METHOD FOR ACTIVATION OF A MICROCIRCUITS AND A DEVICE FOR FORMING IMAGES

Abstract

A chip activation method and an image forming apparatus (52). The image forming apparatus (52) responds to an activation request inputted by a user, and the chip activation method comprises: outputting chip information corresponding to a consumable chip (51), the chip information being used for enabling a server (54) to determine whether to feed back activation information of the consumable chip (51), the activation information being used for activating the consumable chip (51), and the activation processing being processing for activating the consumable chip (51) on the basis of a supplementary developer operation of the user on a consumable. By activating the consumable chip (51), the consumable chip (51) can be reused, and the use costs of the consumable chip (51) can be reduced.

Description

Chip activation method and image forming device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on January 12, 2024, with application number 202410052448.1 and application name “Chip Activation Method and Image Forming Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of image forming technology, and in particular to a chip activation method and an image forming device. Background Art

[0003] Image forming devices such as printers and copiers are typically equipped with consumables that are easily replaced by the user, such as consumables (ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and toner cartridges) that hold developer (ink, toner, etc.). For consumables that allow the user to refill the developer, when the developer in the consumable is exhausted, the user refills the consumable with a spare developer, and the image forming device can continue to use the consumable for printing and imaging. To facilitate the management of consumables, the consumables are typically equipped with a consumable chip that stores information such as the remaining developer amount. When the developer is exhausted, even if the user refills the consumable, the remaining amount and other information in the consumable chip cannot be updated and will remain at the information corresponding to the developer exhaustion.

[0004] In the prior art, for consumables that support user-refilled developer, each refill requires replacing the consumable chip so that the chip can recalculate consumable information such as the remaining developer amount. However, consumable chips are expensive, which increases user costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present application provides a chip activation method and an image forming device to help solve the problem in the prior art that consumable chips cannot be reused and the cost is high.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip activation method, which is applied to an image forming device, wherein a consumable is installed on the image forming device, and a consumable chip is detachably installed on the consumable. The method includes:

[0007] In response to an activation request input by a user, the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip is output, and the chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip, and the activation information is used to perform activation processing on the consumable chip, wherein the activation processing is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer on the consumable, and the consumable chip is activated.

[0008] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: when the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than a first threshold value, outputting a first prompt message, wherein the remaining value is used to indicate the remaining amount of developer in the consumable, and the first prompt message is used to prompt the user to perform the developer replenishment operation on the consumable.

[0009] In an optional embodiment, when the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than a first threshold, outputting a first prompt message includes:

[0010] Obtaining remaining information corresponding to the consumable chip, determining whether the remaining value indicated by the remaining information corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold, and if so, outputting the first prompt information;

[0011] or,

[0012] Receive second prompt information sent by the consumable chip, and output the first prompt information based on the second prompt information, wherein the second prompt information is used to prompt that the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip includes: outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip and server website information corresponding to the server.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip and the server URL information corresponding to the server includes:

[0015] Output the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip and the server URL information corresponding to the server in the form of a QR code;

[0016] And / or, output the encoded character string corresponding to the chip information.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip, including: the chip information is used in combination with the developer information corresponding to the spare developer to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip, wherein the developer information is the information corresponding to the developer corresponding to the developer replenishment operation.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, after outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the method further includes:

[0019] Obtain activation information of the consumable chip fed back by the server;

[0020] Based on the activation information, activation processing is performed on the consumable chip.

[0021] In an optional embodiment, the activating process for the consumable chip includes:

[0022] Activation instruction information is sent to the consumable chip, where the activation instruction information is used to instruct the consumable chip to store consumable information after the developer replenishment operation.

[0023] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip activation method, which is applied to a server and includes:

[0024] Obtaining chip information corresponding to a consumable chip, wherein the consumable chip is detachably mounted on the consumable;

[0025] According to the chip information, it is determined whether to output activation information of the consumable chip, wherein the activation information is used to activate the consumable chip, wherein the activation process is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer on the consumable.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the chip information includes at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip;

[0027] The determining, based on the chip information, whether to feed back activation information of the consumable chip includes:

[0028] determining whether the developer replenishment times of the consumable is greater than or equal to a first preset value, and if so, determining not to feed back activation information of the consumable chip;

[0029] and / or, determining whether the total number of printed pages of the consumable is greater than or equal to a second preset value, and if so, determining not to feed back activation information of the consumable chip;

[0030] And / or, judging whether the consumable meets expectations based on the identification information corresponding to the consumable chip, and if not, determining not to feed back activation information of the consumable chip.

[0031] In an optional embodiment, the determining, based on the chip information, whether to output activation information of the consumable chip includes:

[0032] Obtaining developer information corresponding to the spare developer;

[0033] determining, based on developer information corresponding to the standby developer, whether the standby developer meets expectations;

[0034] If it is determined that the reserve developer does not meet expectations, it is determined not to output activation information of the consumable chip.

