Patent ID: 7590026

Claim:
A non-volatile storage device that is detachably attached to a printing material container and connects with a clock signal line, a data signal line, and a reset signal line, said storage device comprising: a storage element having a plurality of non-volatile storage areas that are sequentially accessed, wherein the storage element stores identification information therein; and a storage element control unit that is initialized at a first level of an input reset signal and carries out a writing/reading operation of data into and from the storage element according to a data signal synchronously with an input clock signal when the input reset signal is switched over to a second level, and that comprises: a signal line that is connected to the data signal line; an address counter that increments a count thereon synchronously with the input clock signal and resets the count to an initial value in response to input of the reset signal; an input-output controller that is interposed between the storage element and the signal line and controls a direction of data transfer with regard to the storage element as well as a direction of data transfer with regard to the signal line; a comparator that compares printing material container identification information, which is assigned to said printing material container for identification thereof and is input via the data signal line, with identification information stored in the storage element to determine coincidence or incoincidence of the two pieces of identification information; and a write/read enable unit that allows the writing/reading operation of data into and from the storage element in the case of coincidence of the two pieces of identification information.