METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING TONER LEVEL IN ELECTRO-PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT ENGINES
First Claim
1. A method for printing a print job on a printer having a toner cartridge having an initial amount of toner, the print job comprising a predetermined number of image pixels, each image pixel comprising a value between completely OFF to completely ON, the method comprising:
- determining a maximum amount of toner required to print the print job on the printer;
summing the pixel values to generate an accumulated pixel value;
dividing the accumulated pixel value by the predetermined number of image pixels to generate an average pixel value;
calculating an amount of toner required to print the print job by multiplying the average pixel value by the determined maximum toner amount; and
printing the print job only if a difference between the calculated toner amount and the initial toner amount exceeds a minimum toner level.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for printing a print job on a printer having a toner cartridge having an initial amount of toner, the print job comprising a predetermined number of image pixels, each image pixel comprising a value between completely OFF to completely ON, the method comprising:
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determining a maximum amount of toner required to print the print job on the printer;
summing the pixel values to generate an accumulated pixel value;
dividing the accumulated pixel value by the predetermined number of image pixels to generate an average pixel value;
calculating an amount of toner required to print the print job by multiplying the average pixel value by the determined maximum toner amount; and
printing the print job only if a difference between the calculated toner amount and the initial toner amount exceeds a minimum toner level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for printing a print job on a printer having a toner cartridge having an initial amount of toner, the print job comprising a predetermined number of image pixels, each image pixel comprising a value between completely OFF to completely ON, the apparatus comprising:
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means for determining a maximum amount of toner required to print the print job on the printer;
means for summing the pixel values to generate an accumulated pixel value;
means for dividing the accumulated pixel value by the predetermined number of image pixels to generate an average pixel value;
means for calculating an amount of toner required to print the print job by multiplying the average pixel value by the determined maximum toner amount; and
means for printing the print job only if a difference between the calculated toner amount and the initial toner amount exceeds a minimum toner level. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18)
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14. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the minimum value is zero.
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15. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the maximum value is 255.
Specification