JP4661114B2 - Carriage and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image on paper by ejecting ink. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus including a storage unit that stores waste ink discharged by performing a maintenance operation of the recording head.

  Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus, when resuming use after a long period of non-use, in order to eliminate the influence of clogging of ink discharge ports formed in the recording head, the ink discharge before the resumption of use is performed. A maintenance process is required in which negative pressure is applied to the ink flow path including the outlet to remove ink and bubbles accumulated in the flow path. The extracted ink is not discharged outside the recording apparatus as waste ink but is stored in a waste ink tank in the printer.

  In addition, when performing so-called borderless printing, the ink accumulated on the platen is collected as waste ink and stored in a waste ink tank in order to make the ink discharge range outside the range of the printing paper.

Therefore, in order to prevent the waste ink from leaking outside, techniques according to Patent Documents 1 to 3 below have been developed.
Japanese Patent No. 3284453 (FIGS. 2 and 3) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-129504 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) JP 2001-171148 A (FIG. 6)

  However, in any of the conventional configurations described above, the entire shape of the waste ink tank itself is a simple rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, it is possible to promptly absorb waste ink, but a large amount of waste ink is generated at one time. In such a case, if the evaporation of them is delayed and the apparatus main body is tilted, there is a problem that waste ink leaks through the tank wall.

  Even if the waste ink tank is divided into two, it is necessary to allow the waste ink to flow into the other storage chamber when one of the storage chambers is full. There was a problem that it might be.

  In recent years, in addition to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, at least two intermediate colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan are included to make the halftone portion of a photograph clear, so that there are six or seven colors. For this reason, the number of maintenance processes is increased and the amount of waste ink is increased as compared with the conventional four colors. For this reason, in order to efficiently evaporate the collected waste ink, it is conceivable to increase the area of the box-shaped tank opening with the upper surface open. There is a problem that the amount of ink is reduced, and the ink leaks into the apparatus when the apparatus is tilted due to transportation after the start of use and the like, and the conveyance path and the like are contaminated.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to achieve both rapid evaporation of waste ink and effective storage of a large amount of waste ink in a small occupied space. Another object of the present invention is to provide a waste ink tank having a structure capable of allowing waste ink to flow into each of the storage portions in a case where there are a plurality of storage portions of the waste ink.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes: a recording head that ejects ink; a suction unit that sucks ink from the recording head; and a storage unit that has an upper surface and stores ink sucked by the suction unit. In the recording apparatus, the storage unit forms a space into which the ink sucked by the suction unit flows, and an absorber that absorbs the ink is connected to the inflow portion that is not accommodated in the space and the inflow portion. The first communication port and the second communication port, which are formed at different positions, and the first communication port connected to the first communication port and the first storage part in which the absorber is accommodated and the second communication port. And a second storage part in which the absorber is accommodated, and a covering means for covering at least the inflow part. Therefore, even when the apparatus is tilted for reasons such as transportation after the start of use, the ink does not drip by leaking into the apparatus by covering the inflow portion without the absorber with the covering means.

  Further, the recording apparatus of the present invention includes a sheet feeding unit that stacks sheets, a conveying unit that conveys a U-turn from the sheet feeding unit to the top, a recording unit that is disposed in the conveyance path and forms an image on the sheet, and an image In the recording apparatus including the image reading unit for reading, the storage unit is disposed in a space between the U-turn curve of the transport unit and the image reading unit. Therefore, a large amount of waste ink discharged in the ink jet recording apparatus can be efficiently stored, and a compact apparatus can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, the absorber is accommodated except for the inflow portion of the storage means to smooth the ink inflow, while at least the inflow portion where the absorber is not accommodated is covered by the covering means. Therefore, even when the ink tank is tilted, it is possible to prevent the ink that has been accumulated in the inflow portion along the inner wall of the tank from leaking into the apparatus.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a waste ink tank provided in an ink jet printer.

(1) 1st Embodiment First, 1st Embodiment which concerns on this application is described using FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the waste ink tank according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a top view showing a detailed configuration of the waste ink tank itself, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of a portion A in FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of the waste ink tank in use, and FIG. 5 is an internal perspective view showing the waste ink tank attached to the ink jet recording apparatus.

  The recording head used in this recording apparatus is an ink jet type, and employs a method of ejecting ink by the pressure of the piezoelectric element, but is not limited to this, and generates bubbles using thermal energy, You may use for the system which discharges ink with the pressure of a bubble.

