Patent Publication Number: US-2022214841-A1

Title: Printers with transparent displays

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Printer user interfaces include buttons, switches, and display devices. A user may provide direct input to a printer by, for example, processing a button on the printer. The printer may provide information to the user, for example, by displaying information to the user on a screen attached to the printer. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example printer with a transparent display. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of positioning a user-interface element on a transparent display of an example printer. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of example dimensions to locate a user-interface element on a transparent display of a printer. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an example user interface for a transparent display of a printer, where the user interface includes a menu. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of an example user intervention alert for a transparent display of a printer. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of an example user interface for a transparent display of a printer, where the user interface includes opaque and transparent regions. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram of an example user interface for a transparent display of a printer, where the user interface includes an outline of a printer mechanism component. 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of an example printer with a transparent display. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the example printer of  FIG. 1  with a front panel that carries the transparent display opened. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Many printer user interfaces use a screen to attempt to inform a user of an operation being carried out by the printer or a state of the printer. For example, a printer&#39;s screen may display messages, such as “printing page 3 of 5.” 
     Similar concepts are used to display menus at a printer and to instruct a user to manually intervene when the printer encounters an error, such as a paper jam. In an example of the former, a printer&#39;s menus may provide on-screen feedback that does not coincide with an apparent operation or apparent lack of operation of a print mechanism. For example, a user may use a menu to print a document from a memory stick and the printer may display a message to inform the user that the document is printing, but the user may not immediately see or hear a physical response from the printer. This may lead the user to believe that the document is not actually printing. 
     In an example of the latter, a printer may display diagrammatic or textual instructions to the user. However, when the user opens the printer to make the manual intervention, the user may not be able to readily associate the instructions to the actual mechanism that he/she sees. 
     A transparent display may be provided to a printer to provide augmented-reality functionality to the printer, so that a user may interact with information on the display and see inside the printer through the display. 
     A user is able to view the interior of the printer through the transparent display. The transparent display may provide information about the printer to the user and, at the same time, allow the user to view an interior mechanism of the printer. A user interface displayed at the transparent display juxtaposed with actual physical state of the printer may directly inform the user that the printer responded to an input Further, in the case of a jam or other malfunction, a transparent display may be capable of instructing the user to perform a manual intervention in the context of the actual mechanism of the printer. 
       FIG. 1  shows an example printer  100 , The printer  100  may be an inkjet printer, a laser printer, a multifunction device (e.g., printer with integrated scanner, copying, fax functionality, etc.), or similar device capable of generating a printed document. 
     The printer  100  includes a housing  102  and a mechanism  104  disposed within the housing. 
     The mechanism  104  prints a document to a print medium, such as paper, cardstock, polymer film, or similar. The mechanism  104  may include electromechanical components such as a roller, a tray, an inkjet cartridge, an inkjet printhead, a conveyor, a drum, a laser device, a fuser, a toner cartridge, and similar. The specific components of the mechanism  104  depend on the type of printer and its functionality. 
     The printer  100  further includes a transparent display  106  positioned at the housing  102 . In this example, the transparent display  106  is positioned in a front panel  108  of the housing  102 . The front panel  108  may provide an external surface to the housing  102  that normally faces a user when the user interacts with the printer  100 . The transparent display  106  acts as a window to directly view inside the printer  100  while also being capable of providing interaction with the user. 
     The transparent display  106  s to display information related to operation of the mechanism  104 . Displayed information may include print options (e.g., single-sided or double-sided printing, paper select, etc.), printer commands that may be selected (e.g., print from a memory stick, cancel a print job, copy a document, etc.), print job status (e.g., page number currently being printed, number of documents in queue, document name, errors, etc.), jam recovery assistance (e.g., an instruction to a user to perform a manual intervention to clear a jam, eta), or similar. 
     The transparent display  106  may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED display, or similar. The transparent display  106  may include a touchscreen to facilitate user input to the printer  100 , For example, the transparent display  106  may include capacitive touch-sensitive elements to receive user input at various locations on the display  106 . 
