Abstract: An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a determining unit, and a control unit. The image forming apparatuses are connected in series in a paper conveyance direction, and include first and second image forming apparatuses. The second image forming apparatus is disposed downstream of the first image forming apparatus in the paper conveyance direction. The determining unit determines whether image data is front-side data or back-side data at a time of duplex printing. The control unit controls the first image forming apparatus to print an image based on the back-side data, and controls the second image forming apparatus to print an image based on the front-side data.

Abstract: A method and program for encoding and decoding color barcodes to increase their data capacity. The encoding steps include determining a shape and a color for each data cell to encode digital data, wherein a combination of the shape and the color for the data cell is chosen from a plurality of combinations of shapes and colors in accordance with a value of the digital data to be encoded, and coloring a subset of the plurality of pixels in each data cell in accordance with the shape and the color for the data cell determined above. The decoding steps include segmenting the data cells in a color barcode, recognizing a shape formed by a subset of pixels in each data cell and the color of the shape, and obtaining digital data from a combination of the recognized shape and color in each data cell.

Abstract: Methods of generating a secured printed document on paper or other medium by printing a security layer made of a transparent conductive material over the ink/toner layer that forms the visible content of the document. The security layer is printed using a transparent conductive material such as transparent conductive toner or ink and is invisible to human eyes. In one embodiment, the transparent conductive material contains a pattern that forms a radio frequency (RF) transponder circuit which has an RF antenna and a digital memory storing security data, which can be read out and used to authenticate the document. In another embodiment, the pattern forms a memory circuit without an RF antenna. In yet another embodiment, the transparent conductive material is patterned but does not form a functional circuit, and the electrical properties of the security layer such conductivity and/or capacitance are used to authenticate the document.

Abstract: Disclosed is a print system including a print data generating device to generate a variable print data, and a print device to carry out a print in accordance with the variable print data, wherein the print data generating device generates and outputs the variable print data including search information for searching and obtaining original information for a variable part from a database; and wherein the print device includes: an input unit to input the variable print data; a search unit to carry out a search for searching the original information in the database in accordance with the search information included in the variable print data; a processing unit to prepare a print image in accordance with the variable print data by reflecting searched information obtained by the search unit on the variable part; and a print unit to print the print image.

Abstract: If a control unit of a radiation image capturing apparatus acquires dark image data before photographing and at the same time detects initiation of irradiation of radiation based on image data read out by carrying out a readout process of the image data, the control unit applies off-voltage to all the scanning lines and shifts to an electric charge accumulation mode, and after the irradiation is over, sequentially applies on-voltage to each of the scanning lines, causes the scanning lines to carry out readout process of main image data from each of radiation detection elements, and subsequently acquires offset data in a condition where radiation is not irradiated to correct the main image data read out by the photographing or main image data read out by a photographing carried out after the former photographing based on offset lag part calculated from the offset data and the dark image data.

Abstract: A method for encoding and decoding color barcodes to increase their data capacity. The encoding steps include determining a shape, a foreground color and a background color for each data cell, wherein a combination of the shape, foreground and background colors for the data cell is chosen from a plurality of such combinations in accordance with a value of the digital data to be encoded; and coloring some pixels in the data cell with a foreground color and other pixels with a background color, in accordance with the shape, foreground and background colors for the data cell determined above. The decoding steps include segmenting the data cells, recognizing a shape, a foreground color of the shape and a background color of the data cell, and obtaining digital data from a combination of the shape and foreground and background colors in each data cell.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores therein a distributed printing control program executed in a system to perform distributed printing by outputting a specified number of sets of paper sheets by using plural image fowling apparatuses, where the number of the sets is instructed by a job. The program causes an apparatus belonging to the system to function as a control section. The control section divides the job into plural jobs, where each of the jobs causes one of the image forming apparatuses to eject plural sets of paper sheets shifted in alternate directions such that, when sets of paper sheets ejected by the plural image forming apparatuses are stacked up together, all the sets of paper sheets are shifted in alternate directions to enable each of the sets to be separated from others. The control section further subjects the divided jobs to the plural image forming apparatuses.

Abstract: Disclosed are a device, a method, and a storage medium to create a color conversion table. According to one implementation, a color conversion table creating device includes, a color material amount limiting processing section; a first color conversion processing section; a second color conversion processing section; a combining section; a color material amount limiting inverse conversion processing section; and an output value determining section. The color material amount limiting processing section performs color material amount limiting of an input value in the color conversion table. The color material limiting inverse conversion processing section performs inverse conversion of the color material amount limiting after color conversion and combining the CMYK components. The output value determining section sets the inverted CMYK color components as an output value in the color conversion table.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing an annular belt made of polyimide comprising; a) joining both ends of a sheet made of a polyimide precursor to form an annular belt; and b) performing an imidizing reaction of the polyimide precursor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with a first electronic mail message transmission portion for transmitting an image file of a target image to be transmitted to an intended receiver to an apparatus of the intended receiver together with a URL of a web page on which an image format is specified, a second transmission image data generation portion for generating an image file of the target image in the format specified on the web page, and a second electronic mail message transmission portion for transmitting the image file thus generated to the apparatus of the intended receiver.

