Patent Publication Number: US-9409406-B2

Title: Recording apparatus with mounting-removing mechanism for ink cartridge

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus for executing recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mounting-removing mechanism of an ink cartridge containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet recording head. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An mounting-removing mechanism for mounting and removing an ink cartridge to and from a main body of an ink jet recording apparatus is discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-110577. 
     According to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-110577, the mounting-removing mechanism includes an operation lever, and a latching member provided on one end of the operation lever. An ink cartridge mounted on a cartridge mounting portion (hereinafter, simply referred to as “mounting portion”) of the recording apparatus main body is latched by the latching member. Further, the operation lever is supported rotatably at the central portion thereof, and a user can release the engagement (latch) between the latching member and the ink cartridge to take out the ink cartridge from the mounting portion by operating (rotating) the operation lever. 
     According to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-110577, there remains a problem in which the operation lever is erroneously operated (i.e., erroneous operation) because of the carelessness of a user. In order to prevent the operation lever from being operated erroneously, a regulation member for further regulating the latched state of the latching member may be provided on the mounting-removing mechanism. 
     In other words, if the latched state of the latching member is regulated to “non-releasable” or “releasable” by the regulation member, the latched state of the latching member can be prevented from being released carelessly. 
     However, even if the regulation member is provided thereon, once the latched state of the latching member is switched to the releasable state by the regulation member, the latching member cannot automatically return to the non-releasable state from the releasable state unless the user operates the regulation member again. 
     Therefore, once the latched state of the latching member is switched to the releasable state by the regulation member, the latching member cannot easily return to the non-releasable state again, and thus the regulation member may not be able to operate the regulation function. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a recording apparatus capable of reducing a problem of an erroneous operation at a time of mounting or removing of an ink cartridge. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, a recording apparatus includes a recording head configured to execute recording on a recording medium, a mounting portion on which an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording head is mounted, a latching member configured to be movable between a first position where the ink cartridge mounted on the mounting portion is latched and a second position where the ink cartridge mounted on the mounting portion is not latched, a regulation member configured to be movable between a regulating position where the regulation member regulates movement of the latching member and a regulation releasing position where the regulation member allows the movement of the latching member, and a return unit configured to return the regulation member to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position by contacting the regulation member moved to the regulation releasing position. 
     Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a recording apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a main portion of the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where an ink cartridge is mounted, and  FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is released from the mounted state. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a main portion of the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 5A  is a top plan view of a carriage at a driving force non-transmittable position before moving to a driving force transmittable position,  FIG. 5B  is a top plan view of the carriage at the driving force transmittable position, and  FIG. 5C  is a top plan view of the carriage moved to an ink cartridge replacement position from the driving force transmittable position. 
         FIGS. 6A to 6C  are cross-sectional views illustrating first to third states of a driving force transmission portion at the driving force non-transmittable position. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are cross-sectional views illustrating first and second states of the driving force transmission portion at the driving force transmittable position. 
         FIGS. 8A to 8C  are top plan views illustrating first to third states of the main portion of the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 9A  is a side elevation view illustrating a first state of the main portion of the recording apparatus,  FIG. 9B  is a side elevation view illustrating a state where the main portion of the recording apparatus start moving from the first state, and  FIGS. 9C and 9D  are side elevation views illustrating second and third states of the main portion of the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating an operation executed by the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 12A  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where an ink cartridge of a recording apparatus according to a variation of the first exemplary embodiment is mounted.  FIG. 12B  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is released from the mounted state. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating a main portion of a recording apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 14A to 14F  are top plan views illustrating first to sixth states of the main portion of the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a main portion of a recording apparatus according to a variation of the second exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 16A  is a cross-sectional view of the main portion illustrating a state where an access cover of the recording apparatus is opened.  FIG. 16B  is a cross-sectional view of the main portion illustrating a state where the access cover of the recording apparatus is closed. 
         FIGS. 17A to 17F  are top plan views illustrating first to sixth states of the main portion of the recording apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 11 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, a serial type ink jet recording apparatus  10  (hereinafter, referred to as “recording apparatus”) will be described as an example of the recording apparatus. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective (conceptual) view illustrating a recording apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a housing (exterior portion) A 1 . A recording unit A 2  and a mounting portion A 10  are provided (housed) within the housing A 1 . The recording unit A 2  includes a recording head  90  for executing recording mainly on a recording medium (not illustrated), and an ink cartridge  80  for supplying ink to the recording head  90  is mounted on the mounting portion A 10 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the recording unit A 2  and the mounting portion A 10  are formed integrally, and the recording unit A 2  is arranged at the bottom of the mounting portion A 10 . 
     Further, function units having respective functions, such as a sheet feeding unit, a conveyance unit, a maintenance unit, and a scanner unit, which are not illustrated in  FIG. 1 , are also arranged within the housing A 1 . 
     Further, an operation input unit A 3  which allows a user to execute an operation such as inputting an instruction is provided on the upper portion of the housing A 1 . On the other hand, a sheet setting unit A 4  for storing recording sheets, and a sheet discharge unit A 5  for storing discharged recording sheet are provided on the lower portion of the housing A 1 . 
     An opening portion  20 A which allows a user to perform replacement work of the ink cartridge  80  and an access cover  20  (door portion) capable of opening and closing the opening portion  20 A are provided on a front face of the housing A 1  facing the user. 
     A second lever  50  serving as a part of an operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) described below is provided on the opening portion  20 A of the housing A 1 . When the user replaces the ink cartridge  80 , the user can release and take out the ink cartridge  80  latched to the mounting portion A 10  by operating the operation lever unit  50 L. 
     Further, the housing A 1  is provided with a guiding member  21 . The guiding member  21  guides the ink cartridge  80  to be mounted on or removed from the mounting portion A 10  and holds a posture of the ink cartridge  80  when the mounting-removing work is executed. The guiding member  21  is arranged on the front side of the ink cartridge  80 , at a replacement position of the ink cartridge  80 . 