  First, the structure of the waste ink tank itself according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the waste ink tank 1 according to the first embodiment is formed by integral molding with a resin such as polypropylene, for example, and has an upper surface in order to expect evaporation at a shallow depth. A first storage part 2 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole with a wide opening, and a second storage part 3 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole which is deeper than the first storage part 2 and has a smaller opening area. And the first storage unit 2 and the second storage unit 3 are connected to each other so that the waste ink can flow in, and the waste ink receiving unit 4 into which the waste ink flows from a waste ink pump or the like (not shown). .

  At this time, the 1st storage part 2 and the 2nd storage part 3 are used in the state where all the upper surfaces were opened and the absorption foams 40 and 41 (not shown) for absorbing waste ink were packed. The second storage unit 3 and the waste ink receiving unit 4 are connected via the communication port 20 so that the waste ink receiving unit 4 can freely flow into the second storage unit 3.

  The first storage part 2 is also open at the entire top surface, and partition walls 5 to 7 each having a T-shaped planar shape are integrally formed therein in a staggered manner. The base parts of the partition walls 5 and 7 are formed integrally with one wall of the first storage part 2, and the base part of the partition wall 6 is formed integrally with the other wall of the first storage part 2. The first storage unit 2 and the waste ink receiving unit 4 are connected with an inclined surface so that the waste ink can freely flow from the waste ink receiving unit 4 to the first storage unit 2 through the communication port 21. ing. Accordingly, an after-mentioned absorbent foam packed in the first storage unit 2 passes through the space between the partition walls 5 to 7 in the first storage unit 2 from the position of the communication port 21 and the communication port 21 of the first storage unit 2. Are continuously packed up to the opposite end. Note that the bottom wall of the first storage unit 2 is formed lower on the side farther from the ink receiving unit 4 and is connected via the inclined surface 11 therebetween. As a result, the waste ink can easily flow into a distant place, and more waste ink can be accumulated.

  Next, the waste ink receiving portion 4 is connected to the tube connecting portions 8 and 9 via tubes (not shown) into which waste ink flows from the waste ink pump as a suction unit. The tube connecting portions 8 and 9 are formed on the side walls of the storage means, and waste ink containing bubbles or thickened ink is received from the openings 8A and 9A to the respective waste ink receiving portions 4. It will flow into part 4.

  Here, the tube into which the tube connecting portion 8 is inserted is connected to an ink cap (not shown) that caps the nozzle, and a maintenance portion (not shown) provided in the printer in which the waste ink tank 1 is loaded. In this case, the waste ink sucked by the waste ink pump flows.

  On the other hand, the tube into which the tube connecting portion 9 is inserted is connected to an air communication hole provided in a switching unit (not shown), and waste ink leaking from the air communication hole is transferred to the waste ink tank 1. Lead.

  At this time, the amount of waste ink sucked by the waste ink pump is much larger than the amount of waste ink leaking from the air communication hole, so that the inner diameter of the tube connecting portion 8 is as shown in FIGS. (That is, the diameter of the opening 8A) is formed larger than the inner diameter of the tube connecting portion 9 (that is, the diameter of the opening 9A).

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the waste ink receiving portion 4 is formed so that its bottom surface 22 is horizontal when the waste ink tank 1 is used. The waste ink discharged from 9A is distributed almost uniformly to the first storage unit 2 or the second storage unit 3, and the absorbent foam or the second storage unit in the first storage unit 2 through the communication port 21 or 20, respectively. 3 is absorbed into the absorbent foam.

  Further, a waste ink receiving wall 10 facing the opening 8A of the waste ink receiving portion 4 is provided. As a result, since the waste ink that flows in strikes the waste ink receiving wall 10 and is distributed to each storage unit, the waste ink can be smoothly and evenly introduced into each storage unit.

  Furthermore, the portion connecting the bottom surface 22 of the waste ink receiving portion 4 to the communication ports 20 and 21 is inclined toward the communication ports 20 and 21 at a height that is one step down from the horizontal bottom surface 22 with the boundary portion 24 as a boundary. The surface 23 is used. As a result, the waste ink that has flowed into the waste ink receiving portion 4 is more smoothly and quickly guided to the communication ports 20 and 21.

  Next, a state in which the absorbent foam is omitted from the waste ink tank 1 whose structure has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described with reference to a top view shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the first storage unit 2, the absorbent foam 41 is used by filling all parts other than the partition walls 5 to 7. Then, the waste ink is gradually absorbed from the surface of the absorbent foam 41 facing the communication port 21, and finally is absorbed and stored in the entire absorbent foam 41 in the first storage unit 2 and is also used for evaporation. The Rukoto.

