Image forming apparatus for counting images formed by the apparatus
AssigneeOce-Technologies B.V.
InventorsAntonius C. M. Van Buren, Alexander H. Venema, Johannes T. M. Neggers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus having an operative mode and a non-operative mode with a method for counting events with a volatile counter and a non-volatile electronic memory having a number N of memory areas, includes counting events with the volatile counter, when the count value has been incremented by a predetermined number M or when the apparatus passes into the non-operative mode, saving the count value to one of the memory areas, with cycling switching of the memory area into which the count value is written; and when the apparatus passes into the operative mode, initializing the counter with the maximum of the count values stored in the N memory areas.
Claims9
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a control system adapted to switch the apparatus from a non-operative mode to an operative mode and vice versa and including at least one volatile memory counter, and a non-volatile memory with a plural number N of memory areas associated with each volatile memory counter, each non-volatile memory area for every volatile counter implemented on a separate EEPROM device, wherein the control system comprises:
- a control system component for initializing the volatile memory counter with a maximum of the count values stored in the plural number N memory areas, when the apparatus passes into the operative mode;
- a control system component for counting events with the volatile memory counter;
- and
- a control system component for saving a volatile memory count value to one of the non-volatile memory areas,
- wherein the volatile memory count value is saved to one of the plural number of N memory areas implemented on a separate EEPROM device when the volatile memory count value has been incremented by a predetermined number M (M>1) or when the apparatus passes into the non-operative mode.
A method for counting a number of images formed by an apparatus having a control system adapted to switch the apparatus from a non-operative mode to an operative mode and vice versa and including at least one volatile memory counter, and a non-volatile memory with a plural number N of memory areas associated with each volatile memory counter, each non-volatile memory area for every volatile counter implemented on a separate EEPROM device, comprising:
- initializing the volatile memory counter with a maximum of the count values stored in the plural number N memory areas, when the apparatus passes into the operative mode;
- counting events with the volatile memory counter;
- and
- saving a volatile count value to one of the plural number of N memory areas implemented on a separate EEPROM device when the volatile memory count value has been incremented by a predetermined number M (M>1) or when the apparatus passes into the non-operative mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.