WO2023140842A1

WO2023140842A1 - Previously used printing device consumable item handling based on historical usage information

Info

Publication number: WO2023140842A1
Application number: PCT/US2022/013054
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gabriel Scott MCDANIEL; Elizabeth SWANSON; Douglas R. RICHARDS; Kram Henry ALLEN; Travis Neil MOATS; Jeffrey H. LUKE; David Matthew WARNIMONT; Elena Michele TIPTON
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2022-01-20
Filing date: 2022-01-20
Publication date: 2023-07-27

Abstract

A printing device consumable item that was previously used is received. Historical usage information regarding the previously used printing device consumable item is electronically retrieved based on an identifier of the consumable item. Handling of the previously used printing device consumable item occurs based on the historical usage information regarding the consumable item.

Description

PREVIOUSLY USED PRINTING DEVICE CONSUMABLE ITEM HANDLING BASED ON HISTORICAL USAGE INFORMATION

BACKGROUND

[0001] Printing devices can use a variety of different technologies to form images on media such as paper or to build three-dimensional (3D) objects. Such technologies include dry electrophotography (EP) and liquid EP (LEP) technologies, which may be considered as different types of laser and light-emitting diode (LED) printing technologies, as well as inkjet-printing technologies and three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies. Printing devices deposit print material, such as colorant like toner, ink (which can include other printing fluids or material as well), or 3D print material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first example scenario in which a previously used printing device consumable item is handled based on historical usage information.

[0003] FIGs. 2 and 3 are flowcharts of example methods for handling a previously used printing device consumable item in the first example scenario of FIG. 1.

[0004] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a second example scenario in which a previously used printing device consumable item is handled based on historical usage information.

[0005] FIGs. 5 and 6 are flowcharts of example methods for handling a previously used printing device consumable item in the second example scenario of FIG. 4. [0006] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example method for handling a previously used printing device consumable item in scenarios including the first and second example scenarios of FIGs. 1 and 4.

[0007] FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example non-transitory computer- readable data storage medium storing program code that is executable to perform processing used in conjunction with handling a previously used printing device consumable item in the method of FIG. 7.

[0008] FIG. 9 is a diagram of an example printing device that reports usage information regarding a consumable item of the printing device, which can subsequently be used in conjunction with the method of FIG. 7, after the consumable item is no longer being used in the printing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] As noted in the background, printing devices deposit print material to form images on media or, in the case of three-dimensional (3D) printing devices, to additively build (3D) objects. A printing device can include a cartridge of print material that the device uses for printing. As the printing device prints print jobs, print material is consumed from the cartridge. When the cartridge is empty or is running low on print material, the cartridge may be replaced with a replacement cartridge that has a fresh (e.g., full) supply of print material. Similarly, if the cartridge is inoperable or the wrong type of cartridge for the printing device has been inserted, the cartridge may be replaced with a replacement cartridge. A cartridge is thus one type of a consumable item that a printing device uses for printing. Other examples include fuser assemblies, developer assemblies, and so on, in the case of a laser-printing device, and fluid-ejection (e.g., inkjet) printheads in the case of a fluid-ejection (e.g., inkjet) device that employs separately replaceable printheads and fluid (e.g., ink) supplies.

[0010] Once a consumable item is no longer used in a printing device and has been removed from the printing device, the item may be handled in one of two ways. First, a user of the printing device may return the consumable item to the manufacturer of the consumable item or a third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer. The manufacturer or third party may then recycle or dispose of the consumable item in an environmentally friendly manner, or recondition the item for resale.

[0011] Second, the user of the printing device may instead provide the consumable item to a remanufacturer that may be unaffiliated with the manufacturer of the consumable item. The remanufacturer attempts to recondition the consumable item, and in the case of a cartridge containing print material, refill the cartridge with print material, before reselling the item. If the consumable item is damaged, the remanufacturer may instead recycle or dispose of the consumable item.

[0012] In both cases, the consumable item is not handled in the most efficient, environmentally sustainable manner possible. In the former case, the manufacturer or the third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer may recycle or dispose of the consumable item regardless of whether the item is undamaged and still has a useful remaining life. As a concrete example, a user of a printing device may subscribe to a service offered by the manufacturer in which the user is provided with a new cartridge of print material when the currently installed cartridge runs low or becomes depleted. [0013] If the user terminates the subscription, the currently installed cartridge may be returned in a state in which it still has a useful remaining life of print material. Nevertheless, the manufacturer or the third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer may still recycle or dispose of the consumable item. That is, the manufacturer or the third party does not take into account that the currently installed cartridge could be reused by another subscriber of the service.

