Image forming devices and image forming methods

Details Image forming devices and image forming methods Image forming devices and image forming methods

2001-10-22

2003-05-20

Royer, William J. (Department: 2852)

Electrophotography

Diagnostics

Consumable

C399S027000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06567622

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to image forming devices and image forming methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Image forming devices including laser printers and ink printers are known in the art. Such devices utilize consumables, such as toner cartridges, to implement imaging operations. Some conventional devices include consumable management systems which include toner level sensors to provide a means for determining a remaining amount or life of a consumable. One of the goals of consumable management systems is to prevent printing of images or documents with poor print quality due to a lack of consumables. For example, poor print quality may result from printing of pages with fade induced by a lack of toner. Such has heightened importance in color printing where a lack of one color of toner can result in an entire image having unacceptable print quality. If images are higher coverage and/or are printed on expensive media, printing with insufficient toner may result in the loss of a large amount of resource and money of the customer.
In conventional systems and upon indication of a low consumable, a print job could be attempted to be completed, the current printing page could be completed, or the printer could be immediately stopped. In conventional systems, the printing option upon occurrence of a low consumable is preselected and all jobs are imaged according to the preselection upon a low consumable. These options have issues which may produce dissatisfaction with customers. For example, if there is an attempt to complete a print job and the job is large or high coverage, print quality degradation may result in succeeding pages. If the consumable is changed after printing the end of a current page, the risk of print quality degradation due to insufficient resources is reduced but the risk of hue shift due to the utilization of new and old toner exists. If the printer stops immediately upon indication of low consumable status, there is a risk of frustrating the customer as the end of life signal may not be exact and there is a high probability of having sufficient resource, such as toner, remaining in the printer to complete all or some portion of the print job despite the indication of the low consumable status.
Prior solutions to this problem have included providing more sensitive sensing systems. This solution requires increased expense in the printing system inasmuch as a highly accurate toning sensing system are relatively expensive. Other conventional systems incorporate a secondary sensing system which also results in increased costs.
Accordingly, improved devices in methodologies for imaging are desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Image forming devices and image forming methods are disclosed. One aspect of the invention provides an image forming device comprising: an image engine configured to use a consumable to image a job; and processing circuitry coupled with the image engine and configured to monitor for an occurrence of a predetermined status of the consumable during imaging of the job and to select one of first ceasing imaging of the job before completion of the imaging of the job and second ceasing imaging of the job after completion of the imaging of the job, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select one of the first ceasing and the second ceasing responsive to the monitoring of the predetermined status of the consumable.
Another aspect provides an image forming method comprising: imaging at least a portion of a job comprising a plurality of hard images using a consumable; monitoring for an occurrence of a predetermined status of the consumable; and selecting one of first ceasing imaging of the job after a completion of imaging of a hard image being imaged during the occurrence of the predetermined status and second ceasing imaging after a completion of the imaging of the job, the selecting being responsive to the monitoring.
According to another aspect, an image forming method comprises: providing a job comprising image data corresponding to a plurality of hard images; imaging at least one of the hard images using a consumable and corresponding to a first portion of the job, the imaging comprising imaging using an image forming device; detecting an occurrence of a predetermined status of the consumable during the imaging of the first portion of the job; analyzing a requirement amount of the consumable to complete imaging of a second portion of the job with respect to the predetermined status of the consumable after the detecting; providing a plurality of options for imaging the second portion of the job using the image forming device; and selecting one of the imaging options for imaging the second portion of the job responsive to the analyzing.
The invention includes other aspects, some of which are disclosed below.


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