1. A liquid property detection device comprising:
a first electrode that is in a liquid container and is formed by a first metal having a first ionization tendency;
a second electrode that is in the liquid container and is formed by a second metal having a second ionization tendency which is different from the first ionization tendency;
an electromotive force obtaining unit configured to obtain an electromotive force which is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode in the liquid container, and the liquid container containing a liquid so that the liquid is in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode;
a storage unit configured to store a table showing correspondence between a property of the liquid contained in the liquid container and the electromotive force;
a property determination unit configured to determine the property of the liquid contained in the liquid container on the basis of the electromotive force obtained by the electromotive force obtaining unit and the table stored in the storage unit; and
an output unit configured to output information corresponding to the property determined by the property determination unit.
2. The liquid property detection device according to claim 1, wherein the property is an amount of the liquid.
3. The liquid property detection device according to claim 2, wherein
the liquid container includes an information recording unit that is configured to store information indicating a type of the liquid contained in the liquid container,
the liquid property detection device further comprises an information obtaining unit configured to obtain information indicating a type of the liquid, from the information recording unit of the liquid container,
the storage unit is configured to store a plurality of tables respectively corresponding to types of liquids, and
the property determination unit is configured to calculate an amount of the liquid contained in the liquid container, by using the electromotive force obtained by the electromotive force obtaining unit, and one of the plurality of tables corresponding to the type of the liquid indicated by the information obtained by the information obtaining unit.
4. The liquid property detection device according to claim 2, further comprising an input unit configured to input a signal indicating an execution of a jetting operation, from a liquid jet device having a liquid jet unit which performs a jetting operation of jetting the liquid contained in the liquid container, wherein
the electromotive force obtaining unit is configured to obtain the electromotive force generated between the first electrode and the second electrode, before and after the jetting operation indicated by the signal which is input by the input unit,
the property determination unit is further configured to calculate a decrease of the liquid, from amounts of the liquid which are obtained before and after the jetting operation by the property determination unit, by using electromotive forces obtained before and after the jetting operation,
the liquid property detection device further comprises a determination unit configured to determine a ratio between the decrease calculated by the property determination unit and a jet amount of the liquid which should be jetted by the jetting operation, and
the output unit is configured to output information corresponding to a determination result of the determination unit.
5. The liquid property detection device according to claim 4, wherein
the liquid jet unit can execute a plurality of jetting operations including a jetting operation in which a jet amount of the liquid is constant, and
the electromotive force obtaining unit is configured to obtain electromotive forces before and after the jet amount of the liquid is constant among the plurality of liquid jetting operations.
6. The liquid property detection device according to claim 4, wherein
the determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the ratio between the decrease calculated by the property determination unit and the jet amount of the liquid which should be jetted by the jetting operation falls within each of a plurality of ranges, and
the output unit is configured to output information corresponding to one of the plurality of ranges in which the ratio falls.
7. The liquid property detection device according to claim 1, wherein the electromotive force obtaining unit includes a measurement unit configured to measure the electromotive force generated between the first electrode and the second electrode, and
the electromotive force obtaining unit is configured to obtain the electromotive force measured by the measurement unit.
8. The liquid property detection device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid container includes a measurement unit configured to measure the electromotive force generated between the first electrode and the second electrode, and
the electromotive force obtaining unit is configured to obtain the electromotive force measured by the measurement unit.
9. The liquid property detection device according to claim 1, wherein the property is a type of a liquid.
10. The liquid property detection device according to claim 9, wherein
the liquid container includes a liquid information recording unit configured to store information indicating the type of the liquid to be contained in the liquid container,
the liquid property detection device further comprises
an information obtaining unit configured to obtain information indicating the type of the liquid, from the liquid information recording unit of the liquid container, and
a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the type of the liquid indicated by the information obtained by the information obtaining unit, and the type of the liquid determined by the property determination unit correspond to each other, and
the output unit is configured to output information corresponding to a determination result of the determination unit.
