Interface for multifunctional system having multiple services

• US 20040111164A1
• Filed: 12/04/2002
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Brose, Anne E., Stohrer, Charles W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,353,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/46 Printing mechanisms combined with apparatus providing a visual indication

Abstract

An interface for a multifunctional electronic device capable of performing multiple services such as copy, fax, scan, and print wherein the interface is simplified by illuminating or otherwise focusing a user'"'"'s attention to only those control switches that are available for selection in respect to the service to be performed. Also, provision may be made to highlight, within a group of available features, the switch that controls the feature that is currently selected.

Claims

1. A multifunctional electronic system having a human interface and offering a plurality of services to a human user, said system comprising:

a) a system controller;

b) a plurality of human controllable switch devices located on the interface that control selection of system features and that separately communicate with the system controller;

c) a plurality of human interpretable indicators, each associated with a switch device and indicating the existence of one of a plurality of modes for such switch device;

wherein, when a first service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device to indicate the existence of a first mode for such switch device; and

wherein, when a second service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device to indicate the existence of a second mode for such switch device.

2. The multifunctional system of claim 1, wherein the first service comprises one of the group of services consisting essentially of print, copy, scan, and facsimile and the second service comprises a different one of the group of services consisting essentially of print, copy, scan, and facsimile.

3. The multifunctional system of claim 1, wherein, when the first service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with a second switch device to indicate the existence of the second mode for such switch device and, when the second service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with the second switch device to indicate the existence of the first mode for such switch device.

4. The multifunctional system of claim 1, wherein the switch device communicates with the device controller for selection of one of a plurality of system features relating to a service and wherein the first mode comprises the availability of a system feature associated with the switch device and wherein the second mode comprises the unavailability of the feature associated with the switch device.

5. The multifunctional system of claim 4,

wherein the switch device comprises one of a group of switch devices;

wherein only one of the group of switch devices may be activated at one time;

wherein, in the first mode, each human interpretable indicator associated with the switch devices in the group indicates the availability of the respective system features associated with the switch devices in the group; and

wherein the controller directs one human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device in the group to further indicate that the system feature associated with that switch device is currently selected for activation.

6. The multifunctional system of claim 5, further comprising a second human interpretable indicator associated with each switch device in the group wherein availability of the feature associated with the switch device is indicated by the first human interpretable indicator and wherein a current selection for implementation of the feature is indicated by the second human interpretable indicator.

7. The multifunctional system of claim 6, wherein the first and second human interpretable indicators comprise two levels of illumination.

8. The multifunctional system of claim 6, wherein the first and second human interpretable indicators comprise two sources of illumination.

9. The multifunctional system of claim 6, wherein one of the human interpretable indicators comprises a repeating pattern of variable signals from a single human interpretable indicator and wherein the other human interpretable indicator comprises a continuous signal from the single human interpretable indicator.

10. The multifunctional system of claim 1, wherein the human interpretable indicator comprises a source of illumination that provides a first characteristic light to indicate the existence of the first mode and a second characteristic light to indicate the existence of the second mode.

11. The multifunctional system of claim 10, wherein the first characteristic light comprises a repeating pattern of variable signals from a human interpretable indicator and wherein the second characteristic light comprises continuous signals from the human interpretable indicator.

12. The multifunctional system of claim 10, wherein the first characteristic light comprises illumination of one color and the second characteristic light comprises illumination of a second color.

13. The multifunctional system of claim 10, wherein the source of illumination comprises a Light Emitting Diode.

14. The multifunctional system of claim 10, wherein the source of illumination comprises an optical fiber.

15. The multifunctional system of claim 1, wherein most switch devices relating to the first service are grouped together on the interface and wherein most switch devices associated with the second service are grouped separately from the group relating to the first service.

16. The multifunctional system of claim 15, further comprising a switch device relating to a plurality of services that is placed on the interface outside of the groups of switch devices related to the first and second services.

17. An electrophotographic multifunctional printer having a human interface and offering a plurality of services to a human user, said printer comprising:

a) a system controller;

b) a plurality of human controllable switch devices located on the interface that control selection of system features and that separately communicate with the system controller;

c) a plurality of human interpretable indicators, each associated with a switch device and indicating the existence of one of a plurality of modes for such switch device;

wherein, when a first service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device to indicate the existence of a first mode for such switch device; and

wherein, when a second service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device to indicate the existence of a second mode for such switch device.

18. In a multifunctional system having a system controller, a human interface comprising a plurality of switch devices that control selection of system features, and a human interpretable indicator associated with each switch device, a process for interfacing with the system, comprising:

selecting a first service to be performed;

determining, with the controller, which features are available for selection with the first service; and

activating, with signals from the controller, the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of the features available for selection with the first service.

19. The process of claim 18, further comprising deactivating the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of features that are not available for selection with the first service.

20. The process of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting a second service to be performed;

determining, with the controller, which features are available for selection with the second service;

activating, with signals from the controller, the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of the features available for selection with the second service; and

deactivating the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of features that are not available for selection with the second service.

21. The process of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring, for the first service, a set of default selections of system features, which features will be implemented upon activation of the selected service unless a user selects an alternate feature set by switching at least one switch device; and

using at least one human interpretable indicator to indicate at least one feature of the set of default selections.

22. The process of claim 21, further comprising:

selecting an alternative feature set by switching at least one switch device; and

highlighting, with a human interpretable indicator, a switch device that controls activation of system processes to implement the selected service.

23. The process of claim 18, further comprising highlighting the human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device that selects a currently selected feature.

24. The process of claim 23, further comprising:

grouping a plurality of switch devices associated with system features available for a selected service wherein only one of the associated features may be selected at one time;

indicating, with human interpretable indicators, the availability of all of the features associated with the switch devices within the group; and

highlighting, with a human interpretable indicator, the one of the switch devices within the group that is associated with the currently selected system feature.