Abstract:
A liquid container having a memory for storing data. The memory includes a rewritable region from which the data is readable and in which the data is rewritable, and a read only region from which the data is readable and in which the data is unwritable. A first circuit overwrites the data and reads the data from the rewritable region, and a second circuit reads the data from the read only region. A first antenna is connected with the first circuit, and a second antenna is connected with the second circuit. A protecting member protects the first antenna during transportation of the liquid container and exposes the first antenna and the second antenna in use.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART 
   The present invention relates to a recording apparatus which makes a record on recording medium by jetting liquid (which hereafter may be referred to as ink), which contains, or does not contain, coloring agents, etc. It also relates to a liquid container mountable in the main assembly of the abovementioned recording apparatus. 
   A recording apparatus which records by jetting ink has a recording head which jets ink droplets. It causes the recording head to jet ink while moving the recording head and recording medium relative to each other. It is capable of forming an image on various recording media, for example, paper, fabric, etc. An ink jet recording apparatus is a nonimpact recording apparatus, that is, a recording apparatus which does not impact recording medium. Thus, it is low in recording noise. Further, it can be designed to be small in size, and also, can be easily designed to be used with multiple inks, different in colors, to form a color image. In other words, an ink jet recording apparatus has many advantages such as the above described ones. A serial ink jet recording apparatus is one of the various types of ink jet recording apparatus. It records by reciprocally moving its recording head, relative to recording medium, in the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the direction in which the recording medium is conveyed. It employs a small and inexpensive recording head, and yet, is capable of forming a high quality image. Presently, therefore, it is widely used in the field of an electronic apparatus, such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, etc., and also, in the field of industrial machinery. 
   There have been known various recording heads which are employable as the recording head for an ink jet recording apparatus. Some of them have electro-thermal transducers (heaters) or electro-mechanical transducers (piezoelectric elements). Among them, the recording heads which use electro-thermal transducers to jet ink are advantageous in that they can record at a high level of resolution, because their ink jetting orifices can be arranged at a very high level of density, and also, that they can be easily designed to be compact. 
   Ink jet recording heads have an ink jetting portion and an ink container portion. In the case of the ink jet recording heads of the cartridge type, the ink jetting portion and ink container portion are integral. There are also ink jet recording heads, the ink jetting portion and ink container portion of which are independent from each other; in the case of these ink jet recording heads, the ink container portion is an independent ink container, and is removably mountable in an ink container holder (or holder portion of ink jet recording head). 
   In either case, if a recording head is activated to jet ink when ink cannot be supplied to the head (for example, there is no ink in ink container), it is possible that the ink jetting portion of the recording head will be damaged. Thus, an ink jet recording apparatus has to be designed so that the amount of ink in the ink container is accurately known to ensure that the recording head is activated only when ink can be supplied to the recording head. Further, even when an ink jet recording cartridge or an ink container, which is not fresh, is mounted into the recording apparatus, the amount of ink in the ink container has to be accurately known. Therefore, it is necessary that the information regarding the amount of ink in an ink jet recording cartridge or an ink container is held by the cartridge or ink container itself. 
   In recent years, it has become a common practice to make an ink jet recording cartridge or an ink container hold information, such as trade name, regarding the cartridge or ink container, in order to improve the distribution of cartridges or ink containers, that is, in order to prevent overstocking, to know the fast selling items, and to simplify the process of taking inventory. Thus, it is common practice to use the information carried by each cartridge or each ink container, in order to manage each of the cartridges and ink containers. 
   Thus, in recent years, a wireless tag based on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) has come to be widely used in response to the abovementioned demand in the field of commodity management. For example, technologies for providing each recording head with a wireless tag have been put to practical use. One of these types of wireless tag has been known to be provided with an IC chip, as a data storage, and to have an antenna which is in connection to the IC chip, and in which electric power is generated by electromagnetic induction by an external device. 
   Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 2002-234192 discloses an ink cartridge provided with a nonvolatile memory and an antenna. In the case of this ink cartridge, the data sent from the main assembly of the ink jet recording apparatus through the antenna of the main assembly are written into the nonvolatile memory of the ink cartridge. 
   Japanese Laid-open Patent Application H10-255011 discloses a noncontact IC card provided with a sealing member capable of blocking electromagnetic wave. In the case of this noncontact IC card, the antenna with which the IC cartridge is provided is covered with the protective member so that the IC is not allowed to communicate at all as long as the ink container having the IC card remains in the brand-new condition. 
   Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 2003-300359 discloses a label provided with an adhesive layer and an antenna. More specifically, this patent application discloses a technology which makes it possible to change the communication range of the antenna by breaking the label so that the communication range which the antenna has while the ink cartridge, to which the antenna belongs, is in its distribution network, can be made different from the communication range which the antenna has while the ink container is in a recording apparatus, that is, after it is put to use for the first time. 
   Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 2004-338395 discloses a cartridge provided with: an ink amount detecting portion; a nonvolatile memory; an electric power generating portion; an information storage portion whose structural components are a high frequency wave receiving portion, etc.; and an antenna. The cartridge is also provided with a dielectric sheet which can be peeled away. This sheet is for preventing the occurrence of electrostatic discharge between the information storage portion and antenna portion. Further, in order to prevent the information in the information storage portion from being erased, the peelable sheet is enabled to block ultraviolet rays. 
   In the case of the technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 2002-234192, the antenna can be easily excited by a magnetic field generated by an external source. Therefore, it is possible that the important data in the nonvolatile memory will be altered. 
   In the case of the noncontact IC card disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application H10-255011, the data in the IC card cannot be accessed during cartridge distribution, creating the problem that it is impossible to efficiently perform such tasks as inventory management, pin-pointing fast selling items, simplifying the inventory taking process, which are related to commodity distribution. 
   In the case of the noncontact IC card disclosed in both Japanese Laid-open Patent Applications 2003-300359 and 2004-338395, it is provided with an antenna portion and a re-writable information storage portion. In both cases, the data in the information storage portion are physically prevented from being altered. That is, the information storage portion and/or antenna portion is provided with a dielectric sealing member, which is pasted thereto to prevent the information from being altered. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the present invention which relates to a liquid container capable of exchanging data with a recording apparatus in a noncontact fashion, a liquid container is provided with a circuit capable of only reading the internal information, and a circuit capable of both reading the information and re-writing (altering) the information, and the two circuits are independent from each other. The primary object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive liquid container structured so that when the ink container is in the distribution system, the data it carries can only be read, whereas when the ink container is in use, not only can the data be read, but also, can be re-written (altered). 
   According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid container comprising a communicating means capable of non-contact communication with an external sending and receiving portion; storing means for storing data, wherein said storing means includes a rewritable region from which the data is readable and in which the data is rewritable and a writing-prevented region in which the data is readable and in which the data is unwritable, wherein said communicating means includes a overwriting circuit for overwriting the data in and for reading the data from said rewritable region; a first antenna provided in said communicating means and connected with said overwriting circuit a reading circuit for reading the data from said overwriting non-permission region; and a second antenna provided in said communicating means and connected with said reading circuit, and wherein said overwriting circuit and said reading circuit are constituted by respective electric circuits which are independent from each other. 
   According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus to which a liquid container including a sending and receiving portion, communicating means capable of non-contact communication and storing means for storing data is detachably mountable, recording device comprising: 
   said storing means including a rewritable region from which the data is readable and in which the data is rewritable and a writing-prevented region in which the data is readable and in which the data is unwritable, said communicating means including an overwriting circuit for overwriting the data in and for reading the data from said rewritable region; a first antenna provided in said communicating means and connected with said overwriting circuit a reading circuit for reading the data from said overwriting non-permission region; a second antenna provided in said communicating means and connected with said reading circuit; wherein said overwriting circuit and said reading circuit are constituted by respective electric circuits which are independent from each other, so that sending and receiving portion is capable of the non-contact communication with the antennas associated with said electric circuits severally. 
   According to the present invention, an ink container is provided with first and second antennas. The first antenna is in connection to the re-writing circuit which is capable of re-writing the data in the re-writable area, as well as reading the data, and is covered with a protective member which is not to be removed until the ink container is used for the first time. Therefore, the problem that the data stored in the re-writable area are altered before the cartridge is used for the first time, for example while the cartridge is in the distribution system, can be avoided. Further, the second antenna is connected to the reading circuit for reading the data in the read-only area, and is left in the state in which it is allowed to communicate. Therefore, the data in the read-only area can be read during the distribution of the ink container. 