11. The liquid property detection device according to claim 9, wherein
the liquid container includes a liquid information recording unit configured to store liquid amount information indicating an amount of the liquid contained in the liquid container,
the liquid property detection device further comprises a detecting unit configured to obtain the liquid amount information from the liquid amount recording unit of the liquid container, and detect whether the liquid container is filled with the liquid or not, based on the obtained liquid amount information, and
the electromotive force obtaining unit is configured to obtain the electromotive force if the liquid container is determined to be filled with the liquid by the detection unit.
12. The liquid property detection device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode disposed in the liquid container and the liquid constitute a voltaic battery, and
the electromotive force obtaining unit measures the electromotive force generated when the first electrode and the second electrode dissolve in the liquid.
13. A liquid container comprising:
a first electrode that is formed by a first metal having a first ionization tendency;
a second electrode that is formed by a second metal having a second ionization tendency which is different from the first ionization tendency;
a containing part configured to contain a liquid to be jetted to a recording medium from a liquid jet device, with the liquid maintained in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a supply port configured to supply the liquid contained in the containing part to the liquid jet device.
14. The liquid container according to claim 13, further comprising an attachment unit that can be attacheddetached tofrom the liquid jet device.
15. A plurality of liquid containers, each of the liquid containers corresponding to the liquid container of claim 13, comprising:
a connecting unit configured to connect the first electrode and the second electrode in a manner that when the liquid is supplied from the plurality of the liquid containers, an electromotive force generated between the first electrode and the second electrode in one of the plurality of the liquid containers is connected in series with an electromotive force generated between the first electrode and the second electrode in an adjacent one of the plurality of the liquid containers.
16. The liquid container according to claim 15, wherein the connecting unit is configured to connect the first electrode and the second electrode in a manner that the electromotive forces connected in series have a predetermined voltage.
17. The liquid container according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of the liquid containers is respectively configured to contain liquids which differ from each other with respect to at least one of hue, saturation, and brightness.
18. An image forming device comprising:
a liquid container including
a first electrode that is formed by a first metal having a first ionization tendency;
a second electrode that is formed by a second metal having a second ionization tendency which is different from the first ionization tendency; and
a containing part for containing a liquid so as to be in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode;
a liquid property detection device including
an electromotive force obtaining unit configured to obtain an electromotive force which is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode in the liquid container,
a storage unit configured to store a table showing correspondence between a property of the liquid contained in the liquid container and the electromotive force,
a property determination unit configured to determine the property of the liquid contained in the liquid container on the basis of the electromotive force obtained by the electromotive force obtaining unit and the table stored in the storage unit; and
an output unit configured to output information corresponding to the property determined by the property determination unit; and
a liquid jet unit configured to perform a jetting operation for jetting the liquid contained in the liquid container.
19. A liquid property detection method comprising:
obtaining an electromotive force which is generated between a first electrode and a second electrode in a liquid container, the first electrode being formed by a first metal having a first ionization tendency, the second electrode being formed by a second metal having a second ionization tendency which is different from the first ionization tendency, and the liquid container containing a liquid so that the liquid is in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode;
storing a table showing correspondence between a property of the liquid contained in the liquid container and the electromotive force;
determining the property of the liquid contained in the liquid container, by using the obtained electromotive force and the stored table; and
outputting information corresponding to the determined property.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A mobile station for communicating in a mobile radio system, the mobile station being associated with a subscription to services in a home mobile radio network and comprising a storage for storing a list of preferred mobile radio networks, said mobile station having
the capability of sending a location update request comprising a not preferred indicator to said home mobile radio network when trying to register with a mobile radio network other than the home mobile radio network or the mobile radio networks listed in the list of preferred mobile radio networks, the not preferred indicator serving to indicate that the mobile radio network with which the mobile station is presently trying to register is not one of the preferred mobile ratio networks stored on the list.
