| 摘要 |
<p>A printer cartridge is provided that operates only after an authorized point of sale event. The printer cartridge may be an ink jet cartridge or a toner cartridge. The ink jet cartridge has a set of inkjets and driver lines for expelling ink from the inkjets. The cartridge also has an RF antenna connected to an RF accessible integrated circuit. The RF accessible integrated circuit connects to a switch in the ink jet cartridge. The state of the switch determines the operational characteristics for the ink jet cartridge. For example, a manufacturer may set the switch to a first state which disables or limits the operation of the ink jet cartridge. Upon activation using an RF scanning system, the RF integrated circuit sets the switch to a second state, which enables the ink jet cartridge to have full commercial functionality. In this way, the ink jet cartridge may be moved through the distribution chain with a substantially reduced threat of theft. After a sensor has measure or calculated that the cartridge has met its useful life, the RF integrated circuit sets the switch to disable the cartridge.</p> |
