Patent ID: 7513612

Claim:
A combination of a protector and an ink cartridge, the ink cartridge comprising: an ink chamber which stores ink; an ink supply hole formed through the ink cartridge and through which ink flows from an interior of the ink chamber to an exterior of the ink cartridge and which opens in an opening portion of an outer surface of the ink cartridge; and a first valve member which is provided between the ink chamber and the ink supply hole, which selectively permits ink to flow from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole and inhibits ink from flowing from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole, and which communicates with the exterior of the ink cartridge via the ink supply hole, the protector comprising: a main portion comprising an engaging portion which is adapted to engage a portion of the ink cartridge, so that the protector is detachably attached to the ink cartridge, wherein the main portion is substantially rigid thereby assuring that the main portion substantially maintains an original shape thereof, wherein the main portion further comprises an access-restraining portion which is located outside the ink supply hole, when the protector is attached to the ink cartridge, so as to at least partially cover the opening portion of the outer surface of the ink cartridge and thereby limit external access to the first valve member via the ink supply hole, wherein the ink cartridge further comprises: an air introducing hole which introduces air from the exterior into the interior of the ink chamber; and a second valve member which is disposed between the ink chamber and the air introducing hole, which selectively permits air to flow from the exterior into the interior of the ink chamber and inhibits air from flowing from the exterior into the interior of the ink chamber, and which communicates with the exterior of the ink cartridge via the air introducing hole, and wherein the access-restraining portion covers the outer surface of the ink cartridge over the ink supply hole and the air introducing hole and thereby restrains the external access to each of the first and second valve members via a corresponding one of the ink supply hole and the air introducing hole.