[0014] In the latter case, the remanufacturer may attempt to recondition the consumable item even though the item is in a state in which it is likely to fail and therefore be returned after being resold. The remanufacturer may instead just refill the consumable item even though the item may need reconditioning, such that the item may not function properly and similarly be returned after being resold. The remanufacturer is not privy to the history of the consumable item, and thus may not make an optimal decision as to how to handle the item.

[0015] Techniques described herein ameliorate these issues with handling previously used printing device consumable items. A previously used printing device consumable item can in one implementation be considered a consumable item that a printing device has already used for printing. In another implementation, a previously used printing device consumable item can be considered as also including a consumable item that has been provided to an end user of the printing device, even if the printing device has not actually used the printing device for printing. In this case, the consumable item may be considered as previously used regardless of whether its packaging has been opened or not, or just if its packaged has been opened.

[0016] As a printing device uses a consumable item for printing, the device reports usage information regarding the item. When the consumable item is subsequently returned or provided to a manufacturer, a third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer, or a remanufacturer unaffiliated with the manufacturer, such historical usage information regarding the item is electronically retrieved. The consumable item is then handled based on this historical usage information.

[0017] For example, in the case of a manufacturer or a manufacturer- authorized third party providing a service by which subscribing users automatically receive new consumable items when the remaining lives of their current consumable items run low, a previously used consumable item returned when a user terminates his or her subscription may be redeployed to another subscriber. That is, if the previously used consumable item is in good condition and has a useful remaining life, the item may be repackaged and sent to another subscriber. Therefore, the consumable item is not reconditioned, recycled, or disposed of, and is thus handled in a more environmentally sustainable manner.

[0018] As another example, in the case of a remanufacturer, the manufacturer may provide a service that the remanufacturer can subscribe to or purchase on a per-consumable item manner to acquire the historical usage information of a previously used consumable item. The remanufacturer may also be provided within a grade indicating the manufacturer’s assessment of the condition of the consumable item. [0019] The remanufacturer can then decide based on this information whether to renew the consumable item without reconditioning (e.g., refilling the item with fresh printing material in the case of a cartridge of printing material), recondition the item (and determine the extent to which the item should be reconditioned), or recycle or dispose of the consumable item. The consumable item is thus similarly handled in a more environmentally sustainable manner.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a first example scenario 100 in which a consumable item 104 installed in a printing device 102 can be subsequently handled on the basis of historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104. As the printing device 102 uses the consumable item 104 for printing, the device 102 reports usage information 106 regarding the item 104 to a server computing device 108 over a network 110. The server computing device 108 may be maintained by a manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104, or by a third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer.

[0021] The usage information 116 can include the life of the consumable item 104 that was used in a given usage of the item 104 (e.g., for a given print job, or during a specified period of time). In the case of a cartridge or other supply of print material like colorant, for instance, the usage information 106 can include the amount of colorant that was used, as the life of colorant used during a given usage of the consumable item 104. The usage information 116 can include the life of a component of the consumable item 104 other than colorant, both in the case in which the item 104 is a cartridge or other supply of print material and in the case in which the item 104 is not such a cartridge. For example, the usage information 116 can include the life of a developer or other roller of the consumable item 104 that was used during a given usage of the item 104, in the case of a toner cartridge.

[0022] The usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 can additionally or instead include other information as well. For instance, the usage information 116 can include the number of pages printed during a given usage of the consumable item 104. If the printing device 102 detects that the consumable item 104 has become damaged in some way during usage, the usage information 116 may include the damage state of the item 104.

[0023] At some point, a user of the printing device 102 returns (112) the consumable item 104 to a redeployment center 114. The redeployment center 114 may be operated by or on behalf of the manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104. The user may have been a subscriber of a service provided by or on behalf of the manufacturer in which the user receives a new consumable item 104 when the remaining life of the item 104 currently installed in the printing device 102 runs low or becomes depleted. The user may have terminated the subscription, such that the returned consumable item 104 still has a useful remaining life.

[0024] The redeployment center 114 electronically retrieves the historical usage information 116 regarding the previously used consumable item 104 maintained by the server computing device 108, over the network 110. For instance, a computing device at the redeployment center 114 may electronically or optically scan an identifier of the consumable item 104, or the identifier may be manually input at the computing device. The computing device then requests the historical usage information 116 for the consumable item 104 having the identifier in question.

