ink, there may be a need of an ink tank that would contain further large volume of ink than the large-capacity ink cartridge. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure describes an inkjet printer that may avoid various problems caused by using the conventional ink cartridge. 
     According to an aspect of the disclosure, an inkjet printer may include a main body. An ink containing unit may be disposed in the main body and may be configured to contain ink to be supplied. The ink containing unit may include an ink refill portion through which ink is refilled and an ink level display surface disposed on a side surface of the main body. The side surface may have an opening through which a jammed sheet is removed and a first cover configured to cover the opening. The ink level display surface and the first cover may be juxtaposed on the side surface in a horizontal direction. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Aspects of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not by limitation in the accompanying figures in which like reference characters indicate similar elements. 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view depicting an inkjet printer, in which a first cover and a second cover are opened, in a first illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view depicting the inkjet printer of  FIG.  1   , in which the first cover and the second cover are closed, in the first illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view depicting an inkjet printer, in which a first cover and a second cover are opened, in a second illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view depicting the inkjet printer of  FIG.  3   , in which the first cover and the second cover are closed, in the second illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, needs satisfied thereby, and the objects, features, and advantages thereof, reference now is made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, illustrative embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. With reference to an inkjet printer  100 , directions of up, down, right, left, front, and rear may be defined with reference to an orientation of the inkjet printer  100  that is disposed in which it is intended to be used as depicted in  FIG.  1   . 
     First Embodiment 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view depicting the inkjet printer  100 , in which the first cover  16  and the second cover  14  are opened, in a first illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure.  FIG.  2    is a perspective view depicting the inkjet printer  100  of  FIG.  1   , in which the first cover  16  and the second cover  14  are closed, in the first illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. 
     As depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the inkjet printer  100  includes a main body  10 . The main body  10  exemplarily has a hexahedral shape. For convenience of description, corresponding sides of front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom of the main body  10  are referred to as a front side surface, a rear side surface, a left side surface, a right side surface, a top portion, and a bottom portion, respectively. 
     As depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , each of the front side surface, the rear side surface, the left side surface, the right side surface, the top portion, and the bottom portion of the main body  10  is a substantially rectangle-shaped plane. The main body  10  further includes an inclined surface  23  facing diagonally upward and connecting the front side surface and the top portion. Each of the second cover  14  at the closed position and the operating portion  17  is a part of the inclined surface  23 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , an ink containing unit configured to contain ink to be supplied is disposed in the main body  10 . The ink containing unit includes an ink level display surface  11  and an ink refill portion  12  through which ink is refilled. The ink level display surface  11  is disposed below the ink refill portion  12  in a height direction of the main body  10 . The ink level display surface  11  is disposed on the front side surface of the main body  10  and is made of a translucent or semi-translucent material through which the ink level in the ink containing unit can be viewed. This structure of the ink level display surface  11  enables the user of the inkjet printer  1  to easily recognize the current ink level in the ink containing unit especially during pouring ink into the ink containing unit. The ink refill portion  12  is disposed on the inclined surface  23  and includes a refill port  13  and a cover  14  configured to cover the refill port  13 . The refill port  13  is a tube through which ink is poured into the ink containing unit. The cover  14  is an example of a second cover, and hereinafter referred to as “second cover  14 ”. The refill port  13  may include a sealing member (not shown) configured to seal the refill port. The second cover  14  may be pivotable about a pivot axis  140  provided on the main body  10  so the second cover  14  may be at an open position and a closed position. The pivot axis  140  is located within a length of the operating portion  17  in the height direction of the main body, and especially in the first embodiment the pivot axis  140  is located at the top end of the operating portion  17 . When pouring ink into the ink container unit, the second cover  14  should be at the open position. After the ink is filled in the ink container unit, the second cover  14  may be pivoted from the open position to the closed position. 
     In the first embodiment, the ink refill portion  12  exemplarily includes four refill ports  13 , into which ink of different colors, such as black, cyan, yellow and magenta, may be respectively poured, thereby enabling the inkjet printer  100  to print image in a plurality of colors. The number of the ink level display surface  11  is four, identical to the number of the refill port  13 . However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the number of the refill port  13  and the number of the ink level display surface  11  are not limited to four and may be other numbers. 
     Furthermore, as depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the front side surface of the main body  10  has an opening  15  and a cover  16  configured to cover the opening  15 . The user may remove a jammed sheet through the opening  15 . The cover  16  is an example of a first cover, and hereinafter referred to as “first cover  16 ”. The ink level display surface  11  and the first cover  16  are juxtaposed on the front side surface of the main body  10  in a horizontal direction. The horizontal direction described herein is a longitudinal direction of the main body  10  when the user faces the main body  10 . Because the ink level display surface  11  and the first cover  16  are juxtaposed on the front side surface of the main body  10  in the horizontal direction, the user may face the front side surface and be independently accessible to both the opening  15  when removing the jammed sheet and the refill port  13  when pouring ink, thereby improving the usability of the inkjet printer  100 . 
