Lexmark International, Inc.

Gary Scott Overall

Phillip Byron Wright

Thomas Campbell Wade

Bryan Scott Willett

Gregory Lawrence Ream

Christopher Dane Jones

Douglas Anthony Able

John Parker Richey

Martin Geoffrey Rivers

Martin Victor DiGirolamo

Raymond Jay Barry

Marc Cousoulis

David William Murphy

Marvin Aliviado Rodriguez

Dale Randal Danner

Andrew Gil Montaño Desabelle

Benjamin Keith Newman

Paul Douglas Horrall

David Lee Merrifield

Donn Duane Bryant

James Francis Webb

Cary Patterson Ravitz

James J Molloy

Steven Andrew Rice

Curtis Ray Droege

Steven L Applegate

Cyrus Bradford Clarke

Ronald Todd Sellers

David Brian Langer

Alan T Pullins

Johnny Ray Sears

Cuong Manh Hoang

Timothy P Craig

Michael Brian Bacelieri

Geoffrey Kirk Carlson

Michael Wesley Baskette

Andrew Charles Hogan

Randall Steven Gall

Thomas Gregrory Survant

Martin Joseph Brown, Jr

Albert Ocianas Villanueva

Michael Brian Bacalieri

Gregrory Lawrence Ream

A color imaging device includes a plurality of developer rolls with a common operating point, such as a common operating voltage. To determine the operating point, an acceptable range of color density is determined for each toner, the range being lighter and darker than an optimum color density for that toner. A search range is devised such that values within the range are examined relative to deviations from the optimum color density per each toner. The common operating point is selected as that having the lowest deviation per all toners. Also, if the common operating point corresponds to a color density darker than the acceptable range of color density for any toner, additional halftoning occurs compared to traditional halftoning, such as for continuous tones or solids. In this way, four color developer rolls can be operated from a single power supply, yet still provide acceptable color images.

Color image density calibration in imaging device having common developer voltage

An electrophotographic imaging device having a method of printing which includes determining whether a duty cycle state in the imaging device has changed; selecting one of a full toner density calibration and a partial toner density calibration based on the determining; performing the one of the full toner density calibration and the partial toner density calibration; identifying a toner density to be applied during printing as a result of the performing; developing a toned image having a toner density equal to the toner density identified; and printing the toned image on a media sheet, wherein the full toner density calibration is skipped upon at least a determination that the duty cycle state has remained the same.

System and methods for adjusting toner density in an imaging device

An electrophotographic imaging device having a method of printing which includes setting a default toner density for printing; developing a first toned image having the default toner density; printing the first toned image on a first page of a print job; and before printing a second page of a print job, determining whether a duty cycle state of a photoconductive member in the imaging device has changed, and upon a positive determination, developing a second toned image having a toner density derived from the default toner density and printing the second toned image on the second page.

An electrophotographic imaging device, including at least one photoconductive member, a printhead unit, at least one shutter-wiper member, and at least one shutter actuator. The at least one shutter-wiper member is moveable in a first direction between a first position in which the shutter-wiper covers the at least one exit lens of the printhead unit and a second position in which the at least one shutter-wiper does not cover the at least one exit lens so as to allow the at least one light beam generated by the printhead unit to pass therethrough. The at least one actuator is coupled to the at least one shutter-wiper member such that movement of the at least one shutter actuator in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction causes the corresponding shutter-wiper member to move in the first direction.

Automated lens cleaning and shutter system for an electrophotographic imaging device

The present invention relates to an assembly or method for use with an image forming device. The device may include an image transfer device capable of receiving an extraneous electrostatic charge from a source. A discharge path may then be configured to remove all or a portion of the extraneous electrostatic charge from the image transfer device.

Electrical discharging of image transfer assemblies

Methods and devices for setting an operating point within an image forming device. The operating point for one or more image forming stations may be determined without performing a toner patch sensing procedure. The operating points are determined based on other information, such as the operating points of one or more other image forming stations, information about the device, and information about the image forming stations themselves. The different factors may be weighted to more accurately determine the operating parameter(s).

Method and device for determining one or more operating points in an image forming device

A method of forming a registration pattern to enable detection of registration errors in an image forming device includes forming a first registration mark on a substrate at a first image forming station, and partially erasing the first registration mark formed on the substrate at a second image forming station to form the registration pattern. A method of automatically detecting the registration errors further comprises sensing the registration pattern, and detecting registration errors based on the registration pattern.

Method and apparatus for detecting registration errors in an image forming device

An optical density sensor disposed over a target surface in an image formation apparatus comprises an integrating cavity having a diffuse, reflective interior surface and a view port formed therein. An optical source directs light through the view port onto the target surface, without striking any interior surface of the cavity. Light reflected from the target surface is detected by an optical detector disposed within the cavity. The optical source may be disposed in a collimator, which may extend into the interior of the cavity, and may include a lens. A circuit card which may include an optical detector sensing circuit may be disposed proximate the optical detector. A compensating slot formed in the cavity may allow some reflected light to directly impact the optical detector as the gap between the cavity and the target surface increases.

Optical density sensor

An apparatus for the management of the fluid level in a media coating system. In one embodiment, the apparatus has a supply item for the storage of a media coating fluid and an applicator having a trough for receiving the media coating fluid from the supply item. The apparatus utilizes a fluid level detection sensor that is located within the applicator to measure whether the media coating fluid level within the trough of the applicator is either above or below a threshold position and to generates an output signal. The apparatus has a controller for receiving the output signal and controlling delivery of the media coating fluid from the supply item to the applicator.