[0025] The server computing device 108 is able to maintain the historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 because it has received the usage information 106 regarding the item 104 from the printing device 102 as the device 102 used the consumable item 104 for printing. The received usage information 106 can thus constitute in whole or in part the historical usage information 116. For example, if the usage information 106 is indicative of the life of the consumable item 104 used during each usage of the item 104, the historical usage information 116 can include the remaining life of the consumable item 104 as calculated based on such usage information 106.

[0026] The historical usage information 116 can include the remaining life of the print material of the consumable item 104 in the case in which the item 104 is a cartridge or other supply of print material. The historical usage information 116 can include the remaining life of a component of the consumable item 104 other than print material, both in the case in which the item 104 is a cartridge or other supply of print material and in the case in which the item 104 is not. The historical usage information 116 can include the number of pages that have been printed using the consumable item 104, and the damage state of the item 104 indicative of whether the consumable item 104 is damaged or not.

[0027] The historical usage information 116 may most generally be determined in two ways. First, the historical usage information 116 can be based on information previously reported by the printing device 102 during usage of the consumable item 104, as has been described. Second, the historical usage information 116 can be determined based on information retrieved directly from the consumable item 104 itself, if the item 104 has an electronic memory tag or other component that stores such information.

[0028] If the previously used consumable item 104 has a useful remaining life and is undamaged, the consumable item 104 may be redeployed (117) at the redeployment center 114 for usage in a different printing device 118, without first reconditioning the item 104, and instead of recycling or disposing of the consumable item 104. For instance, the consumable item 104 may be provided to the user of the printing device 118, who is also a subscriber to the aforementioned service provided by or on behalf of the manufacturer. The user installs the consumable item 104 within the printing device 118, such that the device 118 uses the remaining life of the item 104 for printing (where the initial life of the consumable item 104 was used by the printing device 102).

[0029] However, if the previously used consumable item 104 does not have a useful remaining life and/or is damaged, the consumable item 104 may instead be sent (120) from the redeployment center 114 to a reconditioning, recycling, or disposal center 122. The consumable item 104 may be reconditioned, or may be recycled or disposed of, at the center 122. In one implementation, the centers 114 and 122 are the same center, such that the redeployment center 114 reconditions, recycles, or disposes of the previously used consumable item 104.

[0030] FIGs. 2 and 3 respectively show methods 200 and 300 for handling the printing device consumable item 104 in the first example scenario 100 of FIG. 1. The parts of the method 200 in the left and right columns are respectively performed by a user of the printing device 102 and by the server computing device 108. The parts of the method 300 in the left and right columns are respectively performed at the redeployment center 114 and by the server computing device 108. The method 200 and the method 300 can both be performed in one implementation, and in another implementation just the method 300 may be performed.

[0031] Referring first to FIG. 2, the server computing device 108 receives and stores usage information regarding the consumable item 104 for the printing device 102 during usage of the item 104 within the device 102 for printing (202). At some point thereafter (203), the user of the printing device 102 sends a request to return the now previously used consumable item 104 (204), and the server computing device 108 accordingly receives this request (206). For instance, the user may request that the consumable item 104 is no longer needed, such as because the user has terminated his or her subscription to a service by which a new item 104 is provided when the currently installed item 104 is running low or has become depleted.

[0032] The server computing device 108 determines the remaining life of the consumable item 104 (208), which is or is part of the historical usage information 116 of the item 104. The server computing device 108 may instruct the user of the printing device 102 to return the consumable item 104 to a location depending on whether the remaining life is greater or less than a threshold and whether the item 104 is damaged (210). For instance, the server computing device 108 may provide this information to a computing device of the user over the network 110. The user thus receives this information (212), and returns the consumable item 104 to the instructed location (214).

[0033] As a specific example, the threshold may correspond to a useful remaining life of the consumable item 204. In response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item 204 is greater than the threshold and that the item 204 is undamaged, the server computing device 108 may instruct the user to return the consumable item 204 to a first location, such as the redeployment center 114, at which the item 104 is redeployed within a new printing device 118 without first being reconditioned. In response to determining that the remaining life is less than the threshold and/or that the consumable item 204 is damaged, the server computing device 108 may instead instruct the user to return the item 104 to a second location, such as the recondition, recycle, or disposal center 122, at which the consumable item is reconditioned, recycled, or disposed.

