Patent Publication Number: US-9889671-B2

Title: Liquid container, liquid container unit, and liquid supply apparatus

Description:
Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Application No. 2015-049559 filed on Mar. 12, 2015 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to techniques regarding liquid containers that include liquid containing portion and a liquid injection port. 
     2. Related Art 
     In recent years, liquid containers having a liquid containing portion capable of containing liquid, and a liquid injection port for injecting the liquid into the liquid containing portion are known (e.g., JP-A-2014-54825 and JP-A-2012-144016). A user can inject the liquid into the liquid containing portion from the liquid injection port. The liquid containers disclosed in JP-A-2014-54825 and JP-A-2012-144016 have a visual check face through which a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion can be visually checked from the outside. 
     In the above technique, for example, the liquid outflows from a liquid injection portion, or the liquid erroneously drips around the liquid injection port when the liquid is injected from the liquid injection port into the liquid containing portion. 
     In the technique disclosed in JP-A-2014-54825, the liquid container is provided with an absorber that absorbs the liquid (i) around the liquid injection port, (ii) in a portion from the periphery of the liquid injection port up to the visual check face, or (iii) in a portion from the periphery of the liquid injection port up to a face that is different from the visual check face. This liquid container has an inclined face in which the liquid injection port is arranged and that inclines such that the side on which the visual check face is located is lower, and a projecting portion that dams up the liquid and is provided in a portion of the inclined face at the boundary between the inclined face and the visual check face. 
     For example, a vibration is applied to the liquid container, or the posture of the liquid container changes due to transportation of the liquid container in some cases. In such cases, there is concern that the liquid existing in the inclined face goes along a face of the liquid container other than portions in which the projecting portion and the absorber are arranged, and reaches the visual check face. In particular, there is concern that the liquid absorbed by the absorber leaks out and reaches the visual check face. 
     In the technique disclosed in JP-A-2012-144016, furthermore, a bottom face cover member that constitutes a bottom face in a liquid supply posture at the time of supplying the liquid to a liquid consuming apparatus is disclosed. This bottom face cover member has a groove-shaped liquid retaining portion for retaining the liquid. In the technique disclosed in JP-A-2012-144016, when in an injection state where the liquid is injected from the liquid injection port to the liquid containing portion, the visual check face is located below the liquid retaining portion. In this injection state, the bottom face cover member is erected with respect to an installation surface, and therefore, there is a possibility that the liquid existing in the liquid retaining portion flows to the visual check face side. 
     If the liquid is attached to the visual check face, it is difficult to visually check the liquid surface in the liquid containing portion from the outside via the visual check face in some cases. Accordingly, a technique capable of reducing the possibility of attachment of the liquid to the visual check face is desired. Also, a technique capable of reducing the possibility of attachment of the liquid to the periphery of the liquid container is desired. Also, regarding the known techniques, cost-reduction, resource-saving, simplification in manufacturing, improvement in usage, or the like are desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention has been made in order to solve at least some of the foregoing problems, and can be achieved as the following modes or application examples. 
     (1) According to a mode of the invention, a liquid container having a liquid containing portion capable of containing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus, and a liquid injection port for injecting the liquid to the liquid containing portion is provided. This liquid container includes: a liquid retaining portion that can retain the liquid and has an injection port forming face in which the liquid injection port is arranged; a visual check face that intersects the injection port forming face and through which a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion can be visually checked from the outside; and a container guiding path that guides the liquid existing in the injection port forming face in a direction different from a direction toward the visual check face. 
     According to this mode, it is possible to suppress, using the container guiding path, a flow of the liquid existing in the injection port forming face toward the visual check face. Accordingly, the possibility that the liquid reaches the visual check face can be reduced. 
     (2) The liquid container according to the above mode may further include a suppressing portion that suppresses a flow of the liquid existing in the container guiding path toward the visual check face. 
     According to this mode, even if the liquid that has flowed out from the container guiding path flows toward the visual check face, the possibility that the liquid reaches the visual check face can be reduced by the suppressing portion. This configuration can reduce the possibility that the liquid is attached to the visual check face. 
     (3) The liquid container according to the above mode may further include a side wall that intersects the injection port forming face and the visual check face, wherein the container guiding path includes an opening portion formed in the side wall, and the suppressing portion includes a projecting portion that projects in a direction having a direction component parallel with the visual check face from a position between a portion of the side wall in which the opening portion is formed and a side portion in which the visual check face is located. 
     According to this mode, even if the liquid that has flowed through the opening portion flows toward the visual check face, the possibility that the liquid reaches the visual check face can be reduced by the projecting portion. 
     (4) In the liquid container according to the above mode, the projecting portion may constitute at least a part of the container guiding path. 
     According to this mode, a member for configuring the container guiding path and a member for configuring the suppressing portion can be formed using a common member. 
     (5) The liquid container according to the above mode may further include a visual check face forming wall that forms the visual check face, wherein the projecting portion is a face of the visual check face forming wall on a side opposite to the visual check face. 
     According to this mode, it is not necessary to form the projecting portion and the visual check face using different walls. 
     (6) According to another mode of the invention, a liquid container unit including: a liquid container having a liquid containing portion capable of containing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus, and a liquid injection port for injecting the liquid to the liquid containing portion; and a case that houses the liquid container is provided. The case of this liquid container unit has a lower case, and the lower case includes: a case recessed portion that is located within the case and is open on a side on which the liquid container is located, the case recessed portion being capable of storing the liquid, and a case guiding path forming portion for guiding the liquid to the case recessed portion, the case guiding path forming portion being located within the case and arranged at a position higher than a bottom face of the case recessed portion. 
     According to this mode, the liquid that has flowed to the inside of the lower case can be guided to the case recessed portion by the case guiding path forming portion. 
     (7) In the liquid container unit according to the above mode, the liquid container may include: a liquid retaining portion that can retain the liquid and has an injection port forming face in which the liquid injection port is arranged; a visual check face that intersects the injection port forming face and through which a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion can be visually checked from the outside; and a container guiding path that guides the liquid existing in the injection port forming face in a direction different from a direction toward the visual check face, and the container guiding path may be in communication with the case recessed portion. 
     According to this mode, since the container guiding path and the case recessed portion are in communication with each other, the liquid in the container guiding path can be caused to flow into the case recessed portion. 
     (8) In the liquid container unit according to the above mode, the lower case may further have a case guiding path forming wall that forms the case guiding path forming portion, and the case guiding path forming wall may have a holding portion that can be held and is formed in a portion on a side opposite to the case guiding path forming portion. 
     According to this mode, the case guiding path forming portion and the holding portion can be formed using the case guiding path forming wall. 
     (9) In the liquid container unit according to the above mode, the case may have an upper case, and the liquid container may be fixed to the upper case. 
     According to this mode, the liquid container can be fixed to the upper case. 
     (10) In the liquid container unit according to the above mode, the lower case may have a bottom face forming member that forms the bottom face of the case recessed portion, and the lower case may be arranged such that a face of the bottom face forming member on a side opposite to the bottom face of the case recessed portion faces an installation surface when in a use state where the liquid is supplied from the liquid container unit to the liquid consuming apparatus, and in an injection state where the liquid is injected from the liquid injection port to the liquid containing portion. 
     According to this mode, it is possible to reduce the possibility of an outflow of the liquid existing in the case recessed portion to the visual check face or the outside of the liquid container unit when in the use state and the injection state. 
     (11) In the liquid container unit according to the above mode, the case recessed portion may be in communication with a waste liquid storing portion provided in the liquid consuming apparatus for storing the liquid after being consumed. 
     According to this mode, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the overflow of the liquid that has flowed into the case recessed portion to the periphery. 
     (12) According to another mode of the invention, a liquid container having a liquid containing portion capable of containing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus, and a liquid injection port for injecting the liquid to the liquid containing portion is provided. This liquid container includes: a liquid retaining portion that can retain the liquid and has an injection port forming face in which the liquid injection port is arranged; a visual check face that intersects the injection port forming face and through which a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion can be visually checked from the outside; and a guiding path that guides the liquid existing in the injection port forming face in a direction different from a direction toward the visual check face, the guiding path being in communication with a waste liquid storing portion provided in the liquid consuming apparatus. 
     According to this mode, it is possible to reduce, using the guiding path, the possibility that the liquid existing in the injection port forming face reaches the visual check face. It is also possible to cause the liquid in the guiding path to flow into the waste liquid storing portion of the liquid consuming apparatus. 