     Further, the housing A 1  is provided with a sensor (not illustrated) for detecting the opening or closing state of the access cover  20 , and the sensor can output an opening/closing state detection signal to a control unit (micro processing unit (MPU)  201 ) described below in response to the opening or closing of the access cover  20 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective (conceptual) view illustrating an internal configuration of the main portion of the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the mounting portion A 10  of the ink cartridge  80  is detachably mounted to a carriage  5 . Further, the recording unit A 2  (recording head  90 ) provided at the bottom portion of the mounting portion A 10  is arranged at a position opposite to the recording sheet. 
     The recording apparatus  10  further includes a main chassis  2 , a timing belt  3 , and a carriage motor  4 . The carriage  5  receives a driving force from the carriage motor  4  via the timing belt  3 , and moves in a scanning direction B orthogonal to a conveyance direction A of the recording medium while being supported by the main chassis  2 . With this operation, the ink cartridge  80  and the recording head  90  mounted on the carriage  5  can reciprocally move in the scanning direction B together with the carriage  5 . 
     The recording head  90  of the recording unit A 2  discharges ink to record an image onto the recording medium based on image information. In addition, any recording medium may be used as long as the recording head  90  can form an image by landing ink droplets thereon. For example, recording media of various materials and forms, such as a paper sheet, a fabric surface, a label surface of an optical disk, a plastic sheet, an overhead projection (OHP) sheet, and an envelope may be used. 
     Further, a code strip (not illustrated) for detecting a position of the carriage  5  is stretched in parallel with the timing belt  3 . For example, markings are formed on the code strip at pitches of 150 to 300 markings per inch. On the other hand, an encoder sensor (not illustrated) for reading the code strip is mounted on the carriage  5 . 
     Further, the above-described maintenance unit is provided on the recording apparatus  10  at a position within a moving range of the carriage  5  in the scanning direction B. The maintenance unit is provided with a recovery unit (not illustrated) for executing recovery processing on the recording head  90 , and arranged at a position facing a recording head discharge portion  93  described below. 
     Further, the recovery unit includes a cap portion (not illustrated) for capping a recording head discharge portion  93  and a suction mechanism (not illustrated) for removing residual bubbles and thickened ink within the recording head discharge portion  93  by forcibly sucking the ink in a capped state. Through the recovery processing executed by the recovery unit, functions of the recording head  90  are recovered while discharge characteristics thereof are maintained. 
     Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the ink cartridges  80  in four colors (i.e., cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) is mounted on the mounting portion A 10  and mounted on the carriage  5 . In addition, the ink cartridges  80  in four colors are arranged in parallel with each other in the scanning direction B. 
     Further, a remaining ink amount detection unit (not illustrated) is provided on the recording unit A 2 , so that presence or absence of ink within the ink cartridge  80  can be detected. When the ink within the ink cartridge  80  is consumed and absence of the ink is detected by the remaining ink amount detection unit, the recording apparatus  10  notifies the user of absence of the ink through a display unit (operation input unit A 3 ). The user can open the access cover  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 1  to replace the ink cartridge  80  in response to the reception of the above notification. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a driving force transmission portion  9  (connection means) described below is arranged at the left end portion of the main chassis  2 , so that the driving force can be transmitted upward from below. 
       FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge  80  is mounted.  FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge  80  is released from the mounted state. In addition,  FIGS. 3A and 3B  are vertical cross-sectional views seen along a direction Z in  FIG. 2  when the ink cartridge  80  has moved to a position facing the guiding member  21 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the mounting portion A 10  according to the present exemplary embodiment is mainly configured of an upper face portion  1001 , a bottom face portion  1002 , a mounting opening portion  1003 , and a rear face portion  1004 . 
     A through hole  15  through which a latching projection  70   c  of the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) passes is formed on the upper face portion  1001 . 
     A recording head joint portion  91  through which the ink can be supplied to the recording head  90  from the ink cartridge  80  is provided on the rear face portion  1004 . The recording head joint portion  91  is inserted into an ink supply port  80   b  of the ink cartridge  80  mounted thereon along a mounting direction X. With the above-described configuration, an ink supply path from the mounting portion A 10  to the recording head  90  is formed. 
     Further, an urging spring  92  that constantly generates urging force in a direction opposite to the mounting direction X is provided on the rear face portion  1004 . When the ink cartridge  80  is mounted onto the mounting portion A 10  through the mounting opening portion  1003 , the urging spring  92  is compressed and the recording head joint portion  91  is inserted into the ink supply port  80   b . Further, the latching projection  70   c  of the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) maintains the state where the ink cartridge  80  is mounted (latched) onto the mounting portion A 10 . 
     Hereinafter, the latching unit according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) is mainly configured of a first lever  70  and a second lever  50 . 
     More specifically, the first lever  70  is provided with a first end portion  70   a  and a second end portion  70   b , and mounted on the upper face portion  1001  of the mounting portion A 10  so as to be swingable about a fulcrum P 1 . 
     On the other hand, the second lever  50  is provided with a first end portion  50   a  and a second end portion  50   b , and arranged in the vicinity of an upper end portion of the opening portion  20 A of the housing A 1  (see  FIG. 1 ) so as to be swingable about a fulcrum P 2 . 
     The latching projection  70   c  is arranged on the first end portion  70   a  of the first lever  70 . The latching projection  70   c  passes through the through hole  15  of the mounting portion A 10  (i.e., upper face portion  1001 ) and enters an engagement depressed portion  80   a  of the ink cartridge  80  to form an engaged (latched) state at the first position. In other words, when the operation lever unit  50 L is positioned at the first position, the latching projection  70   c  engages with the engagement depressed portion  80   a , so that the ink cartridge  80  is latched to the mounting portion A 10 . 
     In addition, the first lever  70  is provided with an urging spring (not illustrated), so that the latching projection  70   c  is constantly urged downward. In other words, in the normal state, the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) is constantly urged to move to the first position. 
