Patent Publication Number: US-7588328-B2

Title: Ink jet recording cartridge having commonly useable components

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/014,609 filed Dec. 16, 2004, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-434950 filed Dec. 26, 2003, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to an ink jet recording cartridge that includes an ink jet recording head for discharging liquid such as ink onto a recording medium and performing recording thereon, and a liquid containing section for holding liquid to be supplied to this ink jet recording head. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   As conventional ink jet recording cartridges, one having configurations shown in  FIGS. 27 to 33  have been known.  FIGS. 27 and 29 , respectively, are a sectional view of a black cartridge  10 B for a black ink (B), and a plan view thereof with a lid removed.  FIGS. 28 and 30 , respectively, are a sectional view of a color cartridge  10 C for three colors of magenta (M), cyan (C), and yellow (Y), and a plan view thereof with a lid removed.  FIGS. 31 to 33 , respectively, are plan views of a lid  11 B of the black cartridge  10 B, an inner lid  11 C- 2  and an outer lid  11 C- 1  of the color cartridge  10 C, as viewed from the sides of their joint surfaces with cases  15 B and  15 C. 
   The black cartridge  10 B and the color cartridge  10 C include the cases  15 B and  15 C, respectively, that form respective ink containing chambers, the lid  11 B, and the inner and outer lids  11 -C 1  and  11 C- 2 , respectively. The ink containing chambers of the black cartridge  10 B and the color cartridge  10 C, respectively, contain absorbers  16 B,  16 -Y,  16 C-M and  16 C-C that absorb and hold the respective inks. Ink jet recording heads  20 B and  20 C are mounted on the bottom surfaces of the cases  15 B and  15 C, respectively. The cases  15 B and  15 C have substantially the same external shape, and the portion where each of the ink jet recording heads  20 B and  20 C is disposed has a shape lowered by one step (see  FIGS. 27 and 28 ). A T-shaped inner wall is arranged within the case  15 C of the color cartridge  10 C, so as to partition the case into ink containing chambers of three color inks (see  FIG. 30 ). 
   In both of the black cartridge  10 B and the color cartridge  10 C, ink (not shown) held in the absorbers  16 B,  16 C-Y,  16 C-M and  16 C-C, respectively, pass through filters  17 B,  17 C-Y,  17 C-M and  17 C-C provided at front ends of ink introducing sections  18 B,  18 C-Y,  18 C-M and  18 C-C, respectively. The ink is then supplied to the ink jet recording heads  20 B and  20 C through ink flow paths  19 B,  19 C-Y,  19 C-M and  19 C-C, respectively, that are formed in the ink introducing sections  18 B,  18 C-Y,  18 C-M and  18 C-C, respectively. At this time, in order to prevent air from entering the ink flow paths  19 B,  19 C-Y,  19 C-M and  19 C-C, the absorbers  16 B,  16 C-Y,  16 C-M and  16 C-C are pressed against the filters  17 B,  17 C-Y,  17 C-M and  17 C-C, respectively, by ribs  14 B and  14 C formed in the lid  11  and the inner lid  11 -C 2  so as to be brought into pressure contact with the filters  17 B,  17 C-Y,  17 C-M and  17 C-C, respectively (see  FIGS. 27 and 28 ). 
   In this conventional example, a single lid  11 B is provided for the black cartridge  10 B, whereas two lids, i.e., the outer lid  11 C- 1  and the inner lid  11 C- 2  are provided for the color cartridge  10 C. Furthermore, the constructions of these lids are also different between the black cartridge  10 B and the color cartridge  10 C (see  FIGS. 31 to 33 ). 
   Now that ink jet recording devices are coming down in price, ink jet recording heads to be mounted thereon also face a significant challenge of reducing cost. Usually, a plurality of ink jet recording heads are mounted on a single ink jet recording device. A method for reducing the number of components of an ink jet recording head, therefore, is effective as cost-reduction measures for the ink jet recording head. Use of such measures would allow the overall cost of ink jet recording device to be significantly reduced. 
