Printing system and method
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsClark Vaughn Lange, Steven Robert Moore, Dusan G. Lysy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure provides a printing method and system including two or more integrated image marking engines, wherein the printing system is operated with less than the total number of image marking engines to generate the maximum specified prints per minute associated with the printing system. According to one exemplary embodiment, each image marking engine is controlled to be inactive in a round-robin manner to maintain substantially equal running time on each image marking engine or a substantially equal number of printed sheets on each marking engine.
Claims22
A method of operating a printing system comprising two or more integrated image marking engines, the method comprising:
- operating the printing system with less than the total number of image marking engines (IMEs) to generate the maximum specified prints per minute (ppm) associated with the printing system, each image marking engine being controlled to be active and inactive for a predetermined duty cycle, where the duty cycle associated with each of the said two or more integrated image marking engines is substantially equal.
A printing system comprising:
- two or more integrated image marking engines;
- and
- a controller, wherein the controller is configured to execute a method comprising:
- operating the printing system with less than the total number of image marking engines (IMEs) to generate the maximum specified prints per minute (ppm) associated with the printing system, each image marking engine being controlled to be active and inactive for a predetermined duty cycle, where the duty cycle associated with each of the said two or more integrated image marking engines is substantially equal.
A xerographic imaging system comprising:
- two or more image marking engines;
- a media sheet feeder module;
- a media sheet stacker module;
- one or more media path highways operatively connected to the two or more image marking engines, the media sheet feeder module and the media sheet stacker module;
- and
- a controller, wherein the controller is configured to execute a method comprising:
- operating the printing system with less than the total number of image marking engines (IMEs) to generate the maximum specified prints per minute (ppm) associated with the printing system, each image marking engine being controlled to be active and inactive for a predetermined duty cycle, where the duty cycle associated with each of the said two or more integrated image marking engines is substantially equal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.