Patent ID: 7575311

Claim:
An ink cartridge, comprising: a cartridge case enclosing an ink chamber; a path extending from the ink chamber to an exterior of the ink cartridge; a valve member provided in the path, the valve member having a first state in which communication between the ink chamber and the exterior of the ink cartridge along the path is permitted and a second state in which communication between the ink chamber and the exterior of the ink cartridge along the path is prevented; an urging member provided in the path, the urging member being capable of urging the valve member; a path chamber at least partially enclosed by a path wall through which the path extends, at least a portion of the urging member being situated in the path chamber; and a sliding member at least partially interposed between the urging member and the path wall; wherein: when a dimension of the urging member is increased by expansion or contraction of the urging member, the sliding member prevents contact between the urging member and the path wall at locations where the sliding member is interposed between the urging member and the path wall, and when the urging member is expanded or contracted, the sliding member moves relative to the path chamber.