   The same goes for an ink jet recording cartridge. For the ink jet recording cartridge, supposing that ink jet recording head portion is a single unit, the number of components constituting the cartridge is low. Also, as seen from the cases  15   b ,  15 C, the lid  11 B, and the inner lid  11 C- 2  in the above-described conventional example, each of these components already has a plurality of functioning sections. Therefore, for the ink jet recording cartridge, it is very difficult to reduce the component number itself. With this being the situation, it is an effective measures for the ink jet recording cartridge to achieve commonality of components among a plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridges, and thereby improve production efficiency to realize cost reduction. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to an ink jet recording head that allows commonality of components among ink jet recording cartridges, thereby enabling achievement of further cost reduction. 
   In one aspect of the present invention, an ink jet recording cartridge that includes: an ink jet recording head for discharging ink; at least one absorber for holding the ink; a case having at least one ink containing chamber sized and shaped to contain the absorber therein and having an opening, wherein the case supports the ink jet recording head affixed thereto, and an ink introducing section communicating the ink containing chamber with the ink jet recording head; and a lid having a plurality of ribs. The lid is adapted to attach to the case at the opening of the ink containing chamber such that the ribs abut the absorber to press the absorber against the liquid introducing section in the case connecting with the ink jet recording head. The plurality of ribs includes first ribs having a different height than the other plurality of ribs. The lid is adapted to attach to a plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridges that are different from each other in the number of the ink containing chambers. 
   According to these features, by providing the lid with a plurality of ribs different in height, the functionality of the lid can be enhanced, but nevertheless, by providing commonality of the lid among a plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridges, the production efficiency can be improved. 
   The plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridges using a common lid thereamong have substantially the same external shape. Thereby, for example, each of the plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridges can be suitably used to be mounted as a common carriage among ink jet recording devices. 
   As an external shape of the ink jet recording cartridge, particularly, the portion where the ink jet recording head is provided have an external shape projecting in the direction away from the lid. Use of an ink jet recording cartridge having such an external shape allows a hold-down member for holding down the recording medium to be arranged in the vicinity of the ink jet recording head while allowing the ink jet recording head to be located in an appropriate position close to a recording medium during a recording operation, thereby achieving excellent recording quality. 
   The ink jet recording cartridge having such an external shape can be configured so that the height of the ribs of the lid, formed in positions opposite to the projection portion in the external shape is higher than that of the other ribs. Thereby, in the ink jet recording cartridge having a single ink containing chamber, although the opening portion of the ink introducing section is located at a portion away from the lid further than the other portion in the ink containing chamber, the absorber can be effectively brought into pressure contact with the opening portion to prevent air from entering the ink introducing section during ink supply. On the other hand, in the ink jet recording cartridge having a plurality of ink containing chambers, its bottom portion is located in a lower position. Therefore, in the ink jet recording cartridge having a plurality of ink containing chambers, the position of the top surface of the absorber disposed in the ink containing chamber that is longer in the height direction than the other ink containing chambers, is made lower than that of the top surface of each of the other absorbers, whereby the absorber with a smaller planar area is prevented from having a too large height, resulting in excellent ink supply performance. 
   The ink jet recording cartridge according to the present invention can use a common lid between a black cartridge having an ink containing chamber containing a black ink that is widely used, and a color cartridge having a plurality of ink containing chambers containing a respective plurality of color inks. 
   In order to meet high-speed recording requirement, the black cartridge may be configured to have an ink introducing section with a larger bore than those in the color cartridge. Here, forming ribs of the lid, at positions opposite to the ink introducing section of the black cartridge to be higher than the other ribs, allows the absorber to be securely brought into pressure contact with the opening of the ink introducing section by the action of a relatively strong pressing force, thereby preventing the entry of air into the ink introducing section. 
   On the other hand, the absorber to be contained in each of the ink containing chambers of the color cartridge may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Thereby, in each of the ink containing chambers, the absorber can be caused to satisfactorily abut against the opening of the ink introducing section of each of the ink containing chambers using ribs with uniform heights, so that the lid can also be used for the color cartridge without disturbing the above-described height relationship between ribs in the lid. 
   In the present invention, the color cartridge may be configured to have particularly three ink containing chambers containing respective three color inks widely used. 
