Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Controller
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-14
2004-06-15
Gordon, Raquel Yvette (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Controller
C347S014000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06749281
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage devices connected together by a bus, and more particularly to a technique for identifying a particular memory device from among a multiplicity of storage devices connected by a bus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques by which a particular memory device may be selected from among a multiplicity of memory (storage) devices included in a memory module, so that data may be read therefrom or written thereto, include a technique used with a multiplicity of storage devices having bus connections to data signal lines and clock signal lines, wherein pre-established pull-up resistance or the like is utilized to assign, on the hardware level, identifying information to storage devices, so that this identifying information can be used to access a particular desired storage device. A problem with this technique, however, is that in practical terms it is not possible to rewrite the identifying information for storage devices once preset, making them unsuitable for recycled use.
Accordingly there has also been proposed a technique whereby identifying information on the software level is placed in some of the memory areas of a storage device. With this technique, identifying information stored in a storage device can be rewritten easily, which has the advantage of being suitable for recycled use.
However, a problem with this approach is that since identifying information takes the form of a data sequence stored in a memory area, as more storage devices are bus connected on a given data signal line, a larger data sequence is required, i.e., identifying information is composed of more data. This is a particular problem where a storage device assignable with identifying information has limited memory capacity. For example, where the storage device is a printer recording material receptacle (ink cartridge) used in a printing device, a greater number of items of identifying information (identifiers) will be needed for a greater number of colors of ink, whereas the use of a high-capacity storage device in such applications presents problems from a cost standpoint.
A still different technique uses, in addition to the data and clock signal lines, a chip select signal line that transmits a chip select signal to select a storage device. This has the advantage that identifying information need not be stored on individual storage devices, but requires providing chip select signal lines in a number corresponding to the number of storage devices, which creates the problem of an increasingly complicated wiring arrangement due to the greater number of signal lines. Another problem is that only one chip select signal line is used during access operations, so efficiency of signal line utilization is poor.
The present invention is directed to addressing the above problems and needs, and has as an object to increase the number of storage devices that can be identified, without increasing the data capacity needed to store identifying information. A further object is to reduce data write time of storage devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, the invention in a first aspect thereof provides a system for identifying printer recording material receptacles, whereby, in a system comprising a multiplicity of printer recording material receptacles each having a sequentially accessible storage device, and individual selected printer recording material receptacle may be identified. The system for identifying printer recording material receptacles according to the first aspect herein comprises a multiplicity of printer recording material receptacle groups, each of which comprises a multiplicity of printer recording material receptacles; storage devices, provided to each said printer recording material receptacle, that store different identifying information within each said group; a multiplicity of data signal lines, said lines bus-connected on a group-by-group basis to the storage devices of the printer recording material receptacles that make up each said group; and information processing control means that utilizes said identifying information to select one or a multiplicity of desired printer recording material receptacles from among said printer recording material receptacles, and reads or writes information from or to the storage device of one or a multiplicity of selected printer recording material receptacles using one or a multiplicity of data signal lines selected from said multiplicity of data signal lines.
According to the storage control system pertaining to the first aspect of the invention, an individual data signal line is assigned to each group composed of a multiplicity of printer recording material receptacles. This allows the number of data signal lines to be kept to the minimum required, and since the identifying information need only contain enough information to identify each storage device within a group, it is possible to hold down the data capacity needed to store the identifying information, so that a greater number of printer recording material receptacles (storage devices) that can be identified. Further, since data can be transmitted individually via data signal lines to the storage devices of the printer recording material receptacles making up each group, simultaneous access (read and write) of the storage devices of each group is possible using the multiplicity of data signal lines, reducing the time needed to write to and read from the storage devices.
The invention in a second aspect thereof provides a system for identifying printer recording material receptacles that identifies a particular printer recording material receptacle from among a multiplicity of printer recording material receptacles comprising a multiplicity of sequentially accessible storage devices, wherein said system comprises: a multiplicity of printer recording material receptacles constituting a first class, each receptacle comprising a storage device that stores different identifying information; a single printer recording material receptacle constituting a second class, the receptacle comprising a storage device that stores identifying information identical to any identifying information stored in the storage devices constituting said first class, or identifying information different from all identifying information stored in the storage devices constituting said first class; a first data signal line, said line being bus-connected to the storage devices of the printer recording material receptacles constituting said first class; a second data signal line, said line being bus-connected to the storage devices of the printer recording material receptacles constituting said second class; and information processing control means that utilizes said identifying information to select on or a multiplicity of desired printer recording material receptacles from among said printer recording material receptacles, and reads or writes information from or to the storage device of one or a multiplicity of selected printer recording material receptacles using said first data signal line and/or said second data signal line.
According to the storage control system pertaining to the second aspect of the invention, the number of identifiable storage devices can be increased without the need for greater data capacity to store identifying information. The printer recording material receptacles making up the first class may contain the frequently used printer recording materials cyan, magenta, yellow and black, while the printer recording material receptacle making up the second class may contain a specialty color printer recording material used in particular applications, such as dark yellow or black. By so doing all printer recording material receptacles can be identified, even where a printer recording material receptacle containing a specialty color printer recording material is assigned arbitrary identifying information, such as the same identifying information for all specialty colors. Data read and write ope
Gordon Raquel Yvette
Seiko Epson Corporation
Stewart, Jr. Charles
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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