Gregory Scott Kussmann

20020168192, Nov 14, 2002

May 11, 2001

09/853269

Ronald Surya - Laguna Hills CA, US
Gregory Kussmann - Orange CA, US
Cheston Yin Chan - Rowland Heights CA, US

G03G015/00

399/012000, 399/013000

The present invention is a method and apparatus for communicating to a printer a type of installed printer cartridge, where the combination of the cartridge and the printer form a magnetic coupling that can generate a cartridge specific code to identify the toner cartridge as being of a predetermined type. In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic coupling is achieved using at least two reed switches preferably mounted on the printer, with the reed switches biased using fixed magnetic elements placed immediately adjacent the reed switches. In the absence of any further magnetic fields, the reed switches are selected to provide a known set of switch positions corresponding to a bit value of one (“1”) for an open circuit and a bit value of zero (“0”) for a closed circuit. Magnetic elements on a printer cartridge are positioned to be disposed adjacent the reed switches and opposite the fixed magnets, and of a size and field strength sufficient to counteract the fixed magnetic elements adjacent the reed switches when the cartridge is inserted into the printer. The positions of the reed switches on the printer may be transformed into a sequence of bits of “1”s and “0”s. This series of data (ones and zeros) can be used to distinguish one printer cartridge from another and allow automatic optimization of the printer settings based on the cartridge recognition.

20030029340, Feb 13, 2003

Aug 8, 2001

09/924838

Gregory Kussmann - Orange CA, US

B41F001/54

101/485000

The present invention is a method and apparatus for printing documents such as checks that includes an almost imperceptible security image or string of characters on the original face of the document. However, a scanned image of the original document (such as a photocopy) includes a clearly visible presentation of the security image or string of characters that distinguishes the photocopy from the original. The method of creating the security image involves printing a background of a gray scale, removing a portion of the gray scale in the shape of a security image or text, and printing a second gray scale in the removed area causing the two gray scales to appear as one, but where a scanned image of the document distinguishes the two gray scales to reveal the security image.