Abstract:
An ink supply structure for supplying ink flowing out from an ink cartridge including an ink supply port via an ink transporting tube to a recording portion, including: an ink cartridge base having; a cartridge connecting portion which makes the ink flowing out from the ink cartridge, when the cartridge connecting portion connects to the ink supply port upon loading of the ink cartridge on the ink cartridge base; an ink flow path which connects to the cartridge connecting portion; and a tube connecting portion connected to the ink transporting tube, wherein the ink cartridge base is configured by a base main body and a supplemental member fitted in the base main body, and wherein the ink flow path is formed on joint faces between the base main body and the supplemental member.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   1. Field 
   Aspects of the present invention relate to a multi-function device, printer and an ink supply structure for use in the multi-function device and the printer to supply ink from an ink cartridge to a recoding portion. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Conventionally, known ink cartridges are separately disposed from ink jet heads. If the ink cartridge is disposed on an ink jet head, the ink printer may be required to be taller than desired to accommodate the ink cartridge. In an example of an ink-jet printer, an ink cartridge holder is disposed on a front-left side portion of the printer main body. The ink cartridge holder is opened forwardly from the opening to house the ink cartridge. Further, a rod-like ink outlet port connectable to an ink cartridge is disposed at a back-face wall of the ink cartridge holder. A tube path connecting the inkjet head and the ink outlet port is disposed on a back side of the back-face wall. 
   A space exclusively used for the tube path is necessary for the above-configuration. This prevents the printer&#39;s size from being reduced. 
   SUMMARY 
   According to at least one aspect of the invention, a multi-function device, printer and an ink supply structure may be provided that permits the printer to be downsized. Alternatively, the height of a printer may be reduced. 
   According to one aspect of the invention, an ink supply structure is provided for supplying ink flowing out from an ink cartridge including an ink supply port via an ink transporting tube to a recording portion, including: an ink cartridge base having; a cartridge connecting portion which makes the ink flow out from the ink cartridge, when the cartridge connecting portion connects to the ink supply port upon loading of the ink cartridge on the ink cartridge base; a tube connecting portion for connection to an ink transporting tube; and an ink flow path which connects the tube connecting portion to cartridge connecting portion, wherein the ink cartridge base is configured by a base main body having a mating face and a supplemental member having a mating face fitted to the mating face of the base main body, and wherein the ink flow path is formed between the mating faces of the base main body and the supplemental member. 
   By this configuration, the ink flowing out from the ink cartridge is transporting to an ink transporting tube via a cartridge connecting portion, an ink flow path and a tube connecting portion. Thus, the ink flow path is disposed between the cartridge connecting portion and the ink transporting tube, so that an extracting direction of the ink transporting tube can be arbitrarily set. The ink transporting tube can be arranged from a portion except for a back face of the cartridge base, so that the size is minimized. Because the ink flow path can be formed only by fitting mating faces of the base main body and the supplemental member, its structure can be simplified. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the cartridge connecting portion is formed in a tubular shape to be inserted into the ink supply port. The cartridge connecting portion may be integrally formed with the base main body. 
   By this configuration, the base main body is integrally formed with the cartridge connection portion or the tube connecting portion. Thus, the number of parts can be decreased when compared with a case that provides separate parts. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the tube connecting portion is formed in a tubular shape so that the ink transporting tube is externally fitted thereto. The tube connecting portion is integrally formed with the base main body. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the ink transporting tube is externally fitted to the tube connecting portion. The tube connecting portion is formed in a tubular shape to protrude along with a loading direction of the ink cartridge. The tube connecting portion is integrally formed with the base main body. 
   By this configuration, the base main body is integrally formed with the cartridge connection portion or the tube connecting portion. Thus, the number of parts can be decreased when compared with a case with separate parts. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the supplemental member is fitted to a face of the base main body opposite to the ink cartridge. 
   By this configuration, usability can be improved, since interference does not occur when the supplemental member is loaded to the base main body. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, an ink groove, which configures the ink flow path, is formed in a face of the base main body opposed to the supplemental member. The ink groove may be covered by the supplemental member. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the supplemental member is a plastic sheet which is attached to the base main body to cover the ink groove. 
   By this configuration, space is not consumed since the supplemental member is configured by the sheet. Further, the productivity is improved since the ink flow path is configured by a groove which is covered by the sheet. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, a welding rib extending along the ink groove is provided at an edge of the ink groove. The sheet is heat-welded to the welding rib. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, a cross section of the welding rib before welding is gradually tapered from a base end of the welding rib toward a tip end of the welding rib. 
   By this configuration, the ink groove is attached to the sheet by heat-welding, so that other special parts for attachment are not necessary. Further, the rib may be easily welded, since the welding rib is formed in tapered shape. Because of this shape, the bonding reliability can be enhanced. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the base main body is provided with a side wall which surrounds a side of the ink cartridge when the base main body is loaded with the ink cartridge. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the ink cartridge is elastically retained by an elastic locking arm which is provided on the base main body when the base main body is loaded with the ink cartridge. 
