Patent · US Expired

Electrophotographic printing device

US5276461A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
17References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 13, 1990
Grant dateJan 4, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 13, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03G2221/183
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A laser printer comprises a cartridge of a photosensitive unit, a printing mechanism for effecting a printing operation by electrifying a photosensitive member of the photosensitive unit, applying a light beam to the electrified photosensitive member to form an electrostatic latent image thereon, developing the electrostatic latent image to create a visible image and then transferring the image to printing paper, and a nonvolatile memory for storing data indicating the printing history of the photosensitive unit. The printing device further comprises a microprocessor for updating the data stored in the nonvolatile memory each time the printing operation is effected, checking whether the data stored in the nonvolatile memory has reached a value corresponding to a service life of the photosensitive unit, and generating a replacement requiring signal when it is detected that the data stored in the nonvolatile memory has reached the value.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.