Abstract: A hypertext apparatus for managing hypertext composed of nodes holding information and of link information defining the relations between the nodes so as to display the information held by each of the nodes in accordance with the link information. The apparatus comprises: a node information management part for managing the nodes and for storing the information held by the nodes; a link information management part for putting into an order the link information defining the relations between the nodes; a link order manipulation part for manipulating the order of the link information; and a display control part for displaying the nodes successively in accordance with the order of the link information.

Abstract: An electrostatic image-bearing dielectric member comprises a support and a dielectric layer formed on the support. The dielectric layer is formed of at least one of amorphous carbon, diamond-like carbon and diamond. The dielectric layer may contain not larger than 60 atomic percent of at least one of hydrogen and fluorine. An intermediate layer may be provided between the support and the dielectric layer in order to improve the adhesion therebetween.

Abstract: An image encoding device. The image encoding device divides the image into blocks, analyzes each block, truncates the block and determines an order using approximate points, quantizes the image data along the order determined in the truncation step, an encodes the data. Processing images with parameters along a determined order permits high quality encoded images within a limited amount of data.

Abstract: An ink transfer medium for toner is disclosed, comprising the following layers, in this order: a heat-generating resistive layer heated by input of electrical signal, a conductive layer, and an ink release layer having a toner layer on it, an adhesion from 0.2 g/mm to 40 g/mm as measured by the 90.degree. peeling off method and consisting of a viscoelastomer having a critical surface tension of 35 dyne/cm or less. It can be re-inked by attaching toner to the portions of the ink transfer medium from which the ink has been removed, using toner held in a toner holding means.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic image developing carrier which exhibits an enhanced maintenance of image quality, can be prevented from being attached to the image and thus can provide an image free of uneven density and background stain and an electrostatic image developer comprising said carrier. A novel electrostatic image developing carrier comprising a ferrite is provided, characterized in that said ferrite has a copper content of from 0.1 ppm to 2,500 ppm, a zinc content of from 0.1 ppm to 5,000 ppm and a nickel content of from 0.1 ppm to 2,000 ppm.

Abstract: A device for use with a copying machine, printer or the like transports toner from a toner storage means into the developing unit of the copying machine or printer by way of a toner transporting path including a shaft with a spiral. A toner lump loosening arrangement for loosening toner lumps before delivery to the developing unit is also positioned along the toner transporting path.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: medium transporting belt that carried an image recording medium on its surface, and is driven so that the surface is circulatively turned; a plural number of toner image forming drums facing the transporting belt, each including an image bearing surface having an electrostatic latent image formed thereon, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image, and an image transferring unit for transferring the toner image on the transporting belt or an image recording medium held on the transporting belt; medium supplying trays and path for successively supplying image recording media to the transporting belt; a medium attracting electrode facing the transporting belt; a counter electrode opposing to the medium attracting electrode with respect to the medium attracting electrode; an electric field formed between the medium attracting and counter electrodes to cause the transporting belt to attract the image recording medium to the transporting

Abstract: An image processing system which reads, in pixel units, an image on an original document using a scanner, processes the read image data, and outputs the processed image data. The image processing system includes a system for recognizing a circular image of a specific color.

Abstract: A belt feeding device including a plurality of elastic rolls each having a plurality of disklike elastic fins arranged in an axial direction, and a belt member wrapped around a plurality of rolls inclusive of the elastic rolls and adapted to be circularly moved. Each elastic roll is formed by finishing the outer circumferential surfaces of the elastic fins to a given outer diameter with a given directionality from one axial end to the other axial end of the roll, and the given directionality of finishing of at least one of the elastic rolls is opposite to that of the other elastic rolls. Accordingly, the walk of the belt member due to the incompleteness of forming of the elastic roll around which the belt member is wrapped can be prevented to reduce an edge force acting on the side edge of the belt member.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic process including an image forming process comprising a charging step of bringing a conductive charging member into contact with a surface of a photoreceptor and applying a superimposed voltage of a direct current voltage and an alternating current voltage to said conductive charging member to directly charge the surface of the photoreceptor, an image exposing step, and a developing step, the application of the voltage to said conductive charging member is stopped for every cycle of the image forming process, whereby the wear of the photoreceptive layer can be reduced and the life of the photoreceptor can be extremely improved.

Abstract: A structured document used for exemplifying a retrieved result is analyzed by a structure analyzing section, and its structure is expanded in a memory. A search-formula structure extracting section consecutively fetches fixed-type structural patterns stored in a knowledge base, and finds a structural pattern including a substructure of the structured document exemplified by the user. A search-condition extracting section determines a value of a field used for a search formula with respect to each of the records contained in the substructure extracted by the search-formula structure extracting section. A search-formula synthesizing section synthesizes an expression in a form which can be recognized as a search formula. The synthesized search formula can be modified by a search-formula editing section in compliance with an edit instruction from the user on condition that the exemplified substructure is retrievable.

