Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a printing mechanism. A reservoir is connected to the printing mechanism. The reservoir contains an imaging substance supply. A secured compartment contains at least the reservoir, the secured compartment being configured to restrict access to the reservoir. A communication port is configured to receive print data. The communication port is communicatively coupled to the printing mechanism, and the communication port is accessible from outside the secured compartment.

Abstract: A printer architecture and memory card is described. The architecture can include an integrated circuit and a memory card. The memory card can include print swaths and bit-maps of thumbnail images associated with the print swaths. The thumbnail images can be displayed on the hand-held printer. A print swath associated with the selected thumbnail image can be printed.

Abstract: A method of transforming a n-bit data packet to a m-bit data packet with a lookup table. The lookup table includes at least one entry data packet and at least one respective delta value associated with each entry data packet. The method includes the acts of receiving an input data packet having n-bits, indexing the lookup table with at least a portion of the input data packet to obtain one of the at least one entry data packet, and decompressing the obtained entry data packet with the at least one respective delta value associated with the obtained entry data packet, thereby resulting in an output data packet having m-bits. The decompressing act includes using a portion of the input data packet to determine the number of delta values called for decompressing the obtained entry data packet. The method can be used in, for example, an image processor.

Abstract: A method for facilitating printing includes the steps of providing to a consumer a first printer containing a fixed amount of imaging substance; receiving back from the consumer the first printer after a substantial portion of the imaging substance has been used; and exchanging the first printer with an exchange printer.

Abstract: A method of printing on a print medium with a printer which is in communication with a host computer includes the steps of providing the host computer with a print job to be printed by the printer, identifying a data format associated with the print job, determining an operating system stored in the printer, comparing the data format with the printer operating system, downloading an operating system which corresponds to the data format from the host computer to the printer if the printer operating system does not correspond to the data format, transmitting print data associated with the print job from the host computer to the printer, and printing on the print medium with the printer using the print data.

Abstract: A method for facilitating printing includes the steps of providing to a consumer a first printer containing a fixed amount of imaging substance; receiving back from the consumer the first printer after a substantial portion of the imaging substance has been used; and exchanging the first printer with an exchange printer.

Abstract: A control system in the form of an all-digital phase-locked loop controls movement of a DC motor. The control system includes a movement detector in the form of an optical encoder to detect movement of a DC motor. A digital phase detector compares output of a feedback signal from the movement detector and a reference signal. The digital phase detector is phase frequency detector that follows a describing function to model non-linear components of the reference signal. A digital loop filter then filters noise from the comparison signal and the filtered signal is amplified to control the DC motor. The phase frequency detector includes a state machine to track a time varying reference signal and selectively output a response to provide for system damping.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling a stepper motor that may be used in a paper feed rolling arrangement of a printer. The method includes storing step mode selection data in combination with time data in a single table for retrieval and use by a controller.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for firing the nozzles on an ink jet print head cartridge that requires a reduced number of data lines between the ink jet print head cartridge and the printer electronics. A group data line provides serial group select data that is stored in a set of group select latches on the ink jet print head cartridge and identifies a particular group of nozzles on the ink jet print head. A primitive data line provides primitive select data that is stored in a set of primitive select latches on the ink jet print head cartridge and identifies a particular nozzle in the selected set of nozzles. A first clock line provides a first clock signal that is used to advance the group select data and the primitive select data into the group select latches and primitive select latches respectively.

Abstract: An improved ink jet printer is provided in which its carrier position and velocity information is derived from a linear optical encoder mounted on the carrier, which produces the position information uses a quadrature output signal, and one of the channels of that output signal is used to determine “critical edge” transitions used to provide the actual print fire timing. Two adjacent encoder periods are needed to determine the acceleration of the carrier. By measuring the time intervals of these two encoder periods, and measuring the difference between these time intervals, the present invention provides correction logic that can determine if the second of the two measurements has been corrupted by motion not relative to carrier speed across the print media. If the difference between the previous two periods is greater than a preset maximum, the correction logic will limit the new encoder time (i.e.

Abstract: The specification describes a printer containing an angled printer cartridge and a method for printing using the cartridge. The printer is an ink jet printer which includes a print media movement device for moving a print media having through the printer along a print media path and a printer cartridge attached to the printer at an angle between 0° and 90° relative to an axis perpendicular to an axis along the direction of the media path through the printer. The printer cartridge has a length sufficient to print substantially the entire width of the printed width across the print media and contains a plurality of printheads along at least a portion of the length thereof, each printhead having one or more nozzle arrays. During a printing operation, only a portion of the printheads along the length of the cartridge are activated thus, reducing power consumption during printing.

Abstract: An apparatus addresses ink jet heating elements based on image data to cause ejection of ink droplets toward a print medium. The apparatus includes a controller for generating address signals, power signals, and first and second bank signals. The first and second bank signals, which are carried on first and second bank lines, alternate between on and off states. The first bank signal is off when the second bank signal is on, and the second bank signal is off when the first bank signal is on. The apparatus has m address lines and n power lines connected to the controller for carrying the address signals and the power signals. A print head has m×n number of first driver circuits, each of which is connected to the first bank line and to a corresponding one of the m address lines. The first driver circuits enable flow of a first driving current when the first bank signal and the address signal are simultaneously on on the first bank line and the corresponding address line.

