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 .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 02 2012 - 01:30:04 PST