   The three ink containing chambers of the color cartridge can have a configuration partitioned by a T-shaped inner wall as viewed from the side where the lid is joined to the case. Here, in the lid, when first ribs are provided in the vicinities of the center of the three ink containing chambers, second ribs are provided at positions along the periphery of each of the ink containing chambers, and the second ribs are formed to be higher than the first ribs, the absorbers can be prevented from running over from the respective ink containing chambers during the production process of the color cartridge, by the second ribs, which are provided at the positions along the periphery of each of the ink containing chambers. On the other hand, when this lid is used for the black cartridge, out of the second ribs provided at the positions along the periphery of each of the ink containing chambers, the rib located in the vicinity of the central branch portion of the T-shaped inner wall can be disposed at a position corresponding to the opening of the ink introducing section of the black cartridge. As a result, the above-described rib allow the absorber to be effectively brought into pressure contact with the opening of the ink introducing section with a relatively large bore, thereby preventing the entry of air into the ink introducing section. 
   According to the present invention, by using a common lid among a plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridge different in the number of ink containing chambers, the production efficiency can be improved, leading to a reduced production cost. As a lid, one having a plurality of ribs different in height, and hence, having higher functionality can be employed. 
   Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a black cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of a color cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of the black cartridge in  FIG. 1  as viewed from the side where the lid is removed. 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of the color cartridge in  FIG. 2  as viewed from the side where the lid is removed. 
       FIG. 5  is a plan view of the lid for the cartridges in  FIGS. 1 and 2  as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the lid in  FIG. 5  as viewed from above in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the black cartridge in  FIG. 1  in its production process. 
       FIG. 8  is a plan view of a lid of a modification of the first embodiment as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the lid in  FIG. 8  as viewed from above in  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 10  is a sectional view of a black cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 11  is a sectional view of a color cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  is a plan view of the black cartridge in  FIG. 10  as viewed from the side where a lid is removed. 
       FIG. 13  is a plan view of the color cartridge in  FIG. 11  as viewed from the side where the lid is removed. 
       FIG. 14  is a plan view of the lid for the cartridges in  FIGS. 10 and 11  as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 15  is a side view of the lid in  FIG. 14  as viewed from above in  FIG. 14 . 
       FIG. 16  is a sectional view of the black cartridge in  FIG. 10  in its production process. 
       FIG. 17  is a plan view of the lid of a modification of the second embodiment as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 18  is a side view of the lid in  FIG. 17  as viewed from above in  FIG. 17 . 
       FIG. 19  is a sectional view of a color cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 20  is a plan view of the color cartridge in  FIG. 19  as viewed from the side where the lid is removed. 
       FIG. 21  is a plan view showing abutting positions of ribs of the lid in the color cartridge in  FIG. 19 . 
       FIG. 22  is a plan view of the lid of the color cartridge in  FIG. 19  as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 23  is a side view of the lid in  FIG. 22  as viewed from above in  FIG. 22 . 
       FIG. 24  is a sectional view of a black cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 25  is a plan view of the black cartridge in  FIG. 24  as viewed from the side where a lid is removed. 
       FIG. 26  is a plan view showing abutting positions of ribs of the lid in the black cartridge in  FIG. 24 . 
       FIG. 27  is a sectional view of a conventional black cartridge. 
       FIG. 28  is a sectional view of a conventional color cartridge. 
       FIG. 29  is a plan view of the black cartridge in  FIG. 27  as viewed from the side where a lid is removed. 
       FIG. 30  is a plan view of the color cartridge in  FIG. 28  as viewed from the side where a lid is removed. 
       FIG. 31  is a plan view of the lid of the black cartridge in  FIG. 27  as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 32  is a plan view of the inner lid of the color cartridge in  FIG. 28  as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
       FIG. 33  is a plan view of the outer lid of the color cartridge in  FIG. 28  as viewed from the side of its joint surface with the case. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
   Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
   First Embodiment 
   A first embodiment of the present invention is explained with reference  FIGS. 1 to 7 .  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively, are schematic sectional views of a black cartridge  100  and a color cartridge  200 , each serving as an ink jet recording cartridge according to this embodiment.  FIGS. 3 and 4 , respectively, are plan views of the black cartridge and the color cartridge as viewed from the side where a lid  101  is removed.  FIG. 5  is a plan view of the lid  101  as a single unit as viewed from the side of its joint surface with a case  103  or  203 .  FIG. 6  is a side view of the lid  101  as viewed from above in  FIG. 5 . Also,  FIG. 7  is a sectional view showing a production process of the black cartridge  100  in  FIG. 1 . 
