Patent Publication Number: US-2010118327-A1

Title: All-in-One Device with Integrated Monitor

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part application and claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of application Ser. No. 11/778,910, filed Jul. 17, 2007, entitled “All-In-One Device with Integrated Monitor.” This application also claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of application Ser. No. 61/139,909, filed Dec. 22, 2008, entitled “Imaging Device with a Vertically Oriented Scan Unit.” The present application hereby incorporates by reference the above identified patent applications in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an all-in-one device or multi-function peripheral. More particularly, the present invention relates to an all-in-one device having a scanner lid with an integrated video display or monitor for replacement of a typical desktop monitor. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     All-in-one devices typically utilize two or more pieces of office equipment within a single housing. For example, printers have been combined with scanner devices to provide copying function as well as digitizing of photos and documents for storage. Likewise, such printer/scanner device may also include a facsimile device with a phone line in order to receive incoming transfer of electronic documents. As multiple pieces of office equipment have been combined into a single all-in-one device, the housings, as well as the device footprint, have become larger so as to require increased surface area on desks, shelves, cabinets or other flat top surfaces utilized to position an all-in-one device. 
     All-in-one device designers have various goals in meeting functionality goals for these devices. For example, since all-in-one devices have increased in size with performance and functionality, one goal of designers is to decrease the footprint, or the surface area taken up with these devices. A further function which could be incorporated into an all-in-one device is manipulation of a scanned photo or drawing. For example, it may be preferable to perform redeye reduction or photo cropping prior to printing of the scanned photo or drawing through the all-in-one device. However, by decreasing the footprint of the all-in-one device, a useful video display size becomes increasing difficult to locate on the device and further increases the difficulty of a user trying to manipulate scanned photos or the like. 
     Currently, multi-function peripherals compete with monitors, keyboards, input devices, such as mice, as well as other peripherals and documents for desktop space. It has been a goal to increase desktop space by combining various components into a single device. Heretofore, monitors have been stand-alone components. The prior art multi-function devices have utilized small monitors to view and edit photos prior to printing. However, meaningful editing has been limited by the small screen size. A larger full-size screen would resolve this issue. A larger screen size would also allow for combined use with a CPU as a monitor for computing and watching video. Likewise, such combination would save precious desktop surface area. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An all-in-one device including a printer comprises a housing, a scanner including a scanner lid hingeably connected to the housing, and, a video display formed in the scanner lid. The video display may possess one or more of the following characteristics. For example, the video display may be at least 12.1″ in size. The video display may have a 4:3 size ratio. The video display may alternatively have a 16:9 size ratio. The video display may occupy at least about one-quarter of the surface area of the lid. The scanner lid may be oriented substantially vertically or substantially horizontally. The video display may be a liquid crystal display. 
     A multi-function peripheral device comprises a housing having a printer and a scanner, the scanner has a scanner lid oriented in a substantially vertical plane, the lid having an integrated monitor opposite the scanner. The multi-function peripheral device further comprises a lid hinge connecting the housing and the scanner lid along an edge of the scanner lid, such as a substantially horizontal edge. The integrated monitor may be a liquid crystal display. The integrated monitor may have a size including at least about one-quarter of the scanner lid surface area. The multi-function device further comprises a video input connector for receiving a video signal from an external video source. 
     A multi-function peripheral comprises a vertically oriented housing, a printer, a scanner, a scanner lid hingedly connected to the housing and a video monitor integrally disposed on an outer surface of the scanner lid. The scanner lid and video monitor are disposed in a substantially vertical plane. The video monitor comprises a liquid crystal display. The video monitor may be sized to substantially cover a scanner bed. In addition or in the alternative, the video monitor has a size of at least one-half the scanner lid. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a multi-function apparatus including a printer; a housing; and a scan unit having a scan glass coupled to the housing and disposed substantially vertically thereto, the scan unit capturing an image of a media sheet disposed against the scan glass. The scan unit may substantially simultaneously capture an image of at least a majority portion of the media sheet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary multifunction peripheral device with integrated monitor; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the multifunction peripheral device of  FIG. 1  with a cut-away portion revealing an exemplary print mechanism; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the exemplary device of  FIG. 1  with the monitor/scan lid opened; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the exemplary device of  FIG. 3  with the scanner glass partially removed to show some scanner components; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the exemplary multi-function device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the multifunction peripheral device of  FIG. 1  which further utilizes touchscreen technology; 
         FIG. 7  is an alternative embodiment including an automatic document feeder; 
         FIG. 8  is an alternative multifunction peripheral device which utilizes a horizontally positioned flat bed scanner lid; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the multifunction peripheral of  FIG. 1  connected to a computer for use; 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram of components found in the multi-function peripheral device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of a side elevational view of a portion of a multifunction device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a front elevational view of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of a multifunction device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 14  is a rear perspective view of the multifunction device of  FIG. 13 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
     Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific mechanical configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the invention and that other alternative mechanical configurations are possible. 
