Abstract: Disclosed is an inkjet print cartridge having an ink reservoir; a substrate having a plurality of individual ink firing chambers with an ink firing element in each chamber along a top surface of the substrate and having a first outer edge along a periphery of substrate; the first outer edge being in close proximity to the ink firing chambers. The ink firing chambers are arranged in a first chamber array and a second chamber array and with the firing chambers spaced so as to provide 600 dots per inch printing. An ink channel connects the reservoir with the ink firing chambers, the channel including a primary channel connected at a first end with the reservoir and at a second end to a secondary channel; the primary channel allowing ink to flow from the ink reservoir, around the first outer edge of the substrate to the secondary channel along the top surface of the substrate so as to be proximate to the ink firing chambers.

Abstract: An inkjet printer system fires smaller ink droplets in a single-pass print mode to achieve addressible print resolution of 600 dpi in the carriage scan axis along with 300 dpi resolution in the media advance axis, without having to employ any dot-depletion algorithms. In one embodiment, the system provides a fast print mode which prints the smaller drops of ink on a 300 dpi grid in the carriage scan axis. In another embodiment, the system provides a single-pass color print mode wherein primary colors are printed with two color droplets of the same primary color in two adjacent sub-pixels on the 300.times.600 grid, and secondary colors are printed with two color droplets of different primary colors in two adjacent sub-pixels on the 300.times.600 grid.

Abstract: Multiple ink cartridges each having different inks are moved on a carriage through a service station where printheads are respectively simultaneously wiped and respectively simultaneously capped, with each printhead having its own wiper and capper, and where capping of the printheads cannot be done without first wiping the printheads. Both the wiping and capping functions are actuated by movement of the carriage.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead includes a compact substrate having transmission circuitry such as actuation signal lines and address circuitry and ground lines in connection with resistors in a plurality of vaporization chambers on the substrate, with a minimal number of interconnect junctions located at both ends of the substrate. A print cartridge holding the inkjet printhead has a flexible circuit member with conductive traces permanently bonded at one end to the interconnect junctions and terminating at the other end at cartridge interconnect pads.

Abstract: An ink jet pen supply cartridge having a spring biased ink reservoir with a visual indication of remaining ink quantity. The reservoir tends to collapse laterally as the ink supply decreases due to differential pressure exerted thereto. The spring-reservoir is contained in a rigid cartridge and a pair of flexible tape members are cemented or welded, one to each side of the spring-reservoir, and extend generally parallel toward a narrow end surface of the cartridge at which they overlap and can be viewed through a window. The overlapping relationship of the tape members provide ink quantity indicia which change as the spring-reservoir collapse draws them past each other.

Abstract: A color ink-jet printer having a heating blower system for evaporating ink carriers from the print medium after ink-jet printing. A preheat drive roller engages the medium and draws it to a print zone. The drive roller is heated and preheats the medium before it reaches the print zone. At the print zone, a print heater heats the underside of the medium via radiant and convective heat transfer through an opening pattern formed in a print zone heater screen. The amount of heat energy is variable, depending on the type of the print medium. A crossflow fan at the exit side of the print zone direct an airflow at the print zone in order to cause turbulence at the medium surface being printed and further accelerate evaporation of the ink carriers from the medium. An exhaust fan and duct system exhausts air and ink carrier vapor away from the print zone and out of the printer housing.

Abstract: A pinch wheel is mounted to be spring-loaded against an exit drive roller in close proximity to a print zone, with the pinch wheel formed by a dual starwheel having two spaced-apart sets of teeth for contacting a newly-printed media surface without puncturing or damaging the media.

Abstract: A hardcopy device has various page processing steps in a printer, fax machine or the like which are actuated by a single motor which connects through a gear mechanism to drive a main drive roller, a pick roller, and automatically move a pressure plate in a feeder slot to and fro between a position of engagement holding a stack of pages against the pick roller and a position of disengagement. A reverse action of the pick roller kicks out partially picked pages into the feeder slot after the pressure plate is moved to a position of disengagement.

Abstract: A dimensionally stable bushing assembly for a printer carriage 10 uses a bushing liner 20 constructed of a relatively flexible and dimensionally non-stable lubricous material which is afforded dimensional stability by an interference fit of the exterior wall of the liner 20 with the interior wall 15, 17 of apertures 14, 16 in the carriage which are manufactured to the desired degree of dimensional tolerance. In the preferred embodiment, the printer carriage 10 is made of polycarbonate which slides on stainless steel slider rods. The bushing liners are preferably a molded mixture of from 25-35 percent carbon, 15-25 percent teflon and 45-55 percent nylon. Although such mixtures typically shrink during the molding process, it is necessary, due to the special open or C-shaped configuration of the liners, only to maintain a close control on the thickness of the molded liners 20 rather than carefully controlling both thickness as well as their peripheral dimension.

