Patent ID: 7891793

Claim:
A machine comprising: at least one ink stick having an electronically-readable memory device attached thereto, the memory device having stored therein electronic data associated with the ink stick; and a coupler external to the ink stick, the coupler being configured to read the electronic data from the memory device, wherein the at least one ink stick includes a plurality of ink sticks arranged in a queue, and wherein the coupler communicates with memory devices attached to the ink sticks in order to: identify a lead ink stick in the queue, and determine a number of ink sticks in the queue; and wherein the machine further comprises a signal processor configured to: determine at least one of a remaining quantity of the lead ink stick and a consumed quantity of the lead ink stick, and determine a quantity of marking material in the machine using the number of ink sticks in the queue and the at least one of the remaining quantity of the lead ink stick and the consumed quantity of the lead ink stick.