US 8,284,467 B2Granted

Intelligent toner saving for color copying

AssigneeSharp Laboratories of America, Inc.

InventorsRonnie Neil Patton, Ching-Wei Chang, Richard John Campbell, Lawrence Shao-hsien Chen

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A software-controlled method for minimizing color toner use during copying of a color page by a color copier including (a) examining such a page to identify different pre-selected categories of page-contained image elements, (b) associating, with identified different-categories of such elements, specific, respective, pre-determined color-toner usage rules, and (c) following the associating step, outputting the elements to the copier along with instructions that the copier use, in the copying of such elements, the correct, respectively associated color-toner usage rule(s). From a structural point of view, the invention includes examining structure, associating structure, and output structure designed to perform the basic core methodology steps of the invention.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A software-controlled method for minimizing the usage of color toner by a color copier during copying of a color page which includes color-image elements comprising

examining the color page to identify included color-image elements,
as a part of said examining, determining the level of the information-density characteristic of each of the color page's identified color-image elements as being one of (a) dense, (b) sparse, and (c) unknown,
associating with each identified color-image element, in relation to the level of its determined information-density characteristic, a specific, pre-determined, color-toner usage rule which is associated with the overall normal amount of color toner to be used, and
following said associating, outputting the color page's color-image elements to the copier along with instructions that the copier use, in the copying of such elements, the correct, respectively associated color-toner usage rules(s) regarding the overall normal amount-of-toner-to-be-used.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/653,714Filed 16 Jan 2007
Published: US 2008/0170247 A117 Jul 2008
Granted: 9 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04N 1/2307
Reproducing arrangements: circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity
H04N 1/233
Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity: according to…
H04N 1/2338
Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity: according to user…
H04N 1/2369
Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity: selecting a particular…