Ink tank and ink jet recording apparatus provided with the same

An ink tank for holding ink, which is supplied to a recording head for recording information by applying the ink on a medium for recording information thereon, in an ink containing chamber substantially surrounded by a wall, wherein

• said ink tank includes a solid semiconductor element, comprising:
• information acquiring means for acquiring environmental information of the outside of said solid semiconductor element;
• information storing means for storing information to be compared with the information acquired by said information acquiring means;
• discriminating means for comparing the information acquired by said information acquiring means and information stored in said information storing means, which corresponds to the acquired information, to determine the necessity of communicating information;
• and
• information communicating means for displaying the information acquired by said information acquiring means or communicating the information to the outside of said ink tank if said discriminating means determines that it is necessary to communicate information,
• wherein said solid semiconductor element is embedded in said wall such that a part of said solid semiconductor element is exposed from a side of said wall contacting the ink so that said exposed part directly contacts the ink, and said information acquiring means is disposed in the exposed part which directly contacts the ink;
• and
• wherein a plurality of said solid semiconductor elements are disposed in a plurality of parts on said wall.

An ink tank for containing ink, wherein

• said ink tank includes two or more solid semiconductor elements, comprising:
• energy converting means for converting energy given from the outside of said solid semiconductor elements into energy of a different kind;
• receiving means for receiving a signal from the outside of said solid semiconductor elements;
• information storing means for storing information;
• and information communicating means for displaying the information of said information storing means or communicating the information in response to the signal received by said receiving means, wherein
• said receiving means, said information storing means, and said information communicating means have two or more solid semiconductor elements that are activated by the energy converted by said energy converting means, and wherein
• said two or more solid semiconductor elements have a function of detecting environmental information of the surrounding of said solid semiconductor elements to communicate said environmental information to the outside of said ink tank or display said environmental information by communicating with each other.