Methods and systems for managing print device supplies using cloud administration system configured for chemical signature tracking
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorRobert William Burke, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cloud administration system for chemical signature-based print device consumable monitoring includes a storage module for storing reference chemical signature data, and a monitoring system having one or more sensors configured for detecting a chemical signature of a consumable such as ink or toner. The detected chemical signature data may be compared with reference stored chemical signature data to determine whether monitored consumables have a chemical signature that matches a known chemical signature.
Claims20
A cloud administration system for managing chemical signatures for a remote print device, the system having a processing module in communication with a plurality of print devices, wherein the processing module is located remotely from each of the plurality of print devices, the cloud administration system comprising:
- a chemical signature storage module in communication with the processing module,
- wherein the processing module is configured to:
- receive chemical signature data associated with a print device consumable,
- store the chemical signature data in the storage module, and
- transmit the chemical signature data to the print device,
- wherein the cloud administration system operates as a shared resource for each of the plurality of print devices,
- wherein the chemical signature data comprises at least one of one or more reference chemical signatures and one or more detected chemical signatures;
- and
- a print device consumable monitoring system.
A method for determining a chemical signature for a print device consumable, comprising:
- detecting an amount of chemical constituent in a print device consumable;
- communicating the detected amount of chemical constituent as a data value to a print device controller;
- and
- determining a chemical signature based on at least the detected data value.
A method for managing chemical signatures for print consumable monitoring, comprising:
- storing chemical signature data, the chemical signature data comprising a chemical signature as a data object, the chemical signature data being stored in at least one of a chemical signature queue of at least one print device, and a chemical signature storage module of a cloud administration system;
- and
- causing at least one of at least one print device and a cloud administration system to communicate chemical signature data for receipt by at least one of the print device and the cloud administration system.
A method for monitoring print device consumables, comprising:
- detecting an amount of chemical constituent in a print device consumable;
- and
- causing a sensor to generate one or more data values corresponding to the detected amount of the chemical constituent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.