     Further, when the ink cartridge  80  is replaced, the first lever  70  is moved to a replacement position by the carriage  5  together with the mounting portion A 10 , so that the second end portion  70   b  of the first lever  70  can be brought into contact with the second end portion  50   b  of the second lever  50 . Therefore, as illustrated in  FIG. 3B , when the ink cartridge  80  is removed, the first end portion  50   a  of the second lever  50  is pushed upward, so that the second end portion  50   b  is moved downward to press the second end portion  70   b  of the first lever  70  downward. Through the above operations, the latching projection  70   c  urged by the urging spring is moved upward against the urging force thereof, so that the engagement relationship between the latching projection  70   c  and the ink cartridge is released. Therefore, at this time, the latching projection  70   c  is moved to the second position where the latching projection  70   c  does not latch the ink cartridge  80 . 
     After the latching projection  70   c  (operation lever unit  50 L) has moved to the second position, the ink cartridge  80  is separated from the mounting portion A 10  in a direction opposite to the mounting direction X because of the urging force of the urging spring  92 . 
     As describe above, the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) according to the present exemplary embodiment can move between the first position where the operation lever unit  50 L latches the ink cartridge  80  mounted on the mounting portion A 10  and the second position where the operation lever unit  50 L does not latch the ink cartridge  80  mounted on the mounting portion A 10 . Further, the operation lever unit  50 L can be moved to the second position from the first position through the user&#39;s operation. 
     Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the latching projection  70   c  is moved to the second position from the first position when the user operates and pushes the first end portion  50   a  of the second lever  50  upward. However, the second lever  50  may be moved by, for example, another external force applied thereto from another urging force applying device. 
     Further, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , a conveyance roller  6  and a sheet discharge roller  7  are driven by a conveyance motor (not illustrated) serving as a driving unit, so that a recording sheet (not illustrated) is conveyed in a conveyance direction A. Further, the recording head discharge portion  93  of the recording head  90  discharges ink to record an image onto the recording sheet conveyed into an image recording region on a platen  8 . Then, the recording sheet on which the image is recorded is further conveyed in the conveyance direction A, and discharged outside the housing A 1  via the sheet discharge unit A 5  (see  FIG. 1 ). 
     Hereinafter, a regulation member according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective (conceptual) view illustrating a main portion including a regulation member  100  of the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the regulation member  100  is arranged on the upper side of the second lever  50  so as to be able to contact an abutting portion  50   c  formed on an upper face of the second lever  50 . 
     More specifically, the regulation member  100  is attached to the housing A 1  so as to be rotatable horizontally (swingable) about a fulcrum P 3 . Further, an urging member (not illustrated) urges a regulation end portion  101  (one end portion of the regulation member  100 ) to position on the upper side (i.e., regulating position) of the abutting portion  50   c  of the second lever  50 , so that the movement of the abutting portion  50   c  in the upward direction is regulated by the regulation end portion  101 . In other words, in the normal state, the regulation member  100  is urged by the urging member in a direction opposite to a rotation direction C, and positioned in the regulating position. 
     On the other hand, when the regulation member  100  rotates about the fulcrum P 3 , the regulation end portion  101  is moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position to permit the movement of the abutting portion  50   c  in the upward direction. In other words, the regulation member  100  can move to the regulating position where the regulation member  100  regulates the movement of the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) and the regulation releasing position where the regulation member  100  permits the movement of the operation lever unit  50 L. 
     As described above, when the regulation member  100  positioned at the regulating position, the movement (swing) of the second lever  50  about the fulcrum P 2  in the upward direction is regulated thereby, and thus the first lever  70  (latching projection  70   c ) interlocking with the second lever  50  is maintained (locked) at the first position in the engaged state. Therefore, the operation lever unit  50 L that latches the ink cartridge  80  is set to be a “regulated state”, so that the engaged (mounted) state thereof will not be released by the erroneous operation executed by the user. 
     On the other hand, when the above-described “regulated state” has to be released, the regulation member  100  is rotated in the rotation direction C by a regulation releasing position moving unit described below, so that the regulation member  100  can be moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 3B , if the regulation member  100  is moved to the regulation releasing position (indicated by a solid line) where the regulation member  100  allows the movement of the first end portion  50   a  from the regulating position (indicated by a dotted line) where the regulation member  100  regulates the first end portion  50   a , the latched state of the ink cartridge  80  can be released by operating the operation lever unit  50 L. 
     Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , in the present exemplary embodiment, the regulation member  100  is arranged on the upper side of the second lever  50  against the user&#39;s operation in an operation direction F. However, the regulation member  100  may be arranged in another position as long as the regulation member  100  can counteract the user&#39;s operation acting in an operation direction thereof. For example, if the user&#39;s operation direction for pushing the first end portion  50   a  of the second lever  50  is the top-to-bottom direction, the regulation member  100  may be arranged on the lower side of the first end portion  50   a.    
     Hereinafter, the regulation releasing position moving unit that moves the regulation member  100  to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position to release the regulated state of the operation lever unit  50 L will be described. 
     The regulation releasing position moving unit according to the present exemplary embodiment includes the driving force transmission portion  9  (connection unit) illustrated in  FIG. 2  and a moving unit  9 A illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     First, a driving force connection operation performed by the driving force transmission portion  9  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 5A to 5C . Specifically,  FIG. 5A  is a top plan (conceptual) view of the carriage  5  in a driving force non-transmittable position before moving to a driving force transmittable position.  FIG. 5B  is a top plan (conceptual) view of the carriage  5  in the driving force transmittable position.  FIG. 5C  is a top plan (conceptual) view of the carriage  5  moved to an ink cartridge replacement position from the driving force transmittable position. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5A to 5C , in a case where the regulated state has to be released, an instruction for releasing the regulated state is input to the recording apparatus  10 , so that the carriage  5  on which the mounting portion A 10  is mounted moves from a normal recording region to the left end portion of the main chassis  2  where the driving force transmission portion  9  is arranged. In other words, the carriage  5  moves to a position where the driving force is transmitted thereto from a position where the driving force is not transmitted thereto. 
