Method and apparatus for specifying ink volume in a multichamber ink container

• US 6,345,891 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Childers, Winthrop D., Helterline, Brian L., Bullock, Michael L., Walker, Ray A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Anh T. N.
• Application Number:
  US09/629,120
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 347/7, 347/14, 347/19, 347/85, 347/86, 347/87
• US Class Current: 347/87
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an ink container for providing ink to an ink-jet printer. The ink container includes an electrical storage device for providing ink container parameters to the ink-jet printer. The electrical storage device contains a configuration parameter for specifying an ink container configuration and an ink volume parameter for specifying an ink volume for the ink container.

Claims

1. An ink container for providing ink to an ink-jet printer, the ink container comprising:

an electrical storage device for providing ink container parameters to the ink-jet printer, the electrical storage device containing;

a configuration parameter for specifying an ink container configuration from a plurality of ink container configurations; and

an ink volume parameter for specifying an ink volume for the ink container, wherein the ink volume parameter provided to the ink-jet printer is defined by the configuration parameter.

2. The ink container of claim 1 wherein the ink volume parameter is an ink scale parameter for selecting an ink volume range from a plurality of ink volume ranges and a fill proportion parameter for specifying a fill proportion for the selected ink volume range associated with a supply of ink in the ink container.

3. The ink container of claim 2 wherein the ink scale parameter is a two bit binary value and wherein the fill proportion parameter is a 10 bit binary value specifying a proportion of the selected ink volume range.

4. The ink container of claim 2 further including a printer portion for depositing ink on media in response to control signals, the printer portion configured for receiving the ink container and determining a volume of ink associated therewith based on the ink scale parameter and the fill proportion parameter.

5. The ink container of claim 1 wherein the electrical storage device contains a plurality of ink volume parameters with each of the ink volume parameters corresponding to an ink volume associated with an ink chamber of a plurality of ink chambers within the ink container.

6. An electrical storage device for use with an ink container for providing information to an ink-jet printer, the electrical storage device comprising:

an ink scale parameter for selecting an ink volume range from a plurality of ink volume range; and

a fill proportion parameter for specifying a fill proportion for the selected ink volume range.

7. The electrical storage device of claim 6 wherein the ink scale parameter is a two bit binary value and wherein the fill proportion parameter is a 10 bit binary value specifying a proportion of the selected ink volume range.

8. A method for storing ink container parameters in an electrical storage device, the electrical storage device associated with an ink container containing a volume of ink, the method comprising:

determining an ink scale parameter associated with an ink volume range for the supply of ink;

determining a fill proportion parameter for the supply of ink; and

storing the ink scale parameter and ink fill parameter in the electrical storage device.

9. The method of claim 8 further including installing the ink container into an ink-jet printer establishing an electrical interconnect between the ink-jet printer and the electrical storage device.

10. The method of claim 8 further including transferring the ink scale parameter and the fill proportion parameter from the electrical storage device to the ink-jet printer, the ink-jet printer determining the volume of ink associated with the ink container based on the ink scale parameter and the fill proportion parameter.

11. A method for specifying ink volume for a system of ink containers having a plurality of ink container configurations, the method comprising:

providing a configuration parameter for specifying an ink container configuration from the plurality of ink container configurations; and

providing a plurality of ink volume parameters for specifying an ink volume for the ink container, wherein the plurality of ink volume parameters are defined by the configuration parameter, and wherein the inkjet printing system determines ink volume for the ink container based on the plurality of ink volume parameters.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the plurality of ink volume parameters include an ink scale parameter for selecting an ink volume range from a plurality of ink volume ranges and a fill proportion parameter for specifying a fill proportion for the selected ink volume range.

13. The method for claim 11 wherein the system of ink containers include ink containers having a plurality of ink chambers and wherein a single electrical storage device contains a single configuration parameter and a plurality of ink volume parameters associated with a different ink chamber of the plurality of ink chambers.

14. An inkjet printing system having a plurality of different inks for forming images on print media, the inkjet printing system comprising:

a printer portion for selectively depositing each of the plurality of inks on media in response to control signals, the printer portion configured for receiving each of the plurality of different inks;

a replaceable ink container containing the plurality of different inks, the replaceable ink container configured to provide each of the plurality of different inks to the printer portion upon insertion into the printer portion, the replaceable ink container including a single electrical storage device for providing parameters related to each of the plurality of different inks to the printer portion, the electrical storage device containing;

an ink container scale parameter for selecting an ink container volume range from a plurality of ink container volume ranges;

a plurality of fill proportion parameters with each of the plurality of fill proportion parameters for specifying a fill proportion for the selected ink volume range for the plurality of different inks associated with the ink container;

wherein the printer portion determines an ink volume associated with each of the inks associated with the ink container based on the plurality of fill proportion parameters and the selected ink volume range.

15. The ink-jet printing system of claim 14 wherein the ink container scale parameter is a two bit binary value.

16. The ink-jet printing system of claim 14 wherein the fill proportion parameter is a 10 bit binary value specifying a proportion of the selected ink volume range.

17. The ink-jet printing system of claim 14 wherein the printer portion contains the plurality of ink volume ranges with each of the plurality of ink volume ranges having a plurality of corresponding ink container volume scale parameters associated therewith.