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Shared user printer output dynamic "mailbox" system

  • US 5,358,238 A
  • Filed: 04/27/1993
  • Issued: 10/25/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a sheet output mailboxing system for selectively collecting the sheets outputted by a shared users printer in an arrayed plurality of mailbox bins of a limited sheet capacity per bin, for collecting such output sheets therein in collated printer job sets of stacked plural said output sheets per job, and with sheet feeding means for sequentially feeding said output sheets from said printer to said mailbox bins so as to be segregated by bins by respective users of said shared user printer, the improvement wherein the mailbox bins are not permanently assigned to particular users, and are variably assigned, comprising;

  • a variable bin selector for selectably collecting plural said collated job sets of said shared printer output sheets in a selected bin of said array of mailbox bins,said variable bin selector providing for stacking a limited number of subsequent job sets from the same printer user on top of prior job sets in the same said selected mailbox bin,an electronic controller for controlling said variable bin selector for repeatedly variably selecting which ones of said plurality of mailbox bins will be temporarily assigned to particular said shared printer users,said controller collecting information as to which said mailbox bins have had job sets of another user stacked therein which have not yet been removed, in order to variably select other ones of said mailbox bins to be temporarily assigned to a particular said user,said controller selecting which ones of said bins will be assigned to a particular user in response to repeated determinations of which said mailbox bins are currently so available for stacking job sets therein, and controlling said variable bin selector means to collect said job sets of output sheets for that particular printer user in those selected bins,and a variable user indicator system repeatedly updated by said controller for identifying to said users which of said variably assigned mailbox bins contain job sets for a particular user wishing to remove job sets from said mailboxing system,thereby allowing multiple users to share said printer and said mailboxing system therefor even if the number of said shared users exceeds the number of said plural mailbox bins.

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