Ink container for ink jet printer, holder for the container, carriage for the holder, and ink jet printer

An ink container for use in an ink jet recording apparatus of the type having a carriage-and-holder assembly to which the ink container is removably mountable, the carriage-and-holder assembly including a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium in response to a recording signal, an ink receiving tube provided in such a portion of the carriage-and-holder assembly as takes a bottom position in use for supplying ink to the recording head, and a latch claw engagement opening provided in an internal surface of an upstanding portion of the carriage-and-holder assembly that takes a side position in use, the ink container comprising:

• a container body having a top, a bottom, and a plurality of sides, the top, the bottom, and the plurality of sides being defined by orientation when the ink container is mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly;
• a supply of liquid ink contained within the container body;
• an air vent, provided in the container body, for allowing air to flow into and out of the container body;
• an ink supply port, provided in the bottom of the container body, for supplying the liquid ink in the container body to the ink receiving tube of the carriage-and-holder assembly when the ink container is mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly;
• and
• a latch lever, elastically supported on one of the plurality of sides of the container body, the latch lever having a fixed end, a latch claw constructed for releasable engagement with the latch claw engagement opening of the carriage-and-holder assembly when the ink container is mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly, and a free end,
• wherein the fixed end is connected to the one of the plurality of sides of the container body on which the latch lever is supported at a position closer to the bottom of the container body than to the top of the container body,
• wherein the latch claw is disposed between the fixed end and the free end and faces away from the one of the plurality of sides of the container body on which the latch lever is supported,
• wherein the free end is constructed to be manipulable such that a distance between the latch claw and the one of the plurality of sides of the container body on which the latch lever is supported can be elastically varied when mounting the ink container to and removing the ink container from the carriage-and-holder assembly, and
• wherein the latch lever further has an inclined or curved portion extending outwardly and upwardly from the fixed end to at least the latch claw, and the inclined or curved portion includes a contactable portion constructed to slide upwardly along the internal surface of the upstanding portion of the carriage-and-holder assembly in which the latch claw engagement opening is provided due to an elastic restoring force of the latch lever during removal of the ink container from the carriage-and-holder assembly.

A combination comprising an ink container and a carriage-and-holder assembly for use in an ink jet recording apparatus,

• (a) wherein the carriage-and-holder assembly comprises:
• a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium in response to a recording signal,
• an ink receiving tube, provided in such a portion of the carriage-and-holder assembly as takes a bottom position in use, for supplying ink to the recording head, and
• an assembly body, including a latch claw engagement opening provided in an internal surface of an upstanding portion of the assembly body that takes a side position in use;
• and
• (b) wherein the ink container is removably mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly, and comprises:
• a container body having a top, a bottom, and a plurality of sides, the top, the bottom, and the plurality of sides being defined by orientation when the ink container is mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly,
• a supply of liquid ink contained within the container body,
• an air vent, provided in the container body, for allowing air to flow into and out of the container body,
• an ink supply port, provided in the bottom of the container body, for supplying the liquid ink in the container body to the ink receiving tube of the carriage-and-holder assembly when the ink container is mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly, and
• a latch lever, elastically supported on one of the plurality of sides of the container body, the latch lever having a fixed end, a latch claw releasably engaged with the latch claw engagement opening of the carriage-and-holder assembly when the ink container is mounted to the carriage-and-holder assembly, and a free end,
• wherein the fixed end is connected to the one of the plurality of sides of the container body on which the latch lever is supported at a position closer to the bottom of the container body than to the top of the container body,
• wherein the latch claw is disposed between the fixed end and the free end and faces away from the one of the plurality of sides of the container body on which the latch lever is supported,
• wherein the free end is constructed to be manipulable such that a distance between the latch claw and the one of the plurality of sides of the container body on which the latch lever is supported can be elastically varied when mounting the ink container to and removing the ink container from the carriage-and-holder assembly, and
• wherein the latch lever further has an inclined or curved portion extending outwardly and upwardly from the fixed end to at least the latch claw, and the inclined or curved portion includes a contactable portion constructed to slide upwardly along the internal surface of the upstanding portion of the assembly body in which the latch claw engagement opening is provided due to an elastic restoring force of the latch lever during removal of the ink container from the carriage-and-holder assembly.