Coupler board for wireless communication with multiple memory devices

• US 20060261947A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Rommelmann, Heiko, Rodriguez, Alberto, Phipps, William H., Koontz, Robert Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,307,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1882 details of the communication with memory, e.g. wireless communication, protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1823 Cartridges having electronically readable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• 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

A coupler board includes an antenna that generates an electromagnetic field for wireless communication of data with multiple memory devices. The memory devices have data associated with operation of the machine stored therein, and may be configured as customer replaceable unit monitors (CRUMs) or system operation keys (SOKs). The memory devices may be in the form of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The electromagnetic field may have a dual-lobe radiation pattern to communicate with memory devices on either side of the coupler board. In one embodiment, the machine is a printing apparatus.

Claims

1. A machine comprising:

a coupler board having an antenna attached thereto;

a first memory device having stored therein first electronic data associated with operation of the machine, the first memory device being positioned at least partially within an electromagnetic field generated by the antenna; and

a second memory device having stored therein second electronic data associated with operation of the machine, the second memory device being positioned at least partially within the electromagnetic field, wherein the first and second electronic data are communicated to the coupler board using the electromagnetic field.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic field has a radiation pattern including a first lobe and a second lobe, the first memory device is positioned at least partially within the first lobe, and the second memory device is positioned at least partially within the second lobe.

3. The machine of claim 2, wherein the antenna extends substantially coplanar with the coupler board, and the coupler board is positioned between the first memory device and the second memory device.

4. The machine of claim 2, wherein the first lobe and the second lobe have substantially the same shape.

5. The machine of claim 1, wherein the first memory device is attached to a removable module, and the first electronic data includes data associated with usage of the module within the machine.

6. The machine of claim 5, wherein the second memory device is a system operating key and the second electronic data includes data associated with at least one of enabling and disabling features of the machine.

7. The machine of claim 1, wherein the first and second memory devices include radio frequency identification tags.

8. A method of communicating data between a coupler board in a machine and removable portions of the machine, the method comprising:

generating an electromagnetic field using an antenna attached to the coupler board;

positioning a first memory device at least partially within the electromagnetic field, the first memory device being attached to a first removable portion of the machine and having stored therein first electronic data associated with operation of the machine;

communicating the first electronic data between the coupler board and the first memory device using the electromagnetic field;

positioning a second memory device at least partially within the electromagnetic field, the second memory device being attached to a second removable portion of the machine and having stored therein second electronic data associated with operation of the machine; and

communicating the second electronic data between the coupler board and the second memory device using the electromagnetic field.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein electromagnetic field has a radiation pattern including a first lobe and a second lobe, the first memory device is positioned at least partially within the first lobe, and the second memory device is positioned at least partially within the second lobe.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the antenna extends substantially coplanar with the coupler board, and the first and second memory devices are positioned on opposite sides of the coupler board.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first removable portion of the machine is a removable module, and the first electronic data includes data associated with usage of the module within the machine.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second removable portion of the machine is a system operating key, and the second electronic data includes data associated with at least one of enabling and disabling operating features of the machine.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second memory devices include radio frequency identification tags.

14. A printing apparatus comprising:

a coupler board having an antenna attached thereto;

a first memory device having stored therein first electronic data associated with operation of the printing apparatus, the first memory device being positioned at least partially within an electromagnetic field generated by the antenna; and

a second memory device having stored therein second electronic data associated with operation of the printing apparatus, the second memory device being positioned at least partially within the electromagnetic field, wherein the first and second electronic data are communicated to the coupler board using the electromagnetic field.

15. The printing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the electromagnetic field has a radiation pattern including a first lobe and a second lobe, the first memory device is positioned at least partially within the first lobe, and the second memory device is positioned at least partially within the second lobe.

16. The printing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the antenna extends substantially coplanar with the coupler board, and the coupler board is positioned between the first memory device and the second memory device.

17. The printing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first memory device is attached to a removable module, and the first electronic data includes data associated with usage of the module within the printing apparatus.

18. The printing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the removable module includes hardware for electrostatographic printing.

19. The printing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second memory device is a system operating key and the second electronic data includes data associated with at least one of enabling and disabling operating features of the printing apparatus.

20. The printing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first and second memory devices include radio frequency identification tags.