Patent ID: 6170945
Filing Date: 2001-01-09
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink jet recording apparatus usable with a plurality of ink jet cartridges, each having an ink ejection outlet, said apparatus comprising:a scanningly movable carriage to which one of said plurality of ink jet cartridges being used for a current recording operation is detachably mountable;an ink jet cartridge accommodating portion, separate from said movable carriage, for accommodating one of said plurality of ink jet cartridges not being used for the current recording operation; anda plurality of caps, in said accommodating portion, for capping the ejection outlet of the one of said plurality of ink jet cartridges not used for the current recording operation,wherein said accommodating portion has an opening shaped to commonly receive any one of said plurality of ink jet cartridges when not being used for the current recording operation, and the opening is shaped such that one of the plurality of ink jet cartridges is commonly receivable in the opening in only a first orientation and another one of the plurality of ink jet cartridges is commonly receivable in the opening in only a second orientation, and such that, when received, the ejection outlet of each one of said plurality of ink jet cartridges is aligned with a predetermined one of said plurality of caps.