JP2001328271A - Ink cartridge for recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge for recorder in which use efficiency of ink can be enhanced. SOLUTION: A flat ink pack 24 enclosing ink is loaded to a recorder while directing the face thereof in substantially vertical direction and a part 61 inflating to the outer surface side is formed downward, along the gravitational direction of the ink pack, in at least one flexible member constituting the ink pack. Under a state close to ink end, residual ink is introduced gravitationally into an ink channel formed by the inflated part 61. Since residual ink collected in the vicinity of the ink channel can be introduced efficiently to an outlet part, use efficiency of ink in an ink cartridge can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge provided with a bag-shaped ink pack formed of a flexible material in a flat shape and containing the ink pack in a case forming an outer shell of the cartridge. In particular, the present invention relates to an ink cartridge for a recording apparatus which is loaded in a recording apparatus such that a plane direction of a flat ink pack is substantially perpendicular.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus is generally mounted on a carriage and moves in the width direction of a recording sheet, and is relatively moved in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the recording head. The recording paper is printed on a recording sheet by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head based on print data.

On the other hand, in this type of recording apparatus provided for office use or business use, it is necessary to provide a large-capacity ink cartridge in order to handle a relatively large amount of printing. 2. Description of the Related Art There has been provided a recording apparatus of a type in which a cartridge is loaded into a cartridge holder arranged on an apparatus main body side, for example. Then, for example, a sub-tank is arranged on the carriage on which the recording head is mounted, and ink is supplied from each of the ink cartridges to each of the sub-tanks via an ink supply tube. It is configured to supply ink.

[0004]

By the way, recently, it is possible to perform printing on a larger sheet of paper.
There is a demand for a large-sized printing apparatus having a long scanning distance of the carriage. In such a printing apparatus, in order to improve the throughput, the number of nozzles in the printing head is increased more and more. Furthermore, in order to improve the throughput, it is possible to sequentially supply ink from the ink cartridge to each sub-tank mounted on the carriage while performing printing, and to stabilize the ink from each sub-tank to the recording head. There is a demand for a recording device that supplies the data.

In such a recording apparatus, it is necessary to connect an ink supply tube corresponding to each ink from the ink cartridge to the sub tank.
Since the scanning distance of the carriage is large, the drawing distance of the tube necessarily increases. Moreover, as described above, since the number of nozzles in the recording head is increased,
There is a technical problem that a large amount of ink is consumed, a dynamic pressure (pressure loss) of ink is increased in each ink supply tube connected from the ink cartridge to the sub-tank, and the amount of ink supplied to the sub-tank is insufficient.

As one means for solving such a problem, for example, air pressure is applied to the ink cartridge side, a forced ink flow is generated from the ink cartridge to the sub-tank by air pressure, and A configuration in which necessary and sufficient ink is supplied can be employed.

An ink cartridge used in the recording apparatus having the above-described structure is formed by a flexible material in which an outer case is formed so as to be airtight, and ink is sealed therein. A configuration in which a pack is stored can be suitably employed. The ink pack in the ink cartridge having such a configuration acts so that the ink is pushed out by the pressurized air applied to the inside of the case and is sent to the recording head mounted on the carriage.

In this case, the amount of the ink sealed in the ink pack decreases from the vicinity of the outlet of the ink pack. If the amount of ink decreases, for example, the center of the ink pack is tightly closed. The phenomenon occurs.
For this reason, the remaining ink cannot reach the vicinity of the ink outlet of the ink pack, and the life of the ink cartridge ends when a considerable amount of ink remains in the ink pack. Therefore, a long running cost is imposed on the user in the long term, and a problem arises in that disposal of the cartridge requires a burden in processing of the remaining ink.

The present invention has been made based on such a problem. In particular, the present invention relates to an ink cartridge suitable for a recording apparatus which is loaded so that the plane direction of a flat ink pack is substantially perpendicular. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge for a recording apparatus that can improve the use efficiency of ink.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ink cartridge for a recording apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, has a bag-like shape in which ink is sealed and formed flat from a flexible material. And a recording device mounted in the recording device such that the plane direction of the flat ink pack is substantially perpendicular to the ink pack, and a case for accommodating the ink pack and forming a shell of the cartridge. Ink cartridge, wherein at least one of the flexible materials constituting the ink pack is formed with an ink flow path swelling outward on the outer surface along a lower part in the direction of gravity of the ink pack. .