     (13) According to another mode of the invention, a liquid supply apparatus having a plurality of liquid containers capable of containing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus is provided. The plurality of liquid containers of this liquid supply apparatus each include: a liquid containing portion capable of containing the liquid; a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid to the liquid containing portion; a liquid retaining portion that can retain the liquid and has a liquid supply port forming face in which the liquid supply port is arranged; and a visual check face that intersects the liquid supply port forming face and through which a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion can be visually checked from the outside, one of the plurality of liquid containers has the liquid containing portion whose volume is larger than a volume of the liquid containing portion of each of the other of the plurality of liquid containers, and the liquid retaining portion of the one of the plurality of liquid containers has a higher liquid retaining capability than a liquid retaining capability of the liquid retaining portion of each of the other of the plurality of liquid containers. 
     In general, more liquid is injected from the liquid supply port to the one of the liquid containers having a larger volume of the liquid containing portion than to the other of the liquid containers. Accordingly, when supplying the liquid, there is a possibility that more liquid scatters around the liquid supply port of the one of the liquid containers. According to this mode, since the liquid retaining portion of the one of the liquid containers has a higher liquid retaining capability than the liquid retaining capability of the liquid retaining portion of each of the other of the liquid containers, more liquid can be retained by the liquid retaining portion of the one of the liquid containers. This configuration can reduce the possibility that the liquid reaches the visual check face. 
     (14) In the liquid supply apparatus according to the above mode, the liquid retaining portion may include a recessed portion whose bottom face is the liquid supply port forming face. 
     According to this mode, the liquid can be retained by the recessed portion. 
     (15) In the liquid supply apparatus according to the above mode, the liquid retaining portion may include a liquid absorber. 
     According to this mode, the liquid can be retained by the liquid absorber. 
     (16) The liquid supply apparatus according to the above mode may further include a container guiding path that guides the liquid existing in the liquid supply port forming face in a direction different from a direction toward the visual check face. 
     According to this mode, it is possible to suppress a flow of the liquid existing in the liquid supply port forming face toward the visual check face. Accordingly, the possibility that the liquid reaches the visual check face can be further reduced. 
     Not all of the plurality of constituent elements that each of the above-described modes of the invention has are essential, and modification, deletion, replacement with other new constituent elements, and partial deletion of the limitation can be made as appropriate for some constituent elements in the plurality of constituent elements in order to solve some or all of the foregoing problems, or to achieve some or all of the effects described in the specification. It is also possible to combine some or all of the technical features included in one of the above-described modes of the invention with some or all of the technical features included in the other of the above-described modes of the invention to make an independent mode of the invention, in order to solve some or all of the foregoing problems, or to achieve some or all of the effects described in the specification. 
     For example, an apparatus according to a mode of the invention may be achieved as an apparatus including one or more of a plurality of elements that are the liquid retaining portion, the visual check face, and the container guiding path. That is to say, this apparatus may or may not have the liquid retaining portion. This apparatus may or may not have the visual check face. This apparatus may or may not have the container guiding path. For example, an apparatus according to another mode of the invention may be achieved as an apparatus including one or more of a plurality of elements that are the case recessed portion and the case guiding path forming portion. That is to say, this apparatus may or may not have the case recessed portion. This apparatus may or may not have the case guiding path forming portion. This apparatus may also be achieved as an apparatus including one or more of a plurality of elements that are the liquid containing portion, the liquid supply port, the liquid retaining portion, and the visual check face. That is to say, this apparatus may or may not have the liquid containing portion. This apparatus may or may not have the liquid supply port. This apparatus may or may not have the liquid retaining portion. This apparatus may or may not have the visual check face. According to these various modes, it is possible to solve at least one of various problems that are a reduction in the size of the apparatus, cost-reduction, resource-saving, simplification in manufacturing, improvement in usage, or the like. Any of some or all of the technical features in the respective modes of the above-described liquid container or liquid container unit can be applied to this apparatus. 
     Note that the invention can be achieved in various modes, and may be achieved not only as a liquid container and a liquid container unit, but also in modes such as a liquid consuming system including a liquid container and a liquid consuming apparatus and a liquid consuming system including a liquid container unit and a liquid consuming apparatus. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements. 
         FIG. 1  is an external view of a liquid consuming system that serves as a first embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective external view of a liquid container unit. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective external view of a liquid container. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective external view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 6  is a right side view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 9  is a back view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 10  is a left side view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective external view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective external view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective external view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 14  is a front view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 15  is a right side view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 16  is a top view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 17  is a bottom view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 18  is a back view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 19  is a left side view of the liquid container. 
         FIG. 20  is an exploded perspective view of a case body. 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective external view of a lower case. 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective external view of an upper case. 
         FIG. 23  is a diagram showing the liquid container unit as viewed from the back side. 
         FIG. 24  is a diagram for illustrating an attachment mechanism. 
         FIG. 25  is a diagram for illustrating a liquid container that serves as a second embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a diagram for illustrating a liquid container that serves as the second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A. First Embodiment 
     A-1. Description of Liquid Consuming System  1 : 
       FIG. 1  is an external view of a liquid consuming system  1 , which serves as a first embodiment of the invention. In  FIG. 1 , XYZ axes, which are orthogonal to one another, are indicated. Note that XYZ axes that correspond to those in  FIG. 1  are also indicated in other diagrams as necessary. 
     The liquid consuming system (liquid ejection system)  1  includes a printer  10 , which serves as a liquid consuming apparatus (liquid ejection apparatus), and a liquid container unit  30 . When in a use state where the liquid consuming system  1  (liquid container unit  30 ) is used, the printer  10  and the liquid container unit  30  are installed on a horizontal surface that is defined by an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, That is to say, a Z-axis direction is a vertical direction (up-down direction). A −Z-axis direction is a vertically downward direction, and a +Z-axis direction is a vertically upward direction. The use state of the liquid consuming system  1  (liquid container unit  30 ) refers to a state where ink, which serves as liquid, can be supplied from the liquid container unit  30  to the printer  10 . 
     The printer  10  is an inkjet printer. The printer  10  includes a recording head  14  that discharges the ink to a recording medium such as paper, a housing  12  that houses the recording head  14 , and a waste liquid storing portion  76 . The housing  12  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing  12  includes a front face (first face, first wall)  102 , a left side face (second face, second wall)  104 , a right side face (third face, third wall)  106 , an upper face (fourth face, fourth wall)  107 , a bottom face (fifth face, fifth wall)  108 , and a back face (sixth face, sixth wall)  109 . The faces  102 ,  104 ,  106 ,  107 ,  108 , and  109  constitute the housing  12 , which is an outer shell of the printer  10 . A discharge tray  16 , to which a recording medium such as paper is discharged, is provided in the front face  102 . 
     The front face  102  and the back face  109  oppose each other. The left side face  104  and the right side face  106  oppose each other. The front face  102 , the back face  109 , the left side face  104 , and the right side face  106  are faces that are substantially perpendicular to a surface on which the printer  10  is installed. The upper face  107  and the bottom face  108  oppose each other. The upper face  107  and the bottom face  108  are faces that are substantially horizontal with respect to the surface on which the printer  10  is installed. The left side face  104  and the right side face  106  intersect the front face  102  and the back face  109 . Here, being “substantially perpendicular” or being “substantially horizontal” means being almost “perpendicular” or “horizontal” as well as being completely “vertical” or “horizontal”. That is to say, the faces  102 ,  104 ,  106 ,  107 ,  108 , and  109  are faces that are not completely flat but include projections, recesses, or the like, and therefore, these faces need only be almost “perpendicular” or almost “horizontal” in the appearance. 
     A direction in which the left side face  104  and the right side face  106  oppose each other is the X-axis direction. A direction in which the front face  102  and the back face  109  oppose each other is the Y-axis direction. A direction in which the upper face  107  and the bottom face  108  oppose each other is the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction is a “width direction” of the printer  10 , the Y-axis direction is a “depth direction” of the printer  10 , and the Z-axis direction is a “height direction” of the printer  10 . 
     The recording head  14  is configured to be able to move in a main scanning direction (X-axis direction). Printing (recording) is performed on the recording medium as a result of the recording medium being conveyed in the Y-axis direction within the housing  12  and the ink being discharged from the recording head  14 . Note that although in this embodiment, the recording head  14  is configured to be able to move in the main scanning direction, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the recording head  14  may be a line head that extends in the X-axis direction and whose position is fixed. 
