Abstract: A liquid container detachably mountable to a container holder, the container holder includes a container body for containing liquid and including a front side engaging portion and a rear side engaging portion for engagement with the container holder, the front side engaging portion and rear side engaging portion being disposed at a leading side and a trailing side, respectively with respect to an inserting direction of the container into the container holder; and a projection, provided on only one of lateral sides of the container body which extend parallel with the inserting direction, for being guided, when the container is mounted to the container holder, along an upper end of a guide wall provided in the container holder while the other lateral side is being limited by an inner surface of the container holder, and the container is being rotated substantially about the front side engaging portion.

Abstract: The present invention reduces a variation in brightness among light emitting portions provided in a plurality of liquid containers to decrease power required to drive the light emitting portions, while allowing the light emitting portions to appropriately function as reporting means. Thus, to illuminate the light emitting portions provided in the plurality of ink tanks, a driving pulse for each of the plurality of light emitting portions is modulated to control rates of a light emission period and a light emission halted period during a unit time. Further, the light emission period of at least one of the plurality of light emitting portions is in the light emission halted period of another at least one of the plurality of light emitting portions.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage, ink containers mounted in the carriage and including respective light emitters, a driving unit for moving the ink tanks, a light receiver receiving light from the light emitters, a light control unit controlling lighting the light emitter of a predetermined ink container, and a determining unit for determining whether the predetermined ink container is mounted at a correct position, based on the light emitted from the light emitter of the predetermined ink container at positions. When the driving unit does not move the carriage to a position where at least one of the ink containers is facing the light receiver, the determining unit determines whether the at least one of the ink containers is mounted at the correct position, based on the light received from the light emitters at a position adjacent to the facing position.

Abstract: A recording apparatus and method for detecting the position of an ink container in the recording apparatus, whereby when an ink tank is correctly mounted within the recording apparatus, detection of the position of the ink container is performed in a timely manner, and whereby when in container is incorrectly mounted, the incorrect position as well as the color of the incorrectly mounted ink container are identified using light emitting portions of the ink containers.

Abstract: A recording apparatus and method for identifying positions of ink tanks within the recording apparatus whereby when an ink tank is correctly mounted within the recording apparatus, detection of the position of the ink tank is performed in a timely manner, and whereby when an ink tank is incorrectly mounted, the incorrect position as well as the color of the incorrectly mounted ink tank are identified using light emitting portions of the ink tanks.

Abstract: A recording apparatus and method for detecting the mounting position of an ink tank within the recording apparatus, whereby it is determined whether the ink tank is mounted in the correct position. In addition, it is also determined whether there an abnormality exists with a light receiving portion of the recording apparatus, where the light receiving portion is used in determining whether an ink tank is mounted in the correct position.

Abstract: An ink tank capable of a stable ink supply to a print head uses a simple valve construction. In one preferred example, an ink path is closed by a lip portion of a valve rubber engaging a flange, and an angle formed by an inner surface of an opening in the lip portion and an engagement surface of the flange is an acute angle.

Abstract: An ink tank is provided which can apply an optimum negative pressure stably by a valve of a simple structure. To this end, the ink tank of this invention has a valve and a damper section installed in an ink flow path. The valve deforms when the negative pressure in the ink supply port is greater than a predetermined level, to temporarily open the ink flow path to introduce ink from the ink accommodation portion to the ink supply port. The damper section is installed between and communicates to the ink supply port and the valve in the ink flow path. The damper section is formed of a resilient member more easily deformed than the valve and applies a negative pressure to the interior of the ink supply port by an elastic recovery force of the resilient member.

Abstract: An ink tank capable of a stable ink supply to a print head uses a simple valve construction. In one preferred example, an ink path is closed by a lip portion of a valve rubber engaging a flange, and an angle formed by an inner surface of an opening in the lip portion and an engagement surface of the flange is an acute angle.

