Method and apparatus for transferring data between a printer and a replaceable printing component

• US 6,267,463 B1
• Filed: 05/11/1998
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ross, Eric P., Lowe, David J., Pritchard, Thomas B., Paulsen, Ronald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stewart, Jr., Charles W.
• Application Number:
  US09/076,601
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 347/19, 347/86, 347/87, 347/59, 347/58, 347/49, 347/63, 347/50, 358/112, 358/116, 358/114
• US Class Current: 347/19
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a replaceable printing component for an ink-jet printing system having at least one replaceable printing component. The replaceable printing component includes an electrical storage device responsive to printing system control signals for transferring information between the printing component and the ink-jet printing system. The electrical storage device includes a storage portion containing a plurality of data fields associated with the replaceable printing component. Included in the electrical storage device is a plurality data values stored in each of the plurality of data fields. Also included is a control portion responsive to control signals for selectively transferring a block of data values having a preselected size between the ink-jet printer and the storage portion. The plurality of data fields are sized and arranged in the storage portion to ensure each of the plurality of data fields is transferred in a single data transfer between the ink-jet printer and the storage portion.

Claims

1. A replaceable printing component for an ink-jet printing system having at least one replaceable printing component, the replaceable printing component comprising:

an electrical storage device responsive to printing system control signals for transferring information between the printing component and the ink-jet printing system, the electrical storage device including;

a storage portion containing a plurality of parameter fields associated with the replaceable printing component;

a plurality of parameter values stored in each parameter field of the plurality of parameter fields the plurality of parameter fields sized in the storage portion in blocks of the parameter values having a preselected size to ensure that each parameter field of the plurality of parameter fields is transferred between the ink-jet printing system and the storage portion in a single block of parameter values of the blocks of the parameter values, the electrical storage device being responsive to control signals of the printing system for selectively transferring the blocks of the parameter values between the ink-jet printing system and the storage portion of the electrical storage device.

2. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein the storage portion includes a data storage portion and a transaction record portion, the transaction record portion receiving each single block of parameter values in a first data transfer from the ink-jet printing system, and the data storage portion receiving each single block of parameter values in a second data transfer from the ink-jet printing system.

3. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein each single block of parameter values is a four byte block of parameter values and wherein each parameter field of the plurality of parameter fields is sized to encompass no greater than two contiguous bytes within the four byte block of parameter values.

4. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein each single block of parameter values is a one-byte block of parameter values.

5. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein the electrical storage device is a semiconductor memory.

6. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein the replaceable printing component is a replaceable ink-jet printhead, the replaceable ink-jet printhead being responsive to further control signals for selectively depositing ink on print media.

7. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein the replaceable printing component is a replaceable ink container containing a quantity of ink, the replaceable ink container providing ink to the ink-jet printing system.

8. The replaceable printing component of claim 1 wherein the electrical storage device transfers the blocks of the parameter values in a serial fashion between the ink-jet printing system and the storage portion.

9. A replaceable printing component for an ink-jet printing system having at least one replaceable printing component, the replaceable printing component comprising:

an electrical storage device responsive to printing system control signals for transferring information between the printing component and the ink-jet printing system, the electrical storage device including;

a serial memory device having a plurality of logically contiguous memory locations;

a plurality of data fields logically mapped on the plurality of logically contiguous memory locations, the plurality of data fields representing each of a plurality of parameters transferable between the ink-jet printing system and the memory device; and

data associated with the plurality of data fields, the data being stored in corresponding data storage locations of the plurality of data fields, wherein the data is arranged in 8 bit words with 4 words per page of data, the serial memory device being responsive to page mode commands from the ink-jet printing system for transferring the data between the memory device and the ink-jet printing system a page of data at a time.

10. The replaceable printing component of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of data fields are no larger than two bytes in size.

11. The replaceable printing component of claim 9 wherein the page mode data transfer is a transfer of an address byte, a parity byte and 2 bytes of data.

12. A method for transferring data between an ink-jet printer and a replaceable consumable, the method comprising:

providing a replaceable consumable having an electrical storage device associated therewith, the electrical storage device configured for transferring a block of data of a selected size to the ink-jet printer, the electrical storage device having a plurality of parameter values logically mapped on the electrical storage device, the plurality of parameter values sized and arranged in blocks of data to ensure no parameter value is transferred in more than one block of data; and

transferring at least one block of the blocks of data between the electrical storage device and the ink-jet printer.

13. The method for transferring data of claim 12 wherein the step of transferring at least one block of the blocks of data includes:

transferring data to a transaction record within the electrical storage device; and

transferring data to a data portion within the electrical storage device.

14. The method for transferring data of claim 13 wherein upon failure of the step of transferring data to the data portion within the electrical storage device, the method for transferring data includes:

transferring data from the transaction record to the data portion of the electrical storage device.

15. The method for transferring data of claim 12 wherein before the step of transferring at least one block of the blocks of data, the method for transferring data includes:

requesting the at least one block of data be sent to the ink-jet printer, the at least one block of data having a size and storage device address location specified by the ink-jet printer.

16. An ink-jet printing system for selectively depositing ink on print media, the ink-jet printing system comprising:

a printer portion configured to receive a replaceable printing component, the printer portion including a control portion for transferring parameter values between the printer portion and the replaceable printing component, the control portion specifying a block size and address locations for the parameter values; and

the replaceable printing component, the replaceable printing component including an electrical storage device storing blocks of parameter values in address locations, the electrical storage device being responsive to control signals of the control portion for transferring the blocks of parameter values between the printing component and the printer portion, the replaceable printing component parameter values in each of the address locations being sized and disposed within the electrical storage device to ensure no parameter value is transferred in more than one block.