JP2016074192A - Ink container and inkjet recording device comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink container with an ink pack improved in crush properties, that is capable of reducing an ink amount remaining in the ink pack when the ink container is replaced and discarded, while suppressing an increase of the number of components.SOLUTION: An ink container includes: an ink pack 50 having an ink accommodation part 52 for accommodating ink inside; and an accommodation case 60 having a pack accommodation part 72 for accommodating the ink pack 50. The ink pack 50 is a gusset bag which is folded along a folding line extending in a longitudinal direction of a side surface 52a of the ink accommodation part 52. On a side surface 72c of the pack accommodation part 72 of the accommodation case 60, a protruding part 72d protruding toward an inner side is formed along an extension direction of the folding line, such that the side surface 52a of the ink accommodation part 52 in an ink-loaded state is caused to be recessed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink container including an ink pack and a storage case for storing the ink pack, and an ink jet recording apparatus including the ink pack, which is used in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium such as paper. Is.

  Recording devices such as facsimiles, copiers, and printers are configured to record an image on a recording medium such as paper or an OHP sheet. Depending on the recording method, ink jet, wire dot, thermal, etc. Can be classified. The ink jet recording method can be classified into a serial type in which recording is performed while the recording head scans the recording medium, and a line head type in which recording is performed by a recording head fixed to the recording apparatus main body.

  For example, a line head type ink jet recording apparatus uses a line head type ink jet head (recording head) for each color in which ejection nozzles are arranged at predetermined intervals over the entire width of the print area orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. I have. The entire recording medium can be printed by discharging ink from the discharge nozzle corresponding to the printing position in accordance with the conveyance of the recording medium.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink container having a flexible ink pack filled with ink and a storage case for storing the ink pack is used to supply ink to the recording head.

  By the way, when ink is supplied from the ink pack to the recording head, as the ink in the ink pack is discharged, the appearance shape of the ink pack gradually collapses and changes to a flat state. If the ink pack collapses along the side fold line in the process of collapsing the ink pack, the shape changes to a flat shape, but the fold line that occurs by chance in the process of collapsing the ink pack In the case of crushing along different wrinkles, the final shape may not be flat, and a part of the shape may be raised and remain uncrushed.

  It has been found that when a part of an ink pack remains without being crushed, more ink is left unnecessarily discarded without being supplied to the recording head in the ink pack. In particular, in the case of an ink container having a double structure of an ink pack filled with ink and a case containing the ink pack, the ink pack may be difficult to see from the outside, and a large amount of ink is contained in the ink pack. In some cases, the ink container was discarded while remaining.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ink cartridge (ink container) that can reduce the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack. The ink cartridge includes an ink pack, a housing (storage case) that stores the ink pack, a pressing member that is disposed in the housing and presses the ink pack, and a coil spring that biases the pressing member toward the ink pack. Have.

JP 2005-47077 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to provide the pressing member and the coil spring in the housing of the ink cartridge (ink container) in order to press the ink pack, there is a problem that the number of parts of the members constituting the ink cartridge increases. There is a point.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to replace the ink container by improving the collapsibility of the ink pack while suppressing an increase in the number of parts. To provide an ink container capable of reducing the amount of ink remaining in an ink pack at the time of disposal and an ink jet recording apparatus including the ink container.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ink container according to the present invention is formed of a flexible film and includes an ink pack having an ink storage portion for storing ink therein, and a storage case having a pack storage portion for storing the ink pack. And comprising. The ink pack is a gusset bag that is folded along a fold line extending in the longitudinal direction of the side surface of the ink storage portion, and the side surface of the pack storage portion of the storage case is filled with ink. A convex portion protruding inward is formed along the extending direction of the fold line so as to dent the side surface of the storage portion.

