Lexmark International, Inc.

Rickey Carter Brown

Mark Lane Mayberry

Kevin Dean Schoedinger

Douglas Anthony Able

Louann Behymer Samuels

Gail Marie Songer

Edward William Yohon, Jr

Gregory Scott Tigges

Patrick Oscar Bischel

William Keith Richardson

Joseph P Kolb

Thomas Neal Barnes

A printing device () such as a laser printer includes a fuser assembly () with a fuser wiper () that can be removed and replaced by a user during normal maintenance to extend the useful life of the fuser assembly (). Indicators (b, b) stored in a memory device () can be read by a print engine () of a printer () either when a print cartridge () is first inserted into the printer () or at specified times thereafter. Depending on the contents of the memory device (), the print engine () may send a notification message to the printer's raster image processor () to cause a message to be displayed on the printer's operational/display panel () that informs a user the fuser wiper () should be replaced.

System, method and print cartridge for signaling user replacement of fuser wiper

A printer communication system includes a printer (,) having a printer controller (,) with memory (,) and a processor (,). The printer (,) receives and transmits information through a port (,) to which a host computer (,) is coupled. The printer controller (,) may be programmed to be operable to receive configuration-related commands through the port (,), process the configuration-related commands received by the port immediately provided that a command is a safe command to process while the printer (,) is busy processing a print job. The printer (,) may respond to the host computer (,) by indicating that the change was successful or that the printer (,) must be taken offline before the change may be made. The printer controller (,) is programmed to be remotely taken offline and put back online. A symbol set list command may be used by printer (,) to send symbol sets to host computer (,). Font information may also be sent to a host computer (,) by a printer (,) so that a font table including associated symbol sets may be constructed in computer (,).

Printer communication system and method

An improved communications buffer system is provided which dynamically allocates the size and number of buffers to optimally receive and transmit packets of communications data over a communications link, while efficiently using the amount of available memory so as to provide optimal throughput capability with respect to the allocated amount of memory. The printer first determines how much 'free' memory is available in its 'pool area' and then how best to divide up that pool area into both transmit and receive buffers for a single port. Once the entire pool area has been allocated for these transmit and receive buffers, the communication session can begin between the host computer and the printer for communicating the actual print job data. A second embodiment of an improved communications buffer system is also provided which dynamically allocates the size and number of buffers for each of several different communications ports that are installed on a printer, while efficiently using the allocated memory so as to provide optimal throughput capability. This second communications buffer system is primarily designed to efficiently assign memory space for buffers used by the several communications ports from a predetermined amount of memory space (as a 'pool' of memory) that has been allocated for external communications functions by the printer. Upon initialization of the printer, each individual port will only be allocated a fairly small portion of that pool area of RAM to give that port a minimal buffer configuration that is sufficient to begin to receive data as it arrives at that port. When a port becomes active, it then requests more memory from the pool area of RAM. Only 'active' ports are dynamically allocated any relatively large amounts of RAM out of the pool area of the printer's RAM that is made available for communications. The maximum amount of the pool area that will be assigned to a port typically will be a different quantity for different types of ports, and preferably is never 100% of the pool area.

Method and apparatus for dynamic buffering of input/output ports used

An improved communications buffer system is provided which dynamically allocates the size and number of buffers to optimally receive packets of communications data over a communications link, while efficiently using the amount of available memory so as to provide optimal throughput capability with respect to the allocated amount of memory. This buffer system is readily adaptable for infrared communications ports used on printers. Once a communications session has begun, the printer will obtain sufficient information to most effectively allocate the size and number of buffers. At the beginning of this procedure, the printer must first determine how much 'free' memory is available in its 'pool area' and then determine how best to divide up that pool area into both transmit and receive buffers. The size and number of transmit buffers is first determined, and this determination is made after considering how much pool area is available in the printer's memory system at that moment. Once the size and number of transmit buffers has been determined, then the receive buffers are next configured. The first step is to perform a preliminary calculation to ensure that the receive buffer size is not set greater than the amount of data that can be received during the maximum turnaround time for this particular configuration between a host computer and the printer. After this has been determined, the receive buffer size is provisionally set to a power of 2, and the number of buffers is set equal to the remaining pool size divided by this receiver buffer size. After ensuring that there are at least a certain minimum number of receive buffers, then a 'window size' is set to a certain maximum size, at least for infrared communications ports. Once the entire pool area has been allocated for these transmit and receive buffers, the communication session can begin between the host computer and the printer for communicating the actual print job data.

System for dynamically determining the size and number of communication

Growing community of inventors

Bardstown, KY, United States of America

Rickey Carter Brown