Consumable chips and their verification methods, consumable containers, printing equipment

Abstract

This invention provides a consumable chip and its verification method, a consumable container, and a printing device. The consumable chip includes a substrate, an electronic module, and multiple connection terminals disposed on the substrate. The multiple connection terminals are electrically connected to the electronic module, and the multiple connection terminals include at least data terminals. The electronic module stores at least one set of second serial numbers. When the electronic module receives a primary verification command, it sends a first serial number; after receiving an advanced verification command, it sends a second serial number. After the second serial number passes verification, the electronic module passively processes the received command and determines whether a primary verification command has been received again. If a primary verification command is received, it sends a first serial number. This invention also provides a verification method for the above-mentioned consumable chip, a consumable container using the above-mentioned consumable chip, and a printing device. This invention enables low-cost verification of consumable chips.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of printing equipment, and more specifically, to a consumable chip for printing equipment and a verification method for such consumable chip, as well as to a printing equipment using such consumable chip. Background Technology

[0002] Printing equipment, as a common office tool, provides great convenience for modern offices. Common printing equipment is divided into inkjet printers and laser printers. Inkjet printers use ink cartridges containing ink as consumable containers to spray ink onto paper to form the text or pattern to be printed on the paper; laser printers use toner cartridges containing toner as consumable containers to form the text or pattern to be printed on the medium.

[0003] See Figure 1 A color inkjet printing device has a housing 11. Figure 1 The inkjet printer shown omits the tray of the housing 11. The housing 11 houses the inkjet printer's mechanism 12 and includes a slide bar. The printing carriage 14 is mounted on a motor (…). Figure 1 Driven by the invisible component, it reciprocates along the slide bar. The printing carriage 14 contains the main control circuit board (…). Figure 1 (Not visible in the middle), the main control circuit board communicates with the mechanism 12 through the ribbon cable 13.

[0004] Multiple ink cartridges 15 are detachably mounted on the printing carriage 14, each containing ink of a different color. The structure of the ink cartridge 15 is as follows: Figure 2 As shown. The ink cartridge 15 has a housing 16, which forms a cavity for containing ink. The lower end of the cavity is provided with an ink outlet 17. The ink in the cavity flows out through the ink outlet 17 and supplies ink to the ink supply needle of the printing carriage 14.

[0005] A chip 18 is mounted on the outer wall of the cartridge body 16 of the ink cartridge 15. The chip 18 has a substrate, and one side of the substrate has multiple connection terminals 19 for electrical connection with the contact pins on the printing carriage 14. An electronic module is located on the other side of the substrate. Figure 2 (Not visible in the image) The electronic module contains a memory, which is usually a non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM or FLASH. It stores information related to the ink cartridge, including variable information and invariant information. Variable information is information that changes continuously with the printing operation, such as ink level, printing time, and number of sheets printed. Invariant information is information that does not change with the printing operation, such as ink cartridge model, applicable inkjet printer model, and ink color.

[0006] After ink cartridge 15 is installed into the print carriage 14 of the inkjet printer, the inkjet printer powers on the chip 18 and reads the data stored in the memory of the chip 18 to determine whether the ink cartridge 15 is the right model and whether there is enough ink remaining in the ink cartridge 15. Only after determining that the ink cartridge 15 is the right model and that there is enough ink in the ink cartridge 15 can the inkjet printer perform the printing operation.

[0007] When the ink in the ink cartridge 15 is depleted, if the ink cartridge 15 is discarded directly, the casing and chip 18 of the ink cartridge 15 can still be used. Discarding the ink cartridge 15 directly will cause environmental pollution. Therefore, some existing ink cartridges can be recycled. For example, ink cartridges that have run out of ink can be refilled with ink and reused.

[0008] However, because the ink cartridge chip 18 records the cartridge's serial number, once that serial number has been used and the ink in the corresponding cartridge has run out, the inkjet printer will not allow the cartridge to continue operating, rendering the refilled cartridge unusable. To solve this technical problem, some existing ink cartridge chips 18 store multiple sets of serial numbers, replacing them with a new set when refilled and reinstalled into the inkjet printer. Alternatively, the ink cartridge chip 18 may have a serial number generation module that generates a new serial number.