   The black cartridge  100  shown in  FIG. 1  and other figures is a cartridge for a single color of black (B). An absorber  104  holding black ink is contained in an ink containing chamber formed of the case  103  and the lid  101 . An ink jet recording head  108  is affixed on the bottom surface of the case  103 . Also, in a bottom portion of the case  103 , a cylindrical ink jet introducing section  106  that forms an ink flow path  107  connecting with an ink jet recording head  108  from the ink containing chamber, is provided in a position directly over the ink jet recording head  108  so as to project toward the ink containing chamber. At a front end portion projecting toward the ink containing chamber, of the ink introducing section  106 , there is provided a filter  105 . In the case  103 , a top surface opposite to the bottom portion where the ink jet introducing section  106  is formed, is open, and this opening is blocked by the lid  101 . On the bottom surface of the lid  101 , ribs  102 D,  102 E, and  102 F each having a predetermined planar pattern are formed so as to project downward, and abut against the top surface of the absorber  104 . 
   The bottom portion of the case  103 , where the ink jet recording head  108  is disposed, has a shape projecting downward from the other portions. The black cartridge  100  is mounted onto a carriage of the ink jet recording device, and is caused to discharge ink while being reciprocated on a recording medium. That is, it is used for performing main scanning. Therefore, forming only the portion where the ink jet recording head  108  is provided into a shape projecting downward, allows a hold-down member for holding down the recording medium to be arranged in the vicinity of a main scanning region, while allowing the ink jet recording head  108  to perform main scanning in close proximity to the recording surface of a recording medium. This makes it possible to appropriately set a flying distance and also stably hold the recording medium such as paper in the main scanning region, thereby achieving excellent recording quality. 
   Since the portion where the ink jet recording head  108  is disposed projects, the ink containing chamber has an L-shaped cross section. In order to use the inside of the ink containing chamber so as to be efficient in the containment of ink, one having an L-shaped cross section similar to the ink containing chamber is used as the absorber  104 . 
   In this black cartridge  100 , ink (not shown) held in the absorber  104  passes through the filter  105  provided at the front end of the ink introducing section  106 , i.e., the inlet of the ink flow path  107 , and is supplied to the ink jet recording head  108  through the ink flow path  107 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , the absorber  104  is inserted into the ink containing chamber from the opening on the top surface of the case  103 , and thereafter, the lid  101  is welded and fixed to the case  103 . At this time, particularly in its portion abutting against the ink introducing section  106 , in a state of being subjected to no force, the absorber  104  is a little larger in the size in the height direction than the ink containing chamber. Accordingly, when the lid  101  is mounted, the absorber  104  has its top surface pressed by the ribs  102 D, so that it is stably fixed. As a result, the portion opposite to the filter  105 , on the undersurface of the absorber  104  is brought into pressure contact with the filter  105 , thereby preventing air from entering the ink flow path  107  during ink supply. This prevention of the entry of air into the ink flow path  107  inhibits the reduction in the amount of ink supply and the interruption of ink supply and allows a stable ink supply, thereby maintaining satisfactory recording quality. 
   In particular, the black cartridge  100  is required to make the ink supply speed relatively high in order to meet high-speed printing requirements. For this purpose, the bore of the opening of the ink introducing section  106  is formed relatively large. The absorber  104 , therefore, must be securely brought into pressure contact with the filter by applying a relatively large force to the filter  105 . Since the shape of the cross section of the absorber  104  is L shape, it is difficult to apply a force to the abutting portion between the filter  105  and the absorber  104 . Such being the case, the ribs  102 D of the lid  101 , located over the portion where the absorber  104  abuts against the filter  105 , are formed a little higher than the other ribs  102 E and  102 F. As a result, at the position directly over the filter  105 , the absorber  104  is pressed up to more depths, i.e., pressed more strongly than at the other portion, so that the absorber  104  can be brought into pressure contact with the filter  105  in stable and secure manners. 
