Selective printing after consumable exhaustion

• US 7,230,730 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Harper, Mark A., Kumar, Jeetendra, Owen, Kevin, Moats, Travis, Schneider, Sandra L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon; King Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EBRAHIMI DEHKORDY, SAEID
• Application Number:
  US10/282,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20040080783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.9, 399/27, 399/28, 399/45, 399/9, 399/82, 347/14, 347/85, 709/226, 709/132, 600/300, 600/432
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• 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 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A printing device has a replaceable component. Printing by the printing device utilizes the replaceable component. Printing with the printing device is stopped when an end-of-life condition is detected for the replaceable component. A list of one or more identifiers (IDs) is output for pending print jobs. In response to an input of one of the IDs, the corresponding pending print job is printed.

Claims

1. In a printing device having a replaceable component used to print, a method comprising:

stopping printing in response to an end-of-life condition of the replaceable component;

outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the end-of-life condition; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more pending print jobs;

printing one said pending print job in response to an input of an ID of the one said pending print job, wherein the end-of-life condition of the replaceable component signifies comprising of;

a potential quality degradation of the printing if the printing is resumed;

insufficiency of printing supplies in the replaceable component;

insufficiency of printing media available to be printed on during the printing;

insufficiency of printing substance available for application to the printing media during the printing;

insufficiency of toner available for application to the printing media during the printing;

insufficiency of a laser printer drum;

insufficiency of laser printer developer;

insufficiency of a laser printer fuser;

insufficiency of a printing media transfer belt;

insufficiency of staples for stapling the printing media during the printing; and

insufficiency of output volume available for the printing media to be printed on by the printing.

2. In a printing device having a replaceable component used to print, a method comprising:

stopping printing in response to an end-of life condition of the replaceable component;

outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the end-of-life condition; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more pending print jobs;

printing one said pending print job in response to an input of an ID of the one said pending print job,

the printing device further comprises a sensor for sensing a sensed condition of the replaceable component; and

the stopping printing in response to an end-of-life condition of the replaceable component further comprises comparing the sensed condition sensed by the sensor to a corresponding predetermined quantity to determine the occurrence of the end-of-life condition of the replaceable component, wherein the sensed condition is comprising of;

the availability of printing supplies in the replaceable component;

the availability of printing media available to be printed on during the printing;

the availability of printing substance available for application to the printing media during the printing;

the availability of toner in a toner cartridge for application to the printing media during the printing;

the sufficiency of a laser printer drum for the printing;

the availability of developer for the printing;

the sufficiency of a laser printer fuser;

the sufficiency of a printing media transfer belt;

the availability of staples for stapling the printing media during the printing; and

the insufficiency of output volume available for the printing media to be printed on by the printing.

3. In a printing device having an input mechanism, an output mechanism, a memory, and a replaceable component that is utilized during printing operations of the printing device, a method comprising:

storing replaceable component usage data in the memory during the printing operations after the replaceable component is installed in the printing device;

estimating from the replaceable component usage data in the memory when the replaceable component is at an end-of-life condition; and

after the estimating of the end-of-life condition;

stopping the printing operations;

outputting to the output mechanism;

a diagnostic reflecting the end-of-life condition of the replaceable component;

a list of identifiers (ID) corresponding to one or more pending print jobs; and

a prompt soliciting an input of the ID corresponding to one said pending print job;

receiving at the input mechanism the input of the ID corresponding to one said pending print job; and

printing the pending print job corresponding to the ID received at the input mechanism, wherein the replaceable component is selected from the group consisting of;

printing media available to be printed on during the printing operations;

printing substance available for application to printing media during the printing operations;

toner in a toner cartridge available for application to paper during the printing operations;

a laser printer drum;

developer for a laser printer;

a fuser for a laser printer;

a transfer belt for a laser printer;

a roller for a laser printer;

staples for stapling papers together during the printing operations; and

available storage for the printing media that has been printed on by the printing.

4. A printer comprising:

means used for printing that is exhaustable by the printing, wherein the means used for printing that is exhaustible by the printing is a laser printer drum;

means for estimating the exhaustion of the means used for printing, wherein the estimated exhaustion is insufficiency of the laser printer drum; and

means for stopping printing a pending print job in response to an estimate by the means for estimating that the means used for printing is exhausted;

means for outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the estimated exhaustion; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more said pending print jobs;

means for receiving, in response to the diagnostic, the ID corresponding to one said pending print job.

