International Business Machines Corporation

Robert Dean Yoder

Richard Hunter Harris

Robert William Kruppa

Sharon Corinne Freedman

James D Piette

David Francis Fritz

Dean Frederick Herring

Robert Andrew Myers

Jeff David Thomas

Dean Alan Kalman

Douglas R Chisholm

Stacy Leigh Arrington

Brian Edward Blair

Russell S Padgett

Serafin J Garcia, Jr

Stacy Leigh Bongrazio

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer usable program code are provided for detecting a printer condition. A set of signals is received from a sensor in a printer. A current state of a paper roll within the printer is detected within the set of signals. Responsive to the current state indicating that the paper roll moved from a desired position between a set of devices, a response signal is sent to the user of the printer. Alternatively, in response to the current state indicating that the paper roll moved from the desired position, a number of paper line feed commands that are issued are counted. A determination is made as to whether the number of paper line feed commands that are issued exceeds a predetermined value. Responsive to the number of paper line feed commands exceeding the predetermined value, the response signal is sent.

Low-paper sensor using rollers

The invention is directed to resuming printing on a printer following a print interruption event. An apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: a scanner configurable to communicate with a printer and a printing application, wherein the scanner is configured to scan a printing at the printer upon receipt of a printing error. A method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: receiving a printing error when printing a document; scanning the actual printing of the document at a printer; and notifying an application of results of the scanning.

Apparatus for and method of print resuming following a print interruption event

A low paper sensor mechanism including first and second support rollers rotatable about a first and second rotational axis to support a paper supply roll, the first and second support rollers and rotational axes configured to translate in a path between a first position and a second position, first and second biasing members biasing the first and second support rollers toward the second position and a detection device, including a light emitting element and a light detecting element, disposed adjacent to the first and second support rollers, wherein the first and second support rollers move from the first position to the second position when a diameter of the paper supply roll is less than or equal to the predetermined distance between the first and second support rollers and the paper supply roll disrupts a line of sight between the light emitting element and the light detecting element.

Compact low paper sensor mechanism

A method for setting color thermal paper parameters including: printing a first color at one or more printing speeds, wherein one or more first color images are produced; selecting the first color image with a desired quality; printing a second color at one or more energy levels at the printing speed corresponding to the selected first color image, wherein one or more second color images are produce; selecting the second color image with the desired quality; and storing a printer parameter corresponding to the selected first and second color images.

Method for setting color thermal paper parameters

A sheet cutting device utilizing cutter blades as a position detection mechanism and a method of reporting cutter malfunctions is provided. The sheet cutting device including a cutter having a pair of cutter blades, one of the blades connected to a cutter driving mechanism for moving the blade through a cutting cycle, a power source is connected to one of the blades so that a circuit is closed when the blades contact one another, and a current sensing device in connection with the circuit to identify when the blades are in physical contact.

Cutter blade position detection mechanism and method of reporting cutter malfunction

A printer using a power reduction logic based upon reducing the speed of printing when the dot utilization calculation exceeds a particular power level for that printer. There is also provided a method for printing information at a given power supply capacity level, comprising the steps of: examining the a group of rows of dots to be printed; calculating the maximum dot utilization value for the group; selecting a print speed based on the maximum dot utilization value; printing the first row of the group of rows; and repeating above steps until the information is printed.

Variable power thermal printer

A plurality of specialized controllers (e.g., 202, 204 & 206), each one adapted to control a particular type of data transfer operation, control the flow of data between a system bus (104) and a local bus (106) on a computer adapter card (102). When the Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller (202) is controlling a DMA operation on the local bus, certain other controllers (204 & 206) can break-in to the current DMA operation, temporarily halting the DMA opertion until the other controller has completed its data transfer operation. To break-in to a DMA operation, handshaking signals between the DMA controller and the local bus interface circuit (212) are temporarily blocked by blocking signals from a break-in logic circuit (210). The break-in circuit includes a four-state state machine to block the handshaking signals at the appropriate times, and to signal the interrupting controller to begin its data transfer operation. When breaking-in to a DMA operation in this manner, the operation of the DMA controller is not altered; instead, to the DMA controller, it appears that the local bus interface circuit is merely slow to respond with its acknowledge handshake.

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Robert Dean Yoder