     The waste liquid storing portion  76  is arranged within the housing  12 . The waste liquid storing portion  76  stores ink after being consumed. The waste liquid storing portion  76  is a container for collecting unused liquid (in this embodiment, ink that has not been used in printing). The waste liquid storing portion  76  is in communication with a flushing mechanism portion  78  that is used to remove a foreign matter (e.g., an air bubble) in a liquid discharge port of the recording head  14 . Specifically, the waste liquid storing portion  76  and the flushing mechanism portion  78  are in communication with each other through a later-described communication path  77 , which serves as a tube. The flushing mechanism portion  78  absorbs ink from the liquid discharge port of the recording head  14 . The thus-absorbed ink is stored as ink (waste liquid) that has not been used in printing, in the waste liquid storing portion  76 . 
     The liquid container unit  30  is attached to an outer wall face of the housing  12 . In this embodiment, the liquid container unit  30  is attached to the right side face  106  of the housing  12 . The liquid container unit (tank unit, liquid supply apparatus)  30  has a case  40 , and a plurality of liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y that are arranged within the case  40 . The plurality of liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y are arranged within the case  40  such that a part (a later-described visual check face  501  in which an upper limit portion LM is provided) thereof can be visually checked from the outside. With this configuration, the amount of ink (liquid surface of the ink) contained in the liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y can be visually checked from the outside of the case  40 . The plurality of liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y are arranged in the Y-axis direction. 
     The case  40  has a case body  44  that houses the liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y, and a cover  42  that is attached to the case body  44  in an openable and closable manner. When the cover  42  is in a closed state, the cover  42  mainly constitutes an upper face of the case  40 . The inside of the case  40  forms a space portion that contains the liquid containers  50 . A detailed configuration of the case  40  will be described later. 
     A liquid container  50 K contains black ink. A liquid container  50 C contains cyan ink. A liquid container  50 M contains magenta ink. A liquid container  50 Y contains yellow ink. The plurality of liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y are in communication with the recording head  14  respectively through corresponding communication tubes (liquid supply tubes)  99 K to  99 Y. The ink contained in the plurality of liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y is supplied to the recording head  14  respectively through the corresponding liquid supply tubes  99 K to  99 Y by a supply mechanism (not shown), such as a pump, provided in the printer  10 . Thus, the liquid supply tubes  99 K to  99 Y are used to connect the liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y to the printer  10  (specifically, the recording head  14 ) and supply the ink to the printer  10 . 
     When referring to the plurality of liquid containers  50 K to  50 Y without distinction, a reference numeral “ 50 ” will be used. When referring to the plurality of liquid supply tubes  99 K to  99 Y that serve as communication tubes without distinction, a reference numeral “ 99 ” will be used. Note that although the number of liquid containers  50  is four, the number is not limited thereto. For example, the number of liquid containers  50  may be three or smaller, or may be five or larger. Although the liquid container unit  30  is attached to the right side face  106  of the housing  12 , the liquid container unit  30  may be attached to other faces (e.g., left side face  104 ) of the housing  12 . 
     Two communication paths  77  are provided in the liquid container unit  30 . The communication paths  77  are in communication with the inside of a lower case  44 B of the case  40 . Note that details of the communication paths  77  and the case  40  will be described later. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective external view of the liquid container unit  30 . In the liquid container  50 K shown in  FIG. 2 , a plug member  200  has been removed from a liquid injection port (liquid supply port, liquid receiving port)  52 . The liquid injection port  52  is open in the vertically upward direction when in the use state of the liquid container  50  (liquid container unit  30 ) when supplying the ink from the liquid container  50  to the recording head  14 , and in the injection state of the liquid container  50  (liquid container unit  30 ) when injecting the ink from the liquid injection port  52  into the liquid container  50  (later-described liquid containing portion). The liquid injection port  52  is closed by the plug member  200  when in the use state. When injecting the ink into the liquid container  50 , the user opens the cover  42  as shown in  FIG. 2 , and thereafter removes the plug member  200  from the liquid injection port  52 . Then, the ink is injected from the liquid injection port  52  into the liquid container  50 . 
     The case  40  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape when in a closed state, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The case  40  has a first face  401  to a sixth face  406  that constitute an outer shell. A first face (case first wall, case front face)  401  and a second face (case second wall, case back face)  402  oppose each other. A third face (case third wall, case first side face)  403  and a fourth face (case fourth wall, case second side face)  404  oppose each other. In a state where the cover  42  is closed, a fifth face (case fifth wall, case upper face)  405  and a sixth face (case sixth wall, case bottom face)  406  oppose each other. In this embodiment, the first face  401  and the second face  402  oppose each other in the X-axis direction, the third face  403  and the fourth face  404  oppose each other in the Y-axis direction, and the fifth face  405  and the sixth face  406  oppose each other in the Z-axis direction. The first face  401  to the fourth face  404  are faces that are substantially perpendicular to the installation surface. The fifth face  405  constitutes an upper face of the case  40 , and the sixth face  406  constitutes a bottom face of the case  40 . The X-axis direction is a “depth direction” of the case  40 , the Y-axis direction is a “width direction” of the case  40 , and the Z-axis direction is a “height direction” of the case  40 . 
     The first face  401  has visual check portions  445  that are configured such that upper limit portions LM can be visually checked from the outside. The visual check portions  445  are openings that are formed in the first face  401 . Note that in another embodiment, the visual check portions  445  may not be by formed as openings, and the opening portions may be formed by transparent members or translucent members. The second face  402  is attached to the housing  12  ( FIG. 1 ) by an attachment member such as a screw. In the second face  402 , openings (not shown) are formed in order to arrange the liquid supply tubes  99  ( FIG. 1 ). Thus, the second face  402  is a back face that faces the housing  12 , and the first face  401  is a front face that opposes the back face  402  with a space for housing the liquid containers  50  therebetween. 
     The case body  44  houses the liquid containers  50  such that a part (upper end portion) of each liquid injection port  52  is located outside. Note that the case body  44  may contain the liquid container  50  such that a part (upper end portion) of each liquid injection port  52  is not located outside, and a part (upper end portion) of each liquid injection port  52  can be visually checked from the outside when in a state where the plug portion  200  for closing the liquid injection port  52  has been removed. The case body  44  mainly forms the first face  401  to the fourth face  404 , and the sixth face  406 . The case body  44  has an upper case  44 A and the lower case  44 B. The upper case  44 A is located above the lower case  44 B when in the use state and the injection state of the liquid container unit  30 . 
     The upper case  44 A mainly constitutes the first face  401 , the second face  402 , the third face  403 , and the fourth face  404 . The lower case  44 B mainly constitutes the sixth face  406 . That is to say, the lower case  44 B is a bottom portion of the case body  44 . The lower case  44 B, which serves as the bottom portion of the case body  44  (case  40 ), is located below the liquid injection ports  52  and the visual check portions  445  in the vertical direction. The lower case  44 B serving as the bottom portion also constitutes a bottom face of the case  40  that is in contact with the installation surface. 
     Four plug member arrangement portions  491  for arranging the plug members  200  that have been removed from the liquid injection ports  52  are formed in a face of the case body  44  on the side in the +Z-axis direction. The plug member arrangement portions  491  each have a recessed portion and a protrusion  491 T that projects from a bottom face of the recessed portion. The protrusion  491 T is located at a position higher than a later-described case recessed portion  434  ( FIG. 21 ) and a later-described case guiding path forming portion  441  ( FIG. 21 ). 
     The cover  42  ( FIG. 2 ) mainly forms the fifth face  405 , which is an upper face. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover  42  has an axis-side end portion  40   fa , which is an end portion on the second face  402  (housing  12  in  FIG. 1 ) side, and a free end portion  40   fb , which is an end portion on the first face  401  side. The cover  42  opens and closes as a result of the free end portion  40   fb  rotating around the axis-side end portion  40   fa.    
     A-2. Detailed Configuration of Liquid Container  50 : 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective external view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 4  is a perspective external view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 5  is a front view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 6  is a right side view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 7  is a top view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 9  is a back view of the liquid container  50 K.  FIG. 10  is a left side view of the liquid container  50 K. The liquid container  50 K that contains black ink will be described using  FIGS. 3 to 10 . Note that  FIGS. 3 to 10  omit the plug member  200  ( FIG. 2 ) that is detachably attached to the liquid injection port  52 . 
     The liquid container  50 K ( FIG. 3 ) includes a liquid container body  58  in which the liquid injection port  52  is formed, and a film member  300 . The liquid container body  58  has a recessed shape, i.e., is open on the third face  503  side, the third face  503  serving as a side face. The film member  300  is attached to the liquid container body  58  by means of adhesion or the like in an airtight manner so as to close the opening on the third face  503  side. Specifically, the film member  300  is attached in an airtight manner to a single-hatched portion in  FIG. 6  in a side face of the liquid container body  58 . Accordingly, the film member  300  forms the third face  503 . An air chamber  53 , an air communication path  55 , and a liquid containing portion  51 , which will be described later, are demarcated and formed by the liquid container body  58  and the film member  300 . 