[0035] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an image forming device, characterized in that it includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and a processor for executing program instructions, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the electronic device executes any one of the methods described in the first aspect above.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an activation method, comprising:

[0037] Output chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback activation information of the consumable chip, the activation information is used to activate the consumable chip, wherein the activation process is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer for the consumable, and the consumable chip is activated.

[0038] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: when the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than a first threshold value, outputting a second prompt message, wherein the remaining value is used to indicate the remaining amount of developer in the consumable, and the second prompt message is used to prompt that the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold value.

[0039] In an optional embodiment, the chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip, including: the chip information is used in combination with the developer information corresponding to the spare developer to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip, wherein the developer information corresponding to the spare developer is the information corresponding to the developer corresponding to the developer replenishment operation.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, after outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the method further includes:

[0041] receiving activation instruction information sent by the image forming device;

[0042] Based on the activation instruction information, consumable material information after the developer replenishment operation is stored.

[0043] In an optional embodiment, the chip information includes at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip. Before outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the method further includes:

[0044] acquiring information including at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip as the chip information;

[0045] The chip information is encrypted using the server public key.

[0046] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control device, including:

[0047] The first output unit is used to output chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, and the chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback activation information of the consumable chip, and the activation information is used to activate the consumable chip, wherein the activation process is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer for the consumable.

[0048] Using the solution provided in the embodiments of this application, the image forming device outputs chip information corresponding to a consumable chip in response to an activation request input by a user. The chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback activation information for the consumable chip. The activation information is used to activate the consumable chip. The activation process is based on the user's operation to replenish developer in the consumable. This activation process allows the consumable chip to be reused, reducing the cost of using the consumable chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0050] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a process of a chip activation method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of another chip activation method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of another chip activation method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG6 is a structural block diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG7 is a structural block diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG8 is a structural block diagram of an image forming device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable material provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0067] It should be clear that the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0068] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0069] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein simply describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

[0070] Refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the image forming system includes an image forming device and consumables. The image forming device is the portion of the image forming system that performs image formation operations, and the consumables are replaceable components within the image forming system. For example, when the image forming device is an inkjet printer, laser printer, 3D printer, label printer, or dot matrix printer, the consumables may be ink cartridges, toner cartridges, toner cartridges, toner cartridges, ribbon cartridges, etc. One possible implementation is for the consumables to be a separate structure, comprising a detachable drum cartridge and a developer cartridge. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a charging roller, and the developer cartridge includes a developer container, a developer roller, and a developer transport element. Another possible implementation is for the consumables to be an integrated structure, for example, comprising a developer container, a developer roller, a developer transport element, a photosensitive drum, a charging roller, etc. Furthermore, the consumables may consist solely of a housing and a developer container. It should be noted that the consumables may also be the aforementioned developer cartridge or drum cartridge. The developer container is used to hold developer such as toner, and the developer conveying element is a component such as a powder feeding roller or a powder feeding screw for stirring and / or conveying toner. Of course, the developer cartridge may include only the developer container, which is not limited here. Furthermore, the developer cartridge may include only the developer container and the developer conveying element, which is not limited here. In one possible implementation, the consumables may include a powder cartridge and / or an imaging assembly. The powder cartridge is used to convey toner to the imaging assembly when the toner contained in the imaging assembly is insufficient, so that the image forming device forms an image based on the toner conveyed by the imaging assembly. When the consumable is a powder cartridge, the consumable may include only a housing and a developer container, or may include a housing, a developer container, and a developer conveying element, which is not limited here. When the consumable is an imaging assembly, the consumable may include a housing, a developer container, a developer conveying unit, a charging roller, a photosensitive drum, etc., with a developer transfer channel provided between the developer container and the imaging assembly, which is not limited here.

[0071] It should be pointed out that the consumables mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be other components, parts, units (such as paper boxes, etc.) in the image forming device that are easily damaged and need to be replaced, which also belong to the technical solutions corresponding to the consumables protected by this application.

[0072] To facilitate the management of consumables, consumables are typically equipped with a consumable chip, an electronic device with a storage function. The consumable chip stores information about the consumables, such as the manufacturer, developer (toner, ink) type, color, capacity, and usage. Therefore, when the user installs the consumables into the host, the information stored in the consumable chip is provided to the host, allowing the host to obtain basic information about the consumables. Furthermore, during the image formation process, the host can also write updated information about the consumables (for example, recording material usage) into the consumable chip.

[0073] In one embodiment, the consumable chip of the embodiment of the present application generally includes a substrate and multiple contact contacts, and the multiple contact contacts are arranged on the substrate, and each contact contact is used to electrically connect to a plurality of contact terminals provided on the image forming device, thereby realizing communication between the image forming device and the consumable chip, wherein the multiple contact contacts may include VCC contacts, GND contacts, SDA contacts, and SCL contacts.