     The term image as used herein encompasses any printed or digital form of text, graphic, or combination thereof. It should be understood that any target document or image may be scanned and manipulated, however for purpose of this description the term “image” will be used throughout. The term output as used herein encompasses output from any printing device such as color and black-and-white copiers, color and black-and-white printers, scanning device or so-called “all-in-one devices” or “multi-function peripherals” that incorporate multiple functions such as scanning, copying, and printing capabilities in one device. Such printing devices may utilize ink jet, dot matrix, dye sublimation, laser, and any other suitable print formats. The term button as used herein means any component, whether a physical component or graphic user interface icon, that is engaged to initiate output. The term ADF as used herein means auto-document feeder and may be utilized on printers, copiers, scanners, multi-function peripheral devices and other such devices utilizing automated media feeding. 
     Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, there are shown in  FIGS. 1-10  various aspects of a multi-function peripheral device with integral monitor  10 . The multi-function peripheral device  10  utilizes a monitor  50  which is appropriate for use as a primary viewing device when connected to a video source signal and also allows for viewing of menu selections for operation of the multi-function peripheral device  10 . Further, the monitor  50  may be used in combination with controls and software on the device  10  to manipulate scanned images or images stored on flash memory devices and read by the reader station Nevertheless, it should be understood that it is equally applicable to other machines which utilize media sheet feeding mechanisms such as copiers, fax machines, auto-document feeding scanner devices or other mechanisms utilizing such sheet feeding devices for feeding both light and heavy weight media. 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , the multi-function peripheral device  10  is shown having an upper scanner portion  12  and a lower printer portion  20 , packaged within a housing  14 . The multi-function peripheral device  10  is shown and described herein, however one of ordinary skill in the art will understand upon reading of the instant specification that the present invention may be utilized with a stand alone printer, copier, scanner or other peripheral device which utilizes desktop space. The peripheral device  10  further comprises a control panel  30  having a plurality of buttons  38  for making command selections or correction of error conditions, and which will be described further herein. 
     The printer portion  20  includes at least one media tray for media throughput. Extending from the rear of the printer portion  20  is an input tray  22  for retaining media prior to printing (See  FIG. 5 ). The input tray  22  is generally vertically oriented for feeding media (not shown) into the printer portion  20 . At the front of the printer portion  20  is an output area  24  for retaining media after a print process. The exemplary device does not utilize an output tray however, an output tray is within the scope of the present invention such as a telescoping tray assembly which may be slidably extended during printing or slidably retracted into a nested configuration when not in use. Alternatively, a rigid tray may be utilized. The input and output area  22 ,  24  of the printer portion  20  define start and end positions respectively, of a media feedpath  21  ( FIG. 2  indicated by an arrow) through the printer portion  20 . One skilled in the art will understand that the media feedpath  21  illustrated is an L-shaped media feedpath due to the depicted configuration. However, it is within the scope of the present invention that the C-shaped media feedpath configuration or a straight-through feedpath may be utilized. The input tray  22 , or the output tray if utilized, may retain a preselected number of sheets defining a stack of media (not shown) which will vary in thickness based on the media type. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the printer portion  20  may include various types of printing mechanisms including dye-sublimation, dot-matrix, ink jet or laser printing. For ease of description, the exemplary printer portion  20  may be an inkjet printing device although such description should not be considered limiting. The printer portion  20  of the exemplary device  10  includes various components generally described but not shown. The printer portion  20  includes a carriage  26  having a position for placement of at least one print cartridge  28 . According to an exemplary embodiment, two print cartridges may be utilized wherein, by way of example, a color cartridge is utilized for photos and a black cartridge for text or other monochrome printing. As one skilled in the art will recognize, the color cartridge may include three inks, i.e., cyan, magenta and yellow inks Alternatively, in lower cost machines, a single cartridge may be utilized wherein the three inks, i.e., cyan, magenta and yellow inks are simultaneously utilized to provide the black for text printing or for photo printing. As a further alternative, a single black cartridge may be used. During advancement media moves from the input tray  22  to the output  24  along a substantially L-shaped media feedpath  21  beneath the carriage  26  and cartridges  28 . As the media moves into a printing zone beneath the at least one ink cartridge  28 , the media moves in a first Y-direction (north-south) along feedpath  21  and the carriage  26  and the cartridges  28  move in a second X-direction (east-west) which is transverse to the movement of the media M. During this movement, ink is selectively ejected onto the media to form an image. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 1 , the front surface of the multi-function peripheral device  10  comprises a control panel  30  for controlling the various functions and connectivities of the multi-function peripheral device  10 . A device controller  80  ( FIG. 10 ) is utilized to receive inputs and commands and signals the various components of the device  10 . The device controller  80  receives commands from selections made at plurality of control buttons  38  and accordingly operates appropriate components of the device  10 , such as the printer  20 , scanner  12  or the components described herein. Alternatively, the device  10  may receive commands from a computer connected to the device  10 . The peripheral device  10  may comprise wireless connectivity for connection to wireless networks. Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in the 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, with an 11 Mbps (802.11b) or 54 Mbps (802.11a/g) data rate or with products that contain both bands (dual band). Likewise, Wi-Fi network connections provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10 BaseT wired Ethernet networks. In the exemplary embodiment, the wireless connectivity may operate through known standards IEEE 802.11 a/b/g. This allows the peripheral device  10  to be wirelessly connected to the network. Although such structure is not shown, one skilled in the art will understand such implementation with the device  10 . At the upper left corner of the control panel  30  is a Wi-Fi indicator  32  which notifies a user that the Wi-Fi connectivity is enabled allowing the peripheral device  10  to connect to a wireless network. 
     The device  10  may also utilize Bluetooth technology to communicate with other peripheral devices, such as, for example, handheld digital cameras (not shown) in order to, for example, transfer pictures from the camera to the device  10  for printing on the printer portion  20 . Bluetooth wireless technology is a short-range communications technology intended to replace the cables connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security. The Bluetooth specification defines a uniform structure for a wide range of devices to connect and communicate with each other. Bluetooth enabled electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly through short-range, ad hoc networks, which are established dynamically and automatically as Bluetooth enabled devices enter and leave radio proximity. Bluetooth enabled devices use the inquiry procedure to discover nearby devices, or to be discovered by devices in their locality. The inquiry procedure is asymmetrical. A Bluetooth enabled device that tries to find other nearby devices is known as an inquiring device and actively sends inquiry requests. Bluetooth enabled devices that are available to be found are known as discoverable devices and listen for these inquiry requests and send responses. The device  10  may comprise, for example, a blue light indicating the Bluetooth communication system is either on or off. Alternatively, the indicator  32  may change to a blue color indicating the Bluetooth communication system is operating. 
     Adjacent the indicator  32  at the top of the control panel  30  is a power indicator  34 . The power indicator  34  may notify a user that the power on the peripheral device is either connected, turned on or both. An LED light or other such known luminaire may be utilized to as the indicator. Further, the LED may flash or have preselected illumination patterns or sequences to indicate different conditions, such as, for example an empty media input tray, printing error or the like. 
     Beneath the Wi-Fi indicator  32  and the power indicator  34  is a camera  36 . A lens structure is positioned within the control panel  30  which may capture either video or still images of a user sitting at the peripheral  10 . The camera  36  may be utilized with software to make video clips, perform video conferencing, or take digital photographs. 
     Still referring to  FIG. 1 , beneath the camera  36  is a memory card reader station  29  and a plurality of control buttons  38 . The memory card reader station  29  is depicted adjacent the control panel  11 . The memory card reader  29  receives various types of memory cards which may store picture files for printing or other manipulation by the device  10 . These include USB flash drives, Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, Sony® memory stick devices and the like. The media card reader station  29  receives various media types having images located thereon. The images may be displayed on peripheral device monitor  50  and may subsequently be edited or formatted as desired and printed through printer portion  20  or saved to memory card at reader  29  or to a computer  70  ( FIG. 9 ) or to a network storage device (not shown). 