[0009] However, some existing inkjet printers are constantly upgrading their firmware. After the firmware upgrade, the inkjet printer not only needs to perform routine serial number verification, but also adds new verification content. For example, after detecting that a certain serial number is being installed in the inkjet printer for the first time, it will send an advanced verification command. The consumable chip must send advanced response data corresponding to the advanced verification command to the inkjet printer to pass the verification. Typically, the advanced response data needs to contain a serial number and advanced signature data matching that serial number. However, the cost of obtaining advanced response data is high, and pre-storing multiple sets of advanced response data increases the production cost of the cartridge chip, thus increasing the production cost of the cartridge.

[0010] Of course, the toner cartridge chips used in existing toner cartridges also have similar problems, namely, after the firmware upgrade of the laser printing equipment, the toner cartridge chip needs to be further verified, which leads to an increase in the production cost of the toner cartridge chip. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The first objective of this invention is to provide a consumable chip that enables low-cost verification of printing devices after firmware upgrades.

[0012] A second objective of this invention is to provide a low-cost verification method for consumable chips that can be verified using inkjet printing equipment.

[0013] A third objective of this invention is to provide a consumable container that uses the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0014] A fourth objective of this invention is to provide a printing device that utilizes the aforementioned consumable container.

[0015] To achieve the aforementioned first objective, the consumable chip provided by the present invention includes a substrate, on which an electronic module and multiple connection terminals are disposed, the multiple connection terminals being electrically connected to the electronic module, and the multiple connection terminals including at least a data terminal; wherein, the electronic module stores at least one set of second serial numbers; when the electronic module receives a primary verification instruction, it sends a set of first serial numbers, and after receiving an advanced verification instruction, it sends a set of second serial numbers; after the second serial number passes verification, the electronic module passively processes the received instruction and determines whether a primary verification instruction has been received again; if a primary verification instruction has been received, it sends a set of first serial numbers.

[0016] As can be seen from the above scheme, after receiving the primary verification command, the electronic module sends a first serial number, and upon receiving the advanced verification command, it sends a second serial number, which is the serial number that can pass the advanced verification. Since the first serial number can be generated multiple times or multiple sets can be pre-stored, even if one set of the first serial number fails verification, another set can be used for verification. Because the second serial number is not recorded by the printing device, it can be reused repeatedly. Thus, the consumable chip only needs to store one set of the second serial number, instead of storing multiple sets, thereby reducing the production cost of the consumable chip.

[0017] A preferred approach is that, after the second serial number is verified, the electronic module passively processes the received instructions, including: the electronic module does not respond to the received instructions or sends an incorrect response instruction.

[0018] As can be seen from the above scheme, the electronic module passively processes the received instructions, enabling the inkjet printer to reacquire the serial number, that is, to reacquire a new set of first serial numbers and continue verification. This allows subsequent verification to be performed using the first serial number, preventing the inkjet printer from mistakenly identifying the second serial number as the normal main serial number and recording it.

[0019] A preferred embodiment is that the first serial number sent by the electronic module after receiving the primary verification command for the second time is the same as the first serial number sent when the primary verification command was received for the first time.

[0020] Therefore, by sending the same first serial number in two different stages, the electronic module can make the inkjet printer think that the current stage is still in the verification process of the same first serial number. This allows the consumable chip to use the first serial number in subsequent verification and use, while also preventing the inkjet printer from recording the second serial number.

[0021] An alternative approach is to include a first serial number generation module within the electronic module, which generates at least one set of first serial numbers.

[0022] It is evident that by setting up a first serial number generation module to generate the first serial number, it is possible to avoid storing a large number of serial numbers in the electronic module, and also to avoid storing a large number of first serial numbers in the electronic module, which would occupy a large amount of storage space.

