A consumable chip, production method and consumable cartridge

Abstract

The application discloses a consumable chip, a production method and a consumable box, and relates to the technical field of printing imaging. The consumable chip stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information, wherein the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written in the original chip by the manufacturer of the printing device; when the consumable chip is installed to the printing device, the manufacturer information and the rewritten copyright information are sent to the printing device in response to a reading request of the printing device, so that the printing device prompts relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information. According to the application, the copyright information is rewritten, the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written in the original chip by the manufacturer of the printing device, the printing device prompts relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information, and the problems of neglect and abuse of the copyright information stored in the consumable chip and possible decline of printing quality can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of printing imaging technology, and in particular to a consumable chip, a manufacturing method, and a consumable box. Background Technology

[0002] Printing equipment typically includes replaceable consumable cartridges containing coloring materials used to create images and text, such as toner and ink. These cartridges often have a chip to record usage information and authenticate their origin. This chip includes memory that stores usage and authentication information for the consumable cartridge. Printing equipment can include inkjet printers, laser printers, copiers, multifunction printers, etc.

[0003] However, in some consumable chip cases, printer manufacturers store manufacturer and copyright information to increase brand recognition. Manufacturer information indicates the manufacturer or brand of the consumable case, while copyright information indicates that the data stored in the chip is protected by copyright. Generally, when the manufacturer information indicates that the brand of the consumable chip matches the brand of the printer, this manufacturer information on the chip can be called original information. Conversely, when the manufacturer information stored in the chip does not match the brand of the printer, this manufacturer information is defined as non-original information. Consumable cases manufactured and sold by printer manufacturers are generally called original consumable cases, and the corresponding consumable chips are called original consumable chips.

[0004] Third-party manufacturers can produce compatible consumable cartridges and chips for the aforementioned printing devices. However, when other third-party manufacturers also produce consumable chips compatible with these printing devices, they often simply modify the manufacturer information to non-original information or other information, while the copyright information remains stored in the consumable chip. This often leads to situations where copyright information is ignored or misused.

[0005] On the other hand, the copyright information stored in some consumable chips is related to printing configurations, such as color adjustment information configured for the coloring materials stored in the consumable cartridge. This color adjustment information matches the coloring materials stored in the original consumable cartridge, improving print quality. However, when used original consumable cartridges are recycled and reused by third parties for environmental reasons, the coloring materials added by the third party are often different from those in the original cartridge. If the consumable chip still stores the copyright information of the original consumable chip in the used cartridge, the color adjustment information in this copyright information will not match the coloring materials contained in the recycled cartridge. This mismatch (the copyright information stored in the consumable chip does not match the coloring materials contained in the cartridge) may lead to a decrease in print quality. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a consumable chip, a production method and a consumable box, so as to avoid the neglect and misuse of copyright information stored in the consumable chip, and the potential problem of reduced print quality.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, a consumable chip is provided, suitable for printing equipment.

[0008] The consumable chip stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information, wherein the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the manufacturer of the printing device into the original chip;

[0009] When the consumable chip is installed in the printing device, it sends the manufacturer information and the rewritten copyright information to the printing device in response to the printing device's read request, so that the printing device can display relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information.

[0010] The consumable chip of the present invention rewrites the copyright information so that the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the manufacturer of the printing device into the original chip. This allows the printing device to display relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information, thereby preventing the copyright information stored in the consumable chip from being ignored or misused, and avoiding potential problems such as a decline in print quality.

[0011] In some implementations, the printing device prompts relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information, including prompts for a specified brand or a non-specified brand.

[0012] In some implementations, the printing device displays information related to the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information as a notification on an application or printed consumables status page displayed on the printer's display or computer.

[0013] In some implementations, when the printing device prompts for a non-designated brand, the specific manufacturer information of the consumable chip is displayed in the copyright information display area of ​​the printing device.

[0014] In some implementations, the copyright information includes a copyright statement section and a copyright content section.

[0015] In some implementations, the rewritten copyright information is a rewrite of the copyright statement portion and / or the copyright content portion.

[0016] In some implementations, the copyright content portion includes data related to color adjustment.

