Abstract: A fixing device includes a pad and a holder that holds the pad at a side opposite from a side on which the pad opposes a rotatable member. The holder includes a first portion provided at a position in which a recording material is separated from the rotatable member, with a gap being provided between the pad and the first portion with respect to a recording material feeding direction, and a second portion that holds the pad and extends in the recording material feeding direction. In addition, a leaf spring member urges the holder toward the rotatable member. Further, a recording material, carrying a toner image thereon, is nipped and fed through a nip, formed by sandwiching an endless belt between the rotatable member and the pad, and the toner image is fixed on the recording material in the nip.

Abstract: A printhead substrate, comprising an electrothermal transducer configured to heat a printing material, a first DMOS transistor configured to drive the electrothermal transducer, a MOS structure forming an anti-fuse element, a second DMOS transistor configured to write information in the anti-fuse element by causing an insulation breakdown of an insulating film of the MOS structure, and a driving unit consisted of at least one MOS transistor and configured to drive the second DMOS transistor.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including: an interpreter unit configured to interpret control programs including a command train represented in byte codes, the control programs being provided for execution on an OS-independent platform and each being an object provided in an object-oriented paradigm; a memory unit configured to store predetermined function programs for controlling a function of the image processing apparatus, the function programs being defined as an interface between the control programs and a device driver program for controlling the function and being used commonly by the control programs, the device driver program operating a hardware resource unit that includes at least one of a printing unit and an image pickup unit; and an execution unit configured to execute the device driver program using the function programs stored in the memory unit in accordance with the interpretation of the control programs by the interpreter unit.

Abstract: Device detection is performed by using a second detection unit which uses unicast transmission with a destination address being changed in addition to a first detection unit which uses broadcasting/multicasting. When unicast transmission can be normally performed, detection using the first detection unit is performed to determine whether broadcasting/multicasting at this point of time can be performed. In addition, the first or second detection unit is selected or the processing order of the first and second detection units is changed in accordance with the permission/inhibition determination result.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a holding portion which holds a booklet containing a two-folded sheet; and a pressing portion which presses a spine of a booklet into shapes during movement along the spine of the booklet held by the holding portion. The pressing portion can decrease, or release a pressing force to be applied to the booklet spine within a predetermined area of a moving range in which the pressing roller moves along the booklet spine.

Abstract: A composition for forming a piezoelectric containing a dispersoid obtained from metallic compound, wherein the content of hafnium in the composition is 3,000 ppm or less.

Abstract: Proposed is a method of displaying a transmission log such that it can be easily recognized. Images are transmitted to an external device. A list holding information representing the transmitted images and information representing the transmission order of the images is generated. On the basis of the information held in this list, the transmitted images and order are displayed.

Abstract: An inquiry responding apparatus includes a receiving means for receiving an inquiry, a first database for storing a response to the inquiry, a determining means for determining whether or not said first database can be searched for the response to the inquiry, a searching means for searching said first database for the response to the inquiry when the determining means determines that said first database can be searched, a transmitting means for transmitting the inquiry to an external information processing device when said determining means determines that said first database cannot be searched, a second receiving means for receiving a response to the inquiry which is transmitted from the external information processing device, a displaying means for displaying one of the response obtained by said searching means and the response received by the second receiving means.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for separating each substance from a mixed gas containing a plurality of substances comprising the steps of: liquefying the mixed gas by pressurizing; and separating the plural substances transferred into a liquid generated by the liquefying step into substances of one group and substances of the other group, wherein the substances of one group remains to substantially exist in the liquid, while the substances of the other group is separated from the liquid by evaporation.

Abstract: This invention is to transmit read image data to a host device using a transfer mode which guarantees a predetermined band and does not perform error check or retransmission time suitable for the original purpose of prescanning. When a prescanning instruction is received from a host computer (112), a scanner (115) is driven to read an original image, and thinning/interpolation and compression are performed. In addition, transfer through a communication interface USB to the host computer (112) is performed in the isochronous transfer mode which guarantees a predetermined band within a periodically continuous time and does not perform retransmission in response to error occurrence, thereby realizing high-speed transfer.