   By this configuration, a side wall can protect the ink cartridge. Further, when the base main body is loaded with ink cartridge, the locking arm is retained at the ink cartridge, so that the ink cartridge can be stably held. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, an air inlet hole for permitting air to flow into the ink cartridge in accordance with ink flow is provided with the ink cartridge. The air inlet hole is closed by a valve body when the ink cartridge is unloaded. The air connecting portion is provided on the main base body and is connected to the air inlet hole by the valve body opened upon loading of the ink cartridge. An air flow path is formed between the joint faces of the base main body and the supplemental member. One end of the air flow path is connected to the air connecting portion, and wherein the other end of the air flow path is formed into an opening open to the atmosphere. 
   A long path is necessary for supplying the air into the ink cartridge. However, by this configuration, the air flow path for introducing the air into the ink cartridge can be formed by the base main body and the supplemental member. Thus, when compared with a case that the air flow path is configured by separate parts, the number of parts can be decreased, thus possibly requiring less space. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, an air groove which configures the air flow path is formed on face of the base main body opposed to the supplemental member. The air groove is covered by the supplemental member. 
   By this configuration, the air flow path is configured such that the air groove is covered by the supplemental member, thus the construction can be simplified. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the air flow path is bent in a meandering form. 
   By this configuration, the ink accommodated in the ink cartridge can slowly dry itself by bending the air flow path in a meandering form. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, an ink pooling portion is provided in the middle of the air flow path to accumulate the ink which backwardly flows toward the air flow path via the air inlet hole. 
   By this configuration, even if the ink back-flows toward the air flow path via the air inlet hole, the back-flowing ink can be held in the ink pooling portion. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, a plate-shaped porous ink-absorbing member is held along a side face of the ink cartridge base. The opening of the air flow path opens to contact with the ink absorbing member. 
   By this configuration, even though the back-flowing ink exudes from the opening via the air inlet hole and the air flow path, the exuded ink is absorbed by the ink-absorbing member. Further, the ink absorbing member is retained along a side face of the ink cartridge base, so that the attachment of the ink absorbing member can be easily performed. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, a supporting protrusion member operable to support the ink absorbing member in unfixed-state from the opening is provided at a peripheral edge portion of the opening in the cartridge base while the supporting protrusion member protrudes toward the ink absorbing member side. 
   By this configuration, the air flow is not interfered, since the ink-absorbing member does not close the opening. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the ink absorbing member is disposed at an ink cartridge loading side in the base main body. A holding plate is provided between the ink absorbing member and the ink cartridge. 
   By this configuration, the holding plate is provided between the ink-absorbing member and the ink cartridge so that the ink absorbed by the ink-absorbing member is not adhered to the ink cartridge. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a multi-function device applied to an illustrative embodiment; 
       FIG. 2  is a front view showing a state where a scanner device is opened; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view taken from the rear side of a printer device; 
       FIG. 4  is a vertically cross-sectional view of the multi-function device; 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are diagram showing the arrangement of respective boards; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a recording mechanism according to the illustrative embodiment; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge loaded in a holder; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view showing a state before the ink cartridge is loaded in the holder; 
       FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view showing a state that the ink cartridge is loaded in the holder; 
       FIG. 10  is a front view of the holder; 
       FIG. 11  is a plan view of the holder; 
       FIG. 12  is a side view of the holder; 
       FIG. 13  is a back view of the holder; 
       FIGS. 14A and 14B  are cross sectional views showing a process of heat-welding; 
       FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a foam; 
       FIG. 16  is a plan view showing a state that the foam is attached to the holder; 
       FIG. 17  is a plan view showing a holding plate attached to the holder; 
       FIG. 18  is a cross sectional view showing the holding plate attached to the holder; and 
       FIG. 19  is a view showing a supporting structure of the printing head and an ink supply path. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Hereinafter, one illustrative embodiment of the invention will be described referring to  FIGS. 1-19 . 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a multi-function device applied to this embodiment. The multi-function device  10  may include a communication function in addition to a facsimile function, and further may include a scanner function and a printer function when connected to a personal computer or the like. In the following description, the near side of  FIG. 1  is set as a front side, and the right-and-left direction is defined on the basis of the orientation of  FIG. 1 . 
   The multi-function device  10  has a flat bed type scanner device  130  disposed at the upper side of a case body  121  in which various devices included in a printer are accommodated. Operating keys and a touch panel are provided at the front side of the scanner device  130 , and also an operation panel  140  for carrying out an input operation of a telephone number, etc. is disposed. 
   The scanner device  130  is connected to the case body  121  through a hinge  124  which is provided at the side edge of the upper surface of the case body  121  (the left side edge of  FIG. 2 ), and it is designed so as to be opened sideways around the hinge  124  as shown in  FIG. 2  from the state that it is stacked on the upper portion of the case body  121  as shown in  FIG. 1 . A holding member (not shown) is provided to the case body  121 . The holding member is engagedly fitted to the bottom surface of the scanner device  130  so as to keep the scanner device  130  to a sideways-opened state. 