[0023] To achieve the second objective mentioned above, the verification method for consumable chips provided by the present invention includes: a control module of the consumable chip receiving a primary verification instruction, acquiring and sending a set of first serial numbers; the control module determining whether an advanced instruction has been received, and if so, acquiring and sending a set of second serial numbers; after the second serial number passes verification, the control module passively processes the received instruction and determines whether a primary verification instruction has been received again, and if a primary verification instruction has been received, then sending a set of first serial numbers.

[0024] As can be seen from the above scheme, the consumable chip's control module sends a first serial number upon receiving a primary verification command, and a second serial number upon receiving an advanced verification command. The second serial number is the advanced serial number that can be verified by the main control unit. Once the main control unit of the printing device determines that the consumable chip has passed the advanced verification, the encryption chip will continue to verify the consumable chip, and the main control unit will also record the first serial number. Furthermore, the first serial number can be generated multiple times; therefore, even if a certain set of first serial numbers fails verification, another first serial number can be used for verification. Since the second serial number is not recorded by the printing device, it can be reused. Thus, the consumable chip only needs to store one set of second serial numbers, instead of multiple sets, reducing the manufacturing cost of the consumable chip.

[0025] A preferred approach is that the control module passively processes the received instructions, including either not responding to the received instructions or sending incorrect response instructions.

[0026] A further approach is that after the control module receives the initial verification command and sends the first serial number, if it receives a prompt that the serial number is incorrect, it will replace it with another set of first serial numbers and send it.

[0027] A further approach is that the control module obtains a set of first serial numbers by: generating a set of first serial numbers through a first serial number generation module; or selecting a set of first serial numbers from a pre-stored set of first serial numbers.

[0028] To achieve the third objective mentioned above, the consumable container provided by the present invention has a shell, and the aforementioned consumable chip is disposed on the outer wall of the shell.

[0029] To achieve the fourth objective mentioned above, the printing device provided by the present invention has a body, and a consumable container mounting position is provided inside the body, on which the aforementioned consumable container is detachably mounted. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an existing inkjet printing device.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of an existing ink cartridge.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a structural block diagram showing the connection between the consumable chip embodiment of the present invention and an inkjet printing device.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the first verification method in the embodiment of the consumable chip verification method of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the second verification method in the embodiment of the consumable chip verification method of the present invention.

[0035] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The consumable chip of this invention can be applied to printing equipment such as inkjet printers. For example, the consumable chip is an ink cartridge chip installed on the side wall of an ink cartridge, or it can be applied to laser printers. For example, the consumable chip is a toner cartridge chip installed on the side wall of a toner cartridge. In an inkjet printer, multiple ink cartridges can be installed, and each ink cartridge is equipped with one ink cartridge chip.

[0037] Examples of consumable chips and their verification methods:

[0038] The following description uses an ink cartridge chip as a consumable chip. In this embodiment, the consumable container is a removable ink cartridge that can be installed into an inkjet printer. The ink cartridge has an ink cartridge chip, which serves as the consumable chip, on its surface. Multiple connection terminals are provided on one surface of the ink cartridge chip, such as clock terminals, data terminals, power terminals, chip select terminals, and ground terminals.

[0039] See Figure 3The inkjet printer 20 includes a main control unit 21 and an encryption chip 22, and can communicate with the ink cartridge chip 30. The ink cartridge chip 30 includes a control module and a memory. The control module may include a first serial number generation module for generating a first serial number. The first serial number includes the serial number itself and the corresponding signature data. Preferably, each first serial number generated by the first serial number generation module is different from any previously generated first serial number, ensuring that each generated first serial number is unique. Furthermore, the memory of the ink cartridge chip 30 stores one or more sets of second serial numbers. Each second serial number also includes the serial number itself and the corresponding advanced signature data. The first serial number is one that can pass the initial verification of the encryption chip 22, while the second serial number is one that can pass the advanced verification of the main control unit 21.

