Patent ID: 6886926

Claim:
An ink-jet printer, comprising: a printhead unit that ejects ink onto a printing medium; an ink source external to the printhead unit; and an ink path through which ink is delivered from the ink source to the printhead unit, the ink path including: a first ink path forming member that has a head with a maximum-diameter portion and an open end tapered down from the maximum-diameter portion, and a neck extending from the head and having a smaller diameter than the maximum-diameter portion; and a second ink path forming member that is formed of at least a flexible elastic material and has an inner diameter smaller than the maximum diameter of the first ink path forming member, wherein the head and the neck of the first ink path forming member are inserted into the second ink path forming member, the second ink path forming member radially expanding at the maximum-diameter portion and radially contracting at the neck of the first ink path forming member, thereby establishing a connection between the first and second ink path forming members, wherein the second ink path forming member is a double-layer ink tube having one of a first layer and a second layer formed of a resin with low vapor and gas permeability and the other of the first layer and the second layer radially thicker than the one layer and formed of a rubber providing the flexible elastic material.