Copier display panel

• US 4,475,806 A
• Filed: 09/21/1982
• Issued: 10/09/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Baker, George E., Evanitsky, Eugene S., Bryce, James R., Lakatos, Andras I., Daughton, John W., Brady, Terence W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moses, R. L.
• Application Number:
  US06/420,963
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 355/14 R, 355/14 C, 355/3 R, 355/77, 340/691, 340/715, 340/716, 340/758, 340/784, 340/815.21
• US Class Current: 399/81
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5016 User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens

Abstract

A display for use in conjunction with a copier. The disclosed display comprises two microprocessors for controllably displaying information on a display panel of a xerographic copier. A first microprocessor is primarily responsible for energizing alphanumeric elements to either send messages to the copier user or to prompt the user to interact with the copier. A second display is a liquid crystal display wherein selectively energizable liquid crystal elements corresponding to copier components can be rendered visible under the control of the second microprocessor. An overlay pattern can be placed above the liquid crystal display to present to the user in outline form the copier architecture with which he is interacting. This overlay can be changed as the copier configuration is changed. The electronics for controlling the display of alphanumeric allows the utilization of different fonts and/or different languages. This flexibility allows the copier to prompt, and/or display information regarding copier status in various languages without a redesign of the display unit.

Claims

1. In a xerographic copier, a panel for displaying information regarding the status of said copier comprising:

message generation means having a number of individually addressable character generators which can be activated and thereby rendered visible;

a graphic display including a pattern of energizable elements which correspond to various copier components;

circuitry coupled to said graphic display and said message generation means to co-ordinate the visible message presented by the message generator means with the energization of said elements to inform a user viewing said panel of the status of said xerographic copier; and

an overlay for said display which illustrates a copier configuration outline to aid the user in orienting the component represented by an energized element with the copier configuration.

2. The panel of claim 1 wherein said circuitry comprises a programmable controller having instructions for actuating said message generation means stored in a memory and where the form of the messages displayed on said message generation means can be altered by substituting a different memory.

3. The panel of claim 1 wherein said graphic display comprises a plurality of individually energizable liquid crystal elements.

4. The panel of claim 3 wherein said display further comprises a light source and means mounted behind said display for reflecting light from said source to said liquid crystals for transmission when said liquid crystals are energized.

5. In a xerographic copier, a front panel for displaying information to a user comprising:

an alphanumeric vacuum fluorescent character display where each character is made visible by energizing a pattern of individually addressable marix elements thereby rendering said matrix elements visible;

means for energizing each of the addressable matrix elements;

a liquid crystal display which defines a plurality of display segments corresponding to different elements of the copier;

means for outlining said liquid crystal display with a profile of a particular copier configuration to which said front panel is attached;

means coupled to said liquid crystal display for controllably energizing said display segments;

a programmable controller for energizing both said character display and said liquid crystal display, said controller operating from an instruction listing stored in a memory, said memory including a non-volatile memory portion which defines the appearance or said characters displayed by said character display; and

means for communicating with said programmable controller to indicate the status of said copier so that said controller can display the status of said copier on said character and liquid crystal display.

6. The front panel of claim 5 wherein the non-volatile memory stores different languages for display by said character display.

7. A xerographic copier comprising:

a graphic display having a number of individually energizable display segments representing components of said copier which, when energized, are rendered visible and having an overlay which outlines a particular copier configuration in relation to the energizable display segments;

a character display for displaying characters to said user in a variety of display fonts;

a primary controller which monitors and controls xerographic functions as they are performed by said copier components;

a plurality of secondary controllers which communicate along a communications path with said primary controller where one of said secondary controllers comprises a display controller which selectively energizes said display segments and co-ordinates the energization of said segments with the display of information on said character display, said secondary display controller being apprised by said primary controller of the configuration of said copier so that only appropriate ones of said display segments are energized;

means for interfacing said display controller with said graphic and character displays; and

said primary controller including means for generating status, fault, and program messages in response to receipt of information from other of said secondary controllers regarding the state and desired mode of operation of said copier.

8. In a xerographic copier, a panel for conveying information to a copier user comprising:

message generation means for presenting short variable content messages to said user;

a graphic display including a pattern of energizable elements which correspond to various copier components;

a plurality of cards carrying fixed information mounted to said copier for access by said user, said cards encoded with messages more complex than those which can be presented on said message generation means; and

control means for co-ordinating the activation of said message generation means with the graphic display and for also controlling the content of said variable messages.