     Disposed on a side surface of the peripheral device  10  are a plurality of connective structures  40  which may be connected to a controller  80  ( FIG. 10 ) on-board the device  10 . The structures  40  include a universal serial bus (USB) connector  42 . USB is a serial bus standard to interface peripheral devices, such as the peripheral device  10 , and is designed to allow peripherals to be connected using a single standardized interface socket. USB also improves plug-and-play capabilities by allowing devices to be connected and disconnected without rebooting the computer (hot swapping). Other convenient features include powering low-consumption devices without the need for an external power supply and allowing some devices to be used without requiring individual device drivers to be installed. In the embodiment depicted, the peripheral  10  may be connected to a CPU  70  ( FIG. 9 ) or USB hub for utilizing the printing and scanning functions of the multi-function peripheral device  10 . 
     Adjacent the USB connector  42  are three video connectors. The first video connector is an analog connector  44  which is an analog video connector for receiving analog signals from a video card of a CPU. The analog connector  44  may be a video graphics array (VGA) connector, super video graphics array (SVGA) or other such connector for transmitting video signals to the monitor  50 . 
     Adjacent the analog connector  44  is a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector  46 . The HDMI connector  46 , as known to one skilled in the art, transfers a digital high definition signal as well as digital audio signal to and from an audio/video source. Since a single cable is utilized to carry both audio and video signal, the wire clutter between components is reduced, which is aesthetically pleasing. 
     Beneath the HDMI connector  46  is a digital visual interface (DVI) connector  48  which is also a digital video signal connector and functions as a conduit for high definition signals from a video source, in this case such as a video card, generally indicated as within the CPU  70  ( FIG. 9 ). The DVI standard is designed to maximize the visual quality of digital display devices and is designed primarily for carrying uncompressed digital video data to a display. However, unlike the HDMI connector  46 , the DVI connector  48  does not transmit audio signals in combination with the video signal. The various connectors are arranged in exemplary manner however, alternative connectors may be utilized in a fashion which is suitable for the intended use and therefore are well within the scope of the present invention. 
     Beneath the USB connector is an Ethernet or local area network (LAN) connector  43 , commonly known as a RJ-45 connector. The term Ethernet refers to the family of local-area network (LAN) products covered by the IEEE 802.3 standard. Three data rates are currently defined for operation over optical fiber and twisted-pair cables: 10 Mbps—10 Base-T Ethernet, 100 Mbps—Fast Ethernet and 1000 Mbps—Gigabit Ethernet. The Ethernet connector  43  may be a 10/100/1000 Ethernet connection utilized to connect the peripheral device  10  to a LAN which allows access to the printing functionality of the device  10  over a network infrastructure. Such connector also allows access to network storage devices for saving images scanned by the scanner portion  12  or obtained by the card reader  29 . 
     Adjacent the connector  40  is a speaker  45 . The speaker  45  transmits audio from a received audio signal and is typically utilized to listen to music, audio files, or during playback of video through the peripheral device  10 . The speaker  45  is shown on one side of the device  10 , and a second speaker (not shown) is disposed on the opposite side in the exemplary embodiment. However, the at least one speaker  45  may be located at various positions on the device  10 . 
     Referring still to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , adjacent the control panel  30 , the peripheral device  10  comprises a monitor  50  which also functions as a pivotal scanner lid. The exemplary monitor  50  maybe a liquid crystal display (LCD) although alternative thin screen displays may be utilized such as SED, OLED, plasma or other such thin or flat panel display technology. A surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) is a flat panel display technology that uses surface conduction electron emitters for every individual display pixel. The surface conduction emitter emits electrons that excite a phosphor coating on the display panel, the same basic concept found in traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. This means that SEDs use small cathode ray tubes behind every single pixel (instead of one tube for the whole display) and can combine the slim form factor of LCDs and plasma displays with the superior viewing angles, contrast, black levels, color definition and pixel response time of CRTs. SEDs are also believed to consume less power than LCD displays. The surface conduction electron emitter apparatus consists of a thin slit across which electrons tunnel when excited by moderate voltages (tens of volts). When the electrons cross electric poles across the thin slit, some are scattered at the receiving pole and are accelerated toward the display surface by a large voltage gradient (tens of thousands of volts) between the display panel and the surface conduction electron emitter apparatus. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is any light-emitting diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer comprises a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. They are deposited in rows and columns onto a flat carrier by a simple “printing” process. The resulting matrix of pixels can emit light of different colors. Such systems can be used in television screens, computer displays, portable system screens, advertising, information and indication. OLEDs can also be used in light sources for general space illumination, and large area light-emitting elements. OLEDs typically emit less light per area than inorganic solid-state based LEDs which are usually designed for use as point light sources. A great benefit of OLED displays over traditional liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Thus they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. OLED-based display devices also can be more effectively manufactured than LCDs and plasma displays. 