   A receiver body (hereinafter referred to as “master phone”) D is provided at the outer surface side of a side wall (left side in  FIG. 2 ) of the case body  121  to enable telephone call. By disposing the master phone D at the left side of the case body  121  as described above, for example when a jammed recording sheet is removed or an ink cartridge is exchanged, it is possible for a user to carry out the removing or exchanging work with his/her right hand while holding the master phone D by his/her left hand. This way, the user may receive an instruction on the removing or exchanging method over the telephone. In this embodiment, the master phone D is mounted at the highest possible position under the condition that it does not interfere with the scanner device  130  when the scanner device  130  is set to the sideways-opened state. That is, a gap is kept between the master phone D and the scanner device  130  even in consideration of dispersion of products, etc. The master phone D is disposed at the highest possible position of the upper side of the base body  121  in consideration of usability when the master phone D is used. 
   A communication unit  181  is mounted in a vertical position at the right side edge portion of the rear portion of the case body  121  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The communication unit  181  has a casing  182  formed of synthetic resin, and the communication board  183  is accommodated in the casing  182 . This communication board  183  is used to wirelessly connect the communication unit  181  to another transceiver (hereinafter referred to as a slave phone), and has an antenna  183 A for transmission/reception. 
   As described above, the multi-function device  10  is provided with the directly connected master phone D and the cordless slave phone. Both the receivers (master phone, slave phone) are selectively usable in accordance with an application. Furthermore, the communications can be carried out between both the receivers. As described in detail later, a main board  161  for electrically controlling the driving of each device is provided at a corner portion  121 A out of the corner portions of the case body  121 , the corner portion  121 A being located at the opposite corner to a corner portion  121 B at which the communication board  183  is disposed. As described above, the main board  161  and the communication board  183  are disposed so as to be away from each other so that noise is prevented from being applied to the main board  161 . 
   Next, the print device  120  will be described. 
   The printer device  120  of this embodiment is an ink jet type. The printing device generally includes a recording unit  21  for recording an image on a recording sheet, a supply unit  31  for supplying a recording sheet to the recording unit  121  and a main board  161 . 
   First, the supply unit  131  will be described. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a tray accommodating unit  122  penetrating in the front-and-rear direction is provided at the center lower portion of the case body. A supply tray  132  is engagedly fitted in the tray accommodating unit  122  so as to be detachable from the front side. The supply tray  132  is formed of synthetic resin and designed like a plate. An arch-shaped guide piece  133  is provided from both the right and left edge portions so as to cover the upper side of the recording sheet set on the tray. The guide piece  133  has a function of positioning the recording sheet in the right-and-left direction and a function as a discharge tray (described later). 
   Under the mount state, the supply tray  132  is wholly accommodated in the tray accommodating unit  122 , and the tip position of the supply tray  132  is substantially coincident with the front end position of the tray accommodating unit  122 . Furthermore, under this state, a gap is provided between the upper surface portion of the guide piece  133  and the ceiling wall  122 A of the tray accommodating unit  122  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , an arcuate plate  35  for U-turn is mounted at the innermost surface side of the tray accommodating unit  122 . A supply roller  137  is pivotably mounted on an engine frame  145  through an arm  136  so as to droop down. The supply roller  137  is connected to a motor serving as a driving motor through a link shaft (not shown), and abuts against the upper surface of the recording sheet mounted on the supply tray  132 . 
   Therefore, when the supply roller  137  is driven through the motor, recording sheets on the supply tray  132  are fed out from the front side of the printer device  120  to the inner back side (R direction of  FIG. 4 ) one by one. Each recording sheet thus fed out is reversed from the lower side to the upper side through the U-turn plate by 180 degrees. Thereafter, the recording sheet thus reversed is fed out to the front side, that is, to the recording unit  121  by a resist roller  38 A and a driven roller  38 B rotated in connection with the rotation of the resist roller  38 , the resist roller  38 A and the driven roller  38 B being disposed at the front side of the U-turn plate  35 . 
   The recording unit  21  mainly includes a carriage  142  having a recording head  142 A, a platen  144 , a timing belt  49  connected to the motor and the engine frame  145  for supporting the above elements. The engine frame  145  is disposed at the rear side of the case body  121  and at the upper side of the supply tray  132 . The engine frame  145  is formed of metal, and it includes a box-shaped main body portion  145 A and a pair of guide plates  146 ,  147  which are mounted on the upper side of the main body portion  145 A so as t extend in the right-and-left direction of the case body  121 . The arm  136  of the supply roller  137  is freely rotatably secured to the main body portion  145 A through a shaft, and the platen  144  and waste liquid foam  144 A are secured to the main body portion  145 A. 
   The guide plates  146 ,  147  are formed of metal and aligned with each other in the front-and-rear direction. The carriage  142  is mounted so as to straddle over both the guide plates  146 ,  147  in the front-and-rear direction. Under this mount state, respective sliding projections (not shown) formed on the carriage  142  abut against the rear portion of the guide plate  146  at the front side and the front portion of the guide plate  147  at the rear side (hereinafter referred to as sliding portions  146 A,  147 A). 
