Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Mark Doerre

Robert Henry Muyskens

Jason McReynolds

Marvin Nicholson

David Amos Ward

Christopher Alan Adkins

James M Mrvos

Andrew McNees

Girish Shivaji Patil

Jason Todd Vanderpool

Richard Lee Warner

John William Krawczyk

Karthik Vaideeswaran

Michael Brian Bacelieri

Courtney Harrison Soale

Robert Dan Bennett, Iii

Ricky A Robbins

Matthew Lee Rogers

Gary Allen Denton

Keith Seaman

Michael David Maul

Gary Raymond Williams

Cory Nathan Hammond

Ricky Earl Robbins

Christopher John Money

Katherine Marie Gilliam

Elliott Vincent Jernigan

Dominique Renee Rowe

Marc Frazier Baker

Jenny Marie Berens

Neal David Erickson

Robert Christopher Sbert

Rickey Robbins

Daivd Ward

Alan Anthony Bidwell

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of ink. A housing defines an interior having a pair of opposed electrodes. The electrodes have a capacitance that varies in response to an amount of liquid between them. A controller energizes one electrode and receives an output reading from the other. The controller processes the reading on board the housing and supplies it as a digital data stream to the imaging device during use. A memory stores calibration values for an empty and full housing. The controller writes back to the memory present fluid levels obtained from the output reading of the electrode. An enable output allows operation or not of a fluid pump in the imaging device. Materials, construction, modularity, and fluid communication ports are further embodiments, to name a few.

Consumable supply item with fluid sensing and pump enable for micro-fluid applications

Consumable supply item

A developer unit according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing a developer mix that includes toner and magnetic carrier beads. A magnetic roll is mounted on the housing. An outer surface of a sleeve of the magnetic roll is positioned to carry the developer mix from the reservoir through a front portion of the magnetic roll that is exposed from the reservoir to permit transfer of toner from the outer surface of the sleeve to a photoconductive drum and back to the reservoir as the sleeve rotates in an operative rotational direction. An air vent is positioned along a rear portion of the magnetic roll for exiting air in the reservoir from the housing. An entire opening of the air vent is positioned vertically higher than the rotational axis of the sleeve when the developer unit is in an operative orientation.

Developer unit air venting in a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device

The invention is directed to a tamper-evident method of encrypting data relating to one or more print cartridges installed in an imaging device that includes triggering a gathering of data relating to the one or more print cartridges installed in the imaging device; recording a number of instances the triggering is performed; retrieving a previously encrypted data relating to the one or more print cartridges installed in the imaging device, the previously encrypted data gathered at a time prior to the triggering; and encrypting the gathered data using the previously encrypted data.

Systems and methods of securing operational information associated with an imaging device

A developer unit for a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a reservoir for storing a developer mix that includes toner and magnetic carrier beads. An axial sealing rib projects from an inner side of the housing toward the outer surface of a sleeve of a magnetic roll. The axial sealing rib extends along an axial length of the sleeve. A distal end of the axial sealing rib is positioned in close proximity to and spaced from the outer surface of the sleeve. The axial sealing rib is positioned to impede the flow of developer mix in the reservoir in a direction counter to an operative rotational direction of the sleeve.

Sealing ribs for a developer unit of a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device

The invention is directed to a method for performing failure analysis on an imaging device that includes retrieving an encrypted error log containing one or more error conditions that occurred on the imaging device, decrypting the retrieved encrypted error log, determining if the retrieved encrypted error log has been altered based on the decrypted error log, and upon determining that the retrieved encrypted error log has not been altered, performing failure analysis on the imaging device using the decrypted error log.

Systems and methods of verifying operational information associated with an imaging device

Consumable supply item with fluid sensing for micro-fluid applications

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of pigmented ink. Its housing defines an interior and a fluid exit port. Users orient the housing to deplete the ink in a downward direction. A float on a surface of the ink suspends an inlet opening of a fluid conduit tube underneath the surface. A height of the opening falls downward as the fluid depletes and the float drops. The tube draws a desired concentration of ink and supplies it to the exit port. The concentration is predetermined relative to an overall height of the fluid. The tube height remains proportional to the height of the fluid, increases/decreases proportionally, or other. The design overcomes settling. The design also avoids mechanical stirring and other complex sediment mixing techniques. Embodiments include float/tube arrangements and testing observations, to name a few.

Container with tube drawing desired fluid concentrations for micro-fluid applications

A method for improving fluidic flow for a microfluidic device having a through hole or slot therein. The method includes the steps of forming one or more openings through at least part of a thickness of a substrate from a first surface to an opposite second surface using a reactive ion etching process whereby an etch stop layer is applied to side wall surfaces in the one or more openings during alternating etching and passivating steps as the openings are etched through at least a portion of the substrate. Substantially all of the etch stop layer coating is removed from the side wall surfaces by treating the side wall surfaces using a method selected from chemical treatment and mechanical treatment, whereby a surface energy of the treated side wall surfaces is increased relative to a surface energy of the side wall surfaces containing the etch stop layer coating.

Microfluidic substrates having improved fluidic channels

Methods for improving flow through fluidic channels

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Mark Doerre