Patent ID: 7874661

Claim:
An ink stick for use in an ink loader of a phase change ink imaging device, the ink stick comprising: an ink stick body configured to produce a single color of ink and to fit within a feed channel of a phase change ink imaging device, the ink stick body having an exterior surface that exhibits the single color of ink to be produced by melting the ink stick body; and at least one coded marker having textured areas of varying reflective properties in the exterior of the ink stick body that are configured to reflect light at a first signal level and non-textured areas in the exterior of the ink stick body that are configured to reflect light at a second signal level, the textured areas and non-textured areas of the at least one coded marker being serially arranged in the exterior surface of the ink stick body, the at least one coded marker being configured to generate a coded pattern of a plurality of indicia that comprise a code word that is serially configured to indicate variable control/attribute information to a control system of a phase change ink imaging device before the ink stick body is melted in the phase change imaging device to produce the single color of ink.