   When the motor drives the timing belt  49 , the respective sliding projections slide along the respective sliding portions  146 A,  147 A, and also the carriage  142  reciprocates along the right-and-left direction of the printer device  120 . Accordingly, an image is recorded on a recording sheet by the recording head  142 A when the sheet is fed through the supply unit  131  to the recording unit  21 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , a discharge roller  153  is provided at the front side of the engine frame  145 . The discharge roller  153  is connected to the motor through interlocking means (not shown). The discharge roller  153  discharges a recording sheet having an image formed thereon onto the guide piece  133 . As described above, the portion for supplying a recording sheet and the portion to which the recording sheet is discharged are vertically stacked. In addition, no dedicated discharge tray is provided. Also, the guide piece  133  serves as the discharge tray. Accordingly, the height of the overall device can be reduced. The guide piece  133  and the discharge roller  153  correspond to a discharge portion of the embodiment the present invention. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , a maintenance mechanism for cleaning the recording head and a cartridge holder  155  are arranged in the front-and-rear direction at the right side (the upper side in  FIG. 5 ) of the supply tray  132 . The cartridge holder  155  is designed in a box-shape opened upwardly, and ink cartridges  156  of four colors are accommodated in the cartridge holder  55 . Each ink cartridge  156  and the recording head  142 A are connected to each other by a liquid feeding tube  157 , and when ink is jetted from the recording ink head  142 A, the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge  156  to the recording head  142 A. As described above, the recording head  142 A and the ink cartridge  56  are disposed so as to be away from each other, whereby the height of the overall device is reduced. 
     FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a recording mechanism  20  from backside in a multifunction device that is applied to this embodiment. The recording mechanism  20  is an inkjet-type, having a recording unit  21  on its rear side (showed as a near side in  FIG. 6 ). The recording unit  21  broadly includes a carriage  22  having a printing head  22   c  (functioning as a recording portion of the invention), a carriage guide  23 , a carriage driving motor  203  and a timing belt  204 . 
   The carriage guide  23  includes a pair of guide plates  24 ,  25  that extend in a lateral direction of the recording mechanism  20 . Each of the guide plates  24  and  25  is made of metal, and is disposed along with each other at a rear portion of the recording mechanism  20  arranged in a forward and backward direction viewed by a user. The guide plate  24  has a guide portion  24 B at a rear end portion thereof for guiding the carriage  22  in a direction perpendicular to a transporting direction of the recording paper. The guide portion  24 B is formed by bending a part of the guide plate  24 . The sliding portions  24 A and  25 A are provided on a frond end side of the guide plate  25  and the rear end side of the guide plate  24 . 
   On the other hand, the carriage  22  is provided with a groove portion  22   a  that is engageable with the guide portion  24 B and protrusion portions  22   b  protruding downward. (See  FIG. 19 ) The carriage  22  is mounted so as to be bridged between both of the guide plates  24  and  25 . In the mounting condition of the carriage  22 , the groove portion  22   a  is slidably engaged with the guide portion  24 B and lower surfaces of the protrusion portions  22   b  are brought in contact with the sliding portions  24 A and  25 A. 
   By this, the carriage  22  is positioned in a vertical direction with respect to the recording paper. When the carriage driving motor  203  is driven, the protrusion portion  22   b  slides on the sliding portions  24 A and  25 A while being guided by the guide portion  24 B. The carriage  22  reciprocates in a direction crossing the recording paper laterally. 
   On the front side of the recording mechanism  20 , a main control board (not shown) is disposed being covered by a metal shield case  27 . On the lower side of the recording mechanism  20 , a paper feeding cassette and a recording-paper transporting unit are disposed (not shown). Further, a plate  28  for making the recording paper U-turn is provided on the rear end of the recording mechanism  20 . The recording-paper transporting unit functions to send the recording paper out sheet-by-sheet, from the front side of the recording mechanism  20  to the rear side of the recoding mechanism  20  (in a direction indicated by “R” direction in  FIG. 6 ). The sent recording paper is reversed in 180 degree from the lower side to the upper side through the plate  28  for U-turning. The paper is further transported from the rear side of the recording mechanism  20  to the front side of the recoding mechanism  20  (in a direction indicated by “P” direction in  FIG. 6 ). Further, the recording paper is printed (recorded) by the printing head  22   c  at a printing position and afterwards ejected on the paper feeding cassette (not shown). 
   Ink cartridges  30  (hereinafter, simply referred to as “cartridge”) are disposed on the side portion of the front side of the recording mechanism  20  while being accommodated by a holder  60 . The holder  60 , which will be later described in detail, is provided with an ink-flow passage and an air-flow passage. The ink discharged from the cartridge  30  is supplied to the printing head  22   c  through the ink-flow passage and an ink transporting tube S. Further, the air pressure in an ink room  31  may be reduced in accordance with the discharge of the ink. In this regard, the air is introduced into the cartridge  30  via the air-flow passage so that the air pressure in the ink room  31  is maintained substantially the same as the atmosphere pressure. 
   The cartridge  30  is box-shaped and the interior of the cartridge  30  is formed as the ink room  31  in which the ink is filled. As shown in  FIG. 8 , a float  32  is provided in the ink room  31 . The float  32  is located relative to hinge  32 A so that the float  32  changes the posture thereof according to the remaining amount of the ink (the position of the liquid level of the ink). Therefore, by detecting the position of the tip end portion by a sensor (not shown) that is mounted on the holder  60 , it is possible to sense the remaining amount of the ink in the cartridge  30 . In addition, the position of the float shown in  FIG. 8  corresponds to the condition in which the ink is empty. In the condition in which the ink is filled, the float  32  is brought into the standing posture. 
