# US 11,305,569 B2 · Regulating deposition characteristics > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,569 B2 - Document ID: US11305569B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/768,846 - Filed: 2017-12-14 - Published: 2020-11-26 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-14 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Inventors: Mauricio Seras Franzoso; Andreas Muller; Antonio Gracia Verdugo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305569B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/0458: {controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles} - B41M 5/0023: {Digital printing methods characterised by the inks used (inks per se C09D11/00)} - B41J 2/04508: {aiming at correcting other parameters} - B41J 2/04536: {using history data} - B41J 2/16517: {Cleaning of print head nozzles (B41J2/16505, B41J2/1707 take precedence)} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P) ## Abstract A method for regulating a deposition characteristic of a rendering material in a rendering apparatus includes determining a status of material deposition structure, and adjusting a physical attribute of the material deposition structure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for regulating a deposition characteristic of a rendering material in a rendering apparatus, the method comprising: determining a status of a material deposition structure within the rendering apparatus that deposits the rendering material; adjusting a physical attribute of the material deposition structure that deposits the rendering material; and provoking formation of a transitory film on the material deposition structure by activating the material deposition structure, whereby to deposit rendering material. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: using a predetermined threshold value for the physical attribute and the status of the material deposition structure, determining whether adjustment of the physical attribute is performed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining a status of a material deposition structure includes using data representing a prior degree of use of the material deposition structure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising: using a measure of the use of the material deposition structure for preceding rendering operations, determining the status of the material deposition structure for a subsequent rendering operation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: servicing the material deposition structure at a servicing position of the rendering apparatus according to an increased servicing routine. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the material deposition structure comprises determining whether a nozzle structure of the material deposition structure has been fired more than a threshold number of times, the threshold number being indicative of a transitory film having formed on a heating element of the nozzle structure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising, when the nozzle structure has not been fired more than the threshold number of times, servicing the nozzle structure by firing the nozzle structure an additional number of times to provoke formation of a transitory film on the heating element of the nozzle structure to adjust the physical attribute of the material deposition structure. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising, determining that the nozzle structure has been not fired more than the threshold number of times before adjusting the physical attribute of the material deposition structure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising, determining that the nozzle structure has not been fired more than the threshold number of times and determining that the nozzle structure is to be used in a next pass of the material deposition structure before adjusting the physical attribute of the material deposition structure. ### Claim 10 A rendering apparatus comprising a processor and a material deposition structure, the processor to: determine a current status of a material deposition structure using data representing previous use thereof; trigger conditioning of the material deposition structure to adjust a physical attribute thereof; and execute deposition of rendering material as a part of a service routine for the material deposition structure to provoke formation of a transitory layer over a portion of a heating element of the material deposition structure. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A rendering apparatus as claimed in claim 10, the processor further to: determine whether conditioning is triggered using a predetermined threshold value for the physical attribute. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A rendering apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the heating element is a resistive element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A rendering apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a servicing station to service a material deposition structure of a print head. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A rendering apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a memory to store data representing information from a previous pass of the material deposition structure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The rendering apparatus of claim 10, wherein the rendering apparatus comprises a 3D printer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The rendering apparatus of claim 10, wherein the rendering apparatus comprises a printer, the material deposition structure to deposit printing fluid under control of the processor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The rendering apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a service station positioned at one side of the rendering apparatus where the service routine is performed by the processor on the material deposition structure. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a rendering apparatus for provoking formation of a transitory film on a heating element of a nozzle structure in a print head of the rendering apparatus, the machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions to: determine whether the nozzle structure has been fired more than a threshold number of times in previous rendering operations; determine whether the nozzle structure is to be used in a subsequent rendering operation; execute an increased servicing routine of the nozzle structure; and activate the nozzle structure in the servicing station whereby to provoke formation of the transitory film on the heating element. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 18, further comprising instructions to: use a predetermined threshold value for a physical attribute and a status of the nozzle structure to determine whether the increased servicing routine of the nozzle structure is performed.