Abstract: The present disclosure relates a marking engine for use in a marking machine. The marking engine is responsive to control signals for selectively depositing marking material on media. The marking engine includes a housing associated with the marking engine. The housing is configured for docking with the printing system. Also included is a radio frequency linking device mounted to the housing for providing a radio frequency link for transferring information between the marking engine and surveillance devices different from the marking machine.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a replaceable printing component for use in a printing system having at least one replaceable printing component. The replaceable printing component is of the type sold through a plurality of sales channels. The replaceable printing component includes a radio frequency link for receiving information indicative of a particular sales channel of a plurality of sales channels. Also included in the replaceable printing component is an electrical storage device for storing information indicative of the particular sales channel. The electrical storage device provides information indicative of the particular sales channel for reordering the replaceable printing component.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a replaceable printing component for use in a printing system having at least one replaceable printing component. The replaceable printing component is of the type sold through a plurality of sales channels. The replaceable printing component includes a radio frequency link for receiving information indicative of a particular sales channel of a plurality of sales channels. Also included in the replaceable printing component is an electrical storage device for storing information indicative of the particular sales channel. The electrical storage device provides information indicative of the particular sales channel for reordering the replaceable printing component.

Abstract: A printing system includes an inkjet printhead for selectively depositing ink drops on print media. An ink reservoir stores ink to be provided to the inkjet printhead. An ink level sensing circuit provides an ink level sense output that is indicative of a sensed volume of ink in the ink reservoir. A memory device stores sensor compensation information. A processor responsive to output of the memory device and the ink level sense output generates a compensated ink level sense output. The processor provides an estimate of available ink based on the compensated ink level sense output.

Abstract: A replaceable ink container for providing ink to a printhead of a printing system. The ink container has a fluid outlet configured for connection with the printhead. The ink container includes an ink reservoir having a first capillary member having a first capillary pressure, and a second capillary member having a second capillary pressure that is greater than the first capillary pressure such that the second capillary member has a higher resistance to ink flow than the first capillary member. An ink level sensor senses a low ink condition of the ink reservoir. The ink level sensor includes a C-shaped tube having first and second ports that fluidically communicate with only the second capillary member. The first and second capillary members abut one another at a capillary member interface, and the first port is positioned immediately adjacent to this capillary member interface.

Abstract: A replaceable ink container for providing ink to a printhead of a printing system. The ink container has a fluid outlet configured for connection with the printhead. The ink container includes an ink reservoir having a first capillary member having a first capillary pressure, and a second capillary member having a second capillary pressure that is greater than the first capillary pressure such that the second capillary member has a higher resistance to ink flow than the first capillary member. An ink level sensor senses a low ink condition of the ink reservoir. The ink level sensor includes a C-shaped tube having first and second ports that fluidically communicate with only the second capillary member. The first and second capillary members abut one another at a capillary member interface, and the first port is positioned immediately adjacent to this capillary member interface.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a marking engine for use in a marking machine. The marking engine is responsive to control signals for selectively depositing marking material on media. The marking engine includes a housing associated with the marking engine. The housing is configured for docking with the printing system. The housing has an undocked position and a docked position wherein the housing is secured to a receiving station associated with the marking machine. Also included is a radio frequency linking device mounted to the housing so that there is substantially no relative movement between the radio frequency linking device and a corresponding radio frequency linking device associated with the receiving station when the marking engine is in the docked position with the marking machine. The radio frequency linking device provides a radio frequency link for transferring information between the marking engine and the marking machine.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an ink container for providing ink to an ink-jet printer. The ink container includes an electrical storage device for providing ink container parameters to the ink-jet printer. The electrical storage device contains a configuration parameter for specifying an ink container configuration and an ink volume parameter for specifying an ink volume for the ink container.

Abstract: The present invention is a fluid level sensing system for determining fluid levels in a fluid container. The system has a resonant member with an attached magnet. The resonant member is disposed in the fluid container. The system also has a sensing device for sensing motion of the magnet. The movement of the magnet attached to the resonant member is indicative of fluid level in the fluid container.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a marking engine for use in a marking machine. The marking engine is responsive to control signals for selectively depositing marking material on media. The marking engine includes a housing associated with the marking engine. The housing is configured for docking with the printing system. The housing has an undocked position and a docked position wherein the housing is secured to a receiving station associated with the marking machine. Also included is a radio frequency linking device mounted to the housing so that there is substantially no relative movement between the radio frequency linking device and a corresponding radio frequency linking device associated with the receiving station when the marking engine is in the docked position with the marking machine. The radio frequency linking device provides a radio frequency link for transferring information between the marking engine and the marking machine.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a replaceable printing component for use in a printing system. The replaceable printing component is configured for containing a supply of printing material for use by the printing system to form images on media. The replaceable printing component includes a sensor for sensing printing material in the replaceable printing component. The sensor provides a sensor output signal that is indicative of a printing material level in the replaceable printing component. Also included is a linking device that is electrically connected to the sensor. The linking device emits a broadcast signal that is indicative of the sensor output signal. The inkjet printing system receives the broadcast signal for determining the printing material level in the replaceable printing component.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of regionalizing a product for specific markets for the purposes of language localization, insuring compliance with local laws and standards, or theft prevention. The method is applicable to goods comprising an initially-sold machine or device and consumable items required by the machine or device. The method comprises regionalizing the consumable items; the first-installed consumable used in the machine or device then causes the machine or device to be regionalized, such that the machine or device subsequently only accepts consumables with the same regionalization. Also disclosed are apparatus to implement the method.