     The transparent display  106  is positioned to allow viewing of the internal mechanism  104  from outside the housing, As such, the transparent display  106  may display information as augmented-reality information about the mechanism  104 . That is, a portion of the mechanism  104  may be viewed through the transparent display  106  at the same time that information is displayed on the transparent display  106 . This may be useful when instructing a user to undertake manual intervention to clear a jam. For example, the transparent display  106  may display an arrow that points to the location of the jam at the mechanism  104 . 
     The transparent display  106  may provide the user with a way to view the mechanism  104  without having to open the front panel  108 . This may assist the user in understanding that the printer  100  is carrying out operations, which may be particularly useful if the printer  100  operates quietly. For example, the user may initiate printing of document using a button displayed at the transparent display  106 . In response, the user may see the printer mechanism  104  begin its movement, thereby immediately and directly confirming to the user that the commandwas followed. 
     The transparent display  106  may be fully transparent, semitransparent, or translucent, provided that a user is able to see through the display  106  to some extent. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , an example transparent display  106  may be used to display a user-interface element  200 , such as an icon, word, image, graphic, animation, video, symbol, touch-sensitive button or region, or the like. The user-interface element  200  may be positioned at a position along a line of sight  202  between a component  204  of the printer mechanism and a viewpoint  206  outside a housing  102  at which the tray s arent&gt;display  106  is located. 
     Positioning a user-interface element  200  along a line of sight  202  between a user and a component  204  of the printer mechanism may assist the user in clearing a jam or undertaking another manual intervention. The user-interface element  200  may indicate a user action to be performed and a location of the action at the mechanism. For example, an arrow may be displayed on the transparent display  106  and point to a lever inside the printer that a user is instructed to move to assist in clearing a jam. The arrow may be positioned so that, from the perspective of the user, the arrow points to the lever. In another example, a colored outlined box is shown to indicate where a release for a toner cartridge is located when the printer detects that the toner cartridge is to be replaced. In another example, a colored region or outline traces a shape of a component  204 , in still another example the transparent display  106  may be made opaque by displaying a color, such as the same color of the housing, except for a region that allows the user to see the internal location requiring intervention. As such, the transparent display  106  may be selectively and dynamically windowed to draw the user&#39;s attention to particular locations within the printer. 
     The transparent display  106  may therefore display augmented-reality information about the mechanism. That is, a transparent region of the naparent display  106  allows the user to see&#39;the actual mechanism inside the printer, while simultaneously a user-interface element  200  displayed on the transparent display  106  may be juxtaposed with the mechanism to provide information beyond the appearance of the mechanism. 
     As shown it  FIG. 3 , the height Hui of a user-interface element  200  on the transparent display  106  may be selected based on an expected height Hvp of a user&#39;s eye, an expected distance Dvp of the users eye from the transparent display  106 , a height Hm of an internal component  204  of the printer mechanism, and a distance Dm of the internal component  204  of the printer mechanism from the transparent display  106 . The heights Hvp, Hui, Hm and distances Dvp, Dm may refer to the same reference, such as an expected position of the bottom of the transparent display  106 . In other words, the user-interface element height Hui may be computed by linear interpolation between the expected user viewpoint height Hvp and distance Dvp and the mechanism height Hm and distance Dm. Thus, the user-interface element  200  may be displayed at a location that makes sense to a user who views the internal component through the transparent display  106 . While the mechanism height Hm and distance Dm are fixed or predictable, the expected viewpoint height Hvp and distance Dvp may be predefined based on an average empirical measure (e.g., based on typical users in typical situations) or may be user-selectable or configurable. Similarly, the reference may be predefined, selectable, or configurable. For example, the user may be able to select the height of the table that the printer is placed on, so that the reference (e.g., the bottom of the transparent display  106 ) is accurate. 
     In other examples, a user-interface element  200  may be positioned on a transparent display  106  using eye tracking. For example, a camera may be provided to the printer  100  and a processor of the printer  100  may be programmed to perform eye tracking to determine a user&#39;s viewpoint, e.g., Dvp and Hvp. The user-interface element  200  may then be positioned on the transparent display  106  based on the user&#39;s viewpoint. Further, the interface element  200  may be moved or animated on the transparent display  106  in response to movement of the user&#39;s viewpoint, as determined by eye tracking. 