Abstract: A liquid container that can present various information using illumination of a light-emitting unit includes an IC package having a storage element and the light-emitting unit. The storage element stores information used for controlling the amount of light emitted from an LED included in the light-emitting unit, so that variation in brightness of the light-emitting unit can be reduced and the information can be adequately presented.

Abstract: A liquid storing container having a liquid storing chamber for storing liquid, the liquid container includes a plurality of light-transmissive prisms for forming interfaces with the liquid or gas in the liquid storing chamber; wherein each of the prisms includes at least one surface contactable to the liquid in the liquid storing chamber, wherein each of the prisms includes a surface integral with a surface constituting a part of the liquid storing chamber, and wherein the prisms are substantially diagonally disposed in the liquid storing chamber.

Abstract: A liquid container includes an outer wall constituting a casing, an inner wall constituting an inner bladder for accommodating liquid, with the inner bladder having an outer shape substantially equivalent to an inner shape of the outer wall, and the inner bladder having a flexibility and being separable from the casing, and a pinch-off portion where portions of the inner wall are welded to each other and are pinched by the outer wall to be supported by the outer wall. The inner wall includes a thicker portion having a larger thickness than another portion of the inner wall at both sides of the welded portion, and a cavity is provided between an outer surface of the thicker portion of the inner wall and an inner surface of a corresponding portion of the outer wall.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a card edge contact having a plurality of electrical contacts for transmission of a driving signal; a recording element substrate having a recording element for generating energy contributable to eject liquid onto a recording material in response to the driving signal; and an electrical flexible cable for electrical connection between the card edge contact and the recording element substrate.

Abstract: A liquid container for accommodating liquid for use with an ink jet recording apparatus includes a light emitting portion; an electric contact for receiving a signal for actuating said light emitting portion from the ink jet recording apparatus; and a light guide portion for guiding the light from said light emitting portion to a display portion which displays information by the light which is emitted from said light emitting portion and which emerges from said display portion.

Abstract: A structure for informing a state of the ink tank by a light emitting section such as LED, capable of displaying such information at a position easily visible by the user and favorably sending the emitted light both to the user and a light receiver section on the printer side without needing electric wiring which may disturb the user's visibility or manipulation. The light emitting section is separated from the display section and a light guiding section is provided between the both. A member for suitably limiting the emission of light is provided in the display section. Thereby, it is possible to dispose the display section at the best position without needing the electric wiring on the ink tank and obtain a preferable light volume suitable both for the improvement in user's visibility and the stability of the operation of the light receiving section.

Abstract: A liquid container containing ink, which is detachably mountable to a carriage, the improvement residing in the provision of an optical medium to which information is writable using visible light and from which the information is readable.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a card edge contact having a plurality of electrical contacts for transmission of a driving signal; a recording element substrate having a recording element for generating energy contributable to eject liquid onto a recording material in response to the driving signal; and an electrical flexible cable for electrical connection between the card edge contact and the recording element substrate.

Abstract: An ink tank comprises an ink containing portion for containing ink, an ink lead-out portion for leading out ink in said ink containing portion to the outside, and an electrode inlet portion for inletting an electrode into said ink containing portion, said electrode inlet portion being different from said ink lead-out portion, wherein said ink lead-out portion and said electrode inlet portion are connected through a conductive member.

Abstract: A recording head cartridge in which ink tanks include a removal preventing pawl which is provided at a rear surface of an ink container and engages with a tank holder, and a latch lever which is provided at a front surface of the ink container and which has a latch pawl engaging with the tank holder. The height of a rear wall and a side surface of the tank holder are set to be lower than corresponding heights of the ink tank. During removal, the container abuts the upper end of the peripheral wall of the tank holder an dis rotated about this upper end so that a part of the side surface of the container is protruded externally of the holder. Accordingly, a space required to remove the container form the tank holder is placed external of the peripheral wall of the tank holder. Thus, removal space ordinarily wasted by a conventional tank holder can be eliminated.

Abstract: A liquid container containing ink, which is detachably mountable to a carriage, the improvement residing in the provision of an optical medium to which information is writable using visible light and from which the information is readable.