   In the lower portion of the cartridge  30 , there is formed an ink supply port  33  communicating with the ink room  31  and an air tower  38  that is disposed at the side of the ink supply port  33 . The ink supply port  33  is opened downward and accommodates therein an ink packing  41  having a first valve body  45  of the normally closed-type. The center portion of the ink packing  41  is provided with an ink outlet hole  42  that is normally closed by the first valve body  45 . The ink outlet hole  42  is formed to allow a tip end portion of an ink receptive portion  81 , which will be later described, to be inserted therein from below. 
   The air tower  38  is cylindrically formed so as to penetrate the ink room  31  in the upright direction. The upper end of the air tower  38  is formed in height so as to face with a roof wall  31 A of the ink room  31 . The position of the upper end of the air tower  38  is set higher than the liquid level of the ink in the initial filling condition of the ink in the ink room. Due to this, the ink filled in the ink room does not flow into the air tower  38  when the cartridge  30  is not in an inclined posture. 
   The lower portion of the air tower  38  is provided with an air inlet port  39 . The air inlet port  39  is formed larger in inner diameter than the other portion of the air tower  38  so that the air inlet port  39  can accommodate an air packing  51  having a second valve body  55  of the normally closed type. The second valve body  55  includes a rod-like body portion  56  that penetrates an air hole  52  formed in the air packing  51  in the upright direction. The outer peripheral portion of the second valve body  55  is provided with a seal edge  57  that seals the air inlet port  39  as well as the air hole  52  by being in close contact with an upper opening surface  52 A of the air hole  52 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , the lower end portion of the body portion  56  of the second valve body  55  is in a condition of protruding from the lower surface of the cartridge  30  at the time before the cartridge  30  is mounted on the holder  60 . Further, a cylindrical lip  53  is provided on the bottom surface of the air packing  51  so as to surround the lower end portion of the second valve body  55 . 
   Next, the holder  60  to receive the cartridge  30  will be described. 
   The holder  60  has a parallel-piped shape. As shown in  FIG. 12 , the holder  60  includes a locking clutch  69  having a guiding portion  69   a  and a retaining rib  69   b , on a side wall located on a front side of  FIG. 12 . The guiding portion  69   a  and the retaining rib  69   b  are used to fix the holder  60  to a casing on which the holder  60  is mounted. Also, as shown in  FIG. 16 , a right edge portion (a hang-over portion  64 ) of the bottom wall  71  protrudes toward a side direction. An inserting portion  691  for the casing is formed at an end portion of the hang-over portion  64 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 16 , three dividing walls  65  are provided inside the holder  60 . The dividing walls  65  extend straightly from the side wall  61  on one side (that is, the side wall  61  located on an upper side of  FIG. 16 ) toward the opposite side wall  62 . The dividing walls  65  partition the inside of the holder  60  into four cartridge housing rooms  68 . The first to third cartridge housing rooms  68  from the left have widths substantially equal to each other. The rightmost cartridge housing room  68  has a width wider somewhat larger than those of the other cartridge housing rooms  68 . Front ends of the dividing walls  65  do not reach the side wall  62 . This is because foam  100  (functioning as an ink absorbing body) described later will be arranged in the vicinity of the side wall  62  so that the foam  100  straddles the cartridge housing rooms  68 . 
   Also, elastic locking arms  67  are provided on the dividing walls  65  and the left-side wall  63 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the elastic locking arms  67  extend toward the upper side of the drawing from an upper wall of the left-side wall  63  and upper walls of the dividing walls  65 , respectively. A locking clutch  67 A, which can engage with a roof wall  31 A of the cartridge  30 , is provided at an end portion of each elastic locking arm  67 . With this configuration, each elastic locking arm  67  retains the cartridge  30  mounted on the holder  60 . 
   Openings  71 B are defined in the bottom wall  71  of the holder  60  so that each opening  71 B has a shape following an outline of each locking clutch  67 A. The openings  71 B are defined to serve as relief holes, in consideration of an operation of opening molds when the locking clutches  67 A are molded. 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , on a side facing the air tower  38 , the bottom wall  71  of each cartridge housing room  68  expands toward the upper side of the drawing (hereinafter, this portion of the bottom wall  71  is referred to as an expanding portion  75 ). Steps are formed between the expanding portions  75  and the other portions (hereinafter, referred to as base portions  72 ). The steps of the bottom walls  71  have heights substantially equal to a sum of thickness of the foam  100  disposed on the base portions  72  and thickness of a holding plate  110  disposed on the foam  100 . It is noted that the bottom walls  71  function as a base main body. 
   Ink receptive portions  81  are integrally formed at positions facing the ink supply ports  33  of the cartridges  30  and on a side of the base portions  72  of the bottom walls  71 . An outer dimension of a tip end portion of each ink receptive portion  81  is slightly larger than an inner diameter of the ink outlet hole  42 . On the other hand, a guiding taper  42 A is formed on a peripheral edge of each ink outlet hole  42 . Therefore, when the ink receptive portions  81  are inserted into the ink packings  41  in a press fit manner, the ink receptive portions  81  move into the ink outlet holes  42 . 