   The color cartridge  200  shown in  FIG. 2  and other figures is a cartridge supporting three colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). The inside of the case  203  of the color cartridge  200  is partitioned into three ink containing chambers by a T-shaped inner wall. Absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C, respectively, holding inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan colors are contained in the respective ink containing chambers. An ink jet recording head  208  is affixed on the bottom surface of the case  203 . While not shown in detail, the ink jet recording head  208  has nozzles for each of the color inks, and is configured to selectively discharge each of the color inks in a desired pattern. Alternatively, the ink jet recording head  208  may be one formed by arranging heads for all three colors side by side. 
   The external shape of the color cartridge  200  is substantially the same as that of black cartridge  100 . That is, the portion where the ink jet recording head  208  is provided in the bottom portion projects downward. Therefore, for example, the color cartridge  200  and black cartridge  100  can be mounted side by side on a common carriage therebetween. 
   In the bottom portion of the respective ink containing chambers, cylindrical ink jet introducing sections  206 Y,  206 M, and  206 C that form ink flow paths  207 Y,  207 M, and  207 C, respectively, are provided so as to project toward the respective ink containing chambers. At the front end portions projecting toward the respective ink containing chambers, there are provided filters  205 Y,  205 M, and  205 C. The ink flow paths  207 Y,  207 M, and  207 C bend as required, and connect with the introducing paths for respective color inks, of the ink jet recording head  208  (although not shown in detail). 
   Each of the ink containing chambers has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is located above the portion where the ink jet recording head  208  is disposed. The ink containing chamber for yellow color is longer in the height direction than those for the other colors. The absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C holding the respective inks have rectangular parallelepiped shapes corresponding to the respective ink containing chambers. 
   The color cartridge  200  also has the lid  101  in common with the black cartridge  100 . The ribs  102 D,  102 E, and  102 F of the lid  101  abut against the top surfaces of the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C, respectively. The absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C are pressed downward by the ribs  102 D,  102 E, and  102 F, respectively, and are thereby brought into pressure contact with the filters  205 Y,  205 M, and  205 C, respectively. This prevents the entry of air into the ink flow paths  207 Y,  207 M, and  207 C. 
   Basically, the ink supply operation in the color cartridge  200  is the same as that in the black cartridge  100 . That is, the respective ink held in the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C are supplied to the ink jet recording head  208  through the filters  205 Y,  205 M, and  205 C, respectively, and then through the ink flow paths  207 Y,  207 M, and  207 C, respectively. 
   Now, the ink jet recording cartridge according to this embodiment is mounted on a carriage of an ink jet recording device, and subjected to main scanning in the width direction (i.e., up-and-down directions in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ). In order to allow the image formation across substantially the full width of a recording medium, the size in the width direction of the ink jet recording device requires at least a margin as much as the size of the width of the ink jet recording cartridge, in addition to the width of the recording medium. For this reason, the width of the ink jet recording cartridge has a significant influence on the size in the width direction of the ink jet recording device. Likewise, regarding the size in the depth direction (i.e., left-and-right directions in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ), the region to undergo main scanning requires at least a space as much as the size in the depth direction of the ink jet recording cartridge, and hence, the size in the depth direction of the ink jet recording cartridge has a significant influence on the size in the depth direction of the ink jet recording device. The result is that, in order to reduce the installation space for the ink jet recording device, the ink jet recording cartridge is required to minimize the sizes in its width direction and depth direction. 
   When the sizes of the ink jet recording cartridge in the width direction and depth direction are reduced in this way, that is, its planar area is reduced, then, especially for the color cartridge  200  in which this narrow area is further divided into three, the areas of the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C become small. With this being the situation, in order to maintain an excellent ink supply characteristic, it is desirable that the heights of the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C be reduced below a certain level of height. For this purpose, the position of the top surface of the absorber  204 Y disposed at the lower bottom portion in the case  203 , is formed to be lower than the position of the top surface of each of the other absorbers  204 M and  204 C. It is therefore favorable that the ribs  102 D abutting against the top surface of the absorber  204 Y are higher than the other ribs  102 E and  102 F. That is, the positions of the lower end of the ribs  102 D have become positions following the position of the top end of the absorber  204 , and thereby the absorber  204 Y can be appropriately brought into pressure contact with the filter  205 Y. 