     Further, after the carriage  5  makes contact with the driving force transmission portion  9  arranged on the left end portion of the main chassis  2 , the carriage  5  moves to the right again and stops at the replacement position of the ink cartridge  80 , i.e., a position opposing the guiding member  21 . In addition, a driving force is transmitted to the moving unit  9 A via the driving force transmission portion  9  at the left end portion thereof. 
     Hereinafter, the driving force transmission portion  9  will be described in detail with reference to the cross-sectional views in  FIGS. 6A to 6C . 
       FIGS. 6A to 6C  are cross-sectional (conceptual) views illustrating first to third states of the driving force transmission portion  9  at the driving force non-transmittable position illustrated in  FIG. 5A . In addition,  FIGS. 6A to 6C  are vertical cross-sectional views seen in the direction Z in  FIG. 5A . Further, the mounting portion A 10  is indicated by a dotted line as a reference although the mounting portion A 10  does not exist in this cross-sectional view. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6A , the driving force transmission portion  9  is mainly configured of a conveyance roller gear  120 , an idler gear  121 , and a sheet discharge roller gear  122 . The conveyance roller gear  120  and the conveyance roller  6  are arranged in a coaxially rotatable state. Further, the sheet discharge roller gear  122  and the sheet discharge roller  7  are arranged in a coaxially rotatable state. 
     The conveyance roller  6  can rotate in a normal direction as well as in a reverse direction. When the conveyance roller  6  rotates, the idler gear  121  also rotates along with the rotation of the conveyance roller gear  120  rotating together with the conveyance roller  6 . 
     The rotating idler gear  121  causes the sheet discharge roller  7  to rotate via the sheet discharge roller gear  122  rotating together with the sheet discharge roller  7 . In addition, the conveyance roller  6  and the sheet discharge roller  7  rotate in the same direction. 
     A trigger member  130  is provided on the idler gear  121 , and the trigger member  130  can rotate in a rotation direction according to the rotation direction of the idler gear  120 . The rotation amount of the trigger member  130  is regulated by a regulation member (not illustrated). 
     The idler gear  121  includes a carriage abutting portion  131  and a pendulum abutting portion  132 . The sheet discharge roller  7  is provided with a pendulum portion  140 , and the pendulum portion  140  can rotate in a rotation direction according to the rotation direction of the sheet discharge roller  7 . The rotation amount of the pendulum portion  140  is also regulated by a regulation member (not illustrated). 
     Further, the pendulum portion  140  includes a trigger abutting plane  141  that latches the pendulum abutting portion  132 . Further, the pendulum portion  140  includes a planet gear  142  engageable with a gear  123 , so that the driving force for moving the regulation member  100  can be transmitted thereto through the gear  123 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6B , when the conveyance roller  6  rotates in the reverse rotation direction, the idler gear  121  rotates in the normal rotation direction. Along with the rotation of the idler gear  121 , the trigger member  130  also moves in the normal rotation direction until the regulation member (not illustrated) regulates the movement thereof. At this time, the sheet discharge roller  7  rotates in the reverse rotation direction and the planet gear  142  rotates in the normal rotation direction, so that the pendulum portion  140  starts rotating in the reverse rotation direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6C , after the pendulum portion  140  starts rotating in the reverse rotation direction, the trigger abutting plane  141  abuts against the pendulum abutting portion  132 . At this time, the pendulum portion  140  cannot rotate in the reverse rotation direction, and the planet gear  142  and the gear  123  are not engaged to but separated from each other. Therefore, the driving force is not transmitted to the gear  123 . 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  are cross-sectional (conceptual) views illustrating first and second states of the driving force transmission portion  9  at the driving force transmittable position illustrated in  FIG. 5B . In addition,  FIGS. 7A and 7B  are vertical cross-sectional views seen along the direction Z illustrated in  FIG. 5B . Further, the mounting portion A 10  is indicated by a dashed line. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the trigger member  130  moves in the normal rotation direction so that the carriage abutting portion  131  abuts against the recording head  90 . Therefore, the trigger member  130  and the pendulum abutting portion  132  cannot rotate any more. 
     Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 7B , when the pendulum portion  140  rotates in the reverse rotation direction, the pendulum abutting portion  132  is located at a position where the trigger abutting plane  141  does not abut against the pendulum abutting portion  132 . Therefore, the pendulum portion  140  can rotates in the reverse rotation direction up to a point where the planet gear  142  is engaged with the gear  123 . 
     Further, the engaged gear  123  can be rotated in the reverse rotation direction by the planet gear  142 , so that the driving force is transmitted upward from below. 
     As described above, unless the carriage  5  is located at a position illustrated in  FIG. 5B , the driving force of the driving force transmission portion  9  is not transmitted to the below-described moving unit  9 A (see  FIG. 4 ), so that the regulation member  100  cannot be moved via the moving unit  9 A. 
     In other words, when the carriage  5  performs a normal printing or a recovery processing (i.e., moved in a normal region), the regulation member  100  constantly regulates the operation lever unit  50 L, and thus the user cannot take out (replace) the ink cartridge  80 . 
     Subsequently, description will be given to the moving unit  9 A that makes contact with the regulation member  100  to move the regulation member  100  to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the moving unit  9 A is configured of a cam  123   a  coaxially rotatable about a fulcrum P 4  together with the gear  123  (see  FIG. 7B ) of the driving force transmission portion  9  and a regulation release member  110  capable of moving in the vertical direction along with the rotation of the cam  123   a.    
     The regulation member  100  can move in a rotation direction C when the regulation release member  110  pushes the regulation member upward. The regulation release member  110  is constantly urged in a downward direction by the force applied thereto from an urging means (not illustrated). 
     Next, an operation for moving the regulation member  100  to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position will be described. 
       FIGS. 8A to 8C  are top plan (conceptual) views illustrating first to third states of the main portion including the regulation member  100  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 8A to 8C , when the regulation member  100  is moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position, the regulation member  100  is rotated (swung) in the rotation direction C by making the fulcrum P 3  at the center. 