[0074] In another embodiment, the consumable chip in the embodiment of the present application may further include an adapter plate in addition to the substrate, wherein the adapter plate is electrically connected to the substrate, and at least part of the aforementioned multiple contact points may be provided on the adapter plate.

[0075] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming control unit and an image forming unit, wherein the image forming control unit is used to control the entire image forming apparatus, and the image forming unit is used to form an image on a conveyed paper based on image data under the control of the image forming control unit.

[0076] The image formation control unit may be a system on a chip (SoC). An SoC is a miniature system composed of multiple system components and is configured to control the imaging processing operations of the image forming device, such as performing linear correction, noise reduction, bad pixel removal, detail enhancement, and other processing on image data, thereby improving the quality of the output image. The image formation control unit is also configured to perform processing operations related to data transmission and reception, command transmission and reception, and print image engine control, such as transmitting and receiving data, print engine control commands, and status, through an interface unit (including but not limited to a USB port, a wired network port, a wireless network port, or other interfaces).

[0077] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another image forming system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus may include: a developer container 11, a developing unit 12, a developer conveying element 13, a photosensitive unit 14, a transfer unit 15, and a fixing assembly 5. The paper to be printed moves in a paper feed direction, undergoes a powder feeding operation by the developer conveying element 13, and a developing operation by the developing unit 12, before arriving at the nip area between the photosensitive unit 14 and the transfer unit 15 for transfer. The paper is then fixed by the fixing assembly 5 to complete the image forming operation. The developer container 11 is used to hold the developer, which may be a material such as toner or carbon powder. The developing unit 12 includes a developing roller, etc. The developer conveying element 13 includes a powder feeding roller, etc. The photosensitive unit 14 includes a photosensitive drum (OPC) and a charging roller, etc., wherein the charging roller is used to charge the photosensitive drum.

[0078] Typically, an image forming device is detachably installed with at least one consumable. Taking the image forming device shown in Figure 2 as an example, the image forming device is detachably installed with four consumables (consumable 1, consumable 2, consumable 3 and consumable 4 shown in Figure 2, respectively, and the four consumables are used to provide the image forming device with four colors of developers, namely black K, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y). Of course, in other embodiments, the number of consumables installed in the image forming device can be increased or decreased, for example, to 5 or 6 or even more or less, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0079] In the prior art, for consumables that can replenish developer, the consumable chip needs to be replaced every time the developer is replenished so that the consumable chip can correctly recalculate the remaining developer amount. However, consumable chips are expensive, and this approach will increase the user's cost.

[0080] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip activation method, which reactivates the consumable chip when replenishing the developer to achieve the reuse of the consumable chip and reduce costs.

[0081] FIG3 is a flow chart of a chip activation method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to an image forming device. As shown in FIG3 , the method may include:

[0082] Step 301: When the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than a first threshold, output a first prompt message.

[0083] The image forming device is communicatively connected to the consumable chip. During the use of the consumables, as the printing and imaging are consumed, the remaining amount of developer in the consumables will be lower than a preset first threshold. Optionally, when the remaining amount of developer is lower than the first threshold, it can be considered that the developer in the consumables is almost exhausted and cannot support the image forming device to print in accordance with the preset quality requirements. At this time, the image forming device can output a first prompt message to prompt the user to replenish the consumables with developer. The specific way in which the image forming device outputs the first prompt message includes but is not limited to displaying or printing on the display panel of the image forming device. In some scenarios, the image forming device is communicatively connected to a user device such as a smartphone, and can also send the first prompt message to the user through the user device. It can be understood that the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip installed on the consumable is used to indicate the remaining amount of developer in the consumable.

[0084] Specifically, regarding the specific method for the image forming apparatus to determine whether the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold, in one embodiment, the image forming apparatus obtains the remaining value stored in the consumable chip and compares it with the first threshold to determine whether the remaining value of the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold. If the remaining value stored in the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold, the first prompt information is output. In another embodiment, the consumable chip pre-stores the first threshold. When the consumable chip determines that the remaining value stored in itself is lower than the first threshold, the consumable chip outputs a second prompt information to the image forming apparatus. The second prompt information is used by the consumable chip to notify the image forming apparatus that its corresponding remaining value is lower than the first threshold. At this time, the image forming apparatus can output the first prompt information based on the received second prompt information.

[0085] Step 302: In response to the activation request input by the user, output chip information corresponding to the consumable chip.

[0086] The image forming device obtains an activation request input by the user. Specifically, the method of obtaining the activation request is to receive a click operation of the user through a panel or button of the image forming device to obtain the activation request of the user. In some scenarios, the image forming device is communicatively connected with a user device such as a smart phone, and can also receive the activation request sent by the user through the user device.