In this case, it is preferable that the ink flow path is formed by press-molding a flexible material constituting the ink pack. Further, it is preferable that the ink flow path formed along the lower part of the ink pack in the direction of gravity is extended and formed so as to reach the vicinity of an ink outlet provided at an end of the ink pack.

On the other hand, in the ink cartridge for a recording apparatus according to the present invention, preferably, the case is formed in an airtight state, and air pressure from the recording apparatus is applied to the inside of the case when the case is loaded into the recording apparatus. The ink pack is suitably adopted in a configuration in which the ink pack is pressurized by air pressure.

According to the ink cartridge configured as described above, the flat ink pack is loaded into the recording apparatus such that the surface direction of the flat ink pack is oriented in the vertical direction.
In the flexible material constituting the ink pack, an ink flow path swelling outward on the lower side in the direction of gravity is formed, so when the amount of ink in the ink pack is reduced, The remaining ink in the ink pack acts to gather along the ink flow path according to gravity. Then, the remaining ink collected near the ink flow path is guided to the outlet portion through the ink flow path, so that the ink use efficiency of the cartridge can be improved.

In this case, the ink flow path formed along the lower part of the ink pack in the direction of gravity may be extended so as to reach the vicinity of the ink outlet provided at the end of the ink pack. In addition, it is possible to promote the action of inducing the residual ink to the ink outlet, thereby contributing to further improving the use efficiency of the ink in the cartridge.

In order to realize the above-mentioned operation, the ink flow path formed on at least one of the flexible materials constituting the ink pack and bulging to the outer surface side can be easily formed by using, for example, press molding. Can be formed and therefore have little effect on the cost of manufacturing the ink cartridge.

Further, pressurized air is introduced into the case in a state where the ink cartridge is loaded in the recording apparatus, and the ink cartridge which receives the pressurized air and acts so that the ink sealed in the ink pack is drawn out. In the case of adopting the configuration, even if the ink pack receives a pressing force by air, it is possible to avoid a problem that, for example, the center portion of the ink pack is in close contact and blocks the ink flow path.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink cartridge for a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows an example of an ink jet recording apparatus which can use the ink cartridge according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a carriage. The carriage 1 is guided by a scanning guide member 4 via a timing belt 3 driven by a carriage motor 2 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the paper feed member 5, that is, in the width direction of the recording paper. It is configured to reciprocate in a certain main scanning direction. Although not shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet recording head 6 described later is mounted on a surface of the carriage 1 facing the paper feed member 5.

The carriage 1 has sub-tanks 7a to 7d for supplying ink to the recording head. In this embodiment, four sub-tanks 7a to 7d are provided corresponding to the respective inks in order to temporarily store the respective inks therein. And, in each of these sub-tanks 7a to 7d,
Main tanks 9a to 9d as ink cartridges loaded in a cartridge holder 8 arranged in the apparatus main body
, Black ink, yellow ink, magenta ink, and cyan ink are supplied via flexible ink supply tubes 10, 10,... Respectively.
Each of the main tanks 9a to 9d as the above-described ink cartridge has a flat outer shape as described later, and the flat surfaces of the cartridge holder 8 are oriented vertically. Is attached.

On the other hand, in a non-print area (home position) on the movement path of the carriage 1, a capping means 11 capable of sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head is arranged. When the carriage 1 moves to the home position, the capping means 11
Thereby, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head can be sealed.

The capping means 11 functions as a lid for sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head during the rest period of the recording apparatus and preventing drying of the nozzle openings.
Although not shown in the drawing, one end of a tube of a suction pump (tube pump) is connected to the capping means 11, and a negative pressure from the suction pump is applied to the recording head to cause ink to be discharged from the recording head. The cleaning operation for sucking and discharging is performed. A wiping member 12 formed of an elastic material such as rubber is disposed on the printing area side adjacent to the capping unit 11 so that the nozzle forming surface of the recording head can be wiped and cleaned as necessary. It is configured to be able to.

