Patent ID: 7841690

Claim:
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording head having a plurality of nozzles which eject ink; and a capping unit which seals a nozzle forming face of the recording head and sucks the ink from the nozzles, wherein the capping unit includes: a cap member having a plurality of housing recesses which are partitioned from each other for ink suction from a corresponding one of a plurality of groups of the nozzles; and cap chips housed in the respective housing recesses, wherein the cap member includes: discharge ports which discharge the ink sucked into the respective housing recesses; a peripheral rib which is positioned at an outer peripheral portion enclosing the plurality of housing recesses; and a partitioning rib defining the housing recesses, wherein opposite ends of the partitioning rib are connected to the peripheral rib, and wherein each of the housing recesses has a bottom face for receiving a corresponding one of the cap chips, and an engagement recess recessed from the bottom face in a direction away from a top end of the partitioning rib, the partitioning rib extends to a bottom of the engagement recess of each of the housing recesses, and each of the cap chips includes an engagement projection which is fitted in a corresponding one of the engagement recesses such that the engagement projection abuts against a corresponding one of opposite side faces of the partitioning rib.