[0087] The consumable chip may pre-store information corresponding to the consumable chip, such as identification information corresponding to the consumable chip and usage information corresponding to the consumable chip. The identification information corresponding to the consumable chip is used to indicate the identity information, product model, manufacturer, production batch and other information of the consumable, including but not limited to one or more of the consumable model and the serial number of the consumable chip. The usage information corresponding to the consumable chip may include but not limited to one or more of the developer replenishment times corresponding to the consumable chip and the total number of printed pages corresponding to the consumable chip. When outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the server URL corresponding to the consumable chip may be output at the same time. This server URL may be the server URL of the consumable manufacturer, and the corresponding website is used to manage the sold consumables. In response to the activation request input by the user, the image forming device outputs the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip in a specific manner including but not limited to displaying or printing on the display panel of the image forming device. In some scenarios, the image forming device is connected to a user device such as a smart phone in communication, and the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip may also be sent to the user through the user device. The display form of the chip information includes but is not limited to a QR code or a coded string. Specifically, the image forming device obtains the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, generates a corresponding QR code and / or encoded string, and then outputs it. In some embodiments, before generating the display information corresponding to the chip information, the image forming device encrypts the chip information using a pre-stored server public key to ensure information security. When the chip information is displayed as a QR code, the server URL can be combined with the chip information to generate the QR code.

[0088] After the image forming device outputs the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the user can send the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip to the official website server. Specifically, when the chip information is displayed in the form of a QR code combined with the server URL, the user uses a mobile phone or other user device to scan the QR code output by the image forming device to link to the consumable manufacturer's official website server and simultaneously send the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip to the official website server. When the chip information is displayed in the form of a coded string, the user uses a mobile phone or other user device to log in to the official website server and then enter the coded string on the official website page so that the server can obtain the chip information.

[0089] In some embodiments, in order to ensure imaging quality, consumables manufacturers may require that the developer added to the consumables meet specific specifications. In a specific implementation, the official website server can obtain the developer information of the spare developer to be added to the consumables from the user after receiving the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip sent by the user. Specifically, the model, brand, manufacturer and other information of the developer can be identified by the user scanning the QR code on the developer packaging, the user manually entering the developer identification code, etc. After obtaining this information, if it is determined that the developer meets specific specifications, the activation information of the consumable chip is generated. Furthermore, in order to ensure data security, when generating the activation information of the consumable chip, the official website server uses the pre-stored public key corresponding to the consumable chip to encrypt the activation information. After generating the activation information, the official website server can feedback the activation information to the user. Specifically, it returns it to the user's device for display. The activation information can be displayed in the form of a coded string.

[0090] Step 303: Obtain activation information of the consumable chip fed back by the server.

[0091] Execute step 302. The image forming device responds to the activation request input by the user and outputs the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip. The user then sends the chip information to the server. The server then feeds back the activation information to the user. After the user receives the activation information fed back by the server, the user can output the activation information to the image forming device. The method for inputting the activation information can refer to the method for inputting the activation request by the user in step 302 and will not be repeated here.

[0092] Optionally, in order to ensure the security of communication data, after the image forming device obtains the activation information of the consumable chip fed back by the server, it can use the server certificate to verify the activation information. If the verification passes, step 304 is executed; if the verification fails, step 304 is not executed.

[0093] Step 304: Activate the consumable chip based on the activation information of the consumable chip.

[0094] The consumables chip stores one or more types of consumables information, including developer remaining information, printed page count information, and developer consumption information. It is understood that, due to the limited capacity of the developer container, as the developer in the developer container is depleted, the consumables information will also indicate developer depletion. For example, when the developer in the developer container is depleted, the developer remaining information will also indicate that the developer remaining is 0 or close to 0. After the user replenishes the consumables, the actual developer remaining in the consumables will not match the consumables information stored in the consumables chip, because the consumables generally cannot automatically detect the remaining developer and update the consumables information stored in the consumables chip. Furthermore, when the consumables chip determines that its stored consumables information indicates that the developer is depleted, to protect the machine, the consumables chip will instruct the image forming device to stop using the consumables. Alternatively, if the image forming device determines that the developer in the installed consumables is depleted, it will automatically stop the printing and imaging operation, rendering the consumables unusable. The consumable chip is activated, that is, the consumable chip is instructed to re-record the consumable information so that the consumable can continue to be used. The image forming device activates the consumable chip, that is, instructs the consumable chip to re-store and record the consumable information.

[0095] Specifically, to activate the consumable chip, the specific implementation method may include at least one of the following methods:

[0096] Method 1: The consumables chip directly resets the existing consumables information to the corresponding initial value. For example, when the developer in the consumables is full, the developer mass is 1000 grams, and the consumables chip directly resets the existing developer remaining amount information to the corresponding initial value, that is, the developer remaining amount information is reset to 1000 grams. For another example, when the developer in the consumables is full, it can be considered that no printing consumption has occurred, and the consumables chip directly resets the existing printed page count information to the corresponding initial value, that is, the printed page count information is reset to 0 pages.

