Abstract: A facsimile apparatus advances recording paper from a roll of recording paper (1) to a cutter (3) which cuts the paper to a length equal to the number of lines necessary for printing a single full page of an image. The facsimile apparatus has first through fourth individually-driven paper-fowarding devices. The cutter is located between the first (2) and second (4) paper-forwarding devices; a bend guard (5) is located between the second (4) and third (6) paper-forwarding devices; a printer (7) is located between the third (6) and fourth (8) paper-forwarding devices. A controller (16), using the paper-forwarding devices, causes the recording paper to bend between the cutter and the printer. Forwarding of the paper to the cutter is suspended at the moment the length of the recording paper which has passed the cutter is found to have reached the length equal to the number of lines necessary for printing a single full page of an image.

Abstract: An improved carriage locking system that prevents the power cord of an optical scanner from being plugged into the scanner when the optical carriage assembly of the scanner is in the locked position. The locking system may include a locking member that the user unlocks to access the power cord receptacle upon initial setup of the scanner. The locking system may also include a spring loaded locking member that latches the optical carriage assembly against movement whenever the power cord is removed from the power cord receptacle.

Abstract: A platform for supporting an engraving head in a manner accommodating translational movement without any associated rotation. The platform has a deck which is supported by a pair of flexible support columns. In operation the platform is situated alongside a rotating printing cylinder. The engraving head is mounted on the deck of the platform and is provided with a guide shoe which rides against the surface of the printing cylinder. As the cylinder rotates to angular positions having different radii, the engraving head responds with a purely linear reaction. Consequently the engraving head is able to engrave uniform-depth cavities in the surface of the printing cylinder. In two alternative embodiments the deck is driven by a resilient link arrangement which is coupled to a leadscrew and carriage assembly.

Abstract: A color sensing device of a printing press control system, having a plurality of lamp fixtures (100 and 102) for providing light in the visible region and the near infrared region of the spectrum to illuminate a viewing area (104), a camera assembly (108), the camera assembly having multiple channels to capture images in the visible region and the near infrared region, and at least one lens for generating the images, a calibration target (108) with a uniform light reflectance, a device for adjusting the distribution of the light so that image captured from said calibration target in each channel of the camera assembly is as even as possible, a device for applying a position related compensation process in order to obtain an image which corresponds to a position-invariant viewing condition, and a device for applying a camera value related compensation process in order to obtain an image under a standard viewing condition.

Abstract: A color copying apparatus for constantly obtaining a high-quality print irrespective of a change in film characteristics due to deterioration over time and the like is disclosed. A reference image recorded on the film is photometrically measured to determine film characteristic data. After logarithmically transformed values of photometric values of an original image on one film set in a printing position have been stored, normalizing conditions are determined on the basis of average image data, and a transformation formula or table for transformation between the film characteristic data and image data is generated in correspondence with a film type. Pixels are then selected from the original image set in the printing position, and a characteristic amount of the image is calculated and is made to correspond to print characteristic data by means of the transformation formula or table.

Abstract: An adaptable image segmentation system for differentially rendering black and white and/or color images using a plurality of imaging techniques. An image is segmented according to classes of regions that may be rendered according to the same imaging techniques. Image regions may be rendered according to a three class system (such as traditional text, graphic and picture systems), or according to more than three image classes. In addition, only two image classes may be required to render high quality draft or final output images. The image characteristics that may be rendered differently from class to class may include halftoning, colorization and other image attributes.

Abstract: A color correction device which minimizes color differences throughout an area to be subjected to color reproduction includes a dynamic range conversion circuit for the colors cyan, magenta, and yellow, a separation circuit for separating the colors into high order bits and low order bits, and a CMY table reference for obtaining CMY table values corresponding to the high order bits. An interpolation circuit performs an interpolation process based on the low order bits and the CMY table values. A K-table reference obtains four K-table values corresponding to black, and a CMY correction circuit corrects for the values of cyan, magenta, and yellow based on three interpolated data from the interpolation circuit and three data obtained by the K-table reference.

Abstract: Document information input by a scanner is stored in a disk storage device. Document identification information of plural document information items stored in the disk storage device is printed on a list-format retrieval sheet by a printer. The document identification information of document information newly registered in the disk storage device is printed by the printer on a vacant area of an already output retrieval sheet.

Abstract: An electronic image registration method for use with a high-speed raster printer controller provides run-time registration of an image which is defined by a continuous stream of rasterized bit-map data. The method includes the steps of: (a) detecting a misalignment of the image with respect to a form, and producing a registration value in response to the detected misalignment; (b) acquiring a present block of the bit-map data from the stream; (c) shifting the present block of the bit-map data a number of bits according to a shift count generated from the registration value produced in step (a) to create a present contiguous set of shifted bit-map data bits and a present contiguous set of spill-over bit-map data bits; (d) storing the present set of spill-over bits; (e) combining the present set of shifted bits with a previous contiguous set of spill-over bit-map data bits to create a present registered block of bit-map data; and (e) dispatching the present registered block to a print engine.

