Abstract: A thermal print head in a thermal printer for printing a digital image, the digital image being composed of lines of multi-bit pixels, the print head having a plurality of thermal resistors, adapted to be simultaneously addressed in parallel by a corresponding plurality of shift register elements, the print head being pulsed a plurality of times to print one line of the image. The print head is driven by providing a table of additive complement values, one additive complement value for each of the possible values of a multi-bit pixel, successively adding each of the complement values to each of the pixel values in a line to create a succession of sums, each sum having an overflow bit, and applying the overflow bits to the shift register elements to drive the print head.

Abstract: An apparatus for cooling thermally processed media exiting from a thermal processor comprising: a heat conductive member which has first and second opposite sides which is positioned to receive media from a thermal processor, and which removes heat from the heated media as it passes over the first side of the member; and means for removing heat from the member by passing air in contact with and past the second side of the member to remove heat from the member.

Abstract: A storage phosphor imaging system comprising: a source for producing stimulating radiation directed to a storage phosphor storing a latent image; a resonant microcavity converter for converting emitted radiation from the storage phosphor to radiation at a longer wavelength than the emitted radiation but with an angular intensity distribution that is substantially narrower than a Lambertian distribution; and a detector for detecting the longer wavelength radiation.

Abstract: A method for color correcting an original halftone bitmap image by a predefined color correction function to produce a color corrected halftone bitmap image comprising: providing an original halftone bitmap image; estimating the dot area percentage of the original halftone bitmap image in a set of sub-image blocks; calculating an aim dot area percentage, based on a predefined color correction function, for each sub-image block in the original halftone bitmap image, calculating the number of halftone bitmap image pixels to convert to on or off states to produce a modified original halftone bitmap image that has the aim dot area percentage where said value is designated by N, for each sub-image block in the original halftone bitmap image, and converting N pixels in the original halftone bitmap image to either on or off states depending on whether the aim dot area percentage is greater or less than the dot area percentage of the original halftone bitmap image respectively, for each sub-image block in the origina

Abstract: A method of aligning an optics deck in six degrees of freedom comprising: mounting an optics deck having a scanline slot on an optics alignment station by means of three adjustable leveler assemblies located at three apexes of a triangle which enclose the slot and whose sides establish axes about which adjustment of the leveler assemblies is carried out such that the bottom surface of the optics deck is parallel to the optics alignment station and at a known height relative to the optics alignment station; translating the optics deck to bring it into proper optical alignment by translating the deck linearly along an axis coincident with the center line of the slot and rotationally about first and second points coincident with the end points of the scan line; and fixing the optics deck after the translating to the leveler assemblies.

Abstract: A method for erasing noise and a residual image in a storage phosphor, comprising: reading out an exposed storage phosphor which is transported in a first direction by scanning the storage phosphor in a line scan direction perpendicular to the first direction, with a reciprocating stimulating beam of light which causes the storage phosphor to emit light in a first frequency range, the beam of light being suppressed during retrace; erasing the storage phosphor after the reading out with light of a second frequency range and additionally with light of the first frequency range during retrace when the stimulating light beam is supressed.

Abstract: In a digital camera having a rectangular electronic display for framing pictures, a dental positioning grid comprising: a line pattern superimposed on the rectangular electronic display, the line pattern including a horizontally centered horizontal line extending substantially the width of the display, a short vertical line intersecting the horizontal line at its midpoint, and long left and right vertical lines intersecting the horizontal line at substantially ¼ of the display width distance respectively from the left and right sides of the display.

Abstract: A method of determining one or more color characteristics of a colored microsphere comprising: providing a microarray of microspheres, including at least one colored microsphere which has a color characteristic; producing a magnified optical image of individual microspheres of the microarray; locating a microsphere in the aperture of a spectrometer to confine the color region of interest of the located microsphere in order to determine one or more color characteristics thereof; and determining one or more color characteristics of the located microsphere by means of the spectrometer.

Abstract: An imaging system including: a lens; a dichroic filter positioned in front of the lens; and a high pass filter positioned between the lens and the dichroic filter. An appropriate design coordinating the components of such an imaging system diminishes imaging artifacts related to wide-angle imaging of fluorescent objects.

Abstract: A method of identifying nucleic acid samples comprising: providing a mircoarray including a substrate coated with a composition including a population of micro-spheres dispersed in a fluid containing a gelling agent or a precursor to a gelling agent and immobilized at random positions on the substrate, at least one sub-population of said population micro-spheres containing an optical barcode generated from at least one colorant associated with the micro-spheres and including a nucleic acid probe sequence; contacting said array with a target nucleic acid sequence; and detecting the color barcode of said sub-population of micro-spheres due to the interaction of said probe nucleic acid sequence and said target nucleic acid sequence.

Abstract: Apparatus for changing the direction of transport of a sheet by about 75° to about 90° comprising: a first flat guide for contacting the leading edge of a sheet transported along a path to change its direction of transport by an acute angle; a second flat or concavely curved guide spaced from the first guide for contacting the leading edge of the sheet to change to direction of transport by an acute angle wherein the change of direction of transport of the sheet by the first and second guides totals about 75° to about 90°, the second concavely curved guide providing accumulation of the proper amount of sheet required to change the direction of transport of the sheet by the about 75° to about 90°.