     A surrounding bezel  52  frames the monitor  50 . In order to pivotally connect the monitor to the housing  14 , a hinge  56  is disposed between the bezel  52  and the housing  14  of the peripheral device  10 . The hinge  56  allows the monitor  50  to be positioned in a normally closed position as shown in  FIG. 1  or opened to the position shown in  FIG. 3 . The monitor  50  is positioned for viewing in the closed position of  FIG. 1 . The opened position allows placement of media on the scanner glass or platen  62  for scanning of the target image such as documents, photos, drawings or the like. 
     The monitor  50  is sized to be utilized as a replacement for a desktop monitor. As a result, a large amount of desktop is reclaimed for use rather than utilized by computing components. The exemplary monitor  50  utilizes at least one-quarter of the surface area of the scanner lid and is at least a 12.1″ screen, a size often utilized for notebook or laptop computers. The monitor  50  may be sized for a larger screen and may be formatted in 4:3 size ratio, 16:9 wide-screen size ratio, or other usable format suitable for computing as well as viewing photos and video playback. Such size is not merely a size change but comprises at least one novel function of allowing the peripheral device be connected to a computer for use as a computing monitor as well as viewing scanned images or images from memory cards for editing prior to printing, thus increasing usable desktop space for a user. 
     The exemplary monitor  50  displays an image captured from the scanning portion  12 , the memory station  29  or a video signal from the CPU  70  ( FIG. 9 ). The monitor  50  receives the video signal via the VGA connector  44 , HDMI connector  46  or DVI connector  48 . Such connectivity allows the monitor  50  to display a video output from a computer video card (not shown). Thus, the peripheral device  10  acts as a monitor, printer and scanner. The use of the device  10  for these three functions also saves desktop space for a user. The monitor  50  is typically a stand alone structure through which users interact with a computer  70  ( FIG. 9 ). Thus, the use of the combination monitor and printing/scanning peripheral saves precious desktop space which users typically desire. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the monitor/scanner lid  50  is disposed in the open position revealing the scanner portion  12 . Disposed on the housing rear of the monitor  50  is a reference material  60 . The reference material  60  blocks light from interfering with the scanner  12  during a scanning function when the monitor/scanner lid  50  is disposed in a closed position. Opposite the monitor/lid  50  is a platen  62  which is defined by a transparent material such as glass or plastic. The platen  62  is generally disposed in a partially vertical plane substantially parallel to the monitor/lid  50  in the closed position of  FIG. 1 . In order to aid a user in correct placement of media on the scanner bed platen  62 , the housing  14  surrounding the housing  14  surrounding the platen  62  may be tapered away from the platen  62  to define a shoulder  63  along a lower horizontal edge of the platen  62 . The target media may be positioned on the shoulder  63  and provides a support surface on which the target media may be seated for correct positioning to scan. Alternatively, instead of tapering the housing  14 , the platen  62  may be tapered inwardly from the surface of the housing  14  so as to provide the shoulder  63  wherein the target media may be seated. The scanner platen  62  is useful for photos or other such media not suitable for automatic document feed scanning, although it should be understood that any media may be utilized with the present invention. The housing  14  also comprises a notched area defining a handle  15  wherein a user may position a hand for movement of the monitor/lid  50 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the platen  62  is partially cut-away to depict various internal components of the scanner portion  12 . A scan bar or scan head  64  is slideably connected to a guide bar or rail  66 . A drive mechanism  68  is connected to the scan bar  64  in order to move the scan bar  64  along the guide bar  66  in a scanning direction. A control ribbon cable  70  provides power to the scan bar  64  and allows transfer of optical signals from the scan bar  64  to the controller  80  ( FIG. 10 ) within the peripheral device  10 . The controller  80  also provides signals to a motor to move the scan bar  64  via the transmission  68 . The exemplary scan bar  64  acquires an image from a target image or object by successively scanning line images of the object being scanned. Accordingly, the transmission  68  moves the scan bar  64  along the guide bar  66  obtaining line images of the target image. The scan bar  64 , guide bar  66 , drive mechanism  68  and ribbon or data connector  70  are all placed beneath the platen or scan glass  62  upon which the target image or object is disposed during scanning 
     The scan bar  64  utilizes image acquiring components to capture each scan line during the sweeping motion beneath the platen  62 . Such image acquiring structure is not shown but may include a charge coupled device (CCD) or a contact image sensor (CIS). In the case of a CCD linear photo sensor array, an optical system is included within the scan bar  64  to focus the successive line images of the target object onto the CCD. The optical system (not shown) may include a lens as well as at least one mirror for bending the light path to the CCD photo sensor array. Alternatively, a CIS photo sensor array offers a reduced size and may be preferred in order to reduce the footprint of the multi-function peripheral device  10 . Contrary to the CCD type scanning system, a CIS type scanning system does not require the optical system. 
