METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING TONER LEVEL IN ELECTRO-PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT ENGINES

• US 20060197970A1
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Francis A. Rowe, Jack N. Bartholmae, Michael W. Barry, Peter A. Zuber, Tompkins E. Neal
• Original Assignee: Francis A. Rowe, Jack N. Bartholmae, Michael W. Barry, Peter A. Zuber, Tompkins E. Neal
• Inventors: Rowe, Francis A., Zuber, Peter A., Barry, Michael W., Bartholmae, Jack N., Tompkins, E. Neal
• Application Number:
  US11/419,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197970A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 13/08 using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0856 Detection or control means for the developer level
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5087 for receiving image data
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/553 Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/556 for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0888 Arrangements for detecting toner level or concentration in the developing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1235 caused by end of consumables, e.g. paper, ink, toner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/12 by photographic printing , e.g. by laser printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1823 for evaluating the resources needed, e.g. rasterizing time, ink, paper stock

Abstract

The toner in the toner cartridge is determined by taking each of the rasterized images output by the RIP and evaluating the pixel levels over the surface thereof. The average value is determined as a percentage of the maximum toner that can be applied to the page. This is then subtracted from a toner value and a remaining toner level determined. Further, all pages of the rasterized document can be evaluated to predetermine the toner level after printing. If this falls below a predetermined minimum, printing is inhibited for that document.

Claims

1. A method for determining toner usage by a designated printing device for a document comprising a page, the method comprising:

accumulating toner values of pixels that are ON in the page, which toner values have a plurality of different values between completely OFF to completely ON;

comparing the accumulated toner values of pixels that are ON to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are completely ON in a reference page that was generated on the designated printing device, and which predetermined toner usage incorporates the characteristics of the designated printing device on which the document is to be printed; and

calculating the amount of toner utilized by the page as a proportion of that used by the reference page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a pixel in the page can be partially ON and accumulating toner values of pixels that are ON comprises determining the percentage ON for each of the pixels in the page, and comparing comprises comparing the accumulated toner values of pixels that are ON and the percentage on thereof to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are ON to a defined percentage in a reference page.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page and which are ON to a defined percentage.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the defined percentage is one hundred percent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accumulating toner values of pixels comprises:

rasterizing the document into a rasterized image; and

determining the toner values of pixels that are ON in the rasterized.

7. A method for determining toner usage by a designated printing device for a multi-color document comprising a page and having different color planes, the method comprising:

for a given plane, accumulating toner values of pixels that are ON in the page in the given plane, which toner values have a plurality of different values between completely OFF and completely ON;

comparing the accumulated toner values of pixels that are ON to a predetermined toner usage of toner associated with the given plane for a defined number of pixels that are completely ON in a reference page of the given plane defined for the designated printing device and which predetermined toner usage incorporates the characteristics of the designated printing engine on which the page is to be printed; and

calculating the amount of toner for the given plane, utilized by the page as a proportion of that used by the reference page.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a pixel in the page for a given plane can be partially ON, and accumulating toner values of pixels that are ON for the given plane comprises determining the percentage ON for each of the pixels in the page, and comparing for each plane comprises comparing the accumulated toner values of pixels that are ON and the percentage ON thereof compared to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are ON to a defined percentage in a reference page for the given plane.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page for the given plane and which are ON to a defined percentage.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defined percentage is one hundred percent.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page for the given plane.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein accumulating toner values of pixels for a given plane comprises:

rasterizing the document into a rasterized image for each plane; and

determining the toner values of pixels that are ON in each plane in the rasterized image of the at least one page.

13. A method for determining toner usage by a designated printing device for a rasterized document comprising a page that is to be printed on the designated printing device, the method comprising:

fetching the rasterized document;

accumulating the values of the pixels that are ON in the page, each ON pixel having a non-zero value less than a maximum value;

comparing the accumulated values to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are completely ON in a reference page defined that was printed on the designated printing device and which predetermined toner usage incorporates the characteristics of the designated printing device which the rasterized document is to be printed; and

calculating the amount of toner utilized by the page as a proportion of that used by the reference page.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a pixel in the page can be partially ON, and accumulating the values of the pixels that are ON comprises determining the percentage ON for each of the pixels in the page, and comparing comprises comparing the accumulated values of the pixels that are ON to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are ON in the reference page.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page and which are ON to a defined percentage.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the defined percentage is one hundred percent.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page.

18. A method for determining toner usage for a document comprising a page prior to printing the page, the method comprising:

determining the number of pixels that are ON in the page;

comparing the number of pixels that are ON to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are ON in a reference page and which predetermined toner usage incorporates the characteristics of the printing device; and

calculating the amount of toner utilized by the page as a proportion of that used by the reference page.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a pixel in the page can be partially ON and determining the number of pixels that are ON comprises determining the percentage ON for each of the pixels in the page, and comparing comprises comparing the number of pixels that are ON and the percentage ON thereof to a predetermined toner usage for a defined number of pixels that are ON to a defined percentage in a reference page.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page and which are ON to a defined percentage.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the defined percentage is one hundred percent.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the defined number of pixels are all pixels for the reference page.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the number of pixels comprises:

rasterizing the document into a rasterized image; and

determining the number of pixels that are ON in the rasterized image.