# US 9,039,121 B2 · Printing device and printing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,039,121 B2 - Document ID: US9039121B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/204,266 - Filed: 2014-03-11 - Published: 2014-10-02 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-28 - Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation - Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation - Inventors: Naoki Sudo; Bunji Ishimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039121B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/07: characterised by jet control (B41J2/205 takes precedence) - B41J 2/17566: {Ink level or ink residue control} - B41J 19/142: {with a reciprocating print head printing in both directions across the paper width} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract A printing device includes a required ink amount acquisition part, an ejectable amount acquisition part, and a division printing control part. The required ink amount acquisition part is configured to determine a required ink amount based on print data of a bandwidth over which ink is ejected by driving an ink head in a main scanning direction. The ejectable amount acquisition part is configured to determine an ejectable amount based on a residual amount in an ink cartridge. The division printing control part is configured to determine whether a printing for the bandwidth is performed by one time of a main scanning operation, or the printing is performed by dividing into multiple main scanning operations based on the required ink amount and the ejectable amount, and to perform the printing in accordance with the determination. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A printing device having a print head configured and arranged to eject ink supplied from an ink cartridge, the print head being reciprocally drivable in a main scanning direction, which intersects a paper feed direction, with respect to a print medium, and the print medium being sequentially drivable in a sub-scanning direction, which is the paper feed direction, the printing device comprising: a required ink amount acquisition part configured to determine a required ink amount based on print data of a bandwidth over which the ink is ejected by driving the ink head in the main scanning direction, the required ink amount acquisition part being further configured to determine the required ink amount in total areas of a printing region where the ink is ejected and a non-printing region where the ink is not ejected; an ejectable amount acquisition part configured to determine an ejectable amount based on a residual amount in the ink cartridge; and a division printing control part configured to determine whether a printing for the bandwidth is performed by one time of a main scanning operation, or the printing is performed by dividing into multiple main scanning operations based on the required ink amount and the ejectable amount, and to perform the printing in accordance with the determination. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the ejectable amount acquisition part is configured to determine the ejectable amount that is an amount to be able to eject the ink in one time of the main scanning operation based on the residual amount of the ink cartridge, and the division printing control part is configured to perform the printing for the bandwidth by dividing into the multiple main scanning operations when the required ink amount exceeds the ejectable amount in one time of the main scanning operation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the division printing control part is configured to divide a nozzle array of the print head in the sub-scanning direction in response to numbers of required main scanning operations for the printing of the bandwidth, and each divided portion of the nozzle array is used in each of the main scanning operations. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the division printing control part is configured to divide a printing area so as not to exceed the ejectable amount in the main scanning direction based on the print data of the bandwidth, and to perform the printing for each division of the printing area in each of the multiple main scanning operations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The printing device according to claim 4, wherein the division printing control part is configured to determine whether or not there is a dividable area in the printing area in the main scanning direction based on the print data of the bandwidth, and to divide the printing area so as not to exceed the ejectable amount in the dividable area, and to perform the printing for each division of the printing area in each of the multiple main scanning operations. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the ejectable amount acquisition part has tabular data that compares between the residual amount of the ink cartridge and the ejectable amount. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the ejectable amount acquisition part is configured to perform calculation to determine the ejectable amount from the residual amount of the ink cartridge. ### Claim 8 A printing method performed by a printing device having a print head configured and arranged to eject ink supplied from an ink cartridge, the print head being reciprocally drivable in a main scanning direction, which intersects a paper feed direction, with respect to a print medium, and the print medium being sequentially drivable in a sub-scanning direction, which is the paper feed direction, the printing method comprising: determining a required ink amount based on print data of a bandwidth in which the ink is ejected by driving the ink head in the main scanning direction, the required ink amount being determined in total areas of a printing region where the ink is ejected and a non-printing region where the ink is not ejected; determining an ejectable amount based on a residual amount in the ink cartridge; and determining whether a printing for the bandwidth is performed by one time of a main scanning operation, or the printing is performed by dividing into multiple main scanning operations based on the required ink amount and the ejectable amount, and performing the printing in accordance with the determination.