     In operation, a target image or document is located on the platen  62  and may be positioned at one of the corners, such as one of the lower corners, of the platen  62  so that the target image is properly oriented and located toward a scan bar  64  home position. Once the target image is properly positioned, the lid  50  is closed so that the reference material  60  is positioned over the target image and platen  62  to inhibit ambient light interference with the light source (not shown) for scanning The scan bar  64  is moveable in the direction of the guide bar  66  as is well known in the art for repeatedly producing a representative image of the target image, such as a photograph, a page of text, or other such image. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a rear perspective view of the multi-function peripheral device  10  is depicted. The rear perspective view shows the input media tray  22  extending from the housing of the device  10 . The media tray  22  defines the beginning of the substantially L-shaped media path  21  ( FIG. 2 ) extending from the input tray  22  through the device  10  to the output  24 . The input tray  22  may be rigidly connected to the housing  14  or it may be foldable or slidably nested within a base area where the tray  22  connects to housing  14 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an alternative monitor  150  is depicted within the multi-function peripheral device  10 . The monitor  150  is a touch-screen device as is indicated by the user&#39;s hand touching the screen. The touch-screen monitor  150  may be utilized to make inputs into the peripheral  10  as opposed to or in combination with a mouse and/or keyboard ( FIG. 9 ). The touch-screen monitor  150  operates by utilizing at least one screen overlay which receives a signal when a user touches the monitor  150 . There are at least three basic systems that are used to recognize a user&#39;s touch: resistive, capacitive and surface acoustic wave. The resistive system consists of a normal glass panel that is covered with a conductive and a resistive metallic layer. These two layers may be held apart by spacers, and a scratch-resistant layer is placed on top of the assembly. An electrical current runs through the two layers while the monitor is operational. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact at the location of the input force. The change in the electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the point of contact are calculated by the computer. Once the coordinates are known, a driver translates the touch into an input that the operating system can understand, much as a computer mouse driver translates a mouse&#39;s movements. 
     In the capacitive system, a layer that stores electrical charge is placed on the glass panel of the monitor. When a user touches the monitor with his or her finger, some of the charge is transferred to the user, so the charge on the capacitive layer decreases. This decrease is measured in circuits located at each corner of the monitor. The computer calculates, from the relative differences in charge at each corner, exactly where the touch event took place and then relays that information to the touchscreen driver software. One advantage that the capacitive system has over the resistive system is that it transmits almost 90 percent of the light from the monitor, whereas the resistive system only transmits about 75 percent. This gives the capacitive system a clearer picture than the resistive system. 
     On the monitor of a surface acoustic wave system, two transducers (one receiving and one sending) are placed along the x and y axes of the monitor&#39;s glass plate. Reflectors are placed on the glass which reflects an electrical signal sent from one transducer to the other. The receiving transducer is able to tell if the wave has been disturbed by a touch event at any instant, and can locate it accordingly. The wave setup has no metallic layers on the screen, allowing for 100-percent light throughput and outstanding image clarity. This makes the surface acoustic wave system best for displaying detailed graphics (both other systems have significant degradation in clarity). 