     The liquid container  50 K includes the liquid containing portion  51  ( FIG. 3 ), the liquid injection port  52  ( FIG. 3 ), an air introduction port  56  ( FIG. 3 ), and a liquid leading portion  54  ( FIG. 8 ). The liquid containing portion  51  can contain ink that is to be supplied to the printer  10 . The ink can be injected from the liquid injection port  52  to the liquid containing portion  51 . The air can be introduced from the air introduction port  56  to the liquid containing portion  51  with consumption of the ink in the liquid containing portion  51 . The liquid leading portion  54  can lead the ink to the outside (in this embodiment, to the printer  10 ). The liquid container  50 K ( FIG. 6 ) further has an air chamber  53  that is connected to the air introduction port  56 , and an air communication path  55  that connects the air chamber  53  to the liquid containing portion  51 . The air communication path  55  is a meandering flow path. With this configuration, a flow path length can be ensured in order to suppress evaporation of the ink in the liquid containing portion  51 . Note that the air chamber  53  has a volume with which a predetermined amount of ink or more can be retained when the ink flows back toward the air introduction port  56 . Note that in another embodiment, the air chamber  53  and the air communication path  55  may be omitted, and the air introduction port  56  may be directly connected to the liquid containing portion  51 . 
     The liquid injection port  52  ( FIG. 3 ) has a tubular shape. The liquid injection port  52  is connected to the liquid containing portion  51 . The liquid leading portion  54  is in communication with the bottom portion of the liquid containing portion  51 . The corresponding liquid supply tube  99  ( FIG. 1 ) is connected to the liquid leading portion  54 . The ink in the liquid containing portion  51  flows toward the recording head  14  through the liquid leading portion  54  and the liquid supply tube  99 . With consumption of the ink in the liquid containing portion  51 , the liquid surface of the ink in the liquid containing portion  51  lowers, and the air is introduced from the air introduction port  56  to the liquid containing portion  51 . 
     The liquid container  50 K ( FIGS. 3, 4, and 8 ) has a plurality of faces (walls)  501  to  507  that constitute an outer shell. Specifically, the liquid container  50 K has a first face (container first wall, container front face)  501 , a second face (container second wall, container back face)  502 , a third face (container third wall, container first side face)  503 , a fourth face (container fourth wall, container second side face)  504 , a fifth face (container fifth wall, container upper face)  505 , a sixth face (container sixth wall, container bottom face)  506 , and a connecting face (seventh face, container connecting wall)  507 . 
     When in a first state of the liquid container  50 K where the liquid injection port  52  is open in the vertically upward direction, the fifth face  505  is located above the liquid containing portion  51  (inside of the liquid container  50 K). The sixth face  506  is located below the liquid containing portion  51  (inside of the liquid container  50 K) when in the first state. The first face  501  and the second face  502  oppose each other. The third face  503  and the fourth face  504  oppose each other. The fifth face  505  and the sixth face  506  oppose each other. In this embodiment, the first face  501  and the second face  502  oppose each other in the X-axis direction, the third face  503  and the fourth face  504  oppose each other in the Y-axis direction, and the fifth face  505  and the sixth face  506  oppose each other in the Z-axis direction. The connecting face  507  ( FIG. 4 ) is a curved face that connects the first face  501  and the fourth face  504 , which are flat faces, to each other. The X-axis direction is a “depth direction” of the liquid container  50 K, the Y-axis direction is a “width direction” of the liquid container  50 K, and the Z-axis direction is a “height direction” of the liquid container  50 K. The “first state” is the same state as the injection state and the use state of the liquid container  50 . 
     The first face  501  is configured such that the liquid surface of the ink in the liquid containing portion  51  can be visually checked from the outside. In this embodiment, the first face  501  is formed by a transparent or translucent member, thereby allowing the liquid surface of the ink in the liquid containing portion  51  to be visually checked from the outside. Accordingly, the first face  501  will also be called a “visual check face  501 ”. 
     The visual check face  501  ( FIG. 4 ) intersects an injection port forming face (liquid supply port forming face)  520  in which the liquid injection port  52  is formed. In this embodiment, “to intersect” includes not only the case where two elements (e.g., faces) actually intersect each other, but also the case where an extended portion (e.g., an extended face) in the case of extending one element intersects the other element. In this embodiment, the visual check face  501  actually intersects the injection port forming face  520 . The visual check face  501  intersects a side end portion of the injection port forming face  520  in the +X-axis direction. The visual check face  501  is a flat face that is substantially perpendicular when in the first state of the liquid container  50 . When in the first state, the visual check face  501  has a first recessed portion forming wall (upper wall)  501 A that is located above the injection port forming face  520 , and a lower wall  501 B that is located below the injection port forming face  520 . The upper wall  501 A extends from the injection port forming face  520  in a later-described container recessed portion  532 , and forms a part of a wall that demarcates and forms the container recessed portion  532 . The lower wall  501 B is provided with the upper limit portion LM for identifying an upper limit of the ink that can be contained in the liquid containing portion  51 . The upper limit portion LM has a horizontal line portion LMA. The user stops ink injection into the liquid containing portion  51  with the ink surface reaching the line portion as a guide. 
     The container recessed portion  532 , which serves as a liquid retaining portion, is provided in the fifth face  505 . The container recessed portion  532  is open in the vertically upward direction when in the first state. The container recessed portion  532  has an injection port forming face  520  that forms a bottom face of the container recessed portion  532 , and first to fourth recessed portion forming walls  501 A,  510 ,  517 , and  518  that are erected from a peripheral portion of the injection port forming face  520  and demarcate and form a recessed shape. 
     The injection port forming face  520  constitutes a part of the fifth face  505 . The liquid injection port  52  is arranged in the injection port forming face  520 . The injection port forming face  520  is a substantially horizontal flat face when in the first state of the liquid container  50 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the outer shape of the injection port forming face  520  is substantially rectangular. 
     The first recessed portion forming wall  501 A is a portion located above the injection port forming face  520  in a visual check face forming wall  501 C that forms the visual check face  501  when in the first state. That is to say, the first recessed portion forming wall  501 A is formed by a part of the visual check face forming wall  501 C. Here, a face of the visual check face forming wall  501 C on the side in the +X-axis direction is the visual check face  501 . 
     A second recessed portion forming wall (side wall)  510 , which serves as an opening portion forming wall, intersects the first recessed portion forming wall  501 A (visual check face  501 ). A third recessed portion forming wall  518  intersects the first recessed portion forming wall  501 A. The second and third recessed portion forming walls  510  and  518  oppose each other in the Y-axis direction. A fourth recessed portion forming wall  517  intersects the second and third recessed portion forming walls  510  and  518 , and opposes the first recessed portion forming wall  501 A in the X-axis direction. A later-described opening portion  511  is formed in the second recessed portion forming wall  510 . 
     As a result of the liquid injection port  52  being arranged within the container recessed portion  532 , the periphery of the liquid injection port  52  is surrounded by the plurality of walls  501 A,  510 ,  517 , and  518 . With this configuration, the ink can be retained within the container recessed portion  532  when the ink leaks from the liquid injection port  52  or when the ink spills around the liquid injection port  52  when injecting the ink. A porous member (liquid absorber) such as a sponge may be arranged in the injection port forming face  520  of the container recessed portion  532 . The liquid absorber may be arranged on the injection port forming face  520  while omitting the container recessed portion  532 , or the liquid absorber may be arranged on the injection port forming face  520  of the container recessed portion  532 . In this embodiment, at least one of the container recessed portion  532  and the liquid absorber corresponds to a “liquid retaining portion” for solving the problem. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the liquid container  50 K has a container guiding path  530  that guides the ink existing in the injection port forming face  520  (within the container recessed portion  532 ) in a direction different from the direction (+X-axis direction) extending from the injection port forming face  520  toward the visual check face  501 . In this embodiment, the container guiding path  530  guides the ink existing in the injection port forming face  520  in the direction (+Y-axis direction) extending from the third face  503  toward the fourth face  504 . The container guiding path  530  is mainly demarcated and formed by the opening portion  511 , a guiding path bottom face  533 , which is a part of the fifth face  505 , and a projecting portion (projecting wall)  522 . The ink flowing through the container guiding path  530  reaches the connecting face  507 . The ink that has reached the connecting face  507  flows on the connecting face  507  toward the sixth face (container bottom face)  506  side. Then, the ink reaches the case recessed portion of the later-described lower case  44 B. When in the first state, the guiding path bottom face  533  is located below the injection port forming face  520  in the vertical direction. 
