Radio frequency identification tags on consumable items used in printers and related equipment

• US 20030128269A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrust Corp.
• Original Assignee: Datacard Corp. (Entrust Corp.)
• Inventors: Davie, Jeffery A., Myntti, Bill, Squires, Milo B., Paulson, Arthur, McCumber, Roger D., Debleeckere, Luc G., Kienitz, Paul M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,963,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/214
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 35/36 Alarms, indicators, or feed disabling devices responsive to ink ribbon breakage or exhaustion
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/52 Integration of elements inside the core or reel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0423 Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

Improvements relating to identification tags on consumable supply items used in identity document production equipment. The use of identification tags on the consumable supply items allows the document production equipment to recognize the consumable supply items that are loaded into each piece of equipment. The equipment can then initiate a variety of activities that are based on the loaded supply item. The activities are designed to enhance the operation of the equipment for the equipment operator and to provide added value to those customers who utilize consumable supply items that are recognized by the equipment.

Claims

1. A consumable supply item for a piece of data bearing document production equipment comprising a take-up cylinder, a ribbon material wound onto the cylinder, and a memory element attached to the cylinder.

2. The consumable supply item of claim 1, wherein the take-up cylinder is configured for use in a printer.

3. The consumable supply item of claim 1, wherein the ribbon material is a multi-color print ribbon.

4. The consumable supply item of claim 1, wherein the memory element is a read/write memory element.

5. A consumable supply item for a piece of data bearing document production equipment comprising a core, a ribbon material wound onto the core, and a memory element attached to the core

6. A printer comprising a ribbon take-up cylinder disposed on a spindle, a read/write memory element fixed to the cylinder, and a read/write unit for reading data from and writing data to the read/write memory element.

7. The printer of claim 6, wherein the printer is a thermal printer.

8. The printer of claim 6, wherein the read/write unit is a radio frequency read/write unit.

9. The printer of claim 6, wherein the read/write unit is positioned adjacent the take-up cylinder.

10. A method of operating a piece of data bearing document production equipment, comprising:

loading a consumable supply item into the piece of equipment, the supply item including a supply cylinder and a take-up cylinder, at least one of said supply cylinder and said take-up cylinder containing a memory element having stored data;

using the piece of equipment to read data from the memory element;

determining whether the loaded consumable supply item is a recognized supply item based upon the data that is read from the memory element; and

initiating an activity in the piece of equipment that is different from a normal operating activity of the piece of equipment when the loaded consumable supply item is a recognized supply item.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the memory element is connected to the take-up cylinder.