   Further, the protective member is to be removed before the ink container is mounted into a recording apparatus. Therefore, while the ink container is in the recording apparatus, noncontact communication is possible, with no problem, between the ink container and the main assembly of the recording apparatus. 
   These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a partially cutaway perspective view of a typical ink jet recording apparatus in which a liquid container in accordance with the present invention is mountable, and shows the structure of the apparatus. 
       FIG. 2(A)  is an external perspective view of an ink container in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2(B)  is an exploded perspective view of the ink container in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 3(A)  is a plan view of the antenna chip of the ink container in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3(B)  is a side view of the antenna chip of the ink container in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the combination of the control system circuit and antenna driver circuit, in the preferred embodiment. 
       FIG. 5  is the combination of a schematic side view of the antennas of the recording apparatus in the preferred embodiment, and a schematic sectional view of the ink container in the preferred embodiment, and shows the relationship between the antennas of the recording apparatus and the antennas of the ink container after mounting of the ink container into the recording head. 
       FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of the ink container in the preferred embodiment, showing the state in which the ink container is during its distribution. 
       FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of the sealing member which keeps the ink container, shown in  FIG. 6A , sealed during the distribution of the ink container. 
       FIG. 7A  is a combination of a block diagram of the commodity management system, and a schematic sectional view of the ink container in the preferred embodiment, showing an example of the commodity management process carried out during the distribution of the ink container, in which the re-writable area is not accessed. 
       FIG. 7B  is a combination of a block diagram of the commodity management system, and a schematic sectional view of the ink container in the preferred embodiment, showing an example of the commodity management process carried out while the ink container is in the main assembly of the recording apparatus, in which the read-only area of the ink container is accessed. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a conventional ink cartridge provided with an antenna portion and an information storage portion. 
       FIG. 9  is a circuit diagram of the information storage portion of the conventional ink cartridge having an antenna portion and an information storage portion. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Hereinafter, one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. 
     FIG. 1  is a partially cutaway perspective view of a typical ink jet recording apparatus in which a liquid container in accordance with the present invention is mountable, and shows the internal structure of the apparatus. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , an ink jet recording apparatus  300  (which hereafter will be referred to simply as recording apparatus) has a conveying mechanism  310  for conveying a recording medium  400  in the direction indicated by an arrow mark B. It also has a moving mechanism  320  for reciprocally moving the recording head  200  in the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the direction in which the recording medium  400  is conveyed. 
   The conveying mechanism  310 , that is, the recording medium conveying mechanism, has a pair of roller units  311   a  and  311   b , and a pair of driving portions  312   a  and  312   b , respectively. Each roller unit  311  is made up of a pair of rollers which are juxtaposed in parallel and in contact with each other. Each driving portion is made up of a motor for driving the rollers, etc. The driving portions  312   a  and  312   b  intermittently rotate the roller units  311   a  and  311   b  in order to intermittently convey the recording medium  400  in the direction B (secondary scan direction) by a preset distance, while keeping the recording medium  400  between the two rollers of each unit. 
   The moving mechanism  320 , that is, the recording head moving mechanism, has a guide shaft  322  which guides the recording head  200  in the primary scan direction (indicated by arrow mark A). It also has a drive shaft  321 , and a motor  323 . The drive shaft  321  is parallel to the guide shaft  322 , and the motor  323  rotates the drive shaft  321 . The recording head  200  is provided with an unshown nut, which is perforated with a threaded hole. The nut is fitted around the drive shaft  321  so that its threads engage with the threads of the drive shaft  321 . Thus, as the drive shaft  321  is rotated forward or in reverse by the motor  323 , the recording head  200  is moved forward or backward along the guide shaft  322  and drive shaft  321 . 
   In this embodiment, the recording head  200  is provided with an ink container holder  201 , and an ink jetting portion  202 . The ink jetting portion  202  is solidly fixed to the ink container holder  201  so that it directly faces the recording medium  400 . It is provided with multiple ink jetting orifices, which are arranged in multiple rows. It records an image by jetting ink droplets in response to the ink jetting signals sent from the control system, which will be described later. Also in this embodiment, the ink jetting portion  202 , which is to be mounted into the ink container holder  201 , is provided with four ink jetting portions which jet four inks different in color, that is, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks, one for one. The ink container holder  201  is structured so that the four ink containers, which are independent from each other and hold the abovementioned four inks one for one, can be removably mounted in the ink container holder  201 . Referring again to  FIG. 1 , designated by referential characters  100 Y,  100 M,  100 C, and  100 Bk are ink contains which are for containing yellow ink, magenta ink, cyan ink, and black ink, respectively. 
