International Business Machines Corporation

Harvey R Markham

Roger D Shepherd

Richard A Lamos

Paul R Spivey

Ben A Nilsson

Steven R Harding

Paul S Bach

Robert C Brannan

Method for continuing the operation of a machine despite the malfunction of a nonessential feature. If the determination is made that a feature program is nonoperable, another check is made by sensing a corresponding flag to determine whether the feature is essential to the continued operation of the machine, and, if not, allows the machine to continue operation without the feature.

Optional machine inhibition for feature malfunction

An electrophotographic copier having a toner concentration control apparatus which periodically effects a toner-patch test cycle during which the optical density of toner deposited on a photoconductor test area is measured, as by light reflectance. A time period of copier non-use, exceeding a preset time period, or a copier on/off operation, referred to as critical events, results in a transient mode of copier operation which includes reduction of photoconductor charge magnitude during the next subsequent use, independent of the extent of the prior copier use history. During such subsequent use, the toner-patch test cycle is operable to effect closed-loop control of changing the photoconductor's charge magnitude back to its nominal working value. More specifically, so long as the results of a toner-patch test cycle indicate an acceptable toner density, the photoconductor charge magnitude is maintained at a lower than working level. As the results of the toner-patch test cycle periodically indicate lower than acceptable toner density, as by a high light reflectance off the test patch, the photconductor's charge magnitude is periodically increased until finally the working charge magnitude is reached. The results of the toner-patch test cycle are operable to add toner to the copier's developer only when the photoconductor's charge magnitude has been increased to at or near the working magnitude.

Charge density control for an electrostatic copier

A document feeder system, interfaced with a copier system having, inter alia, a semi-automatic document feeder (SADF), an automatic document feeder (ADF) a document queue, and an associated logic control system that allows the suspending of a prior task being run on either of the foregoing document feeders and the commencing of a subsequent or urgent task on any one of the other foregoing document feeders immediately thereafter. Thus, when an urgent task operator selects a feeder suspending/commencing mode button, a single control panel is instantly made available so that the urgent task copy quantity and feature selections can be made. After the foregoing is accomplished, the single copying of the prior task original document on the document viewing glass is completed and the document stored in the document queue or ejected into a prior task exit pocket. Then the chosen urgent task feeder is enabled for feeding. In addition, the prior task status is retained for recall without having to reformat the single control panel. Accordingly, when the urgent task is completed, the urgent task operator de-selects the feeder suspending/commencing mode button thereby causing the copy quantity and feature selections of the prior task to be re-entered into the single control panel and the prior task to be immediately re-commenced without further operator intervention.

Document feeder system having a suspending/commencing mode

A document feeder system, interfaced with a copier system, with, inter alia, a semi-automatic document feeder (SADF), an automatic document feeder (ADF), a prior task document judgment queue and an associated logic control system that allows the suspending of a prior task being run on either of the foregoing document feeders and the commencing of a subsequent or urgent task on any one of the other foregoing document feeders. This feeder suspending/commencing mode is carried out with a judgment decision capability based on judgment criteria consisting of the combination of certain predetermined prior and subsequent tasks information. Thus, when an urgent task operator selects a feeder suspending/commencing mode button, a single control panel is instantly made available so that the urgent task copy quantity and feature selections can be made. After the foregoing is accomplished, a judgment decision is made as whether to finish the copying of the original document on the document viewing glass and eject it into a prior task exit pocket and then enable the chosen urgent task feeder, or whether to feed the original document on the document viewing glass to the prior task document judgment queue for storage and subsequent feeding back onto the document viewing glass after the urgent task is completed. Whichever decision is made, the prior task status is retained for recall without having to reformat the single control panel. Accordingly, when the urgent task is completed, the urgent task operator de-selects the feeder suspending/commencing mode button thereby causing the copy quantity and feature selections of the prior task to be reentered into the single control panel and the re-commencing of the prior task without further operator intervention.

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Westminster, CO, United States of America

Harvey R Markham