Patent ID: 7621619

Claim:
An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a recording head; a maintenance recovery unit configured to maintain and restore a state of the recording head; a waste liquid tank installed to, or removable from, the ink jet recording apparatus and configured to receive a waste liquid from the maintenance recovery unit when installed to the ink jet recording apparatus; a shutter mechanism arranged between the maintenance recovery unit and the waste liquid tank and including a shutter member configured to move between a closed position to cause the maintenance recovery unit to be isolated from the waste liquid tank and an open position to cause the maintenance recovery unit to link to the waste liquid tank; and a holding member installable to, or removable from, the ink jet recording apparatus and configured to be inserted into the ink jet recording apparatus in a first direction towards an inner side of the ink jet apparatus while causing the shutter member to move to the open position in a second direction opposite to the first direction away from the inner side of the ink jet recording apparatus and to hold the shutter member at the open position.