   The recording apparatus  300  is provided with a recovery portion  330 , which is for maintaining the ink jetting performance of the ink jetting orifices of the recording head  200 . The recovery portion  330  is located in the adjacencies of one end of the range across which the recording head  200  is moved by the moving mechanism  320 . Further, the recovery portion  330  is located a preset distance away from the path of the recording medium  400 . In this embodiment, the position of the recovery portion  330  corresponds to the home position of the recording head  200 . The recovery portion wipes the surface of the recording head  200 , which has the opening of each ink jetting orifice. The recovery portion makes the recording head  200  discharge the body of ink, which is in the outward end of each ink jetting orifice, and which has increased in viscosity. 
   The recording apparatus  300  is also provided with a pair of antennas  221  and  231 , which are located next to the home position of the recording head  200 . The antennas  221  and  231  make it possible for information to be exchanged between the main assembly of the recording apparatus  300  and each ink container  100 . 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B  are an external perspective view of the entirety of the ink container  100  in accordance with the present invention, and an exploded external perspective view of the entirety of the ink container in accordance with the present invention, respectively. 
   The ink container  100  is made up of a lid  102 , a container proper  103  (liquid storage portion), and an antenna chip  104 . 
   The ink container proper  103  has an ink chamber  103   b , in which ink  103   a  is stored, and an absorbent member chamber  103   d , in which an absorbent member  103   c  formed of a porous substance is stored. The ink chamber  103   b  and absorbent member chamber  103   d  are separated by a partitioning wall  103   f . The bottom end of the partitioning wall  103   f  is provided with an unshown through hole, through which the two chambers are in connection with each other. The ink in the ink chamber  103   b  permeates into a part of the ink absorbent member  103   c  in the absorbent member chamber  103   d  through this through hole. The ink container proper  103  and lid  102  are formed of a resin such as polypropylene resin. The lid  102  is attached to the container proper  103  so that the openings of the absorbent member chamber  103   d  and the opening of the ink chamber  103   b , which are at the top of the container proper  103 , can be sealed by closing the lid  102  against the container proper  103 . As the means for attaching the lid  102  the container proper  103 , the ultrasonic welding or the like is used. 
   The lid  102  is provided with an air vent  102   a , through which the internal space of the absorbent member chamber  103   d  is in connection to the outside. Further, the antenna chip  104  is solidly attached to the outward surface of one of the lateral walls of the ink container proper  103 . 
     FIG. 3A  is a plan view of the antenna chip  104  with which the ink container  100  in this embodiment is provided, and  FIG. 3B  is a side view of the antenna chip  104 . 
   The frequency range (or frequency) of the abovementioned RFID is: no higher than 135 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 800-900 MHz, or 2.45 GHz. The frequency used by the antenna chip  104  in this embodiment of the present invention is 13.56 MHz. The antenna is flat. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3A , the antenna chip  104  is made up of a substrate  104   a  and a pair of antennas  131  (first antenna) and  121  (second antenna). The substrate  104   a  is formed of PET film. The antennas  131  and  121  are on the top surface of the substrate  104   a . They are spiral and are formed of aluminum. The antenna  121  is provided with a pair of terminals  121   a  and  121   b , and the antenna  131  is provided with a pair terminals  131   a  and  131   b . These terminals  121   a ,  121   b ,  131   a , and  131   b  are in connection to the terminals  107   a  and  107   b  of an antenna driving element  107 . As the means for electrically conductively attaching the terminals of the antennas to the terminals of the antenna driving element, ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film), ball-grid, or the like, can be used. The antennas  121  and  131  are symmetrically positioned relative to each other, with reference to the center of the antenna driving element  107 . 
   The antenna chip  104  is attached to the container proper  103  so that the antenna  131  is positioned near the lid  102  and the antenna driving element  107  is positioned in a recess  103   e  ( FIG. 2B ) of the container proper  103 . For this attachment, ultrasonic welding, for example, can be used. 
