Abstract: An improved bidet device is set forth which includes a rotatable handle and capstan for positioning a spray tube and for opening the supply of water to the tube for spraying. A screw is received by the capstan to mount the handle and is further provided with a radial port. An actuator is coupled to the screw for rotation of the screw relative to the capstan to modulate the flow of water through the device. The actuator may be ergonometrically designed. As a further feature a sealing ball is provided which moves in response to water pressure to vent the spray tube and to seal the water supply against back flow from the tube.

Abstract: A computer system includes workstations and a peripheral having a processor. The workstations and the peripheral communicate via email over a network. Email messages include commands and requests that control access to status and reconfiguration of the peripheral, establish subscriptions to status of the peripheral, and invoke reconfiguration of the peripheral. Email messages also include publications of the status of the peripheral according to reporting criteria. Reporting criteria identify a report of process or state variables, define publication criteria for directing the monitoring of state variables, and define delivery criteria to avoid network undesirable network traffic and irritating addressees of subscriptions.

Abstract: An improved bidet device is set forth which includes a rotatable handle and capstan for positioning a spray tube and for opening the supply of water to the tube for spraying. A screw is received by the capstan to mount the handle and is further provided with a radial port. An actuator is coupled to the screw for rotation of the screw relative to the capstan to modulate the flow of water through the device. The actuator may be ergonometrically designed. As a further feature a sealing ball is provided which moves in response to water pressure to vent the spray tube and to seal the water supply against back flow from the tube.

Abstract: A network-connected printer (26) or other hard-copy device is arranged to receive location data, for example via an infrared interface (33), and store it in memory (32). The printer (26) is provided with a location server (36) enabling other devices on the network (27) to query the printer for its location; preferably, the location server is an HTTP server. The printer 26 can contact a conversion service (29) in order to change the form of its location data, for example, from latitude and longitude values to a building-semantics form.

Abstract: A system for reducing memory resources required to process a print job having common page print data. Reduction of memory resources is accomplished by first analyzing pages from an application for common page aspects and unique page aspects. The common page aspects are then converted to common page print data and the unique page aspects are converted to unique page print data. The common page print data is identified in a manner allowing for an optimized form of the common page print data to be created. An optimized form of the common page print data is then created and stored. The common page print data is merged with the unique page print data in an appropriate manner. Each page is then printed. The invention has particular benefits for presentation applications using the same background for each page in a set. Other applications can also benefit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enables derivation of a bitmap representation of an image, where the image includes a region filled with a pattern.

Abstract: A computer system includes a computer and a peripheral the peripheral having an object oriented run-time environment (e.g., JAVA) and object resource brokering facilities (e.g., CORBA). Public methods of the peripheral are exposed to objects of the computer system and vice versa for more efficient peripheral operation and shared program code.

Abstract: A print data processing pipeline for use in a color electrophotographic printer optimizes print quality and minimizes memory usage by separately processing lossy and lossless print data. Lossy print data may include print data for images and lossless print data may include print data for text, line art, and graphics. Partitioning print data into lossy and lossless elements allows application of the print data compression operations optimized for each type of print data. High compression ratios can be achieved on lossy print data by applying visually lossless compression operations designed for the lossy print data. In addition, high compression ratios can be achieved on the lossless print data by applying lossless compression operations designed for the lossless print data. A merge unit combines the lossy and lossless print data streams after decompression to reconstruct the original image using merge data.

Abstract: The method of the invention performs logical operation on a pixel image, wherein pixels of the image comprise multi-bit color pixel values. The method performs the steps of: identifying a received image as an image type other than a raster image; and if such identified image type consists of fully saturated multi-bit color pixel values, performing logical combination operations on the multi-bit color pixel values through use of binary logical operators. If the received image is identified as including other than fully saturated multi-bit color pixel values, performing logical combination operations on the multi-bit color pixel values using arithmetic logical operators.

Abstract: A software/firmware based method for determining gray level values to be assigned to a binary pixel image initially creates a linked list of templates, each template associated with a gray level value to be assigned to an image pixel value. Each template may include a central pixel value and plural neighbor pixel values or just plural neighbor values. However, each template is a listing of entries of template pixel values that are generally arranged in increasing concentric circles about the central pixel value. Each template entry includes a field for a template pixel value, a field for a template pixel address and a link field for a next template entry, in the event of a non-match determination between the associated template pixel value and an image pixel value. The method selects an image pixel window from the binary image and compares a central image pixel in the window with a logically, correspondingly located template pixel value.

Abstract: A binary pixel bitmap image is converted to a multi-bit gray level pixel image at a level of resolution that is reproducible by a laser printer. An edge smoothing procedure is employed by the laser printer and comprises the steps of: deriving from font contours of the image, a binary pixel bitmap of the image at a higher level of resolution than is output by the laser printer; logically stepping an m.times.n pixel window across pixel groups of the higher resolution binary pixel bitmap and, at each step, determining a count of pixels of one binary kind that are present within the pixel window; converting each count of pixels to a corresponding modulation signal; and controlling a laser in the laser printer in accordance with each modulation signal so that an edge smoothed gray level image is produced at the printer's level of output resolution.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system for sensing fault current flowing through a person who touches an exposed conductor in a cable connecting a machine to a power distribution center wherein the power distribution center has a number of power cables for connecting a number of machines thereto. Each power cable has a different frequency impressed thereon by an oscillator which frequency is transmitted through an electrical path including the power center if the operator touches the fault. A sensing circuit for each cable is connected in the electrical path and tuned to only the frequency applied to that cable. When the sensing circuit detects that frequency, the sensing circuit interrupts power to the cable. If, for some reason, the sensing circuit fails to interrupt power to the cable, within a selected time interval of less than one-half second, a backup system interrupts power to the entire power center.