Patent Application
20100278546
Printing devices utilize consumable components. Those components can be supplied in a replaceable cartridge. A given cartridge, for example, can supply a first consumable component in the form of imaging material and a second consumable component in the form of an element used in transferring the imaging material to a print medium. Where the printing device is a laser printer, the imagining material could be toner while the element could be a drum and/or a seal. The cartridge stops functioning as desired when either one of the consumable components reaches the end of its useful life, that is, when the toner is depleted or when the drum/seal fails. When the drum or seal reaches its end of life first, a user can often detect the remaining toner. Even though the drum may have performed as designed, a user may be left with the false impression that, simply because toner remains, the cartridge should continue to provide quality results. Thus, consumer experience can be improved when the toner is depleted at the same time or before the drum reaches the end of its useful life.
Introduction: Printing devices often utilize multiple consumable components. Various embodiments described below encourage expiration of an expected useful life of a first consumable component to occur with expiration of an expected useful life of a second consumable component. Where the printing device is a laser printer, various embodiments operate to time toner depletion with the expiration of the drum (or corresponding seal) responsible for transferring the toner to a print medium.
Manufacturers make assumptions to predict the lifespan of a consumable component for a printing device. Take a laser printer for example; such assumptions include an average amount of toner consumed per page printed and the average number of pages per print job delivered to the printer device. A toner cartridge sometimes reaches its end-of-life before the toner is depleted. This can be due to the drum, seal or other component reaching its end-of-life. Most often this is caused by the drum rotating more per output page than anticipated. Drum and seal life is measured by a number of drum rotations since the seal wears against the drum. Even though the drum may have performed as designed, a user may be left with the false impression that, simply because toner remains, the cartridge should continue to provide quality results. Thus, the consumer is left with a less than optimal experience.
Roughly speaking, the number of drum rotations is dependent upon job length (number of pages in a job) and the length of the media (e.g. paper) path. Using the example of a one page job, a thirty-three inch paper path and a three inch circumference drum, the drum will rotate at least eleven times to complete the job. Each additional page added to the job will add a number of rotations equal to the sum of the length of the page plus the inter-page gap divided by the circumference of the drum. Assuming an eleven inch page and one inch gap between pages, each additional page would add four rotations to the drum. With this understanding in mind, cartridge life yields are rated using an average job length across many environments and not necessarily an average specific to a particular consumer. In terms of pages, printing at jobs of greater lengths can extend cartridge life while printing jobs of lesser lengths can shorten cartridge life.
In operation, light from a laser (not shown) is scanned across charged photoconductive drum 24 in a pattern of a desired print image. Where exposed to the light, photoconductive drum 24 is discharged creating an electrostatic version of the desired print image. Application roller 22 transfers toner particles to photoconductive drum 24. The toner particles are repelled by the charged portions of photoconductive drum 24 but adhere to the discharged portions. As media sheet 32 passes across photoconductive drum 24 toner particles are then transferred from photoconductive drum 24 to media sheet 32. Fuser rollers (not shown) supplied by the printer device, thermally fix the transferred toner particles to media sheet 32.
In the example of
Environment:
In the example of
Components:
Starting with
Aggregation manager 62 represents generally any combination of hardware and programming configured to selectively aggregate print jobs to be processed by a consumable component of a printer device. The term aggregate is used to refer to holding print job until it can be released with one or more additional print jobs. To the printer device, the released aggregate appears as one larger print job. In performing its tasks, aggregation manager 62 may determine whether or not to hold a given print job to be aggregated based upon characteristics reported by job analyzer 60 and information read from aggregation data 66.
Interface manager 64 represents generally any combination of hardware and programming configured to provide a user interface having controls enabling a user to interact with job aggregator 58. Examples of such user interfaces are depicted in
Aggregation data 66 is shown to include match data 68, usage data 70, and preference data 72. Match data 68 represents the predetermined usage match for two consumable components of a printer device. As noted above, such may include a predetermined number of pages per print job. Usage data 70 represents data recorded by job analyzer 60 concerning actual usage statistics of a printer device. For example, usage data may indicate an average number of pages per print job processed by a consumable component of the printer device. Preference data 72 represents data indicating a user's selection enabling or disabling job aggregator 58.
In a particular example, job analyzer 60 examines a print job prepared for a printer device reporting characteristics of that print job such as a number of pages. Match data 68 may indicate a predetermined usage match in the form of a predetermined number of pages per print job. Aggregation manager 62 can then compare the number of pages in the print job as reported by job analyzer 60 with the predetermined number of pages indicated by match data 68. If the actual number is less than the predetermined number, aggregation manger 62 holds the print job to be aggregated with a subsequent print job and released as an aggregate print job. Such presumes that job aggregator 58 is enabled as indicated by preference data 72. If the actual number of pages exceeds the predetermined number, aggregation manager 62 takes no further action releasing the print job to be processed without regard to a subsequent print job.
