Imaging system and method of determining insufficient colorant
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJulie A. Powell, Alan E. Cariffe, Matthew G. Lopez, Gareth R. Kelly
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An imaging system, including a print engine and a processor assembly, wherein the processor assembly is configured to determine the colorant needed to produce a hard copy of a print or copy job, and compare the determined amount of colorant to the amount of colorant available to the print engine.
Claims36
An imaging system, comprising:
- a print engine coupled to an available amount of a colorant, where the print engine is configured to apply the colorant to media;
- a processor assembly coupled with the print engine, where the processor assembly is configured to receive a print job, and to convert the print job into a corresponding set of print engine commands to apply the colorant to the media to produce a hard copy that corresponds to the print job;
- wherein the processor assembly is configured to determine an amount of colorant needed to produce the hard copy and compare the determined amount of colorant to the amount of colorant available.
A method of determining whether a print job can be completed by an imaging system, where the imaging system is configured to apply colorant to media, the method comprising:
- receiving a print job at a processor assembly;
- determining an amount of colorant needed to complete the received print job;
- determining an amount of colorant that is available to the imaging system;
- and
- comparing the determined amount of colorant to an amount of colorant that is available to the imaging system.
A storage medium readable by a processor assembly, having embodied therein a program of commands executable by the processor assembly to:
- determine an amount of a colorant needed for an imaging system to complete a particular print job;
- determine an amount of the colorant available to the imaging system;
- and
- compare the amount of colorant needed to the amount of colorant available.
An imaging system, comprising:
- means for receiving a print job;
- means for applying a colorant to a media to produce a hard copy corresponding to the print job;
- means for determining an amount of colorant needed to produce the hard copy;
- and
- means for comparing the determined amount of colorant to an amount of colorant available for producing the hard copy;
- wherein the print job includes multiple copies, and the amount of colorant needed is determining by producing a first copy, measuring an amount of colorant used to produce the first copy, and multiplying the amount of colorant used by a number of copies remaining in the print job.
An imaging system, comprising:
- means for receiving a print job;
- means to convert means for converting the print job into a corresponding set of commands to apply colorant to a media to produce a hard copy;
- means for applying the colorant to the media to produce the hard copy corresponding to the print job;
- means for determining an amount of colorant needed to produce the hard copy, the amount of colorant needed being determined by interpreting the set of commands;
- and
- means for comparing the determined amount of colorant to an amount of colorant available for producing the hard copy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.