Lexmark International, Inc.

Mark Walter Fagan

Randall David Mayo

Michael Anthony Marra, Iii

Brian Jones

Christopher Alan Adkins

Thomas Jon Eade

John Booth Bates

Donald Fred Croley

Richard Francis Russell

Mark Joseph Edwards

Lucas David Barkley

David Emerson Greer

Timothy Lowell Strunk

Michael Clark Campbell

Duane Edward Norris

Gregory Scott Woods

Stephen Porter Bush

Michael Ray Timperman

Darell Dean Cronch

Jason Eric Waldeck

Frederick Charles Griesemer

Charles Thomas Wolfe

Heather Laudan Clark

Douglas Keith Perterson, Jr

Thomas James Wack

Brian Thomas Jones

A method and apparatus for configuring an electronics device. The method includes receiving, by the electronics device, a request for a command to perform a predetermined operation by the electronics device and sending the command in response to receiving the request. The electronics device then receives a signature based upon the command, whereupon the electronics device verifies the signature by the electronics device and, following an affirmative verification, executes the command for performing the predetermined operation. In this way, the electronics device may be reconfigured remotely without knowledge of the particular command for performing the predetermined operation by the electronics device.

Method and apparatus for configuring an electronics device

A method for performing drop placement by an imaging apparatus includes the steps of defining a matrix that identifies all possible drop locations at an output resolution; defining primary drop locations in the matrix for each color of interest based on predefined criteria; defining secondary drop locations in the matrix for the each color of interest; and establishing rules to assign input data received at an input resolution to particular locations of the primary drop locations and the secondary drop locations in the matrix.

High resolution printing method

An apparatus and method to compress data for a print head divides print head nozzle firetime instructions into a plurality of bytes. A control word represents each byte by one bit. Bytes containing data are set from a host computer to a printer. Empty bytes are represented by a '0' in the corresponding bit in the control word. Empty bytes are omitted from transmission. At decompression, omitted bytes are treated as blank space. Bytes are organizing according to print head architecture, nozzle array and printing sequence, for example, in even and odd groups.

Apparatus and method for data compression optimized by print head architecture

A method of informing a user of an imaging apparatus of an event, the imaging apparatus having a plurality of print modes, includes the steps of defining a notice threshold that is associated with the event; determining whether the notice threshold has been reached; and upon reaching the notice threshold, progressively reducing an image density of an image formed by the imaging apparatus based on a print mode the imaging apparatus was operating in when the notice threshold was reached. Alternatively, imaging density may be progressively reduced based on reaching a next fade area of a plurality of fade areas for the print medium.

Method of informing a user of an imaging apparatus of an event via a print fade

A method for printing shingling print data in a shingling print pass of a multi-shingling-pass print swath. One step includes compacting the shingling print data by removing the deterministic voids associated with the shingling print algorithm. Another step includes expanding the compacted shingling print data based on the shingling print algorithm. An additional step includes printing the expanded shingling print data.

Method for printing shingling print data

The invention provides an apparatus and method for printing an image using the printhead of an ink jet printer. The printhead ejects ink drops on a print medium in a series of scanning passes, and different addressing patterns are selected in each scanning pass to address ink drop locations for different portions of the raster lines addressed by each scanning pass. Addressing patterns having various interlacing percentages are selected in order to produce overlapping boundary regions between passes. The overlapping boundary regions minimize the banding effects that occur with inexact ink drop placement.

Apparatus and method for ink jet printing using variable interlacing

An imaging system includes an imaging cartridge, a first memory associated with the imaging cartridge, and a controller communicatively coupled to the first memory. The controller executes program instructions for performing the steps of generating a generated cartridge identification number to be associated with the imaging cartridge and storing the generated cartridge identification number in the first memory.

Method and apparatus for generating and assigning a cartridge identification number to an imaging cartridge

A method of obtaining information from a networked device is provided. The method includes the steps of defining a network; providing a network adapter communicatively connected to the network, the network adapter connected to the networked device; providing memory in the network adapter; updating information in the memory, wherein the information describes a status of the networked device; placing the information into a response frame; and sending the response frame in response to any command frame received by the network adapter.

Method and apparatus to obtain real-time status information from a networked device

A method of printing on a print medium with a printer which is in communication with a host computer includes the steps of providing the host computer with a print job to be printed by the printer, identifying a data format associated with the print job, determining an operating system stored in the printer, comparing the data format with the printer operating system, downloading an operating system which corresponds to the data format from the host computer to the printer if the printer operating system does not correspond to the data format, transmitting print data associated with the print job from the host computer to the printer, and printing on the print medium with the printer using the print data.

Dynamic printer operating system

A method for reducing the effects of printhead carrier disturbance during printing with an imaging apparatus having a printhead carrier for carrying at least one printhead includes the steps of accelerating the printhead carrier from a first position in a first direction; printing with the printhead in the first direction; and changing a rate of acceleration of the printhead carrier for a subsequent accelerating of the printhead carrier from the first position in the first direction prior to a subsequent printing with the printhead in the first direction to phase shift the printhead carrier disturbance.

Method for reducing the effects of printhead carrier disturbance during printing with an imaging apparatus

A method of estimating an amount of ink contained in an ink reservoir includes the steps of determining a cumulative actual ink drop count of ink drops expelled from the ink reservoir; and determining an evaporation amount associated with the ink reservoir, wherein before a time threshold the evaporation amount is ignored, and upon reaching the time threshold the evaporation amount is used to compensate for an evaporation loss for the ink reservoir by adjusting the cumulative actual ink drop count to form an evaporation compensated drop count.

Method of estimating an amount of available ink contained in an ink reservoir

A system and method for controlling a print job in a printer, such as canceling the print job held in the printer. The system includes a printer having a processor that receives print jobs, including one or more print data swaths, from one or more host computers, and each print data swath includes at least a predefined group of characters. The system also has at least one host computer in communication with the printer and which selectively sends print jobs including print data and/or command data. The host computer further selectively sends a command which is a predetermined group of characters within the print data swath, and the command alters a function in the printer. The command is preferably a series of identical characters, such as NULL characters, and the command preferably causes the printer to enter a command mode to execute the commanded function. The inventive method of controlling print jobs includes the steps of sending a print job having one or more print data swaths from the host computer to the printer, sending a command embedded in a print data swath from the host computer to the printer, and altering a function of the printer with respect to the print job based upon the command received. The method preferably further includes the step of sending a message from the printer to the host computer once the function in the printer has been altered, such as the print job being purged, and to request the host computer to cease sending characters which comprise the command.

System and method for controlling print jobs in host based printers

The invention is a host-based stepper motor controller that reduces velocity overshoot and settling time. A typical embodiment of the invention will include a stepper motor, a carrier mechanically coupled to the stepper motor, a processor for controlling the stepper motor and a driver circuit allowing communication between the processor and the stepper motor. The processor control reduces velocity overshoot and settling time by guaranteeing that each move begins on the stepper motor phase that optimally reduces velocity overshoot and settling time. The processor generates an initial value indicative of the extent of a current move of a carrier mechanically coupled to a stepper motor. Next, the start phase of the current move is determined along with the direction of the next move. Based on the initial value, the current move start phase and the next move direction, the initial value is adjusted to a new value where the new value is indicative of a move that causes the next move to begin on the optimal start phase of the stepper motor predetermined to minimize velocity overshoot and settling time. The new value is communicated directly or after translation to the driver circuit causing the stepper motor to move the carrier the appropriately.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Mark Walter Fagan