   In terms of overall shape, the ink container  100  in this embodiment is roughly in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped. The bottom wall of the absorbent member chamber  103   d  is provided with an ink outlet  108  ( FIG. 5 ), which is connected to the recording head  200  as the ink container  100  is attached to the recording head  200 . 
   As the ink container  100  is attached to the recording head  200 , the antenna chip  104  of the ink container  100  is positioned so that it faces the inward surface  300   a  of the recording apparatus  300 , with the presence of a preset gap. The recording apparatus  300  is provided with a pair of antennas  221  and  231 , which are on the inward surface  300   a  of the recording apparatus  300 , being in the vertical alignment. Thus, as the recording head  200  is moved to the home position of the recording head  200  after the mounting of the ink containers  100 , different in the color of the inks they contains, into the recording head  200 , the pairs of antennas  121  and  131 , which the ink containers  100  have one for one, sequentially move along the pair of antennas  221  and  231  of the main assembly of the recording apparatus  300 .  FIG. 5  shows the positional relationship among the antennas  221  and  231  of the main assembly of the recording head  300 , and the antennas  121  and  131  of each ink container  100 , after the mounting of the ink container into the recording head  200 . 
   Next, referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B  which are an external perspective view of the ink container  100 , and an external perspective view of the sealing member  101 , respectively, the state of the ink container  100 , in which the ink container  100  is kept during its distribution, and the sealing member  101  which is kept attached to the ink container  100  during the shipment of the ink container  100 , will be described. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6A , the ink container  100  in this embodiment is provided with the sealing member  101  (protective member), which is pasted to the ink container  100  during the manufacture of the ink container and is left on the ink container  100  during the distribution of the ink container  100  (until container is put to use for the first time). The sealing member  101  is made up of a piece of resin film  101   a , a metallic foil layer  101   b , and an adhesive layer  10   c . The resin film  101   a  serves as the substrate of the sealing member  101 . The metallic foil layer  101   b  is on the bottom surface of the resin film  101   a , and the adhesive layer  101   c  is on the bottom surface of the metallic layer  101   b . As the resin used as the material for the resin film  101   a , PET resin, for example, can be used. As the metallic foil used as the material for the metallic foil layer  101   b , it is desired to use aluminum foil. 
   The design of the sealing member  101  is such that as the sealing member  101  is adhered to the ink container  100  by its adhesive layer  10   c , not only does it cover the air vent  102   a  which the lid  102  of the ink container  100  has, but also, it covers the entirety of the antenna  131 , that is, one of the two antennas of the ink container  100 , which are on the outward surface A of the ink container  100 . Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , represented by a referential character BA is the width of the antennal  131 , and represented by a referential character BS is the width of the sealing member  101 . Represented by a referential character H is the length of the portion of the sealing member  101 , which is pasted to the lateral surface A of the ink container  100 , and represented by a referential character L is the distance between the bottom end of the antenna  131  and the top edge of the lateral surface A. The ink container  100  and sealing member  101  are designed so that their dimensions satisfy: BS&gt;BA, and H&gt;L. The sealing member  101  is formed so that the portion of the sealing member  101 , which is to be pasted to the lateral surface A of the ink container  100  is perpendicular to the portion of the sealing member  101 , which is to be pasted to the lid  102 , as shown in  FIG. 6B . Forming the sealing member  101  as described above is desirable from the standpoint of satisfactorily pasting the sealing member  101  to the ink container  100 . 
   Pasting the sealing member  101  to the ink container  100  as described above eliminates the problem that ink leaks through the air vent  102   a  of the ink container  100  during the distribution of the ink container  100 . The sealing member  101  has the metallic foil layer  101   a . Thus, while the antenna  131  remains covered with the sealing member  101 , it remains blocked from the high frequency magnetic fields generated by external sources. 