     The above, whether using preset or selectable positions or using eye tracking, may be used to overlap or place a user-interface element  200  near an internal component  204 , which may be useful if the user-interface element  200  is used to highlight or indicate the component  204 . Conversely, the above may be applied to avoid overlap or provide space between a menu item, button, or other user-interface element  200  with respect to a component  204 , when a clear view of the component  204  is desired. That is, the user-interface element  200  may be positioned to outside the line of sight  202 . 
       FIGS. 4-7  show example user-interface elements that may be displayed on a transparent display  106  of a printer  100 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an example user interface  400  that includes icons  402 , such as cons to navigate the user interface  400  (e.g., a home icon, a back icon, eta), an icon to power on/off the printer, an icon to indicate a wireless signal strength and/or turn on/off a wireless communications interface. The transparent display  106  may be a touchscreen and an icon  402  may be touch-sensitive. 
     The user interface  400  may include menu items  404 , such as text indications of functions available at the printer. A menu item  404  may be expandable to display relevant submenu items  406 . An expanded menu item  404  may remain open when displaying submenu items  406 , so that the user may view a menu tree and may understand the scope of his/her past or potential choices. 
     The user interface  400  may guide the user through a sequence of steps to operate the printer. Animation may be displayed on the transparent display  106  to bring the user&#39;s attention to a choice that may be made through the menu items  404  or submenu items  406 . For example, a linking graphic  408 , such as a line, or arrow, between a menu item  404  and submenu item  406  may animate to bring, the user&#39;s attention to the submenu item  406 . 
     Elements of the user interface  400 , such as ions  402  and menu items  404 ,  406 , may be arranged to allow a component  420 ,  422  of a mechanism inside the printer to be visible. That is, elements of the user interface  400  may be positioned based on a location of a component  420 ,  422 , so that the component is visible from an expected user viewpoint. As such, the user may be able to see, at the same time, both the user interface  400  on the transparent display  106  and a component  420 ,  422  of the mechanism behind the transparent display  106 . As such, movement of a component  420 ,  422  of the mechanism may be readily apparent to the user. When such movement is in response to a menu item  404 ,  406  selected by the user, the user may be provided with immediate physical feedback of his/her selected action. 
       FIG. 5  shows an example user interface  500  displayable on a transparent display  106  of a printer. The user interface  500  indicates an alert that instructs a user on how to manually intervene to clear a jam. The user interface  500  may include a text instruction  502  and a target indicator  504 , such as an arrow or box, to indicate the component  506  inside the printer that is to be manually actuated. The text instruction  502  and target indicator  504  may highlight the actual physical intervention that is needed with the actual component  506  in view. The user may then open the printer, such as by opening the front panel on which the transparent display  106  is mounted, to carry out the intervention ( FIG. 9 ). 
       FIG. 6  shows an example user interface  600  displayable on a transparent display  106  of a printer. The user interface  600  displays an opaque or semi-opaque region to occlude or obscure a component  606  of a printer echanism and a transparent or semitransparent region to allow the viewing of another component  608  of a printer mechanism. The user interface  600  may bring the users attention to the component  608  while diverting the users attention away from the other component  606 . 
       FIG. 7  shows an example user interface  700  displayable on a transparent display  106  of a printer. The user interface  700  displays an outline  702  of a component  704  of a printer mechanism to bring a user&#39;s attention to the component  704 . The outline  702  may have a color that contrasts with the internal components of the printer, The outline  702  may be animated. An animation  706  may, for example, demonstrate how the component is to be manually moved by the user, In other examples, the solid region in the shape of the component  704  may be displayed or animated. 
       FIG. 8  shows an example printer  800  that includes a transparent display  106 . The printer  800  may be similar to the printer  100 . The description for the printer  100  may he referenced for details not repeated here. 
     The printer  800  may include a processor  802 , memory  804 , and a print engine  806 . 
