Interface for multifunctional system having multiple services

1. A multifunctional electronic system having a human interface and offering a plurality of services to a human user, each service having an associated plurality of available system features, at least one of the services being one of print, copy, scan, and facsimile, said system comprising:

a system controller;

a plurality of human controllable switch devices fixedly located on the interface that control selection of system features and that separately communicate with the system controller, the switch devices not being touch screen icons;

a plurality of human interpretable indicators fixedly located on the interface, each of the human interpretable indicators associated with a switch device and indicating the availability of system features associated with the switch device;

wherein, when a first service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device to indicate the existence of a first mode for such switch device, the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device indicating under the first mode a first set of one or more system features that are selectable by the switch device and a first default selection for the switch device,

wherein, when a second service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device to indicate the existence of a second mode for such switch device, the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device indicating under the second mode a second set of one or more system features that are selectable by the switch device and a second default selection for the switch device, the first mode and the second mode being different, and

wherein the first set of system features that are selectable and the first default selection are visually and differently indicated and the second set of system featuers and the second default selection are visually and differently indicated.

2. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein the first service comprises one of the group of services consisting essentially of print, copy, scan, and facsimile and the second service comprises a different one of the group of services consisting essentially of print, copy, scan, and facsimile.

3. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein, when the first service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with a second switch device to indicate the existence of the second mode for such switch device and, when the second service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with the second switch device to indicate the existence of the first mode for such switch device.

4. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein the switch device communicates with the device controller for selection of one of a plurality of system features relating to a service and wherein the first mode comprises the availability of a system feature associated with the switch device and wherein the second mode comprises the unavailability of the feature associated with the switch device.

5. The multifunctional system of claim 4 ,

wherein the switch device comprises one of a group of switch devices;

wherein only one of the group of switch devices may be activated at one time;

wherein, in the first mode, each human interpretable indicator associated with the switch devices in the group indicates the availability of the respective system features associated with the switch devices in the group; and

wherein the controller directs one human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device in the group to further indicate that the system feature associated with that switch device is currently selected for activation.

6. The multifunctional system of claim 5 , further comprising a second human interpretable indicator associated with each switch device in the group wherein availability of the feature associated with the switch device is indicated by the first human interpretable indicator and wherein a current selection for implementation of the feature is indicated by the second human interpretable indicator.

7. The multifunctional system of claim 6 , wherein the first and second human interpretable indicators comprise two levels of illumination.

8. The multifunctional system of claim 6 , wherein the first and second human interpretable indicators comprise two sources of illumination.

9. The multifunctional system of claim 6 , wherein the human interpretable indicators comprise a single human interpretable indicator that blinks to indicate a selection of a switch.

10. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein the human interpretable indicator comprises a source of illumination that provides a first characteristic light to indicate the existence of the first mode and a second characteristic light to indicate the existence of the second mode.

11. The multifunctional system of claim 10 , wherein the first characteristic light comprises a blink of light and the second characteristic light comprises a brighter illumination.

12. The multifunctional system of claim 10 , wherein the first characteristic light comprises illumination of one color and the second characteristic light comprises illumination of a second color.

13. The multifunctional system of claim 10 , wherein the source of illumination comprises a Light Emitting Diode.

14. The multifunctional system of claim 10 , wherein the source of illumination comprises an optical fiber.

15. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein most switch devices relating to the first service are grouped together on the interface and wherein most switch devices associated with the second service are grouped separately from the group relating to the first service.

16. The multifunctional system of claim 15 , further comprising a switch device relating to a plurality of services that is placed on the interface outside of the groups of switch devices related to the first and second services.

17. An electrophotographic multifunctional printer having a human interlace and offering a plurality of services to a human user, each service having an associated plurality of available system features, at least one of the services being one of print, copy, scan, and facsimile, said printer comprising:

a system controller;

a plurality of human controllable switch devices fixedly located on the interface that control selection of system features and that separately communicate with the system controller, the switch devices not being touch screen icons;

a plurality of human interpretable indicators fixedly located on the interface, each of the human interpretable indicators associated with a switch device and indicating the existence of one of a plurality of modes for such switch device;

wherein, when a first service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device to indicate the existence of a first mode for such switch device, the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device indicating under the first mode a first set of one or more system features that are selectable by the switch device and a first default selection for the switch device,

wherein, when a second service is selected, the controller directs the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device to indicate the existence of a second mode for such switch device, the human interpretable indicator associated with the switch device indicating under the second mode a second set of one or more system features that are selectable by the switch device and a second default selection for the switch device, the first mode and the second mode being different, and

wherein the first set of system features that are selectable and the first default selection are visually and differently indicated and the second set of system features and the second default selection are visually and differently indicated.

18. In a multifunctional system having a system controller and a human interface, the system offering a plurality of services to a user, each service having an associated plurality of available system features, at least one of the services being one of print, copy, scan, and facsimile, the human interface comprising a plurality of switch devices fixedly located on the interface that control selection of system features, the switch devices not being touch screen icons and a human interpretable indicator fixedly located on the interface and associated with each switch device, a process for interfacing with the system, comprising:

selecting a first service to be performed;

determining, with the controller, which features are available for selection with the first service;

determining, with the controller, which features are the default selections with the first service; and

activating, with signals from the controller, the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of the features available for selection with the first service and activating, with signals from the controller, the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of the default feature selections,

wherein the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices visually and differently indicate the features available for selection and the default feature selections.

19. The process of claim 18 , further comprising deactivating the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of features that are not available for selection with the first service.

20. The process of claim 18 , further comprising:

selecting a second service to be performed;

determining, with the controller, which features are available for selection with the second service;

activating, with signals from the controller, the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of the features available for selection with the second service; and

deactivating the human interpretable indicators associated with those switch devices that control selection of features that are not available for selection with the second service.

21. The process of claim 18 , wherein

the default selections of system features will be implemented upon activation of the selected service unless a user selects an alternate feature set by switching at least one switch device.

22. The process of claim 21 , further comprising:

selecting an alternative feature set by switching at least one switch device; and

highlighting, with a human interpretable indicator, a switch device that controls activation of system processes to implement the selected service.

23. The process of claim 18 , further comprising highlighting the human interpretable indicator associated with a switch device that selects a currently selected feature.

24. The process of claim 23 , further comprising:

grouping a plurality of switch devices associated with system features available for a selected service wherein only one of the associated features may be selected at one time;

indicating, with human interpretable indicators, the availability of all of the features associated with the switch devices within the group; and

highlighting, with a human interpretable indicator, the one of the switch devices within the group that is associated with the currently selected system feature.

25. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of human controllable switch devices and the plurality of human interpretable indicators remain visible and accessible by a user regardless of a selection of service and an indication of a mode of service.

26. The multifunctional system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of human interpretable indicators: (1) are fixedly located on the interface, (2) are not touch screen icons, and (3) remain visible and accessible by a user regardless of a selection of service and an indication of a mode of service.