  According to the present invention, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack when the ink pack needs to be replaced can be reduced. Further, it is possible to suppress an increase in replacement cost of the ink container that is a consumable item.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the inkjet printer provided with the ink container of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a structure around a first belt conveyance unit, a recording unit, and a second belt conveyance unit in FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the 1st belt conveyance part and recording part of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1 from upper direction. It is the perspective view which showed the container mounting part of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1, and the structure of an ink container. It is the perspective view which showed the structure of the ink container of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the section perspective view showing the structure of the ink container of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the section perspective view showing the structure of the ink container of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a structure of an ink pack before ink filling. It is the perspective view which showed the structure of the ink pack before ink filling. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure of the ink pack with which ink was filled. It is the perspective view which showed the structure of the ink pack with which ink was filled. It is the perspective view which showed the structure of the ink container of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the state which has arrange | positioned the ink pack with which ink was filled in the storage case. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating an ink container in a state where ink is consumed and an ink pack is crushed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating an ink container in a state where ink is consumed and an ink pack is crushed. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure of the ink pack of the modification of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink jet printer (ink jet recording apparatus) 100 including ink containers 21 </ b> C, 21 </ b> M, 21 </ b> Y, and 21 </ b> K according to an embodiment of the present invention has a paper feed cassette 2 a below the inside of the printer body 1. Is arranged. A sheet P such as cut paper before printing is accommodated in the sheet feed cassette 2a. A paper feeding device 3a is disposed on the downstream side of the paper feeding cassette 2a in the paper conveyance direction, that is, above the right side of the paper feeding cassette 2a in FIG. By this sheet feeding device 3a, the sheets P are separated and sent one by one toward the upper right of the sheet feeding cassette 2a in FIG.

  The ink jet printer 100 includes a first paper transport path 4a therein. The first paper transport path 4a is located at the upper right, which is the paper feeding direction in the case of the paper feeding cassette 2a. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2a is transported vertically upward along the side surface of the printer body 1 through the first paper transport path 4a.

  A registration roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a with respect to the paper transport direction. Further, a first belt conveyance unit 5 and a recording unit 9 are disposed in the immediate vicinity of the registration roller pair 13 on the downstream side. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2a reaches the registration roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The registration roller pair 13 feeds the paper P toward the first belt conveyance unit 5 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper P and timings the ink ejection operation performed by the recording unit 9. The first paper transport path 4a is provided with a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P at appropriate positions.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first belt conveyance unit 5 includes a first conveyance belt 8 wound around a first drive roller 6 and a first driven roller 7. The first conveyor belt 8 is rotated counterclockwise by the first drive roller 6. The paper P sent out by the registration roller pair 13 is held on the transport surface 8a (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the first transport belt 8 and transported in the direction of the arrow X.

  A first paper suction unit 30 is provided at a location inside the first transport belt 8 and facing the back side of the transport surface 8 a of the first transport belt 8. The first sheet suction unit 30 is provided with a large number of air suction holes 30a on the upper surface, and is provided with a fan 30b inside, so that air can be sucked downward from the upper surface. The first conveying belt 8 is also provided with a large number of air suction holes (not shown). With the above configuration, the first belt conveyance unit 5 conveys the paper P while adsorbing and holding the paper P on the conveyance surface 8 a of the first conveyance belt 8.

  The recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held by the head housing 10. These line heads 11C to 11K are supported at such a height that a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm) is formed with respect to the conveying surface 8a of the first conveying belt 8, and as shown in FIG. A plurality (three in this case) of recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a staggered manner along the paper width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the head. The line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K print inks of the respective colors on the paper P that is sucked and held on the transport surface 8 a of the first transport belt 8 in accordance with the image data information received from the external computer. The ink is ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 18 corresponding to the above. As a result, a full-color image in which four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are superimposed is recorded on the paper P.

  A container mounting unit 20 (see FIG. 4) is disposed above the recording unit 9. A plurality of ink containers 21C, 21M, 21Y, and 21K that respectively accommodate cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) inks are detachably mounted on the container mounting unit 20. Yes. The ink containers 21C to 21K are connected to the line heads 11C to 11K via the ink supply tubes 23 for the respective colors. The ink supply tube 23 is provided for each of the ink containers 21C to 21K. However, only one ink supply tube 23 is illustrated in FIG.

  Then, the ink of the corresponding color is replenished and supplied from the ink containers 21C to 21K to the line heads 11C to 11K by the ink pressure generated by the height difference between the container mounting unit 20 and the line heads 11C to 11K.

  A second belt conveyance unit 12 is disposed on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 1) of the first belt conveyance unit 5 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second belt conveyance unit 12, and the ink ejected on the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second belt conveyance unit 12.

  The second belt conveyance unit 12 includes a second conveyance belt 40 that is wound around a second drive roller 41 and a second driven roller 42. The second transport belt 40 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by the second drive roller 41. The sheet P on which an image is recorded by the recording unit 9 and conveyed in the direction of arrow X by the first belt conveyance unit 5 is transferred to the second conveyance belt 40 and conveyed in the direction of arrow Z in FIG.