[0034] In the method 200, therefore, the user is instructed to return the consumable item 104 to a different location according to the remaining life and/or the damage state of the item 104. However, in another implementation, the user may be instructed to return the consumable item 104 to the same location regardless of the remaining life and/or the damage state of the item 104. For instance, the user may be instructed to always return the consumable item 104 to the redeployment center 114, which may then send the item 104 to the recondition, recycle, or disposal center 122 if reconditioning, recycling or disposal is to be performed.

[0035] Referring next to FIG. 3, the method 300 describes what occurs at the redeployment center 114. The method 300 may be performed in conjunction with the method 200, in which the user of the printing device 102 ships the consumable item 104 to the redeployment center 114 just if the item 104 is not damaged and has a usable remaining life. The method 300 may also be performed in the case in which the user always ships the consumable item 104 to the redeployment center 114.

[0036] The previously used consumable item 104 is thus received at the redeployment center 114 (302), and its damage state visually assessed (304). For instance, even if the historical usage information 116 of the consumable item 104 indicates that the item 104 is not damaged in a way that affects its functionality, the consumable item 104 may nevertheless have become so damaged during shipment to the redeployment center 114. The consumable item 104 may be aesthetically damaged, or damaged in such a way that its functionality may be impaired prematurely in the future, indicating that the item 104 should not be redeployed. The historical usage information 116 may also not indicate the damage state of the consumable item 104.

[0037] If the consumable item 104 is undamaged per this visual inspection (306), then a computing device at the redeployment center 114 electronically transmits an identifier of the item 104 to the server computing device 108 (306), which accordingly receives the identifier (308), such as over a network 110. The server computing device 108 retrieves the remaining life of the consumable item 104 from the historical usage information 116 of the item 104 that the device 108 maintains (310), and electrically transmits this information back to the computing device at the redeployment center 114 (312). The latter computing device thus electronically receives the remaining life of the consumable item 104 (314). [0038] In response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item 104 is greater than a threshold, the computing device at the redeployment center 114 selects a new printing device 118 at which to redeploy the consumable item 104 (316). For instance, the new printing device 118 may be selected as a printing device that has a usage profile matching the remaining life of the consumable item 104. In this respect, the usage profile of the new printing device 118 matches the remaining life of the consumable item 104 in that the expected usage of the item 104 within the new printing device 118 will result in the remaining life lasting for at least a threshold length of time. The computing device at the redeployment center 114 may select the new printing device 118 for redeployment of the consumable item 104 in communication with information provided by the server computing device 108 in one implementation.

[0039] As a concrete example, the remaining life of the consumable item 104 may be expected to be sufficient to print 2,000 pages. There may be two printing device candidates from which to select the new printing device 118. The first printing device may have historically printed on average more than 2,000 pages per month, whereas the second printing device may have historically printed on average 500 pages per month. Therefore, if the consumable item 104 were redeployed in the first printing device, the item 104 would likely last less than a month, whereas if it were redeployed in the second printing device, the item 104 would likely last four months. If the threshold length of time that the expected usage of the consumable item 104 within the new printing device 118 is to last is three months, then the second printing device and not the first printing device is selected as the new printing device 118.

[0040] As another example, the remaining life of the consumable item 104 may again be expected to be sufficient to print 2,000 pages. There may be two printing device candidates from which to select the new printing device 118. The first printing device may be covered under a subscription by which its end user is paying for the ability to print 2,000 pages per month, whereas the second printing device may be covered under a subscription by which its end user is paying for the ability to print 500 pages per month. Therefore, if the consumable item 104 were redeployed in the first printing device, the item 104 is expected to last less than a month, whereas if it were redeployed in the second printing device, the item 104 is expected to last four months. If the threshold length of time that the expected usage of the consumable item 104 within the new printing device 118 is to last is three months, then the second printing device and not the first printing device is selected as the new printing device.