[0040] The main control unit 21 of the inkjet printer 20 is used to read the serial number of the ink cartridge chip 30. For example, it sends a preliminary verification command to the ink cartridge chip via the encryption chip 22 to obtain the first serial number returned by the ink cartridge chip 30. This first serial number includes the serial number itself and the corresponding signature data. Furthermore, the encryption chip 22 verifies the obtained serial number. Preferably, the encryption chip 22 runs a serial number verification algorithm to calculate and verify the authenticity of the obtained first serial number's signature data. When the first serial number sent by the ink cartridge chip 30 passes the preliminary verification by the encryption chip 22, the encryption chip 22 sends a successful verification message to the main control unit 21. The main control unit 21 records the first serial number that has passed verification and been used, and also records the ink cartridge usage status of that serial number. For example, if the ink in the ink cartridge corresponding to that serial number has been used up, then the serial number is considered to have been used, and the ink cartridge with that serial number is not allowed to continue to be used.

[0041] The encryption chip 22 can also forward certain special instructions issued by the main control unit 21, such as forwarding the advanced verification instruction issued by the main control unit 21 to the ink cartridge chip 30, and receiving and forwarding the advanced response data returned by the ink cartridge chip 30 to the main control unit 21. Preferably, the advanced response data returned by the ink cartridge chip 30 for the advanced verification instruction needs to contain a set of serial numbers that can pass the advanced verification of the main control unit 21. This serial number may be different from the first serial number sent when the primary verification instruction is received; this serial number is the second serial number. The main control unit 21 verifies the received advanced response data, especially the serial number in the advanced response data. However, the main control unit 21 will not immediately record the serial number in the advanced response data. That is, even if the ink cartridge chip 30 sends advanced response data that can pass the advanced verification, and the ink corresponding to the serial number in the advanced response data has been consumed, the main control unit 21 will not record the serial number as an invalid serial number.

[0042] This embodiment improves the verification method for the ink cartridge chip 30 by utilizing the different processing methods of the main control unit 21 for preliminary verification commands and advanced verification commands. For details, see [link to documentation]. Figure 4 In one verification scenario, the cartridge chip 30 first executes step S1 to determine whether a primary verification command has been received. Typically, after the cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer 20, the inkjet printer 20 first sends a primary verification command via the encryption chip 22, requesting the cartridge chip 30 to provide primary response data. The primary response data packet contains a first serial number.

[0043] If the cartridge chip 30 does not receive the primary verification command, it continues to wait. If it receives the primary verification command, it executes step S2 to obtain a set of first serial numbers, including the serial number itself and the corresponding signature data. In this embodiment, the cartridge chip 30 generates a set of first serial numbers through the first serial number generation module. The first serial number is the serial number used for primary verification and can pass the primary verification of the encryption chip 22. Of course, in other embodiments, the cartridge chip 30 may also pre-store multiple sets of first serial numbers. After receiving the primary verification command, it obtains one set from the multiple sets of first serial numbers and sends it to the inkjet printer 20. Preferably, the cartridge chip 30 records each set of serial numbers sent to the inkjet printer 20 and records whether each set of first serial numbers sent has been considered a used serial number by the inkjet printer 20. Once a set of first serial numbers is considered to have been used by the inkjet printer 20, the same first serial number cannot be sent to the inkjet printer 20 again.

[0044] Then, the ink cartridge chip 30 executes step S3, sending the acquired first serial number to the inkjet printer 20. At this time, the encryption chip 22 of the inkjet printer 20 verifies the received first serial number, for example, by using a preset verification algorithm. If the inkjet printer 20 considers the first serial number to be verified, it will then communicate with the ink cartridge chip 30, for example, by reading the data stored in the ink cartridge chip 30, such as the ink color and ink level stored in the ink cartridge. The main control unit 21 of the inkjet printer 20 records the first serial number as a used serial number.

[0045] If the inkjet printer 20 determines that the first serial number has failed verification, it sends a first serial number error message to the ink cartridge chip 30. Therefore, the ink cartridge chip 30 needs to execute step S4 to determine whether it has received the first serial number error message. If it has not received the message, it continues to wait for other instructions sent by the inkjet printer 20. If the inkjet printer 20 has issued a first serial number error message, it executes step S5 to replace the first serial number and resend it to the inkjet printer 20. For example, the first serial number generation module generates a new first serial number and sends it to the inkjet printer 20.

