Abstract: A printing system is disclosed herein. One embodiment of the printing system may include a control device having a plurality of states. At least one digital imaging device may be connectable to the control device. In addition, a plurality of printers may be connectable to the control device. The control device being in a first state causes at least one of the digital imaging device to generate first image data and transmit the first image data to a first printer.

Abstract: A control device including a switch with a ferromagnetic armature moving between a first position and a second position. The armature actuates a plunger that causes the switch to snap from an open position to a closed position. An energy-storing member may be positioned adjacent the ferromagnetic armature, the energy-storing member moving a magnet between an attracting position and a non-attracting position based on a temperature of an environment surrounding the energy-storing member. When the energy-storing member positions the magnet in the attracting position, the magnet causes the armature to snap from the first position to the second position, thereby actuating the plunger and causing the switch to snap from the open position to the closed position. A ferromagnetic backstop may also be positioned adjacent the magnet and coupled to the energy-storing member to hold the magnet and the energy-storing member in the non-attracting position.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for conserving resources when images are printed. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment comprises receiving a communication comprising at least a plurality of images, the images lacking information specifying image attributes, analyzing each image for at least one characteristic corresponding to the image attribute, determining a maximum amount of reduction in size for each one of the images based upon the analyzed characteristic, determining a page layout for selected ones of the plurality of images at the determined reduced-size such that at least two reduced-size images are laid out together onto a single sheet of paper, and communicating the determined page layout to a printing unit so that the sheet of paper is printed having the selected reduced-sized images.

Abstract: A control device including a switch with a ferromagnetic armature moving between a first position and a second position. The armature actuates a plunger that causes the switch to snap from an open position to a closed position. An energy-storing member may be positioned adjacent the ferromagnetic armature, the energy-storing member moving a magnet between an attracting position and a non-attracting position based on a temperature of an environment surrounding the energy-storing member. When the energy-storing member positions the magnet in the attracting position, the magnet causes the armature to snap from the first position to the second position, thereby actuating the plunger and causing the switch to snap from the open position to the closed position. A ferromagnetic backstop may also be positioned adjacent the magnet and coupled to the energy-storing member to hold the magnet and the energy-storing member in the non-attracting position.

Abstract: A control device including a switch with a ferromagnetic armature moving between a first position and a second position. The armature actuates a plunger that causes the switch to snap from an open position to a closed position. An energy-storing member may be positioned adjacent the ferromagnetic armature, the energy-storing member moving a magnet between an attracting position and a non-attracting position based on a temperature of an environment surrounding the energy-storing member. When the energy-storing member positions the magnet in the attracting position, the magnet causes the armature to snap from the first position to the second position, thereby actuating the plunger and causing the switch to snap from the open position to the closed position. A ferromagnetic backstop may also be positioned adjacent the magnet and coupled to the energy-storing member to hold the magnet and the energy-storing member in the non-attracting position.

Abstract: Information storage associated within a memory device is improved using a combination of compressed and non-compressed data storage formats. Font data may be stored without compression, thereby reducing the overhead associated with decompression and the need to supply sufficient memory to accommodate the font after decompression. Executable code is compressed for storage.

Abstract: Methods and systems can automatically select an N-Up printing mode that is tailored to ensure that a printed document contains information that is desirably decipherable by a user. Where a document contains text, the inventive methods and systems can ensure that all text on the document is readable. Where a document contains graphics, the methods and systems can ensure that the graphics are printed at a desired level of resolution.

Abstract: A shaft coupling drive couples a first shaft and a second shaft. The shaft coupling drive includes the first shaft having a rotational axis and a free end, and the second shaft having a rotational axis and a free end. The second shaft is aligned coaxially with the first shaft. A cam plate is mounted on the free end of the second shaft wherein the cam plate includes a face and a shoulder protruding from the face. A cam is mounted on the free end of the first shaft wherein the cam includes a face and a shoulder protruding out of the face. A first spring biases the free end of the second shaft toward the free end of the first shaft to urge the faces of the cam late and cam together wherein the shoulder of the cam plate aligns with the shoulder of the cam in only one relative rotational position. A second spring biases the shoulders together.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mechanism for rotatably coupling two coaxial shafts while allowing relative movement of the shafts in the X, Y and Z directions. The mechanism includes a female socket and a male fitting. The female socket is attached to one shaft and contains channels. The male fitting is attached to the other shaft and has arms that fit into the channels of the female socket. The mechanism also drives an external visual indicator. The present invention allows an operator to separate the external visual indicator from the mechanism and then reassemble it without losing rotational position readout of the indicator through the action of two axially aligned cams.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mechanism for rotatably coupling two coaxial shafts while allowing relative movement of the shafts in the X, Y, Z directions. The mechanism includes a female socket and a male fitting. The female socket is attached to one shaft and contains channels. The male fitting is attached to the other shaft and has arms that fit into the channels of the female socket. The mechanism also drives an external visual indicator. The present invention allows an operator to separate the external visual indicator from the mechanism and then reassemble it without losing rotational position readout of the indicator through the action of two axially aligned cams.

Abstract: It has been determined that considerable data which is written to stacks is of the type that does not require long term retention (i.e., it is only required to be valid for the duration of a procedure or function which created it). Accordingly, when a stack is employed to handle such data (and other similar data), invalidation and writes to main memory that ordinarily accompany accesses of such data (when the stack is held in a cache memory) can be avoided. The invention therefore improves memory performance by providing an overlay memory, to which is assigned a set of main memory addresses that are utilized for stack operations. When data is either read or written from/to the overlay memory, there is no further communication “downstream” to either a cache memory or main memory. In other words, the overlay memory is used for short term storage and accesses to the overlay memory are invisible to other memory elements of the system.