[0097] Method 2: After the original consumption information of the consumables chip is updated to exhaustion, a new storage area is established, and the consumables information is recorded and updated in the new storage area. In actual applications, the user often performs the operation of replenishing developer for the consumables before the original developer of the consumables is completely consumed. The consumables chip can establish a new storage area after the remaining developer before the user performs the operation of replenishing the consumables is consumed, and record and update the consumables information corresponding to the developer replenished by the user in the new storage area. For example, the remaining developer information in the old storage area is 50 grams, and the remaining developer information in the new storage area is 1000 grams. After the user performs the operation of replenishing the developer, the printing and imaging operation of the image forming device first consumes the original 50 grams of developer. After the original 50 grams of developer are consumed, that is, the remaining developer information in the old storage area is updated to 0 grams, the remaining developer information of 1000 grams is consumed and updated in the new area.

[0098] Method three: a new storage area is established in the consumable chip, and the consumable information in the old storage area is used to perform calculations with the initial value corresponding to the consumable information, and the result of the calculation is recorded in the new storage area. After the user operates to replenish the developer of the consumable, the consumption information is directly recorded and updated in the new storage area. For example, the remaining developer information recorded in the old storage area is 50 grams, and the initial value corresponding to the remaining developer is 1000 grams. The remaining developer information 50 in the old storage area can be added to the initial value of the remaining developer 1000 grams to obtain the remaining developer 1050 grams, so that the remaining developer information recorded in the new storage area is 1050 grams, and then the remaining developer information of 1050 grams is consumed and updated in the new area.

[0099] The server workflow is shown in Figure 4, which specifically includes:

[0100] Step 401, obtaining chip information corresponding to the consumable chip;

[0101] The chip information includes at least one of the developer replenishment times corresponding to the consumable chip, the total number of printed pages corresponding to the chip, and the identification information corresponding to the consumable chip. The implementation of the server obtaining the consumable chip can refer to step 302 and will not be repeated here.

[0102] Step 402: Determine whether to output activation information of the consumable chip based on the chip information.

[0103] After the server obtains the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, it can determine whether to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip based on the chip information. Furthermore, if the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip obtained is chip information encrypted by the server public key, the server private key is used to decrypt the chip information.

[0104] In one embodiment, the server determines whether the developer replenishment count for the consumable is greater than or equal to a first preset value based on the developer replenishment count information corresponding to the consumable chip. If so, the server determines not to feedback activation information for the consumable chip. The developer replenishment count for a consumable refers to the cumulative number of times a user has replenished the developer during the life cycle of the consumable. It is understood that consumables have a certain lifespan limit. When the number of times a consumable has been replenished and consumed exceeds a preset value, the consumable is considered to have reached the end of its lifespan. Continued use may cause mechanical failure. Therefore, when the developer replenishment count for a consumable reaches the first preset value, activation of the consumable chip may no longer be permitted, thereby restricting continued use of the consumable.

[0105] In another embodiment, the server determines whether the total number of printed pages of the consumable is greater than or equal to a second preset value. If so, it determines not to feedback the activation information of the consumable chip. During the printing and imaging process, the OPC of the consumable rotates, and the rotation length of the OPC has an upper limit. The rotation length of the OPC is positively correlated with the number of printed pages of the consumable. When the total number of printed pages in the life cycle of the consumable reaches the preset value, it is considered that the rotation length of the OPC is about to reach the upper limit. It is understandable that if the user is allowed to refill the developer of the consumable, the remaining rotation length of the OPC cannot support the depletion of the replenished developer, resulting in waste of the developer. Therefore, when the server determines that the total number of printed pages of the consumable is greater than or equal to the second preset value, it may no longer allow the consumable chip to be activated, that is, restrict the continued use of the consumable.

[0106] In another embodiment, the server determines the identification information corresponding to the consumable chip to determine whether the consumable meets expectations. If not, the server determines not to feedback activation information for the consumable chip. The identification information corresponding to the consumable chip can indicate information such as the consumable chip serial number, consumable model, manufacturer, and production batch. The consumable not meeting expectations can mean that the consumable does not support developer replenishment, that is, does not support reuse, and the server does not output activation information for the consumable chip. The consumable not meeting expectations can also mean that the consumable does not belong to the same manufacturer as the server, and the server cannot recognize the information of the consumable, and therefore does not output activation information for the consumable chip.

[0107] Step 403: If it is determined to output the activation information of the consumable chip, the activation information of the consumable chip is output.

[0108] Furthermore, in addition to executing step 402 and determining whether to feedback activation information for the consumable chip based on the chip information, the server also obtains developer information corresponding to the backup developer. Based on the developer information corresponding to the backup developer, the server determines whether the backup developer meets expectations. If it is determined that the backup developer meets expectations, the server determines to output activation information for the consumable chip. If it is determined that the backup developer does not meet expectations, the server determines not to output activation information for the consumable chip. The backup developer refers to the developer used by the user to perform the aforementioned developer replenishment operation on the consumables. Specifically, the developer information corresponding to the backup developer may indicate information such as the identity, product model, manufacturer, and production batch of the backup developer. Based on the developer information corresponding to the backup developer and the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the server may determine whether the backup developer is suitable for the consumable installed in the consumable chip, thereby determining whether to output activation information for the consumable chip. For example, if it is determined that the product model of the backup developer does not match the consumable model in the chip information of the consumable chip, and the use of the backup developer with the consumable may result in a failure to print or poor printing quality, the server determines not to output activation information for the consumable chip. As for the specific method for the server to obtain the developer information corresponding to the spare developer, the user can use a user device to scan the QR code on the spare developer packaging on the official website page corresponding to the server to obtain the developer information corresponding to the spare developer and send it to the server.