Next, FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of an ink supply system mounted on the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1. In this ink supply system, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 and 2, reference numeral 21 denotes an air pressurizing pump. The air pressurized by the air pressurizing pump 21 is supplied to a pressure regulating valve 22, and furthermore, a pressure detector 2
The main tanks 9a to 9d (represented by reference numeral 9 in FIG. 2 and may be simply represented by reference numeral 9 in the following) may be supplied to the main tanks 9a to 9d, respectively. It is configured. The pressure regulating valve 22 has a function of releasing the pressure and maintaining the air pressure applied to each of the main tanks 9a to 9d in a predetermined range when the air pressure pressurized by the air pressurizing pump 21 reaches a predetermined value or more. have.

Further, the pressure detector 23 functions to detect the air pressure pressurized by the air pressurizing pump 21 and control the driving of the air pressurizing pump 21. That is, when it is detected that the air pressure pressurized by the air pressurizing pump 21 has reached a predetermined pressure, the driving of the air pressurizing pump 21 is stopped, and the air pressure determined by the pressure detector 23 is reduced. When it is detected that the pressure has become equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure, the air pressure pump 21 is controlled to be driven, and the air pressure applied to each of the main tanks 9a to 9d is maintained in a predetermined range by repeating this operation. Works like that.

The detailed structure of the ink cartridge as the main tank 9 will be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the schematic structure of the ink cartridge has an outer case formed in an airtight state. An ink pack 24 formed of a flexible material in which ink is sealed is housed. The space formed by the main tank 9 and the ink pack 24 constitutes a pressure chamber 25, and the pressure chamber 25 is supplied with pressurized air via the pressure detector 23. Have been.

With this configuration, each of the main tanks 9a to 9
Each of the ink packs 24 stored in the main tanks 9a to 9d is pressurized by pressurized air to generate an ink flow at a predetermined pressure from each of the main tanks 9a to 9d to each of the sub tanks 7a to 7d. ing.

The ink pressurized in each of the main tanks 9a to 9d is supplied to each sub tank mounted on the carriage 1 via each ink supply valve 26 and each ink supply tube 10 as shown in FIG. 7a ~
7d (represented in FIG. 2 by reference numeral 7 and may be simply represented by reference numeral 7 in the following description).

As shown in FIG. 2, a float member 31 is disposed inside the sub-tank 7, and a permanent magnet 32 is attached to a part of the float member 31.
And magneto-electric conversion elements 33a, 33 represented by Hall elements
3 b is mounted on the substrate 34 and is attached to the side wall of the sub tank 7. With this configuration, the ink is generated by the Hall elements 33a and 33b to generate an electric output in accordance with the permanent magnet 32 disposed on the float member 31 and the magnetic force dose by the permanent magnet 32 according to the floating position of the float member. It constitutes an amount detecting means.

Therefore, for example, when the amount of ink in the sub-tank 7 decreases, the position of the float member 31 accommodated in the sub-tank moves in the direction of gravity, and accordingly the position of the permanent magnet 32 also changes in the direction of gravity. Go to Therefore, the Hall elements 33a, 33b due to the movement of the permanent magnet
Can be sensed as the amount of ink in the sub tank 7, and the ink supply valve 26 is opened by the electric output obtained by the Hall elements 33a and 33b.

Thus, the ink that has been pressurized in the main tank 9 is individually sent into each of the sub-tanks 7 in which the amount of ink has been reduced. Then, when the ink amount in the sub tank 7 reaches a predetermined capacity,
The ink supply valve 26 is closed based on the electrical outputs of the Hall elements 33a and 33b. By such repetition, the ink acts to intermittently replenish the ink from the main tank to the sub-tank, and each sub-tank always stores a substantially constant range of ink.