     The processor  802  may be coupled to the print engine  806  to control the print engine  806 , The processor  802  may be coupled to the memory  804  to communicate instructions and data therebetween to provide for execution of instructions by the processor  802 . The processor  802  may include a central processing units (CPU), a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a processing core, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar device capable of executing instructions. 
     The memory  804  may include a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that may be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that stores executable instructions. The machine-readable storage medium may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, a storage drive, an optical disc, and the like. The machine-readable storage medium may be encoded with executable instructions, The memory  804  may store print instructions  814  that are executable by the processor  802  to control the print engine  806  to print information to print media. 
     The print engine  806  may include a mechanism to print a document to a print medium. The print engine  806  may include a roller, an inkjet cartridge, an inkjet printhead, a conveyor, a drum, a laser device, a fuser, a toner cartridge, a motor, servomotor, a gear assembly, a power circuit, and similar. The print engine  806  may include various electromechanical components to perform a specific type of printing. 
     The printer  800  may further include a print media input tray  808  nd a printed media output tray  810 , each connected to the print engine  806 . 
     The printer  800  may further include a communications interface  812  coupled to the processor  802  to communicate with a computer network to receive print jobs from computers on the computer network. The printer  800  may include a communications port, such as a serial port, to receive a print job from a directly connected computer. 
     The transparent display  106  may be connected to the processor  802 . The processor  802  may drive the transparent display  106  to display a user interface, which may be represented by instructions  820  stored in memory  804 , to allow user interaction with the printer  100 . The user-interface instructions  820  may reference augmented-reality user-interface assets  822 , which may be stored in the memory  804 . The augmented-reality user-interface assets  822  may include graphics, animations, images, icons, text. and the like, as mentioned elsewhere herein. 
     The processor  802  may execute the user-interface instructions  820  to display augmented-reality user-interface assets  822  that provide information to a user, or accept input from the user, in temporal or spatial juxtaposition with a component of the print engine  806  that is viewable through the transparent display  106 . The user-interface instructions  820  and augmented-reality user-interface assets  822  may implement any of the example user interfaces and user interface elements discussed herein. 
     The printer  800  may further include an eye-tracking sensor  824 , such as a camera, connected to the processor  802 , The eye-tracking sensor  824  may be aimed towards a location in the vicinity of the printer  800  where a user&#39;s face is expected to be during normal user interaction with the printer  800 . The user-interface instructions  820  may include instructions to determine a user&#39;s viewpoint based on a signal outputted by the eye-tracking sensor  824 , and then position a user-interface asset  822  at an appropriate location on the transparent display  106 . That is, an icon, word, image, or other user-interface asset  822  may be dynamically positioned on the transparent display  106  based on a sensed eye position and/or viewing direction of the user. This may allow for a user-interface asset  822  to be positioned with respect to internal mechanism of the printer  800  as viewed by the user through the transparent display  106 . A user-interface asset  822  may be positioned based on eye tracking to apparently overlap or to be in apparent proximity to a component of the mechanism (e.g., to indicate a jam) or may be positioned based on eye tracking to provide an unobstructed view of a component of the mechanism (e.g., to give direct feedback to the user). 
       FIG. 9  shows a front panel  108  of a printer  100 , which carries a transparent display  106 , in an opened position to grant a user manual access to an internal mechanism  104  of the printer  100 . A user may thus perform a manual intervention on the printer  100 , close the front panel  108 , and then view the result of the manual intervention through the transparent display  106  in conjunction with related information that may be displayed on the transparent display  106 . 
     In view of the above, it should be apparent that a transparent display may be provided to a printer to provide useful information to a user of the printer in conjunction with the ability to see an internal mechanism of the printer. A user may thus gain a better understanding of the printer and its operations Further, a user may be taught or instructed how to manually intervene in the visible context of the printer mechanism, in the case of an operational problem with the printer, such as a paper jam. 
     It should be recognized that features and, aspects of the various examples provided above can be combined into further examples that also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the figures are not to scale and may have size and shape exaggerated for illustrative purposes.