Abstract: Disclosed is a photoelectric conversion element comprising a conductive support and provided thereon, a semiconductor layer, a charge transporting layer and an opposed electrode, the semiconductor layer comprising a semiconductor with a dye, wherein the dye is a compound represented by the following formula (1).

Abstract: Provided are an aqueous ink-jet ink and a method for forming an ink-jet image enabling to decrease bleed occurrence during high-speed printing and to realize highly detailed image quality. An aqueous ink-jet ink characterized by containing water, a pigment, an organic or inorganic amine salt, and a water-soluble resin having a higher pKa than an acid component formed by dissociation of the amine salt in an ink.

Abstract: The image forming device capable of executing an authentication print printing includes: a communication interface for receiving job data; a job data property deriving unit for deriving a property of the job by referencing data contained in the job data other than data explicitly indicating to execute/not to execute the authentication print printing and outputting the property as job property data; an authentication print setting deciding unit for deciding whether or not to execute the job as the authentication print printing; an authentication unit; a user authentication unit for outputting the result of the user authentication; and a job executing unit for executing the job related to the job data.

Abstract: Provided is an optical pickup device capable of ensuring the compatibility among three types of optical discs, i.e., BDs, DVDs, and CDs, with a common objective lens and, in addition, capable of ensuring a sufficient working distance for CDs, and also provided are an optical information recording and reproducing device and an objective lens suitable for the optical information recording and reproducing device. On the objective lens, there is arranged a first optical path difference providing structure formed such that: the direction of step differences of a basic structure wherein the diffraction order of a blue-violet laser light flux become an odd order faces toward the opposite direction of the optical axis; the direction of step differences of a basic structure wherein the diffraction order of the blue-violet laser light flux become an even order faces toward the optical axis; and both the basic structures are overlapped together.

Abstract: A most used color that is a most popularly used color is obtained in an image. Pixel groups formed of continued pixels having an identical color other than the most used color in the image is extracted as first pixel groups. Pixel groups having a color of which a color difference with respect to the most used color is smaller than a predetermined threshold and having a size thereof that is smaller than a predetermined size is extracted as third pixel groups among the first pixel groups thus extracted. The first pixel groups other than the third pixel groups are taken as second pixel groups. An image is generated by replacing colors of portions, which correspond to the second pixel groups in an image having an area identical with that of an image to be processed and filled with the most used color, with the corresponding second pixel groups, respectively.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device configured to convey a sheet of paper from upstream to downstream of a conveying route includes a plurality of wire ropes configured to support and convey the sheet of paper in the conveying route, in which the plurality of wire ropes are arranged apart from each other, and at least two of the wire ropes are arranged so that a distance between them becomes larger as they come closer to downstream of the conveying route. The sheet conveying device can reduce an area of contact with the sheet of paper and reduce the occurrence of abnormal conveyance when conveying the sheet of paper.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing device including: an outline detection unit which analyzes image data to detect an outer edge pixel forming the outline of image, and to determine an edge direction of the outer edge pixel; a thinning unit which processes thinning by reducing a pixel value of the outer edge pixel; and an outline adjusting unit. The outline adjusting unit determines a correction value of front end fading to be adopted to the outer edge pixel, depending on sheet-feeding direction when the image data is printed and the edge direction of the outer edge pixel; reduces the correction value of front end fading, depending on the ratio of reduction by the thinning of the pixel value of the outer edge pixel; and corrects the front end fading by adding the reduced correction value to the pixel value of the outer edge pixel.

Abstract: A power-saving mode deactivation apparatus for performing communication via a communication network with specific processing apparatuses for particular processing is provided. The power-saving mode deactivation apparatus includes a storage portion for storing therein a deactivation method for deactivating a power-saving mode of each of the specific processing apparatuses; a detection portion for detecting that particular processing data for the particular processing is not delivered to, among the specific processing apparatuses, a destination specific processing apparatus of the particular processing data, and a deactivation portion for performing, when the detection portion detects that the particular processing data is not delivered to the destination specific processing apparatus, deactivation processing for deactivating a power-saving mode of the destination specific processing apparatus based on the deactivation method, stored in the storage portion, for the destination specific processing apparatus.

Abstract: A fixing device comprising: an endless fixing belt having a multilayer structure including a non-magnetic conductive layer and a first magnetic conductive layer, the non-magnetic conductive layer having a thickness smaller than a skin depth of a material thereof, the first magnetic conductive layer having a thickness smaller than a skin depth of a material thereof and being located farther from an outside surface of the fixing belt than the non-magnetic conductive layer; and a supporting member disposed inside the endless fixing belt and including a second magnetic conductive layer having a thickness smaller than a skin depth of a material thereof. The first magnetic conductive layer and the second magnetic conductive layer have a higher specific resistance than the non-magnetic conductive layer, and the first magnetic conductive layer has been manufactured by plastic forming or plating.