Abstract: An image processing system includes an input device which inputs an n page document, with the n pages being reduced in size so that a predetermined number of the n pages can be layed out in a layout print format on a single sheet for recording. A selection device selects between first and second layout modes for laying out the predetermined number of pages in the layout print format for recording. In the first layout mode the predetermined number of the n pages are first layed out in the layout print format and are subsequently stored in a storage device, and are then read from the storage device for recording on a single sheet. In the second layout mode the predetermined number of pages are first stored in the storage device on a page by page basis, are then read from the storage device and are subsequently layed out in the layout print format, and are then recorded on a single sheet.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for uniformly conditioning a polishing pad over the entire surface. The conditioning is achieved by contacting the entire polishing surface of the polishing pad with a polishing pad conditioner having a surface area larger than that of the polishing pad.

Abstract: A film formation method of forming at least one layered film on a substrate containing fluorite as a main ingredient by using a film formation apparatus which emits electrons or ions, which comprises the step of forming, as a first layered film counted from the side of the substrate, a film having a thickness of 30 nm or less and comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of SiO2, BeO, MgO, and MgF2.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring displacement information of an object. The apparatus has a light source emitting a light beam, an electro-optical crystal member, a voltage applying system for imparting a predetermined frequency difference between light beams passing through two different areas in the electro-optical crystal member, and a light receiving system for receiving scattered light from the object to which the two light beams emergent from the electro-optical crystal member have been projected. The electro-optical crystal member is disposed so that a light beam from the light source may partly enter the two different areas to form the two light beams to which the predetermined frequency difference is imparted. The displacement information of the object is obtained from the scattered light received by the light receiving system.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for selecting text and/or non-text blocks in a stored document includes functions and structure for identifying connected pixel components in a stored document, separating the identified pixel components into text and non-text components, searching the document for visible and invisible lines along edges of the non-text components, forming irregularly-shaped text and non-text blocks using the identified text components and the visible and invisible lines, detecting the text orientation for each formed text block, the text orientation including horizontal text orientation and vertical text orientation, extracting text lines from the text block based on the detected orientation, detecting the skew angle for the stored document based on the extracted lines, and modifying the formed text and non-text blocks based on the detected skew angle. The thus-formed text blocks are preferably subjected to character recognition routines.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus decrypts encrypted image data and synchronously outputs predetermined information with the decrypted image data such that the predetermined information is not visually recognizable on an image reproduced from the decrypted image data. The apparatus outputs the decrypted image data and the synchronously output predetermined information to an image forming unit.

Abstract: The speech processing apparatus and method includes a microphone, an analyzer, a selector, and a memory. The microphone converts input speech into an electrical signal representing speech data. The analyzer converts the speech data into non-linear frequency converted speech data in accordance with a non-linear frequency conversion. The selector selects a coefficient of the non-linear frequency conversion suitable for each of the phonemes or frames of the speech. The memory stores the speech data.

Abstract: This invention provides a plastic molding method, a mold, and a molded article. According to this invention, the supply flow rate of a coolant, e.g., cooling water, to a mold is maintained to shorten the molding cycle and to improve the productivity in continuous molding. The temperature distribution and pressure distribution in the mold are measured, thereby realizing determination as to whether a molded article is defective or not in the molding and cooling processes. The temperatures at respective required portions of the molded article removed from the mold are monitored, so that determination as to whether a molded article is defective or not can be performed, thereby improving the productivity. Countermeasures are taken not to deform the molded article. A thermoplastic resin injected from a hot runner into a cavity is heated at a gate discharge portion by a shearing heat upon injection. Countermeasures are taken to suppress temperature increase caused by this heat.

Abstract: A memory capable of memorizing a video signal has part of its address area into which an information signal is inhibited from being written. A writing address controller for cyclically specifying writing addresses of the memory cyclically specifies writing addresses in the remaining address area except for the part of address area to allow a plurality of different moving picture scenes to be memorized in the one and same memory.For according to a large capacity main memory, a sub-memory is interposed to access to the main memory with a predetermined information amount being as the unit, thereby facilitating address management of the main memory as well as improving a utilizing effeciency of the main memory.

Abstract: A method for changing a file name of one of data on a record medium having a plurality of data and a plurality of directories for the data including file names of the data recorded thereon, includes the steps of recording on the record medium a first change directory including the file name of the one data and information indicating that the change directory is a directory for changing the file name; and recording on the record medium a second change directory including a new file name to be imparted to the one data.