[0046] Furthermore, once the cartridge chip 30 receives a message indicating that the first serial number is incorrect, it needs to record that the first serial number already sent is considered to be incorrect, and it cannot send the first serial number that has been considered to be incorrect again.

[0047] The above process describes how the inkjet printer 20 verifies the ink cartridge chip 30 using a traditional verification method. The ink cartridge chip 30 needs to correctly respond to the verification commands issued by the inkjet printer 20 when its firmware has not been upgraded. For inkjet printers 20 that have undergone firmware upgrades, the following process is used: Figure 5 The process shown is verified.

[0048] See Figure 5 When the inkjet printer 20, after firmware upgrade, verifies the ink cartridge chip 30, the encryption chip 22 first sends a preliminary verification command. The ink cartridge chip 30 first executes step S11 to determine whether it has received the preliminary verification command.

[0049] If the ink cartridge chip 30 does not receive the primary verification command, it continues to wait. If the primary verification command is received, step S12 is executed to obtain a set of first serial numbers. The first serial number can be generated by the first serial number generation module, or multiple sets of first serial numbers can be pre-stored. Step S12 can obtain one of the multiple sets of first serial numbers and send it to the inkjet printer 20.

[0050] After receiving the first serial number, the encryption chip 22 of the inkjet printer 20 verifies it. When the first serial number sent by the cartridge chip 30 passes the initial verification by the encryption chip 22, the encryption chip 22 sends a successful verification message to the main control unit 21. Preferably, the successful verification message includes the first serial number itself. Upon receiving the successful verification message, the main control unit 21 compares the first serial number with its own recorded serial numbers. If the first serial number has not been recorded by the main control unit 21, it requests the encryption chip 22 to forward an advanced verification command to the cartridge chip 30. At this time, the cartridge chip 30 executes step S13 to determine whether it has received the advanced verification command. If not, it continues to wait; if it has received the advanced verification command, it executes step S14 to obtain a second serial number.

[0051] In this embodiment, the ink cartridge chip 30 has one or two sets of second serial numbers pre-stored in its memory. Step S14 retrieves one set of second serial numbers from the pre-stored set and sends it to the encryption chip 22. After the encryption chip 22 receives the second serial number and forwards it to the main control unit 21, the main control unit 21 verifies the second serial number. Since the second serial number is a serial number for advanced verification commands, it can pass the advanced verification of the main control unit 21 after firmware upgrade. However, the inkjet printer 20 only verifies the serial number of the ink cartridge chip 30 and does not read the data stored in the ink cartridge chip 30, such as ink color and ink level. Therefore, it does not consider the serial number to be a used serial number and does not record the received second serial number.

[0052] Next, the cartridge chip 30 needs to passively process the received instructions until it receives the primary verification instruction again. For example, if the inkjet printer subsequently sends other instructions to the cartridge chip 30, the cartridge chip 30 passively processes these instructions by not responding or responding incorrectly, allowing the inkjet printer 20 to re-verify the cartridge chip 30. In this case, the verification instruction is the primary verification instruction issued by the encryption chip 22. Therefore, the cartridge chip 30 can switch back to the first serial number used in step S12 to respond. In subsequent communications, the cartridge chip 30 communicates with the inkjet printer 20 using this first serial number. This way, even if the inkjet printer 20 records the first serial number, the cartridge chip 30 can easily change to another set of first serial numbers and continue communication.

[0053] Therefore, after executing step S14, the ink cartridge chip 30 needs to execute step S15 to determine whether it has received the primary verification command again. If the currently received command is not a primary verification command, then step S16 is executed to passively process the received command, such as not responding to the command sent by the inkjet printer 20, or sending an incorrect response command, causing the inkjet printer 20 to report an error. After the inkjet printer 20 reports an error, the inkjet printer 20 will re-verify the ink cartridge chip 30. At this time, the verification command sent by the inkjet printer 20 is a primary verification command, and the ink cartridge chip 30 only needs to send the same first serial number as in step S12 to pass the verification.

