JPH08323989A - Ink cartridge, ink-jet recording device equipped with more than one said ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the possibility of the leakage and evaporation of ink by a method in which an air communication part makes an internal opening and an external opening communicate with each other and is equipped with an air communication route which is installed on the side surface of a tank in the gravity direction and the cross section of which increases gradually toward the external opening in the neighboring area of the external opening. CONSTITUTION: An air communication part is composed of an internal opening 25 communicating with a negative pressure generation part 22 in an ink receiving part, an external opening 26 opened to the air outside an ink cartridge, and an air communication passage 27 which makes a communicating state between the internal and external opening 25, 26. The air communication passage 27 consists of an upper surface part area in which a groove 29 formed on the wall on the upper surface side of an ink cartridge 6 is formed by being covered by a seal 7 as a sealing wall member and a side surface part area in which the ink cartridge 6 is installed in a side wall which extends in the gravity direction when the cartridge 6 is set in an ink-jet recording device. Besides, a cross section change part 30 in which a cross section increases gradually toward the outside is installed over the whole side surface part to be an external opening neighboring side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for containing a liquid and an apparatus using the container, and more particularly to an ink cartridge used in the field of ink jet recording and an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the ink cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the ink jet recording field, ink is ejected from a recording head to record and print images and character information on a recording medium such as recording paper or cloth, which serves as an ink containing portion for containing these inks. Ink containers take various forms.

As an ink container of a general ink container, a bag-shaped flexible container is used to hold ink, a porous member is impregnated with ink, or a non-flexible ink container is used. For example, a configuration in which the ink is directly stored in the inside is included.

In the case of the above configuration, an atmosphere communicating portion is provided inside the ink container so as to communicate with the outside of the ink container, except when the ink container is constituted by the flexible ink container.

As a form of the conventional air communication portion, from the viewpoint of improving reliability against ink leakage and suppressing ink evaporation, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-144755 does not simply use a through hole for communicating the ink storage portion with the atmosphere. There is disclosed a configuration in which an ink communicating portion having a maze-shaped atmosphere communicating passage is provided in an ink container.

However, this publication focuses only on the miniaturization of the ink containing portion in the height direction, and in order to obtain the above-mentioned effect by the shape of these atmosphere communicating passages, a certain spatial width is obtained. Or area is required.

On the other hand, in recent years, due to the trend toward miniaturization of ink jet recording apparatus, colorization, and low running cost, an ink container serving as an ink container is
A replaceable cartridge type ink container (hereinafter referred to as an ink cartridge) is often used.

In a general form in which a plurality of flat ink cartridges are mounted on a carriage for scanning the recording means, it is possible to provide an atmosphere communicating portion not only in the height direction but also in the width direction. Since a small area is small, ink leakage is prevented by arranging the internal structure of the tank such as using a porous member for the ink containing portion, avoiding disposing a complicated atmosphere communication path.

From the viewpoint of running cost and recycling, the method of refilling the ink in the ink cartridge has been adopted. The ink refilling device and the like are not limited to genuine ones, and the present situation is that the user can freely select them.

[0010]

In the present invention, attention has been paid to the fact that no reasonable atmosphere communication portion has been proposed in a structure that is spatially limited, such as a flat and small ink cartridge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an atmosphere communication structure that improves reliability against both leakage and ink evaporation.

Furthermore, when refilling the ink, the characteristics of the ink to be filled are not constant depending on the user's selection, and even if the genuine ink is used, even if the atmosphere communication structure in which ink leakage does not occur is adopted, The present invention has also focused on the possibility that ink leakage may occur depending on the selection.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in addition to the above object, there is a low possibility that ink leakage or ink evaporation will occur even when non-genuine ink is injected into the ink cartridge.
The purpose is to provide a more reliable means for communicating with the atmosphere.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, an ink containing portion for containing ink,
In an ink cartridge having an atmosphere communicating section for introducing atmosphere into the ink containing section, the atmosphere communicating section includes an inner opening communicating with the inside of the ink cartridge, an outer opening open to the atmosphere, and the inner opening. An atmosphere communication passage having a portion provided on the side surface of the tank along the direction of gravity is provided in communication with the external opening, and the portion has a cross-sectional area gradually increasing toward the external opening in a region near the external opening. We propose a configuration that increases.

Further, in an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a plurality of ink cartridges having an ink containing section for containing ink and an atmosphere communicating section for introducing the atmosphere into the ink containing section, the atmosphere communicating section is an ink cartridge. An internal opening that communicates with the inside, an external opening that is open to the atmosphere, and an atmospheric communication path that connects the internal opening and the external opening and that has a portion provided on the side surface of the tank along the gravity direction, The part proposes a configuration in which a cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the external opening in a region near the external opening.