Abstract: A convertible two-mode pressure regulator in which a main valve regulates fluid flow between an inlet and an outlet in response to a control pressure produced by a mechanically operated regulator valve, the control pressure depending on the outlet pressure and the force applied by a compression spring to a diaphragm carrying a regulator valve closure element. Compression of the regulator spring is controlled by a mechanical lever assembly and a shaft assembly which is selectively positionable by a selector knob to obtain higher or lower regulator spring force. Adjustable stops provide for individual adjustment of low and high outlet pressures for each of two pressure ranges.

Abstract: A disk storage control system includes dual controllers having real-time, synchronous, mirrored memory therebetween to provide immediate, accurate, and reliable failover in the event of controller failure. Non-volatile random access memory provides retention of data during a loss of power and during the manipulation of hardware for purposes of repair. A communication path is established within the mirrored memory between the controllers to monitor and coordinate their activities. The state of the mirrored memory is continuously monitored for accuracy of the mirror and failure detection. Concurrent and ready access by a host computer to the same disk storage control data set from each controller is provided without need for extra manipulation or extra direct memory access (DMA) activity to satisfy host requests. Accordingly, either controller can provide immediate and reliable failover control for the disk storage system.

Abstract: Powerfail durable non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) testing is provided by using the available NVRAM itself to remember its own state of testing, by sequencing through the testing process, and by carefully placing memory image checksums within the NVRAM. The correctness of the NVRAM image is maintained while each memory word is tested for functional correctness without additional or specialized hardware. NVRAM is manipulated such that it can detect disrupted testing and restore the NVRAM image as it existed prior to the disruption. Specifically, test variables are kept in the NVRAM itself to retain and manipulate (1) a test-status signal indicative of a status of the memory testing process, (2) data from the memory location being tested, (3) an address for the memory location being tested, and (4) checksums for verifying the accuracy of the data after the memory is tested.

Abstract: The methods concern fully utilizing storage capacity in a heterogenous hierarchic disk array having storage disks of differing capacities. The disks are segmented into multiple regions. One method links non-contiguous regions from individual storage disks to form RAID areas. The RAID areas are mapped into a virtual storage space that provides a view of the physical storage space as a single storage volume. Data is then stored in these RAID areas according to different redundancy criteria, such as RAID Level 1 and RAID Level 5. A second method fully utilizes of storage capacity by configuring the heterogeneous disk array to employ a minimum of two equal-sized storage disks that have larger capacity than other individual storage disks in the disk array. The contiguous regions across the multiple disks are then grouped together to form the RAID areas.

Abstract: A disk array data storage system has a plurality of storage disks and a disk array controller for coordinating transfer of user data to and from the storage disks. A memory manager is provided to manage memory allocation and data storage on the disk array. The memory manager maintains a sufficient quantity of hot spare storage space that can be made available for reconstructing the user data and restoring redundancy in the event one of the storage disks fails. Until a disk fails, however, the memory manager uses the hot spare space to store user and redundant data while guaranteeing that the storage space can be used for rebuilding following a storage disk failure. In this manner, all storage disks in the array are used to store user data, and additionally to maintain storage space that can be easily made available for purposes of hot spare in the event of disk failure.

Abstract: A hierarchic disk array data storage system has multiple storage disks that define a physical storage space and a RAID management system that maps the physical storage space into two virtual storage spaces. The RAID-level virtual storage space presents the physical storage space as mirror and parity RAID areas where the mirror RAID areas contain mirror allocation blocks to store data according to RAID Level 1 and the parity RAID areas contain parity allocation blocks to store data according to RAID Level 5. The application-level virtual storage space presents the physical storage space as multiple virtual blocks. The RAID management system migrates data between the mirror and parity RAID areas to optimize performance and reliability. To ensure that sufficient space is retained for this migration, the RAID management system limits the number of virtual blocks that are allocated in the mirror RAID areas.

Abstract: A hierarchic disk array data storage system has a disk array with multiple storage disks and a disk array controller which coordinates data transfer to and from the disks. The storage disks define a physical storage space. A RAID management system maps a RAID-level virtual storage space onto the physical storage space. The RAID-level virtual storage space presents the physical storage space as multiple RAID areas. The RAID areas include mirror RAID areas which contain mirror allocation blocks to store data according to mirror redundancy and parity RAID areas which contain parity allocation blocks to store data according to parity redundancy. The RAID management system dynamically migrates data between the mirror and parity RAID areas in a manner which optimizes performance and data reliability. As new storage requests are made, the RAID management system evaluates the existing storage conditions and computes a total virtual capacity that is available to the user given a disk array configuration.

Abstract: A method is provided for identifying areas for performance improvement in data storage systems. The method includes the following steps: (1) sampling a performance metric during operation of the data storage system; (2) presenting to a user a performance history that is indicative of how the data storage system is performing over a period of time; (3) permitting the user to select an evaluation interval of the performance history; (4) determining whether the performance metric is at a level for desired performance of the data storage system for the selected evaluation interval; and (5) providing at least one suggestion to the user that would help improve performance of the data storage system in the event that the performance metric is not at the level for optimal performance.

Abstract: In a disk storage system having dual controllers and mirrored memory therebetween, the mirrored memory is used to establish a robust communication path between the controllers to monitor and coordinate their activities. A reserved portion of the memory in each controller is designated as a messaging mailbox which is read and written by the owning controller but only read by the remote controller. The communication protocol between the controllers is tightly coupled to insure proper messaging. Furthermore, a sliding window interlock insures message detection and correctness. In addition, interrupt signals and timer based polling are used as a dual means for detecting communication requests and replies between the controllers.