# US 2019/0320084 A1 · Communication between an image forming device and a replaceable supply item

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2019/0320084 A1
- Document ID: US20190320084A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/951,586
- Filed: 2018-04-12
- Published: 2019-10-17
- Earliest claimed: 2018-04-12
- Assignees: Lexmark International, Inc.
- Applicants: Lexmark International, Inc.
- Inventors: NATHAN WAYNE FOLEY; JENNIFER TOPMILLER WILLIAMS; GREGORY SCOTT WOODS; Jimmy Daniel Moore, JR.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190320084A1

## CPC

- G03G 21/1882: {details of the communication with memory, e.g. wireless communication, protocols}
- H04N 1/32587: {Controller}
- G03G 15/0863: {provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory}
- G03G 15/0865: {Arrangements for supplying new developer}
- G06F 3/121: {Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted}
- G06F 13/4282: {on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247)}
- H04N 1/2346: {according to a detected condition or state of the reproducing device, e.g. temperature or ink quantity}
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A toner container installable in an image forming device having a controller according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A chip is positioned on the housing and configured to receive a first write command from the controller of the image forming device. The chip is further configured to determine whether a transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches a transmission cycle bit of a second write command received by the chip from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command. The chip is further configured to resend to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the second write command.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of electrical communication between a slave node of an I2C communication bus positioned on a replaceable supply item installed in an image forming device and a controller of the image forming device as a master node of the I2C communication bus, comprising:
receiving a first write command by the slave node on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device;
comparing by the slave node on the replaceable supply item a value of a transmission cycle bit contained in a header of the first write command with a value of a transmission cycle bit contained in a header of a second write command received by the slave node on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command; and
if the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the first write command is equal to the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the second write command, sending by the slave node on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command without executing the first write command.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising if the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the first write command is not equal to the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the second write command, executing by the slave node on the replaceable supply item the first write command and sending by the slave node on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device a response to the first write command.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method of electrical communication between a slave node of an I2C communication bus positioned on a replaceable supply item installed in an image forming device and a controller of the image forming device as a master node of the I2C communication bus, comprising:
receiving a first write command by the slave node on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device;
comparing by the slave node on the replaceable supply item a value of a transmission cycle bit contained in a header of the first write command with a value of a transmission cycle bit contained in a header of a second write command received by the slave node on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command;
if the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the first write command is equal to the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the second write command, sending by the slave node on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command without executing the first write command; The method of claim 1, further comprising:
if the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the first write command is equal to the value of the transmission cycle bit contained in the header of the second write command, comparing by the slave node on the replaceable supply item a value of a command ID of the first write command with a value of a command ID of the second write command; and
if the value of the command ID of the first write command is equal to the value of the command ID of the second write command, performing said sending by the slave node on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device the response to the second write command without executing the first command.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising if the value of the command ID of the first write command is not equal to the value of the command ID of the second write command, sending by the slave node on the replaceable supply item an error message to the controller of the image forming device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein comparing by the slave node on the replaceable supply item the value of the command ID of the first write command with the value of the command ID of the second write command includes determining by the slave node on the replaceable supply item whether the value of the command ID of the first write command indicates that the first write command is a request from the controller of the image forming device for the slave node on the replaceable supply item to send a response to a most recent write command received by the slave node on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device prior to the slave node on the replaceable supply item indicating a busy condition to the controller of the image forming device.

### Claim 6

A method of processing commands from a controller of an image forming device by a chip on a replaceable supply item installed in the image forming device, comprising:
receiving a write command by the chip on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device;
determining by the chip on the replaceable supply item whether a transmission cycle bit of the received write command matches a transmission cycle bit of a preceding write command received by the chip on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device; and
if the transmission cycle bit of the received write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the preceding write command, resending by the chip on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device a response to the preceding write command upon receiving by the chip on the replaceable supply item a read command from the controller of the image forming device corresponding to the received write command.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising if the transmission cycle bit of the received write command does not match the transmission cycle bit of the preceding write command, executing by the chip on the replaceable supply item the received write command and sending by the chip on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device a response to the received write command upon receiving by the chip on the replaceable supply item the read command from the controller of the image forming device corresponding to the received write command.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising:
if the transmission cycle bit of the received write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the preceding write command, determining by the chip on the replaceable supply item whether a command ID of the received write command matches a command ID of the preceding write command; and
if the command ID of the received write command matches the command ID of the preceding write command, performing said resending by the chip on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device the response to the preceding write command upon receiving by the chip on the replaceable supply item the read command from the controller of the image forming device corresponding to the received write command.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising if the command ID of the received write command does not match the command ID of the preceding write command, sending by the chip on the replaceable supply item an error message to the controller of the image forming device upon receiving by the chip on the replaceable supply item the read command from the controller of the image forming device corresponding to the received write command.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein determining by the chip on the replaceable supply item whether the command ID of the received write command matches the command ID of the preceding write command includes determining by the chip on the replaceable supply item whether the command ID of the received write command indicates that the received write command is a request from the controller of the image forming device for the chip on the replaceable supply item to send a response to a most recent write command received by the chip on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device prior to the chip on the replaceable supply item indicating a busy condition to the controller of the image forming device.

### Claim 11

A method of facilitating electrical communication between a controller of an image forming device and a chip for use on a replaceable supply item of the image forming device, comprising:
configuring the chip to operate as a slave node on an I2C communication bus where the controller of the image forming device serves as a master node on the I2C communication bus; and
configuring the chip to receive a first write command from the controller of the image forming device, to determine whether a transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches a transmission cycle bit of a second write command received by the chip from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command, and to resend to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the second write command.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the chip to execute the first write command and to send to the controller of the image forming device a response to the first write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command does not match the transmission cycle bit of the second write command.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the chip to determine whether a command ID of the first write command matches a command ID of the second write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the second write command and to perform said resend to the controller of the image forming device the response to the second write command if the command ID of the first write command matches the command ID of the second write command.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising configuring the chip to send an error message to the controller of the image forming device if the command ID of the first write command does not match the command ID of the second write command.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein configuring the chip to determine whether the command ID of the first write command matches the command ID of the second write command includes configuring the chip to determine whether the command ID of the first write command indicates that the first write command is a request from the controller of the image forming device for the chip to send a response to a most recent write command received by the chip from the controller of the image forming device prior to the chip indicating a busy condition to the controller of the image forming device.