Ink jet cartridge with ink level detection
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsBruce Cowger, Eric Gasvoda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A replaceable ink cartridge for an ink jet printing system having an ink supply station with an ink receptacle and a printer electrical connector. The cartridge has a housing removably matable with the ink supply station. An electrical circuit and a connected cartridge electrical connector reside on the housing, and the cartridge electrical connector is matable with the printer electrical connector. An ink reservoir in the housing defines a chamber containing a supply of ink of a selected volume, and has an ink outlet connectable to the printer ink receptacle. An ink level sensor in the housing is connected to the cartridge electrical connector, and detects whether the supply of ink is less than a threshold amount. If so, it generates an "ink depleted" signal.
Claims26
A replaceable ink cartridge for an ink jet printing system having an ink supply station with an ink receptacle and a printer electrical connector, the cartridge comprising:
- a housing removably matable with the ink supply station,
- a digital electronic circuit and a connected cartridge electrical connector on the housing, the cartridge electrical connector matable with the printer electrical connector;
- an ink reservoir in the housing defining a chamber containing a supply of ink of a selected volume;
- the reservoir having an ink outlet connectable to the printer ink receptacle;
- and
- an ink level sensor in the housing connected to the digital electronic circuit, and operable to detect whether the supply of ink is less than a threshold amount, and to generate an "ink depleted" signal in response to detecting that the supply of ink contains less than the threshold amount.
A method of servicing an ink jet cartridge having a supply of ink and removable from a printer operable in response to an ink level signal from the cartridge, the method comprising:
- operating the printer to draw ink from the cartridge;
- while operating the printer, generating an enabling signal to permit operation of the printer;
- while operating the printer, monitoring to determine whether the cartridge contains a selected level of ink;
- after determining that the cartridge contains less than a selected level of ink, transmitting a signal to a memory chip on the cartridge and thereafter transmitting a digital "ink depleted" signal from the memory chip to the printer;
- and
- stopping operation of the printer in response to the ink depleted signal.
A printing system comprising:
- an ink jet printer defining an ink supply station with an ink receptacle and a printer electrical connector;
- an ink cartridge removably connected to the printer, the cartridge comprising:
- a housing removably matable with the ink supply station,
- an electrical digital memory circuit and a connected cartridge electrical connector on the housing, the cartridge connector matable with the printer electrical connector;
- an ink reservoir in the housing defining a chamber containing a supply of ink of a selected volume;
- the reservoir having an ink outlet connectable to the printer ink receptacle;
- an ink level sensor in the housing, connected to the digital memory circuit, and operable to detect whether the supply of ink is less than a threshold amount, and to generate an "ink depleted" signal in response to detecting that the supply of ink contains less than the threshold amount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.