Liquid container and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus including a liquid container, the liquid container comprising:

• a container main unit to store liquid to be supplied to a recording head for ejecting droplets of the liquid;
• an air release passage that communicates with an interior of the container main unit to release the interior of the container main unit to outside air;
• and
• an air release mechanism connected to the air release passage to open and close the air release passage,
• the air release mechanism including:
• a hollow cylindrical member connected to the air release passage;
• a valve seat disposed within the cylindrical member;
• a valve body movably disposed within the cylindrical member to come into contact with and separate from the valve seat;
• a movable member movably disposed at a side more proximal to outside air than the valve body within the cylindrical member to move the valve body, the movable member having an outer circumferential surface slidable over an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical member and forming a first communication channel to communicate with outside air;
• an elastic cover member mounted to the cylindrical member to cover the movable member;
• and
• a second communication channel having a filter structure to remove foreign substances, the second communication channel being formed within the cylindrical member and connected to a space between the cylindrical member and the cover member to communicate the first communication channel with outside air via the space and the second communication channel.