     The opening portion  511  is formed in the second recessed portion forming wall  510 . The opening portion  511  is arranged near the injection port forming face  520  in the vertical direction in the first state. If a fixed amount of ink or more is stored in the injection port forming face  520  (container recessed portion  532 ), the ink flows to the outside of the container recessed portion  532  through the opening portion  511 . The opening portion  511  forms an end (upstream end) of the container guiding path  530  in the flowing direction of the ink that flows through the container guiding path  530 . The opening direction of the opening portion  511  that is open to the outside from the inside of the container recessed portion  532  is a direction that is different from the direction (+X-axis direction) extending from the injection port forming face  520  toward the visual check face  501 . In this embodiment, the opening direction is the +Y-axis direction. That is to say, the opening direction intersects the direction (+X-axis direction) extending from the injection port forming face  520  toward the visual check face  501 . Note that in another embodiment, it is preferable that the opening direction does not have a component of the direction (+X-axis direction) extending from the injection port forming face  520  toward the visual check face  501 . In yet another embodiment, it is preferable that the visual check face  501  is not located in the opening direction. With this configuration, the ink existing in the injection port forming face  520  flows through the container guiding path  530 , and the possibility that the ink reaches the visual check face  501  can be reduced. 
     A projecting portion  522  also functions as a suppressing portion that suppresses a flow of the ink existing in the container guiding path  530  toward the visual check face  501 . The projecting portion  522  is erected from the guiding path bottom face  533 . The projecting portion  522  extends from the second recessed portion forming wall  510  up to the connecting face  507 . The projecting portion  522  projects in a direction having a direction component that is parallel with the visual check face  501  from a position between a portion of the second recessed portion forming wall (opening portion forming wall, side wall)  510  in which the opening portion  511  is formed and a side portion (visual check face side portion)  510 X ( FIG. 4 ) in which the visual check face  501  is located. In this embodiment, the projecting portion  522  projects in the direction (Y-axis direction) that is parallel with the visual check face  501 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the liquid container  50 K has attachment holes HTc that are provided in the fifth face  505 . The attachment holes HTc are used to fix the liquid container  50 K to the upper case  44 A. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective external view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 12  is a perspective external view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 13  is a perspective external view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 14  is a front view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 15  is a right side view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 16  is a top view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 17  is a bottom view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 18  is a back view of the liquid container  50 C.  FIG. 19  is a left side view of the liquid container  50 C. Since the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y have the same configuration, the liquid container  50 C will be described below. Note that  FIGS. 11 to 18  omit the plug member  200  ( FIG. 2 ) that is detachably attached to the liquid injection port  52 . Differences between the liquid container  50 K that contains black ink and the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y that contains cyan, magenta, and yellow ink mainly lie in that the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y do not have the connecting face  507 , as well as in the configuration of a container guiding path  530 P and the configuration of a projecting portion  522 P. Since other configurations are similar between the liquid container  50 K and the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y, the similar configurations will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. 
     The liquid container  50 C has a plurality of faces (walls)  501  to  506  that constitute an outer shell. The liquid container  50 C does not have the connecting face  507  ( FIG. 4 ), and the visual check face  501  is directly connected to the fourth face  504  as shown in  FIG. 19 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , a container recessed portion  532 P, which serves as a liquid retaining portion, is formed in the fifth face  505  of the liquid container  50 C, as in the liquid container  50 K. As shown in  FIG. 19 , a second recessed portion forming wall (opening portion forming wall)  510  of the container recessed portion  532 P is formed by a part (upper part) of the fourth face  504 , unlike in the liquid container  50 K. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the liquid container  50 C has a projecting portion  522 P that projects from the fourth face  504  (second recessed portion forming wall  510 ). As shown in  FIGS. 13 and 19 , the projecting portion  522 P is a face on the side opposite to the visual check face  501  serving as a first face of the visual check face forming wall  501 C. The projecting portion  522 P is a face projecting in a direction having a direction component that is parallel with the visual check face  501  from a position between a portion of the second recessed portion forming wall (opening portion forming wall, side wall)  510  in which an opening portion  511  is formed and a side portion  510 X ( FIG. 13 ) in which the visual check face  501  is located. In this embodiment, the projecting portion  522 P projects in the direction (Y-axis direction) that is parallel with the visual check face  501 . The projecting portion  522 P is formed from an upper end up to a lower end of the fourth face  504  in the first state. The projecting portion  522 P also functions as a suppressing portion that suppresses a flow of the ink existing in the container guiding path  530  toward the visual check face  501 , as the projecting portion  522  does. 
     The container guiding path  530 P guides the ink existing in the injection port forming face  520  (within the container recessed portion  532 ) in a direction different from the direction (+X-axis direction) extending from the injection port forming face  520  toward the visual check face  501 . The container guiding path  530 P is mainly demarcated and formed by the opening portion  511 , the fourth face  504 , and the projecting portion  522 P. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the ink flowing through the container guiding path  530 P flows from the opening portion  511  toward the sixth face (container bottom face)  506  side. Then, the ink reaches the case recessed portion of the later-described lower case  44 B. 
     A-3. Regarding Liquid Retaining Portions of Liquid Containers  50 K,  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y 
     In the liquid container  50 K serving as one of the liquid containers, the liquid containing portion  51  has a larger volume than that in each of the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y serving as the other of the liquid containers. With this configuration, the liquid container  50 K can contain more of ink than each of the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y does. On the other hand, it may be necessary in the liquid container  50 K to inject more ink from the liquid injection port  52  to the liquid containing portion  51  than in each of the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y. 
     The container recessed portion  532  ( FIG. 4 ) of the liquid container  50 K has a higher liquid retaining capability than the liquid retaining capability of the container recessed portion  532 P ( FIG. 12 ) of each of the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y. Here, the “liquid retaining capability” is expressed by the amount of ink that can be retained. The higher the liquid retaining capability is, more liquid can be retained. In this embodiment, the container recessed portion  532  is configured to be able to retain more ink than each container recessed portion  532 P does. That is to say, the container recessed portion  532  has a larger volume than the volume of each container recessed portion  532 P. In this embodiment, the area of the injection port forming face  520  of the container recessed portion  532  is set larger than the area of the injection port forming face  520  of the container recessed portion  532 P, thereby achieving a relationship in which the volume of the container recessed portion  532  is larger than the volume of the container recessed portion  532 P. 
     With this configuration, the container recessed portion  532  of the liquid container  50 K has a higher liquid retaining capability than the liquid retaining capability of the container recessed portion  532  of each of the other of liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y, and therefore, more ink can be retained in the container recessed portion  532  in the liquid container  50 K in which more ink is likely to scatter around the liquid injection port  52 . Thus, the possibility that the ink reaches the visual check face  501  can be reduced. 
     Here, in the case of using a liquid absorber as the liquid retaining portion in place of the container recessed portions  532  and  532 P, the liquid absorber (first liquid absorber) in the liquid container  50 K is configured to be able to absorb more ink than a liquid absorber (second liquid absorber) in each of the liquid containers  50 C,  50 M, and  50 Y does. For example, in the case of using liquid absorbers of the same material, the first liquid absorber has a larger volume than the volume of each second liquid absorber. The liquid retaining capability of the first liquid absorber may be made higher than the liquid retaining capability of each second liquid absorber by selecting materials such that the amount of liquid to be retained per unit volume of the first liquid absorber is larger than that of each second liquid absorber. 
     A-4. Detailed Configuration of Case  40 : 
       FIG. 20  is an exploded perspective view of the case body  44 .  FIG. 21  is a perspective outline view of the lower case  44 B. As shown in  FIG. 20 , the upper case  44 A and the lower case  44 B are attached to each other by attachment members BT such as screws. Note that in another embodiment, the upper case  44 A and the lower case  44 B may be integrally provided by means of integral molding or the like. 
     The lower case  44 B has a first case recessed portion  434 A, a second case recessed portion  434 B, and a case guiding path forming portion  441 . 
     The first and second case recessed portions  434 A and  434 B ( FIG. 21 ) are located within the case  40 , and are open on the side on which the liquid container  50  is located (the side in the +Z-axis direction). The first and second case recessed portions  434 A and  434 B are arranged with the case guiding path forming portion  441  therebetween in the Y-axis direction (arranging direction of the liquid containers  50 ). When referring to the first and second case recessed portions  434 A and  434 B without distinction, these case recessed portions will be referred to as “case recessed portions  434 ”. 
