Patent ID: 7258431

Claim:
An ink cartridge for an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: a container body having an ink supply port, the container body including a front wall, a back wall and a lower surface; a storage element disposed on said container body; electrodes to be in contact with respective contacts provided in the recording apparatus accommodating the container body therein; and a recess located at a lower portion of the front wall of the ink cartridge and between the ink supply port and the electrodes and is adapted to contact a protrusion of said recording apparatus to maintain the electrodes in contact with respective contacts, wherein the recess includes a first width along a carriage moving direction, the protrusion includes a second width along the carriage moving direction, the first width and the second width being substantially the same, and recess receives the protrusion to align the electrodes with respective contacts in a carriage moving direction in a state in which the electrodes contact the contacts, the ink cartridge further comprising: a front retaining lever disposed at the front wall and above the electrodes, and resiliently disposed at an acute angle with respect to the front wall, and the front retaining lever comprising: a base attached to the front wall, upwardly pointing distal end, the acute angle being formed by the distal end, the base and a portion of the front wall above the base, an exterior surface facing away from the front wall and a projection formed at the exterior surface, the projection slideably engaging into a recess of a carriage against a resiliency of the front retaining lever, a back retaining member disposed at the back wall, a slit disposed at the lower surface behind the ink supply port, extending along an inserting direction and a withdrawing direction of the ink cartridge and adapted to receive a projecting member of the recording apparatus.