     Another area in which the touch systems differ is in which stimuli will register as a touch event. A resistive system registers a touch as long as the two layers make contact, which means that it does not matter if you touch it with your finger or for example a rubber eraser on the end of a pencil. A capacitive system, on the other hand, must have a conductive input, usually your finger, in order to register a touch. The surface acoustic wave system works much like the resistive system, allowing a touch with almost any object, except hard and small objects like a pen tip. Further, the resistive system is the typically the least expensive, its clarity is the lowest of the three, and its layers can be damaged by sharp objects. The surface acoustic wave setup is currently and usually the most expensive. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , the peripheral  10  is depicted with a further alternative structure. The peripheral device  10  includes an automatic-document feeder (ADF) scanner portion  112 . The auto-document feed scanner  112  includes a housing  114  having a media input  116  and a media output  118 . The media is supported by a tray  120  extending from the housing monitor of monitor  50  as the media passes through the ADF scanner  112 , the media passes over a position wherein the scan bar  64  ( FIG. 4 ) can capture a target image from the document passing therethrough. The media passing through the ADF scanner  112  is supported near the output  118  by the tray  120  until the scanning process through the ADF scanner  112  is completed and the output media is removed. The tray  120  also functions as a stationary edge alignment feature for aligning media being fed through the ADF scanner  112 . The lid  50  also functions to support the media sheets being fed into the ADF scanner  112 . 
     The ADF scanner  112  feeds and scans stacks of documents which are normally sized, e.g. letter, legal, or A4, and thus suitable for automatic feeding. The ADF scanner  112  is a C-path device with a lower media input  116  and an upper media output  118 . The media positioned on the tray  120  moves into the input  116  which is the upper opening defined in the ADF  112 . As the media is input through the opening  116 , the media moves over a window (not shown) within the ADF  112 . Beneath the window is the scan bar  64  home position. As the media continues movement, the scan bar  64  successively scans as the media moves through an arcuate feedpath of about 180 degrees defining the C-shaped path. The opening for the media input  116  is larger than the media output  118  so that a plurality of documents may be disposed within the input  116 . However, the openings  116 ,  118  may be similarly sized. Further, the ADF scanner is rigidly connected to the housing  14 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , an alternative multi-function peripheral device  210  is depicted. The device  210  has a substantially horizontally oriented scanner portion  212 . Accordingly, the scanner lid  250  must be tilted upwardly in order to view the monitor  50 . In addition, ADF scanner  212  may be positioned horizontally for easier use with a stack of documents being scanned. Unlike the ADF scanner  112  of  FIG. 7 , the ADF scanner  212  is depicted as pivotable with the integrated monitor/lid  250 . The ADF scanner  212  may be rigidly connected or pivotable. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , the multi-function peripheral device  10  is depicted as connected to the central processing unit (CPU)  70 , a keyboard  72  and mouse  74 . The USB connector  42  is connected to the CPU  70  by an appropriate cable  76 . The cable  76  provides communication between the device  10  and CPU  70  for printing and scanning functions. Likewise, the HDMI connector  46  also comprises a cable extending therefrom to the CPU  70  in order to provide audio and video signals from the CPU  70  to the multi-function peripheral device. Accordingly, the monitor  50  can display the video signal and the speakers  45  can provide the audio signal from the computer  70 . As will be understood by one of skill in the art, the combination of the monitor  50  into the multi-function peripheral device  10 , allows for removal of one desktop device which increases usability of a desktop for a user. Such ability is highly desirable since the cost of furniture to accommodate such office equipment is continually increasing as well as the square footage to accommodate both furniture and equipment. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a block diagram representing the multifunction peripheral device  10  is depicted. A main controller  80  is in communication with the scanner portion  12  and the printer portion  20 . The scanner  12  is in communication with the controller  80  via an interface  81 . In the exemplary embodiment the interface  81  is a 16-bit analog front end interface. Likewise, the printer portion  20  is in communication with the main controller  80 . Specifically, the printheads  28  are depicted to be in communication with the main controller  80  for at least auto-alignment functions as well as temperature sensing of the printhead ejection system. Additionally, the memory card reader  29  is in communication with the main controller  80 . The card reader  29 , as previously described, may include multiple digital media connectors and may further utilize PictBridge which is a standard picture transfer protocol. The card reader  29  may be connected to the main controller  80  by at least one interface, USB host interfaces according to the exemplary embodiment. The main controller  80  may also be in communication with the speaker  45 , the connectors  40  generally indicated by the video connectors  44 ,  46 ,  48 , the USB connector  42  as well as the Bluetooth circuitry for wireless connectivity. Also, a fax  83  may be utilized with the multifunction peripheral  10 . Such fax  83  is also depicted as being in communication with main controller  80 . 
