Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Hewlett-packard Company

Tony Barrett

B Mark Hirst

Peripheral devices that have their own power sources. In one embodiment, a peripheral device comprises a processing device, memory, and a power circuit configured to supply power to a peripheral device component, the power circuit including a power source.

Peripheral device having a power supply

A method and apparatus for determining the cause of degradation in a product or device. A reference time is established and recorded, then a process or function of the device or product is enabled. As anomalous events occur, a user actuates an actuator that causes the recordation of an event time with respect to the reference time. Events may be repetitive or non-repetitive. At completion of the function, the recorded times are compared to a table of known product or device cycle function times, and a correlation is made to determine the most likely cycle function related to the events recorded. This information can then be correlated to parts previously known to operate at such times thereby providing a diagnostic tool useful in maintenance or repair of the device or product.

Systems and methods for device degradation determination and resolution by event occurrence recordation and timing analysis

A method and apparatus for halting a printer at a predetermined time to allow service personnel to open the printer and inspect the printing operation for evidence of faulty components and other problems. The printer includes a printing mechanism and a selector that is used for selecting a predetermined instant at which to halt the printer. A controller is coupled to the selector and to the printing mechanism. The controller operates to halt the printing operation at the selected predetermined instant. The instant can be measured in time, as an event that occurs in the printing process, or as a time relative to such an event. The instant can be selected from a list or selected at random by the operator. A sensing device within the printer can detect the determination of the occurrence of the printer operation event. The printing operation can be initiated in a conventional manner or the printing operation can be commenced automatically upon selection of the predetermined event.

Method and apparatus for halting a printing device at a predetermined instant

A method in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention provides for monitoring a device for a disturbance so as to detect a disturbance, wherein the monitoring occurs while the device is in an inactive state. The method further includes taking a first set of actions if a disturbance is detected during the monitoring, and taking a second set of actions if a disturbance is not detected during the monitoring. The second set of actions decreases the consumption of consumables by the device as compared to the consumption of consumables which would have occurred if, instead, the first set of actions had been taken.

Management of a device based on monitoring during an inactive state

This present invention takes advantage of the understanding that the voltage rating associated with resistive heating element can be ignored over the common line voltage range, provided the power dissipation is controlled. This is accomplished by applying a fractional amount of power to a heating element from the power source. The method consists basically of determining, or estimating, a ratio of the amount to be applied to the amount of power available. A control signal is generated with a duty cycle approximately equal to that ratio. A zero crossing switch, under control of the control signal switches half cycles to the heating element. Thus, by applying a portion of the available half cycles to the heating element, the average power dissipation by the heating element can be controlled.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Tony Barrett