Later, when the print job is merged with the subsequent print job forming an aggregate print job, aggregation manger 62 compares the actual number of pages in the aggregate print job with the predetermined number. If the actual number is less than the predetermined number, aggregation manger 62 holds the aggregate print job to be aggregated with another subsequent print job. If the actual number of pages exceeds the predetermined number, aggregation manager 62 takes no further action releasing the aggregate print job to be processed. This can repeat until an iteration of the aggregate print job is of sufficient size.
As noted above, job analyzer 60 may maintain an average number of pages for print jobs processed utilizing a given consumable component of the printer device. In such a case, aggregation manager 62 may be configured to hold and aggregate a print job if the predetermined number exceeds actual number of pages in that print job and the average number maintained by job analyzer 60.
In addition to actual number of pages, job analyzer 60 may also be configured to examine and report other characteristics of a print job. Such other characteristics may be indicative of a probability as to whether the print job is one a related batch of print jobs. In other words, job analyzer 60 is configured to determine a probability as to whether or not the print job will be followed by a subsequent print job within a given window of time. A user may generate a batch related documents at a one sitting. For example, a user, such as a lawyer or paralegal, rendering professional services often generates correspondence on behalf of a client. Three or more copies of the document may be produced: one original, one client copy and one file copy, along with two separate envelopes, one addressed to the party and one addressed to the client. Job analyzer 60 may be configured to recognize a likelihood that a print job is for an envelope leading to a likelihood that a subsequent print job for a letter will follow. Job analyzer 60 may be configured to recognize a likelihood that a print job is for a letter by recognizing an address field or a “cc” near the end of a page. Such can lead to a presumption that a subsequent print job for an envelope or a copy of the letter will follow. Job analyzer 60 can then report that a print job is likely to be followed by a subsequent related print job. In response, aggregation manager 62 can hold and aggregate the print job with a subsequent print job.
Job aggregator 58 of
Referring to
Operation:
Where, for example, the consumable components are components of a toner cartridge such as cartridge 10, the predicated usage level may correspond to a predetermined number of pages per print job. That predetermined number of pages is selected to match an expected useful life of a toner supply with an expected useful life of an element such as a drum configured to transfer the toner to a print medium. The predetermined number of pages correlates to an average number of drum rotations and an average amount of toner consumption with respect to a print job.
Print jobs are then selectively aggregated according to the predetermined usage match (step 112). The jobs are selectively aggregated to encourage expiration of a first expected useful life of the first consumable component to occur with expiration of a second expected useful life of the second consumable component. In performing step 112, job analyzer 60 may report the actual number of pages in a print job. Comparing the actual number to the predetermined number identified in step 110, aggregation manager 62 can selectively determine whether or not to hold and aggregate the print job with a subsequent print job. For example, aggregation manager 62 may hold the print job if the actual number is less than the predetermined number and otherwise release the print job for printing without regard to a subsequent print job.
In another example, job analyzer 62 may maintain a running average of the number of pages per print job processed by one of the consumable components. Implementing step 112, aggregation manager 62 may then hold the print job if the actual and average numbers are less than the predetermined number. As previously discussed, job analyzer 60 may also be able to identify characteristics of a print job that indicate a probability that the print job is or will be part of a related batch of print jobs. In this case, aggregation manager 62 may implement step 112 if the predetermined number exceed the actual number of pages in the print job and the probability indicates a likelihood that the print job will be one of a related batch of print jobs.
Moving to
A release event in step 122 may, for example, be a determination that the actual number of pages in the print job or aggregate print job exceeds the predetermined number in step 114. The release event may, for example, be a determination that an average number of pages per print job processed using a consumable component of a printer device exceeds the predetermined number. In yet another example, a release event may be recognition of a user input indicating a desire to release a held print job.
Conclusion: The cartridge 10 shown in
Also, the present invention can be embodied in any computer-readable media for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system such as a computer/processor based system or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or other system that can fetch or obtain the logic from computer-readable media and execute the instructions contained therein. “Computer-readable media” can be any media that can contain, store, or maintain programs and data for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system. Computer readable media can comprise any one of many physical media such as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of suitable computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, a hard drive, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory, or a portable disc.
Although the flow diagrams of
The present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that other forms, details and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention that is defined in the following claims.
