Abstract: A printer stores management or device configuration data specific to that printer in a memory unit to that printer. The printer then retrieves that data and transmits the data to a printer client device for storage. The printer client device uses the data with a printer driver running on the printer client device to provide appropriate messages (textual and graphic) to indicate an error occurring at the printer or the printer's configuration. A paper handling device connected to the printer may also provide error management and device configuration data to both the printer and the printer client device. In this way, the printer driver need not be prepared, at installation, with all the available error management and device data for all possible combinations of printer and paper handling devices.

Abstract: a printer stores management or device configuration data specific to that printer in a memory unit to that printer. The printer then retrieves that data and transmits the data to a printer client device for storage. The printer client device uses the data with a printer driver running on the printer client device to provide appropriate messages (textual and graphic) to indicate an error occurring at the printer or the printer's configuration. A paper handling device connected to the printer may also provide error management and device configuration data to both the printer and the printer client device. In this way, the printer driver need not be prepared, at installation, with all the available error management and device data for all possible combinations of printer and paper handling devices.

Abstract: A system and method for sensing a leading edge of a document in an imaging scanner includes detecting a shadow adjacent the leading edge, the shadow being cast as a result of the edge being exposed to a light source. Light is reflected off of a white drive roller support surface for the document and is sensed by a photo sensor array. As the document is processed through the scanner, the leading edge is exposed to the light such that the leading edge casts a shadow onto the drive roller. The shadow is sensed by the photo sensor array which sends a signal to a microprocessor for computing whether a threshold amount of shadow has been detected for initiating image scanning of the document. Prior to the medium being exposed to the light, a contrast sensitivity level of the photo sensor array is increased, relative to a normal level, for detecting the shadow.

Abstract: The present invention, Extended Port Addressing (EPA), is a physical link layer communication protocol for enumeration of more than one device attached to the same parallel port on a desktop personal computer. EPA automatically determines individual devices as they are added or removed from the parallel port. EPA also allows time sharing of device drivers to a particular device without any one device driver locking the logical port. EPA extends plug `n` play characteristics by determining if other devices share the same parallel port when attached to a T-box EPA device.

Abstract: An expandable memory system including a central memory controller and one or more plug-in memory modules, each memory module having an on-board memory module controller coupled in a serial network architecture which forms a memory command link Each memory module controller is serially linked to the central memory controller. The memory system is automatically configured by the central controller, each memory module in the system is assigned a base address, in turn, to define a contiguous memory space without user intervention or the requirement to physically reset switches. The memory system includes the capability to disable and bypass bad memory modules and reassign memory addresses without leaving useable memory unallocated.