[0017] In some implementations, the read / write attribute of the rewritten copyright information is a non-read-only attribute.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a consumable chip is provided, the method comprising:

[0019] Provide a consumable chip that includes a storage component;

[0020] The storage section stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information, wherein the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the manufacturer of the printing device into the original chip;

[0021] The consumable chip is configured to, upon installation into a printing device, send the manufacturer information and the rewritten copyright information to the printing device in response to a read request from the printing device, so that the printing device displays relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information.

[0022] According to a third aspect of the invention, a consumable cartridge is provided, comprising the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the consumable chip, production method and consumable box of the present invention rewrite the copyright information so that the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the manufacturer of the printing device into the original chip. This allows the printing device to display relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information, thereby avoiding the neglect and misuse of the copyright information stored in the consumable chip and the potential problem of reduced print quality. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the information stored in a consumable chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a method for producing a consumable chip according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a consumable chip according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a consumable box according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] This invention provides a consumable chip suitable for printing devices, designed to prevent the neglect and misuse of copyright information stored in the consumable chip, and to avoid potential degradation in print quality. Figure 1 As shown, the consumable chip stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information. The rewritten copyright information differs from the copyright information written by the printer manufacturer into the original chip. When the consumable chip is installed in the printer, it responds to the printer's read request by sending the manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information to the printer. This allows the printer to display relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information. In other words, when the consumable chip is installed, the printer reads the data at the address where the manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information are located in the consumable chip and displays the associated relevant information based on the read manufacturer information and / or rewritten copyright information.

[0030] Manufacturer information indicates the manufacturer or brand of the consumable cartridge, while copyright information indicates that the data stored in the consumable chip is protected by copyright. Generally, when the manufacturer information indicates that the brand of the consumable chip matches the brand of the printing device, this manufacturer information on the consumable chip can be called original information. Conversely, when the manufacturer information stored in the consumable chip does not match the brand of the printing device, this manufacturer information is defined as non-original information, meaning that the manufacturer is not the manufacturer of the printing device. For example, if the brand of the printing device is "ABC," and the manufacturer information stored in the consumable chip is also "ABC," then the consumable chip stores original information. When the manufacturer information stored in the consumable chip is not "ABC," for example, if it stores "AC," "A6C," "AB," "000," or "BC," then this inconsistent manufacturer information is non-original information. Depending on actual needs, in this invention, the consumable chip can store either original information or non-original information. When the consumable chip is used to install in a recycled original consumable cartridge, the chip can store original information. Therefore, the consumable chip of this invention can also store original information and rewritten copyright information. When the consumable chip is used in a third-party compatible consumable cartridge, to avoid user confusion about the product's origin, such as preventing the consumable chip from indicating as an original consumable on the printer's display or computer application or printed consumable status page when installed in the printer, the consumable chip can choose to store non-original information, i.e., the consumable chip stores non-original information and rewritten copyright information. In the prior art, when the consumable chip stores original manufacturer information (i.e., original information), the printer will indicate the original brand. For example, if the original manufacturer information is "ABC", the printer will indicate "ABC". However, when the consumable chip stores specific non-original brand information (i.e., non-original information), it will only indicate information such as "non-original" and will not indicate the specific non-original manufacturer information. For example, if the non-original brand information is "AC", the printer will not indicate "AC" but will indicate "NO-ABC".

[0031] In some embodiments, the information displayed by the printing device related to manufacturer information and / or rewritten copyright information may include indicating a specified brand or a non-specified brand. Specifically, when the consumable chip stores original information, the printing device will indicate that it is an original consumable (i.e., consistent with the brand of the printing device, referred to as a specified brand) through its display, an application on its computer, or a printed consumable status page when the consumable chip is installed. Conversely, when the consumable chip stores non-original information, the printing device will indicate that it is a non-original consumable (i.e., inconsistent with the brand of the printing device, referred to as a non-specified brand) through its display, an application on its computer, or a printed consumable status page when the consumable chip is installed. The indication of original or non-original consumable on the printing device's display, the application on its computer, or the printed consumable status page is achieved by the printing device sending an original or non-original consumable indication signal to the display, the application on its computer, or the printed consumable status page.

