# US 2024/0198685 A1 · Liquid discharge apparatus, liquid exchange method, and recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2024/0198685 A1 - Document ID: US20240198685A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/522,840 - Filed: 2023-11-29 - Published: 2024-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-14 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Masanori Igarashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240198685A1 ## CPC - B41J 2/17506: {Refilling of the cartridge} - B41J 2/17543: {Cartridge presence detection or type identification} - B41J 2/16552: {using cleaning fluids} - B41J 2/17509: {Whilst mounted in the printer} - B41J 2/1752: {Mounting within the printer} - B41J 29/17: Cleaning arrangements - B41P 2235/00: Cleaning - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - B41P: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO PRINTING, LINING MACHINES, TYPEWRITERS, AND TO STAMPS ## Abstract A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a discharge unit to discharge a liquid; multiple liquid containers to contain the liquid having an identical color to each other; multiple insertion ports to which the multiple liquid containers are respectively detachably attachable; an acquisition unit to acquire information of the multiple liquid containers attached to the multiple insertion ports; a display; and circuitry configured to: in response to an acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers containing the liquid of identical color of different versions by the acquisition unit, cause the display to display information prompting an exchange of a liquid container containing the different versions to a liquid container containing the liquid having an identical color of an identical version to other of the multiple liquid containers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a discharge unit to discharge a liquid; multiple liquid containers to contain the liquid having an identical color to each other; multiple insertion ports to which the multiple liquid containers are respectively detachably attachable; an acquisition unit to acquire information of the multiple liquid containers attached to the multiple insertion ports; a display; and circuitry configured to: in response to an acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers containing the liquid of identical color of different versions by the acquisition unit, cause the display to display information prompting an exchange of a liquid container containing the different versions to a liquid container containing the liquid having an identical color of an identical version to other of the multiple liquid containers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: in response to acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers containing the liquid having the identical color of different versions of old version and new version, cause the display to display information prompting an exchange of the liquid container containing the different versions to the liquid container containing the liquid having an identical color of a new version. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1, 2) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: in response to acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers each containing the liquid having the identical color of an identical old version, cause the display to display information prompting an exchange of the liquid container containing the identical old versions to the liquid container containing the liquid having an identical color of a new version. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 2) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: in response to a detachment of at least one of the multiple liquid containers from the insertion port after displaying the information prompting exchange of the multiple liquid containers, return an exchange operation to exchange the multiple liquid containers to a state before the exchange operation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: in response to acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers each containing the liquid having the identical color of an identical new version, cause the display to display information prompting a liquid substitution operation to substitute the liquid in a liquid channel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1, 2) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: in response to an acquisition of information in which all of the multiple liquid containers contains the liquid having the identical color of a new version, display information prompting a liquid substitution operation to substitute the liquid in a liquid channel in a state in which the liquid is filled in the liquid discharge apparatus; and execute an ink filling operation or display information prompting the ink filling operation in a state in which the liquid is not filled in the liquid discharge apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display information indicating a change of the version of the liquid having the identical color in each of the multiple liquid containers before and after an exchange operation to exchange the multiple liquid containers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry cause the display to display a manual of the liquid substitution operation, and the display displays a filling amount of a cleaning liquid to be filled into the discharge unit corresponding to the version of the liquid having the identical color in the multiple liquid containers before the exchange of the liquid container in the manual. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the multiple liquid containers contains the white ink having the identical color, the circuitry is further configured to set the filling amount of the cleaning liquid for the white ink of an old version to be larger than the filling amount of the cleaning liquid for the white ink of a new version. ### Claim 10 A liquid discharge method comprising: discharging a liquid; acquiring information of multiple liquid containers each containing a liquid having an identical color to each other; and in response to an acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers containing the liquid of identical color of different versions by the acquiring, displaying information prompting an exchange of a liquid container containing the different versions to a liquid container containing the liquid having an identical color of an identical version to other of the multiple liquid containers. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory recording medium storing program codes which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising: discharging a liquid; acquiring information of multiple liquid containers each containing a liquid having an identical color to each other; and in response to an acquisition of the information of the multiple liquid containers containing the liquid of identical color of different versions by the acquiring, displaying information prompting an exchange of a liquid container containing the different versions to a liquid container containing the liquid having an identical color of an identical version to other of the multiple liquid containers.