   Next, referring to  FIG. 4  which is a block diagram, the control system and antenna driving element  107  of the recording apparatus  300  will be described regarding their circuit structures. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the recording apparatus  300  is provided with the aforementioned antennas  221  and  231  (which are on the inward surface of one of the lateral walls of recording apparatus), and a transmitting-and-receiving portion  206  which has a transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204  connected to the antennas  221  and  231 . The transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204  outputs signals, such as the signal for accessing the data in the antenna driving element  107  of the ink container  100 , in response to a command from a CPU  208  which controls the recording apparatus  300 . The transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204  is structured so that it outputs (transmits) the signals through the antennas  231  and  221  by modulating the carrier wave, which has a preset frequency, with data the signals. The recording apparatus  300  is also provided with a head driving portion  209 , which is in the recording apparatus  300  and drives the energy generating elements (for example, heaters or piezoelectric elements) with which the recording head  200  is provided to jet ink through its ink jetting orifices. Also located in the recording apparatus  300  are: a storage portion  203  for storing various data; a logic circuit portion  205  which performs computational operations, which will be described later; a dot counter  207  which counts the number of ink dots formed by the recording head  200 ; etc. Further, various driving circuits for driving motors, displays, etc., are also located in the recording apparatus  300 , but, they are not shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   The antenna driving element  107 , with which the ink container  100  is provided, has: a memory  110 ; a reading circuit  120  which reads the data in the memory  110 ; and a reading-and-writing circuit  130  which re-writes (alters) or reads the data in the memory  110 . The writing-and-reading circuit  130  and reading circuit  120  are independent from each other. That is, the writing-and-reading circuit  130  is made up of the antenna  131 , an RF circuit portion  132  (high frequency circuit portion), a control circuit portion  133 , and an electric power generating portion  134 . The reading circuit  120  is made up of the antenna  121 , an RF circuit portion  122  (high frequency circuit portion), a control circuit portion  123 , and an electric power generating portion  124 . 
   The memory  110  is a nonvolatile memory, and has a re-writable area  135 , that is, an area which allows the data therein to be read or altered, and a read-only area  125 , that is, an area which allows the data therein to be read, but, does not allow the data therein to be altered. The re-writable area  135  is connected to the writing circuit  130 , whereas the read-only area  125  is connected to the reading circuit  120 . 
   Next, the working of the antenna driving element  107  will be described with reference to the writing circuit  130 . 
   A high frequency wave signal generated by the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204  induces a high frequency magnetic field through the antenna  231 . As this high frequency magnetic field is generated, a high frequency signal is induced in the antenna  131 . The RF circuit portion  132  of the ink container  100  extracts a referential clock signal, which constitutes the operational reference for the RF circuit portion  132  itself and control circuit portion  133 . At the same time, the carrier wave transmitted, while being modulated with the data signals by the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204 , is demodulated to extract the data signals. The electric power generating portion  134  rectifies the high frequency signals induced in the antenna  131  in order to generate DC electric power for driving the various circuits in the antenna driving element  107 . The control circuit portion  133  controls the operation of the RF circuit portion  132 , the process of reading the data in the re-writable area  135  of the memory  110 , and the process of writing data into the re-writable area  135 . The read data are modulated again onto the high frequency carrier wave by the RF circuit portion  132 , and are transmitted to the transmitting-and-receiving portion  206  through the antenna  131 . 
   The data in the read-only area  125  are readable only when the antenna  121  is excited, as are the data in the re-writable area  135  only when the antenna  131  is excited. The data read by the reading circuit  120  are transmitted to the transmitting-and-receiving portion  206 . 
   The re-writable area  135  holds the data regarding the remaining amount of ink. The data are read by the recording apparatus  300  through the above described processes, and the amount of remaining ink is displayed on an unshown display device or the like to inform a user of the remaining amount of ink. Since the re-writable area of the memory  110  of the ink container  100  holds the amount of the remaining ink as described above, the amount of ink in the ink container  100  can be accurately known even if an ink container ( 100 ) structured as described above is moved from a recording apparatus structured as described above to another recording apparatus structured as described above. Further, the read-only area of the memory  110  of the ink container  100  holds data, such as the container ID, the year, month, day, minute, second of the container production, the location of the container production, etc. 
   Next, referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the working of the recording apparatus  300  will be described. 
   Prior to the distribution of the ink container  100 , the sealing member  101  is pasted to the ink container to prevent the ink  103   a  from leaking from the ink container  100 , to prevent the evaporative ink ingredients from evaporating, and also, to protect the data in the re-writable area  135 . A user is to peel the sealing member  101  away from the ink container  100  immediately before the user mounts the ink container  100  into the preset location in the recording apparatus  300 . 