2. A method for selecting a visited mobile radio network for a mobile station performing international roaming, the mobile station being associated with a subscription to services in a home mobile radio network, in which method the need of a network feature of the subscription is considered in selecting the visited mobile radio network, said method comprising:
receiving, in the home mobile radio network, an international roaming indication associated with said subscription, the international roaming indication being a location update request comprising information on geographical region (s), an identity of the mobile station, an identity of the mobile radio network to which the mobile station is trying to register, and a not preferred indicator, the not preferred indicator serving to indicate that the mobile radio network with which the mobile station is presently trying to register is not one of the preferred mobile ratio networks stored on a list maintained by the mobile station; and
selecting an acceptable visited mobile radio network including considering said information on geographical region (s) together with the network feature need of the mobile station.
3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
compiling a list of preferred mobile radio networks, comprising the identity of at least one mobile radio network, the at least one mobile radio network supporting said need of a network feature of the subscription;
sending said list of preferred mobile radio networks to the mobile station; and storing said list of preferred mobile radio networks at the mobile station.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein
the identities of mobile radio networks in the list of preferred mobile radio networks are placed in order of preference according to a predefined criteria.
5. The method according to claim 3, wherein
the mobile station, upon failure to register with the home mobile radio network, selects a mobile radio network from said list of preferred mobile radio networks as the visited mobile radio network with which the mobile station should try to register.
6. The method according to claim 2, wherein
the information on geographic region (s) consists of the identity of the mobile radio network to which the mobile station is trying to register.
7. The method according to claim 2, wherein
the identity of a selected visited mobile radio network is include in a location update result message sent to the mobile station in response to receiving said location update request.
8. The method according to claim 2, wherein
a set of mobile radio networks, out of which the visited mobile radio network can be selected, is arranged in an array, each away entry representing a geographic area and each mobile network in the set being associated with at least one array try representing a geographic area in which the mobile radio network is operated, each mobile radio network in the set being further associated with information on the network feature support provided by said mobile radio network.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein
the geographic area represented by an array entry corresponds a the coverage are of a mobile radio network, the mobile radio network not necessarily being included in the set of mobile radio networks; and the coverage area of each of the mobile radio networks in the set is represented by an entry in the array.
10. The method according to claim 8, wherein
to each mobile radio network in the set is associated an indicator indicating whether the mobile radio network is a favourable mobile radio network; and
the value of the indicator is taken into account in selecting a visited mobile radio network.
11. The method according to claim 8, wherein
the mobile radio networks in the array are placed in order of preference according to a predefined criteria.
12. The method according to claim 2, wherein
said network feature is the Customized Application for Mobile network Enhanced Logic (CAMEL).
13. The method according to claim 2, wherein
said network feature is the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).
14. A system for mobile radio communication comprising mobile radio networks, each mobile radio network enabling mobile radio communication for mobile stations registered with the mobile radio network, said system comprising means for taking into account the needs of a network feature of a mobile station when selecting a visited mobile radio network for said mobile station, wherein said means for taking into account comprise receiving means for receiving an international roaming indication associated with said mobile station in the form of a location update request, said international roaming indication comprising information on geographical region (s), an identity of the mobile station, an identity of the mobile radio network to which the mobile station is trying to register, and a not preferred indicator, the not preferred indicator serving to indicate that the mobile radio network with which the mobile station is presently trying to register is not one of the preferred mobile radio networks stored on a list maintained by the mobile station.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein said means for taking into account further comprises:
a first storage for storing information on which level(s) of capability of said network feature that each of the mobile radio networks in a set of mobile radio networks supports; and
a second storage for storing information on level-of-capability needs of a subscription, associated with said mobile station, with regard to said network feature.
16. The system of claim 15, said system further comprising
sending means for sending a location update result message to the mobile station, said location update result message comprising information on a visited mobile radio network with which said mobile station should try to register.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein
said means for taking into account further comprises means for compiling the list of preferred mobile radio networks, containing identities of mobile radio networks which gives support for the network feature needs of said mobile station; an sending means for sending the list of preferred mobile radio networks to the mobile station.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein
the sending means further comprises means for sending a location update result message comprising said list of preferred mobile radio networks.
19. The system of claim 14, wherein said network feature is the Customized Application for Mobile network Enhanced Logic (CAMEL).