Patent ID: 7490928

Claim:
An ink cartridge, comprising: an ink chamber that accommodates ink; a communication chamber through which the ink chamber can communicate with an outside of the ink cartridge, the communication chamber being enclosed, at least in part, by a chamber wall, and having a first opening on an ink chamber-side; and a one-way valve provided in the communication chamber, the one-way valve comprising: a supporting member positioned between the first opening and the cover member in the communication chamber, the support member including a flowing hole through which ink can flow from one side of the supporting member to an other side of the supporting member, and a supporting hole; a cover member attached to the supporting member; and a valve body, at least one portion of the valve body being provided between the supporting member and the cover member and being moveable between the supporting member and the cover member; wherein the one-way valve and the chamber wall are separate members, wherein when the at least one portion of the valve body contacts the supporting member, ink is prevented from flowing from the communication chamber toward the ink chamber through the flowing hole, wherein the valve body includes: an end portion situated between the supporting member and the cover member, and a handle portion extending from the end portion through the supporting hole, and wherein the handle portion and the end portion are moveable relative to the supporting member.