   As the recording apparatus  300  is turned on when the ink container  100  is in the apparatus  300 , or as soon as the ink container  100  in the recording apparatus  300  is replaced with another ink container ( 100 ), the recording apparatus  300  first performs the operation for obtaining and confirming the ID information. This operation is carried out as the recording head  200  is moved in the adjacencies of its home position in the recording apparatus  300 . That is, the recording head  200  is positioned so that the antenna  121  and  131  of the ink container  100  directly face the antennas  221  and  231  on the inward surface  300   a  of the recording apparatus  300 . In this embodiment, the recording apparatus  300  employs four ink containers  100  ( 100 Y,  100 M,  100 C, and  100 Bk). Therefore, the recording head  200  is moved so that the antennas  121  and  131  of the ink container  100 Y, the antennas  121  and  131  of the ink container  100 M, the antennas  121  and  131  of the ink container  100 C, and the antennas  121  and  131  of the ink container  100 Bk sequentially oppose the antennas  221  and  231 . 
   As the antennas  121  and  131  of each ink container  100  directly face the antennas  221  and  231  of the recording apparatus  300 , the recording apparatus  300  excites the antenna  221  with the use of the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204 , obtaining thereby the ID information, that is, the information for identifying ink container, in the read-only area  125 . Then, the recording apparatus  300  compares the obtained ID information with the ID information in its storage portion to determine whether or not the two ID information match. If the two do not match, the recording apparatus  300  informs a user of this information. If the two match, the recording apparatus  300  reads the value in the re-writable area  135 , which indicates the amount of ink in the ink container  100  by exciting the antenna  231  with the use of transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204 , and then, stores the value in the storage portion  203 . 
   The recording apparatus  300  may be controlled so that the head driving portion  209  sends a driving signal to the recording head  200  only after the ink container ID information in the read-only area of the ink container  100  match the ink container ID information in the storage portion of the recording apparatus  300 . In this case, the setup may be such that if the ink container ID information in the read-only area of the ink container  100  does not match the ink container ID information in the storage portion of the recording apparatus  300 , transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204  does not excite the antenna  221 . With the employment of such a setup, it is possible to prevent the recording head  200  from being supplied with a drive signal from the head driving portion  209 , making it therefore possible to prevent the problem that a head is damaged by being supplied with ink different from the specific ink for the head. 
   Further, the recording apparatus  300  may be controlled so that even if the two ink container ID information do not match, the antenna  221  is excited by the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204  to transmit to the antenna  121 , that is, the antenna of the ink container  100 , the information that the two ID information do not match. In any case, the recording apparatus  300  is to be controlled so that if the two pieces of ink container ID information do not match, a drive signal is not sent from the head driving portion  209  to the recording head  200 . 
   While recording is made on the recording medium  400 , the head driving portion  209  supplies the ink jetting portion  202  of the recording head  200  with ink jetting commands which reflect recording information. The number of times each of the inks different in property (color) has been jetted by the recording head (dot count) is stored in the dot counter  207 . 
   The logic circuit portion  205  calculates the amount of each of the inks different in property (color) which has been used up to the point of calculation, based on the information stored in the storage portion  203 , more specifically, the amount of ink jetted per dot and the dot count. Then, it refreshes the value in the storage portion  203  of the recording apparatus  300 , which represents the amount of remaining ink. 
   As soon as the recording on the recording medium  400  ends, the recording head  200  returns to its home position in the recording apparatus  300 . While returning to the home position, the recording apparatus  300  changes the value in the re-writable area  135  of each ink container  100 , which represents the amount of the remaining ink, to a value, which represents the current amount of the remaining ink, with the use of the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  204 . 
     FIGS. 7A and 7B  are drawings which show an example of how to manage the inventory of the ink containers in accordance with the present invention during their distribution. 
   Referring to  FIG. 7A , designated by a referential number  1000  is a host computer, which manages the sales count of each item, and also, sends a command for making the control portion  901  of the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  read the data in the memory of each item (ink container), or re-write the data in the memory. The reading-and-writing apparatus  900  has a control portion  901 , and a transmitting-and-receiving circuit  902 . The transmitting-and-receiving circuit  902  is controlled by the control portion  901  to perform modulation or demodulation. The reading-and-writing apparatus  900  also has an antenna  903 , which generates a high frequency magnetic field in response to the high frequency wave signals from the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  902 , and in which high frequency signals are induced by the high frequency magnetic field generated by an external source. The reading-and-writing apparatus  900  and host computer  1000  make up a POS (Point of Sale) system. As the data in the memory  110  of the ink container  100 , which are read by the POS system, there are the data regarding the information, such as the type of the ink container  100 , the trade name of the ink container, etc. 