   In the color cartridge  200 , the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Also, the color cartridge  200  does not require so fast ink supply speed as compared with the black cartridge  100 . In the color cartridge  200 , therefore, the bores of the ink introducing sections  206 Y,  206 M, and  206 C are smaller than that of the ink introducing section  106  of the black cartridge  106 . Hence, in the color cartridge  200 , even though the heights of ribs are uniform for each of the ink containing chambers, the absorbers can be brought into pressure contact with the filters in a sufficiently secure manner. 
   As described above, it is required of the lid  101  in common between the black cartridge  100  and the color cartridge  200  of this embodiment that the height of the ribs  102 D at the positions directly over the lower bottom portion in each of the cases  103  and  203  with the similar external shapes is lower than those of the other ribs  102 E and  102 F. This embodiment can suitably use the same lid  101  for the black cartridge  100  and the color cartridge  200  to meet the above-described requirement. Using the common lid between the black cartridge  100  and color cartridge  200  in this way allows production efficiency of the ink jet recording cartridge to be improved, resulting in a reduced production cost. 
   The present embodiment is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention within its spirit and scope. The common lid between the black cartridge  100  and the color cartridge  200  is not limited to the lid shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , but, for example, a lid  201  in which ribs are formed of patterns shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  may also be employed as a shared lid. In this lid  201  also, ribs  202 D located directly over the lower bottom portion, in the cases  103  and  203 , are higher than the other ribs  202 E and  202 F. In general, the lid that can be used as a common lid between the black cartridge  100  and the color cartridge  200  is such that, when used for the color cartridge  200 , the lid abuts against the top surface of each of the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C, that its ribs at positions directly over the lower bottom portion are higher than the other ribs, and that all its ribs are formed of patterns in a range where they do not interfere with the inner wall of the case  203 . 
   The shape of each of the cases  103  and  203  is not limited to one whose cross sectional shape is an L shape, but any shape whose bottom portion is lower anywhere may be used. Liquids to be discharged from the ink jet recording heads  108  and  208  are not restricted to ink, but various reaction liquids may be used. The ink jet recording cartridges employing a shared lid is not restricted to the black cartridge  100  and color cartridge  200 . In general, it is possible to achieve commonality of lid among a plurality of kinds of ink jet recording cartridges different in the number of ink containing chambers (liquid containing chambers). 
   Second Embodiment 
   Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 10 to 16 .  FIGS. 10 and 11 , respectively, are schematic sectional views of a black cartridge  300  and a color cartridge  400 , each serving as an ink jet recording cartridge according to this embodiment.  FIGS. 12 and 13 , respectively, are plan views of the black cartridge and the color cartridge as viewed from the side where a lid  301  is removed.  FIG. 14  is a plan view of the lid  301  as a single unit as viewed from the side of its joint surface with a case  303  or  403 .  FIG. 15  is a side view of the lid  301  as viewed from above in  FIG. 14 . Also,  FIG. 16  is a sectional view showing a production process of the black cartridge  300  in  FIG. 10 . 
   In this embodiment also, the black cartridge  300  and the color cartridge  400  have the same external shape, that is, the bottom portions where respective ink jet recording heads  308  and  408  are provided, are lower than the respective other bottom portions. Therefore, a hold-down member for the recording medium can be provided on both sides of the ink jet recording head  308  or  408  in the vicinity of the main scanning region, thereby allowing satisfactory recording quality to be obtained. 
   The ink supply operations in the black cartridge  300  and the color cartridge  400  are the same as that in the first embodiment. That is, respective inks held in absorbers  304 ,  404 Y,  404 M and  404 C are supplied to the ink jet recording head  308  and  408 , respectively, through filters  305  and  405 Y,  405 M and  405 C that are affixed to front ends of ink introducing sections  306 ,  406 Y,  406 M and  406 C, respectively, and then through ink flow paths  307 ,  407 Y,  407 M and  407 C, respectively. 