[0032] In other embodiments, in addition to the two types of information mentioned above, the consumable chip may also store other information about the consumable cartridge. This other information may include the production date, colorant type, color, capacity, remaining quantity, expiration date, consumable cartridge certification data, etc.

[0033] In some embodiments, in addition to storing manufacturer information, the consumable chip also stores identification information related to the manufacturer information. For example, when the manufacturer information is original, the identification information is 01; and when the manufacturer information is non-original, the identification information is modified and rewritten to 00.

[0034] The copyright information stored in the original consumable chip indicates that the data stored in the chip is protected by copyright, and the copyright belongs to the printer manufacturer. Generally, the copyright information stored in the original consumable chip includes a copyright statement and the copyright content. The copyright statement typically includes the copyright mark, owner, and year information. For example, if the manufacturer of the original consumable chip is "ABC," the copyright statement could be "(c)ABC, 2022" or "...". "ABC, 2022". The copyright content section records works that meet the legal definition, such as literary works, photographic works, pictorial works, musical works, and video works.

[0035] In other embodiments, the copyright information may also include related verification information to facilitate the printing device in verifying the copyright information after reading it. That is, when the consumable chip is installed in the printing device, the consumable chip will send the copyright information to the printing device in response to the printing device's read request, so that the printing device can verify the copyright information read.

[0036] In this invention, to prevent the misuse of copyright information stored in the original consumable chip or to avoid potential degradation in print quality, the aforementioned copyright information is rewritten and stored in the consumable chip of this invention. The rewritten copyright information does not belong to the printer manufacturer; that is, the rewritten copyright information differs from the copyright information written by the printer manufacturer into the original chip.

[0037] The rewritten copyright information involves modifying the copyright statement and / or the copyright content. This modification can be done by changing only the copyright statement, only the copyright content, or both. When modifying the copyright statement, the version declaration can be deleted, or the owner can be changed to another value. For example, if the manufacturer is "LLC," it can be changed to "(c)LLC, 2022." This way, the rewritten copyright information no longer belongs to the printer manufacturer ABC, indicating that the consumable chip is manufactured by a compatible manufacturer. When the printer displays a non-specified brand message, it can also display the specific manufacturer information of the consumable chip as "LLC" in the copyright notification area based on the modified "(c)LLC, 2022." When modifying the copyright content, the copyright content can be completely deleted, partially deleted, or replaced.

[0038] In some embodiments, the copyright content may include data related to color adjustment; that is, the copyright information may store data related to color configuration. If the copyright information is identified as conforming to preset regulations, the printing device may adopt the color configuration in the copyright information. However, the coloring material of compatible consumable cartridges is generally different from that of original consumable cartridges. If the compatible consumable chip directly uses this copyright information to configure the color, it may lead to abnormal printing colors. Therefore, the copyright information needs to be modified to not belong to the printing device manufacturer. Thus, when some printing devices read the copyright information and identify that the modified copyright information does not belong to the printing device manufacturer, they will not use the copyright content in the copyright information to configure the printing operation of the printing device. Therefore, storing the modified copyright information in the consumable chip can avoid a decrease in print quality.

[0039] In some embodiments, when a printing device reads copyright information, if the information in the copyright content section does not meet the printing device's expectations, it will not use the copyright content in the copyright information to configure the printing operation of the printing device. Therefore, the degradation of print quality can also be avoided by modifying the copyright content in the copyright information. Thus, the consumable chip of the present invention can store rewritten copyright information, which differs from the copyright content in the original consumable chip.

[0040] The information stored in consumable chips can generally be categorized into readable / writable information, rule-modified information, and read-only information. Readable / writable information is information without rewriting restrictions. Rule-modified information requires adherence to certain rules before it can be rewritten, such as only being able to be rewritten in ascending order, only changing from 0 to 1, only being able to be rewritten when verification is satisfied, or requiring subtraction operations, etc. Read-only information, as the name suggests, can only be read and cannot be rewritten. Copyright data in original consumable chips is generally stored in a read-only storage area, thus belonging to read-only information. This invention can, according to actual needs, set it to readable / writable information or rule-modified information. Even if the read / write attribute of the modified copyright information is not read-only, the copyright information stored during production can be rewritten or modified after sale, depending on the distributor. Therefore, the modified copyright information stored in the consumable chip of this invention can belong to a third-party manufacturer or a distributor, representing a replacement for the copyright information of the original consumable chip.