From each sub tank 7, a valve 35 is provided.
And ink is supplied to the recording head 6 via a tube 36 connected to the recording head 6. Based on print data supplied to an actuator (not shown) of the recording head 6, the recording head 6 The ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 6a formed on the nozzle forming surface of the nozzle. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes the above-described capping means, and a tube connected to the capping means 11 is connected to a suction pump (tube pump) not shown.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show examples of the main tank as an ink cartridge used in the ink jet recording apparatus having the above-mentioned structure. First, FIG. 3 shows the entire configuration of the lower case constituting the outer shell of the main tank. The lower case 41 is formed in a flat box shape, and is configured such that the upper surface thereof is opened and the ink pack 24 in a state in which ink is sealed is accommodated therein.

On the periphery of the lower case, a series of welded surfaces 42 are formed substantially flush with the entire periphery of the periphery. Further, a rising portion 43 is integrally formed on the periphery of the lower case along a further outer periphery of the series of welding surfaces 42. Note that FIG. 5B shows an enlarged corner portion indicated by B in FIG.

The rising portion 43 is provided with a second
In order to prevent the upper case as an outer constituent member from being vibrated and welded to the lower case, the director (welder) formed on the upper case is scraped off by friction and is prevented from being scattered. Is formed. Further, the lower bottom surface of the lower case 41, that is, the pressure chamber 25
Are formed on the surface forming the ridges, which form a reinforcing rib 44 in the form of a girder for preventing the lower case from being deformed by the air pressure.
The reinforcing ribs 44 are integrally formed in advance when the lower case 41 is formed by, for example, injection molding, and are joined so that the upper case is airtight as described later, and a pressure chamber is formed inside. In this case, the cross rib-shaped reinforcing ribs 44 act to suppress the occurrence of bending in the direction perpendicular to the surface due to the air pressure applied to the inside.

In other words, by forming the reinforcing ribs 44 in the shape of a girder as described above, the strength in the direction perpendicular to the plane can be increased, and therefore, the synthetic resin material used when forming the lower case is formed. It can also contribute to reducing the amount used. In this case, the reinforcing ribs 44
Although the same reinforcing effect can be obtained by forming the ribs 44 outside the case, if the ribs 44 are formed on the outside of the case as shown in FIG. There is a disadvantage that it is difficult to attach a label indicating a mark indicating the above, so that the rib 44 is desirably provided on the lower bottom surface of the lower case as shown in FIG.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG.
A pair of guide holes 45 are formed at the end of the recording device. When the ink cartridge is formed together with an upper case described later, the guide holes 45 are formed in a pair of guide pins arranged in a cartridge holder of the recording apparatus. It acts so as to be fitted and positioned.

FIG. 4 shows the entire structure of the upper case constituting the outer shell of the main tank as viewed from the inner surface thereof. The upper case 51 has a flattened box shape with a slightly concave center portion, and is configured to function as a lid for the lower case 41 described above. On the periphery of this upper case, the lower case 4
A series of directors (welders) 52 that are frictionally welded in contact with a series of welded surfaces 42 formed on the periphery of one are formed flush. In FIG. 5A, a corner portion indicated by A in FIG. 4 is enlarged.

On the lower surface of the ceiling of the upper case 51, that is, on the surface on which the pressure chamber 25 is formed, like the lower case, a reinforcing rib 53 in the form of a girder for preventing deformation due to air pressure is formed. The reinforcing ribs 53 are integrally formed in advance when the upper case 51 is formed by, for example, injection molding, and are joined to the lower case in an airtight state, and when a pressure chamber is formed therein, The cross rib-shaped reinforcing ribs 53 act to suppress the occurrence of bending in the direction perpendicular to the surface due to the air pressure applied to the inside. Thus, also in the upper case 51, the reinforcing rib 53 is formed on the lower surface of the ceiling,
In the same manner as described above, care is taken not to cause any trouble in attaching a label indicating a product name or a mark indicating identification on the surface of the cartridge.