  A second paper suction portion 43 is provided at a location inside the second transport belt 40 and facing the back side of the transport surface 40 a of the second transport belt 40. The second sheet suction unit 43 is provided with a number of air suction holes 43a on the upper surface and is provided with a fan 43b inside so that air can be sucked downward from the upper surface. The second conveyor belt 40 is also provided with a large number of air suction vents (not shown). With the above configuration, the second belt conveyance unit 12 conveys the paper P while adsorbing and holding the paper P on the conveyance surface 40 a of the second conveyance belt 40.

  A decurler unit 14 is provided on the downstream side of the second belt conveyance unit 12 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction and in the vicinity of the left side surface of the printer main body 1. The paper P from which the ink has been dried by the second belt conveyance unit 12 is sent to the decurler unit 14, and the curling of the paper P is corrected using a plurality of rollers arranged in the paper width direction.

  A second paper transport path 4b is provided on the downstream side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the decurler unit 14 with respect to the paper transport direction. When the double-sided recording is not performed, the paper P that has passed through the decurler unit 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to a paper discharge tray 15 provided outside the left side surface of the inkjet printer 100 via a discharge roller pair.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the ink container 21 </ b> K includes an ink pack 50 that can store ink therein and a storage case 60 that stores the ink pack 50. 5, 7, and 15, a cap portion 80 described later of the storage case 60 is omitted. Further, since the ink containers 21C to 21Y have the same shape and configuration as the ink container 21K, description thereof is omitted here.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the ink pack 50 is formed into a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 10 by bonding both ends of a laminate film, which is four flexible films constituting the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface. Thereafter, one end and the other end of the cylindrical shape are heat sealed to form the first seal portion 51a and the second seal portion 51b, respectively, and the ink storage portion 52 is filled with ink. The ink pack 50 is a so-called gusset bag in which gussets (folds) are inserted along a fold line 53 extending in the longitudinal direction of the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 in order to give the ink storage portion 52 a thickness. . A cylindrical ink supply port 55 communicating with the inside of the ink storage portion 52 is attached to the second seal portion 51b among the four peripheral portions. The ink supply port 55 is made of polyethylene, and an annular groove portion 55a is formed in the central portion along the circumferential direction.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the ink pack 50 in which the ink storage portion 52 is filled with the ink is in a state in which the gusset that is folded into the side surface 52 a of the ink storage portion 52 is extended. Therefore, the dimension L1 in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 50 is shorter than the dimension L in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 50 before ink filling (see FIG. 8) by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the ink storage portion 52.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the storage case 60 includes a base portion 70 and a cap portion 80 made of, for example, polystyrene. The base portion 70 and the cap portion 80 are combined to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box, and the ink pack 50 is accommodated therein.

  The cap unit 80 is formed by, for example, injection molding and is formed so as to close the opening of the base unit 70. Inside the cap portion 80, a circular fitting portion (not shown) into which a groove portion 55a formed in the ink supply port 55 of the ink pack 50 is fitted is formed. In addition, an opening 80 a into which a connection portion (not shown) of the container mounting portion 20 is inserted is formed on the end surface on the mounting direction side of the cap portion 80. Moreover, the cap part 80 is formed of two parts so that it can be divided | segmented to an up-down direction. In addition, a plurality of recesses and the like are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cap portion 80 so as to correspond to the inner surface shape of the fixing portion 20a (see FIG. 4) of the container mounting portion 20.

  The base portion 70 is formed by, for example, blow molding, and includes a handle portion 71 that is held by a user when the ink container 21K is replaced, and a pack storage portion 72 that stores the ink pack 50. As shown in FIG. 13, the pack storage portion 72 has an upper surface 72a, a lower surface 72b, and a pair of side surfaces 72c facing the width direction (arrow A direction, short direction) of the ink pack 50.

  The pair of side surfaces 72c is a fold line provided on the ink pack 50 with a convex portion 72d protruding inward so that the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 is recessed while the ink pack 50 is filled with ink. It is formed along the extending direction of 53. The convex portion 72d is formed in a mountain shape in sectional view, and is continuously formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction (arrow B direction) of the pack storage portion 72. Further, the distance L72d between the tips of the convex portions 72d is smaller than the length L52 in the direction of arrow A in a state where the lower surface (or upper surface) of the ink storage portion 52 of the ink pack 50 is flat. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the folding (gusset) of the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 of the ink pack 50 from completely expanding.

  Further, the height H72a of the inner side surface of the pack storage portion 72 is smaller than the height H52 (see FIG. 10) when the side surface 52a of the ink pack 50 is completely expanded. This also can prevent the folding (gusset) of the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 of the ink pack 50 from completely expanding.

