Patent ID: 7047221

Claim:
A method for protecting a device against operation with unauthorized consumables, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a device identification number and uniquely allocating said device identification number to a device; (b) generating a code number range, containing a plurality of code numbers, and allocating said code number range to said device identification number; (c) generating a reference code number range, containing a plurality of reference code numbers respectively having relationships to the respective code numbers in said code number range; (d) storing said device identification number and said reference code number range in said device; (e) aggregating a code number in said code number range with a replacement consumable; (f) recognizing a need to replace a depleted consumable in said device; (g) before substituting said replacement consumable for said depleted consumable in said device, authenticating said replacement consumable by entering said code number aggregated with said replacement consumable into said device and, in said device, obtaining an authentication result by checking whether said code number aggregated with said replacement consumable has said relationship to one of said reference code numbers in said reference code number range stored in said device and, if so, consuming said one of said reference code numbers in said device by permanently deleting said one of said reference code numbers from said device; and (h) controlling said device dependent on said authentication result.