Universal design copier

From: Scott Luebking (phoenixl@netcom.com)
Date: Wed Jan 07 1998 - 22:14:53 PST


Pitney Bowes Office Systems Developing Universal Access Copier System to
Accommodate Visual and Ambulatory Disabilities
    TRUMBULL, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 1998--Pitney Bowes Office
    Systems, a division of Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI), is currently
    developing its first Universal Access Copier System to meet the needs
    of people with physical disabilities.
    The new system will join Pitney Bowes' 1998 award-winning product line
    and marks the company's first use of assistive technologies in an office
    product.
    For people with visual disabilities, the 23-page-per-minute system
    incorporates advanced speech recognition technology, an extra large,
    touch screen interface, and Braille labeling on the control panel.
    To accommodate operators in wheelchairs, the system is lower to the
    ground than conventional office copiers, and the angle of the display
    panel has been adjusted.
    "The Universal Access Copier System will be especially valuable to
    schools, libraries, municipal buildings and in the offices of disabled
    workers," said Dennis Roney, president of Pitney Bowes Office Systems.
    "To provide easy access, the copier can be controlled in a variety of
    ways. Voice activation, touch screen, keyboard and keypad interfaces
    allow users to choose how they prefer to operate the system."
    Using voice activation, operators can adjust settings such as the
    number of copies, sorting, stapling, reductions or enlargements. The
    copier will "talk back" to confirm the settings. The same functions can
    be made by using a large touch screen color monitor which will rest next
    to the machine. The size and location of the monitor is convenient for
    wheelchair users, and touch selections can be made with fingers or
    pointing sticks. The copier control panel and document feeder are
    located at desk height, putting them within reach of operators in
    wheelchairs.
    The Canton-based Massachusetts Hospital School began testing the first
    prototype in mid-October of 1997. The school combines the disciplines
    of medicine, education, recreation and rehabilitation to provide a
    supportive and adaptive learning program for physically challenged
    children and young adults. As the testing continues, design
    recommendations from the school's students and staff will be forwarded
    to the Pitney Bowes Technology Center for incorporation.
    "Our students are very excited about the Universal Access Copier
    System, because it's the first time many of them have been able to
    operate a copier," said Jack Britt, chief executive officer of the
    Massachusetts Hospital School. "It's hard to describe the smiles on
    their faces when they make the copier work. Many have severe muscle
    degeneration and speech problems, and the copier responds very well.
    "The students are using the Universal Access Copier System to complete
    homework assignments and administrative work in our school's office.
    There is strong potential for vocational job training with the Pitney
    Bowes copier system," Britt added.
    Like all Pitney Bowes copiers and copier/printers, the Universal
    Access Copier System is protected by VAMS(TM), a unique Value Added
    Maintenance Service(TM) which replaces worn parts before breakdowns can
    occur, and ACESS(SM) which uses wireless computers to match copiers
    to a nearby technician within seconds of receiving a service call.
    Pitney Bowes Office Systems, a vital part of the more than 75-year
    tradition of office solutions innovation at Pitney Bowes, manages 102
    offices across the United States. It is a direct sales/service
    organization strongly positioned in the medium- to high-volume copier
    marketplace. Buyers Laboratory Inc., the leading independent office
    products analysis company, recently selected Pitney Bowes for the
    prestigious Most Outstanding Copier Line of 1997 award. Pitney Bowes
    also won seven Pick of the Year Awards, for individual copier products,
    the greatest number of awards ever won by an office products company
    in a single year.
    Pitney Bowes is a $3.9 billion provider of products and services that
    support the efficient management of messages and packages in physical
    and digital form. For more information about the company, please visit
    our website at http://www.pitneybowes.com .



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