     More specifically, as illustrated in  FIG. 8A , when the regulation member  100  is positioned at the regulating position, the second lever  50  is regulated at a position indicated by a dotted line and cannot move. 
     Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 8B , when the regulation release member  110  moves upward (see  FIG. 4 ), the regulation member  100  is rotated in the rotation direction C by a predetermined amount and moved to the regulation releasing position. At this time, although a rotational force in a direction opposite to the rotation direction C is applied to the regulation member  100  by an urging member S 1 , the movement of the regulation member  100  in that direction is prevented by the regulation release member  110 . On the other hand, the second lever  50  can move because the regulation member  100  is located at a position (regulation releasing position) where the regulation member  100  does not regulate the second lever  50 . 
     Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 8C , when the second lever  50  is rotated (swung upward) by the user&#39;s operation, the abutting portion  50   c  is pressed against the regulation member  100 . With this operation, the regulation member  100  is further moved in the rotation direction C. The regulation member  100  is rotated by the abutting portion  50   c  (operation lever unit  50 L) up to a position (i.e., below-described regulation releasing position) separated from the regulation release member  110 . 
       FIG. 9A  is a side elevation (conceptual) view illustrating a first state of the main portion including the regulation member  100  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The side elevation view in  FIG. 9A  corresponds to the top plan view in  FIG. 8A , and illustrates a state where the regulation release member  110  is pressed against the cam  123   a  by an urging member S 2 . 
       FIG. 9B  is a side elevation (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the regulation release member  110  starts moving from the first state illustrated in  FIG. 9A . The side elevation view in  FIG. 9B  illustrates a state where the cam  123   a  rotates and pushes the regulation release member  110  upward. 
       FIG. 9C  is a side elevation (conceptual) view illustrating a second state of the main portion including the regulation member  100  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In addition, the side elevation view in  FIG. 9C  corresponds to the top plan view in  FIG. 8B . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9C or 8B , after the cam  123   a  has rotated by a 360-degree to push the regulation release member  110  upward, the regulation member  100  is located at the regulation releasing position where the regulation member  100  is held by the latching member  110   a  formed on the regulation release member  110  by making contact therewith. At this time, although a downward force is applied to the regulation release member  110  by the urging member S 2 , the regulation member  100  is held by the latching member  110   a  by making contact therewith. 
     In the above-described state, if force F is applied to the first end portion  50   a  of the second lever  50  by the user&#39;s operation, the second end portion  50   b  of the second lever  50  is moved to the second position. With this operation, the first lever  70  interlocking with the second lever  50  also swings, so that the engaged state thereof with respect to the ink cartridge  80  is released. 
       FIG. 9D  is a side elevation (conceptual) view illustrating a third state of the main portion including the regulation member  100  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In addition, the side elevation view in  FIG. 9D  corresponds to the top plan view in  FIG. 8C . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9D or 8C , when the second lever  50  further rotates (i.e., swings upward) about the fulcrum P 2  to the third position from the second position, the regulation member  100  is further moved to the regulation releasing cancelling position in the rotation direction C. In other words, because the second lever  50  (latching unit) moves to the third position farther than the second position from the first position, the regulation member  100  can return to the regulating position after the engaged state is released securely. 
     In addition, the regulation member  100  moved to the regulation releasing cancelling position is separated from the latching member  110   a . With this operation, the regulation release member  110  is pushed downward because of the urging force of the urging member S 2 . On the other hand, because the regulation release member  110  is moved (retreated) downward, the regulation member  100  returns to the regulating position because of the urging force of the urging member S 1 . 
     In other words, the operation lever unit  50 L according to the present exemplary embodiment realizes a function of the return unit, and thus the operation lever unit  50 L serves as the latching unit as well as the return unit. After the operation lever unit  50 L (second lever  50 ) moves the regulation member  100  located at the regulation releasing position to the regulation releasing cancelling position, the regulation member  100  can eventually return to the regulating position. 
     In other words, in the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment, the operation lever unit  50 L (return unit) makes contact with the regulation member  100  that has been moved to the regulation releasing position in order to allow the operation lever unit  50 L to move to the second position, so that the regulation member  100  can be returned to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position. 
     Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, in order to make the regulation member  100  return to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position, the operation lever unit  50 L is simply moved to the third position, so that the regulation member  100  is moved to the regulation releasing cancelling position. In other words, the engaged state is released and the regulation member  100  is returned to the regulating position by executing the same operation. 
     Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, by moving the operation lever unit  50 L to the third position different from the first position and the second position, the regulation member  100  is moved to the regulation releasing cancelling position. However, the second position and the third position may be the same or approximately the same position. In other words, by moving the operation lever unit  50 L (return unit) to the second position from the first position, the regulation member  100  can return to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position by making contact with the operation lever unit  50 L. 
     Further, in the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment, the regulation member  100  can be moved to the regulation releasing cancelling position where the regulation member  100  is allowed to return to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position, which is different from the regulating position or the regulation releasing position. In addition, the regulation member  100  can be returned to the regulating position after being moved to the regulation releasing cancelling position from the regulation releasing position by making contact with the operation lever unit  50 L (return unit). 
     Further, the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment is provided with the reciprocally movable carriage  5  on which the mounting portion A 10  is mounted, and a regulation releasing position moving unit for moving the regulation member  100  to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position by using the driving force transmitted from the driving source. In the reciprocal movement direction B, the carriage  5  can move to a position where the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to the regulation releasing position moving unit and a position where the driving force from the driving source is not transmitted to the regulation releasing position moving unit. The regulation member  100  can be moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position according to the movement of the carriage  5 . 
     Further, in the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment, the driving source can be configured of a conveyance motor for conveying the recording medium. 
     Further, in the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment, the release mechanism (i.e., regulation releasing position moving unit) can be provided with the driving force transmission portion  9  (connection member) which connects the release mechanism to the conveyance motor to make the release mechanism be driven thereby, and a retreat member that retreats the release mechanism from being connected to the conveyance motor in order not to make the release mechanism be driven thereby. Further, the retreat member may be configured of the carriage abutting portion  131 , the pendulum abutting portion  132 , or the trigger abutting plane  141 . 
