The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 22, 2013
Filed:
Mar. 09, 2010
Mirza Sabanovic, Tigard, OR (US);
Marie E. Ottum, Wilsonville, OR (US);
Mirza Sabanovic, Tigard, OR (US);
Marie E. Ottum, Wilsonville, OR (US);
Xerox Corporation, Norwalk, CT (US);
Abstract
A method detects the level of ink in a print head reservoir by monitoring the power drawn by a thermistor positioned within the print head reservoir by an electrical conductor. The method includes dissipating heat in a thermistor positioned within an ink reservoir, the thermistor having an electrical conductor that extends from the thermistor, a length of the electrical conductor extending through at least a portion of the ink reservoir, providing electrical power through the electrical conductor to the thermistor to maintain the thermistor at a predetermined temperature that is a fixed differential above a temperature of the ink reservoir, measuring a parameter that corresponds to the heat dissipated from the thermistor and the length of the electrical conductor extending through the portion of the ink reservoir, and correlating the measured parameter to a predetermined value corresponding to an ink level in the ink reservoir to detect a position of the ink level in the reservoir continuously along the length of the electrical conductor and the thermistor.