What is claimed is:
1. A container of consumable supplies for a printer, said container being attachable to a printer for printing on a printing medium by using an inkjet head for ejecting ink, said container having an ink containing portion for hermetically containing ink to be supplied to said inkjet head and said container comprising:
a ink supply connecting portion connected to an ink receiving portion of said printer as a result of the attaching operation, for allowing the ink contained in said ink containing portion to be supplied to the ink receiving portion of said printer; and
an ink communication member entering said ink containing portion as a result of said attaching operation for communicating ink from said ink containing portion to said ink supply connecting portion.
2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ink communication member having a hollow needle stuck into the ink containing portion, and further comprising a member which integrally holds said hollow needle and said ink supply connecting portion and which is displaced in the sticking direction at least in over a distance sufficient to cause said hollow needle to be stuck into said ink containing portion as a result of said attaching operation, thereby establishing said ink communication, and a member for holding said displacing member in the position to which said displacing member is displaced.
3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ink containing portion is in the form of a bag formed by folding a sheet body and by sealing three sides thereof and wherein said hollow needle is stuck into said folded portion that is not sealed, and further comprising a member for supporting said folded portion that is not sealed, for preventing the folded portion from being flattened to make it possible to keep it in a curved state.
4. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of a printing medium to be printed by said inkjet head and a waste ink absorption body for collecting waste ink discharged from said inkjet head is further contained.
5. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ink supply connecting portion and said ink communication member are provided on an integral coupling member for coupling with said ink receiving portion, said coupling member being movable as a result of said attaching operation, and said ink communication member being stuck into said ink containing portion as a result of said movement.
6. A container as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a support body for supporting said ink containing portion, and wherein each of said support body and said coupling member has a member for preventing them from being coupled before said container is attached to said printer and a member for preventing them from being decoupled and disengaged from each other after the attachment.
7. A container of consumable supplies for a printer, said container being attachable to a printer for printing on a printing medium by using an inkjet head for ejecting ink, said container containing a printing medium to be supplied to said printer, and said container comprising:
a printing medium supply port at least a part of which has a gap dimension smaller than the thickness of one sheet of said contained printing medium to be supplied; and
means for engaged with a member provided on said printer at the time of the attachment to expand the gap at said printing medium supply port, thereby allowing said printing medium to be supplied.
8. A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said expansion takes place as a result of said engagement such that at least a part of said printing medium supply port has a gap dimension smaller than the thickness of two sheets of said printing medium.
9. A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said means has members which are provided on both sides of the gap at said printing medium supply port and which are displaceable in the direction of expanding the gap when engaged with corresponding members on said printer.
10. A container as claimed in claim 7, further comprising at least one of an ink supply connecting section for containing ink to be supplied to said inkjet head and for allowing said contained ink to be supplied to said printer at the time of said attachment and a waste ink absorption body for collecting waste ink discharged from said inkjet head.
11. A container of consumable supplies for a printer, said container being attachable to a printer for printing on a printing medium by using an inkjet head for ejecting ink, said container containing a printing medium to be supplied to said printer, an ink container containing ink supplied to said inkjet head and a waste ink absorption body for collecting waste ink discharged from said inkjet head, and said container comprising:
a first member for forming an outer housing of said container; and
a second member for forming the outer housing of said container,
wherein said waste ink absorption body, a first sheet-like member, said printing medium, a second sheet-like member and an elastic member capable of exerting a pressing force from said second sheet-like member toward said first sheet-like member are stacked in the same order and contained in a containing space formed by the combination of said first member and said second member, and wherein said ink container is disposed on said waste ink absorption body.
12. A container as claimed in claim 11, further comprising an introducing portion for introducing ink discharged from said printer at the time of said attachment and a receiving portion to which a printing medium feeding unit provided on said printer is coupled at the time of said attachment, and wherein said receiving portion and said introducing portion are provided away from each other, and wherein an ink supply connecting portion for containing ink to be supplied to said inkjet head and for allowing said contained ink to be supplied to said printer at the time of said attachment is provided between said receiving portion and said introducing portion.
13. A container as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first sheet-like member on which said printing medium is provided in an overlapping relationship has an open portion for allowing a printing medium feeding unit provided at said printer to contact said printing medium at the time of said attachment, and wherein said first sheet-like member smoothly supplies said printing medium to said printer according to an operation of said printing medium feeding unit, said first sheet-like member being formed of a material having a small friction coefficient or a material processed to achieve a low friction coefficient.
14. A container as claimed in claim 13, wherein said second sheet-like member provided such that it sandwiches said printing medium in combination with said sheet-like member exerts the pressing force of said elastic member toward said printing medium feeding unit.
15. A container as claimed in claim 13, further comprising an introducing portion for introducing ink discharged from said printer at the time of said attachment, and wherein said printing medium containing portion is spaced from said introducing portion and said waste ink absorption body by said first sheet-like member.
16. A container as claimed in claim 14, wherein said first member has an opening for allowing said printing medium feeding unit to enter in association with said open portion of said first sheet-like member and said first and second members are joined by coupling an engaging portion provided on one of the members with an engaged portion provided on the other.