Abstract: An image forming system including an image forming section to print images on sheets; a conveyance path through which the printed sheets are conveyed; a post-processing section which executes post-processing to form a booldet from a bundle of sheets conveyed through the conveyance path; a plurality of overlapping sections each of which is disposed between the image forming section and the post-processing section, makes the sheets temporarily wait, forms a bundle of sheets by overlapping a plurality of waiting sheets, and conveys to the post-processing apparatus; a control section which, with respect to a second or later booldet set in case of continuously forming booldet sets, controls a number of the sheets to be conveyed to the overlapping section, a conveying order of the sheets, and a timing to convey the sheets to a downstream side, based on a period of executing the post-processing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, comprises an image forming section, a transfer section to transfer the toner image onto a recording material; and a fixing device to fix the toner image onto the recording material; wherein the image forming section includes a plurality of color image forming sections and a transparent image forming section, and the plurality of color image forming sections and the transparent image forming section are arranged such that the transparent image is transferred so as to form a transparent image layer on an outer surface of the color image on the recording material at a fixing time by the fixing device, and wherein an amount of wax contained in the transparent toner is larger than an amount of wax contained in each color toner of the plurality of color toners and smaller than an amount of base resin contained in the transparent toner.

Abstract: An anisotropic dye layer containing a coordination polymer is disclosed. The a polarization control film containing an oriented dichroic dye in which light absorption spectrum of a molecule is reversibly changed by charge passing are disclosed.

Abstract: A variable power optical system (1) comprises a first lens group (11) having a negative optical power, a second lens group (12) having a positive optical power, and a third lens group (13). The first to third lens groups are arranged in order from the object side to the image side. The first lens group (11) is composed of one negative lens (111) and is fixed in variable power. The third lens group (13) includes at least one aspherical surface. When the third lens group is divided into a front group and a rear group with the largest air space in the third group, the front group has a negative optical power, and the rear group has a positive optical power.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a cleaning blade provided on an intermediate transfer member to which a toner image formed on at least one image forming section is primary transferred and on a secondary transfer section which transfers the toner image transferred on the intermediate transfer member onto a transfer material, respectively, which cleans the toner image remained thereon, respectively; a bias power source which is electrically connected to the secondary transfer section; and a controller which causes the image forming section to form a patch toner image onto a non-image area on the image carrier corresponding to an area between adjoining two transfer materials, and causes the bias power source to conduct a power control in synchronization with a positional movement timing of the patch toner image, to supply selectively the patch toner image to the intermediate transfer member and the secondary transfer section.

Abstract: A paper sheet humidifying device including a humidifying roller to convey a paper sheet and apply water to the paper sheet; a water supply roller to supply water to the humidifying roller; a water supply plate to contain the water for dipping the water supply roller, and to eject excessive water by overflowing; a water feeding section to feed the water to the water supply plate; a drain tank to receive the water ejected from the water supply plate, the drain tank comprising a drain outlet to eject the received water; a water level sensor to output a signal when a water level in the drain tank reaches a prescribed level; and a controller to execute a control to prevent overflowing of the water from the drain tank based on the signal from the water level sensor.

Abstract: First belt 51 suspended on first upstream roller 53 and first downstream roller 54, and second belt 52 suspended on second upstream roller 55 and second downstream roller 56 each have a stiffness such that when assumed to be separated from each other, the first belt 51 and the second belt 52 rotate while maintaining an elliptic shape thereof. One of two portions of the first belt 51 facing each other between the first upstream roller 53 and the first downstream roller 54 and one of two portions of the second belt 52 facing each other between the second upstream roller 55 and the second downstream roller 56 are flat as a result of being brought into pressing contact with each other, and a fixing nip is formed therebetween. A toner image is fixed by being heated by heater lamp 57 when recording sheet S passes through the fixing nip.

Abstract: An acryl resin-containing film which is transparent and highly heat-resistant and has been significantly improved in brittleness is disclosed, satisfying the following equations (1) to (4), exhibiting a tension softening point of 105 to 145° C. and a photoelastic coefficient of ?5.0×10?8 to 8.0×10?8 cm2/N, while causing no ductile fracture. There is also disclosed a liquid crystal display which has achieved an improved yield in works of stamping a polarizing plate or sticking the plate to a panel and reduced color shift occurred depending on viewing angle. |Ro(589)|?10 nm??Equation (1) |Rth(589)|?20 nm??Equation (2) |Ro(480)?Ro(630)|?5 nm??Equation (3) |Rth(480)?Rth(630)|?10 nm??Equation (4) Numerical values of 589, 480 and 630 in parentheses represent the wavelength (nm) of a light used to measure an individual birefringence.

Abstract: Under a contention between a copy job and a print job, it is possible that a general user misunderstands that the payment he has made for the copy job is mistakenly used on the print job requested by another user. One solution to avoid such undesirable possibility is to display information indicating that the billing process is correctly done. Yet, the general user may fail to notice the display. In view of this, a billing and printing system prevents occurrence of job contention as long as the balance of payment made by a general user remains. An MFP included in the system does not accept any print job if a balance of received payment remains, and does not accept any payment if there is a queued print job.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes at least one transmission element layer for transmitting ultrasonic waves, at least one reception element layer for receiving ultrasonic waves and which is provided with an electrode on each of both surfaces opposed in a thickness direction thereof, and at least one matching layer for matching acoustic impedance. These layers are arranged in this order in a direction of transmitting the ultrasonic waves. An upper layer and a lower layer each sandwiching the electrodes formed on both surfaces of the reception element layer are each provided with a projecting portion which projects from the reception element layer in a direction of elevation. At least one of the electrodes formed on the reception element layer is formed by extending on a surface of one of the projecting portion opposed to a respective one of the upper layer and the lower layer.