Patent ID: 7510273

Claim:
An ink cartridge for detachable mounting in an insertion direction on an ink jet printing apparatus having an ink supply needle communicating with a print head, the ink cartridge comprising: a bottom wall; a plurality of side walls; an ink supply port formed in said bottom wall to engage the ink supply needle of the ink jet printing apparatus as the ink cartridge moves in the insertion direction; a circuit board formed on one of said side walls adjacent to said bottom wall; a plurality of electrodes disposed on the circuit board, each said electrode having at least one contact region, the contact regions being divided into a plurality of groups respectively arranged at intervals in the insertion direction of the cartridge, wherein a portion of one said contact region that is located in a center of one of the groups of contact regions is disposed on a central line of said ink supply port; and a semiconductor storage device located on said circuit board and which is in electrical communication with at least some of said contact regions.