  The upper surface 72 a and the lower surface 72 b of the pack storage portion 72 are formed in an arc shape in cross section, and the height H 72 b of the inner space in the center portion of the pack storage portion 72 in the arrow A direction is the inner surface of the pack storage portion 72. It is larger than the height H72a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the pack storage portion 72 is configured such that the upper surface 72a and the lower surface 72b are separated from the end portion on the handle portion 71 side (opposite side to the opening portion 80a) toward the opening portion 80a side. It is formed in a taper shape.

  By the way, when the ink containers 21C to 21C described above are mounted on the 21K container mounting portion 20 and ink is supplied to the line heads 11C to 11K, the internal pressure of the ink pack 50 decreases as the amount of ink in the ink pack 50 decreases. As a result, the ink pack 50 is deflated in the thickness direction, and the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 50 becomes longer by that amount.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the gusset (folding) of the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 that has been stretched at the time of ink filling (see FIGS. 4 and 6) is folded again. The ink pack 50 is folded inside the ink storage portion 52 along the line 53, and the thickness dimension of the ink pack 50 is reduced. At this time, since the convex portion 72d formed on the side surface 72c of the pack storage portion 72 prevents the fold (gusset) of the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 of the ink pack 50 from being completely expanded, the ink pack 50 Is flattened along the fold line 53 of the side surface 52a as shown in FIG.

  In addition, in a state where the ink containers 21C to 21K are mounted on the container mounting portion 20 and the consumption of ink in the ink pack 50 is advanced, the ink pack 50 gradually extends in the longitudinal direction, but the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 50 In the second seal portion 51b which is one end side in the (extension direction), the position is regulated by fitting the groove portion 55a of the ink supply port 55 and the storage case 60, and the second seal portion 51b which is the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 50 is used. As shown in FIG. 15, the one seal portion 51 a is gradually crushed by the upper surface 72 a and the lower surface 72 b of the pack storage portion 72 and enters the handle portion 71.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the side surface 72c of the pack storage portion 72 of the storage case 60 protrudes inward so that the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 in a state of being filled with ink is recessed. A convex portion 72d is formed. Accordingly, the ink pack 50 is stored in a state where the side surface 52 is folded along the fold line 53, and it is possible to suppress the folding (gusset) of the side surface 52a of the ink pack 50 from being completely expanded. When ink is sent out from the ink pack 50 and the ink pack 50 is crushed, the ink pack 50 is easily crushed along the fold line 53 of the side surface 52a. For this reason, when the ink pack 50 needs to be replaced, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 50 can be reduced.

  Further, there is no need to provide a pressing member that presses the ink pack 50 or a coil spring that biases the pressing member toward the ink pack 50 in order to reduce the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 50. An increase in the number of parts can be suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress that the replacement cost of the ink containers 21C-21K which are consumables increases.

  Further, by forming a convex portion 72d protruding inward on the side surface 72c of the pack storage portion 72, the convex portion 72d acts as a reinforcing rib of the side surface 72c, so that the side surface 72c of the pack storage portion 72 is a flat surface. Compared with the case where it forms by, the rigidity of the pack accommodating part 72 can be made high. Thereby, the ink pack 50 in the pack storage part 72 can be protected from external impact or vibration during transportation.

  Further, as described above, the height H72a of the inner side surface of the pack storage portion 72 is smaller than the height H52 when the side surface 52a of the ink pack 50 is expanded. Thereby, it is possible to further suppress the folding (gusset) of the side surface 52a of the ink pack 50 from spreading completely.

  Further, as described above, the height H72b of the inner space in the center portion of the pack storage portion 72 is larger than the height H72a of the inner side surface of the pack storage portion 72. Thereby, the volume of the pack storage part 72 can be ensured easily.

  Further, as described above, the convex portion 72d is formed on each of the pair of side surfaces 72c of the pack storage portion 72, and the distance L72d between the tip portions of the convex portion 72d is the lower surface (or the upper surface) of the ink storage portion 52. ) Is smaller than the length L52 in the direction of arrow A in a flat state. Thereby, in a state where the ink pack 50 is filled with ink, the convex portion 72d can be brought into contact with the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52, and the side surface 52a of the ink storage portion 52 can be easily recessed.

  Further, as described above, the convex portion 72d is formed in a cross-sectional mountain shape. Thereby, the side surface 52 a of the ink storage portion 52 can be easily bent along the fold line 53.

  Further, as described above, the convex portion 72 d is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the side surface 52 a of the ink storage portion 52. Accordingly, the entire longitudinal direction of the side surface 52 a of the ink storage portion 52 can be easily bent along the fold line 53.