Abstract: A light collector and detector for collecting and detecting light emitted, reflected or transmitted by a scanned information medium, comprising: a planar mirror assembly for extending the width of a scanned information medium and for disposition substantially perpendicular thereto, the planar mirror assembly having a lower edge adjacent to the scanned medium and an upper edge spaced from the lower edge; first and second pyramidal mirrors located side by side facing the planar mirror, the pyramidal mirrors having respective upper edges spaced from the upper edge of the planar mirror and respective lower edges spaced from the lower edge of the planar mirror, thereby to form aligned slots for the passage of a scanning beam of light to a medium to be scanned and for allowing light emitted by, reflected from, or transmitted by the scanned medium to enter the collector; wherein the first pyramidal mirror has a first aperture in an apex region thereof and wherein the second pyramidal mirror has a second aperture in

Abstract: A method for deriving enhanced image processing parameters for a source digital image, comprising the steps of: a) providing a source digital image; b) generating at least three rendered digital images from the source digital image with at least one image processing parameter associated with each rendered digital image; c) displaying the rendered digital images on a display; d) selecting two or more of the rendered digital images; and e) using the image processing parameters associated with the rendered digital images to generate enhanced image processing parameters.

Abstract: A method of determining one or more color characteristics of a colored microsphere comprising: providing a microarray of microspheres, at least one of which has a color characteristic; capturing the microarray with an electronic color image sensor assembly having a matrix of pixels to produce an electronic microarray image; detecting the location of a microsphere within the captured microarray image; and identifying a color characteristic of the detected microsphere.

Abstract: A method of forming a composite digital image comprising: providing 1-N digital images formed from 1-N contiguous segments of a larger radiographic image recorded in 1-N overlapping storage phosphor screens wherein N is equal to or greater than 2 and wherein the image content in the overlapped region of contiguous images is the same, and the end edge of a screen nearest an x-ray source is present in both contiguous images; selecting a pair of contiguous digital images, wherein one image is closer to said x-ray source than said other image; correcting for any geometric distortion if applicable in said pair of digital images based on the distance between x-ray source and said storage phosphor screen; determining any rotational displacement and any vertical displacement between said pair of digital images by matching said end edge of said one image present in said pair of images correcting for image orientation if applicable based on any said rotational displacement; determining any horizontal displacement betwe

Abstract: A sheet detection system comprising: a first sheet transport for transporting a sheet along a first sheet transport path; at least second and third sheet transports for selectively transporting a sheet transported along the first sheet transport path along second and third spaced and substantially parallel sheet transport paths which branch from the first sheet transport path; a radiation source for emitting a beam of radiation which intersects the second and third sheet transport paths in the region where the second and third paths branch from the first path; a radiation detector for detecting the radiation beam; and a control for controlling the first, second and third sheet transports the radiation source and the radiation detector, such that when a sheet which is transported along the first sheet transport path by the first sheet transport is caused to be transported along one of the second or third transport paths, interruption or lack of interruption of the radiation beam by the sheet is detected by the

Abstract: An isolation system comprising: a substantially rectangular stationary frame; an imaging assembly including a curved platen for supporting image media and an exposure assembly for imagewise exposing a supported image media to produce exposed image media, wherein the imaging assembly has a substantial rectangular footprint and is sized to fit within the stationary frame; and a cable and spring assembly for suspending the imaging assembly from the frame to substantially isolate the imaging assembly from sources of external vibration.

Abstract: A storage phosphor cassette for use in recording radiographic images of elongated objects. The cassette includes: first and second storage phosphor plates having first and second length dimensions, a shell having first and second opposite open ends; a first assembly for detachably mounting said first storage phosphor plate in said shell from said first open end; and a second assembly for detachably mounting said second storage phosphor plate in said shell from said second open end, wherein said first and second storage phosphor plates are mounted in said shell such that they form a substantially continuous storage phosphor composite for recording an elongated radiographic image.

Abstract: A temperature control system for reducing flicker in an electrical resistance heater comprising: an electrical resistance heater divided into at least two electrical loads and; a source of electrical power for repetitively supplying electrical power to each of the at least two electrical loads at successive different time sub periods within a predetermined time period, wherein the sum of the power supplied to the at least two electrical loads is equal to the total power supplied to the electrical resistance heater during the predetermined time period.

Abstract: A method for enhancing the image contrast of digital portal images for presentation on an output medium comprising: providing an input digital portal image having radiation and collimation fields; locating and labeling said radiation and collimation fields to produce labeled radiation and labeled collimation field images; designing a tone scale curve to display the image inside the radiation field using the full dynamic range of the output medium; applying said tone scale curve to the input digital portal image to produce a tone-scaled radiation field image; designing a tone scale curve to display the image outside the radiation field using the full dynamic range of said output medium; applying said tone scale curve to the input digital portal image to produce a tone-scaled collimation field image; enhancing the image contrast of said tone-scaled radiation field image and said tone-scaled collimation field image; combining said enhanced images using the labeled radiation and collimation field images; and blac