Lexmark International, Inc.

Rolm Company

Kevin Patrick Goffinet

James Francis Webb

Gail Marie Songer

Francis Darrell Rafferty, Jr

Lloyd Phillip Young

Jeffrey Keith Wedinger

Peter Stewart Davidson, Jr

Steve Michael Edwards

Timothy S Seevers

John S Steele

Bruce H Edwards

Christopher S Faro

Randy S Sparks

Wayne D Torrey

A Greg Chavers

Kirk D Sanders

George A Rasko

A system for ordering consumables includes a peripheral device that utilizes at least one consumable, an entitlement system established between a user of the peripheral device and a supplier of at least one consumable, wherein the user pre-purchases a quantity of at least one consumable from the supplier for subsequent delivery on an as-needed basis and the peripheral device being adapted to communicate with the supplier to request delivery of at least one consumable pursuant to the entitlement system.

System and method for ordering consumables

A multi-function network printing device includes customizable functions and user interfaces for one of several identified vertical industry spaces. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a multi-function network printing device; (b) identifying a business purpose having specialized needs; and (c) customizing the built-in functions and the associated GUI icons based upon the specialized needs of the identified business purpose. In a more specific embodiment, the customizing step includes the step of adding additional functions to the multi-function device and associated icons displayed on the graphical-user-interface. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the customizing step includes the steps of: (i) providing a plurality of customization programs, each of which are associated with a particular business purpose; (ii) selecting one of the plurality of customization programs depending upon the business purpose identified in the identifying steps; and (iii) running the selected customization program on the multi-function device.

Customizable multi-function printing device

A networked system having a host computer and multiple printers with bi-directional communications capabilities is provided in which the setup (configuration) of one printer can be easily communicated to another printer, using NPAP messages. The host computer can be used by a Network Administrator to 'read' the setup or configuration information inside each of the printers connected to the network that have the required NPAP bi-directional communications capability. This setup information, once communicated to the host computer, can be stored in a long-term memory, such as a hard disk drive, for future reference. The setup information can also be communicated to one or more printers connected to the network, and such printers can be configured by the setup information in which that information is used either as their initial setup information, or as a modified setup. The Network Administrator can use a single command that specifies precisely which printers are to receive that setup information, and all specified printers will automatically be reconfigured with the new setup.

Method and apparatus for configuring the physical setup of multiple

An improved printing system is provided having at least one host computer and a printer in which the printer acquires print job accounting information and communicates it to the host computer via NPAP messages. A host computer downloads print job data to the printer through a communications port on the printer (i.e., either a parallel port, serial port, or network port), and as the printer prints the print job that it received from the host computer, the printer temporarily stores job accounting information. At the end of the print job, the printer communicates that job accounting information back to armed host computers via a bi-directional communications port, including typical information such as: the job identifier number, job processing time, number of sheets of paper from each paper source, number of impressions from each paper source (either one-sided or two-sided impressions), the port identifier, the network user name, the name of the print job (as specified), and the printer's serial number. Since the data is being accumulated at the printer, rather than at the host computer, there is no estimating by a host-resident program to acquire these statistics, and no data base merging (from several host computers) is required to categorize all of the data for one particular printer. Furthermore, the print jobs need not pass through a network queue in order to be detected and accounted for.

Method and apparatus for providing job accounting information to a host

Method and apparatus for configuring multiple printers on a network

A system is disclosed for deterring theft of portable electronic equipment that operates in accordance with an industry standard known as EIA-232-D. A theft deterrent unit monitors signal current transmitted between interconnected electronic units. When one or more of the interconnected electronic units is disconnected, the theft deterrent unit detects the cessation of signal current and activates an alarm. The alarm may be used to generate a local alarm such as, for example, an audible alarm, and the alarm signal may be transmitted to a central alarm system for further processing.

Apparatus and method for detecting theft of electronic equipment

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Kevin Patrick Goffinet