   In a state where the cartridges  30  are mounted in the cartridge housing rooms  68 , the ink receptive portions  81  moving into the packings  41  press first valve bodies  45  to the upper side of the drawing to open the ink outlet holes  42  (see  FIG. 9 ). Thereby, the ink supply ports  33  communicate with the ink receptive portions  81 , and ink in the ink rooms  31  can flow into the ink receptive portions  81  through the ink supply ports  33 . In this state, each ink packing  41  is in close contact with both an inner periphery of the ink supply port  33  and an outer periphery of the ink receptive portion  81  so as to create a seal therebetween. 
   Circular receiving face portions  85  are provided on a side of the expanding portions  75  of the bottom walls  71 , at positions facing the air towers  38 , respectively. The circular receiving face portions  85  function as an air connecting portion. An air inlet hole  86  is defined at a center portion of each circular receiving face portion  85 . An upper portion of each air inlet hole  86  is larger in an inner diameter than a lower portion thereof. A lower end portion of a second valve body  55  abuts against the upper portion of each air inlet hole  86 . Therefore, when the cartridges  30  are mounted in the cartridge housing rooms  68 , the second valve bodies  55  abut against the step portions of the air inlet holes  86 , thereby pressing the second valve bodies  55  upward. As a result, the second valve bodies  55  open the air holes  52 . 
   On the other hand, a slit  56 A is defined in the lower end portion of each second valve body  55 . In the mounted state, the air inlet holes  86  and the slits  56 A continue to each other, respectively. Therefore, air can flow from an air inlet hole  86  side through the air inlet ports  39  to the inside of the ink rooms  31 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , in this state, a cylindrical lip  53  of each air packing  51  elastically contacts with the upper surface of the circular receiving face portion  85  while being bent inward, to seal between an inner portion of the air tower  38  and the circular receiving face portion  85 . Also, in this embodiment, with regard to timings of opening the first valve body  45  and the second valve body  55 , the second valve body  55  is opened slightly earlier than the first valve body  45 . The reasons of this setting are as follows. When the cartridge  30  is in an unused state, a pressure of the ink room  41  is set to be lower than air pressure. Therefore, if the first valve body  45  were opened earlier than the second valve body  55  or the first valve body  45  and the second valve body  55  were opened simultaneously, ink would be absorbed from the printing head  22   c  through the ink transporting tube S, resulting in destroying meniscus formed in the nozzle portion  22   d  of the printing head  22   c . Therefore, the second valve body  55  is opened earlier than the first valve body  45  in order to prevent the meniscus from being destroyed. 
   Subsequently, ink grooves  83  communicating with the ink receptive portions  81  and air grooves  93  communicating with the air inlet holes  86  will be described with reference to  FIG. 13 . 
   The ink grooves  83  are formed (recessed) on a lower face  71 A of the bottom wall  71 , that is, on a face opposite to the side where the cartridge  30  is mounted, for each ink receptive portion  81 . 
   More specifically, the ink grooves  83  obliquely extend from the ink receptive portions  81 , extend sideways (right side in  FIG. 13 ) along a side edge (upper edge in  FIG. 13 ) of the holder  60 , and then obliquely extend toward a hang-over portion  64  formed on the right side portion of the holder  60 . 
   Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 17 , four cylindrical tube connecting portions  92  that extend upward in the figure is disposed on the hang-over portion in parallel. One end side of the ink transporting tube S leading to the printing head  22   c  is externally fitted on the tube connecting portions  92 . End portions of each of the ink grooves  83  are connected to these tube connecting portions  92 . 
   Portions of the ink grooves  83  other than starting end side portions are constructed such that the adjacent ink grooves  83  share a part of groove wall. For example, one groove wall  84 B of the ink groove  83 B is connected to a groove wall  84 A of the ink groove  83 A in its midway portion, and then the ink groove  83 B is formed between the groove wall  84 B and the groove wall  84 A of the ink groove  83 A. Since the part of groove wall is commonly used in this manner, the width of the arrangement space of the grooves can be reduced. 
   Meanwhile, a plastic sheet having a high heat resistance (for example, GX film manufactured by Toppan Co., Ltd.) is heat-welded to the lower face of the holder  60 . The flexible sheet (which may or may not be the GX film manufactured by Toppan Co. Ltd.) has a higher heat resistance than the base main body and the flexible sheet is heat-welded to the base main body to cover the ink flow path. More specifically, on the groove edges of the ink grooves  83  and on the periphery of the holder  60 , welding ribs  91  are formed. Each of the welding ribs  91  has, as shown in  FIG. 14A , a triangular sectional shape, and the tip end side thereof is made narrower than the base end side thereof. The welding ribs  91  are provided on the entire groove edges. The welding rib  91  is provided on almost the whole peripheral edge of the holder  60  except for a portion where the ink grooves  83  are formed. Thus, when heat pressing is conducted by a hot plate, etc., in a state where the plastic sheet F is superposed on the lower face of the holder  60 , as shown in  FIG. 14B , the welding ribs  91  melt and the plastic sheet F comes in close contact with the periphery of the holder  60 . Further, the ink grooves  83  and the air grooves  93  described later are sealed without voids so that the both grooves  83 ,  93  are heat sealed. Incidentally, the plastic sheet F functions as the supplemental member. 