5. A printer comprising:

means used for printing that is exhaustable by the printing, wherein the means used for printing that is exhaustible by the printing is a laser printer fuser;

means for estimating the exhaustion of the means used for printing, wherein the estimated exhaustion is insufficiency of the laser printer fuser; and

means for stopping printing a pending print job in response to an estimate by the means for estimating that the means used for printing is exhausted;

means for outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the estimated exhaustion; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more said pending print jobs;

means for receiving, in response to the diagnostic, the ID corresponding to one said pending print job.

6. A printer comprising:

means used for printing that is exhaustable by the printing, wherein the means used for printing that is exhaustible by the printing is a printing media transfer belt;

means for estimating the exhaustion of the means used for printing, wherein the estimated exhaustion is insufficiency of the printing media transfer belt; and

means for stopping printing a pending print job in response to an estimate by the means for estimating that the means used for printing is exhausted;

means for outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the estimated exhaustion; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more said pending print jobs;

means for receiving, in response to the diagnostic, the ID) corresponding to one said pending print job.

7. A printer comprising:

means used for printing that is exhaustable by the printing, wherein the means used for printing that is exhaustible by the printing is available storage for the printing media that has been printed on by the printing;

means for estimating the exhaustion of the means used for printing, wherein the estimated exhaustion is unavailability of the available storage for the printing media that has been printed on by the printing; and

means for stopping printing a pending print job in response to an estimate by the means for estimating that the means used for printing is exhausted;

means for outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the estimated exhaustion; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more said pending print jobs;

means for receiving, in response to the diagnostic, the ID corresponding to one said pending print job.

8. A printer comprising:

means used for printing that is exhaustible by the printing;

means for estimating the exhaustion of the means used for printing;

means for stopping printing a pending print job in response to an estimate by the means for estimating that the means used for printing is exhausted;

means for outputting;

a diagnostic reflecting the estimated exhaustion; and

a list of identifiers (ID) of one or more said pending print jobs;

means for receiving, in response to the diagnostic, the ID corresponding to one said pending print job, wherein;

the means for estimating the exhaustion of the means used for printing further comprises sensing means for sensing a sensed condition of the means used for printing; and

the means for stopping printing in response to an estimate by the means for estimating that the means used for printing is exhausted further comprises means for comparing the sensed condition sensed by the sensing means to a corresponding predetermined quantity to arrive at a comparison quantity that is used by the means for estimating; and

wherein the sensed condition is selected from the group comprising of;

the availability of printing supplies in the means used for printing;

the availability of printing media available to be printed on during the printing;

the availability of printing substance available for application to the printing media during the printing;

the availability of toner for application to the printing media during the printing;

the sufficiency of a laser printer drum for the printing;

the availability of developer for the printing;

the sufficiency of a laser printer fuser;

the sufficiency of a printing media transfer belt;

the availability of staples for stapling the printing media during the printing; and

the unavailability of storage for the printing media that has been printed on by the printing.

9. A printer comprising:

at least one replaceable component installable therein and removable therefrom, the replaceable component having component memory integrated therein;

a storing device configured to store replaceable component usage data in the component memory;

a reader/writer configured to poll the replaceable component usage data and determine an end-of-life condition for the at least one replaceable component when the polled replaceable component usage data is out of variance with at least one predetermined standard corresponding to the at least one replaceable component;

means for stopping printing upon the determination of the end-of-life condition;

means for outputting one or more print job IDs corresponding to a print queue;

means for receiving input of one said print job ID; and

means for printing, in response to receiving the input, a print job in the print queue corresponding to the one said print job ID, wherein;

the replaceable component usage data is selected from the group consisting of;

a number of pages available to be printed in a print job in the print queue;

a page counter configured to count the number of pages printed in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of toner available for application to the pages in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of a laser printer drum available for use in printing the pages in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of laser printer developer available for use in printing the pages in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of a laser printer fuser available for use in printing the pages in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of a printing media transfer belt available for use in printing the pages in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of staples available for stapling the pages in a print job in the print queue;

a quantifier of storage available for the pages to be printed in a print job in the print queue;

the reader/writer further comprises;

a sensor configured to measure the replaceable component usage data; and

means for determining from the measured replaceable component usage data that the variance with the at least one predetermined standard corresponding to the at least one replaceable component has been exceeded.