IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,981,127
Granted Patent B2
US 11,981,127 · App. 17/583,455 · Granted May 14, 2024

Liquid discharge apparatus, liquid discharge method, and non-transitory recording medium

Inventor: Shigeru Yoshigai (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
B41J2/04501B41J2/17503
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,981,127
App. No.
17/583,455
Granted
May 14, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid, a liquid cartridge configured to store the liquid to be discharged from the liquid discharge head, a holder to which the liquid cartridge is detachably attachable, a timer configured to countdown a time, and circuitry configured to control the liquid discharge head to discharge the liquid as a discharge operation, control the liquid discharge head to stop the discharge operation, determine an attachment or a detachment of the liquid cartridge to or from the holder while the discharge operation is stopped, control the timer to prepare countdown of the time in response to a detachment of the liquid cartridge from the holder, and control the liquid discharge head to continue stopping the discharge operation in response to an attachment of the liquid cartridge to the holder before the time has reached zero.

Claims (35)

1. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:

a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid;

a liquid cartridge configured to store the liquid to be discharged from the liquid discharge head;

a holder to which the liquid cartridge is detachably attachable;

a timer configured to countdown a time; and

circuitry configured to:

control the liquid discharge head to discharge the liquid as a discharge operation;

control the liquid discharge head to stop the discharge operation;

determine an attachment or a detachment of the liquid cartridge to or from the holder while the discharge operation is stopped;

control the timer to prepare countdown of the time in response to the detachment of the liquid cartridge from the holder; and

control the liquid discharge head to continue stopping the discharge operation in response to the attachment of the liquid cartridge to the holder before the time has reached zero.

2. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the liquid discharge head to resume the discharge operation in response to the attachment of the liquid cartridge to the holder after the time has reached zero.

3. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the timer to:

temporally stop the countdown of the time in response to the attachment of the liquid cartridge to the holder before time has reached zero; and

resume the countdown of the time in response to the detachment of the liquid cartridge from the holder before the time has reached zero.

4. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a display configured to display an operation instruction output from the circuitry, and

another timer configured to countdown another time from a timing of resumption of the discharge operation,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

control the liquid discharge head to stop the discharge operation after said another time has reached zero, and

control the display to display the operation instruction.

5. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a display configured to display an operation instruction output from the circuitry and the time counted down by the timer.

6. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the display is further configured to detect an operation performed on the display according to the operation instruction displayed, and

the circuitry is further configured to:

control the display to display the operation instruction to start countdown of the time in response to the detachment of the liquid cartridge from the holder; and

control the timer to start countdown of the time in response to a detection of the operation by the display.

7. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the display is configured to:

display a tappable button as the operation instruction;

detect tapping of the tappable button; and

output to the circuitry a detection of the tapping.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2022
From: YOSHIGAI, SHIGERU
To: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 058757/0061 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-031174 · Feb 26, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220274396A1 · Sep 1, 2022