Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Giving Toys, Inc.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Robert Matthew Sesek

Travis J Parry

Chad Stevens

Christian L Struble

Kenneth Kay Smith

Steve Orrin Rasmussen

Frederick A Perner

Caleb Chung

Curtis Reese

Chet M Butikofer

Gerard Joseph Carlson

Daniel Travis Lay

Donald B Ouchida

Terrel Munden

Keith Hoene

James Francis Gutierrez

J Michael Dunlap

Christopher C Westlake

Stewart R Wyatt

Sarah Morris Brandenberger

Gary Glen Stringham

Brett A Green

Srinivas Guddanti

Orhan E Beckman

David H McIntyre

Brian S Bearden

Michael James Shelton

Jody Lee Terrill

Connie Lemus

Daniel L Briley

Susan M F Davis

Robert Scott Femling

Dave McIntyre

Clay C Higgins

David Slack

Matthew B Cooley

A device and method for braiding hair or other flexible filaments is disclosed herein. The device comprises a set of gears comprising sector gears and elliptical gears, the elliptical gears having a hollow center portion for receiving the hair or other flexible material. The device further comprises a controller, a motor, a power source, and a user interface. The user interface allows the user to select a variety of weaving patterns. The device and method of the present disclosure may be employed to weave four or more strands of material into a braid.

Multi-strand braiding device and method

A device and method for braiding hair or other flexible filaments is disclosed herein. The device comprises controller and a motor whereby the device may be used to intertwine strands of the flexible filament in a desired pattern. A user interface that allows the user to select a variety of pattern modules for operating the device.

Device and method for intertwining a material according to a selected pattern

A method of providing email messages for a printing device includes attaching a memory module storing the email messages to a printing device consumable.

Methods and systems for providing email messages to a printing device

Automatically reformatting rerouted production requests so that a production request directed to one production device can be rerouted to another device with little if any user intervention. A method embodying the present invention includes queuing a production request formatted for a primary production service. Upon detection of a redirection event for the primary production service, an available secondary production service is identified. The production request is reverted and then reformatted specifically for the secondary production service.

Reformatting dynamically rerouted production requests

Disclosed are systems and methods for managing failed print jobs. In one embodiment, a method for managing a failed print job includes receiving a print job, detecting a printing device failure, recompiling the print job as a portable document file, and transmitting the portable document file to the user and/or to another device.

Systems and methods for managing failed print jobs

A currency distribution system and method. In accordance with the invention, a first transaction is facilitated by which currency is transferred electronically between a first entity and a second entity, and whereby a first balance of currency is maintained by said second entity. A second transaction is facilitated by which at least a portion of the first balance of currency is transferred electronically between the second entity and a third entity. In particular, the second transaction is facilitated by a processor that includes code for ascertaining data with respect to the third entity, the data pertaining to goods or services unrelated to the currency, and providing a qualification in response thereto. A second processor included for enabling the second transaction in response to the qualification. A database is employed and a query is made to determine the qualification for the second transaction. In an illustrative embodiment, the first entity is a postal service, the second entity is a vendor, and the third entity is a customer of the vendor. In the illustrative application, the currency is postage and the processor communicates the ability to print and utilize postage to the customer. The postage is used to return goods from the customer to the vendor.

Methods of returning merchandise purchased by a customer from a vendor, computer implemented methods performed by a vendor, and return of merchandise processing apparatuses

Image forming devices, imaging methods, and methods of modifying a configuration of an image forming device are described. According to one aspect, an image forming device includes an interface adapted to communicate with a remote device via a communication medium, and processing circuitry configured to access first configuration data to control an operation of the image forming device according to a first configuration to form hard images upon media during a first period of time, to monitor the formation of hard images upon the media during the first period of time, to control the interface to communicate usage data corresponding to the monitoring, and to access second configuration data received from the remote device responsive to the communication of the usage data, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access the second configuration data to control the operation of the image forming device according to a second configuration different than the first configuration to form the hard images upon the media during a second period of time after the first period of time.

Image forming devices, imaging methods, and methods of modifying a configuration of an image forming device

A method for configuring devices on a computer network. Configuration involves initiating a configuration session on a primary device causing the primary device to collect configuration session on a primary device causing the primary device to collect configuration logic for the primary device and one or more secondary devices. The primary device then generates a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary devices. Each selected configuration setting is then returned and applied to the primary or secondary device for which it is selected.

Device configuration in a distributed environment

Predetermined indicia are detected in a digital image that is formed by optical scanning. Alternatively, or in addition, a digital image can have a predefined insertion field. Input and/or an optically scanned image is substituted in the digital image for the predetermined indicia and/or for the predefined insertion field. The digital image having the substitution is rendered.

Rendering with substituted validation input

Printer-based pre-ripping and caching of network documents allows an indication of a network document to be forwarded to a printer prior to a request to print the network document being received. This allows the network document to be converted to a print-ready format, and the converted document to be used for printing if a print request is subsequently received. Additionally, network documents can be cached at the printer (either in print-ready format or not in print-ready format) and the cached documents used for printing.

Printer-based pre-ripping and caching of network documents

A method for printing images. A plurality of proof sheets having a thumbnail representation of at least some of the images, and at least one user-markable field indicative of at least one corresponding image when marked are printed. User-marked ones of the proof sheets are optically scanned to detect marked ones of the at least one user-markable field. The marked fields are processed to determine at least one selected image associated with each scanned proof sheet. At least one selected image is printed after the user-marked proof sheets have been scanned.

Image printing via a proof sheet

Recent years have witnessed emergence of a new family of imaging devices known as digital-image senders. These devices allow users to digitally scan a hardcopy document, and send the resulting digital image data via a communications network to other devices on the network. One problem that the present inventors recognized with these devices is that they do not provide a convenient way for users to add user-specific information to the images they send. Accordingly, the inventors teach, among other things, an exemplary method that includes providing image data, determining an identity of a user associated with a communications device, and defining a modified version of the image data, based on the determined identity of the user.

Changing images in digital-image senders

A digital image is composed at a digital transmitter device from a hardcopy source. The digital image includes an optically scanned image. Indicia is detected on the hardcopy image. A substitute is made for the indicia in the composed digital image. A modified rendering of the digital image is output.

Rendering of substitute for detected indicia

A method for managing just-in-time print consumables for a print job can be performed on a computer server. The method includes estimating print consumable requirements for the print job. The method also includes ordering, over a network connection, the estimated print consumable requirements from a print consumable supplier such that the estimated print consumable requirements are received substantially close to a time that the print job is to be performed.

Method and system for print consumables management

One method embodiment of providing an identification key to a printing device or printing device consumable includes storing the identification key in a memory module affixed to a printing device consumable.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Robert Matthew Sesek