Patent ID: 7748834
Filing Date: 2010-07-06
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An ink cartridge comprising: a flexible ink bag which has ink sealed in advance in an inside thereof and is changed in thickness according to an amount of the ink; a casing accommodating the ink bag; a plate, which is fixed to a surface of the ink bag and is capable of moving together with the ink bag, and has a pin protruding toward a side surface of the casing; a reflecting plate, which is provided in a position inwardly spaced a predetermined distance apart from the side surface of the casing, for reflecting detection light entered from an outside of the casing; a lever portion, which is formed to extend in one direction from a base end side toward a tip side, the base end side being rotatably attached to the side surface so that the lever portion slides on the side surface of the casing, and which has on a side of the side surface a nonreflecting plate for preventing reflection of the detection light; and a guide groove having a long hole shape, which is formed from the tip side toward the base end side of the lever portion in a size allowing insertion of a tip of the pin, and by which the pin is guided when the plate moves, the ink cartridge being characterized in that the lever portion rotates when the plate moves due to the insertion of the pin into the guide groove, and causes, when the ink is used up, the nonreflecting plate to be positioned between the side surface of the casing and the reflecting plate so that the reflection of the detection light is prevented.