Patent ID: 7954934

Claim:
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to a printhead of an inkjet printing apparatus through an ink supply needle of the inkjet printing apparatus and having a plurality of contact forming members, comprising: a plurality of external surfaces; a container portion for storing the ink to be supplied to the print head; an ink supply port having an exit opening constructed and arranged to receive the ink supply needle and guide the cartridge over the needle as the cartridge is moved in a first direction over the needle, the ink supply port formed in one of said external surfaces and the container portion and ink supply port constructed and arranged to direct ink to flow out of the container portion, to the ink supply needle, and then to the printhead; and a plurality of electrodes for coming in contact with the plurality of contact forming members, the electrodes being positioned on another of said external surfaces that is generally adjacent to said external surface having the ink supply port, the electrodes being provided in at least a second row having at opposite ends thereof a first end electrode and a second end electrode and a first row having at opposite ends thereof a third end electrode and a fourth end electrode, the electrodes being arranged such that the first row of electrodes is located closer to the exit opening of the ink supply port than is the second row of electrodes and the first and the second end electrodes terminate closer to each other in the widthwise direction of the rows, than do the third and the fourth end electrodes.