Abstract: A printer for use with an ink ribbon having at least two printing tracks is provided with a print head that moves along a predetermined path adjacent to a recording medium. A line driver reciprocates the print head along the path in first and second directions. A multi-track ribbon comprises a plurality of printing tracks having portions thereof disposed between the print heads and a recording medium. A ribbon shift mechanism positions a preselected one of the tracks on the ink ribbon adjacent the print head for use in printing a response to movement of the print head. The ribbon shift mechanism comprises a printing track setting mechanism for moving the ribbon in one direction to set at one desired track height from among several preselected track heights corresponding to a selected one of predetermined amounts of movement of the print head in the first direction to a first end portion of the path.

Abstract: A time-sharing addressing method for an antiferroelectric phase liquid crystal element that demonstrates tristable switching behavior, wherein the drive voltage waveform is made an alternating current and the time average value of the voltage, including the depolarization field due to spontaneous polarization of the liquid crystal, actually applied to the liquid crystal substance in one frame or two frames is made zero for the purpose of expanding the drive voltage margin and the operating temperature margin of the element, shortening the screen scanning time and preventing degradation of the electro-optical characteristic by suppressing polarization of the electric charge due to spontaneous polarization of the liquid crystal.

Abstract: A thermal transfer type image formation device employs a new regeneration method for reconditioning ink sheets employed in the thermal inking process. The ink sheet has a transparent base layer, which also serves as a dielectric layer, an ink layer and a transparent conductive layer, functioning also as an electrode, on a side of the base layer opposite the ink layer. A fixing device is provided for the transfer of photoconductive powder ink to bare areas of the ink sheet to be rejuvenated. A bias voltage is impressed on the photoconductive powder ink, and the photoconductive powder ink which comes in contact with bare areas becomes conductive when exposed with light through the transparent conductive layer and ink adheres to the base layer due to an established electrostatic force between the ink and the conductive layer electrode on the light exposing side of the ink sheet.

Abstract: An array field emitter device utilizes field emission devices disposed in a matrix or array each comprising an opening in an insulating layer with an upwardly extended cathode with a tip disposed centrally within the opening and a gate electrode substantially concentric with each the cathode tip and having a lip extending into the opening forming a downwardly descending lip projection. Such an array display device can be of the multiplex driven type or can be of the active matrix type.

Abstract: A printing device and control method that facilitates setting of waiting periods for cut-sheet paper insertion and commencement of paper transport or printing through application of waiting time control commands. By establishing a command for setting these waiting periods and incorporating apparatus in the printer for analyzing such a command, a configuration is realized in which these waiting periods are settable and adjustable by the host computer. This provides more efficient POS type printer control and allows setting of the desired time required for positioning recording paper according to operator experience. An interface unit is used to receive and interpret print data and recording paper positioning time setting commands and data from the host computer.

Abstract: An add-on control circuit device for insertion into electronic apparatus such as a laser printer having a first microprocessor with an address line connected to an add-on card connector, a ROM that stores programs for the microprocessor, and a data converter that provides data in the form of memory addresses. The add-on circuit uses a printed circuit board of mounted inside of an add-on cartridge or casing, made from high thermal transfer material such as aluminum. When the cartridge is inserted into a printer, the processor inside of the printer reads identification data stored on a ROM inside of the cartridge and conducts processing according to a specified processing program in response to the identification data. The microprocessor is located in a mounting area near the rear end of the cartridge, when viewed along the direction of insertion, so that the microprocessor is more effectively cooled by the surrounding air.

Abstract: A compact, low power consumption, light weight, highly reliable and high speed information processing system is provided by employing a semiconductor auxiliary storage device in lieu of conventional magnetic storage or memory elements, such as floppy or hard disks. An access request to such a magnetic storage or memory element is converted to an access request for the semiconductor auxiliary storage which uses semiconductor integrated circuits without requiring any modification of existing programs, such as, application software and disk operating systems. A memory circuit in the semiconductor auxiliary storage comprises ROM and RAM, and a portion of the ROM contents is copied into the RAM so that access modification for programs and data is permitted while the basic program and data is retained in a nonvolatile manner.

Abstract: In an image formation apparatus utilizing a photosensitive heat developable member, an image formation apparatus has a specific process control characteristic extending from heat development to pressure transfer, so as to obtain stable image formation regardless of the environmental temperature or conditions of use for the device. Therefore, it is effective to detect temperature and humidity from heat development to pressure transfer, control the temperature of heat development, and heating time, or maintain a uniform temperature for the photosensitive member until pressure transfer occurs after heat development, and in particular, to cool the photosensitive member below a predetermined temperature. The method of cooling is carried out so as to 1) cool below the temperature of the pressure transfer plus 50.degree. C., and 2) start to cool within 10 seconds after the completion of heat development.

Abstract: A printer is capable of controlling the enabled and disabled condition of front panel switches in a printer that operates based on control instructions sent from a host computer. A control instruction receiver in communication with the host computer passes received data to an instruction analyzer. An instruction execution means, coupled to the instruction analyzer directs the operation of a panel switch controller. The panel switch controller enables or disables the front panel switches according to control instructions sent by the host computer. In this way, interference with printer activity by switch operation can be prevented.

Abstract: A plastic ink jet recording head is provided utilizing a water-soluble ink comprised of water-soluble dye having the chemical structure of: ##STR1## The ink composition comprises a surfactant in the range 0.01 wt. to 0.1 wt. of having an acetylene glycol surfactant having a chemical structure of: ##STR2## and an acetylene glycol-ethylene oxide adduct is provided having a chemical of: ##STR3## wherein m and n are each integers of at least 1.