   By making the tip end of the welding rib  91  narrow and the base end of the welding rib  91  thick, the melt of the welding rib  91  by heating is facilitated and the welding voids are prevented from being formed. Further, since the periphery of the holder  60  is heat-welded in addition to the edges of the ink grooves  83  and the air grooves  93 , even in a case where the ink is leaked when attaching or detaching the cartridge  30 , the ink thus leaked does not drop through some holes that are required for injection molding and formed on the holder  60  because the whole of the lower face  71   a  is covered with the plastic sheet F. Therefore, contamination of the inside of the apparatus is prevented. 
   The structure in which the ink grooves  83  are covered with the plastic sheet F functions as the ink flow path, and the structure in which the air grooves are covered with the sheet functions as the air flow path. 
   Herein, the details of the air grooves  93  will be described with reference to  FIG. 13 . 
   In the embodiment, four air grooves  93  are arranged in a direction parallel to a direction of the arrangement of the cartridges  30 . Each of the air grooves  93  is provided with an ink pooling portion  95  that is formed in a size that surrounds the circular receiving face portion  85 , and a meandering portion  97  that is formed above, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the ink pooling portion  95 . The meandering portion  97  is formed to extend near to the ink receptive portion  81  while meandering in left and right direction, and is provided with an opening  98  at a leading edge thereof, the opening  98  that communicates through the bottom wall  71  in up and down direction. The air groove  93  arranged at rightmost in  FIG. 13  is configured to have a shape different from other air grooves  93  in order to form the air groove  93  away from the portion where the ink groove  83  is formed. 
   The welding rib  91  is formed around entire circumference of each of the ink pooling portions  95  and the meandering portions  97  along the edge of the ink pooling portions  95  and the meandering portions  97 . According to this configuration, when the heat pressing is performed, the plastic sheet F is closely attached along the edge of the air grooves  93 , whereby the air grooves  93  are heat-sealed. Accordingly, air is introduced into the air tower  38  through the opening  98 , the air groove  93 , the air inlet hole  86 , and the air inlet port  39 . 
   The meandering portion  97  is provided for allowing the air to be less flowable in the air groove  93  and for increasing the length of the passage of the air groove  93 . In a case where the air groove  93  has shorter passage and configured to allow the air to be more flowable therein, the air circulation in the cartridge  30  is improved and the ink in the cartridge  30  dries faster. However, the drying of the ink in the cartridge  30  is delayed by providing the meandering portion  97 . In the embodiment, a groove width of the meandering portion  97  is configured to be substantially equal to a groove width of the ink groove  83 . However, regarding a groove depth, the meandering portion  97  is configured to be more shallow than the ink groove  83  in order to prevent a vaporization of the ink by reducing a movement of the air, which is a gas that has less passage friction with respect to the liquid of the ink. 
   The ink pooling portion  95  is configured by a concave portion of the expanding portion  75  formed in the bottom wall  71 , and is configured to have a groove depth larger than the groove depth of either of the meandering portion  97  and the ink groove  83 , and an inner volume (a volume of a cavity portion) larger than an inner volume of the meandering portion  97 . According to this configuration, assuming that the ink in the ink room  31  flow backward into the air groove  93  through the air tower  38 , the ink pooling portion  95  can reserve the ink that flow backward to the ink pooling portion  95 . 
   Assuming that a large amount of ink flow backward, due to the configuration that the opening  98  is provided at the leading edge of the meandering portion  97 , the ink overflows above the upper surface of the bottom wall  71  of the holder  60  through the meandering portion  97  and the opening  98 . Accordingly, a height of the ink that flowed backward will not be higher than a position where the air inlet hole  86  is provided. Therefore, the ink reserved in the ink pooling portion  95  will not flow out from the air inlet hole  86  into the recording mechanism  20  even when the cartridge  30  is not attached, unless the recording mechanism  20  is turned over. 
   When a large amount of the ink is reserved in the ink pooling portion  95  as explained above, the ink flows out from the opening  98 . When the out-flow of the ink from the ink pooling portion  95  is left to be continued, the cartridge  30  and the holder  60  is tainted by the ink. In order to avoid the taint by the ink, a foam  100  is provided. In the embodiment, the foam  100  is formed by a urethane member and is provided with four slits  101  formed in plate having a key-like shape and arranged to be juxtaposed with each other. The slits  101  serves as escape ports to avoid interference with the dividing wall  65  formed on the holder  60  and with the ink receptive portion  81 . 
   The foam  100 , when attached, is configured to cover the circumference of the surface of the bottom wall  71  at the opening  98 . Accordingly, when the ink flow backwards from the opening  98  to the upper surface of the bottom wall  71  (i.e. when the ink is reserved in the ink pooling portion  95  to the amount that reaches the opening  98 ), the foam  100  sucks the ink to avoid the inner portion of the holder  60  to be tainted. A supporting protrusion portion  98 A is provided at a rim of each of the opening  98 . The supporting protrusion portion  98 A protrudes to the side where the foam  100  is provided and supports the foam  100  from below to retain the foam  100  in a curved state as shown in  FIG. 18 . According to the configuration that the foam  100  is retained in a state spaced apart from the opening  98 , air permeability is assured. 
