Thermal sense resistor for a replaceable printer component

• US 7,128,401 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2005
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Dodd, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THINH H
• Application Number:
  US11/196,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 347/62
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges

Abstract

A replaceable printer component (14) includes a thermal sense resistor (14B) having a first resistance. A resistance modifier (510) coupled to the thermal sense resistor modifies the first resistance.

Claims

1. A method of forming a plurality of replaceable printer components with thermal sense resistors having varying nominal resistance values, the method comprising:

forming the plurality of replaceable printer components on a wafer, the plurality of replaceable printer components each including a thermal sense resistor, each thermal sense resistor having substantially the same nominal resistance; and

forming a plurality of resistance modifiers on the wafer, the plurality of resistance modifiers configured to modify the nominal resistance of the plurality of thermal sense resistors, thereby forming thermal sense resistors having varying nominal resistance values.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

associating each one of a plurality of memories with one of the plurality of replaceable printer components;

measuring the resistance of each of the thermal sense resistors; and

storing a resistance value in each of the plurality of memories, the resistance value in each memory representing a magnitude of the measured resistance of the thermal sense resistor associated with the memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of memories is a ROM.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the stored resistance values also represents at least a portion of a second type of component information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second type of component information is component uniqueness information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second type of component information is pen uniqueness information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of replaceable printer components is formed based on a single set of generic die data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of resistance modifiers is formed based on mask frame data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the replaceable printer components is an inkjet printhead assembly.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of resistance modifiers is a conductor far shorting a portion of one of the thermal sense resistors.

11. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

forming at least a portion of each one of the thermal sense resistors in a serpentine shape having a plurality of transition regions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the resistance modifiers is a conductor positioned near at least one of the transition regions for shorting a portion of one of the thermal sense resistors.