Claims
- 1. A removable ink cartridge for an ink-jet type printer comprising:
an ink storage compartment; ink, which is located in the storage compartment; a port for connecting the ink storage compartment with the printer, wherein the port is constructed and arranged to couple to the printer during an installation procedure to allow ink to flow to the printer; a first storage medium for holding information that is conveyed to the printer during the installation procedure before ink is released from the removable ink cartridge, wherein the information in the first storage medium is used by the printer to determine the propriety of the installation of the removable ink cartridge; and a second storage medium for holding information that is conveyed to the printer after the installation procedure is completed, wherein the information in the second storage medium is used by the printer to control a printing operation of the ink.
- 2. The removable ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the first storage medium comprises bar code indicia, and the second storage medium is an electronic memory.
- 3. The removable ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein an outer surface of the removable ink cartridge includes an electronic terminal for allowing the memory to be read by the printer.
- 4. A removable ink cartridge for an ink-jet type printer comprising:
an ink storage compartment; ink, which is located in the storage compartment; a port for connecting the ink storage compartment with the printer, wherein the port is coupled to the printer after an installation procedure to allow ink to flow to the printer; a storage medium for holding information about the removable ink cartridge; and at least two terminals located on an outer surface of the removable ink cartridge and connected to the storage medium, wherein a subset of the at least two terminals is accessed by the printer before ink is released from the removable ink cartridge during the installation procedure such that the printer determines the propriety of the installation of the removable ink cartridge based on the information in the storage medium, and wherein a different subset of the at least two terminals is accessed by the printer after the installation procedure is completed such that the printer reads from or writes to the storage medium during a printing operation of the printer.
- 5. The removable ink cartridge as claimed in claim 4, wherein the subset of the at least two terminals is arranged such that the printer determines the propriety of the installation of the removable ink cartridge based on a conduct state of the printer with the subset, and
wherein the different subset of the at least two terminals is connected to the storage medium and is accessed by the printer after the installation procedure is completed.
- 6. A removable ink cartridge for an ink-jet type printer comprising:
a first storage medium that stores first data, wherein the first storage medium is disposed such that the first data is accessible by the printer; and a second storage medium that stores second data, wherein the second storage medium is disposed such that the second data is accessible by the printer, wherein at least one of the first data and the second data comprises information for the installation of the removable ink cartridge in the printer, wherein at least one of the first storage medium and the second storage medium is disposed such that the at least one of the first data and the second data is accessible by the printer when the removable ink cartridge is being installed in the ink-jet type printer.
- 7. A removable ink cartridge for an ink-jet type printer comprising:
a first storage medium that stores installation information relating to the removable ink cartridge, a first terminal group which is connected to the first storage medium and which comprises at least a first terminal; and a second terminal group which is connected to the first storage medium and which comprises at least a second terminal, wherein said first terminal group is accessible by the printer when the removable ink cartridge is being installed in the printer such that said installation information is output from the first storage medium via said first terminal group.
- 8. The removable ink cartridge as claimed in claim 7, wherein operation information is stored in said first storage medium, and
wherein said second terminal group is accessible by the printer during an operation after the removable ink cartridge is installed in the printer such that said operation information is output from said first storage medium via said second terminal group.
- 9. The removable ink cartridge as claimed in claim 8, wherein data is not output via said second terminal group when the removable ink cartridge is being installed in the printer.
- 10. The removable ink cartridge as claimed in claim 8, wherein data is not output via said second terminal group when the removable ink cartridge is being installed in the printer, and
wherein data is not output via said first terminal group during said operation.
- 11. A removable ink cartridge for an ink-jet type printer comprising:
a first storage medium, a first terminal group which is connected to the first storage medium and which comprises at least a first terminal; and a second terminal group which comprises at least a second terminal, wherein, said second terminal group is accessible by said printer before ink is released from the removable ink cartridge and while said removable ink cartridge is being installed in said printer, wherein said second terminal group is adapted to be in a conductive state with said printer when said removable ink cartridge is properly installed, and wherein said first terminal group is adapted to selectively exchange data between the first storage medium and the printer after installation of the removable ink cartridge.
Priority Claims (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
11-199863 |
Jul 1999 |
JP |
|
2000-024742 |
Jan 2000 |
JP |
|
2000-115210 |
Apr 2000 |
JP |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/787,123 filed Mar. 14, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09787123 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10372837 |
Feb 2003 |
US |