Xerox Corporation

Tektronix, Inc.

Tekronix, Inc.

Brent Rodney Jones

Brian Walter Aznoe

Christopher R Gold

Jonathan R Ritter

Frederick T Mattern

Scott J Korn

Timothy L Crawford

Edward Francis Burress

Jasper Kent Wong

John I Ramalho

Barry Daniel Reeves

David Lyell Knierim

Ernest I Esplin

Clark W Crawford

Richard Guy Chambers

Darrell Ray Finneman

Nathan E Hult

Kelvin Kwong

John Albert Wright

David Walter Johnson

William L Emery

Gerard H Rousseau

Trevor James Snyder

David Paul Platt

Isaac S Frazier

James D Rise

Jon C Malmberg

Alix A Holmes

Gustavo J Yusem

Wangxi Fu

Aaron T Nelson

Karen Vicki Zocchi

Michael Alan Fairchild

Chad David Freitag

James Michael Bonicatto

Larry Eugene Hindman

Jeffrey Russell Kohne

James B Jensen

Charles Robert Carlson

Brian Patterson

Charles Firkins

Jason Paul Woebkenberg

Joseph Benjamin Gault

Ashok Murthy

Carl Thomas Urban

Dan Leo Massopust

Keng Leong Ng

Terry Alan Smith

Shanti Villarreal

Sara Kleiman

James Patrick VanWinkle

Yin Mei Sia

Paul Ronald Herman

Martin Scott Walsh

Mark Simon Boyt

Suresh Anjaneyelu Venkatswamy

David F Coffey

Frederck T Mattern

Douglas B Henkle

Patricia L Werner

David Allen Mantell

Summer L Schneider

Donald R Titterington

Daniel Clark Park

Joshua King Hoyt

Adam Douglas Ledgerwood

Todd D Smith

Kenneth Paul Moore

Michael E Jones

Michael Cameron Gordon

Randy C Karambelas

Donald Richard Fess

Edward F Burke

Arthur Harold Kahn

David Douglas Martenson

Brian G Russell

James D Buehler

Brent Edward Fleming

Walter Sean Harris

Michael D Long

Joseph Andrew Broderick

Gordon Byron Reid

Heinz Erwin Grellmann

Ngoc-Diep Nguyen

Bjoern Erik Brunner

Danielle R Hall

Christopher Dale Iburg

Aaron L Boyce

Arthur C VanHorne

Debra Ranee Koehler

Mark Harris Tennant

Paul Christopher Lucas

Paul Woodward

Audrey Ann Lester

Paul Gregory Van Gasse

Patrick B Justice

Thomas R Edney

Richard Brzezinski

Joseph Michael Ferrara

Ng Boon Hang

An inkjet printer is operated to print an ink image and clear inkjets simultaneously. The inkjet printer delivers to a first inkjet in a printhead a first signal that ejects an ink drop from the first inkjet that corresponds to a pixel of an ink image stored in a memory of the printer and delivers to at least one other inkjet in the printhead a second signal that ejects an ink drop from the at least one other inkjet that does not correspond to a pixel of the ink image stored in the memory of the printer.

System and method for clearing weak and missing inkjets in an inkjet printer

A solid ink stick identification system enables accurate and efficient identification of solid ink sticks in a solid ink imaging device. The solid ink identification system includes an actuator configured to move one of an optical source and an optical sensor between a plurality of predetermined positions. The optical source emits light toward a face of the ink stick, and the optical sensor generates signals corresponding to an amount of reflected light received. A controller identifies features on the solid ink stick based on the signals as the one of the optical source and optical sensor is moved between the plurality of predetermined positions.

Ink stick identification system

A printing device includes a recessed output tray having a nudging mechanism including a nudger component that engages a stack of paper such that when the nudger moves, the stack will move with it and an actuating mechanism to move the nudger, thereby moving the stack of papers. The nudger may be automatic or may be controlled manually. The stack may be moved in a particular direction or may be rotated.

Output tray nudging mechanism

A printer extracts a media sheet from a plurality of media sheets in a media supply and moves the media sheet along a media path. A plurality of sensors on the media path generate signals as the media sheet moves past the sensors, and the printer identifies a cross-process direction dimension of the media sheet with references to signals generated by the sensors. The printer identifies the dimension of the print medium without requiring media size sensors in the media supply.