Abstract: An image forming system has a first image forming section to form an image on a sheet, wherein the first image forming section heats the sheet to fix the image on the sheet, a second image forming section to form an image to the sheet on which the image has been formed by the first image forming section, and a transporting section to transport the sheet from first image forming section to the second image forming section. The transporting section has a first transporting part to transport the sheet to a predetermined position, and a second transporting part to reverse a surface of the sheet which has been transported by the first transporting part as transporting the sheet from the predetermined position to an area below the predetermined position.

Abstract: It is possible to improve a diagnostic performance by a dynamic image and in particular, to provide information effective for diagnosis of the lung ventilation function. Provided is a dynamic image capturing system (100) including: a calculation device (4) which calculates a dynamic feature amount according to a plurality of frame images of the dynamic image captured by an imaging device (1); and a diagnosis console (3) which displays the frame images of the captured dynamic image as a dynamic image display or a still image display on a display screen of a display unit (34) and colors at least one of the frame images with a color in accordance with a calculation result of a feature amount obtained by the calculation device (4).

Abstract: When an image of content reproduced by a first reproduction device is shot, a content display support device obtains the shot image and positional information that specifies the position and orientation of a shooting device. The content display support device generates combination content by visualizing and embedding the positional information in the shot image and transmits the combination content to a second reproduction device. A portable terminal obtains the positional information from an image obtained by shooting the combination content reproduced by the second reproduction device. The portable terminal requests supplementary information by transmitting the positional information to the content display support device. The supplementary information associated with the positional information is transmitted from the content display support device to the portable terminal and displayed at the portable terminal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a dye-sensitized solar cell having at least a substrate, a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer containing a semiconductor and a sensitizing dye, a positive hole transporting layer containing a solid positive hole transporting material, and a second electrode, in which the positive hole transporting material contains a polythiophene-based polymer which is a conductive polymer formed via copolymerization of at least 2 compounds having a structure represented by Formula (1), (2), or (3) described in the specification.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided with a terminal designation accepting portion that accepts a designation by a user to designate an IP address of a terminal to be connected to the image processing apparatus and a setting data control portion that sends, to the terminal, setting data that includes an IP address of the image processing apparatus itself based on the IP address of the terminal that is designated by the user. Thereby, in the case where the image processing apparatus is caused to cooperate with other apparatus via a communication line, a more user-friendly operation for the cooperation can be provided with the security of the image processing apparatus protected compared to conventional systems.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a effective resolution determinator for forming a plurality of patch patterns different in resolution by the output engine, checking by sensor whether or not the patch patterns formed by the output engine are developed with developer, and determining that a resolution of the patch pattern with highest resolution recognizable by the sensor is an effective resolution which can be outputted by the output engine; and a dot counter for counting number of dots constituting an image of not less than effective resolution in the printing data, by which an error in estimated toner consumption, caused by dots too small to be developed, is reduced.

Abstract: Electric charge remaining on a photoreceptor after transfer causes image deterioration. According to one conventional method widely used in view of this problem, erase light is emitted onto a photoreceptor after the transfer to remove the electric charge remaining on the photoreceptor. However, such a method poses the following problem: emission of erase light leads to light-induced fatigue of the photoreceptor, and as a result, the photoreceptor which has deteriorated from the light-induced fatigue wears down due to abrasion and the like with a cleaner blade, resulting in a shorter lifetime of the photoreceptor. Thus, the thickness of the photosensitive layer is detected to acquire the amount of thickness decrease, and the amount of the erase light is reduced according to the acquired amount of thickness decrease.

Abstract: In a single-body type imaging unit including a toner bottle provided with a drive shaft, and a print unit provided with a drive shaft, the toner bottle and the print unit are coupled to each other via an elastic member.

Abstract: A calibration device 21 according to the present invention is a member used for white calibration of an optical characteristic measuring apparatus 1 for measuring an optical characteristic of a specimen arranged to close a measuring opening and is used together with a spacer 24. Accordingly, such a calibration device 21 can perform more accurate white calibration by preventing formation of an interference pattern by the spacer 24.

Abstract: It is a feature that in the present invention, provided is a method of cleaning a radiation image conversion panel possessing a substrate and provided thereon, a phosphor layer, and further possessing a protective layer provided on the phosphor layer, wherein a surface of the protective layer is cleaned by moving a cleaning member, while applying a pressure of 1 mN/cm2-1 N/cm2 to the surface of the protective layer with the cleaning member. Also provided can be a method of cleaning a radiation image conversion panel to provide an image information reading method by which image information exhibiting reduced image defect and image unevenness without damaging the radiation image conversion panel can be read out.

Abstract: A method for pre-configuring a portable storage device for use in transporting print jobs in a print shop, and a method for using the pre-configured portable storage device to export and import print jobs between different devices in the print shop. The portable storage device is pre-configured to contain multiple root directories uniquely corresponding to multiple print job management programs. A configuration file containing exporting and importing instructions and administrative information is stored in each root directory. When exporting print jobs, the exporting program automatically locates its own unique root directory and exports jobs into that root directory. When importing print jobs, once the operator indicates an exporting program, the importing program searches the root directory for the exporting program for all stored jobs and displays them to the operator for selection.