[0041] The consumable item 104 is thus redeployed within the selected new printing device 118 (318). However, if the visual assessment of the damage state of the consumable item 104 in part 304 is indicative of the item 104 being damaged in such a way that redeployment within a new printing device 118 is unsuitable, then the consumable item 104 is reconditioned, recycled, or disposed of (320). Similarly, in response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item 104 is less than the aforementioned threshold in part 316, then the item 104 is also reconditioned, recycled, or disposed of (320). [0042] FIG. 4 shows a second example scenario 400 in which a consumable item 104 installed in a printing device 102 can be subsequently handled on the basis of historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104. As in the first example scenario 100, as the printing device 102 uses the consumable item 104 for printing, the device 102 reports usage information 106 regarding the item 104 to a server computing device 108 over a network 110. The server computing device 108 may be maintained by a manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104, or by a third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer. [0043] At some point, a user of the printing device 102 provides (412) the printing device 102 to a remanufacturer 414, which may be unaffiliated with the manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104. For example, the remanufacturer may collect consumable items like the consumable item 104 as dropped off at brick-and-mortar locations like retail establishments, schools, offices, and so on. As another example, the remanufacturer may provide the user with a shipping label to ship the consumable item 104 to the remanufacturer 414 free of charge.

[0044] The remanufacturer 414 electronically retrieves the historical usage information 116 regarding the previously used consumable item 104 maintained by the sever computing device 108, over the network 110. For instance, a computing device of the remanufacturer 414 may electronically or optically scan an identifier of the consumable item 104, or the identifier may be manually input at the computing device. The computing device then requests the historical usage information 116 for the consumable item 104 having the identifier in question. [0045] The manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104, or a third party acting on behalf of the manufacturer, may thus provide a service by which such historical usage information 116 can be retrieved. The manufacturer or the authorized third party may provide the service on a subscription basis, such that the remanufacturer 414 has subscribed to the service. The manufacturer or the authorized third party may additionally or instead provide the service for purchase on a per-consumable item basis.

[0046] Along with the historical usage information 116, the remanufacturer 414 may also request and electronically receive a manufacturer- or authorized third party-determined condition grade 416 of the consumable item 104. The condition grade may be determined based on the historical usage information 116. Because the manufacturer is more than likely to have more technical and historical usage knowledge regarding the consumable items used in its printing devices than the remanufacturer 414, the manufacturer is in a better position to generate a condition grade 416 that accurately reflects the actual condition of the consumable item 104.

[0047] The remanufacturer 414 then refills without first reconditioning (417), reconditions (418), or recycles or disposes of (420) the consumable item 104 based on the received historical usage information 116. For example, the remanufacturer 414 may make this determination based solely on the condition grade 416. The condition grade may be one of a highest condition grade, a lowest condition grade, and a medium condition grade.

[0048] The highest condition grade may denote that the consumable item 104 is in excellent condition. For example, the consumable item 104 may have just be used once (i.e., in just one printing device 102), and be in an undamaged state. Therefore, the consumable item 104 can simply be refilled (416) (e.g., topped off with additional colorant so that the item 104 is again full) and subsequently reused or resold without having to first be reconditioned. The remanufacturer 414 may otherwise be unable to determine that the consumable item 104 was used just once, and therefore but for having received the condition grade 416 may have instead unnecessarily first reconditioned the item 104.

[0049] The lowest grade may denote that the consumable item 104 is in poor condition. For example, the consumable item 104 may be damaged, in a way that may be difficult for the remanufacturer 414 to itself discern. The remanufacturer 414 may therefore recycle or dispose of the consumable item 104 (420), instead of attempting reconditioning that will likely fail, or that will result in the item 104 failing prematurely after being reused or resold.

[0050] As another example, the consumable item 104 may have been used more than a threshold number of times - i.e., in more than one printing device 102 where the item 104 was refilled before each time other than the first time. The remanufacturer 414 may recycle or dispose of the consumable item 104 (420) here, too. While the remanufacturer 414 may be able to successfully recondition the consumable item 104, the cost to do so may be sufficiently great that the remanufacturer 414 is unlikely to realize a profit when subsequently reselling the item 104, and/or the item 104 may prematurely fail upon reuse, due to the age and state of the consumable item

104. [0051] The medium grade may denote that the consumable item 104 is in fair condition, and with reconditioning be subsequently reused for an expected length of time. Therefore, the remanufacturer 414 may recondition (and refill) the consumable item 104 (418) prior to resale or reuse. In this case, the remanufacturer 414 may use the historical usage information 116 to guide the remanufacturer 414 as to the extent or degree to which, or how, the consumable item 104 should be reconditioned.

[0052] For example, if the consumable item 104 has certain components that have remaining life less than a threshold, then these components may be replaced during reconditioning. By comparison, other components that have remaining life greater than the threshold may not have to be replaced during reconditioning. The remanufacturer 414 can thus use the condition grade 416 to determine whether to perform reconditioning, and then use the historical usage information 116 to determine what reconditioning should be performed.