[0109] The specific way for the server to output the activation information can be to send the activation information to the aforementioned user device, so that the user can obtain the activation information. In order to ensure information security, the server can use the chip public key of the consumable chip to encrypt the activation information and use the server private key to sign it before outputting it, so that the user of the activation information uses the server certificate to verify the activation information and then uses the chip private key of the consumable chip to decrypt the activation information before activating the consumable chip. The user here can be an image forming device or a consumable chip, that is, the image forming device can directly send the activation information as activation instruction information to the consumable chip after obtaining the activation information, and the consumable chip can automatically activate after verifying and decrypting the activation information. Alternatively, the image forming device can obtain the activation information, verify and decrypt it, and then obtain the activation information, and send the activation instruction information to the consumable chip to instruct the consumable chip to activate.

[0110] FIG5 is a flow chart of another chip activation method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method may include:

[0111] Step 501: the consumable chip 51 outputs a remaining value or a second prompt message to the image forming device 52;

[0112] Step 502: the image forming device 52 outputs a first prompt message;

[0113] Step 503 , the image forming device 52 outputs chip information corresponding to the consumable chip in response to the activation request input by the user;

[0114] Step 504: The user sends the chip information to the server 54 via the user device 53;

[0115] Step 505 , the user sends the developer information to the server 54 via the user device 53 ;

[0116] Step 506: The server 54 determines whether to output activation information of the consumable chip based on the chip information;

[0117] Step 507, the server 54 sends the activation information to the user device 53;

[0118] Step 508 , the user sends activation information to the image forming device 52 via the user device 53 ;

[0119] Step 509 , the image forming device 52 sends activation instruction information to the consumable chip 51 ;

[0120] In step 510 , the consumable chip 51 is activated.

[0121] The user device 53 may include a mobile phone, a computer, or other devices. Other details of each step may refer to the above method description.

[0122] Corresponding to the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present application also provides a consumable chip.

[0123] Refer to Figure 6, which is a block diagram of the structure of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. The consumable chip can be installed on a consumable, and the consumable can be removably installed on an image forming device. As shown in Figure 6, the consumable chip includes a first control unit, which is used to: output chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the aforementioned chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback activation information for the aforementioned consumable chip, and the aforementioned activation information is used to activate the aforementioned consumable chip, wherein the aforementioned activation process is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer for the aforementioned consumable.

[0124] In one possible implementation, the first control unit is also used to: output a second prompt message when the remaining value corresponding to the aforementioned consumable chip is lower than a first threshold value, wherein the aforementioned remaining value is used to indicate the remaining amount of developer in the aforementioned consumable, and the aforementioned second prompt message is used to prompt that the remaining value corresponding to the aforementioned consumable chip is lower than the first threshold value.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, including: the aforementioned chip information is used in combination with the developer information corresponding to the spare developer to enable the aforementioned server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, wherein the developer information corresponding to the aforementioned spare developer is the information corresponding to the developer corresponding to the aforementioned developer replenishment operation.

[0126] In a possible implementation, the first control unit is further configured to: after outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, receive activation instruction information sent by the image forming device;

[0127] Based on the activation instruction information, the consumables information after the developer replenishment operation is stored.

[0128] In one possible implementation, the chip information includes at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip. Before outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the first control unit is further configured to: obtain information including at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip as the chip information;

[0129] The server public key is used to encrypt the aforementioned chip information.

[0130] See Figure 7, which is a block diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the control device includes:

[0131] The first output unit is used to output chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, and the aforementioned chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, and the aforementioned activation information is used to activate the aforementioned consumable chip, wherein the aforementioned activation processing is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer for the aforementioned consumable, and the activation processing is to activate the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0132] In a possible implementation, the control device further includes:

[0133] The second output unit is used to output a second prompt message when the remaining value corresponding to the aforementioned consumable chip is lower than the first threshold value, wherein the aforementioned remaining value is used to indicate the remaining amount of developer in the aforementioned consumable, and the aforementioned second prompt message is used to prompt that the remaining value corresponding to the aforementioned consumable chip is lower than the first threshold value.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, including: the aforementioned chip information is used in combination with the developer information corresponding to the spare developer to enable the aforementioned server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, wherein the developer information corresponding to the aforementioned spare developer is the information corresponding to the developer corresponding to the aforementioned developer replenishment operation.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the control device further includes:

[0136] a first receiving unit, configured to receive activation instruction information sent by the image forming apparatus;

[0137] The first activation unit is configured to store the consumables information after the developer replenishment operation based on the activation instruction information.

