Xerox Corporation

Christopher R Rizzo

Ashutosh Sanzgiri

David Russel Sponable

John A Scriven

Marvin M Abe

Methods and devices maintain the status of unaltered media currently available within physical media trays of a printing device and maintain the status of currently available media processing components of the printing device. The media processing components have elements that physically alter the unaltered media. Further, such methods and devices dynamically enable previously created virtual media trays (and/or create virtual media trays) based on the availability of the unaltered media and the availability of the media processing components. The virtual media trays virtually appear to contain virtual media that is physically different from the unaltered media currently available. Such methods and devices receive a request to print on a selected virtual media from one of the virtual media trays through the graphic user interface. Then, these methods and devices physically alter the unaltered media using the media processing components to physically change the unaltered media to the selected virtual media.

Virtual media trays

Methods and systems maintain print media stocking information. The print media stocking information comprises types and amounts of print media stored at a plurality of different physical locations. The different physical locations have printing devices and external storage locations. The print media is maintained within internal storage locations of the printing devices and within the external storage locations at the different physical locations. The external storage locations are outside the printing devices and positioned relative to the printing devices a distance to allow an operator to load the print media into the printing devices when instructed to do so. The methods and systems receive a print job from a user. In response to receiving the print job, the methods and systems output to the user the types and amounts of media available at the different physical locations that correspond to print job media required for the print job.

Growing community of inventors

Sherwood, OR, United States of America

Christopher R Rizzo