[0053] FIG. 5 shows an example method 500 for handling the printing device consumable item 104 in the second example scenario 400 of FIG. 4. The parts of the method 500 in the left column are performed by the remanufacturer 414, and the parts in the right column are performed by the server computing device 108. As in FIG. 2, the server computing device 108 receives and storages usage information regarding the consumable item 104 for the printing device 102 during usage of the item 104 within the device 102 for printing (501).

[0054] At some point thereafter (503), the remanufacturer 414 receives the previously used consumable item 104 as may have been provided by the user of the printing device 102 (502). The damage state of the consumable item may be visually assessed by the remanufacturer 414 (504), as in part 304 of FIG. 3. If the consumable item 104 is undamaged per this visual inspection, then a computing device of the remanufacturer 414 electronically transmits an identifier of the item 104 to the server device 108 (506), which accordingly receives the identifier (508), such as over a network 110.

[0055] The server computing device 108 retrieves the historical usage information 116 of the consumable item 104 that the device 108 maintains (510). Based on this historical usage information 116, the server computing device 108 generates a condition grade 416 of the consumable item 104 (512). The server computing device 108 electronically transmits the historical usage information and the condition grade 416 back to the computing device of the remanufacturer 414 (514), which electronically receives accordingly this information (516).

[0056] As a rudimentary concrete example, the server computing device 108 may generate the condition grade 416 as one of a highest, lowest, or medium condition grade, based on the number of times the consumable item 104 has been refilled and subsequently reused in the same or different new printing device 118. The condition grade 416 may also be based on the damage state of the consumable item 104 if the printing device 102 or 118 has reported the item 104 as being damaged. For instance, if the damage state indicates that the consumable item 104 is not damaged, and the number of times the item 104 has been refilled and subsequently reused is less than a first threshold, then the condition grade 416 may be assigned as the highest condition grade. [0057] By comparison, if the damage state indicates that the consumable item 104 is not damaged, but the number of times the item 104 has been refilled and subsequently reused is greater than the first threshold but lower than a higher second threshold, then the condition grade 416 may be assigned as the medium condition grade. Conversely, if the consumable item 104 is not damaged but the number of times that it has been refilled and subsequently reused is greater than the second threshold, then the condition grade 416 may be assigned as the lowest condition grade. The condition grade 416 may also be assigned as the lowest condition grade if the consumable item 104 is damaged per its reported damage state.

[0058] The remanufacturer 414 thus refills, reconditions, or recycles or disposes of the consumable item 104 based on the received condition grade 416 of the item 104 (518). The remanufacturer 414 is therefore able to better handle the consumable item 104 (i.e., refill, recondition, or recycle or dispose of), based on such historical usage information 116 of the consumable item 104. However, if the visual assessment of the damage state of the consumable item 104 in part 504 is indicative of the item 104 being damaged in such a way that refilling or reconditioning of the consumable item 104 is unsuitable, then the remanufacturer may just recycle or dispose of the item 104 (520).

[0059] FIG. 6 shows an example method 600 for determining whether to refill, recondition, or recycle or dispose of the consumable item 104 based on its condition grade 416 in the implementation in which the condition grade 416 is one of a highest grade, a lowest grade, or a medium grade between the highest and lowest grades. The method 600 can ben be performed as part 518 of FIG. 5 in this respect. If the condition grade 416 is the highest condition grade, then the remanufacturer 414 may refill the consumable item 104 without first reconditioning the item 104 (602). If the condition grade 416 is the lowest condition grade, then the remanufacturer 414 may recycle or dispose of the consumable item 104 (604).

[0060] If the condition grade 416 is between the highest and lowest condition grades, then the remanufacturer 414 may first recondition the consumable item 104 before refilling (606). There may be one such medium grade, in which case the remanufacturer 414 may use the historical usage information 116 as a guide to determine the extent or degree to which, or how, the consumable item 104 should be reconditioned, as described above. In another implementation, however, there may be multiple such medium grades. In this case, the remanufacturer 414 may perform reconditioning of the consumable item 104 according to the specific medium grade assigned as the condition grade 416, without resorting to the historical usage information 116 to guide reconditioning.