Abstract: A cleaning device for removing and collecting toner left on the surface of a photoreceptor includes a housing, a rotary shaft rotatably supported by the housing and a brush, provided on the outer surface of the rotary shaft, for scraping off toner from the surface of the photoreceptor, a bar-like member fastened at both ends thereof to the housing and positioned at a location where the bar-like member is flicked with upon the rotation of the brush, an auger, positioned at a predetermined location within the housing, for transporting the toner scraped off to a given direction, and the bar-like member being disposed so as to prevent the auger from being further moved from the predetermined position and from contacting with the brush.

Abstract: An color ink jet recording apparatus with a plural recording heads, comprises: a plural caps corresponding to the recording heads; a plural cap opening/closing drive units; a single negative pressure suction unit communicating with the respective caps through ink suction passages; a plural passage communicate/interrupt units for communicating or interrupting the respective ink suction passages; a plural air open/interrupt units; a capping control unit for controlling each passage communicate and interrupt unit to communicate the ink suction passage corresponding to the recording head to be capped and controlling the corresponding air open/interrupt unit to open the corresponding air opening passage, and in this state, for controlling the corresponding cap opening/closing drive unit to cover the nozzle surface of the recording head to be capped with its corresponding cap; and jet performance recovery control unit, after the nozzle surface of the recording head to be capped is covered by the capping control uni

Abstract: An inorganic thin film EL device comprises a substrate, a pair of electrode layers and a pair of insulating layers formed on the substrate in this order, and a light emission layer sandwiched between the paired insulating layers and arranged such that light emitted from the light emission layer is taken out from one side the light emission layer. The light emission layer is made of a composition which consists essentially of a fluoride of a metal of the group II of the Periodic Table and a member selected from the group consisting of rare earth elements and compounds thereof. The metal fluoride is of the formula, M.sub.1-x F.sub.2+y or M.sub.1+x F.sub.2-y, wherein M represents a metal of the group II of the Periodic Table, x is a value ranging from 0.001 to 0.9 and y is a value ranging from 0.001 to 1.8. The device is useful as a flat light source.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a conductive substrate having thereon a photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer containing a hydroxymetal or hydroxysilicon phthalocyanine pigment represented by formula (I) as a charge generating material, the phthalocyanine pigment having been treated with an organometallic compound having a hydrolyzable functional group or a hydrolysis product thereof: ##STR1## wherein Me represents Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge or Sn; X represents H, Cl, Br or I; m represents an integer of from 1 to 4; and n represents 1 where Me is Al, Ga or In, or 2 where Me is Si, Ge or Sn.

Abstract: A liquid developer for electrophotography is disclosed, which comprises a carrier, a charge director contained in the carrier, and toner particles dispersed in the carrier and having a volume-average particle diameter of from 0.5 .mu.m to 5 .mu.m, wherein the toner particles comprises a thermoplastic resin substantially insoluble in the carrier at a temperature used for development, a colorant dispersed in the resin, and a charge control agent. A process for producing the liquid developer, and a process for forming an image are also disclosed. Thereby, a liquid developer for electrophotography having good toner electrification characteristics and satisfactory charge stability is obtained.

Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording comprising water, a colorant and a water-soluble organic solvent, in which the water-soluble organic solvent comprises 2,2'-thiodiethanol having a purity of not less than 96% by weight and an electrical conductivity of from not less than 5.0.times.10.sup.-4 S/m to not more than 5.0.times.10.sup.-2 S/m as determined in the form of 10 wt % aqueous solution.

Abstract: The present invention provides a non-contact ink developing method for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrostatic latent image formation member with ink, characterized by employing a conductive ink as the ink and a conductive developing roller disposed close to the electrostatic latent image formation member and whose surface has a water-repellent finish for producing very small ink droplets which are substantially spherical. The method comprising the steps of supplying the conductive ink to the surface of the conductive roller to produce a large number of very small ink droplets, and ejecting the ink droplets toward the electrostatic latent image in a developing area facing the electrostatic latent image formation member by an electrostatic induction force generated by charges of the electrostatic latent image and charges of opposite polarity induced in the ink droplets by the electrostatic latent image, and attaching the droplets to the electrostatic latent image.

Abstract: A character recognition apparatus for recognizing characters in a document by sequentially detecting one-character portions of images in a document image and by recognizing the character images of the one-character portions detected. The character recognition apparatus includes a character detecting section for detecting an image of one character from the document image; a character recognizing section for recognizing the detected image of one character and outputting a character code; and a control section for effecting control such that the character image of one character recognized by the character recognizing means is stored in correspondence with the character code obtained as a result of recognition, a comparison is made between the stored character image and the image of a newly detected character, and the character-code stored in correspondence with the relevant character image is read as a result of recognition in a case where the similarity of the images is sufficiently large.

Abstract: An erasable display medium comprising a substrate having thereon at least one liquid crystal polymer layer comprising a side chain type liquid crystal polymer which repeatedly and reversibly switches from a transparent state and a light-scattered state by the action of at least one of heat, an electrical field, and a magnetic field is disclosed, said side chain type liquid crystal polymer being a copolymer comprising a repeating unit represented by formula (I): ##STR1## and a repeating unit represented by formula (II): ##STR2## or a copolymer comprising a repeating unit represented by formula (III): ##STR3## and a repeating unit represented by formula (IV): ##STR4## wherein R.sup.a and R.sup.