Patent ID: 7461929

Claim:
A method of refilling an ink cartridge with ink, the ink cartridge to be mounted on a main body of a recording apparatus and including: a casing in which is formed an ink chamber for accommodating ink; and two valve members which are disposed on one side of the casing and which are biased, in an ordinary state, in a direction to respectively close one and the other of an air-introduce passage and an ink-supply passage through which the ink chamber communicates with an exterior of the ink cartridge, the two valve members being arranged to be placed in an open state when the ink cartridge is mounted on the main body of the recording apparatus; and a cover member being fixed to the one side of the casing for holding the two valve members between the cover member and the casing, the method of refilling comprising the steps of: forming, at a portion of the casing except for the one side thereof on which the two valve members are disposed, an opening through which the ink chamber and the exterior of the ink cartridge communicate with each other; and refilling the ink cartridge with ink by introducing the ink into the ink chamber through the opening; wherein the forming an opening comprises forming the opening at the portion of the casing except for the one side thereof to which the cover member is fixed, such that the cover member holds the two valve members between the cover member and the casing; wherein the portion of the casing except for the one side thereof on which the two valve members are disposed is located on another side of the casing which is opposite to the one side; and wherein the one side of the casing is located at a lower part of the ink cartridge while the another side is located at an upper part of the ink cartridge, when the ink cartridge is mounted on the main body of the recording apparatus.