Patent ID: 8419173

Claim:
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to a recording apparatus upon connection to the recording apparatus, the ink cartridge comprising: a casing having an interior and an opening; a flexible ink accommodation body, for accommodating ink, provided within the interior of the casing; an ink supply body, attached to the ink accommodation body, for supplying ink in an ink-flow direction from the ink accommodation body to the recording apparatus in the case that the cartridge is connected to the recording apparatus; a first sealing unit; an air communication port comprising a spout communication port arranged in a spout and a seal communication port arranged in the first sealing unit; and a second sealing unit provided upstream, in the ink-flow direction, of the first sealing unit, wherein the first sealing unit is arranged to retain ink in the ink accommodation body in the case that the cartridge is not connected to the recording apparatus, wherein the second sealing unit is arranged to form a sealing engagement with the recording apparatus when the cartridge is connected to the recording apparatus, and wherein, between the first sealing unit and the second sealing unit, the seal communication port forms a gap communicating with the interior of the casing.