[0015]

By adopting the above-mentioned structure, it is possible to provide an atmosphere communication path that makes the best use of the shape of the ink cartridge, and even if ink enters the atmosphere communication path, a capillary force that moves toward the inner opening side is provided. Can be graded.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals denote the same functions.

First, FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an ink jet device IJRA according to the present invention as an example. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a recording head for ejecting ink, and 2 is a connector pad provided on the recording head 1 for receiving a print signal or the like from the apparatus side. The recording head 1 is detachably mounted on a carriage 3 for performing recording scanning. The head cover 4 provided on the carriage 3 is provided with a device-side connector pad 5 connected to the recording head-side connector pad 2 described above.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an ink cartridge having an ink containing portion, which supplies ink to the recording head. As will be described in detail later, the ink cartridge 6 is provided with a seal 7 as a wall member for forming an atmosphere communication passage.

The ink jet recording apparatus IJ shown in FIG.
RA is an apparatus capable of ejecting a plurality of inks for the purpose of color recording and the like, the recording head has an ejection portion for each color, and the ink cartridges 6 corresponding to the number are independent for each color. It is mounted on the carriage 3 in a shape. In this embodiment, four ink cartridges for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow are provided.

Reference numeral 8 is a lead screw for scanning the carriage 3 with respect to a recording medium 9 such as recording paper or a plastic thin plate, and 10 is a guide rail for guiding the scanning of the carriage 3. Here, the lead screw 8 is interlocked with the forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 13 via the gears 11 and 12, and further, the spiral groove 14 engraved on the lead screw 3 is provided on the carriage 3 (not shown). Therefore, the carriage 3 is scanned in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus by driving the drive motor 13. Then, the recording material 9 is conveyed by the platen roller 15.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment, the recording head 1 is provided adjacent to the conveyance area of the recording material 9.
The recovery means of the discharge part provided in the above is provided. The recovery means sucks and recovers the ejection portion via a cap member 17 for capping the ejection port portion (not shown) of the recording head and an internal opening (not shown) provided in the cap member 17. It comprises means 18. The driving force is transmitted from the drive motor 13 to the suction means by known transmission means such as a gear 19 and a switching clutch.

The movement of the cap member 17 such as vertical movement is performed by the driving force transmitted through the gear 20 and the like, and by bringing the cap member 17 into close contact with the portion provided with the ejection port, suction recovery of the ejection port, drying, etc. Can be reduced.

Further, the above-described suction recovery process not only recovers the clogging of the discharge port, but also changes the suction amount to discharge the ink from the ink cartridge to the discharge portion to remove fine dust and air bubbles. It is possible to remove not only from the filter section but also from the inside of the ink flow path. This ink flow path recovery process is performed periodically or when the user determines that it is necessary, and it is possible to maintain good print quality.

The capping and suction recovery processes described above are performed at the corresponding positions when the carriage 3 comes to the home position side area. Then, each of these processes is performed independently or in a combined manner in an arbitrary manner using a known timing and sequence.

The atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge described above will be described in detail below.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows an atmosphere communication structure of an ink cartridge as a first embodiment according to the present invention.

Here, FIG. 2 (a) is a schematic sectional view of the ink cartridge, and FIG. 2 (b) is a schematic sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2 (a). Then, FIG. 2C is the same as FIG.
FIG. 2A is a partially enlarged view of the state where the seal 7 is removed from above (in the direction of arrow B) in FIG. 2A, and FIG.
It is the elements on larger scale seen from the lower part (arrow C direction) in (a).

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 is an ink storage portion for directly storing ink, and 22 is a negative pressure generation portion for pressure adjustment provided to prevent ink leakage from the recording head portion. Here, the negative pressure is a back pressure with respect to the ink flow supplied to the recording head, and is for keeping the pressure in the recording head lower than the atmospheric pressure.

In this embodiment, the porous member 23 is arranged and a negative pressure is generated by using the capillary force when the ink is held. The negative pressure generating member is not limited to a porous member, but may be a member in which a gap for generating a capillary force is formed by fibers or the like.

The negative pressure generating portion 22 and the ink storing portion 21 described above form an ink containing portion. 24 is
It is an ink supply port for leading the ink from the ink containing portion to the outside, here to the recording head.

