Laser printer power saver
AssigneeConsilium Overseas Limited
InventorPascal Dornier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system using a printer with a fuser-heater has control means for turning off the fuser-heater during times when no printing is required, while leaving the rest of the printing system operable. Time between print requests is monitored, and the fuser-heater is turned off when a preset time is reached without a print request. A next request turns the fuser-heater back on again. Data is accepted at a reduced rate while a heater warms up.
Claims25
In a computer system having a printer with a fuser-heater, a system for managing power usage by the printer, comprising:
- a computer connected by data link to the printer;
- receiving circuitry in the printer coupled to the data link for receiving data and print requests;
- a data buffer coupled to the receiving circuitry for storing data to be printed;
- a timer for measuring periods of inactivity of the receiving circuitry;
- and
- control circuitry in the printer configured for managing operations of the printer, including managing power to the fuser-heater;
- wherein, regardless of the time of day, with the fuser heater at operating temperature, the system starts the timer at the onset of inactivity of the receiving circuitry, stops and resets the timer at any time new receiving activity of the receiving circuitry is sensed, reduces power to the fuser-heater to a partial power level if a first trigger time is reached without new activity of the receiving circuitry, and suspends power to the fuser-heater if a second trigger time is reached without new activity of the receiving circuitry.
In a computer system having a printer with a fuser-heater, a system for managing power usage by the printer, comprising:
- a computer connected by data link to the printer;
- receiving circuitry in the primer coupled to the data link for receiving data and print requests;
- a data buffer coupled to the receiving circuitry for storing data to be printed;
- a timer for measuring periods of inactivity of the receiving circuitry;
- and
- control circuitry in the printer for monitoring fuser-heater status, including power off, power on, and temperature, and for managing operations of the printer, including power to the fuser-heater;
- wherein the system reduces power to the fuser-heater in response to inactivity of the receiving circuitry exceeding a first duration and reduces the amount of data stored by the buffer over time in response to the fuser-heater being on but not at operating temperature.
A printer comprising:
- a fuser heater;
- receiving circuitry for receiving data and print requests;
- a data buffer coupled to the receiving circuitry for storing data to be printed;
- a timer for measuring periods of inactivity of the receiving circuitry;
- and
- control circuitry for managing operations of the printer, including power to the fuser heater;
- wherein, regardless of the time of day, with the fuser heater at operating temperature, the control circuitry starts the timer at the onset of inactivity of the receiving circuitry, stops and resets the timer at any time new receiving activity of the receiving circuitry is sensed, reduces power to the fuser-heater to a partial power level if a first trigger time is reached without new activity of the receiving circuitry, and suspends power to the fuser-heater if a second trigger time is reached without new activity of the receiving circuitry.
A printer comprising:
- a fuser heater;
- receiving circuitry connectable to a data link for receiving data and print requests;
- a data buffer coupled to the receiving circuitry for storing data to be printed;
- a timer for detecting periods of inactivity of the receiving circuitry;
- and
- control circuitry which reduces power to the fuser-heater in response to a first period of inactivity of the receiving circuitry, and also reduces the amount of data stored by the buffer over time in response to the fuser-heater being on but not at operating temperature.
A method for conserving power in operation of a printer having a fuser-heater, comprising steps of:
- (a) starting a timer at the onset of inactivity of data receiving circuitry of the printer;
- (b) resetting the timer at any time new receiving activity of the receiving circuitry is sensed;
- (c) reducing power to the fuser-heater to a partial power level if a first trigger time is reached without new activity of the receiving circuitry;
- and
- (d) suspending power to the fuser-heater if a second trigger time is reached without new activity of the receiving circuitry.
A method for conserving power in operation of a printer having a fuser-heater, comprising steps of:
- (a) monitoring data transfer to the printer;
- (b) reducing power to the fuser-heater in response to detection of inactivity in the data transfer;
- (c) monitoring fuser-heater status, including power off, power on, and temperature;
- and
- (d) reducing the amount of data transferred over time in response to the fuser-heater being on but not at operating temperature.
A method for avoiding timeouts in data transfer to a printer having data receiving circuitry, a buffer, and a power-managed fuser-heater comprising steps of:
- (a) monitoring off-on status and temperature of the fuser-heater;
- and
- (b) reducing the amount of data, transferred over time to be no greater than the capacity of the buffer divided by the warmup time of the fuser heater from ambient to operating temperature in response to the fuser-heater being on but not at operating temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.