17. A container as claimed in claim 16, wherein said first and second members are joined by applying an adhesive seal between parts of them in addition to the coupling of said engaging portion and said engaged portion.
18. A container as claimed in claim 11, wherein said container is assembled by:
containing said introducing portion, said holding portion, said ink containing portion and said ink supply connecting portion in said first member;
providing said sheet-like member;
placing a printing medium on top of said sheet-like member; and
joining said second member to said first member.
19. A container as claimed in claim 11, wherein said container is reproduced by replacing or replenishing at least one of the elements between said first member and said second member.
20. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein said container is reproduced by separating said first member and said second member to perform said replacement or replenishment and joining said first member and said second member after said replacement or replenishment.
21. A container as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first member has an opening for allowing coupling of a printing medium feeding unit provided at the printer at the time of said attachment, and said second member has an opening which is provided in a part thereof in a face-to-face relationship with the opening of said first member with the contained printing medium interposed therebetween and which is for allowing coupling of a printing medium urging unit for exerting an urging force to said printing medium toward said printing medium feeding unit through said elastic member at the time of said attachment.
22. A container as claimed in claim 21, further comprising an openingclosing member for allowing coupling of said printing medium feeding unit by opening said opening of said first accepting portion according to said attachment.
23. A printer to which a container of consumable supplies for containing a printing medium is attachable and for printing by using an inkjet head for ejecting ink to said printing medium fed from said container, said printer comprising:
a printing medium feeding unit coupled with said contained printing medium through an opening on said container at the time of the attachment to perform said feeding; and
an outlet portion for discharging ink to said container of consumable supplies at the time of said attachment,
wherein said printing medium feeding unit and said outlet portion are provided away from each other, and wherein said container contains ink to be supplied to said inkjet head, and further comprising an ink supply receiving portion coupled with an ink supply connecting portion of said container for allowing said contained ink to be supplied at the time of said attachment, said ink supply receiving portion being provided between said printing medium feeding unit and said outlet portion.
24. A printer as claimed in claim 23, wherein said container has an ink containing section for containing inks with a plurality of colors to be supplied to said inkjet head and a plurality of ink supply connecting portions for allowing said inks with a plurality of colors contained in said ink containing section to be supplied at the time of said attachment; a plurality of said ink supply receiving portions associated with said plurality of ink supply connecting portions are provided between said printing medium feeding unit and said outlet portion; and said outlet portion and said ink supply receiving portions are integrally held.
25. A printer to which a container of consumable supplies for containing a printing medium is attachable and for printing by using an inkjet head for ejecting ink to said printing medium supplied from said container, comprising a member for engaging with means provided on said container at the time of said attachment to expand a gap at a printing medium supply port of said container, thereby allowing said printing medium to be supplied, and wherein at least a part of said printing medium supply port has a gap dimension smaller than the thickness of one sheet of said contained printing medium to be supplied and wherein said member performs said expansion as a result of the engagement with said means such that at least a part of said printing medium supply port has a gap dimension smaller than the thickness of two sheets of said printing medium.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of producing a thin film transistor comprising the following steps between a gate electrode layer formation step and a channel formation step of forming a channel oxide (possibly containing inevitable impurities):
an exposure step of exposing one surface of a first precursor layer, which is obtained from a first precursor solution as a start material including both a precursor containing lanthanum (La) and a precursor containing tantalum (Ta) as solutes, is exposed to hydrochloric acid or a vapor thereof and;
a first oxide layer formation step of forming an oxide layer (possibly containing inevitable impurities) consisting of the lanthanum (La) and the tantalum (Ta) by heating the precursor layer in the atmosphere containing oxygen.
2. The method of producing a thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the hydrochloric acid vapor is a vapor generated by boiling the hydrochloric acid.
3. The method of producing a thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the exposure step is performed while the hydrochloric acid, the vapor of the hydrochloric acid or the mixed vapor is heated to a temperature of not lower than 60\xb0 C. and not higher than 500\xb0 C.
4. The method of producing a thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the channel formation step is a step of forming an indium oxide layer (possibly containing inevitable impurities) by heating a second precursor layer obtained from a second precursor solution as a start material including both a precursor containing indium (In) as a solute in the atmosphere containing oxygen.
5. A method of producing a thin film transistor comprising the following steps between a gate electrode layer formation step and a channel formation step of forming a channel oxide (possibly containing inevitable impurities):
an exposure step of exposing one surface of a first precursor layer, which is obtained from a first precursor solution as a start material including both a precursor containing lanthanum (La) and a precursor containing tantalum (Ta) as solutes, is exposed to a mixed vapor of a hydrochloric acid vapor and a nitric acid vapor and;
a first oxide layer formation step of forming an oxide layer (possibly containing inevitable impurities) consisting of the lanthanum (La) and the tantalum (Ta) by heating the precursor layer in the atmosphere containing oxygen.
6. The method of producing a thin film transistor according to claim 5, wherein the mixed vapor is a vapor generated by boiling the hydrochloric acid and the nitric acid.