  On the other hand, in the second storage unit 3, the absorbent foam 40 divided into three is packed over the entire interior of the second storage unit 3. Therefore, the movement of the waste ink between the respective absorbent foams 40 can be suppressed. At this time, since each of the absorbent foams 40 has a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape in the usage state of the waste ink tank 1, absorption of waste ink from the communication port 20 (absorption in the vertical vertical direction of the second storage unit 3). Will be done quickly.

  Specifically, as the material of each absorbent foam 40 and 41, for example, it is appropriate to form the absorbent foam 40 and 41 using a fibrous material such as felt or a porous material.

  Next, the state at the time of use of the waste ink tank 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the printer including the waste ink tank 1 (absorption forms 40 and 41 are not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the printer P according to the embodiment includes a housing 36 in which a cartridge insertion port 35 into which a cartridge loaded with recording paper is inserted is opened at the lower front portion thereof. A paper feed mechanism 37, a recording head 38, and the like are incorporated in 36. The waste ink tank 1 according to the first embodiment is placed on a guide plate in a space above the curved portion of the arc guide at the upper rear portion of the apparatus main body and in a space with the image reading unit. The first storage part 2 and the second storage part 3 are incorporated so that the openings are directed upward.

  As described above, according to the structure of the waste ink tank 1 according to the first embodiment, the first storage part 2 having a shallow and wide opening for evaporating the waste ink absorbed by the absorbent foam, Since the waste ink tank 1 is formed by the second storage unit 3 capable of accumulating a large amount of waste ink in the absorbent foam, the rapid evaporation of the waste ink and the effective storage of the large amount of waste ink are narrow. It can be made compatible in the occupied space.

  Further, since the first storage unit 2 and the second storage unit 3 are connected by the bottom surface 22 and the inclined unit 23 in the waste ink receiving unit 4 that is horizontal in the use state, the waste ink is approximately evenly distributed to each storage unit. Can be introduced.

  Further, a waste ink receiving wall 10 facing the opening 8A of the waste ink receiving portion 4 is provided. As a result, since the waste ink that flows in strikes the waste ink receiving wall 10 and is distributed to each storage unit, the waste ink can be smoothly and evenly introduced into each storage unit.

  Furthermore, since the waste ink receiving wall 10 is provided at a position facing the opening 8A having a diameter larger than that of the opening 9A, even when a large amount of waste ink is ejected, the waste ink receiving wall 10 can smoothly flow into each storage unit. it can.

  The waste ink receiving wall 10 may be formed at least at a position facing the opening 8A. Besides this, for example, a waste ink receiving wall having a length from the opening 8A to the opening 9A is used. May be formed at a position facing the openings 8A and 9A, or may be formed at a position facing the waste ink receiving wall formed at a position facing the opening 8A and the opening 9A. It may be formed at a position where the waste ink receiving wall is separated and independent and faces each opening.

  Further, in the first storage unit 2, since the plurality of partition walls 5 to 7 each having a T-shaped planar shape are arranged in a staggered manner, the apparatus is inclined by transportation or the like, whereby the waste ink tank 1 is inclined. Even so, since the head pressure of the waste ink stored in the first storage unit 2 is dispersed and reduced by the partition walls 5 to 7 for each section, the waste ink is unlikely to overflow.

  Furthermore, since the inclined surface 23 which inclines toward the communicating surface 20 and the communicating surface 21 from the position where the waste ink is poured is formed on the bottom surface of the waste ink receiving portion 4, the waste ink flows smoothly into each storage portion. Can be made.

  Furthermore, since the continuous absorbent foam 41 is inserted in the space between the partition walls 5 to 7 in the first storage unit 2, the water head pressure between the partition walls 5 to 7 is reduced, Even if the waste ink tank 1 is tilted, the waste ink stored in the first storage unit 2 does not easily overflow. The partition walls 5 to 7 have a T-shape in plan view, but may have any shape that can disperse the water head pressure by partitioning the tank.