Then, the ink pack 24 filled with ink in advance is stored in the lower case 41, and the upper case 5
1 are joined by vibration welding, so that a completed ink cartridge can be obtained. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink lead-out portion in a completed ink cartridge, and the process of assembling the ink cartridge will be described with reference to FIG. First, an ink pack 24 in which ink is sealed in the lower case 41 in advance.
Is stored. In this case, the plug 24a, which seals the ink pack 24 and forms an ink outlet, is connected to the lower case 41 through an opening 46 formed at the side end of the lower case 41.
From the outside.

In this state, the O-ring 5 is
6 and press the annular engagement member 57 from the outside of the lower case 41, so that the plug 2 of the ink pack 24 is
4 a can be attached to the opening 46 of the lower case 41. As described above, since the plug 24a of the ink pack 24 is attached so as to compress the O-ring filled in the opening 46 by the annular engaging member 57, the opening 46 formed in the lower case 41, The space between the ink pack and the plug 24a is airtight. After the ink pack 24 is loaded into the lower case 24 in this manner, the upper case 51 is superimposed on the lower case 41, and vibration welding is performed.

When performing the vibration welding, the peripheral edge of the lower case 41 is supported from below by a vibration welding jig (not shown).
Is placed so that the director 52 of the upper case 51 is in contact therewith. The peripheral edge of the upper case 51 is pressed from above by the other vibration welding jig (not shown), applies a load in the direction of gravity, and the vibration welding jig that presses the upper case 51 gives a horizontal vibration operation. Works like that. By this operation, director 52 formed on upper case 51 is slid while a load is applied to welded surface 42 of lower case 41.

Therefore, due to the frictional heat generated between the two, the director 5 formed on the upper case 51 is formed.
2 and a part of the welding surface 42 of the lower case 41 are respectively melted. Then, by stopping the horizontal vibration operation of the movable-side vibration welding jig in a state where a load is applied, the upper case 51 is joined to the lower case 41 in an airtight state. The outer shell as the ink cartridge thus configured can be joined in an airtight state by melting the resin between the two, and as described above, the ink jet recording in which the air pressure is introduced into the main tank as the ink cartridge. It can be suitably used for the device. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 47 denotes an air inlet to which the air pressure generated by the air pressurizing pump is supplied.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a first embodiment of the ink pack housed in the outer case formed as described above. 7 is a perspective view of the ink pack 24 viewed from one side, FIG. 8 is a back view of the ink pack viewed from the back side, and FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state where the CC cut portion in FIGS. 7 and 8 is viewed in the direction of the arrow. The ink pack 24 is made of two flexible materials formed in a rectangular shape, for example, a polyethylene film, and is laminated on its surface with, for example, aluminum to improve gas barrier properties.

The three sides of the side end to which the plug 24a constituting the ink outlet is attached and the side end in the longitudinal direction are joined by heat welding to form a bag. Reference numeral 24b indicates a heat-welded portion applied to the three sides. The ink is introduced into the ink pack 24 using the opening on the other side of the ink pack 24 formed in a bag shape as described above. Finally, the remaining one side is joined by heat welding, so that the ink is sealed in the ink pack. Reference numeral 24c indicates a heat-welded portion applied to the remaining one side.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, one flexible material constituting the ink pack 24, that is, one flexible material shown as 24e in FIG. When arranged so that the surface direction is substantially vertical, bulging portions 61 bulging outward are formed continuously below the ink pack in the direction of gravity. The bulging portion 61 is formed in advance by press molding the raw material 24 e before forming the ink pack 24 into a bag shape by heat welding. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the bulging portion 61 is formed only on one flexible material 24e, but is formed on the other flexible material 24d. Alternatively, they may be similarly formed so as to face each other.

As described above, since the ink pack 24 is pressurized by air pressure, when the ink pack 24 approaches the ink end state, it receives the air pressure as shown in FIG. The two flexible materials 24d and 24e constituting the ink pack are brought into close contact with each other. However, by forming the bulging portion 61, an ink flow path 62 is formed on the inner surface thereof, and the remaining ink in the ink pack 24 acts so as to gather along the ink flow path according to gravity.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ink flow path 62 formed along the lower part of the ink pack in the direction of gravity is disposed substantially at the center of the end of the ink pack. Plug 24 as ink outlet
a, the remaining ink collected near the ink flow path 62 is
The ink is guided to an outlet portion through the ink flow path 62. As a result, most of the ink in the ink pack can be led out to the recording apparatus by air pressure, leaving a small amount of ink remaining in the ink flow path 62, so that the usage efficiency can be improved. .

