Hewlett-Packard Company

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

Other

Steven Mark Johnson

Laurent Andrew Regimbal

Jeffrey S McAllister

Bruce L Johnson

Thomas W Von Alten

John Leland Boldon

Hernan I Gutierrez

Fernando Bolanos

Michael O King

Raul Ocampo

Tadei Hernandez

Imaging devices and methods of operating imaging devices that facilitate reducing nonvolatile storage needs of the imaging devices. The imaging devices are adapted to request control programs from external devices. Control programs are received on a communication input of the imaging device and stored on a volatile storage media for use by a processor of the imaging device. The embodiments can also facilitate more reliable updating within a networked system in that updating an image of a control program on one network device can automatically lead to updating of multiple imaging devices, thus eliminating a need to individually update each imaging device. A default control program is used if no control program is received on the communication input within a predetermined timeout period.

Remote firmware upgrade via I/O connection

Apparatuses, methods, systems, and arrangements facilitate the upkeep of an electronic device. In certain described implementations, one or more analyses and/or determinations may be completed with regard to one or more replaceable issues. If the replaceable issue(s) are determined to be deficient (including potentially deficient), then the electronic device may produce one or more upkeep-related items to facilitate an operator's upkeep thereof. Exemplary replaceable issues may be related to consumable item(s), maintenance items(s), ability items(s), etc. Exemplary upkeep-related items may include order-related items, reports, etc. Exemplary order-related items may include order forms, discount coupons and codes, network address and information combinations, etc. In an exemplary described printing device implementation, a printing device is capable of determining that at least one consumable item or maintenance item is at or near a point of being exhausted or worn out and providing an order-related item that refers to the exhausted/worn out item.

Facilitating device upkeep

This invention relates to the printing of transparent media often used for later projection, commonly referred to as Over Head Transparencies, or OHT's. These OHTs are used in several ways: They can be printed in advance and projected in sequence, created in the course of the presentation using marking pens, or a combination of he two, where a pre-printed OHT is edited or modified after printing or in the course of presentation using pens or other marking means. This third use is often compromised by incompatibilities between the marking technology used to create the pre-printed image and the marking pens used to edit the image later. This invention describes a technique for separating the two images, placing each on opposite sides of the transparent film, avoiding this conflict and producing a better solution for the user.

Method for printing on transparent substrate in order to optimize later markability

A multi-function printer device is configured for use with job control sheets having machine readable indicia thereon, the multi-function printer device including a housing; an imaging area supported by the housing; a scanner supported by the housing to selectively scan at the imaging area; a print engine supported by the same housing; a control keypad supported by the housing; computer network interface hardware supported by the housing and adapted to be coupled to a computer network; and a controller coupled to the scanner, print engine, control keypad and computer network interface hardware and configured to control the print engine, and the scanner to provide a plurality of predefined printing, scanning, and copying functions, the functions including a function to receive a digital document from the computer network via the network interface hardware and to print one or more copies, a number of the functions being selectable from the computer network, but only a subset of the number of functions being selectable using the control keypad, the controller being configured to recognize when a job control sheet is scanned at the imaging area and to perform one of the functions in response to the machine readable indicia, wherein any of the number of functions selectable from the computer network can also be specified using a job control sheet. A method of manufacturing a multi-function printer device includes configuring a controller to recognize when a job control sheet is scanned at the imaging area and to perform one of a number of functions in response to the machine readable indicia, wherein any of the number of functions selectable from a computer network can also be specified using a job control sheet.

Method and apparatus for digital document control

The present invention relates to media handling devices and media handling methods. One aspect of the invention provides a media handling method including providing a media handling device having an initial media path; selectively moving a guide member using a motor intermediate a first position where the guide member is spaced from media within the initial media path and a second position where the guide member contacts the media within the initial media path; applying a control signal to the motor to control the moving; and modulating the control signal.

Media handling devices and media handling methods

Sheet media alignment and offsetting devices and methods in which all sheets output by the printer are more reliably moved to the correct output position. In one embodiment, each sheet is moved to an &ldquo;aligned&rdquo; position as it is conveyed through the alignment/offset mechanism and then, if offsetting is desired, the sheet is moved the desired offset distance from the aligned position to the correct offset position. Preferably, the aligned position is set to correspond to the correct non-offset output position so that each sheet is output to the correct position whether or not offsetting is used. In an alternative embodiment, each sheet is moved directly from the position it is received in the output device to either the aligned position for non-offset output or to the offset position for offset output.