  Moreover, the absorption form 40 divided | segmented into the 2nd storage part 3 in the perpendicular direction in the use condition is inserted. Thereby, the movement of the waste ink between the absorbent foams 40 is suppressed, and the waste ink is difficult to overflow.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment, which is another embodiment according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, the same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same member numbers, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the first embodiment described above, the waste ink receiving wall 10 is provided in front of the opening 8A. However, the waste ink receiving wall 10 may be omitted to form a waste ink tank.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the waste ink tank 30 according to the second embodiment has the waste ink according to the first embodiment except that the waste ink receiving portion 31 without the waste ink receiving wall 10 is provided. It has the same structure as the tank 1.

  Even in the waste ink receiving portion 31 having such a structure, the waste ink can be smoothly guided to the communication ports 20 and 21 by providing the bottom surface 22 and the inclined surface 23.

  Even the waste ink tank 30 according to the second embodiment described above can achieve the same effects as the waste ink tank 1 according to the first embodiment described above, except for the portion related to the waste ink receiving wall 10.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the case where the planar shape of the partition walls 5 to 7 is T-shaped has been described. However, the partition wall may have a shape that can disperse the water head pressure by partitioning the tank. The planar shape may be L-shaped or a curved saddle shape. Furthermore, even if the plate extending inward from the side wall in the longitudinal direction of the first storage unit 2 and inclined at a predetermined angle in the longitudinal direction is formed in a staggered pattern, the function as a partition wall can be exhibited. .

  Further below, the upper surfaces of the first storage unit 2 and the second storage unit 3 that are the waste ink tank 1 are covered with a film, and when the apparatus is tilted, the waste ink absorbed by the absorbent foams 40 and 41 leaks out. An embodiment in which the inside of the apparatus main body is prevented from being soiled is disclosed. In the third embodiment, the vicinity of the waste ink receiving portion 4 in which the absorbent foam 40 is not stored in the first storage portion 2 is covered with a film. Moreover, the modification of 3rd Embodiment coat | covers the position which opposes the 2nd storage part 3 in the longitudinal direction of the box-shaped 1st storage part with which the upper surface opened with the shallow bottom with the film. 4th Embodiment coat | covers all the upper surface area | regions of the 1st storage part 2 and the 2nd storage part 3 with a film, and the hole for evaporation is drilled as needed.

(3) Third Embodiment A third embodiment, which is another embodiment according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same member numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As in the first and second embodiments described above, the first storage unit 2 and the second storage unit 3 that are the waste ink tank 1 are filled with the absorbent foams 40 and 41, but the first storage unit 2, Since the waste ink receiving unit 4 which is a communicating part of the second storage unit 3 becomes a load when ink flows in, the normal absorbent foam 40 is not filled. For this reason, when the waste ink tank is transported in an inclined state, the ink accumulated in the absorbent foams 40 and 41 and the ink receiving portion 4 travels through the tank inner walls and the partition walls 5 to 7 that are erected perpendicularly to the bottom portion. May leak into the device body.

  Further, when a maintenance mechanism for removing bubbles accumulated in the ink flow path and the ink tank is provided, the bubbles are accumulated in the waste ink receiving portion 4 and the waste ink mixed with the bubbles flowing in from the openings 8A and 9A It will fly off due to a collision and adhere to the paper transport surface such as the transport path. In particular, the waste ink tank 1 is positioned substantially parallel to the carriage and above the transport path (see FIG. 5). For this reason, the ink may easily fall on the transport path, and the back side of the next sheet to be fed (the side opposite to the image forming side) may be stained. In addition, if ink splashes during image formation on the paper, the waste ink adheres to the paper as dots, resulting in a decrease in recording image quality.

  Therefore, the film 51 is fixed by welding so as to surround the upper surface of the waste ink receiving portion 4 in which the absorbent foam 40 is not stored. The film 51 may cover only the ink receiving portion 4 in order to maintain the ink evaporation effect as a function of the first storage portion 2 having a shallow bottom and a large opening area. This prevents the waste ink from scattering when the waste ink is sucked by the maintenance process, and even when the apparatus main body is tilted for transportation or the like, the ink accumulated in the ink receiving portion 4 travels along the inner wall and enters the apparatus main body. Leakage can be prevented.

  Further, in order to prevent the ink from overflowing due to the posture change or vibration during transportation, the wall portion perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first storage portion 2 of the partition wall 5 on the ink receiving portion 4 side of the absorbent foam 40 is used. It is preferable to cover with the film 51. Since the ink receiving portion 4 side of the absorbent foam 41 is an ink inflow port, ink exceeding the capacity of the absorbent foam 41 is often collected on the bottom surface of the tank. By covering this portion with the film 51, when the apparatus is tilted, the accumulated ink can be prevented from leaking from the bottom surface to the inner wall through the inner wall.

