Electrophotography – Diagnostics – Unit or part identification
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2002-04-02
Brase, Sandra (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Diagnostics
Unit or part identification
C399S109000, C399S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06366742
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a printer or copier system as well as to a method for filling a container with consumables, a method for multiple employment of such a container in at least one printer or copier device, a well as to a method for encoding the container. The invention is particularly directed to a method for the operation of an electrographic printer or copier device as well as to such a printer or copier device. The invention is also directed to a printer or copier system that comprises an electrographic printer or copier device as well as a filling station for filling, as well as a filling station for filling containers with electrographic consumables.
WO-A-96/02872 (PCT/DE 95/00635) discloses an electrophotographic means for both-sided printing of a band-shaped, narrow recording medium and for single-sided printing of one broad recording medium or a plurality of parallel, narrow recording media.
High-performance printers of this type are often employed for printing out data in computer centers. These data can, for example, be invoices or other individualized printouts, for example individualized advertising. There is thereby the more and more frequent demand to print printing jobs in multi-colored fashion. With modularly constructed printers, it is therefore possible to keep a plurality of developer stations suitable for chromatic printing operation available, these being respectively provided for printing out in different colors. DE 195 40 138 C1, for example, discloses a developer station that can be inserted into the corresponding printer as needed given the existence of a multi-colored printing job and can be interchanged with the one-color developer station. A uniform, performance-matched traffic load of printer parks in printer centers thus derives.
When individual components such as developer stations are to be changed given the existence of different printing jobs, then this procedure must be monitored in order to assure a uniformly good print quality as well as allocation errors between the color required in the printing job and the color that is actually developed.
Added thereto is that different types of toner are being increasingly utilized in electrographic printers. Even given single-color printing jobs, different types of toner are utilized for different applications. Since these types of toner generally have different physical properties, the printing machine must be driven with different process parameters in order to keep the printing quality at a high level. For this purpose, it is necessary that the control of the printer automatically recognizes what type of toner is currently in the apparatus.
When print jobs are printed in different colors, then the additional demand arises that different-colored toner that must be stored in reservoirs of the printer must be allocated to the correct toner conveying systems for the respectively correct developer stations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,853 discloses an electrophotographic printer having a plurality of chromatic developer stations, whereby IC cards are attached to the developer stations wherein process-relevant information for the printer control are made available. U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,388 and JP-A-4-338990 disclose process cartridges for toner on which toner-related information are applied with bar code stickers. JP-A-1-3683 discloses a toner container to which a magnetic strip is applied. Particulars about the toner contained in the container are stored on the magnetic strip.
JP-A-10-161411 discloses that a semiconductor memory element on which information about the toner contained in the container are stored be attached to a toner container. The toner data can thereby be transmitted in non-contacting fashion. JP-A-10-221938 discloses a corresponding toner container wherein data can be transmitted in non-contacting fashion into a data memory with antennas.
Given printers or, pre-devices that are based on different recording principles, for example given ink jet printers, it is also definitely necessary that device parameters be set dependent on the consumables, for example the temperature of the ink given bubble jet printers or the voltage of deflection electrodes given printers that work with a continuous ink flow according to the Paillard principle.
Corresponding to the high printing performance, the toner consumption in electrographic high-performance printing units is also high. The toner is thereby stored in containers that are introduced into the electrophotographic printer or copier devices. When a developer station is replaced, then the toner matching the new developer station must also be delivered within the copier device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of a first aspect of the invention is to assure the correct delivery of consumables in printer and copier devices in order to be able to process consumables of different types in the devices.
According to the present invention, a method is provided for encoding a container for receiving consumables of electrographic printer or copier devices wherein consumable-specific data are applied in encoded fashion in machine-readable form on the container with an information carrier. Preferably the information carrier comprises an electronic circuit, preferably a transponder, that can be read and written in non-contacting fashion. A read station may be provided with which data and energy can be exchanged with the transponder in non-contacting fashion for writing and/or reading the information stored on the transponder. A system is also provided for practicing the method in a printer or copier device.
Inventively, a container that is capable of accepting consumables, particularly toner for electrographic printer or copier devices, is provided with machine-readable information with a suitable information carrier or, respectively, is encoded in machine-readable form. In particular, the information comprise data about the nature of the consumables located in the container such as, for example, toner recipes for printers or copier devices that work according to the electrographic principle. What is thereby particularly understood is electrophotography but, for example, magnetography and other electrostatic recording methods as well.
The inventive solution also creates a recycling concept with which containers for consumables of printer or copier devices can be multiply employed, namely both in one and the same printer or copier device as well as in different devices. In particular, the devices are of an electrographic type. What is achieved in conformity with this second aspect of the invention is that not only can fresh consumables such as toner be stored in the container but, for example, used mixtures such as toner-developer mixtures, that are composed of toner and magnetizable carrier particles can also be stored therein. The consumables can be solid, powdered or liquid.
The transport of the consumable, particularly of the substance, is completely monitored in a closed system as a result of the invention, and the transport of the substance can be tracked from delivery up to printing within the printer or copier device, and the information attached to the container can be electronically machine-read and be employed for controlling parameters of the printing process.
As a result of applying machine-readably encoded, particularly binary information about the consumables currently or most recently located in the container, the necessity of having to input this information by operating personnel of the printer or, respectively, copier is eliminated. Further, one and the same container can be employed for the plurality of purposes as a result thereof, particularly for storing fresh toner but also for waste disposable of unuseable developer mixtures or toner residues.
The invention enables an automatic circulation system, whereby the containers for printing consumables can be fully automatically processed at various stations such as a filling station in the printer or in a cleaning station as well. Additionally, a computer netw
Creutzmann Edmund
Keil Wolfram
Reihl Heiner
Schoch Bernd
Winter Hans
Brase Sandra
Oce Printing Systems GmbH
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
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