Abstract: Mechanical and electrical characteristics of individual print cartridges are determined and used to generate control information for customizing control of each individual print cartridge. One or more characteristics including nozzle heater resistance, drop mass and drop velocity for individual print cartridges are determined and used to derive offset values for widths of pulses used to drive nozzle heaters in the individual print cartridges. While all three characteristics are preferably used, any one or two may also be used. Once determined, pulsewidths or offsets from nominal pulsewidths to improve or optimize printing using the print cartridges are stored in memory devices located on the print cartridges so that printers utilizing the print cartridges can retrieve the pulsewidth or offset data and utilize it in customizing or individualizing control of the print cartridges.

Abstract: A host computer transmits raster information to a multi-color ink jet printer. The printer includes a printhead connected with an electrical processor. The printhead includes a plurality of arrays of ink jetting heaters. Each array of ink jetting heaters corresponds to a different color ink to be jetted onto the print medium, and is offset relative to an adjacent array of ink jetting heaters in an advance direction of the print medium. First raster information for a first raster is transmitted from the host computer to the electrical processor of the printer. The first raster information is associated with a first array of ink jetting heaters. The print medium is printed on by selectively actuating the ink jetting heaters of the first array of ink jetting heaters, using the first raster information. After the first printing step, second raster information for a second raster is transmitted to the electrical processor. The second raster information is associated with the first array of ink jetting heaters.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for inhibiting electrically induced ink build-up on flexible, integrated circuit connecting leads, for thermal ink jet printer heads is disclosed, and relates to a thermal ink jet printer having a print head comprising an integrated circuit chip, a nozzle plate including a plurality of ink ejecting nozzles therein and overlying a heater resistor for each of the nozzles. Each of the associated heater resistors has associated active circuitry on the chip. On the chip there are a plurality of auxiliary functions requiring power, for example a substrate (silicon chip) heater, a shift register containing print head identification, fault detection circuit connections, etc.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus is provided comprising a print cartridge including a heater chip and a nozzle plate coupled to the heater chip. The heater chip has first, second, third and fourth heating elements, and the nozzle plate has a plurality of primary and secondary nozzles. The primary nozzles include first and second nozzles positioned in first and second nozzle plate columns and the secondary nozzles include third and fourth nozzles positioned in third and fourth nozzle plate columns. Each of the nozzles has one of the heating elements associated therewith for generating energy to discharge ink therefrom. The apparatus further includes a driver circuit, electrically coupled to the print cartridge, for applying firing pulses to the heating elements.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of printing on a print medium using an ink jet printer. The ink jet printer includes a printhead assembly having a plurality of ink emitting nozzles. Ink is jetted onto the print medium from the printhead assembly during a first mode of operation using a first available set of the nozzles. Ink is jetted onto the print medium from the printhead assembly during a second mode of operation using a second available set of the nozzles, dependent upon a physical operating parameter of the ink jet printer. The second available set of nozzles has a smaller number of the nozzles than the first available set of nozzles.

Abstract: A video frame imaging system for processing image data, including video frame data, and for printing images corresponding to print image data, comprising a computer having a processor for receiving and processing video frame data and for generating print image data and having a computer port connector, an arbitration control circuit, and a grab printer. The grab printer includes an integrated video capture unit for creating video frame data from a video input, a printer unit for printing images corresponding to print image data, and a grab printer port connector. The computer port connector and the grab printer port connector are coupled together and responsive to the arbitration control circuit to transfer video frame data created by the video capture unit between the video capture unit and the computer for processing by the computer in a first mode of operation.

Abstract: A printer system and method with reduced memory. A first memory, a second memory, a third memory, and a device which converts image description data to bitmap data, compresses the bitmap data, prints the compressed bitmap data and controls the printing system. The system and method senses when the end of a swath of image description data is stored in the first memory or when the first memory is full, causing a conversion of the image description data to bitmap data. The bitmap data is stored in the second memory. The bitmap data in the second memory is compressed, and the compressed bitmap data is stored in the third memory. When the third memory means is full, the compressed bitmap data is printed. The memory capacity of each of the first, second, and third memories is variable, while the overall cumulative capacity of the first, second and third memories is held constant.

Abstract: A printing system and method is provided that compacts bitmap print data by determining, per each swath of a page to be printed, the beginning and ending points of each "area" containing pels that will actually be printed within the swath, the locations of the starting and ending slices of each of these areas, and determining "voids" containing a sufficient minimum number of consecutive blank slices within the swath. A void is identified when a number of consecutive blank slices exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The printhead of the printing system will be turned off at the beginning of the void, and then turned back on as it approaches the end of the void, which would correspond to the beginning of the next area to be printed.