(3-1) Modification 1
A modification of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The 1st storage part 2 is formed in the box shape which the upper surface of the shallow bottom opened, and the absorption foam 41 is accommodated in an opening part. The first storage unit 2 is expected to evaporate, and therefore has a large opening area and further promotes evaporation as a shallow bottom. The first storage unit 2 has a smaller amount of waste ink than the second storage unit 3. The 2nd storage part 3 is formed in the box shape which the upper surface of the deep bottom opened. The second storage unit 3 has a large capacity of ink that can be stored. A plurality of absorbent foams 41 are accommodated in the opening in parallel to the ink inflow direction. By accommodating the plurality, the ink flow is temporarily interrupted between the respective absorbent foams 41. Therefore, when the apparatus main body is inclined and placed, the movement of the ink between the absorbent foams is prevented, and the ink can be prevented from easily leaking out from the second storage unit 3. In particular, the absorbent foam 41 preferably has a layer around the periphery for suppressing fuzz.

  In the first modification, not only the film 52 is welded to the ink receiving part 4 of the first storage part 2, but also the film 53 is welded to the opposite side, that is, the front end side along the upper surface of the tank. When the film 53 is placed in an inclined state with the tip of the first storage unit 2 at the bottom due to transportation after the start of use, when the ink held in the absorbent foam 41 leaks, the inner wall of the tank is the film 53. Since the upper surface is hermetically sealed, the ink is prevented from leaking along the inner wall.

(3-2) Modification 2
Further, as a modification of the third embodiment, an example in which the film 54 is not sealed on the upper surface of the first storage unit 2 by a fixing means such as welding will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, the film 54 includes leg portions 57 depending from the upper surface. The leg portion 57 is configured to be attachable to the first storage portion 2 and is attached to the periphery of the film 54 as necessary along the tank inner wall.

  In this modification, for example, the first storage unit 2 that stores waste ink in a recording apparatus that is always installed in a predetermined direction such as in a dedicated container during transportation such as a relatively large inkjet plotter installed in an office. On the other hand, a covering means comprising a film 54 covering the opening and a leg portion 57 suspended from the film is arranged. Accordingly, since the ink can be attached and detached as necessary, it is preferable to attach the film 54 as the covering means to the first storage unit 2 when the waste ink is scattered and the inside of the apparatus is soiled. Further, since the film 54 is not fixed to the tank by a method such as welding, the absorbent foams 40 and 41 can be accommodated in contact with the inner wall surface of the tank. Further, by inserting and attaching the leg portions 57 between the absorbent foams 40 and 41 and the inner wall of the tank, the ink can be once held by the film even when the tank is tilted. (4) Fourth embodiment

  A fourth embodiment which is another embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 12, the same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same member numbers, and the description thereof is omitted. Ink is allowed to flow in from the tube connection portion 8 into which the waste ink sucked by the function of the waste ink pump flows and the tube connection portion 9 connected to the air communication hole.

  The entire upper surface of the waste ink tank is covered with a film 56 and welded to the tank outer wall. This is because, when the apparatus is tilted and transported after the start of use, the ink absorbed by the absorbent foams 40 and 41 leaks out along the inner wall surface of the tank 1 and leaks into the apparatus main body. is there. If the leaked ink falls to the transport path and the back side of the next sheet to be fed (the side opposite to the image forming side) becomes dirty, or if ink is scattered on the paper during image formation, the scattered ink Adheres to the paper, resulting in a decrease in recording image quality. Therefore, the entire upper surface of the outer wall of the waste ink tank 1 is covered with a film 56 and fixed so as to eliminate a gap between the upper surface and the film by welding or the like.

  In addition, a large number of holes 55 are formed in the film 54 along the partition walls 5 to 7 arranged in a staggered manner so that the ink absorbed by the absorbent foams 40 and 41 can be evaporated. The large number of holes 55 are regions deviated from the vicinity of the inner wall surface of the tank, and are arranged so as to surround the partition walls 5, 6, and 7. As a result, the ink absorbed by the absorbent foam 41 can be expected to evaporate, and ink leakage due to transportation or vibration can be prevented. Further, an evaporation hole 55 is formed by removing the vicinity of the partition walls 5 to 7 which are partition means for partitioning the storage means into a plurality of regions. The absorbing foam 41 from the ink receiving portion 4 is in a state where the waste ink exceeding the absorbing power is in a staying state. When the apparatus is tilted in this state, the waste ink leaks into the apparatus through the evaporation hole 55. Therefore, the evaporation hole 55 is provided apart from the partition walls 5 to 7 formed in the first storage unit 2 and the inner wall surface forming the outer frame of the storage unit 2. Further, it is preferable that no hole is formed in the longitudinal direction of the first storage unit 2 and closer to the ink receiving unit 4 than the partition wall 5. This is to prevent ink accumulated in the ink receiving portion from leaking through the partition wall 5.