[0054] If the judgment result of step S15 is yes, it means that the inkjet printer 20 has sent the primary verification command again. The cartridge chip 30 executes step S17, obtains a set of first serial numbers, and sends them to the inkjet printer 20. Since the inkjet printer 20 sends a primary verification command, the cartridge chip 30 only needs to send the same first serial number as in step S12 to pass the verification. Because the cartridge chip 30 sends the same first serial number in both primary verification commands, the inkjet printer 20 can assume that it is still in the verification process for the same first serial number. This allows the consumable chip 30 to use the same first serial number in subsequent verifications while preventing the inkjet printer 20 from recording a second serial number.

[0055] Because obtaining the second serial number is costly, the method of this invention allows the ink cartridge chip 30 to store only one set of the second serial number to meet the verification requirements of the inkjet printer 20. The first serial number, on the other hand, is less costly to obtain. Even if the inkjet printer 20 records the first serial number sent in step S17, a different set of the first serial number can be used later to pass the verification of the inkjet printer 20. Thus, verification of the inkjet printer 20 after firmware upgrade can be passed with only one set of the second serial number stored in the ink cartridge chip 30, reducing the verification cost of the ink cartridge chip 30 and consequently lowering the production cost of the ink cartridge.

[0056] It should be noted that the method of this invention can also be used to verify the toner cartridge chip on the toner cartridge, which can reduce the production cost of the toner cartridge.

[0057] Example of a consumable container:

[0058] The consumable container can be an ink cartridge or a toner cartridge. The consumable container has a shell, and the aforementioned consumable chip is disposed on the outer wall of the shell.

[0059] Printing equipment example:

[0060] The printing equipment can be a laser printer or an inkjet printer. The printing equipment includes a body, and the body has a consumable container mounting position, such as a print carriage or a toner cartridge mounting cavity. The aforementioned consumable container is detachably installed on the consumable container mounting position.

[0061] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Consumable chips, including: A substrate, on which an electronic module and multiple connection terminals are disposed, wherein the multiple connection terminals are electrically connected to the electronic module, and the electronic module can send out at least one set of first serial numbers. Its features are: The electronic module stores at least one set of second serial numbers; The electronic module sends a set of the first serial number when it receives the primary verification instruction, and sends a set of the second serial number after it receives the advanced verification instruction; After the second serial number is verified, the electronic module passively processes the received instruction to cause the printing device to report an error and prevent the printing device from recording the second serial number. It then determines whether the primary verification instruction is received again. If the primary verification instruction is received, a set of the first serial number is sent.

2. The consumable chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the second serial number is verified, the electronic module passively processes the received instructions, including: the electronic module does not respond to the received instructions or sends an incorrect response instruction.

3. The consumable chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first serial number sent by the electronic module after receiving the primary verification command for the second time is the same as the first serial number sent when it received the primary verification command for the first time.

4. The consumable chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The electronic module is equipped with a first serial number generation module, which is used to generate at least one set of the first serial number.

5. A verification method for consumable chips, characterized in that, include: The control module of the consumable chip receives the initial verification command, obtains and sends a set of first serial numbers; The control module determines whether it has received an advanced verification instruction; if so, it acquires and sends a set of second serial numbers. After the second serial number is verified, the control module passively processes the received instruction to cause the printing device to report an error and prevent the printing device from recording the second serial number. It then determines whether the primary verification instruction is received again. If the primary verification instruction is received, a set of the first serial number is sent.

6. The verification method for consumable chips according to claim 5, characterized in that: The control module's passive handling of received instructions includes: not responding to the received instructions or sending incorrect response instructions.

7. The verification method for consumable chips according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: After receiving the primary verification command and the first serial number sent by the control module, if the control module receives a prompt that the first serial number is an incorrect serial number, it will replace it with another set of first serial numbers and send it.

8. The verification method for consumable chips according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The control module acquires a first sequence number including: A set of the first serial number is generated by the first serial number generation module; or Select one set of first serial numbers from a pre-stored set of first serial numbers.

9. A consumable container, characterized in that, include: A housing, wherein the outer wall of the housing is provided with a consumable chip as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A printing device, characterized in that, include: The body has a consumable container mounting position, on which the consumable container as described in claim 9 is detachably mounted.

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