     In addition, the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment may be provided with a detection unit for detecting a remaining ink amount within the ink cartridge  80 . Further, the moving unit  9 A may be controlled based on the information detected by the detection unit. 
       FIG. 10  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
     A micro processing unit (MPU)  201  controls operations of respective units and data processing. A read only memory (ROM)  202  stores data to be executed by the MPU  201 . A random access memory (RAM)  203  temporarily stores processing data to be executed by the MPU  201  and the data received from a host computer  214 . The recording head  90  is controlled by a recording head driver  207 . The carriage motor  4  for driving the carriage  5  is controlled by a carriage motor driver  208 . The conveyance roller  6  and the sheet discharge roller  7  are driven by a conveyance motor  205 . The conveyance motor  205  is controlled by a conveyance motor driver  209 . The MPU  201  outputs a clock signal based on the information such as a mode setting signal output from the operation input unit A 3  and a display unit  211  or a detection signal transmitted from the remaining ink amount detection unit (not illustrated). The host computer  214  is provided with a printer driver  2141 . In a case where execution of a printing operation is instructed by the user, the printer driver  2141  packs a recording image and recording information such as recording image quality, and communicates with the recording apparatus  10 . The MPU  201  exchanges recording images and the like with the host computer  214  via an interface (I/F) unit  213 . When printing data is transmitted from the host computer  214  via the I/F unit  213 , the printing data is processed by the MPU  201  and rasterized on the RAM  203 , so that a recording operation is started based on the rasterized data. 
     Next, a series of operations for replacing an ink cartridge  80  according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 11 . 
     In step S 1 , the MPU  201  outputs a replacement start signal of the ink cartridge  80 . 
     By outputting the replacement start signal, the MPU  201  causes the operation input unit A 3  and the display unit  211  to display a screen for notifying the user that the ink cartridge  80  has to be replaced. In step S 2 , the MPU  201  further displays a replacement procedure of the ink cartridge  80  on the screen, and prompts the user to open the access cover  20 . 
     In step S 3 , the MPU  201  displays the replacement procedure of the ink cartridge  80  on the screen until the MPU  201  detects that the access cover  20  is opened. 
     When the MPU  201  detects that the access cover  20  is opened (YES in step S 3 ), the processing proceeds to step S 4 . In step S 4 , the carriage motor driver  208  controls the carriage motor  4  to move the recording head  90  to the first position illustrated in  FIG. 5B . 
     After the recording head  90  is moved to the first position, then in step S 5 , the conveyance motor driver  209  controls the conveyance motor  205  to rotate the conveyance roller  6  in a reverse rotation direction by a predetermined amount. 
     Through the above-described processing performed in step S 5 , the driving force is transmitted up to the gear  123 , so that the regulation member  100  is moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position. The above-described “predetermined amount” is a sufficient amount with which the regulation member  100  can move to the position illustrated in  FIG. 9C . Then, in step S 6 , the conveyance motor driver  209  controls the conveyance motor  205  to move the replacement-target ink cartridge  80  to the replacement position illustrated in  FIG. 5C . 
     Then, in step S 7 , the MPU  201  causes the operation input unit A 3  and the display unit  211  to display a screen for notifying the user that the preparation for replacing the ink cartridge  80  is ready, and prompts the user to replace the ink cartridge  80 . 
     Next, in step S 8 , the MPU  201  determines whether the ink cartridge  80  is replaced. 
     If the ink cartridge  80  is replaced (YES in step S 8 ), the processing proceeds to step S 9 . In step S 9 , the MPU  201  determines whether another ink cartridge  80  has to be also replaced. If another ink cartridge  80  has to be replaced (YES in step S 9 ), the processing returns to step S 4 , and the MPU  201  similarly repeats the processing of steps S 4  to S 9  in order to replace another ink cartridge  80 . 
     If another ink cartridge  80  does not have to be replaced (NO in step S 9 ), the processing proceeds to step S 10 . In step S 10 , the MPU  201  prompts the user to close the access cover  20 . 
     In step S 11 , the MPU  201  displays a message prompting the user to close the access cover  20  on the screen until the MPU  201  detects that the access cover  20  is closed. 
     If the MPU  201  detects that the access cover  20  is closed (YES in step S 11 ), the processing proceeds to step S 12 . In step S 12 , the carriage motor driver  208  controls the carriage motor  4  to move the recording head  90  to the second position illustrated in  FIG. 5A . 
     Thereafter, in step S 13 , the MPU  201  executes recovery processing. 
     As described above, when the ink cartridge  80  is replaced, ink is consumed by executing the recovery processing. Accordingly, the more frequently the ink cartridge is mounted or removed, the more the ink is consumed. However, according to the recording apparatus  10  described in the present exemplary embodiment, once the user pushes the operation lever unit  50 L to remove the ink cartridge  80 , the operation lever unit  50 L is regulated by the regulation member  100  not to rotate. Therefore, the ink cartridge  80  cannot be removed unless the ink within the ink cartridge  80  is used up and the ink cartridge  80  has to be replaced. With this configuration, the ink cartridge  80  is prevented from being removed by the careless operation or the erroneous operation of the user, and the replacement frequency of the ink cartridge  80  and the amount of ink consumed by the recovery processing at the replacement can be reduced to a requisite minimum. 
     Further, because the ink cartridge  80  can be prevented from being replaced by the unnecessary operation, unused ink left within the ink cartridge  80  can be minimized, and the ink wastefully consumed by the maintenance work caused by the unnecessary replacing of the ink cartridge  80  can be minimized. Therefore, when the ink cartridge  80  is replaced, the ink cartridge  80  can be replaced appropriately while minimizing the waste, so that the efficiency and the usability can be improved. 
     Hereinafter, the recording apparatus  10  according to a variation of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 12A and 12B . 
     The present exemplary embodiment is basically the same as the first exemplary embodiment, and thus differences will be mainly described below. 