[0138] In a possible implementation, the chip information includes at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip.

[0139] The aforementioned control device also includes:

[0140] a first acquiring unit configured to acquire, as the chip information, information including at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip;

[0141] The first encryption unit is used to encrypt the aforementioned chip information using the server public key.

[0142] In an embodiment of the present application, the first output unit, the second output unit, the first receiving unit, the first activation unit, the first acquisition unit, and the first encryption unit can be implemented using software or hardware, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0143] The aforementioned first output unit, second output unit, first receiving unit, first activation unit, first acquisition unit, and first encryption unit can be circuit units including devices such as FPGA, MCU, DSP, etc. The sending unit can also realize its function by building a specific waveform generator circuit, and the acquisition unit and the determination unit can also realize the corresponding functions by building a digital logic calculator. This application does not further limit the specific implementation form of each unit.

[0144] In one possible implementation, at least one of the first output unit, the second output unit, the first receiving unit, the first activation unit, the first acquisition unit, and the first encryption unit can be an external module electrically connected to the consumable chip outside the consumable chip, that is, the aforementioned consumable includes a consumable chip and an external module electrically connected to the consumable chip.

[0145] In one possible implementation, the first output unit, the second output unit, the first receiving unit, the first activation unit, the first acquisition unit, and the first encryption unit are not other units of an external module electrically connected to the consumable chip outside the consumable chip, but are directly included in the consumable chip.

[0146] In a possible implementation, the aforementioned first output unit, second output unit, first receiving unit, first activation unit, first acquisition unit, and first encryption unit are included in a first control unit in the consumable chip.

[0147] Corresponding to the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present application also provides a consumable material.

[0148] Referring to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, the consumable includes a housing, a developer container located within the housing for containing developer, and the control device described in the above embodiment.

[0149] Referring to Figure 10 , which is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 10 , the consumable further includes a developer conveying element for conveying developer based on the embodiment shown in Figure 9 .

[0150] Referring to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 11, the consumable further includes a photosensitive drum and a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum based on the embodiment shown in Figure 10.

[0151] Referring to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, the consumable includes a photosensitive drum, a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, and the consumable chip described in the above embodiment.

[0152] It should be noted that the specific contents of the control device in the embodiments shown in Figures 9 to 12 can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0153] The application embodiment also provides an activation method, which can be applied to the aforementioned control device or consumable chip. The method mainly includes the following steps.

[0154] Output chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the aforementioned chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, the aforementioned activation information is used to activate the aforementioned consumable chip, wherein the aforementioned activation processing is based on the user's operation of replenishing developer for the aforementioned consumable, and the activation of the aforementioned consumable chip is performed.

[0155] In one possible implementation, the activation method further includes: when the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than a first threshold, outputting a second prompt message, wherein the remaining value is used to indicate the remaining amount of developer in the consumable, and the second prompt message is used to prompt that the remaining value corresponding to the consumable chip is lower than the first threshold.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned chip information is used to enable the server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, including: the aforementioned chip information is used in combination with the developer information corresponding to the spare developer to enable the aforementioned server to determine whether to feedback the activation information of the aforementioned consumable chip, wherein the developer information corresponding to the aforementioned spare developer is the information corresponding to the developer corresponding to the aforementioned developer replenishment operation.

[0157] In a possible implementation, after outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the method further includes:

[0158] receiving activation instruction information sent by the image forming device;

[0159] Based on the activation instruction information, the consumables information after the developer replenishment operation is stored.

[0160] In one possible implementation, the chip information includes at least one of developer replenishment count information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip. Before outputting the chip information corresponding to the consumable chip, the method further includes:

[0161] acquiring information including at least one of developer replenishment times information corresponding to the consumable chip, total printed page count information corresponding to the consumable chip, and identification information corresponding to the consumable chip as the chip information;

[0162] The server public key is used to encrypt the aforementioned chip information.

[0163] Referring to Figure 8 , which is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, the image forming apparatus includes a second controller configured to execute part or all of the method executed by the image forming apparatus in the above method embodiment.

[0164] It should be pointed out that the specific contents involved in the embodiments of the present application can be found in the description of the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0165] Corresponding to the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present application also provides a consumable material.

[0166] Referring to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, the consumable comprises a housing, a developer container located within the housing for containing developer, and the consumable chip described in the above embodiment.

[0167] Referring to Figure 14, which is a schematic structural diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 14, the consumable further includes a developer conveying element for conveying developer based on the embodiment shown in Figure 13.

[0168] Referring to Figure 15 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, the consumable further comprises a photosensitive drum and a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 14 .

[0169] Referring to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of the present application, the consumable includes a photosensitive drum, a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, and the consumable chip described in the above embodiment.

