Patent Application
20070050621
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for prohibiting an unauthorized component from functioning with a host device.
For a variety of reasons, host device manufacturers have designed host devices that function with a variety of plug and play components. For end users, one advantage of this design is that it offers flexibility and ease of upgrades. For example, instead of purchasing a newer host device, it may be more cost-effective for end users to increase the performance of the host device by buying a component and inserting the component into a pre-existing host device. The component can enable the host device to perform enhanced functions or confer added capabilities. In addition, because components can be easily removed and replaced, repair efforts may be reduced. Another advantage is that a single host device design can support many different applications. Accordingly, end users can tailor the host device to his or her particular needs by simply purchasing and installing the appropriate components or modules into the host device.
Furthermore, for host device manufacturers, the sale of components creates another source of revenue. This source of revenue is important to host device manufacturers because it can be applied towards further research and development efforts. Ultimately, the additional research and development results in delivering superior technologies of higher quality to end users. Thus, a mutually beneficial relationship is forged between host device manufacturers and end users.
Unfortunately, due to the significance of the host device market, third-party vendors have been undercutting host device manufacturers by offering end users with unauthorized but compatible components. Moreover, traditionally, these third-party vendors do not expend comparable funds for research and development but instead take advantage of host device manufacturers' research and development efforts.
Because third-party vendors have neither invested effort into research and development nor possess first-hand knowledge of how host devices function, one concern is that unauthorized but superficially compatible components manufactured by third-party vendors may be of inferior quality. For example, a component may be superficially compatible but deliver inferior results because of a minor difference in design. Also, an unauthorized component may not have gone through rigorous testing. As a result, an unauthorized component may be less reliable and possess hidden defects. Consequently, an unauthorized component may malfunction and cause the performance of a host device to degrade. Moreover, an unauthorized component may even cause a host device itself to malfunction. A malfunctioning in either a host device or a component will cause a severe decrease in efficiency. Consequently, these problems will generate end user frustration and dissatisfaction. Hence, it would be beneficial for both host device manufacturers and end users if the use of unauthorized components can be discouraged.
A method for prohibiting an unauthorized component from functioning with a host device is disclosed. The method includes reading key information from a component and inputting the key information into an algorithm to generate a first identifier. Upon detecting that a component is inserted into a host device, the first identifier and key information are read from the component. Next, the algorithm runs to generate a second identifier. Thereupon, the first identifier is compared to the second identifier, and if the first identifier matches with the second identifier, then the component will be allowed to function with the host device. However, if the first identifier does not match with the second identifier, then the component will be prohibited from functioning with the host device. Thereby, unauthorized components are prohibited from functioning with the host device.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.
In one embodiment, the component is a transceiver and the host device is a switch. In other embodiments, the host device can be a printer, copier, fax machine, camera, scanner, television, monitor, projector, personal digital assistant, audio recording device, or a mobile audio device. In still more embodiments, the component can be a printer cartridge, a copier cartridge, a fax machine cartridge, a duplexer, a scanner tray, a receiver, a memory, an adaptor, a network card, or a wireless connection device.
While the invention is described in conjunction with the above embodiment, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modification and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
In conclusion, a unique and novel way to prohibit an unauthorized component from functioning with a host device is disclosed. This is beneficial because unauthorized components may be of inferior quality. One reason is that third-party vendors have neither invested effort into research and development nor possess first-hand knowledge of how the host device functions. For example, a component may be superficially compatible but deliver inferior results because of a minor difference in design. Also, an unauthorized component may not have gone through rigorous testing. As a result, an unauthorized component may be less reliable and possess hidden defects. Consequently, an unauthorized component may malfunction and cause the performance of the host device to degrade. Moreover, an unauthorized component may even cause the host device itself to malfunction. A malfunctioning in either the host device or the component will cause a severe decrease in efficiency. Consequently, these problems will generate end user frustration and dissatisfaction. Thus, it would be beneficial for both host device manufacturers and end users if the use of unauthorized components is discouraged. Hence, the present invention allows the use of unauthorized components to be discouraged and consequently improves overall performance by encouraging the use of authorized and more reliable components.
