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US 5,937,225 AGranted
Pixel counting toner or ink use monitor and pixel counting method for monitoring the toner or ink use
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorDonald J. Samuels
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printer specific stream of bits is received, before or while the printing of a print job, and translated into a pixel count specific to the print job and indicative of the anticipated toner usage for the print job. This pixel count then is added to a global pixel count indicative of toner usage of jobs printed since a global pixel counter was reset.
Claims13
Method for determining toner usage in a printer, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a printer specific stream of bits before or while printing a print job,
- translating the stream of bits into a pixel count specific to the print job and indicative of toner usage for the print job,
- displaying a message which proposes to invert or cancel the print job if the anticipated toner usage is above a threshold, and
- adding said pixel count to a global pixel count indicative of toner usage of jobs printed since a global pixel counter was reset.
1 more element
Method for determining toner usage of a printer connected to a network, comprising the steps of:
- translating a stream of bits, before or while printing a print job, into a pixel count specific to the print job and indicative of toner usage for the print job,
- displaying a message which proposes to invert or cancel the print job if the anticipated toner usage is above a threshold, and
- adding said pixel count to a global pixel count indicative of toner usage of jobs printed since a global pixel counter was reset.
Apparatus for determining toner usage of a printer, comprising:
- means for receiving a printer specific stream of bits,
- pixel counter for translating the stream of bits into a pixel count specific to the print job and indicative of toner usage for the print job,
- means for inverting a print job if the anticipated toner usage exceeds a predefined threshold, and
- a global pixel counter for adding said pixel count provided by said pixel counter to a global pixel count indicative of toner usage of jobs printed since the global pixel counter was reset.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.