     A video controller  84  is also depicted as being in communication with the main controller  80 . The video controller  84  may also comprise video RAM  85 . Such video controller  84  is shown as being in communication with the control panel  30 , which is shown to comprise both the plurality of control buttons  38  as well as the display  50 . Likewise, the control panel  30  is also shown as being in communication with the main controller  80 . The device  10  may further comprise flash memory  87  in communication with the controller  80  for upgrading firmware and the like. 
       FIGS. 11-14  illustrate multifunction device  10  according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Multifunction device  10  of  FIGS. 11-14  may include much of the same functionality and characteristics described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-10 . However, instead of utilizing a scan bar  64  for capturing an image of a media sheet one or a few scan lines at a time, multifunction device  10  of  FIGS. 11-14  may capture substantially the entire image the media sheet at one time. By capturing an entire image substantially simultaneously, scan bar  62  and its corresponding drive mechanism are not utilized. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a portion of the image capture unit for capturing the image of media sheet  60  placed against platen  62 . As described above, platen  62  may be substantially vertically oriented. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, platen  62  may be between about 12.5 degrees and about 32.5 degrees from the vertical, and in particular between about 17.5 degrees and about 27.5 degrees from the vertical. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, platen  62  is about 22.5 degrees from the vertical. One or more light assemblies  92  generate the light that is reflected from media sheet  60  for subsequent capture. A plurality of light assemblies  92  may be utilized in order to ensure that the media sheet  62  is substantially uniformly illuminated. Though  FIG. 11  depicts light generated by each light assembly  92  as a single ray of light, it is understood that light assemblies  92  direct light along a relatively wide optical path. According to an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of light assemblies  92  may be arranged about and in proximity with platen  62  so that a sufficient amount of light is directed towards media sheet  60 .  FIG. 12  shows one arrangement of light assemblies  92  disposed behind platen  62  within housing  14 . Each light assembly  92  may include a least one light source, such as an LED. Alternatively, each light assembly may include at least one set of red, green and blue LEDs. Associated with each light assembly  92  may include optics for focusing and/or filtering light generated by light assembly  92  (not shown). 
     With further reference to  FIG. 11 , a mirror  94  may be disposed behind platen  62  within housing  14 . Mirror  94  is dimensioned and oriented for deflecting light reflected by media sheet  60 . A lens module  96  may be disposed in optical communication with mirror  94  so that light deflected by mirror  94  is focused by lens module  96  towards optical sensor array  98 . Optical sensor array  98  may include a sufficient number of pixel elements for capturing at one time a substantially entire image of media sheet  60 .  FIG. 11  shows the optical path of multifunction device  10  beginning with light generated by light assemblies  92  which is reflected by media sheet  60  and then deflected by mirror  94  so as to be incident on optical sensor array  98  following passage through lens module  96 . 
     Controller  80  is communicatively coupled to optical sensor array  98  and light assemblies  92  (not shown) for controlling each during an image capture operation. In particular, controller  80  controls the activation of light assemblies  92  relative to the time period during which optical sensor array  98  captures light deflected from mirror  94 . 
     It is understood that more or less mirrors  94  may be used in the optical path facilitating capture of an image of media sheet  60  at one time. Use of more mirrors in the optical path may reduce the volume needed for the optical path, and less mirrors may enlarge such volume. It is further understood that multifunction device  10  may include other components used in capturing an image of media sheet  60  not depicted in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . 
       FIGS. 13 and 14  show housing  14  of multifunction device  10  including an expanded portion  90  which extends from a front portion of housing  14  towards media input tray  22 . Expanded portion  90  may thus occupy a significant portion of the space between the front of housing  14  (and platen  62 ) and media input tray  22 , substantially above lower printer portion  20 . Expanded portion  90  of housing  14  may be sized to contain light assemblies  92 , mirror  94 , lens module  96  and optical sensor array  98  for performing image capture. 
     The foregoing description of structures and methods has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.