Patent · US Active

Effectively using a consumable in two printers

US8582988B2 · kind B2 · utility

8Cited by
13References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 27, 2010
Grant dateNov 12, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 29, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03G15/553
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In a multi-printer system with two marking engines, the jobs printed are monitored and the remaining lives of consumables in replaceable units (RUs) in the engines are estimated. A decision unit responsive to the estimated lives of the consumables determines that the first RU in the first marking engine should be moved to the second marking engine at a selected service time, so that a remaining amount of the consumable in the first RU is not discarded.

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