     It will be appreciated that although the ink level display surface  11  and the first cover  16  are coplanar in the height direction of the inkjet printer in the embodiment, both of the ink level display surface  11  and the first cover  16  may not be coplanar in the height direction of the inkjet printer and may at least partially overlap in the height direction. In other words, the context that the two members are “juxtaposed in the horizontal direction” described herein does not mean that the two members are necessarily coplanar in the height direction, but rather includes a configuration that the two members are only partially overlapped in the height direction. 
     Preferably, as depicted in  FIG.  2   , when the first cover  16  is closed, the ink level display surface  11  and an outer surface, i.e., the surface facing the user, of the first cover  16  is coplanar, that is, a height of the ink level display surface  11  is identical to a height of the outer surface of the first cover  16  on the front side surface of the main body  10 . Thus, when the first cover  16  is closed, the inkjet printer  100  is neat and compact, and because the ink level display surface  11  and the outer surface of the first cover  16  is coplanar when the first cover  16  is closed, the first cover  16  may not easily open unexpectedly by the user to contact the first cover  16  accidentally. 
     Furthermore, as depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the front side surface of the main body  10  is also provided with a sheet feed cassette  20  and a sheet discharge portion  21 . The sheet feed cassette  20  is configured to feed a sheet for printing or copying toward the inkjet head (not shown). The sheet discharge portion  21  is configured to discharge the printed sheet. The sheet discharge portion  21  includes a sheet discharge tray  22  configured to receive the printed sheet discharged through the sheet discharge portion  21 . In the embodiment, the sheet feed cassette  20  and the sheet discharge portion  21  are juxtaposed in the height direction. Thus, these structures enable the user, facing the front side surface of the main body  10 , to conveniently place the sheet feed cassette  20  in an appropriate position, take the printed sheets from the sheet discharge tray  22 , and remove the jammed sheets through the opening  15 . 
     Furthermore, the main body  10  is also provided with an operating portion  17  having several keys and displays, through which the user may instruct staring a print job, and setting parameters for printing and copying. Preferably, as depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , because the operating portion  17  is disposed on the inclined surface  23 , the user easily recognizes and operates the keys and displays. Further, the operating portion  17  is separated from and is juxtaposed to the ink refill portion  12  on the inclined surface  23  in the horizontal direction. The front cover  16  is juxtaposed to the ink level display surface  11  in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, as depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the operating portion  17  is juxtaposed to the first cover  16  in the height direction of the main body  10 . Thus, movement of the front cover  16  may not affect the user to recognize the current ink level when looking at the ink level display surface  11  and to pour ink into the refill port  13 . 
     Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as depicted in  FIG.  2   , it is preferable that the second cover  14  at the closed position faces diagonally upward, and the operating portion  17  also faces diagonally upward such that the second cover  14  at the closed position and the operating portion  17  are coplanar along the height direction of the main body  10 . Thus, the inkjet printer  100  is simple and neat, and the operating portion  17  faces the user, thereby improving the usability. 
     In the first embodiment, a top portion of the main body  10  is also provided with a scanner  18  for achieving a scanning function. The scanner  18  includes a handle portion  19  through which the user may lift the scanner  18  to place an object to be scanned and remove the object. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , a portion of the handle portion  19  is positioned above at least a portion of the second cover  14 . Thus, when the second cover  14  is at the open position, the user may unable to access the handle portion  19  to lift the scanner  18 , so that the inkjet printer  100  may not change its posture and be stable while pouring ink into the refill port  13 . 
     According to the inkjet printer of the embodiment, the ink containing unit can be replenished with ink by refilling ink via the ink refill portion, thereby overcoming various problems, which are posed when using ink cartridges in the existing printers, such as high frequency of replacement, ease of causing pollution. Further, the ink refill portion and the operating portion are disposed on the inclined surface connecting the top portion and the front side surface of the main body, that is, the ink refill portion and the operating portion are inclinedly disposed on the front side surface, near the top portion, of the printer. Thus, various operations, such as printing, copying, ink-refilling, become highly convenient. Furthermore, because the ink level display surface, the opening through which a jammed sheet is removed, the cover configured to cover the opening, the sheet feed cassette, and the sheet discharge portion are also disposed on the front side surface of the printer, the user can perform various operations at the front side of the printer, with a relatively high operability and usability. 
     Second Embodiment 
       FIG.  3    is a perspective view depicting the inkjet printer  200 , in which the first cover  16  and the second cover  14 A are opened, in a second illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure.  FIG.  4    is a perspective view depicting the inkjet printer  200  of  FIG.  3   , in which the first cover  16  and the second cover  14 A are closed, in the second illustrative embodiment according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. 
     As depicted in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the inkjet printer  200  of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, except that a pivot axis  140 A of the second cover  14 A is disposed in a middle portion of the operating portion  17  in the height direction of the main body  10  while the pivot axis  140  is disposed at the top end of the operating portion  17  in the first embodiment as illustrated in  FIG.  1   . In other words, a length of the second cover  14 A, at the closed position, in the height direction is less than a length of the operating portion  17  in the height direction. These structures enable the user to use the scanner  18  while the second cover  14 A is at the open position such that pouring the ink into the refill port  13  does not affect the scanning. 
     While the disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, these are merely examples, and various changes, arrangements and modifications may be applied therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.