     The case recessed portions  434  each have a bottom face  435  of the case recessed portion  434 , and a case recessed portion forming wall  437  that demarcates and forms a recessed shape which is erected from a peripheral portion of the bottom face  435 . The case recessed portions  434  can store a predetermined amount of ink. The case recessed portions  434  are in communication with the container guiding paths  530  and  530 P ( FIGS. 4 and 13 ). For example, the case recessed portions  434  may be in communication with the container guiding paths  530  and  530 P by being directly connected thereto, or may be in communication therewith via other flow paths. In this embodiment, for example, the ink that has passed through the container guiding path  530  flows on the connection face  507  in the vertically downward direction ( FIG. 4 ). The ink that has dropped off from the connection face  507  reaches the case recessed portions  434 . For example, the ink that has reached a downstream end (lower portion of the fourth face  504 ) of the container guiding path  530 P reaches the case recessed portion  434  directly or via the case guiding path forming portion  441 . 
     The case recessed portion forming wall  437  has an opposing wall  437 A that opposes the housing  12 . The opposing wall  437 A is a part of the second face  402  ( FIG. 2 ) of the case  40 . A connecting hole portion  439 , to which an end portion of the communication path  77  ( FIG. 1 ) is connected, is formed in the opposing wall  437 A. The connecting hole portion  439  has a tubular shape that projects outward of the case  40  from the opposing wall  437 A. The case recessed portion  434  and the waste liquid storing portion  76  ( FIG. 1 ) are in communication with each other via the connecting hole portion  439  and the communication path  77 . If a predetermined amount of the ink or more is stored in the case recessed portion  434 , the ink in the case recessed portion  434  flows toward the waste ink storing portion  76  ( FIG. 1 ) via the connecting hole portion  439  and the communication path  77 . Note that a pump may be provided in the middle of the route of the communication path  77 , and the ink existing in the case recessed portion  434  may be caused to flow toward the waste liquid storing portion  76 . A porous member (liquid absorbing member) such as a sponge may be arranged in the bottom face  435  of the case recessed portion  434 . This configuration can further reduce the possibility of an outflow of the ink to the outside of the case  40  from the case recessed portion  434 . As described above, it can also be said that the container guiding paths  530  and  530 P ( FIGS. 4 and 13 ) are guiding paths that are in communication with the waste liquid storing portion  76  via other members (case recessed portion  434 , communication paths  77 ), and guide the ink existing in the injection port forming faces  520  in a direction different from the direction toward the visual check face  501 . These guiding paths can reduce the possibility that the ink existing in the injection port forming faces  520  reaches the visual check faces  501 . The ink in the guiding paths can also be caused to flow toward the waste liquid storing portion  76  of the printer  10 . 
     The case guiding path forming portion  441  ( FIG. 21 ) is located within the case  40 . The case guiding path forming portion  441  is located at a position that is higher than the bottom face  435  of the case recessed portion  434  when in the use state and the injection state of the liquid container unit  30 . The case guiding path forming portion  441  is a face. Groove-shaped case guiding paths  449  are formed in the case guiding path forming portion  441  that is a face. The case guiding paths  449  are flow paths for guiding the ink existing in the case guiding path forming portion  441  to the case recessed portions  434 . The case guiding paths  449  extend in the Y-axis direction (arranging direction of the liquid containers  50 ). The case guiding paths  449  extend from the first case recessed portion  434 A up to the second case recessed portion  434 B. 
     The bottom face  435  and the case guiding paths  449  in the lower case  44 B ( FIG. 21 ) are formed by a plate-shaped bottom face forming member  700 . The bottom face forming member  700  is also called a “case guiding path forming wall  700 ”. A face of the bottom face forming member  700  on the side opposite to the bottom face  435  is the sixth face  406 . When in the use state of the liquid container unit  30  and in the injection state of the liquid container unit  30 , the sixth face  406  is arranged so as to face the installation surface. That is to say, the lower case  44 B is arranged such that the bottom face  435  is located on the lower side in the vertical direction when in the use state of the liquid container unit  30  and in the injection state of the liquid container unit  30 . In this embodiment, the sixth face  406  comes into contact with the installation surface when in the use state of the liquid container unit  30  and in the injection state of the liquid container unit  30 . 
     The lower case  44 B ( FIG. 21 ) has a plurality of first protrusions  425 AK,  425 AC,  425 AM, and  425 AY that project from the bottom face  435 , and a plurality of second protrusions  425 BK,  425 BC,  425 BM, and  425 BY that project from the bottom face  435 . Here, two protrusions, namely the protrusions  425 AK and  425 BK correspond to the liquid container  50 K and are located immediately under the liquid container  50 K. Two protrusions, namely the protrusions  425 AC and  425 BC correspond to the liquid container  50 C and are located immediately under the liquid container  50 C. Two protrusions, namely the protrusions  425 AM and  425 BM correspond to the liquid container  50 M and are located immediately under the liquid container  50 M. Two protrusions, namely the protrusions  425 AY and  425 BY correspond to the liquid container  50 Y and are located immediately under the liquid container  50 Y. Here, when referring to the first protrusions  425 AK,  425 AC,  425 AM, and  425 AY without distinction, a reference numeral “ 425 A” will be used. When referring to the second protrusions  425 BK,  425 BC,  425 BM, and  425 BY without distinction, a reference numeral “ 425 B” will be used. A tip of each first protrusion  425 A on the side in the +Z-axis direction and a tip of each second protrusion  425 B on the side in the +Z-axis direction are arranged at positions higher than the case recessed portion  434  and the case guiding path forming portion  441  (positions on the side in the +Z-axis direction). 
     The first protrusions  425 A and the second protrusions  425 B each have a tubular structure that is open on the side in the vertically upward direction. The first protrusions  425 A and the second protrusions  425 B are arranged on the side (side in the −Z-axis direction) opposing the liquid injection port  52  ( FIG. 2 ) and the plug member arrangement portion  491  ( FIG. 2 ) with the liquid containing portion  51  therebetween. A part of each liquid container  50  enters the inside of the corresponding first protrusion  425 A and second protrusion  425 B. Here, in a state where external force is not applied to each liquid container  50 , a bottom portion of the corresponding first protrusion  425 A having a tubular structure and a bottom portion of the corresponding second protrusion  425 B having a tubular structure are arranged with a gap from the part of the liquid containing portion  50  that enters the first and second protrusions  425 A and  425 B. On the other hand, when each plug member  200  is attached to the corresponding liquid injection port  52  or when each plug member  200  is arranged in the corresponding plug member arrangement portion  491 , there are cases where external force exerted in the vertically downward direction is applied to the corresponding liquid container  50  or the periphery of a portion of the upper case  44 A where the plug member arrangement portion  491  is arranged. In such cases, the liquid container  50  undergoes deformation to the side in the −Z-axis direction in some cases. When the liquid container  50  undergoes deformation to the side in the −Z-axis direction, the bottom portions of the first protrusion  425 A and the second protrusion  425 B come into contact with a part of the liquid container  50 , thereby supporting the liquid container  50 . 
     The lower case  44 B ( FIG. 20 ) further includes a holding portion  49  that is provided in a face (sixth face  406 ) on the side opposing the case guiding path forming portion  441  (outer surface side of the case  40 ). The holding portion  49  is a recessed portion. The holding portion  49  extends from the opposing wall  437 A up to the first face  401  side of the case  40 . That is to say, the holding portion  49  is open on the first face  401  (side in the +X-axis direction) side in addition to the side opposing the bottom face of the recessed shape (side in the −Z-axis direction). The opening of the holding portion  49  on the side in the +X-axis direction has a size that enables a human hand to be inserted in the holding portion  49 . When the liquid consuming system  1  that includes the printer  10  and the liquid container unit  30  is carried, a hand can be inserted in the holding portion  49  from the opening of the holding portion  49  on the side in the +X-axis direction to hold the holding portion  49 . 
       FIG. 22  is a perspective external view of the upper case  44 A.  FIG. 23  is a diagram of the liquid container unit  30  as viewed from the back side.  FIG. 24  is a diagram for illustrating an attachment mechanism  60 . In  FIG. 23 , the liquid container unit  30  is cut out in a cross-section parallel with the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction in order to simplify the description. 