       FIG. 12A  is a cross-sectional (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge  80  is mounted.  FIG. 12B  is a cross-sectional (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge  80  is released from the mounted state.  FIGS. 12A and 12B  are vertical cross-sectional views seen in the direction Z in  FIG. 2  when the ink cartridge  80  moves to a position opposing the guiding member  21 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12A and 12B , an operation lever unit  50 L according to the present exemplary embodiment is configured of only a lever  501 . 
     The lever  501  is provided with a first end portion  501   a  and a second end portion  501   b , and attached to the upper face portion  1001  of the mounting portion A 10  so as to be swingable about a fulcrum P 5 . In addition, the lever  501  may be attached to the housing A 1 . 
     Further, a latching projection  501   c  is provided on the second end portion  501   b  of the lever  501 . Similar to the latching projection  70   c  described in the first exemplary embodiment, the latching projection  501   c  passes through the through hole  15  provided in the mounting portion A 10  (upper face portion  1001 ) and enters into the engagement depressed portion  80   a  of the ink cartridge  80  to form an engaged (latched) state at the first position. In addition, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the lever  501  is further provided with an urging spring (not illustrated), so that the latching projection  501   c  is constantly urged downward. 
     When the user operates (presses down) the first end portion  501   a  of the lever  501 , the second end portion  501   b  (latching projection  501   c ) is moved upward, so that the engagement relationship between the engagement depressed portion  80   a  (ink cartridge  80 ) and the latching projection  501   c  (operation lever unit  50 L) can be released. 
     On the other hand, the regulation member  100  for regulating the movement of the operation lever unit  50 L is provided on the housing A 1  on the upper side of the second end portion  501   b  of the lever  501 . As illustrated in  FIG. 12B , when the regulation member  100  is moved to the regulation releasing position (indicated by a solid line) from the regulating position (indicated by a dotted line), the regulated state of the operation lever unit  50 L can be released. Further, when the regulation member  100  returns to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position, the operation lever unit  50 L can return to the regulated state again. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the regulation member  100  is arranged on the upper side of the second end portion  501   b  of the lever  501 . However, the regulation member  100  may be arranged on the lower side of the first end portion  501   a  of the lever  501 . In other words, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the regulation member  100  may be arranged at another position as long as the regulation member  100  can counteract the user&#39;s operation acting in the operation direction F. 
     Further, the operation lever unit  50 L (lever  501 ) may be configured to be swingable about the fulcrum P 5 . In such a case, it is preferable that the first position (latching position), the second position (latch releasing position), and the third position (regulation releasing cancelling position) be arranged on an arc having the fulcrum P 5  at the center. 
     Furthermore, the second position may be arranged at a position between the first position and the third position. 
     Hereinafter, the recording apparatus  10  according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 13  and  FIGS. 14A to 14F . 
     The present exemplary embodiment is basically the same as the first exemplary embodiment, and thus differences will be mainly described below. 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective (conceptual) view of the main portion including a regulation member  100 A of the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment.  FIGS. 14A to 14F  are top plan (conceptual) views illustrating first to sixth states of the main portion including the regulation member  100 A illustrated in  FIG. 13 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 13  and  FIGS. 14A to 14F , the regulation member  100 A is arranged on the upper side of the second lever  50  so as to be capable of contacting the abutting portion  50   c  formed on the upper face of the second lever  50 . 
     More specifically, the regulation member  100 A is attached to the housing A 1  so as to be horizontally movable in a direction D (or opposite direction). The regulation member  100 A is moved in a direction D by receiving the driving force from the driving source (e.g., conveyance motor) through the above-described driving force transmission portion  9  (see  FIG. 2 ) serving as the regulation releasing position moving unit and the moving unit  9 A (see  FIG. 4 ). The direction D (or the opposite direction) may be the same direction as the scanning direction B. 
     Further, the regulation member  100 A includes a regulation end surface  101   a  capable of contacting the abutting portion  50   c , a groove portion  101   b , and an abutting surface  101   c . Further, the regulation end surface  101   a  is urged to position at a position contacting (abutting to) the abutting portion  50   c  by an urging member S 3 , so that the movement of the abutting portion  50   c  in a direction E is regulated by the regulation end surface  101   a . In other words, as illustrated in  FIG. 14A , in the normal state, the regulation member  100 A is positioned at the regulating position by the urging member S 3 , and the swing (rotation) of the second lever  50  about the fulcrum P 2  in the upward direction is regulated thereby. 
     On the other hand, as illustrated in  FIGS. 14B to 14D , when the regulation member  100 A is moved in the direction D by the driving force transmission portion  9  and the moving unit  9 A, the regulation end surface  101   a  is moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position. Because the regulation end surface  101   a  is retreated, the abutting portion  50   c  is allowed to move in the direction E (see  FIG. 13 ). Further, because the groove portion  101   b  engages with a projection portion  151  of a fixing portion  150  formed on the housing A 1 , the regulation member  100 A (regulation end surface  101   a ) is held at the regulation releasing position against the urging force of the urging member S 3 . 
     As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, when the regulation member  100 A is located at the regulating position, the movement of the second lever about the fulcrum P 2  in the upward direction is regulated thereby, and thus the first lever  70  (latching projection  70   c ) interlocking with the second lever  50  is maintained (locked) at the first position in the engaged state. Therefore, the operation lever unit  50 L that latches the ink cartridge  80  is set to be a regulated state, so that the engaged (mounted) state will not be released by the careless operation of the user. 
     On the other hand, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, when the regulated state of the operation lever unit  50 L has to be released, the regulation member  100 A is moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position by the regulation releasing position moving unit, so that the regulated state thereof can be released. 
     Further, according to the present exemplary embodiment, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the regulation member  100 A that is moved to the regulation releasing position can be returned to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position by the return unit. In the present exemplary embodiment, the return unit is configured of the operation lever unit  50 L (second lever  50 ). In other words, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the operation lever unit  50 L serves as the latching unit as well as the return unit according to the present invention. 