   As shown in  FIG. 11 , a holding plate  110  is provided at a portion above the foam  100  to cover the foam  100 . The holding plate  110  is made of resin material and formed in a shape having a size slightly larger than the foam  100 . At the bottom wall  71 , a supporting portion  79  for supporting the holding plate  110  is provided at a portion except where the foam  100  is provided. The holding plate  110 , when attached, is supported in a state where mounted on the supporting portion  79 . In this state where the holding plate  110  is attached, the upper surface of the holding plate  110  and the upper surface of the expanding portion  75  is configured to be substantially in plane with each other, as shown in  FIG. 18 , to thereby support the bottom surface of the cartridge  30  by both of the upper surfaces. In the attached state, the outer circumference portion of the holding plate  110  is fitted into side walls of the expanding portion  75  and the holder  60  without forming a gap, to thereby prevent the movement of the holding plate  110  in horizontal direction. 
   Next, an operation and an effect of the embodiment is explained in the following. 
   In order to replace the cartridge  30 , first, the empty cartridge  30  is removed from the holder  60 . For that, a latching is released by pushing the end part of the elastic locking arm  67  latched with the cartridge  30  in the lock-releasing direction. From this state, by lifting the cartridge  30  upward, the ink receptive portion  81  is retreated from the ink packing  41 , and the ink cartridge  30  is removed from the holder  60 . 
   Next, a new cartridge filled with ink is attached. For that, a bottom face of the cartridge  30  is kept directed downwardly. Further, an ink supply port  33  and an air tower  38  of the cartridge are rendered to be opposed to an ink receptive portion  81  and a circular receiving face portion  85  of the holder  60 . From this state, the cartridge  30  is pushed toward the holder  60 . 
   Then the elastic locking arm  67  is bend deformed and on the way of the pushing operation, the ink receptive portion  81  approaches into an ink outlet hole  42 , and bumps into a first valve body  45 , and further, a second valve body  55  bumps into a step portion part of an ink inlet hole  86 . After that, the first valve body  45  and the second valve body  55  are pushed the upper direction in the figures (in the direction of release). Later on, the bottom face of the cartridge  30  bumps into an expanding portion  75  and a holding plate  110  of the holder  60 , and the further operation of pushing is restricted. In this state, the elastic locking arm  67  is restored to latched with the upper face of the cartridge  30 , and retains the cartridge  30 , while the first valve body  45  and the second valve body  55  are in a released state. 
   According to the above operation, an ink path on the side of the holder  60  and an ink room  31  are connected. Then, ink runs out from the ink room  31  through an ink supply port  33 , an ink groove  83 , a tube connecting portion  92  and an ink transporting tube S to a printing head  22   c . On the other hand, air paths of the air tower  38  and of the holder  60  are also connected. Then, due to the run out of ink an air pressure in the ink room  31  falls, and air is taken into the ink room  31  through an opening  98 , the air path, an air inlet port  39  and the path of the air tower  38 . 
   As such, according to the embodiment, the ink run out from the cartridge  30 , is sent to the ink transporting tube S through the ink supply port  33 , the ink path and the ink connecting portion  92 . Thus, a drawing direction of the ink transporting tube S can be arbitrarily determined, since the ink path is configured to be intervened between the ink receptive portion  81  and the ink transporting tube S. Accordingly, the ink transporting tube S can be disposed from any position other than a rear face  71 A of the bottom wall  71 , and space saving becomes possible. Furthermore, a structure is simple, since the ink path is formed only by pasting (heat welding) a plastic film sheet F on the rear face  71 A of the holder bottom wall  71 . In addition, a thickness of the holder  60  can be thinner, and then a thickness of a whole product can be thinner, rather than forming the path by pasting plastic molding parts. Further, as a shape of a cross-section of a welding rib  91  is a tapered shape, ensuring easy melting upon welding the plastic sheet F, and a reliability of pasting becomes high. 
   In addition, the ink groove  83  and the air groove  93  are formed on the rear face  71 A of the bottom wall  71 . Then, the ink groove  83  and the air groove  93  can be sealed by one plastic sheet F in a lump. Accordingly, production efficiency is better than that when each of the ink groove  93  and the air groove  93  is sealed by a separate sheet. 
   OTHER ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
   Aspects of the present invention are not limited to the illustrative embodiment explained in the above description and drawings. For example, a following illustrative embodiment is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, other than the following illustrative embodiment, various changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. 
   (1) In another illustrative embodiment, a sheet F made of plastic is welded to an ink groove  83  and an air groove  93  to form a flow path. Something by which a flow path is configured between matching faces of overlapped members is acceptable. For example, instead of the plastic sheet F, a plate-like resin plate may be overlapped to the holder. Fixing method thereof is not limited to a heat welding. Furthermore, the groove is not necessary provided on the side of the holder  60 , but the groove may be formed by straddling between members overlapped to the holder  60 , or may be formed by overlapped members. 
   (2) In yet another illustrative embodiment, an ink receptive portion  81  is integrally formed with the holder  60 , but may be separately formed. 
   (3) In yet a further illustrative embodiment, the holder  60  is configured by a box-type. However, the holder  60  may be configured by the bottom wall  71  if the holder is connectable to a cartridge  30 .