RethINK S.A. receives patent over device that can remotely identify a compatible consumable.
Greek remanufacturer 
RethINK S.A. has been awarded a patent pertaining to a device for “identifying a compatible consumable to be used in a printer”, invented by Alexandros Lioumbis.
Registered under patent number EP 2 495 620 A1, the device is able to identify consumable cartridges by means of “remotely interrogat[ing] identifiers, such as RFID tags, attached to used and unused printer cartridges and compares identification information”, and relays the information to a database of compatible printers upon which a list of said devices are displayed.
The device is said to be able to identify compatible printer cartridges in its packaging, and the patent document states that the device is intended to minimise inadvertent use of printer cartridges, noting “untrained users often may easily be frustrated regarding which cartridges to use. Even worse, they might try unintentionally to use inappropriate cartridges in a printer.
“The consequences of such a mistake may range from a simple voidance of the cartridge warranty to damage to the printer.”