Ink-supplied printer head and ink container

An ink-jet type recording apparatus for outputting ink onto a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head for ejecting ink;
• and
• a multi-color ink tank cartridge removably mountable onto said recording head of said ink-jet type recording apparatus for delivery of ink thereto, said ink tank cartridge, including:
• a plurality of first chambers;
• a plurality of second chambers, each second chamber being adjacent to and associated with a first chamber;
• a plurality of partition walls disposed in said cartridge, each said partition being formed with a communicating hole formed therein disposed between said associated chambers, each said communicating hole being positioned in the vicinity of the bottom of said partition wall, each communicating hole essentially defining a plane;
• a plurality of ink supply ports, each extending from a bottom wall of a respective one of said plurality of second chambers into a respective one of said second chambers i a direction essentially parallel to said plane defined by said respective communicating hole, said plurality of ink supply ports supplying ink to the exterior of said cartridge, all of said first chambers being formed as an integral unit;
• a respective porous member disposed in each of said second chambers positioned to deliver ink to an associated ink supply port;
• an air vent port communicating between each said second chamber and the exterior of said cartridge at a location spaced from said ink supply port and communicating hole;
• and
• at least two projections extending from a top wall of each of said second chambers into the respective second chambers and forming an air pocket formed between the associated air vent port and porous member, a first of said projections being of a first height, positioned opposite and facing the associated air supply port, and compressing said porous member against said ink supply port, a second of said projections being of a length less than said first length, positioned between said first projection and the associated partition wall not facing the associated ink supply port, and engaging said porous member.

A method for providing ink to an ink-jet type recording head, comprising the steps of:

• providing an ink tank cartridge having a plurality of first chambers adapted to store ink and a plurality of second chambers adapted to receive a respective porous member impregnated with ink;
• separating each of said first and second chambers from each other by use of a partition wall;
• communicating ink between said associated first and second chambers through a communicating hole adjacent the bottom of said partition, said communicating hole essentially defining a plane;
• withdrawing ink from each porous member in each second chamber through an ink supply port extending from a bottom wall of each second chamber into a respective one of said second chambers in a direction essentially parallel to said plane defined by said respective communicating hole;
• and
• providing ambient air to each second chamber through an air vent communicating between each said second chamber and the exterior of said cartridge at a location in a top wall of said second chamber;
• and
• forming an air pocket between each said air vent and said porous member by engaging each porous member by at least two projections compressing said porous member in the region of the associated ink supply port by a first of said projections which faces said associated ink supply port, providing a second of said projections between said first projection and the associated partition wall of a length less than that of said first projection, so that said porous member is compressed in the region of the associated ink supply port to an extent greater than in the region of the associated communicating hole.