Methods and systems for selectively preventing operation of a component
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsStephen Porter Bush, Timothy John Rademacher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An imaging system comprising: a system control component having host firmware stored thereon, the system control component comprising a print head operation module actuatable by the host firmware to transmit signals to a print head of the imaging system, the signals configured to cause the print head to operate; and a monitor-enforce module, the monitor-enforce module comprising: a monitor interface configured to receive security information from a security device of the imaging system, and an enforce module, the enforce module being configured to selectively interrupt said signals transmitted by the print head operation module, based on the security information.
Claims16
An imaging system comprising:
- a system control component having host firmware stored thereon, the system control component comprising a print head operation module actuatable by the host firmware to transmit signals to a print head of the imaging system, the signals configured to cause the print head to operate;
- a I2C bus configured to allow communication between a security device of a supply item of the imaging system and the host firmware, the security device of the supply item being configured to perform a challenge received via the I2C bus and send the response via the I2C bus, thereby enabling verification of the supply item, and
- a monitor-enforce module, the monitor-enforce module comprising:
- a monitor interface configured to receive security information from the security device of the supply item of the imaging system by monitoring the I2C bus, and
- an enforce module, the enforce module being configured to selectively interrupt said signals transmitted by the print head operation module, based on the security information,
- wherein the security information comprises authentication information from the supply items of the imaging system, wherein the authentication information is the response to the challenge, wherein the enforce module is configured to interrupt the signals transmitted by the print head operation module via a gate, and wherein the gate is located between the print head operation module and the print head.
An electronic system comprising:
- a system control component having host firmware stored thereon, the system control component comprising a component operation module actuatable by the host firmware to transmit signals to a component of the electronic system, the signals configured to cause the component to operate;
- a I2C bus configured to allow communication between a security device of a component of the electronic system and the host firmware, the security device of the component being configured to perform a challenge received via the I2C bus and send the response via the I2C bus, thereby enabling verification of the component, and
- a monitor-enforce module, the monitor-enforce module comprising:
- a monitor interface configured to receive security information from the security device of the component of the electronic system by monitoring the I2C bus, and
- an enforce module, the enforce module being configured to selectively interrupt said signals transmitted by the component operation module, based on the security information,
- wherein the security information comprises authentication information from the components of the electronic system, wherein the authentication information is the response to the challenge, wherein the enforce module is configured to interrupt the signals transmitted by the component operation module via a gate, and wherein the gate is located between the component operation module and the component of the electronic system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.