[0041] In the consumable chip, copyright information is stored after the basic information. Basic information includes the consumable cartridge model, certification data, manufacturer information, production date, type of coloring material, coloring material usage (e.g., remaining amount or consumed), and number of pages printed. Coloring materials can be toner, ink, liquid toner, pigment, etc. When a printer accesses the consumable chip, it first accesses the basic information and then the copyright information, as copyright information is not required to be known first. Only after the consumable chip has been certified by the printer and its source is deemed legitimate will the printer access the copyright information. This is a method to conserve printer memory.

[0042] This invention provides a method for manufacturing consumable chips, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the method for manufacturing this consumable chip includes:

[0043] S100: Provides a consumable chip including a storage section;

[0044] S200: The storage section contains manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information.

[0045] In this embodiment, the consumable chip stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information in its storage portion. The rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the printer manufacturer into the original chip. The consumable chip is configured to send the manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information to the printer in response to a read request from the printer when it is installed in the printer, so that the printer can display relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information.

[0046] When the consumable chip is used in a third-party compatible consumable box, it can store non-original information to avoid confusing users about the product's origin. When the consumable chip is used in a recycled original consumable box, it can store original information.

[0047] The authentication data referred to in this invention may include one or more of the following: chip serial number, serial number, consumable serial number, authentication code, toner serial number, ink serial number, digital signature, seed data, or verification data; it may also include associated data, for example, if the serial number is related to the production date, then the authentication data includes not only the serial number but also the related production date information. Other information about the consumable cartridge may also be stored in the consumable chip. The consumable cartridge may be, for example, an ink cartridge, toner cartridge, powder cartridge, or powder tube used in printing or copying equipment.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, the consumable chip includes an interface module and a storage section. The storage section stores the rewritten copyright information and other information about the consumable box. The interface module can be a contact point, an antenna, or a coil, used to connect to the printing device, receive communication signals from the printing device, and send communication signals to the printing device. That is, it can receive read requests from the printing device and respond to read requests from the printing device, such as sending manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information to the printing device.

[0049] This invention provides a consumable box, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0050] The storage portion of consumable chips can use common non-volatile memory, such as EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, ferroelectric memory, phase change memory, etc., or it can use volatile memory plus a power supply, such as SRAM + battery or capacitor, DRAM + battery or capacitor.

[0051] The above descriptions are merely some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A consumable chip, suitable for printing equipment, characterized in that, The consumable chip stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information, wherein the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the manufacturer of the printing device into the original chip; When the consumable chip is installed in the printing device, it sends the manufacturer information and the modified copyright information to the printing device in response to the printing device's read request, so that the printing device displays relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the modified copyright information; the relevant information displayed by the printing device associated with the manufacturer information and / or the modified copyright information includes prompting for a specified brand or a non-specified brand; the relevant information displayed by the printing device associated with the manufacturer information and / or the modified copyright information is displayed through the printing device's display or on an application on a computer or on the printed consumable status page.

2. The consumable chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the printing device prompts for a non-designated brand, the specific manufacturer information of the consumable chip is displayed in the copyright information section of the printing device.

3. The consumable chip according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The copyright information includes a copyright statement and a copyright content section.

4. The consumable chip according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rewritten copyright information refers to a rewrite of the copyright statement section and / or the copyright content section.

5. The consumable chip according to claim 4, characterized in that, The copyright content section includes data related to color adjustment.

6. The consumable chip according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rewritten copyright information has a read / write attribute that is not read-only.

7. A method for manufacturing consumable chips, characterized in that, include: Provide a consumable chip that includes a storage component; The storage section stores manufacturer information and rewritten copyright information, wherein the rewritten copyright information is different from the copyright information written by the manufacturer of the printing device into the original chip; The consumable chip is configured to, upon installation in a printing device, send the manufacturer information and the rewritten copyright information to the printing device in response to a read request from the printing device, so that the printing device displays relevant information associated with the manufacturer information and / or the rewritten copyright information.

8. A consumable box, characterized in that, The consumable chip includes any one of claims 1-6.

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