Further, the atmosphere communicating portion for introducing the outside air into the ink containing portion along with the ink supply is opened to the internal opening 25 communicating with the negative pressure generating portion 22 in the ink containing portion and the atmosphere outside the ink cartridge. The external opening 26, and the atmosphere communication passage 27 that brings the internal opening 25 and the external opening 26 into communication with each other.

The above-mentioned atmosphere communication passage is formed by the ink cartridge 6 and the upper surface area formed by covering the groove 29 provided in the upper wall of the ink cartridge 6 with the seal 7 as the sealing wall member. It is composed of a side surface area provided in a side wall extending in a direction along the direction of gravity when the inkjet recording apparatus IJRA is mounted. Here, in the above-mentioned sealing of the upper surface portion, the projection 16 is provided around the groove 29, and the projection and the sealing member are welded.

As a result, even in a flat small cartridge, the space can be effectively utilized and the atmosphere communication passage can be lengthened. The atmosphere introduced into the negative pressure generating section 22 by the atmosphere communicating section is introduced into the ink storing section 21 through the atmosphere introducing groove 28 as the ink is consumed.

In this embodiment, as shown in the side area upper end opening 30a of FIG. 2C and the side area lower end opening 30b of FIG. A cross-sectional area changing portion 30 whose cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the external opening 26 is provided over the entire side surface area.

In the cross-sectional area changing portion 30, since the gradient of the capillary force is generated due to the change in cross-sectional area due to the inclination of the wall forming the air communication passage, ink enters the air communication portion due to environmental changes, etc. Even if the ink reaches the vicinity of the external opening 26, a force acts so that the ink moves upward, that is, toward the upper surface region side.

Therefore, by securing the atmosphere communication passage over the walls of the upper surface region and the side surface region of the ink cartridge, the distance of the atmosphere communication passage can be increased so as to suppress the ink evaporation while effectively utilizing the space. For the residual ink in the atmosphere communication part of the side area where the ink easily moves,
Since the force acts in the direction opposite to the direction in which the ink leaks, it is possible to further suppress the ink leakage to the outside.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the vicinity of the external opening 26, the concave portion 31 having a width smaller than the width of the cross-sectional area changing portion 30 (the maximum width in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the atmosphere communication passage).
Are provided along the side wall of the ink cartridge (the thickness direction of the flat ink cartridge), which allows the ink to be dispersed even if it stays in the vicinity of the external opening and promotes ink evaporation. You can

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows an atmosphere communication structure of an ink cartridge as an example of FIG.

Here, FIG. 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the ink cartridge in which the side surface region of the atmosphere communicating portion is provided, and FIG. 3B is DD in FIG. 3A.
It is a schematic diagram of a cross section and FIG.3 (c) is a schematic diagram of the EE cross section in FIG.3 (a).

In the present embodiment, the atmosphere communicating portion is provided with the ink collecting portion 35 for temporarily storing the ink that has entered the atmosphere communicating portion due to a change in internal pressure or the like. The ink collecting unit 35 is arranged in the side wall of the ink cartridge where the atmosphere communication passage is provided so as to be adjacent to the atmosphere communication passage.

The upper opening 3 of the atmosphere communication passage in the side surface region
In order to make it difficult for the ink that has entered the 0a to reach, an inclined portion 36 is provided near the upper opening 30a of the atmosphere communication passage in the upper surface region so that the ink that has moved from the inner opening side can easily enter the ink collecting portion 35. There is.

This makes it possible to prevent the ink from reaching the external opening 26 and leaking to the outside without expanding the space occupied by the ink cartridge, even if the ink enters the atmosphere communicating portion. Further, even if the ink having a characteristic different from that of genuine ink is held in the ink containing portion due to, for example, refilling of the ink, it is possible to prevent the ink from leaking to the outside through the atmosphere communicating portion.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows an atmosphere communication structure of an ink cartridge as an example of FIG. Here, FIG. 4A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the atmosphere communication passage in the side surface region, and FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view seen from the rear (direction of arrow F) in FIG. 4A.
FIG. 4C is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view as seen from below (in the direction of arrow G) in FIG.

In this embodiment, in addition to the structure of the first embodiment described above, a porous ink absorber 40 is additionally arranged in the recess 31 provided near the external opening 26.

The ink absorber 40 is provided in the recess 31 at a position facing the end opening 30b of the atmosphere communication passage in the side surface region, and a gap 41 for introducing air to the wall forming the recess. It is of a size that produces

As a result, even if the ink reaches the external opening 26, it is trapped by the ink absorber 40, so that ink leakage can be prevented. At this time, the gap 41 forms a bypass atmosphere communication path in the vicinity of the external opening 26, so that it is possible to allow the inflow and outflow of the atmosphere and to reliably promote the evaporation of the ink in the ink absorber section 40.

