Patent ID: 7427128

Claim:
A liquid container detachably mountable on a printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus is constructed to mount at least one such liquid container and includes a device side contact electrically connectable to a container side contact formed on the liquid container and an electric circuit having wiring for achieving common electrical connection between the respective container side contacts on the mounted liquid containers and the device side contacts, the liquid container comprising: the container side contact electrically connectable to the device side contact; a non-volatile information retention portion provided on the liquid container and constructed to retain information pertaining to the liquid container; a volatile information retention portion provided on the liquid container and constructed to retain at least part of the information retained by the non-volatile retention portion; an informing portion; a drive portion for driving the informing portion; and a control portion constructed to control any of access to the non-volatile information retention portion, access to the volatile information retention portion, and drive of the informing portion by use of the drive portion to inform a condition of the liquid container, upon receipt of a command including individual information from the printing apparatus.