Sheet media skew adjustment in a printer output

A media input tray for an imaging device such as a laser printer is configured to heat media disposed in the tray in order to reduce potential curl of the media caused by image processing in the imaging device. In a preferred embodiment, the input tray is configured with a flexible printed circuit having conductive traces for dissipating heat in response to an electric current. The flexible circuit is coupled to a power supply in the imaging device to enable a continuous warming of media in the tray, independent of any imaging operations by the imaging device. A method of image processing includes providing a heating device in a media input tray of an image processing device, and heating the media disposed in the input tray with the heating device such that media curl, caused by image processing operations, is reduced.

Heated media input tray for an imaging device

Paper decurling is achieved at the output of a printer or other paper handling machine by discharging sequential sheets of the paper into an angled tray. Upon sensing of the paper at a predetermined height, paper curling is presumed and the tray is caused to drop. This causes the sheets to slide against an end stop and drop down with the tray. The tray then returns back upward, whereupon the sheets, which are sliding against the end stop are decurled at an end of the tray facing the discharge portion of the paper handling machine. The movement of the tray is further controlled so as to establish the stack at a uniform predetermined height at the end of each print job.

Stack quality of printed paper

A system and method detect the location of a workpiece as it passes from a feeding mechanism to a receiving pair of rollers. The system generally consists of a feeding mechanism having a pair of feeding rollers, a pair of receiving rollers, a motor control system for applying a fixed torque to the receiving rollers causing the receiving rollers to rotate, and a tachometer for monitoring the revolution speed of the receiving rollers. The motor control system for revolving the rollers consists of a motor, motor controller and a microprocessor to program the motor speed or torque. A decrease in the revolution speed of the receiving rollers indicates the workpiece has been received by the receiving rollers. An increase in the revolution speed of the receiving rollers subsequent to the decrease in speed indicates the workpiece has been released from the feeding mechanism.

Alternate method of sensing paper entry

An electric stapler (11) is carried on a transport mechanism (27) for an output bin selector of a sheet media handling apparatus such as a printer having multiple output bins (17). The stapler (11) is established in alignment with an output bin associated with the diverter (29), so that a movement of the diverter (29) to one of the output bins (17) also effects a corresponding movement of the stapler (11) to the same output bin. This permits print jobs which are directed to specific output bins (17) to be selectively stapled.

Stapling for multiple bin output station

An electromagnetic actuator has a U-shaped yoke with substantially parallel legs and a keeper which is pivotally mounted for angular movement about an axis located outside of the yoke to move between two angular positions bridging the yoke legs. The proximal end of the keeper adjacent the pivot has a side face which confronts the end of one pole leg forming a variable length gap called the proximal gap, and, the distal end of the keeper has an end face which confronts a side pole face of the other leg of the yoke forming a gap, called a distal gap, the length of which changes very little between and in the two angular positions of the keeper. The torque constant over the displacement range between the two angular positions of the keeper only slightly changes. The design permits keeper movement through a large angle while minimizing operational current requirements.

Dual gap electromagnetic actuator having a bypassing pole gap and a

A disk drive in which the rotatable magnetic memory disks and the metal actuator are electrically isolated from the metallic mainframe of the disk drive and the magnetic heads on the metallic actuator, the coils of the magnetic heads and the magnetic memory disks are maintained at electrical potential levels which are sufficiently close to prevent arcing therebetween and which is different from the potential of the main frame. Electrical isolation is achieved by electrically insulating the disk spindle on which the disks are journaled from the mainframe and by electrically insulating the metal actuator from the metal actuator support when the metal actuator support is attached directly to the main frame, or by electrically insulating the metal actuator support from the main frame. An electrical potential is applied to the disks via the disk spindle and to the body of the magnetic heads via the metal actuator arm to provide potential levels which among these parts are sufficiently close to prevent arcing.

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Eagle, ID, United States of America

Steven Mark Johnson