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the ink pack. In addition, FIG. 10 shows the ink pack 24 as viewed from the back side, similarly to FIG. 8 described above, and portions corresponding to the respective portions described above are denoted by the same reference numerals. The state where the CC cut portion of the ink pack 24 shown in FIG.
The configuration is the same as that of FIG. The difference from the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is that the ink flow path 62 formed on the inner surface by the bulging portion 61 is formed substantially linearly along the lower part in the direction of gravity.

As described above, even if the ink flow path 62 is formed in a straight line along the lower part in the direction of gravity, the space where the plug 24a serving as the ink outlet is sealed is physically located in the space. Is formed, the degree of close contact by air pressure near this outlet is low. Therefore, the ink in the ink pack approaching the ink end state is guided to the vicinity of the outlet through the ink flow path 62 formed by the bulging portion 61 formed in a straight line, and further, the plug as the ink outlet. It can be led out to the recording device side via 24a.

[0048]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink cartridge for a recording apparatus according to the present invention, a bag-shaped ink pack made of a flexible material in a flat shape is used.
The ink pack is housed in a case that forms the outer shell of the cartridge, and is loaded into the recording apparatus such that the surface direction of the ink pack is substantially perpendicular. And at least one flexible material constituting the ink pack includes:
Since the ink flow path bulging to the outer surface side is formed along the lower part in the gravity direction of the ink pack, in a state close to the ink end, the residual ink is guided into the ink flow path according to gravity. You. Therefore, the residual ink collected near the ink flow path can be efficiently guided to the outlet portion, and as a result, the ink use efficiency of the cartridge can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus which can use an ink cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an ink supply system from an ink cartridge to a print head in the printing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lower case constituting an outer shell of the ink cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an upper case constituting an outer shell of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view at a corner of each case shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a completed state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ink pack stored in the cartridge as viewed from one surface side.

FIG. 8 is a state diagram of the ink pack viewed from the back side.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a state in which the CC section in FIGS. 7 and 8 is viewed in the direction of the arrow.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the ink pack as viewed from the back side.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 carriage 6 recording head 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) sub tank 8 cartridge holder 9 (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) main tank (ink cartridge) 10 ink supply tube 21 air pressurizing pump 22 pressure regulating valve 23 pressure Detector 24 Ink pack 24a Plug body (ink outlet) 24b Heat welding part 24c Heat welding part 25 Pressure chamber 26 Ink supply valve 41 Lower case 51 Upper case 61 Swelling part 62 Ink flow path

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C056 EA25 EB16 EB21 EB34 EB53 EC17 EC18 EC32 EC64 FA10 JA13 JB04 KA08 KB04 KB08 KB37 KC02 KC10 KC14 KD06

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bag-shaped ink pack in which ink is sealed and formed in a flat shape by a flexible material, and a case which houses the ink pack and forms an outer shell of the cartridge, and What is claimed is: 1. An ink cartridge for a recording apparatus, which is mounted on a recording apparatus such that a plane direction of a flat ink pack is substantially perpendicular to the recording apparatus, wherein at least one flexible material constituting the ink pack includes an ink pack. An ink cartridge for a recording apparatus, wherein an ink flow path swelling to the outer surface side is formed along the lower part in the gravity direction of the recording apparatus. 2. The ink cartridge for a recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink flow path is formed by press-molding a flexible material constituting the ink pack. 3. The ink flow path formed along the lower part of the ink pack in the direction of gravity is extended so as to reach the vicinity of an ink outlet provided at an end of the ink pack. Or an ink cartridge for a recording apparatus according to claim 2. 4. The case is formed so that the case is formed in an airtight state so that air pressure from the recording device side can be applied to the inside of the case when the case is loaded into the recording device.
4. The ink cartridge for a recording device according to claim 1, wherein the ink pack is pressurized by air pressure.