     FIG. 7A  shows the case in which the antenna  903  of the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  is in the adjacencies of the antenna  131  of the ink container  100 . While the ink container  100  is in a distribution network, the antenna  131  of the ink container  100  remains covered with the sealing member  101 , which has the metallic foil layer  101   b . Therefore, the antenna  131  is higher in inductance, making it impossible for the antenna  131  to be excited by the high frequency wave magnetic field generated by the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  902  and antenna  903  of the reading-and-writing apparatus  900 . That is, while the ink container is in the distribution network, the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  cannot access the data in the re-writable area of the memory of the ink container  100 . Therefore, it does not occur that the data in the re-writable area are accidentally or intentionally altered. 
   In comparison,  FIG. 7B  shows the case that the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  is in the adjacencies of the reading antenna  121 . In this case, the antenna  121  of the ink container  100 , which is dedicated to reading, is not covered with the sealing member  101  provided with the metallic foil layer  101   b , making it possible for the antenna  121  to be excited by the high frequency wave magnetic field generated by the transmitting-and-receiving circuit  902  and antenna  903  of the reading-and-writing apparatus  900 . In other words, in this case, the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  is allowed to access the data in the read-only area  125  of the ink container  100 . Therefore, the control portion  901  of the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  can read the ID information in the read-only area  125  of the ink container  100 , and can transmit the read information to the host computer  100 . While the ink container  100  is in the distribution network in which the reading-and-writing apparatus  900  is used, the air vent  102   a  remains sealed by the sealing member  101 , ensuring that the evaporative ingredients of the ink  103   a  do not evaporate, and also, that the ink  103   a  does not leak. 
   In the preferred embodiment described above, the entirety of the sealing member was uniformly laminar. However, a sealing member which is not uniformly laminar may be employed. For example, the sealing member may be constructed so that the portion of the sealing member, which is for covering the air vent, is provided with two layers, that is, resin film layer and adhesive layer, whereas the portion of the sealing member, which is for blocking magnetic influence, is provided with the resin film layer, metallic foil layer, and adhesive layer. It is possible to make the sealing member so that it has only the metallic foil layer and adhesive layer. In any case, from the standpoint of keeping the ink container in the virgin state, it is desired that the sealing member is constructed so that once the sealing member is peeled from the ink container, it cannot be easily pasted back onto the ink container. 
   The preceding preferred embodiment was described with reference to the case that the sealing member  101  had both the portion for covering the antenna  131  and the portion for covering the air vent. However, the portion for covering the antenna  131 , and the portion for covering the air vent, may be rendered independent from each other. It is needless to say, also in such a case, that the two portions (sealing members) may be rendered different in laminar structure. The separating of the sealing member  101  into two independent sealing members, that is, a sealing member for covering the antenna  131  and a sealing member for covering the air vent, can ensure that the antenna and air vent are satisfactorily covered regardless of the positional relationship between the antenna and air vent, and/or the shape of the ink container. In the case of this modification of the preceding embodiment, however, the operation for peeling the sealing members has to be performed twice, and therefore, this modification sometimes makes slightly more bothersome the operation for preparing the ink container for its first time usage, than the preceding preferred embodiment. In the case of liquid containers which do not require the air vent, and liquid containers provided with means for preventing liquid from leaking out through the air vent, or means for preventing liquid from evaporating through the air vent, all that is necessary is to paste to the antenna portion of the ink container, the sealing member capable of shielding the antenna  131  from the influences which external magnetic fields could exert upon the memory. 
   Also in the preceding embodiment, the ink container (liquid container) was structured so that it could be removably mountable in the recording head with which the main assembly of the recording apparatus was provided. However, the present invention is also applicable to an ink jet recording cartridge, that is, a cartridge made up of the recording head portion and ink container portion, which is removably mountable in the recording apparatus. Further, the present invention is applicable to ink containers structured so that they can be removably attachable to recording heads which are removably mountable in the recording apparatus. 
   While the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forth, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims. 
   This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 187001/2006 filed Jul. 6, 2006 which is hereby incorporated by reference.