Patent attributes
A printer has a relatively small sequential access EEPROM on black and color ink cartridges. Information relating to each cartridge like remaining quantities of inks are stored. Addressing for storage elements of cartridges differs from that of an EEPROM in the printer. A control IC in the printer converts the storage format of addressing, before writing information into cartridge's storage elements. A RAM is mounted with the control IC on a carriage, and information to be written into the cartridge's storage elements is temporarily registered in the RAM. The information is then written into the respective storage elements of the cartridges, for example, during a power-off operation. Signal lines and memory used when writing information into the storage elements are identical with the signal lines, through which print data are transmitted to a print head mounted on the carriage, and the memory, in which print data are stored.