  Further, as described above, the pack storage portion 72 is formed in a tapered shape so that the upper surface 72a and the lower surface 72b are separated from the end on the side opposite to the opening 80a toward the opening 80a. As a result, when the ink pack 50 is crushed when the ink is sent out from the ink pack 50, the ink pack 50 gradually expands in the longitudinal direction, but ink is supplied at one end side in the longitudinal direction (extension direction) of the ink pack 50. The position of the ink pack 50 is regulated by the fitting between the opening 55a and the opening 80a, and at the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 50 (the side away from the opening 80a), the upper surface 72a and the lower surface 72b of the pack storage portion 72 are used. 50 is gradually crushed. Thereby, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 50 can be further reduced.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  For example, in the above embodiment, an inkjet recording apparatus using four colors of ink of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black has been described in order to obtain a full color image. However, an inkjet recording apparatus including colored inks of different hues has been described. It can also be used for ink jet recording apparatuses having different colors.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink containers 21C to 21K mounted on the line head type inkjet inkjet printer 100 that performs recording by the recording head fixed to the recording apparatus main body have been described. However, the recording head scans the recording medium. However, the present invention can also be applied to a serial type ink jet printer that performs recording.

  Moreover, although the example which formed the convex part 72d in cross-sectional view mountain shape was shown in the said embodiment, you may form the convex part 72d in shapes other than mountain shapes, such as cross-sectional view arc shape.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the convex portion 72d is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the side surface 72c has been described. However, the convex portion 72d may be divided into a plurality of portions in the longitudinal direction of the side surface 72c. .

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the ink pack 50 is formed using four flexible films is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be formed using a single flexible film, such as the ink pack 50 of the modification of the present invention shown in FIG. In this case, both ends of one flexible film are bonded to form a cylinder, one end and the other end of the cylinder are heat-sealed, and the side surface 52a of the ink storage unit 52 is folded along a fold line 53. By this, the ink pack 50 which consists of a gusset bag can be formed easily. By forming the ink pack 50 from one flexible film, the amount of the flexible film used can be reduced compared to the case where the ink pack 50 is formed using four flexible films. Therefore, the cost of the ink pack 50 can be reduced. In the case of using the ink pack 50 formed from one flexible film, the ink pack 50 is used when the ink pack 50 is crushed, as in the case of using the ink pack 50 formed from four flexible films. Is flattened along the fold line 53 of the side surface 52a, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 50 can be reduced.

21C to 21K Ink container 50 Ink pack 52 Ink storage section 52a Side surface 53 Fold line 55 Ink supply port 60 Storage case 72 Pack storage section 72a Upper surface 72b Lower surface 72c Side surface 72d Convex section 80a Opening section 100 Inkjet printer (inkjet recording apparatus)
H52, H72a, H72b Height L52 Length L72d Distance

Claims (9)

An ink pack formed of a flexible film and having an ink storage portion for storing ink therein;
A storage case having a pack storage for storing the ink pack;
With
The ink pack is a gusset bag that is folded along a fold line extending in a longitudinal direction of a side surface of the ink storage portion,
On the side surface of the pack storage portion of the storage case, a convex portion projecting inward along the extending direction of the fold line so as to dent the side surface of the ink storage portion filled with ink. An ink container characterized by being formed.   The ink container according to claim 1, wherein a height of an inner side surface of the pack storage unit is smaller than a height when a side surface of the ink pack is expanded.   3. The ink container according to claim 2, wherein the height of the internal space at the center in the short direction of the pack storage is greater than the height of the inner surface of the pack storage. The convex portions are formed on each of a pair of side surfaces facing the short direction of the pack storage portion,
The ink container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a distance between leading ends of the convex portions is smaller than a length of the ink storage portion in the short direction.   The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is formed in a mountain shape when viewed in cross section.   The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is continuously formed so as to extend along a longitudinal direction of the ink storage portion. The ink pack has an ink supply port that is connected to the ink storage unit and sends out the ink inside.
The storage case is fixed to the ink supply port of the ink pack,
2. The pack storage portion is formed in a taper shape so that an upper surface and a lower surface are separated from an end portion opposite to the ink supply port toward the ink supply port side. The ink container according to any one of -6.   The ink pack is formed by sticking both ends of one flexible film into a cylinder, heat-sealing one end and the other end of the cylinder, and folding the side surface of the ink container along a fold line. The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the ink container is a gusset bag.   An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink container according to claim 1.

Images