Apparatus that uses consumable items and a method of managing such apparatus

摘要

Apparatus (10) is provided that uses a consumable item (11), of given type, requiring occasional renewal. The apparatus (10) has a first operating mode (17) in which it only works with a subset of consumable items of the given type; the apparatus also has a second operating mode (18) in which it is not restricted to working with consumable items of the aforesaid subset. The apparatus (10) is changed from its first mode (17) to its second mode (18) following a determination that the apparatus has reached a predetermined time or usage threshold for being in its first mode. The change to the second mode (18) is preferably effected in response to a release code generated either by the apparatus itself or by a remote system following the determination that the predetermined time or usage threshold being reached. Advantageously, the consumable items (11) can be used to pass usage data to a remote system.