[0061] FIG. 7 shows an example method 700 for handling a previously used printing device consumable item 104 in scenarios including the first and second example scenarios 100 and 400 of FIGs. 1 and 4. The method 700 may be performed by a redeployment center 114 of the manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104, or of a manufacturer- authorized third party, as in the first example scenario 100. The method 700 may similarly be performed by a remanufacturer 414 not affiliated with the manufacturer, as in the second example scenario 400. [0062] The method 700 includes receiving a consumable item 104 previously used within a printing device 102 (702). The method 700 includes electronically retrieving historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 based on an identifier of the consumable item 104 (704). The method 700 includes handling (e.g., deploying refilling, reconditioning, or recycling or disposing of) the consumable item 104 based on the historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 (706).

[0063] FIG. 8 shows an example non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium 800 storing program code 802. The program code 802 is executable to perform processing used in conjunction with handling a previously used printing device consumable item 104 in the method of FIG. 7. The program code 802 may be executed by the server computing device 108 maintained by or for the manufacturer of the printing device 102 or the consumable item 104, for instance.

[0064] The processing includes receiving, from a computing device over a network 110, an identifier of a consumable item 104 previously used within a printing device 102 (804). The computing device may be that at the redeployment center 114 in the first example scenario 100 of FIG. 1 , or that of the remanufacturer 414 in the second example scenario 400 of FIG. 4, for instance. The processing includes retrieving historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 from a database maintained by the server computing device 108, based on the identifier of the consumable item 104 (806). [0065] The processing includes then transmitting, to the computing device over the network 110, the retrieved historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 (808). The consumable item 104 is then handled at a location of the computing device based on the historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104. For instance, the consumable item 104 is handled at the deployment center 114 in the first usage scenario 100 of FIG. 1 or by the remanufacturer 414 in the second usage scenario 400 of FIG. 4 based on the historical usage information 116. [0066] FIG. 9 shows an example printing device 102 that reports usage information 106 regarding a consumable item 104 of the printing device 102. The usage information 106 can then be used, as the historical usage information 116, in conjunction with the method of FIG. 7 after the consumable item is no longer being used in the printing device. The printing device 102 may be a standalone printer, or an all-in-one (AIO) device that can perform other functionality in addition to printing, such as copying, faxing, scanning, and so on.

[0067] The printing device 102 includes the consumable item 104, printing hardware 906, a processor 908, and a memory 910. The printing device 102 can include other components, in addition to and/or in lieu of those depicted in FIG. 9. The consumable item 104 is removable from the printing device 102. The printing hardware 906 includes the electrical circuitry and components and the mechanical components that the printing device 102 uses to print with the consumable item 104. For example, the printing hardware 906 may include laser-printing hardware in the case of a laser printing device 102, and inkjet-printing hardware in the case of an inkjet printing device.

[0068] The memory 910 stores instructions 912 that are executable by the processor 908 to report, to a computing device over a network 110, usage information 106 regarding the consumable item 104 during usage of the consumable item 104 within the printing device 102 (914). The computing device stores the usage information as historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104. The computing device may be the server computing device 108 of the manufacturer of the printing device 102 and/or the consumable item 104, or of a manufacturer-authorized third party.

[0069] Upon the consumable item 104 no longer being used in and removed from the printing device 102, handling of the consumable item 104 is based on the historical usage information 116 regarding the consumable item 104 stored by the computing device. For instance, in the first usage scenario 100 of FIG. 1 , the consumable item 104 is handled at the deployment center 114 based on the historical usage information 116. Similarly, in the second usage scenario 400 of FIG. 4, the consumable item 104 is handled by the remanufacturer 414 based on the historical usage information 116.

[0070] Techniques have been described for handling previously used consumable items based on their historical usage information. The consumable items can accordingly be handled in a more environmentally sustainable manner. Rather than recycling or disposing of a consumable item, the item may be redeployed within a different printing device, depending on its historical usage information. Similarly, a consumable item may be refilled without having to first be reconditioned, or may be more suitably reconditioned, depending on its historical usage information.

