Patent ID: 6729714
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A mechanism for establishing compatibility of an on-axis printer component with a printer having a carriage, the mechanism comprising:a printer component mounting portion operably secured to the carriage of the printer; a separate key element detachably secured to said on-axis printer component mounting portion, adjacent to said printer component; at least one tab extending from the on-axis printer component, said at least one tab positioned and oriented in a defined and unique tab pattern thereby indicating a required characteristic of the on-axis printer component; and said separate key element having at least one mating slot positioned and aligned to receive said at least one tab, thereby allowing the on-axis printer component to be operably secured to the on-axis printer mounting portion and preventing similarly shaped printer components that have a different tab pattern from being operably secured to the printer component mounting portion.