Abstract: In order to avoid misfeeds from tray-loaded film, a lateral slit is provided through a backing sheet of composite media in a middle portion of a leader region where the film is adhered on both sides of the lateral slit to the backing sheet, thereby allowing the backing sheet to expand or contract at a different rate than the adjacent film.

Abstract: In a computer system in which conflicting requests for resources are prioritized, a programmable priority determination method and system. Relative priority between competing sources or requests is represented by a control word (priority code). The control word includes bits identifying the highest priority source, and rotation and skip bits determining the order or priority among the other sources. The control word is used to pre-set a priority circuit which then selects from among competing resource requests based on the priority represented by the control word. Relative priority between the sources can be changed during operation of the computer system by creating a new control word and applying it to the priority circuit.

Abstract: A method of monitoring and controlling the quality of pen markings on a plotting medium by qualifying each pen based on optically sensing across a sample line drawn on an actual medium. During each subsequent plotting task of a particular pen which has been qualified, an actual line plot is optically sensed across a selected point to make a comparison with the sample line. If the actual line plot is unsatisfactory, the deficient pen is replaced and the plot is restarted from the beginning, or retraced from the last good verification, or is stopped to allow the user to select an appropriate corrective procedure.

Abstract: A method of comparing a test line of a plotter pen with a subsequent plot line in order to compare selected points on the plot line with a benchmark for that particular pen. Each pen in a plotter carousel is qualified by monitoring the print contrast ratio of multiple points taken from vertical and horizontal portions of a sample line drawn by the pen. A record is maintained to indicate the good or bad qualification status of each pen in the carousel, and the appropriate benchmark for each pen is stored for future reference. By comparing the print contrast ratio of a selected sequence of points on an actual plot line with the benchmark for the pen making the plot, the satisfactory function of the pen can be periodically verified.

Abstract: A method for the design of a production process determines the assignment of operations to one or more machines where each machine has a given capacity for installing multiple parts to items in an assembly line. A list of parts of each different item to be assembled is prepared. The production demand for each different item is determined. An algorithm based on the parts list and the production demand is applied to determine an assignment of operations to the one or more machines so that total setup and processing cost is minimized. Operations are assigned to the one or more machines based on the application of the algorithm.

Abstract: A pushbutton switch including a keycap having a keycap top and a keycap plunger, a retaining bezel for guiding the keycap plunger and limiting the displacement thereof, a deformable elastomeric switch button supporting a contact pad, and a printed circuit contact pattern engageable by the contact pad when the switch button is deformed by the downward displacement of the keycap plunger. The deformation of the button switch provides tactile feedback, while impact of the keycap top against the retaining bezel provides audible feedback. The pushbutton switch is configured to limit the downward displacement of the keycap plunger to avoid excessive force on the printed circuit board.

Abstract: A plurality of processors are connected to the interprocessor communications facility in the multiprocessing system of the invention. The interprocessor communications facility has arbitration circuitry, mailbox circuitry, and processor interrupt circuitry. The interprocessor communications facility of the invention is centralized and does not require the use of main storage. This enables processors to communicate with each other in a fast and efficient manner. The arbitration circuitry prevents simultaneous access of the interprocessor communications facility by more than one processor, and decodes the commands sent from the processors and routes them to the processor interrupt circuitry or to the mailbox circuitry, depending on the command. The mailbox circuitry of the invention receives messages from sending processors and provides them to the intended receiving processors in a safe and secure manner.

Abstract: In a computer system, programmable priority as well as selective blocking in order to make selection between instructions and commands which require the use of common resources.

Abstract: A multiprocessor computer system has a common master storage and data/instruction caches for each processor. Separate buffer storage units for each processor read data from the processor in parallel with the caches, but write data to the master storage sequentially, as directed by a controller for the master storage.

Abstract: An inpage buffer is used between a cache and slower storage device. When a processor requests data, the cache is checked to see if the data is already in the cache. If not, a request for the data is sent to the slower storage device. The buffer receives the data from the slower storage device and provides the data to the processor that requested the data. The buffer then provides the data to the cache for storage provided that the cache is not working on a separate storage request from the processor. The data will be written into the cache from the buffer when the cache is free from such requests. The buffer is also able to provide data corresponding to subsequent requests provided it contains such data. This may happen if a request for the same data occurs, and the buffer has not yet written the data into the cache. It can also occur if the areas of the cache which can hold data from an area of the slower storage is inoperable for some reason.

Abstract: A technique for efficient use of component placement apparatus used for assembling many different printed circuit boards, wherein all of the printed circuit boards are collectively comprised of more parts than can be handled by a single setup. A portion of the apparatus is dedicated to producing a first family of boards whose identity is determined by their high volume as well as by their parts overlap, while another portion is periodically changed in order to optionally produce different families of boards characterized by their lower volume and lower parts overlap. The changed setups required for the different families of boards are accomplished off-line while the first family of boards is in on-line production.