Claims

We claim:

1 . A method comprising: receiving a consumable item that is previously used; electronically retrieving historical usage information regarding the consumable item based on an identifier of the consumable item; and handling the consumable item based on the historical usage information regarding the consumable item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the historical usage information regarding the consumable item comprises one or multiple of: a remaining life of a colorant of the consumable item; a remaining life of a component of the consumable item other than the colorant; a number of pages printed using the consumable item; and a damage state of the consumable item.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the consumable comprises a cartridge containing a supply of colorant used by a printing device to print.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the historical usage information regarding the consumable item comprises a remaining life of the consumable item as reported by a printing device during usage of the consumable item within the printing device, and wherein handling the consumable item based on the historical usage information regarding the consumable item comprises:

26 in response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item is greater than a threshold corresponding to a useful remaining life of the consumable item, redeploying the consumable item within a new printing device without first reconditioning the consumable item; and in response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item is less than the threshold corresponding to the useful remaining life of the consumable item, reconditioning, recycling, or disposing of the consumable item.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein handling the consumable item based on the historical usage information regarding the consumable item further comprises: in response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item is greater than a threshold corresponding to a useful remaining life of the consumable item, selecting the new printing device that has a usage profile matching the remaining life of the consumable item.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the usage profile matches the remaining life of the consumable item in that expected usage of the consumable item in the new printing device will result in the remaining life of the consumable item lasting for at least a threshold length of time.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: visually inspecting the consumable item to assess a damage state of the consumable item, wherein handling the consumable item is further based on the damage state of the consumable item.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein electronically receiving the historical usage information regarding the consumable item comprises: receiving a condition grade of the consumable item that is based on the historical information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein handling the consumable item based on the historical information regarding the consumable item comprises: in response to the condition grade being a highest condition grade, refilling the consumable item with colorant and redeploying the consumable item within a new printing device without first reconditioning the consumable item; in response to the condition grade being a lowest condition grade, recycling or disposing of the consumable item; and in response to the condition grade being between the highest condition grade and the lowest condition grade, reconditioning the consumable item and then redeploying t he consumable item within the new printing device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing program code executable by a processor to perform processing comprising: receiving, from a computing device over a network, an identifier of a consumable item that has been previously used; retrieving historical usage information regarding the consumable item, based on the identifier of the consumable item; and transmitting, to the computing device over the network, the historical usage information regarding the consumable item, wherein the consumable item is handled at a location of the computing device based on the historical usage information regarding the consumable item.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 10, wherein the consumable comprises a cartridge containing a supply of colorant used by a printing device to print, and wherein the historical usage information regarding the consumable item comprises one or multiple of: a remaining life of the colorant of the consumable item; a remaining life of a component of the consumable item other than the colorant; a number of pages printed using the consumable item; and a damage state of the consumable item.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 10, wherein the processing further comprises: receiving, from a printing device over the network, usage information regarding the consumable item as the consumable item is used within the printing device; and storing the usage information regarding the consumable item in the database, as the historical usage information regarding the consumable item.

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13. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 10, wherein the historical usage information regarding the consumable item comprises a remaining life of the consumable item as reported by a printing device during usage of the consumable item within the printing device, and wherein the processing further comprises: receiving a request from a user of the printing device that the consumable item is no longer needed; after receiving the request, in response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item is greater than a threshold corresponding to a useful remaining life of the consumable item, instructing the user to return the consumable item to a first location at which the consumable item is redeployed within a new printing device without first reconditioning the consumable item; and after receiving the request, in response to determining that the remaining life of the consumable item is less than the threshold corresponding to the useful remaining life of the consumable item, instructing the user to return the consumable item to a second location at which the consumable item is reconditioned, recycled, or disposed.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 10, wherein the processing further comprises: generating a condition grade of the consumable item that is based on the historical information, as one of a highest condition grade, a lowest condition grade, and a medium condition grade between the highest condition grade and the lowest condition grade,

30 wherein the condition grade is transmitted to the computing device over the network along with the historical usage information regarding the consumable item, wherein in response to the condition grade being the highest condition grade, the consumable item is refilled with colorant at a location of the computing device and redeployed within a new printing device without first recondition the consumable item, wherein in response to the condition grade being the lowest condition grade, the consumable item is recycled or disposed at the location of the computing device, and wherein in response to the condition grade being the medium condition grade, the consumable item is first reconditioned at the location of the condition device and then redeployed within the new printing device.

15. A printing device comprising: a consumable item that is removable from the printing device; a processor; and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to report, to a computing device over a network, usage information regarding the consumable item during usage of the consumable item within the printing device, the computing device storing the usage information as historical usage information regarding the consumable item; wherein upon the consumable item no longer being used in and removed from the printing device, handling of the consumable item is based

31 on the historical usage information regarding the consumable item stored by the computing device.

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