Visual performance information of an ejection device

• US 10,335,819 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gardner, James Michael, Martin, Eric T
• Primary Examiner(s): Polk, Sharon A.
• Application Number:
  US15/329,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20170209884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/082 responsive to a condition of the discharged jet or spray, e.g. to jet shape, spray pattern or droplet size
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04536 using history data
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04586 controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1753 Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure

Abstract

Examples of an apparatus and method are disclosed herein. In an example of the method, the performance of an ejection device that dispenses a composition is measured, information representative of the measured performance of the ejection device is generated, and the information representative of the measured performance of the ejection device is recorded so that the information is visually perceptible.

Claims

1. A print cartridge, comprising:

a housing;

an ejection device mounted to the housing, the ejection device to dispense a composition;

an array mounted to the housing and comprising a visible marker, the visible marker to store information regarding performance of the ejection device; and

a circuit coupled to the ejection device, the circuit to;

measure performance of the ejection device and create information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device; and

actuate the visible marker to store the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device in the visible marker, the visual marker having a physical characteristic to be changed in response to the actuation by the circuit, the changed physical characteristic persistently storing, in the visible marker, the information regarding the measured performance and being visually perceptible from outside the housing.

2. The print cartridge of claim 1, wherein the ejection device includes a printhead.

3. The print cartridge of claim 1, further comprising a memory and wherein the circuit is coupled to the memory to one of electrically and magnetically record the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device so that the information may be one of electrically and magnetically read from the memory.

4. The print cartridge of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a processor and a machine-readable non-transitory storage medium including instructions executable by the processor to create the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device.

5. The print cartridge of claim 1, wherein the array includes a register to one of electrically and magnetically store the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device, and the circuit is coupled to the register of the array to one of electrically and magnetically record the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device in the register of the array.

6. The print cartridge of claim 5, further comprising an interface coupled to the register of the array to allow the information stored in the register to be one of electrically and magnetically read.

7. The print cartridge of claim 1, wherein the visual marker comprises a resistor, the circuit to apply a stimulus to the resistor to change the physical characteristic of the resistor from a first visual appearance to a different second visual appearance.

8. The print cartridge of claim 1, wherein the visual marker comprises a fuse or anti-fuse, the circuit to apply a stimulus to the fuse or anti-fuse to open the fuse or close the anti-fuse to change the physical characteristic of the fuse or anti-fuse from a first visual appearance to a different second visual appearance.

9. The print cartridge of claim 1, wherein the visual marker comprises a storage element that breaks, collapses, expands, or cracks in response to a stimulus applied by the recordation engine.

10. A print cartridge comprising:

a housing;

an ejection device mounted to the housing, the ejection device to dispense a composition;

a visible marker mounted to the housing and to store information regarding performance of the ejection device; and

a circuit coupled to the ejection device to measure the information regarding performance the ejection device, and to the visible marker to record the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device in the visible marker, the visual marker having a physical characteristic to be changed in response to actuation by the circuit, the changed physical characteristic persistently storing, in the visible marker, the information regarding the measured performance and being visually perceptible from outside the housing.

11. The print cartridge of claim 10, wherein the ejection device includes a printhead.

12. The print cartridge of claim 10, further comprising a memory, and wherein the circuit is coupled to the memory to one of electrically and magnetically record the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device.

13. The print cartridge of claim 12, further comprising an interface coupled to the memory to allow the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device stored in the memory to be one of electrically and magnetically read.

14. The print cartridge of claim 10, wherein the circuit includes a processor and a machine-readable non-transitory storage medium including instructions executable by the processor to record information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device in the visible marker.

15. The print cartridge of claim 10, wherein the circuit includes a register to one of electrically and magnetically record the information regarding the measured performance of the ejection device.

16. The print cartridge of claim 15, further comprising an interface coupled to the register of the circuit to allow the information stored in the register to be one of electrically and magnetically read.

17. The print cartridge of claim 10, wherein the visual marker comprises a storage element that breaks, collapses, expands, or cracks in response to a stimulus applied by the circuit.

18. The print cartridge of claim 10, wherein the visual marker comprises a fuse or anti-fuse, the circuit to apply a stimulus to the fuse or anti-fuse to open the fuse or close the anti-fuse to change the physical characteristic of the fuse or anti-fuse from a first visual appearance to a different second visual appearance.

19. A method, comprising:

measuring, by a circuit mounted to a housing of a print cartridge, performance of an ejection device that dispenses a composition, the ejection device mounted to the housing of the print cartridge;

generating, by the circuit, information representative of the measured performance of the ejection device; and

recording, using a visual marker mounted to the housing of the print cartridge, the information representative of the measured performance of the ejection device so that the information is visually perceptible, the visual marker having a physical characteristic to be changed in response to the recording responsive to actuation by the circuit, the changed physical characteristic persistently storing, in the visual marker, the information representative of the measured performance and being visually perceptible from outside the housing.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the visual marker comprises one of:

a resistor, wherein the recording applies a stimulus to the resistor to change the physical characteristic of the resistor from a first visual appearance to a different second visual appearance,

a fuse or anti-fuse, wherein the recording applies a stimulus to the fuse or anti-fuse to open the fuse or close the anti-fuse to change the physical characteristic of the fuse or anti-fuse from a first visual appearance to a different second visual appearance, and

a storage element that breaks, collapses, expands, or cracks in response to a stimulus applied by the recording.