Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-Packard Company

Douglas A Cheney

K Trent Christensen

A printing device has a number of discrete components in a path traversed by print media. The number of uses of each discrete component in the print path is individually monitored and recorded. The number of individual uses of at least one discrete component is provided at the printing device and/or over a communications network.

Method for selective replacement of discrete print media path components

A start-up guide is associated with a system, such as an imaging system, including shipping elements at a plurality of locations in or on the system. The shipping elements are of a type that should be removed from the system in a predetermined sequence prior to initial operation of the system. The start-up guide includes a removable location indicator at each of the locations at which shipping elements to be removed is located. A linear linking element sequentially connects the location indicators in an order corresponding to the sequence in which the shipping elements are to be removed.

Sequential device start-up guide

A method and apparatus for determining a maintenance interval for a media-handling mechanism is provided. The determination of the maintenance interval includes the number of media sheets transported by the media-handling mechanism along with additional media information, such as the media size or the media type for each media sheet transported.

Method and apparatus for determining a maintenance interval for media-handling mechanisms

A method of and an apparatus for communicating with the operator that of an image forming device which reduces the probability of error in acquiring a replacement consumable and which alerts the operator as to the proper disposal of the exhausted consumable. The invention utilizes status sensors within the printing device to sense when a particular consumable is exhausted or nearing exhaustion. The printing device automatically prints a hard copy page for the operator informing the user of the status of the particular consumable and corrective action to be taken. This is accomplished by a firmware implementation within the image forming device where in addition to, or in lieu of, a traditional low level status light indicator, the low level sensor sets a flag within the firmware program of the printing device which causes one or more pages of information to be printed from the image forming device. This information can be completely prestored within a memory device such as a ROM (read only memory) or NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory) either within the image forming device or on the consumable itself, or, the message can be generated at least partially in a dynamic fashion depending upon the type of consumable consumed and other use factors.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Douglas A Cheney