that liquid retaining member includes a first liquid retaining member contactable to the filter and a second liquid retaining member, contacted to the first liquid retaining member, for supplying the liquid to the first liquid retaining member, the first liquid retaining member having a liquid retaining force which is larger than a liquid retaining force of the second liquid retaining member. By doing so, the liquid in the liquid container is easily retained around the reception means so that liquid is efficiently supplied from the liquid container.
In this case, by formation of the pits and projections at the contact surface between the first liquid retaining member and the second liquid retaining member, the pits and projections are engaged with the second liquid retaining member pulling, so that possiblepositional deviation between the first liquid retaining member and the second liquid retaining member is prevented. The first liquid retaining member may be made of fibers, preferably thermoplastic resin material, further preferably polyolefin resin material. If the fiber is made of thermoplastic resin material, the pits and projections are formed by contacting a member having a pattern of pits and projections corresponding to the pits and projections to be formed on the contacts surface of the liquid retaining member to the surface and heating and melting the contacts surface, thus transferring the pit-projection pattern. The fibers constituting the first liquid retaining member may be extended in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction of contact of the first liquid retaining member to the filter.
According to another aspect of