   As in the case of the first embodiment, in the black cartridge  300 , the absorber  304  has an L shape in conformance with the shape of the case  303  in order to increase the ink containment efficiency. Also, the ink introducing section  306  has a large bore to meet the high-speed printing requirement. Here, in order to securely bring the absorber  304  into pressure contact with the filter  305 , ribs  302 D of the lid  301 , located in the vicinity of a position directly over the filter  305  are formed to be higher than ribs  302 E and  302 F. This prevents the entry of air into the ink flow path  307 , and allows the ink to be stably supplied without causing interruption of ink supply, thereby maintaining excellent recording quality. 
   In the color cartridge  400 , ink containing chambers for three color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan are formed side by side. By using the lid  301 , which is to be shared with the black cartridge  300 , for the color cartridge  400 , ribs  302 D,  302 E, and  302 F abut against the top surfaces of the absorbers  404 Y,  404 M, and  404 C, respectively. 
   Out of the ink containing chambers of the color cartridge  400 , the ink containing chamber for yellow ink is located above the lower bottom portion in the case  403 , and consequently the position of the top surface of the absorber  404 Y for yellow ink is lower than the other absorbers  404 C and  404 M. This is because, as in the case of the first embodiment, the width and depth of the color cartridge  400  are each reduced to a small value in order to restrain the footprint of the ink jet recording device to a small value. 
   Because the absorber  404 Y and the absorbers  404 M and  404 C have different top surface heights, the ribs  302 D are higher than the other ribs  302 E and  302 F in the lid  301 . That is, the positions of the lower ends of the ribs  302 D have become positions following the position of the top end of the absorber  404 Y, and so that the ribs  302 D can appropriately press the absorber  404 Y to bring it into pressure contact with the filter  405 Y. Also, the absorbers  404 Y,  404 M, and  404 C have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the bore of each of the ink introducing sections  406 Y,  406 M, and  406 C are smaller than that of the ink introducing section  306  of the black cartridge. Hence, in the color cartridge  400 , even though the heights of ribs are uniform for each of the ink containing chambers, the absorbers  404 Y,  404 M, and  404 C, respectively, can be brought into contact with the filters  405 Y,  405 M, and  405 C in a sufficiently secure manner. 
   As described above, in this embodiment also, since the construction conditions required of the lid  301  are common between the black cartridge  300  and the color cartridge  400 , the shared lid  301  therebetween can be suitably employed. 
   The common lid between the black cartridge  300  and the color cartridge  400  is not limited to the lid shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , but a lid  401  shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18  may also be used as a common lid therebetween. In this lid  401  also, ribs  402 D located directly over the lower bottom portion in the cases  303  and  403 , are higher than the other ribs  402 E and  402 F. In general, the lid that can be used as a common lid between the black cartridge  300  and the color cartridge  400  is such that, when used for the color cartridge  400 , the lid abuts against the top surface of each of the absorbers  204 Y,  204 M, and  204 C, that its ribs at positions directly over the lower bottom portion in each of the cases  303  and  403  are higher than the other ribs, and that all its ribs are formed of patterns in a range where they do not interfere with the inner wall of the case  403 . 
   Third Embodiment 
   Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 19 to 26 .  FIGS. 19 and 24 , respectively, are schematic sectional views of a color cartridge  600  and a black cartridge  500 , each serving as an ink jet recording cartridge according to this embodiment.  FIGS. 20 and 25 , respectively, are plan views of the color cartridge  600  and the black cartridge  500  as viewed from the side where a common lid  601  therebetween is removed.  FIGS. 21 and 26  are plan views showing abutting positions of ribs  602 L of the lid  601  in the color cartridge  600  and the black cartridge  500 , respectively.  FIG. 22  is a plan view of the lid  601  as a single unit as viewed from the side of its joint surface with a case  603  or  503 . Also,  FIG. 23  is a side view of the lid  601  as viewed from above in  FIG. 22 . 
   In this embodiment also, the black cartridge  500  and the color cartridge  600  have the same external shape, that is, the bottom portions where respective ink jet recording heads  508  and  608  are provided, are lower than the respective other bottom portions. Therefore, a hold-down member for the recording medium can be provided on both sides of the ink jet recording head  508  or  608  in the vicinity of the main scanning region, thereby achieving satisfactory recording quality. 
