Ink Consumption Separation for Printing Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of printing apparatuses face difficulties in accurately determining the amount of ink consumed for printing, as existing systems include initial maintenance ink consumption in the total ink usage notification, leading to distrust and incorrect assessments of remaining ink quantities.
Innovation Solution
A liquid consumption apparatus that calculates and separates the initial maintenance consumption from the total ink usage, providing accurate notification of the remaining ink available for printing by determining a first consumed amount for printing and a second consumed amount for maintenance, allowing users to grasp the ink used specifically for printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the total ink consumption (including initial maintenance) is notified to the user, then the notification system provides complete ink usage information, but the user cannot accurately grasp the ink consumed for their own printing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments ink consumption into two distinct categories: initial maintenance consumption (second consumed amount) and user printing consumption (first consumed amount). By separating these previously combined consumption types and notifying users only of the first consumed amount, the system provides accurate information about user-specific ink usage while excluding mandatory maintenance consumption.
2Measurement precision
If the initial maintenance ink consumption is included in the notification, then the total ink usage is accurately reflected, but user distrust arises due to considerable ink consumption before printing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the initial maintenance consumption (second consumed amount) from the total ink consumption notification. By removing this mandatory consumption component that users cannot control, the system maintains precise tracking of all ink usage while providing a trustworthier notification that reflects only user-initiated printing consumption.
3Loss of information
If the system calculates and stores both first consumed amount and second consumed amount, then accurate separation of ink usage is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculation and storage of the second consumed amount (initial maintenance consumption) when the liquid container is first installed or before user printing begins. This advance preparation allows the system to maintain detailed consumption tracking without increasing operational complexity during actual printing, as the maintenance consumption is already determined and stored separately.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus 10 calculates an consumed ink amount which is a consumed amount of ink ejected from an ejection unit that ejects ink supplied from an ink cartridge 60, and, in the case where an unused ink cartridge 60 is installed, executes initial maintenance of the ejection unit, determines an initial consumed ink amount which is a consumed amount of liquid consumed by the initial maintenance, writes the consumed ink amount and the initial consumed ink amount to a storage device 70 of the ink cartridge 60 as a consumed ink amount 73 and an initial consumed ink amount 75, and generates and notifies a ratio of the difference between the contained ink amount 71 and the consumed ink amount that is updated relative to the difference between the contained ink amount 71 and the initial consumed ink amount 75 as notification-use information.