Communication between an image forming device and a replaceable supply item

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, after sending a first busy response to the controller of the image forming device, receive a second write command from the controller of the image forming device that is abbreviated relative to a first write command received from the controller of the image forming device and that requests the chip to send a response to the first write command. The chip is further configured to send a response to the first write command to the controller of the image forming device if upon receiving a read command corresponding to the second write command the chip has completed processing the first write command.

1 . A chip for use on a replaceable supply item of an image forming device, comprising processing circuitry configured to communicate as a slave node of an I2C communication bus with a controller of the image forming device as a master node of the I2C communication bus, the processing circuitry configured to, after sending a first busy response to the controller of the image forming device while processing a first write command received from the controller of the image forming device, receive a second write command from the controller of the image forming device that requests the chip on the replaceable supply item to send a response to the first write command, the processing circuitry configured to send a response to the first write command to the controller of the image forming device if upon receiving a read command corresponding to the second write command the processing circuitry is no longer processing the first write command, further comprising the processing circuitry configured to send a second busy response to the controller of the image forming device if upon receiving the read command corresponding to the second write command the processing circuitry is still processing the first write command. 
     
     
         2 . 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:
 after sending a first busy response by the chip on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device while processing a first write command received by the chip on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device, receiving a second write command by the chip on the replaceable supply item from the controller of the image forming device that has less data than the first write command and that requests the chip on the replaceable supply item to send a response to the first write command; and   if upon receiving a read command corresponding to the second write command the chip on the replaceable supply item is no longer processing the first write command, sending a response to the first write command by the chip on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising if upon receiving the read command corresponding to the second write command the chip on the replaceable supply item is still processing the first write command, sending a second busy response by the chip on the replaceable supply item to the controller of the image forming device.