   The ink supply operations in the black cartridge  500  and the color cartridge  600  are the same as that in the first and second embodiments. That is, respective inks held in absorbers  504 ,  604 Y,  604 M and  604 C are supplied to the ink jet recording heads  508  and  608 , respectively, through filters  505 ,  605 Y,  605 M and  605 C that are affixed to the front ends of ink introducing sections  506 ,  606 Y,  606 M and  606 C, respectively, and then through ink flow paths  507 ,  607 Y,  607 M and  607 C, respectively. 
   As in the case of the first embodiment, the inside of the case  603  of the color cartridge  600  is partitioned by a T-shaped inner wall into three ink containing chambers for yellow, magenta, and cyan colors. As in the cases of the first and second embodiments, the lid  601  jointed to this case  603  has ribs  602 S that abut against the vicinities of the center of the top surfaces of the absorbers  604 Y,  604 M, and  604 C. The absorbers  604 Y,  604 M, and  604 C are pressed by the ribs  602 S and brought into pressure contact with the filters  605 Y,  605 M, and  605 C, respectively. This prevents the entry of air into the ink flow paths  607 Y,  607 M, and  607 C, and allows the inks to be stably supplied without causing interruption of ink supply, thereby maintaining excellent recording quality. 
   In this embodiment, the lid  601  further has ribs  602 L disposed at positions higher than the ribs  602 S and along the periphery of each of the ink containing chambers. These ribs  602 S perform the function of preventing the absorber  604 Y,  604 M, and  604 C from running over the respective ink containing chambers during the production process of cartridge. Specifically, when using particularly an absorber to be inserted into a case while being compressed, if the absorber is pushed in while the vicinity of the central portion of its top surface is pressed, the peripheral portion of the absorber is likely to be left without being much compressed during the pushing-in process. As a result, the peripheral portion of the absorber may undesirably get caught in the gap between the lid and the case. In this situation, because there is a possibility of impairing junction between the lid and case by e.g., supersonic welding, it is necessary to produce the cartridge with due care to avoid causing such an occurrence. Accordingly, providing the lid  601  with the ribs  602 L that are to abut against the peripheral portion of the top surface of each of the absorbers prior to abutting against the ribs  602 S allows the peripheral portion of each of the absorbers to be reliably pushed into the respective ink containing chambers, thereby reliably preventing the running over of each of the absorbers to facilitate the production of cartridge. 
   In this embodiment, the lid  601  is also used for the black cartridge  500 . Here, the ribs  602 L abut against the periphery of the top surface of the absorber  504 , and thereby, as in the case of the color cartridge  600 , they can prevent the absorber  504  from running over the ink containing chamber during the production process of the cartridge. Furthermore, out of the ribs  602 L, one positioned in the vicinity of the central branch portion of the T-shaped inner wall is located in the vicinity of the position directly over the filter  505  as can be seen from  FIG. 26 , so that the absorber  504  can be pushed more deeply into the vicinity of the position directly over the filter  505  than into the other portions. 
   As described in the first and second embodiments, in the black cartridge  500 , the ink containing chamber has an L-shaped cross section, and the ink introducing section  506  has a large bore to meet the high-speed printing requirement. Therefore, the absorber  504  can be pushed more deeply into the vicinity of the position directly over the filter  505  than into the other portions. This allows the absorber  504  to be securely brought into pressure contact with the filter  505  disposed at the front end of the ink introducing section  506 , thereby effectively preventing the entry of air into the ink flow path  507 . 
   As is evident from the foregoing, in this embodiment, the common lid  601  between the color cartridge  600  and the black cartridge  500  can be suitably employed. To sum up, when the lid  601  is used for the color cartridge  600 , its ribs  602 L perform the function of preventing the absorbers  604 Y,  604 M, and  604 C from running over during the production process of cartridge. On the other hand, when the lid  601  is used for the black cartridge  500 , the ribs  602 L perform the function of effectively bringing the absorber  504  into pressure contact with the filter  505  in addition to the function of preventing the absorber  504  from running over during the production process of cartridge. 
   In this embodiment, the heights of all of the ribs  602 S for holding down the absorbers  604 Y,  604 M, and  604 C of the color cartridge  600  are made the same. However, as in the cases of the first and second embodiments, the ribs abutting against the absorber  604 Y may be formed to be higher than the other ribs. 
   While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.