Patent ID: 7815296

Claim:
An ink cartridge holding device for holding an ink cartridge, comprising: a holder holding the ink cartridge and having an opening so as to allow the ink cartridge to be inserted thereinto and withdrawn therefrom through the opening; a door which is attached to the holder and is pivotable between (a) an open position at which the opening is uncovered for permitting insertion and withdrawal of the ink cartridge through the opening into and from the holder and (b) a closed position at which the opening is covered for inhibiting the insertion and withdrawal of the ink cartridge through the opening, a locking member which is attached to the door and is configured to slide along the door so as to be displacable between (A) an engaging position in which the locking member is engaged with the holder for locking the door at the closed position and (B) a releasing position in which the locking member is released from the holder so as to allow the door to be pivoted from the closed position, wherein the locking member is displaced, when the door is pivoted from the open position to the closed position, from the releasing position to the engaging position via a transitional state in which a pressing portion that is a part of the holder and is fixed relative to the holder presses a pressing-force receiving surface provided on a part of the locking member while the pressing-force receiving surface is moved relative to and along the pressing portion, and wherein the pressing-force receiving surface of the locking member is a curved surface whose inclination continuously varies in a direction in which the pressing-force receiving surface and the pressing portion of the holder are moved relative to each other.