[0170] It should be noted that the specific contents of the consumable chips in the embodiments shown in Figures 13 to 16 can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0171] In a specific implementation, the present application further provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium may store a program that, when executed, may include some or all of the steps of each embodiment of the chip activation method provided in the present application. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

[0172] In a specific implementation, the present application also provides a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes some or all of the steps in each embodiment of the chip activation method provided in the present application.

[0173] In this specification, reference can be made to the same or similar parts between the various embodiments. In particular, for the device embodiment and the terminal embodiment, since they are basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description in the method embodiment.

Claims

1. A method for activating a microcircuit, characterized in that the method is applied to an image-forming device on which a consumable element is installed, on which a microcircuit of the consumable element is removable installed, and the method includes: in response to an activation request entered by a user, outputting information about a microcircuit corresponding to a microcircuit of a consumable element, wherein the information about the microcircuit is used to determine by the server whether to transmit back activation information related to the microcircuit of the consumable element, and the activation information is used to activate the microcircuit of the consumable element, wherein the activation processing is processing for activating the microcircuit of the consumable element based on the user performing an operation of filling the consumable element with a developer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further includes outputting first reminder information when the value of the remaining quantity corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element is less than the first threshold value, wherein the value of the remaining quantity is used to indicate the remaining quantity of developer in the consumable element, and the first reminder information is used to remind the user of the need to perform the operation of filling the consumable element with developer.

3. The method according to paragraph 2, characterized in that the output of the first reminder information, when the value of the remaining quantity corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element is less than the first threshold value, includes: obtaining the remaining quantity information corresponding to the consumable chip, judging whether the remaining quantity value indicated by the remaining quantity information corresponding to the consumable chip is less than a first threshold value, and outputting first reminder information if it is less; or receiving a second reminder information sent by the microcircuit of the consumable element, and outputting a first reminder information based on the second reminder information, wherein the second reminder information is used to remind that the value of the remaining quantity corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element is less than the first threshold value.

4. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the output of information about the microcircuit corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element includes: the output of information about the microcircuit corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, and information about the URL address of the server corresponding to the server.

5. The method according to paragraph 4, characterized in that the output of information about the microcircuit corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, and information about the URL address of the server corresponding to the server, includes: outputting information about the microcircuit corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element and information about the server URL corresponding to the server in the form of a QR code; and / or outputting an encrypted sequence of characters corresponding to information about the microcircuit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the chip information used to determine by the server whether to transmit back activation information related to the consumable chip comprises: chip information used in combination with developer information corresponding to a replaceable developer to enable the server to determine whether to transmit back activation information related to the consumable chip, wherein the developer information is information corresponding to a developer for a developer refilling operation.

7. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that after outputting information about the microcircuit corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, the method additionally includes: receiving activation information related to the consumable chip transmitted back by the server; performing activation processing in relation to the microcircuit of the consumable element based on the activation information.

8. The method according to paragraph 7, characterized in that the activation processing in relation to the microcircuit of the consumable element includes: sending activation indication information to the microcircuit of the consumable element, wherein the activation indication information is used to command the microcircuit of the consumable element to store information about the consumable element after the developer filling operation.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the information about the microcircuit includes at least one of information about the number of developer refills corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, information about the total number of printed pages corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, and identification information corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element.

10. A method for activating a microcircuit, characterized in that the method is applied to a server and includes: obtaining information about a microcircuit corresponding to a microcircuit of a consumable element, removable installed on the consumable element; determining whether to output activation information related to the consumable chip according to the information on the chip, wherein the activation information is used to activate the consumable chip, wherein the activation processing is processing for activating the consumable chip based on the user performing an operation of filling the consumable with developer.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the information about the microcircuit includes at least one of information about the number of developer refills corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, information about the total number of printed pages corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element, and identification information corresponding to the microcircuit of the consumable element; determining whether to output the activation information related to the consumable component chip according to the chip information includes: assessing whether the number of times the developer has been refilled into the consumable element is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value and, if so, deciding not to transmit back activation information related to the microcircuit of the consumable element; and / or assessing whether the total number of printed pages associated with the consumable is greater than or equal to a second specified value and, if so, deciding not to transmit back activation information associated with the microcircuit of the consumable; and / or assessing whether the consumable item meets the expectations according to the identification information corresponding to the consumable item chip and, if not, deciding not to transmit back the activation information related to the consumable item chip.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that determining whether to output activation information related to the microcircuit of the consumable element according to the information about the microcircuit includes: obtaining information about the developer corresponding to the replacement developer; assessing whether the replacement developer meets the expectations according to the developer information corresponding to the replacement developer; When it is determined that the replacement developer does not meet expectations, a decision is made not to output the activation information related to the consumable chip.

13. An image-forming device, characterized in that it contains a memory device for storing computer program commands and a processor for executing the program commands, wherein when the computer program commands are executed by the processor, the image-forming device is ensured to perform the method according to any of paragraphs 1-9.