     More specifically, as illustrated in  FIGS. 14E and 14F , the operation lever unit  50 L (second lever  50 ) is swung about the fulcrum P 2 , so that the regulation member  100 A can be moved in the direction E. In other words, the abutting surface  101   c  of the regulation member  100 A is pressed by the abutting portion  50   c  of the second lever  50 , so that the regulation member  100 A is relatively moved (i.e. separated) from the fixing portion  150 . As a result, the projection portion  151  is separated from the groove portion  101   b  of the regulation member  100 A, so that the engagement relationship thereof is released. Therefore, the regulation member  100 A is returned to the regulating position by the urging force of the urging member S 3 . 
     Hereinafter, the recording apparatus  10  according to a variation of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 15 to 17F . 
     The present exemplary embodiment is basically the same as the second exemplary embodiment, and thus differences will be mainly described below. 
       FIG. 15  is a perspective (conceptual) view of the main portion including the regulation member  100 A of the recording apparatus  10  according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
       FIG. 16A  is a vertical cross-sectional (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the access cover  20  of the recording apparatus  10  is opened.  FIG. 16B  is a vertical cross-sectional (conceptual) view illustrating a state where the access cover  20  is closed. 
       FIGS. 17A to 17F  are top plan (conceptual) views illustrating first to sixth states of the main portion including the regulation member  100 A illustrated in  FIG. 15 . 
     Similar to the above-described first and the second exemplary embodiments, in the present exemplary embodiment, the access cover  20  is attached to the housing A 1  so as to be relatively movable with respect to the operation lever unit  50 L. More specifically, the access cover  20  is attached to the housing A 1  in a rotatable state through a rotation shaft P 6  provided on the lower portion thereof. 
     Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 16A , a projection portion  20 B is provided on the access cover  20 . More specifically, the projection portion  20 B is arranged on one surface of the access cover  20  facing the inner portion of the housing A 1  so as to be projected toward the interior thereof, and an abutting portion  20 C is provided on a leading end thereof. When the access cover  20  is opened, the projection portion  20 B is arranged at a position where the abutting portion  20 B does not contact the regulation member  100 A. In such a state, if the regulation member  100 A is located at the regulating position, the operation lever unit  50 L (latching unit) is regulated and cannot move (swing). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 16B , when the access cover  20  is closed, the abutting portion  20 C of the projection portion  20 B is arranged at a position where the abutting portion  20   c  can contact the regulation member  100 A positioned on the upper side of the second lever  50 . 
     Similar to  FIGS. 14A to 14D  described in the second exemplary embodiment,  FIGS. 17A to 17D  are diagrams illustrating positional relationships between the regulation member  100 A and the operation lever unit  50 L. As illustrated in  FIG. 17A , the projection portion  20 B does not contact the regulation member  100 A even if the access cover  20  is closed. 
     On the other hand, as illustrated in  FIGS. 17E and 17F , if the access cover  20  is closed after the regulation member  100 A is moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position by the regulation releasing position moving unit, the projection portion  20 B contacts the abutting surface  101   d  of the regulation member  100 A. 
     With this configuration, the abutting surface  101   d  of the regulation member  100 A is pressed by the projection portion  20 B, so that the regulation member  100 A is relatively moved (separated) from the fixing portion  150 . Therefore, the regulation member  100 A can be moved in the direction E interlocking with the operation for closing the access cover  20 . As a result, the projection portion  151  is separated from the groove portion  101   b  of the regulation member  100 A, so that the engagement relationship thereof is released. Further, the regulation member  100 A is returned to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position by the urging force of the urging member S 3 . In other words, the return unit according to the present invention is configured of the projection portion  20 B according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
     Further, the return unit (projection portion  20 B) according to the present exemplary embodiment may be changed appropriately and applied to the first exemplary embodiment. For example, the abutting surface  20 C of the projection portion  20 B may be brought into contact with a side surface of the regulation member  100  in  FIGS. 8A to 8C , so that the regulation member  100  is rotated about the fulcrum P 3  in the rotation direction C and moved from the regulation releasing position in  FIG. 8B  to the regulation releasing cancelling position in  FIG. 8C  to return to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position. 
     As described above, the return unit (projection portion  20 B) according to the present exemplary embodiment is fixed to the access cover  20  serving as a movable member relatively movable with respect to the regulation member  100 A, and provided with the abutting portion  20 C capable of contacting the regulation member  100 A. Furthermore, due to the movement of the abutting portion  20 C interlocking with the movable member (access cover  20 ), the regulation member  100 A can return to the regulating position from the regulation releasing position. 
     According to the recording apparatus described in the present exemplary embodiment, by providing the regulation member, the latching unit is less likely to be operated carelessly. Further, even in a case where the regulation member is operated carelessly and moved to the regulation releasing position from the regulating position, the regulation member can be easily returned to the regulating position by the return unit. As a result, the latching unit is regulated again by the regulation member that has been returned to the regulating position, so that the ink cartridge can be prevented from being removed from the mounting portion because of the careless operation executed on the latching unit. 
     Accordingly, the user can remove and mount (replace) the ink cartridge only when necessary, and thus the ink cartridge is prevented from being removed by the careless operation. With this configuration, the usability thereof can be improved. 
     Further, it is possible to minimize the unused ink left within the ink cartridge caused by the removing and mounting operations of the ink cartridge. In other words, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the ink cartridge is removed from the mounting portion because of the careless operation and the usable ink cartridge is replaced with new one, because the user cannot judge the remaining ink amount correctly. Thus, it is possible to avoid the problem of wasteful work and wasteful ink consumption resulting from the above-described situation. 
     Further, it is possible to minimize the ink wastefully consumed by the maintenance work associated with the mounting-removing operation of the ink cartridge. Therefore, it is possible to save the effort for executing a suction operation (i.e., maintenance operation) for suctioning the ink within an ink flow channel, which is to be executed in order to eliminate the air (bubbles) mixing into the ink flow channel because of the careless removing and mounting operations. 
     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 exemplary embodiments. 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. 
     This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-170983, filed Aug. 25, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.