System and method of fluid level regulating for a media coating system

A method for adaptively matching print quality and performance in a host based printing system including a host computer connected to a printer via an interface. The method includes the steps of: determining a print process time corresponding to an amount of time for a page to print based on current printer settings of the printer; determining a quantity of data to be transferred from the host computer to the printer; determining a data transfer time corresponding to an amount of time required to transfer the quantity of data from the host computer to the printer via the interface; comparing the print process time to the data transfer time to determine an amount of time that can be used by the printer to improve print quality; and determining optimum printer settings for the printer based at least in part on the amount of time determined in the comparing step.

Method for adaptively matching print quality and performance in a host based printing system

A method of positioning an ink jet printhead in a printer includes dividing a bitmap into a plurality of rows of tiles. A subset of the rows of tiles to be printed in a next pass of the printhead is identified. Printable ones of the tiles in the subset of rows are identified. The printable tiles contain printable data. Within each printable tile, a top most location of the printable data and at least one of a left most location of the printable data and a right most location of the printable data are identified. A print medium is advanced in a feed direction until a portion of the print medium corresponding with the top most location of the printable data of at least one printable tile is substantially aligned with a top nozzle of the printhead. The printhead is moved, in a scan direction, directly to a position on the print medium corresponding to one of the left most location of the printable data of at least one printable tile and the right most location of the printable data of at least one printable tile.

Ink jet swath prediction method

A method of performing interlace printing on a print medium with a printhead of an ink jet printer includes providing an array of pixel locations on the print medium. Each pixel location has a common maximum number M of ink drops that the pixel location may receive. Each pixel location is assigned a respective desired number D of ink drops which are to be placed at the pixel location. Each desired number D is less than or equal to M. Sets of threshold values are created. A number N of the sets of threshold values is equal to or greater than M. Each of the pixel locations corresponds to one of the threshold values of each set of threshold values. A respective, single ink drop is selectively jetted at each pixel location. Whether the single ink drop is jetted onto a respective pixel location is dependent upon the desired number D assigned to the respective pixel location and the corresponding threshold value of one of the sets of threshold values. The selectively jetting step is repeated N&minus;1 additional times. Each selectively jetting step uses a different one of the sets of threshold values.

Method of multi-dot interlace printing

An improved printer is provided which includes a series of analog delay elements that operate at a very fast speed, and therefore, can be used in an enhanced mode to further subdivide the slice clock to create a greater variety of gray levels that can be used in continuous tone printing. By using this enhanced mode of continuous tone printing, a full 'on' slice can be immediately preceded or followed by a partial slice, under the control of the series of delay elements. The delay elements are automatically calibrated at the beginning of each page to be printed by placing the delay line chain circuit into a 'calibrate mode,' during which time a clock pulse is provided to the delay line chain so that the chain is repeatedly tested, in increments of one additional delay element at a time, to determine the number of delay elements that are required to cause a time delay that is greater than or equal to the period of the slice-based clock. Once that quantity is determined, the calibrated delay elements will be used to print the entire next page to be output from the laser printhead. As the printer desires various gray levels for continuous tone printing, the number of whole slices and partial slices for a particular pel or group of pels will be determined by the desired gray level, and when a partial slice is to be printed, the printer will select the appropriate number of delay elements that will be used to control a flip-flop that outputs the 'video output' signal to the laser printhead. When the asynchronous 'reset' input of the flip-flop has a control signal applied, the output of the flip-flop will immediately change state to truncate the 'on time' of the slice that was currently being output to the laser printhead. By use of the asynchronous reset flip-flop, the slice can be subdivided into smaller time intervals, completely under the control of the delay line chain without regard to the frequency or phase angle of the pel clock or the slice-based clock.

Method and apparatus for calibrating delay lines to create gray levels

An improved electrophotographic (EP) printer is provided having a detachable process cartridge that contains a non-volatile memory device, which is an EPROM that cannot be erased after a bit is burned. A 'toner wheel' mounted to the exterior of the toner reservoir of the process cartridge provides, in conjunction with an optoelectronic sensor, an electrical signal that the printer receives and uses to determine toner usage. A toner 'gas-gauge' is created which uses 'bucket levels' as discrete steps to indicate how much of the measured physical toner material actually remains within the toner reservoir. After a given amount of toner material has been dispensed through the developer unit, one of the bits of the EPROM memory device is irreversibly burned, thereby providing a permanent record on the process cartridge of a certain amount of toner usage. As with a normal automobile gas gauge, the toner gas-gauge reading should never increase unless the amount of toner material inside the toner reservoir has increased. Once the bucket level transitions begin to occur for the toner gas-gauge, the printer becomes aware that a majority of the toner material has been expended from inside the toner reservoir. If the number of bucket gradation levels then increases by more than the hysteresis amount, then the printer will 'lock out' the operation of a non-reusable process cartridge. When the lock-out mode occurs, a particular bit is burned on the EPROM mounted to the cleaner housing of the process cartridge. This ensures that this particular process cartridge cannot be removed, then simply placed back into the same (or a different) printer, and then begin supplying toner to a printer. Certain important 'machine data' also can be stored in the EPROM memory device on the process cartridge of the present invention. The present invention is also able to declare the 'end-of-life' of a process cartridge when the gas-gauge toner sensor is not functional (such as when it has been tampered with).

Method and apparatus for storing data in a non-volatile memory circuit

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Gary Scott Overall