The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 13, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 17, 1999
Dan C Paxton, Loveland, CO (US);
Michael L Christensen, Windsor, CO (US);
Eugene W Pakenham, Ft Collins, CO (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for connecting electrical power to an exposure lamp in an image scanner in response to the detection of ambient light by a light sensor located under the scanner's cover. Such an apparatus provides an apparent reduction in exposure lamp warm-up time, with associated improvement in operator productivity, while minimizing exposure lamp operational life degradation and excessive energy consumption caused by leaving the exposure lamp turned on. Once the exposure lamp is turned on, a timing circuit is used in the preferred embodiment to disconnect electrical power from the exposure lamp so that if the scanner's cover is left open or closed, the exposure lamp will not be left on for excessively long periods of time.