Abstract: A sample container segment assembly for use in an automated, continuous, and random access analytical system is disclosed. The assembly includes a sample container which is received by a sample container segment, and the sample container segment is received on a carousel of the automated analytical instrument. The test sample container includes an upper skirt and a body having a reservoir for receipt of the test sample. The segment includes a base, a frame, and a handle. The frame has a shelf for which the upper skirt of the test sample container rests on, and has openings for receipt of the body of the sample container. The carousel has a carousel trough for receipt of the base of the sample container segment, and has a plurality of alignment pins disposed in the carousel trough. The base of the sample container segment has a circular slot and an elongated slot for receiving the alignment pins and positioning the sample container segment relative to the carousel.

Abstract: A process and system are provided for the separation of a fermentation process byproduct into its constituent components and for the subsequent recovery of those constituent components. The process is remarkably simple--requiring only 1) heating of a mixture containing the byproduct so as to separate the oil from a base component of the byproduct to which the oil is bound, followed by 2) recovering the base product, oil, and possibly other substances such as molasses from the mixture. The process can be performed on a large scale and in a continuous fashion using a mechanical separator to recover fibers from a heated mixture to produce a solids stream and a liquor stream and by then removing oil and insoluble substances from the liquor stream in an evaporator assembly.

Abstract: An automated prescription filling system which assists the physician in providing a prescription and/or assists he pharmacist in filling a prescription in which the physician enters prescription information into his/her computer by which a bar coded prescription may be printed out. The prescription printed out includes a bar code containing all pertinent information including drug specification, dose strength, taking instructions, physician identification as well as corresponding human-readable typed information. The patient takes the prescription into the pharmacy and the pharmacist fills the prescription either in the conventional fashion since the prescription contains all the necessary information in typed form, or the pharmacist scans the bar code(s) and the prescription is automatically entered into pharmacy computer. The pharmacist then selects the matching drug from the shelf container and scans the NDC (National Drug Code) bar-code on the container.

Abstract: A sample container segment assembly for use in an automated, continuous, and random access analytical system is disclosed. The assembly includes a sample container which is received by a sample container segment, and the sample container segment is received on a carousel of the automated analytical instrument. The test sample container includes an upper skirt and a body having a reservoir for receipt of the test sample. The segment includes a base, a frame, and a handle. The frame has a shelf for which the upper skirt of the test sample container rests on, and has openings for receipt of the body of the sample container. The carousel has a carousel trough for receipt of the base of the sample container segment, and has a plurality of alignment pins disposed in the carousel trough. The base of the sample container segment has a circular slot and an elongated slot for receiving the alignment pins and positioning the sample container segment relative to the carousel.

Abstract: A laser source arrangement is provided for use in a laser instrument of a kind used to transmit a scan pattern to a target which is spaced from the laser instrument and to detect light reflected from the target. The laser source arrangement preferably comprises a laser diode for producing a laser beam used to form the scan pattern. The laser diode is characterized by astigmatism which is subject to variation with the temperature of the case of the diode. The arrangement further includes drive apparatus for driving the laser diode in a pulsed mode having a duty cycle which reduces the astigmatism and substantially controls the temperature dependence of the astigmatism. Optics are also provided for statically correcting the astigmatism of the laser diode.

Abstract: A method for checking straightness of an elongated generally cylindrical bore, such as a capillary bore, includes directing a collimated light beam through the bore, with the bore skewed slightly with respect to the beam. This causes a wall of the bore to reflect some of the beam light, forming generally an off-axis ring of reflected light beyond the end of the bore, in addition to an on-axis spot of un-reflected light. Variation in the off-axis reflected light ring pattern by scatter of reflected light indicates non-straightness of the reflecting bore wall. Variation of the light in the ring is determined by measuring equipment. The cylindrical bore may be rotated sequentially through a plurality of positions, such as four positions, to check the entire circumference of the bore. The degree of bore non-straightness may be quantitatively measured electronically or mechanically.

Abstract: An optical extensometer is described using sequentially pulsed light beams for measuring the dimensions of objects by detecting two opposite edges of the object without contacting the object. The light beams may be of different distinguishable light characteristics, such as polarization or wave length, and are time modulated in an alternating manner at a reference frequency. The light characteristics are of substantially the same total light energy and are distributed symmetrically. In the preferred embodiment two light beam segments of one characteristic are on opposite sides of a middle segment of another characteristic. As a result, when the beam segments are scanned sequentially across two opposite edges of the object, they produce a readout signal at the output of a photoelectric detector that is compared with the reference signal by a phase comparator to produce a measurement signal with a binary level transition when the light beams cross an edge.