Abstract: A multiple electrode field electron emission device is formed on an insulating layer disposed on a surface of an insulated flat substrate and has a cathode with multiple of emission projections each having a projection tip that overhangs the insulating layer. The device further includes an anode for collecting electrons ejected from the cathode emission projections formed on the surface of the substrate. Control electrodes, having one of several alternate configurations, are formed between the cathode and the anode. The device is fabricated using over-etching and directional particulate deposition techniques.

Abstract: In a semiconductor integrated circuit device such as a memory chip, the number of wirings is increasing as the memory capacity and the like increase. In improving the reliability and obtaining high access speed of a common bus in which these wirings are arranged, wirings in a second layer and via holes at jumpers used for interference portions of signal wirings and power supply wirings in a congested region of a common bus have become an issue. Accordingly, in the present invention, it is made possible to form wirings in the second layer having wide width and a plurality of via holes per one connecting point, thus realizing a semiconductor integrated circuit which has high reliability and high access speed by arranging a mother power supply wiring branched to the common bus line along the vicinity of processing circuits of signal wirings arranged in the common bus.

Abstract: An interlayer dielectric structure for microelectronic devices having multiple conducting layers provides a planarized surface for deposition of subsequent layers and further prevents cracking of spin-on-glass by limiting spin-on-glass thickness to about 0.4 .mu.m or less. A first dielectric layer is formed over a first conducting layer by means of reacting Si(OC.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.4 and O.sub.2 at approximately 9 torr between 370.degree. C. to 400.degree. C., and a second dielectric layer is formed over the first dielectric layer by a method different than that used to form the first dielectric layer. After etching back the second dielectric layer, a spin-on-glass layer is formed. Spin-on-glass layer is etched back to provide a planar surface and a third dielectric-layer is formed over the spin-on-glass layer. The resulting surface is ready for contact hole formation, deposition and patterning of subsequent conductive and insulating layers.

Abstract: A power converter/inverter system for a load comprises a converter circuit for converting an alternating current power input into a direct current power intermediate signal in response to a first PWM voltage. An inverter inverts the DC power intermediate signal into an AC power output in response to a second PWM voltage. A smoothing filter is arranged in series between a converter and the inverter for filtering the DC power intermediate signal. An instantaneous real power calculating circuit calculates an instantaneous real power (IRP) relative to the inverter and is determined by a torque current command value and a load angular speed signal. A converter controller controls the first PWM voltage of the converter in accordance of a combination a predetermined converter amplitude setpoint, a DC voltage present at the DC power intermediate signal, and the instantaneous real power product.

Abstract: A system for improving access time to video display data uses a shadow memory having fewer storage locations than a display memory. The shadow memory and the display memory share a set of addresses such that data written to the display memory, at an address shared by the shadow memory, is identically written to the shadow memory. Read requests directed to the display memory result in: (a) data returned from the shadow memory when access to a shared address is requested, and (b) data returned from the display memory when access to a non-shared address is requested.

Abstract: A compact, lightweight printer capable of using multi-track ink ribbons that facilitates multicolor printing, without having a dedicated track switching drive system. The printer employs a printing track setting member that is activated by contact pressure from a print head carriage when it moves in one direction and vertically displaces a ribbon frame supporting the ribbon to one of several preselected heights with respect to the print head. The setting member is preferably made in the form of a setting lever with a drive end for interacting with the print head carriage and a setting end with a series of setting height stops that interact with the ribbon frame. Rotation of the setting lever places different setting level stops under the frame which varies its height accordingly.

Abstract: The voltage controlled oscillator in a phase-locked loop comprises a voltage-current converter (62) and a current frequency converter (34). The voltage-current converter (62) comprises a voltage differential-current converter (64), a current-current converter (66) and a current adder-subtracter (68). In the voltage differential-current converter (64), only the voltage fluctuation or difference .DELTA.V.sub.CN with respect to one half a power supply voltage V.sub.DD /2, and not the absolute value of a control voltage V.sub.CN, undergoes current conversion as a control current I.sub.CN. Therefore, the center frequency of the oscillation frequency is not a factor of control voltage V.sub.CN and is controlled only by an offset voltage V.sub.B2. Accordingly, the center frequency can be independently set by changing offset voltage VB.sub.2. This is particularly significant in zone bit recording, which requires a wide frequency band.

Abstract: A highly reliable, low-noise, printer for providing good print quality while configured to print and feed paper using a single motor. A cam mechanism is used to provide simplified control over paper feeding operations. A print head carriage is driven by a belt drive gear assembly that also drives the paper feed cam directly. A paper feed roller is rotated by a drive lever assembly which interacts with a first cam profile formed on a surface of the paper feed cam, and the resulting torque is controlled by a contact release mechanism driven by interaction with a second cam profile also formed on a surface of the paper feed cam.

Abstract: A dynamic access random access card is provided with a dynamic random access memory and a source for generating a plurality of reference clock pulses. A control circuit generates refresh operations of the dynamic access memory in response to the plurality of reference clock pulses generated by the source, the initiation of the refresh operations being independent of any external refresh request. The refresh operations are interrupted and the dynamic random access memory is set to a standby condition upon detection of a predetermined external signal, thereby permitting read/write operations of the dynamic random access memory.

Abstract: A recording medium feed mechanism for a printer includes first, second and third transport sections in the printer along a medium pathway wherein the first transport section is disposed at the insertion point of the recording medium into the printer, the second transport section is disposed immediately before the printer section relative to the direction of transport of the recording medium and the third transport section is disposed immediately after the printer section relative to the direction of transport of the recording medium. A single drive source is adapted for driving in common drive rollers at all three transport sections. First, second and third opening/closing mechanisms are incorporated respectively at the first, second and third transport sections to provide closure and medium engagement and its transport when the medium is present at a particular transport section and to provide its opening when the medium is not present or no longer present at a particular transport section.