     As shown in  FIG. 22 , the upper case  44 A has insertion holes  482  in which the liquid injection ports  52  are inserted. A part of each liquid injection port  52  inserted in the corresponding insertion hole  482  is located outside the upper case  44 A ( FIG. 2 ). The upper case  44 A is provided with a plurality of insertion holes  482  in which the plurality of liquid injection ports  52  are inserted, and a plurality of visual check portions  445  that are openings. The upper case  44 A is a case that is created by integrally forming the upper face provided with the insertion holes  482  and three side faces including the side face in which the openings serving as the visual check portions  445  are provided. A lower face of the upper case  44 A is open. Specifically, an opening is formed in the lower face of the upper case  44 A. Accordingly, the upper case  44 A has a structure with which the liquid injection ports  52  can be easily inserted in the insertion holes  482  and that can be easily manufactured. The side face (second face)  402  of the upper case  44 A on the side opposing the printer  10  is also open. Accordingly, the upper case  44 A need only be integrated with the case of the printer  10  after attaching the liquid containers  50 , a remaining liquid amount sensor, wirings thereof (not shown), or the like to the upper case  44 A, which facilitates manufacturing. Note that the upper case  44 A may be integrally formed with the case of the printer  10 . In this case, the manufacturing is further facilitated. 
     As shown in  FIG. 23 , the liquid containers  50  are fixed to the upper case  44 A by the attachment mechanism  60 . As shown in  FIG. 24 , the attachment mechanism  60  has a first attachment portion  61 , second attachment portions  65 , and screws BTa, BTb, and BTc, which serve as attachment tools. The first attachment portion  61  is a single-plate shape. Insertion holes  631  are provided at both end portions of the first attachment portion  61  in the Y-axis direction. Two screws BTa (only one is shown in the diagram) are each inserted into the corresponding insertion hole  631  and screwed with an attachment hole HTa ( FIG. 22 ) formed on the upper case  44 A. The first attachment portion  61  is thus fixed to the upper case  44 A. As shown in  FIG. 24 , four second attachment portions  65  are provided so as to correspond to the four liquid containers  50 C,  50 M,  50 Y, and  50 K. Each second attachment portion  65  is fixed to the corresponding liquid container  50  as a result of the corresponding screw BTc being provided in the second attachment portion  65 , inserted in an insertion hole (not shown), and screwed with the attachment hole HTc ( FIG. 3 ). Each second attachment portion  65  has an attachment hole HTb. Each second attachment portion  65  is fixed to the first attachment portion  61  as a result of the corresponding screw BTb being inserted in an insertion hole  641  provided in the first attachment portion  61  and screwed with the attachment hole HTb. In the above-described manner, the liquid containers  50  are fixed to the upper case  44 A, which is located above the lower case  44 B, by the attachment mechanism  60 . In this embodiment, the liquid containers  50  are not fixed to the lower case  44 B and are arranged with a gap from the bottom face  435  of the case recessed portion  434 . Accordingly, the lower case  44 B can be easily removed, and the ink stored in the case recessed portion  434  can be easily disposed by removing the lower case  44 B. 
     According to the above embodiment, each liquid container  50  has the projecting portion  522 ,  522 P that serves as a suppressing portion for suppressing a flow of the ink existing in the container guiding path  530 ,  530 P toward the visual check face  501 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 13 . With this configuration, the possibility that the ink reaches the visual check face  501  can be reduced by the projecting portion  522 ,  522 P even if the ink that has flowed out from the container guiding path  530 ,  530 P flows toward the visual check face  501 . Thus, the possibility of attachment of the ink to the visual check face  501  can be reduced. 
     According to the above embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 13 , the projecting portion  522 ,  522 P projects in a direction parallel with the visual check face from a portion of the side wall  510  in which the opening portion  511  is formed between a portion in which the opening portion  511  is formed and the side portion  510 X in which the visual check face  501  is located. With this configuration, the possibility that the ink reaches the visual check face  501  can be reduced by the projecting portion  522 ,  522 P even if the ink has flowed through the opening portion  511  flows toward the visual check face  501 . 
     According to the above embodiment, the projecting portion  522 ,  522 P constitutes a part of the container guiding path  530 ,  530 P, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 13 . With this configuration, a member for configuring the container guiding path  530 ,  530 P and a member for configuring the suppressing portion can be formed using a common member. 
     According to the above embodiment, the projecting portion  522 P is a face on the side opposite to the visual check face  501  in the visual check face forming wall  501 C, as shown in  FIGS. 13 and 19 . With this configuration, the projecting portion  522 P and the visual check face  501  do not need to be formed by different walls. 
     According to the above embodiment, the lower case  44 B includes the case recessed portion  434  capable of storing ink, and the case guiding path forming portion  441  for guiding the ink to the case recessed portion  434 , as shown in  FIG. 21 . With this configuration, the ink that has flowed into the lower case  44 B can be guided to the case recessed portion  434  by the case guiding path forming portion  441 . Accordingly, the possibility that the ink existing in the lower case  44 B leaks around the case  40  can be reduced. 
     According to the above embodiment, the container guiding path  530 ,  530 P is in communication with the case recessed portion  434 , as shown in  FIGS. 4, 13, and 23 . With this configuration, the ink in the container guiding path  530 ,  530  can be caused to flow toward the case recessed portion  434 . 
     According to the above embodiment, the case guiding path forming wall  700  has the holding portion  49  that is formed in a portion on the side opposite to the case guiding path forming portion  441  and can be held, as shown in  FIG. 20 . With this configuration, the case guiding path forming portion  411  and the holding portion  49  can be formed using the case guiding path forming wall  700 . 
     According to the above embodiment, the liquid container  50  is fixed to the upper case  44 A without being fixed to the lower case  44 B, as shown in  FIGS. 23 and 24 . With this configuration, a maintenance operation for the lower case  44 B, such as treatment of the ink stored in the case recessed portion  434 , can be easily performed by removing the lower case  44 B from the upper case  44 A. 
     According to the above embodiment, the lower case  44 B is arranged such that the face (sixth face)  406  of the case recessed portion  434  on the side opposite to the bottom face  435  comes into contact with the installation surface when in the use state and the injection state of the liquid container unit  30 . With this configuration, the bottom face  435  is not in an erected state when in the use state and the injection state, and it is accordingly possible to reduce the possibility of an outflow of the ink stored in the case recessed portion  434  to the visual check face  501  or to the outside of the liquid container unit  30 . 
     According to the above embodiment, the case recessed portion  434  is in communication with a waste liquid storing portion  76 . With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the overflow of the ink that has flowed to the case recessed portion  434  to the periphery. 
     B. Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 25  is a diagram for illustrating a liquid container  50 Ka that serves as a second embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 26  is a diagram for illustrating a liquid container  50 Ca that serves as the second embodiment of the invention. A difference between the liquid container  50 K ( FIG. 4 ) according to the first embodiment and the liquid container  50 Ka ( FIG. 25 ) according to the second embodiment lies in a configuration of a container guiding path  530   a , and in that the liquid container  50 Ka does not have the projecting portion  522  ( FIG. 4 ) serving as the suppressing portion. A difference between the liquid container  50 C ( FIG. 13 ) according to the first embodiment and the liquid container  50 Ca ( FIG. 26 ) according to the second embodiment lies in a configuration of a container guiding path  530 P. Since other configurations are similar to those in the first embodiment, the similar configurations will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. The liquid container  50 Ca that contains cyan ink has a configuration similar to those of liquid containers that contain magenta and yellow ink. Accordingly, the liquid container  50 Ca will be described here. The liquid containers  50 Ka and  50 Ca according to the second embodiment are contained in the case  40  ( FIG. 1 ) as in the first embodiment, and are used as constituent members of the liquid consuming system  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 25 , the liquid container  50 Ka has a tube  800  whose one end portion is connected to the opening portion  511  ( FIG. 4 ). The other end portion of the tube  800  is located in the case recessed portion  434  of the lower case  44 B. As shown in  FIG. 26 , the liquid container  50 Ca has a tube  801  whose one end portion is connected to the opening portion  511  ( FIG. 13 ). The other end portion of the tube  801  is located in the case recessed portion  434  of the lower case  44 B. Note that the other end portions of the tubes  800  and  801  may be connected to the waste liquid storing portion  76 . The tubes  800  and  801  constitute a part of container guiding paths  530   a  and  530 Pa, respectively. The container guiding paths  530   a  and  530 Pa can guide ink existing in the injection port forming face  520  in directions (+Y-axis direction and −Z-axis direction) different from the direction (+X-axis direction) toward the visual check faces  501 , as in the above-described first embodiment. 
     C. Modifications 
     Note that this invention is not limited to the above examples and embodiment, and may be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, the following modifications are also possible. 