System and method for identification of media sheet size

A printer architecture that enables a printer (or other media processing device) with an elongate foot print to be configured with media input and operator controls oriented at either a narrow end or a wide side thereof, that surface becoming the 'front' of the unit. Controls and/or display(s) are mounted such that either the end or side orientation can be accommodated. The media input tray includes a separate assembly so that selection of the tray with access to end or side complements the user control panel in establishing the front of the machine. The combination of control/display mounting and oriented media tray structure integration with the print engine to establish which of the printer surfaces is considered the front allows for multiple orientations of the printer and greater flexibility to the customer.

Printer architecture enabling narrow or wide front facing orientation

A solid ink stick transport system has been developed that differentiates between ink sticks inserted into a single insertion port of an inkjet printer. The system includes a solid ink support platform that moves between a position exposed outside of a printer housing to receive solid ink sticks and a position within the housing. The support includes a sensor that enables a controller to identify the solid ink stick before transporting the solid ink stick to an appropriate feed channel.

Ink stick transport system

Document processing devices and account manager systems are presented which verify validity of pairings of installed consumables and document processing devices for permissive enablement of document processing functionality based on validity of the pairings.

Methods and system for consumable validity verification in prepaid document processing devices

A solid ink stick configuration efficiently provides functional features for use of the ink stick in a phase change ink printer without adversely impacting the volumetric content of the ink stick and its appearance.

Solid ink stick configuration

A solid ink stick enables identification of the ink stick in a variety of different orientations, while preventing the ink stick from being inserted into an ink loader in an orientation in which the ink stick cannot be identified. The ink stick includes two polygon end surfaces opposite one another. Each edge of the end surfaces has a first and a second identifier, which are identical to one another to enable the ink stick to be inserted into an ink loader without regard to the orientation of the edges.

Solid ink stick having identical identifying features on a plurality of edges

A container for storing phase-change ink includes a housing that is comprised primarily of a thermally insulating material and an inductive heater element positioned within the housing. The inductive heater element is formed in a manner that increases the surface area of the heater and enables frozen ink in the vicinity of a reservoir outlet to melt quickly to enable printing operations.

Inductive heater for a solid ink reservoir

An ink loader enables identification of features on a solid ink stick placed on an ink stick support in the ink loader. The ink loader includes two optical sources configured to emit diffuse light toward different surfaces of the solid ink stick. Two corresponding sets of optical sensors are positioned to receive light reflected from identifying features, if present, on the solid ink stick. A controller receives signals generated by the two sets of optical sensors and identifies the ink stick with reference to the signals from the sensors.

Ink loader having optical sensors to identify solid ink sticks

A feedback scheme is provided in which a combination of function specific firmware and hardware are used to capture a greater representation of issues experienced by a group of end-users specific to particular product with which the combination of function specific firmware and hardware is associated. Product-resident hardware stores record of product usage, faults, interventions and maintenance associated with a particular time window so that product-generated data can be coupled with user-generated experience feedback. A digitally-recorded description of the issue with which the user was confronted that prompted the feedback, and pertinent time frame product operating data is combined and transmitted to a product monitoring center for compilation, analysis and review.

Systems and methods for implementing recent experience comment and recent activity log feedback in image forming and media handling devices

A system adjusts at least one operational parameter for at least one electrical energy consuming device. The system monitors electrical energy consumption measurements for operational activity periods, identifies an electrical energy consumption measurement difference between an electrical energy consumption measurement for an operational activity period and an electrical energy consumption measurement for a corresponding operational activity period, and modifies an operational parameter for the electrical energy consuming device in response to the difference being greater than a predetermined threshold. The modified operational parameter is sent to the electrical energy consuming device to enable modified operation of the electrical energy consuming device.

System for monitoring and modifying operation of an electrical energy consuming device corresponding to electrical energy consumption

A portable imaging device has been developed. The portable imaging device enables a printhead to be mounted to a surface to print an image on the surface. The printhead moves in two or more directions while mounted on the printing surface enable the printhead to eject ink onto the surface to form the image on the surface.

Portable printer for direct imaging on surfaces

A solid ink printer is configured to learn the identity of solid ink sticks for printer operation. The solid ink printer includes a feed channel having an insertion opening configured to receive solid ink sticks, a sensor positioned near the insertion opening of the feed channel and configured to obtain solid ink stick type data from a solid ink stick inserted into the insertion opening of the feed channel, and a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor to receive the solid ink stick type data, the controller being configured to store the solid ink stick type data in a memory in response to an initialization signal and to operate the solid ink printer with reference to the solid ink stick type data stored in the memory by the controller.

Method that enables a solid ink printer to learn a solid ink stick type

Growing community of inventors

Sherwood, OR, United States of America

Brent Rodney Jones