Patent ID: 9375938
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: B41J

Claim Text:
1. An ink cartridge comprising: a housing in which an ink storage chamber for storing ink is formed; and a communication unit configured to allow the ink storage chamber to communicate with a space outside the housing, wherein the communication unit includes a communication port formed on an outside surface of the housing, a merging channel having an end which communicates with the communication port, and a branch channel having an end which communicates with the merging channel and the other end which communicates with the ink storage chamber, wherein the branch channel includes at least one first branch channel communicating with a lower layer area in the ink storage chamber and at least one second branch channel communicating with an upper layer area located higher than the lower layer area in a gravity direction, wherein while ink is supplied to flow from the ink storage chamber to the outside, the ink flowing from the first branch channel and the second branch channel merges into the merging channel, and wherein in a case where an ink flow rate in the first branch channel is represented by Q