Abstract: A printer calibration method and system uses a personal computer equipped with a color laser server circuit card and a scanner to measure the color effects specific to a printer and to then calibrate print data to adjust for the measured printer effects. Each printer colorant is calibrated by printing a data file using the printer to be calibrated thereby generating a calibration image. The calibration image is next scanned using a scanner coupled to the printing system. The scanned data is compared to the data file which was sent to the printer to determine the relationship (an association) between the data file printed and the resulting calibration image. Color comparisons are made using an absolute density scale and thus the scanned data, being in RGB (Red, Blue, Green) format is converted to absolute density values.

Abstract: A charging member including an elastomeric member including an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material includes a polymer dispersion medium having a double oxide dispersed therein, the double oxide being a solid solution compound of oxides of at least two different metals formed by crystal lattice substitution. The at least two different metals have different valences, whereby the double oxide has an electroconductivity that is larger than that of either one of the oxides of at least two different metals when not in solution. Also, the charging member has resistance stability in the semiconductive region.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first delay generation circuit, requiring no high-frequency clocks, for obtaining a pixel formation start timing signal from a digital input signal, a second delay generation circuit, requiring no high-frequency clocks, for obtaining a pixel formation end timing signal from the digital input signal, and a unit for obtaining a pixel formation interval signal from the pixel formation start and end timing signals.

Abstract: A digital color printing method is described for printing process black over a background color, which makes use of color order information--that is, the order in which process colorants are transferred to paper--in determining and satisfying pile height constraints for optimal quality. In certain printing systems such as xerographic systems, printing problems can occur when process black, composed of a mixture of colorants such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, is printed over a color background. One such problem for example occurs when a process black containing all colorants at maximum or near-maximum value is printed on a color field. In this case, the excessive toner pile height of such a process black can sometimes cause objectionable deletions in the surrounding color field, caused by interference in the transfer of toner to the background color field surrounding the process black.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automated loading and unloading of a cylinder in an engraver. The method and apparatus permit the engraver to accommodate cylinders of differing geometries, including a range of lengths, diameters and mounting configurations. The engraver includes a headstock and a tailstock which cooperate to rotatably support a cylinder at an engraving station in the engraver. The engraver includes a cylinder handling system having at least one cylinder supporting the cylinder between the headstock and the tailstock during the loading and unloading of the cylinder. The cylinder handling system includes a driver for driving the cylinder support towards and away from the engraving station until the headstock and the tailstock engage and rotatably support the cylinder. Once the cylinder is rotatably supported between the headstock and the tailstock, then the cylinder support is retracted.

Abstract: Information or data in the form of a mathematical representation of an area to be covered by a desired gray level, is sent, for example in floating point format, to a printer, e.g. a laser printer, for processing by the printer processor. The area to be covered is converted to a representation of pixels with the gray level converted to a digital value such as an eight bit value. Supercell representations with a gray level threshold matrix is provided, with each of the supercell array cells having threshold levels associated therewith whereby if the selected gray level is either above or below the threshold, one of print/no-print conditions are met for that pixel. Alternatively, if the level is the opposite and greater than a preselected range of values, the print/no-print condition will be opposite.

Abstract: A digital image forming apparatus equipped with an optical scanner unit which is detachable from a main body includes an upper image reading section and a lower part image forming section. The apparatus is arranged such that the optical scanner unit can be installed and removed in and from the apparatus in a vertical direction, and can be removed through an opening provided for removing the image forming section therethrough. According to the described arrangement, during the installation and removal of the optical scanner unit, removal of the image reading section and a special opening for the optical scanner unit are not required, thereby reducing the restriction on structural design of the apparatus and permitting easy installation and removal of the optical scanner unit. As a result, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed with an improved efficiency.

Abstract: A system for reducing toner or ink consumption in rendering images, in which reduced slope tone reproduction curve(s) is/are used to render images. Rendering systems including the use of single or multiple colors can be employed.

Abstract: An output apparatus and method of a printer or display which receives commands from a host computer and executes subsequent data processes are provided. The apparatus includes a selector for analyzing data in a predetermined region of data received from the outside and for selecting one of a plurality of emulation modes, and a controller to control the selector in a manner such that in the case where the selector cannot specify to one emulation mode, the data in the predetermined region analyzed by the selector is changed and again analyzed. Also, the data in the predetermined region indicates a predetermined data amount. The controller adds data excluding at least the data in the predetermined region to the data in the predetermined region analyzed by the selector and allows the selector to again analyze the resultant data.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for glossing certain areas of a substrate. In particular, highlight images are created by incorporating in some of the images on a substrate a clear polymer material thereby providing them with a larger mass thereby resulting in a higher gloss than those images on the same substrate which do not contain the additional clear polymer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus including a system for cylindrical or polar coordinate movement of a material or laser beam whereby the material is engraved with an image upon a rotary table. The rotary table is connected to a translation stage. The movement of the translation stage is coordinated with the rotation of the rotary table and the firing of the laser to effectively allow engraving of a material in a series of concentric circles. The system allows high-speed and high-resolution laser engraving. The system is also simpler and cheaper than conventional X-Y methods and apparatus. The method and apparatus are useful for photographic quality laser engraving.