Calculation of toner usage

• US 6,856,430 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2000
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gase, Stephen T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, King Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/698,429
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 399/49, 399/61, 399 24- 30, 358 11- 19, 358 111- 118
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• 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 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host

Abstract

A method and apparatus which generates a copy of the print data file for a print job and utilizes the copied data file to calculate the amount of marking material required to print the print job while allowing the processing of the print job to proceed without interruption or delay. A print server in a computer or printing system receives print jobs originating at one or more host computers. At the print server the print job data file is copied and a separate task using the copy calculates the amount of marking material required to print the print job proceeds in the print server background in parallel with the conventional processing of the print job. The print job file is converted to a universal file format prior to being transmitted to the print server. Once the print job in universal file format is copied for the task of calculating the amount of marking material required to print the print job, the universal file format file is converted to a page description language file prior to print job processing and transmission to an imaging device.

Claims

1. In a computer network including a host computer, a print server and at least one image-forming device that utilizes a marking material to create images on a print media, a method for calculating an amount of the marking material for a print job, the method comprising:

converting the print job to a universal format file;

transmitting the universal format file to a print server;

copying the universal format file to generate a copied file; and

as a first task;

converting the universal format file to a page description language (PDL) file;

processing the PDL file including at least selecting an image-forming device for the print job;

transmitting the PDL file to the selected image-forming device to print the print job; and

as a second task, separate from the first task;

converting the copied file of the universal format file to raster data;

counting the number of image elements corresponding to the print job contained in the raster data; and

calculating the amount of the marking material for the print job based on a predetermined amount of marking material for printing an individual image element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second tasks are performed by the print server in parallel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second task is performed by the print server in a background process of the print server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one image-forming device is a laser printer, and wherein the marking material comprises toner for use in the laser printer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one image-forming device is an ink jet printer, and wherein the marking material comprises ink for use in the ink jet printer.