Storage of total ink drop fired count in an imaging device
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsEric Todd DeBusschere, David Nolan Mattingly, Stephen Kelly Cunnagin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of providing a number approximating a total number of ink drops fired by an imaging device, including the steps of incrementing a COUNT variable associated with a color of ink if an ink drop of that color is fired by a printhead in the imaging device, evaluating the value of the COUNT variable and incrementing a TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable associated with the color, dependent upon the evaluating step.
Claims22
A method of providing a number approximating a total number of ink drops fired by an imaging device, comprising the steps of:
- incrementing a COUNT variable associated with a color of ink if an ink drop of said color is fired by a printhead in said imaging device;
- evaluating the value of said COUNT variable;
- and
- incrementing a TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable stored in an erasable memory, said TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable being associated with said color, dependent upon said evaluating step.
An imaging system, comprising:
- a computer;
- and
- an imaging device communicatively connected to said computer, said imaging device, comprising:
- at least one ink printhead having at least one color of ink;
- at least one erasable memory in which is stored at least one TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable associated with a corresponding said at least one color, said at least one erasable memory also storing at least one COUNT variable associated with a corresponding said at least one color;
- and
- a controller communicatively connected to said printhead and said at least one erasable memory, said controller incrementing said COUNT variable when said printhead fires an ink drop of said color and said controller incrementing said TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable when said COUNT variable one of equals and exceeds a predetermined number.
An imaging device, comprising:
- at least one ink printhead having at least one color of ink;
- at least one erasable memory in which is stored at least one TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable associated with a corresponding said at least one color, said at least one erasable memory also storing at least one COUNT variable associated with a corresponding said at least one color;
- and
- a controller communicatively connected to said printhead and said at least one erasable memory, said controller incrementing said COUNT variable when said printhead fires an ink drop of said color and said controller incrementing said TOTAL INK CONSUMED variable associated with said color when said COUNT variable one of equals and exceeds a predetermined number.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.