     C-1. First Modification 
     In the above embodiment, the suppressing portion  522 ,  522 P is formed by a member that projects from the side wall  510  ( FIGS. 4 and 12 ). However, the suppressing portion is not limited thereto, and need only be a member capable of suppressing a flow of the ink existing in the container guiding path  530 ,  530   a  toward the visual check faces  501 . For example, a porous member such as a sponge may be arranged in a route from the opening portion  511  to the visual check face  501  (e.g., the connecting face  507  in  FIG. 4  and the fourth face  504  in  FIG. 12 ), or a groove capable of retaining liquid may be provided therein. Alternatively, the suppressing portion may be configured by combining a projecting member, a porous member, and a groove. 
     C-2. Second Modification 
     The projecting portion  522  ( FIG. 4 ) of the liquid container  50 K may also be provided in the connecting face  507 . Specifically, a projecting portion that extends from an upper part up to a lower part of the connecting face  507  may be provided so as to be continuous with the projecting portion  522  formed in the fifth face  505 . This configuration can further reduce the possibility that the ink flowing through the container guiding path  530  reaches the visual check face  501 . 
     C-3. Third Modification 
     In the above embodiment, the liquid containers  50  are fixed to the upper case  44 A by the attachment mechanism  60 , as shown in  FIGS. 23 and 24 . However, the liquid containers  50  may be directly fixed to the upper case  44 A by a screw or the like, or may be fixed to the lower case  44 B. 
     C-4. Fourth Modification 
     In the above embodiment, the liquid container unit  30  or the liquid container  50  are arranged outside the housing  12 , but may be arranged within the housing  12 . In this case, the housing  12  may be configured such that a part of the housing  12  can be opened and closed so as to allow operations to the liquid container  50 , such as an operation of injecting the ink to the liquid container  50 , to be performed from the outside. 
     C-5. Fifth Modification 
     The invention can also be achieved in the following mode. Note that numbers in brackets correspond to the reference numerals in the above embodiment. 
     [Mode 1] A liquid container ( 50 ) having a liquid containing portion ( 51 ) capable of containing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus ( 10 ), and a liquid injection port ( 52 ) for injecting the liquid to the liquid containing portion ( 51 ), including: 
     an injection port forming face ( 520 ) that serves as a bottom face of a container recessed portion ( 532 ) which is open in a vertically upward direction when in a first state of the liquid container ( 50 ) where the liquid injection port ( 52 ) is open in the vertically upward direction (+Z-axis direction), the liquid injection port ( 52 ) being arranged in the container recessed portion ( 532 ); and 
     a visual check face ( 501 ) that intersects the injection port forming face ( 520 ) and through which a liquid surface in the liquid containing portion ( 51 ) can be visually checked from the outside, the visual check face ( 501 ) having a portion ( 501 B) located below the injection port forming face ( 520 ) when in the first state; 
     a container guiding path ( 530 ) that guides the liquid existing within the container recessed portion ( 532 ) in a direction (+Y-axis direction) different from a direction (+X-axis direction) toward the visual check face ( 501 ); and 
     a suppressing portion ( 522 ,  522 P) that suppresses a flow of the liquid existing in the container guiding path ( 530 ) toward the visual check face ( 501 ). 
     According to this mode, even if the liquid that has flowed out from the container guiding path flows toward the visual check face, the possibility that the liquid reaches the visual check face can be reduced by the suppressing portion. This configuration can reduce the possibility of attachment of the liquid to the visual check face. 
     [Mode 2] The liquid container ( 50 ) according to Mode 1, 
     wherein the container recessed portion ( 532 ) has a recessed portion forming wall ( 501 A,  510 ,  517 ,  518 ) that is erected from the injection port forming face ( 520 ) and demarcates and forms a recessed shape, and 
     the container guiding path ( 530 ) includes an opening portion ( 511 ) formed in the recessed portion forming wall ( 501 A,  510 ,  517 ,  518 ), an opening direction (+Y-axis direction) in which the opening portion ( 511 ) is open to the outside from the inside of the container recessed portion ( 532 ) being different from a direction (+X-axis direction) toward the visual check face ( 501 ). 
     According to this mode, the liquid within the container recessed portion can be easily guided in a direction different from the direction toward the visual check face by the opening portion. 
     [Mode 3] The liquid container ( 50 ) according to Mode 2, 
     wherein a part of the recessed portion forming wall ( 501 A,  510 ,  517 ,  518 ) is formed by a visual check face forming wall ( 501 A) that forms the visual check face ( 501 ), and 
     the opening portion ( 511 ) is formed in a wall ( 510 ) different from the visual check face forming wall ( 501 A) in the recessed portion forming wall ( 501 A,  510 ,  517 ,  518 ). 
     According to this mode, the liquid in the container recessed portion can be easily guided in a direction different from the direction toward the visual check face by the opening portion. 
     [Mode 4] The liquid container ( 50 ) according to Mode 2 or Mode 3, 
     wherein the recessed portion forming wall ( 501 A,  510 ,  517 ,  518 ) has an opening portion forming wall ( 510 ) in which the opening portion ( 511 ) is formed, the opening portion forming wall ( 510 ) intersecting the visual check face ( 501 ), and 
     the suppressing portion ( 522 ,  522 P) includes a projecting portion ( 522 ) projecting from a position between a portion of the opening portion forming wall ( 510 ) in which the opening portion ( 511 ) is formed and a side portion ( 510 X) in which the visual check face ( 501 ) is located. 
     According to this mode, the liquid in the container recessed portion can be easily guided in a direction different from the direction toward the visual check face by the opening portion. 
     C-6. Sixth Modification 
     In the above embodiment, the liquid container unit  30  has the liquid container  50  for supplying ink to the printer  10 , and the case  40  for housing the liquid container  50 . However, the invention may be applied to liquid containers which contain other kinds of liquid and liquid consuming apparatuses that consume other kinds of liquid. Liquid consuming apparatuses that use liquid containers that contain other kinds of liquid are listed below. 
     (1) Image recording apparatuses such as a facsimile apparatus 
     (2) Color material ejection recording apparatuses used to manufacture color filters for image display apparatuses such as a liquid crystal display 
     (3) Electrode material ejection apparatuses used to form electrodes for organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays, field emission displays (FED), or the like 
     (4) Liquid consuming apparatuses that eject liquid containing biological organic matter used to manufacture biochips 
     (5) Sample ejection apparatuses serving as precision pipettes 
     (6) Lubricating oil ejection apparatuses 
     (7) Resin solution ejection apparatuses 
     (8) Liquid consuming apparatuses that perform pinpoint ejection of lubricating oil to precision machines such as a watch and a camera 
     (9) Liquid consuming apparatuses that eject transparent resin solution such as UV-cured resin solution onto substrates in order to form micro-hem hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) or the like used in optical communication elements or the like 
     (10) Liquid consuming apparatuses that eject acid or alkaline etchant in order to etch substrates or the like 
     (11) Liquid consuming apparatuses that include liquid consumption heads for discharging a very small amount of any other kinds of droplet 
     Note that the “droplet” refers to a state of the liquid discharged from liquid consuming recording apparatuses or liquid consuming apparatuses, and includes droplets having a granular shape, a tear-drop shape, and a shape with a thread-like trailing end. The “Liquid” mentioned here need only be a material, the liquid state of which can be ejected by liquid consuming recording apparatuses or liquid consuming apparatuses. For example, the “liquid” need only be a material in a state where a substance is in a liquid phase, and a liquid material having a high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, and other liquid materials such as inorganic solvent, organic solvent, solution, liquid resin, and liquid metal (metallic melt) are also included as a “liquid”. Furthermore, the “liquid” is not limited to being a single-state substance, and also includes particles of a functional material made from solid matter, such as pigment or metal particles, that are dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent, or the like. Representative examples of the liquid include ink such as that described in the above embodiment, liquid crystal, or the like. Here, the “ink” encompasses general water-based ink and oil-based ink, as well as various types of liquid compositions such as gel ink and hot melt ink. When UV ink that can be cured by irradiating the UV ink with ultraviolet rays is contained in this liquid containing portion and the liquid containing portion is connected to a printer, a liquid containing bag is separate from the installation surface, and accordingly, the possibility that heat on the installation surface is transmitted to the liquid containing portion and cures the UV ink is reduced. 
     C-7. Seventh Modification 
     The invention is not limited to the above embodiment and modifications, and can be achieved by various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiment and modifications that correspond to the technical features in the modes described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the problems described above, or in order to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. A technical feature that is not described as essential in the specification can be deleted as appropriate.