Next, a modified example of the upper surface region of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge shown in the above-described embodiment will be described below.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows a modification of the upper surface region of the atmosphere communication structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Here, FIG. 5 (a) is a partial schematic cross-sectional view of the atmosphere communicating portion in the upper surface region, and FIG. 5 (b) is a schematic view of the H-H cross-section in FIG. 5 (a).

In the above-described embodiment, the groove 29 is provided on the wall forming the upper surface of the ink cartridge, but in the present embodiment, the rib (projection) 42 is provided without providing the groove, and this is provided by the seal member 7. By covering, the upper surface region of the atmosphere communication passage 27 is formed.

In this case, by reducing the height of the atmosphere communication passage, the ink droplets that have entered the atmosphere communication passage can more easily come into contact with the walls forming the atmosphere communication passage in the upper surface region, and the upper surface region It is possible to increase the flow path resistance with respect to the movement of the ink.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a modification of the upper surface region of the atmosphere communication structure as a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Here, FIG. 6A is a partial schematic cross-sectional view of the atmosphere communicating portion in the upper surface region, and FIG. 6B is a schematic view of the II cross section in FIG. 6A.

In the present embodiment, the flow passage resistance from the internal opening 25 to the upper end opening 30a of the atmosphere communication passage in the side surface area is changed in the atmosphere communication portion in the upper surface area, that is, locally by using the capillary force. It adopts a configuration that collects the ink that has entered the. In this case, the atmosphere moves between the protrusions.

In FIG. 6, a cross-shaped projection 43 is provided as a means for realizing local concentration of ink. Therefore, a capillary force is generated in the vicinity of the protrusion 43, and as a result, the flow path resistance changes in the upper surface region.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, plate-like protrusions 44 having different intervals are provided in place of the above-mentioned cross-shaped protrusions 43 to form paths having different flow path resistances due to the difference in intervals. However, it may be configured to enable both ink collection and air communication.

In FIG. 7, the plate-like projection 44 is extended to the vicinity of the internal opening 25 and the side surface atmosphere communication passage upper end opening 30a, so that the ink in the atmosphere communication portion can be easily introduced into the ink containing portion. I am trying.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 8 shows a modification of the upper surface region of the atmosphere communication structure according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Here, FIG. 8A is a partial schematic sectional view of the atmosphere communicating portion in the upper surface region, and FIG. 8B is a schematic view of the JJ section in FIG. 8A.

In this embodiment, an ink absorber 45 made of a porous member or the like is provided in the upper surface region of the atmosphere communicating portion,
The ink is trapped so that the ink that has entered the atmosphere communication path does not move to the external opening (not shown) side. Here, by disposing the ink absorber away from the wall forming the atmosphere communication path in the upper surface region, the portions 46 and 47 having a low flow resistance for introducing the atmosphere are formed to establish the communication between the ink and the atmosphere. It enables both.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 9 shows a modification of the upper surface region of the atmosphere communication structure as a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Here, FIG. 9A is a partial schematic sectional view of the atmosphere communicating portion in the upper surface region, and FIG. 9B is a schematic view of the KK section in FIG. 9A.

In this embodiment, a partition wall 49 for partitioning the ink collecting portion 48 having the structure as the ink trap as shown in the second embodiment into the ink storing portion 21 and the negative pressure generating portion 22.
The ink is provided inside and collects the ink moving to the external opening side as shown by an arrow L in the drawing. Since the space is effectively utilized by extending the partition wall 49, the ink that has entered can be held while the ink cartridge is kept small.

(Other Embodiments) As another embodiment, FIG. 10 shows a structure in which the above-mentioned first, fifth, and seventh embodiments are combined to prevent ink leakage in a composite manner. Here, FIG. 10A is a schematic sectional view of the ink cartridge,
FIG. 10B is a schematic view of the MM cross section in FIG. And FIG.10 (c) is an external view seen from back (arrow N direction) in FIG.10 (a).

In the configuration of FIG. 10, the atmosphere communication passage in the side surface region along the side wall of the ink cartridge is provided with the external opening 2.
The concave portion 31 is provided while the cross-sectional area is gradually increased toward 6.

An ink collecting portion 48 and a protrusion 49 are provided in the atmosphere communication passage in the upper surface area to change the flow path resistance of the portion from the internal opening 25 to the side surface area air communication passage 30a.
It is possible to collect ink and secure an air introduction / introduction path to promote ink evaporation and suppress ink from reaching the end opening 30a.