  Further, since the ink receiving unit 4 vigorously flows into the ink by the pump, if the thickened ink is deposited on the ink receiving unit 4, the ink flows into a hindrance and the maintenance operation is hindered. Therefore, the absorbent foam 41 is not disposed near the normal ink receiving portion 4. By the way, although it is a small amount, the ink receiving portion 4 always stores ink. For this reason, ink may leak into the apparatus due to transportation or tilting of the apparatus after the start of use, and the transport path may be soiled. For this reason, the entire waste ink tank including the ink receiving portion 4 is covered with a film. This hole is further formed only on the partition wall 7 side from the wall extending in the width direction of the partition wall 5. Therefore, ink leakage from the ink receiving portion 4 can be further prevented.

  In addition, although what formed the evaporation hole 55 in this film 56 was disclosed, this emphasized evaporating the waste ink accumulate | stored in the 1st storage part 2, for example, in 1st storage part 2 If the waste ink can be replaced when a predetermined amount of ink is accumulated, the evaporation hole 55 may not be formed at all.

  The present invention is suitable for an inkjet recording apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to a printer, and is a multifunction machine having an inkjet recording unit (specifically, a facsimile function, a copy function, or a scanner function in addition to a printer function). When applied to a multifunction machine having at least two functions, a more remarkable effect can be obtained.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a waste ink tank according to the first embodiment, (a) is a schematic perspective view seen from the upper front side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the upper rear side. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of the waste ink tank itself which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of a portion A in FIG. 2. It is a top view in the use condition of the waste ink tank concerning a 1st embodiment. It is an internal perspective view which shows the mounting state to the inkjet printer of the waste ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view of the waste ink tank concerning a 2nd embodiment, (a) is an outline perspective view seen from the front upper part, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the back upper part. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of the waste ink tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 8 is an enlarged top view of a portion B in FIG. 7. It is an external appearance perspective view of the waste ink tank concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the modification 1 of the waste ink tank which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the modification 2 of the waste ink tank which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of the waste ink tank which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,30 Waste ink tank 2 1st storage part 3 2nd storage part 4, 31 Waste ink receiving part 5, 6, 7 Partition wall 8, 9 Tube connection part 8A, 9A Opening part 10 Waste ink receiving wall 20, 21 Communication Port 22 bottom surface 23 inclined surface 24 boundary portion 35 cartridge insertion port 36 housing 37 paper feed mechanism 38 recording head 40, 41 absorbent foam 51, 52, 53, 56 film 55 evaporation hole

Claims (7)

A recording head for ejecting ink;
Suction means for sucking ink from the recording head;
In an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a storage unit that has an upper surface opened and stores ink sucked by the suction unit;
The storage means is
An inflow portion that forms a space into which the ink sucked by the suction means flows, and an absorber that absorbs the ink is not accommodated in the space;
A first communication port and a second communication port which are connected to the inflow portion and are formed at different positions, and
A first storage part connected to the first communication port and containing the absorber, and a second storage part connected to the second communication port and containing the absorber;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a covering unit that covers at least the inflow portion.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering unit is fixed in a state where at least the inflow portion is covered.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering unit is detachably attached. The coating means covers at least a part of the first storage part or the second storage part, and an evaporation hole is formed in a part facing the absorber. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of 3 above. The bottom of the depth of the second storage unit, an ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that deeper than the depth of the bottom of the first reservoir. A sheet feeding unit for stacking sheets, a conveying unit for U-turn conveyance from the bottom to the sheet feeding unit, a recording unit disposed on the conveyance path for forming an image on the sheet, and an image reading unit for reading an image. In an inkjet recording apparatus,
6. The storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit is disposed in a space between the U-turn curve of the transport unit, the rear of the recording unit, and the image reading unit . 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to 1. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first storage unit is disposed above a guide outside the curved area of the transport region, and the second storage unit is stored outside the transport region.

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