Further, by using the above-described structure in the upper surface region, even if ink reaches the end opening 30a, the amount of ink is very small. Therefore, the cross-sectional area changing portion 30 described above can surely prevent ink leakage. You can

In addition, as shown in FIG.
A may be provided so as to be separated from the ink cartridge contact surface of the carriage 3 in which the ink cartridge is mounted, that is, to be provided above the bottom surface of the ink cartridge. In this case, the side surface atmosphere communication passage is arranged by utilizing the space of the grip portion provided on the rear side of the ink cartridge (the side opposite to the ink supply port in FIG. 11). As a result, the length of the atmosphere communication passage can be secured while effectively utilizing the space occupied by the ink cartridge in the ink jet recording apparatus.

[0069]

As described above, by using the present invention in the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge, first,
By ensuring the atmosphere communication passage over the walls of the upper surface region and the side surface region of the ink cartridge, the distance of the atmosphere communication passage can be increased so as to effectively use the space and suppress the ink evaporation.

Further, since a force acts on the residual ink in the atmosphere communicating portion in the side surface area where the ink easily moves, a force acts in the direction opposite to the direction in which the ink leaks, so that the ink leakage to the outside can be further suppressed. .

Furthermore, even if non-genuine ink that easily causes ink leakage is injected into the ink cartridge, the possibility of ink leakage and ink evaporation can be reduced,
The reliability of the ink cartridge can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an atmosphere communication structure of an ink cartridge as a first embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an atmosphere communication structure of an ink cartridge as a second embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an atmosphere communication structure of an ink cartridge as a third embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a modified example of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 2 as a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another modification of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 2 as the fifth embodiment according to the present invention.

7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing another modification of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge as the sixth embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing another modified example of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge as the seventh embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an ink cartridge in which the examples according to the present invention are combined in combination.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the atmosphere communication structure of the ink cartridge according to the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 recording head 2 connector pad 3 carriage 4 head cover 5 connector pad 6 ink cartridge 7 seal member 8 lead screw 9 recording medium 10 guide rail 11 gear 12 gear 13 drive motor 14 spiral groove 15 platen roller 16 rib 17 cap member 18 suction means 21 Ink Storage Part 22 Negative Pressure Generating Part 23 Porous Member 24 Ink Supply Port 25 Internal Opening 26 External Opening 27 Atmospheric Communication Passage 28 Atmosphere Introducing Groove 29 Groove 30 Cross Section Change Section 30a Opening 30b Opening 31 Recess 35 35 Ink Collecting Section 40 Ink absorber 41 Gap 42 Rib 43 Protrusion 44 Plate-like protrusion 45 Ink absorber 48 Ink collection part 49 Partition wall

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An ink cartridge having an ink containing section for containing ink and an atmosphere communicating section for introducing atmosphere into the ink containing section, wherein the atmosphere communicating section has an internal opening communicating with the inside of the ink cartridge. An external opening that is open to the atmosphere, and an atmospheric communication path that connects the internal opening and the external opening and that has a portion provided on the side surface of the tank along the direction of gravity, wherein the portion is the external opening. An ink cartridge characterized in that a cross-sectional area gradually increases toward an external opening in a nearby region. 2. The ink cartridge upper surface between the region of the atmosphere communication passage and the internal opening is provided with a second region in which a flow path resistance changes. Ink cartridge. 3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the external opening is a recess extending in the width direction of the ink cartridge, and the portion communicates with the recess. 4. The external opening is provided in a side surface portion of the ink cartridge above a bottom surface of the ink cartridge in a gravity direction.
The ink cartridge described in. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a plurality of ink cartridges having an ink containing portion for containing ink and an atmosphere communicating portion for introducing atmosphere into the ink containing portion, wherein the atmosphere communicating portion is an ink cartridge. An internal opening that communicates with the inside, an external opening that is open to the atmosphere, and an atmospheric communication path that connects the internal opening and the external opening and that has a portion provided on the side surface of the tank along the gravity direction, The inkjet recording apparatus is characterized in that a cross-sectional area of the portion is gradually increased toward the external opening in a region near the external opening. 6. The second region in which the flow path resistance changes is provided on the upper surface of the ink cartridge between the region of the atmosphere communication passage and the internal opening. Inkjet recording device. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the external opening comprises a recess extending in the width direction of the ink cartridge, and the recess communicates with the portion. 8. The ink jet recording according to claim 5, further comprising a carriage on which the ink cartridge is mounted, and the external opening is spaced apart from the carriage with respect to a carriage contact surface of the ink cartridge. apparatus.