Abstract: A method and apparatus for facsimile communication uses subaddress messages sent from a sending facsimile terminal to control how a facsimile image transmission is to be handled, e.g., routed and/or translated, by a receiving facsimile terminal. The invention may be employed through the use of an adapter which is designed to work with existing facsimile terminals which are incapable of generating subaddress messages. The invention, when employed with 10-key facsimile machines which cannot generate by the keys thereof proper subaddress delimiting symbols, automatically transforms non-permitted transmission symbols generated by the key to permitted transmission symbols.

Abstract: While Web servers and clients, such as Mosiac, have opened the door to on-line publishers and consumers of information, these services have only been available to those having an Internet connection. In other words, individuals that do not have a direct Internet connection, including a computer and a data channel to the Internet, cannot search for documents and other resources available through the Web. The present invention obtains documents by receiving a facsimile transmission of a document with at least one search term and performing a search based on search terms on the received document.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the type transferring a toner image from a photoconductive element to a recording medium by way of an intermediate transfer belt is disclosed. Toner images of different colors are sequentially transferred from the photoconductive element to the intermediate transfer belt one above the other, forming a full-color image. When the full-color image is to be transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to a paper or similar recording medium, a secondary transfer belt is brought into contact with the portion of the intermediate transfer belt contacting a secondary transfer roller. As a result, the secondary transfer belt deforms complementarily to the shape of the secondary transfer roller, forming a nip between it and the intermediate transfer belt. In this condition, the secondary transfer belt contacts the intermediate transfer belt evenly and prevents an excessive pressure from acting locally on the toner image existing on the intermediate transfer belt.

Abstract: A reversible thermosensitive recording material has a support and a reversible thermosensitive recording layer formed thereon, capable of reversibly assuming at least two different visible states depending upon the temperature thereof, containing an organic low-molecular weight material and a resin composition in which the organic low-molecular weight material is dispersed, the resin composition including a matrix resin, and a dispersion resin which has a glass transition temperature higher than that of the matrix resin, and having resin aggregates which are separately dispersed in the matrix resin in such a manner that the resin aggregates are associated with the matrix resin.

Abstract: A multicolor image forming method in which a plurality of latent images are sequentially formed and developed on an image carrier on top of each other on the image carrier. The second and any successive color toners are developed in a non-contact manner. A developed image on a photoconductive element is prevented from being contaminated by subsequent developing stages and toner on the photoconductive element is prevented from contaminating the developer in the subsequent developing stages by reducing the amount of toner which improperly flies between the photoconductive element and the developing stages. Such a prevention of the flight of toner can be accomplished by keeping the potential of the toner on the photoconductive element within a predetermined threshold of the voltage of the toner in the subsequent developing stages. Also, properties of the various toners can reduce the improper flight of the toner such as by controlling the relative amounts of hydrophobic SiO.sub.

Abstract: A charging apparatus for a photoconductor composed of an electroconductive charging member and mechanism for feeding a voltage to the charging member. This charging apparatus is composed of a material capable of adsorbing ozone. The charging apparatus may be in the form of a roller type, a blade type or the like. Carbon fibers having micro pores can be used as the charging member.

Abstract: Small-sized and light-weighted optical pickup apparatus capable of eliminating the effect due to the flaring light rays and performing the signal detection of high reliability is provided.In the apparatus, the quarter-wave (.lambda./4) plate and the reflection-type birefringent prime provided with the deflecting function of deflecting the reflection light rays reflected on the optical information recording medium and the light rays flux separating function of separating the reflected light rays from the outgoing light rays are disposed in the optical path between the semiconductor laser constructing the optical pickup portion and the objective lens, and the light-receiving element for receiving the reflection light rays from the optical information recording medium which are defleced and separated by the reflection-type birefringent prism is disposed on a single (same) substrate together with the semiconductor laser.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer device to transfer an image on an image carrier to a transfer sheet. The transfer device includes a transfer roller and transfers an image on the image carrier to a transfer sheet conveyed into a transfer area between the transfer roller and the image carrier by applying a bias voltage to the transfer roller. The transfer device includes a device to apply a release agent for an alien substance to a surface of the transfer roller. Toner and an alien substance, such as paper dust, thereby hardly adheres to the release agent applied on the surface of the transfer roller. Even if toner and/or an alien substance are put on the release agent applied on the surface of the transfer roller, such toner and/or an alien substance are easily removed by a cleaning device. Thus, lowering of an image quality due to insufficient cleaning of the transfer roller is avoided.

Abstract: An electrolytic in-process dressing method, an electrolytic in-process dressing grinding apparatus, and an electrolytic in-process dressing grindstone, for grinding workpiece as the grindstone is being subjected to electrolytic in-process dressing, are provided, in which the grindstone is made of abrasive grains and a binding material which is capable of forming a uniform and fine passive layer at the grinding surface thereof and also capable of preventing excessive elusion of the binding material, thereby preventing the formation of chips at the ground surface in the course of grinding operation.

Abstract: A reversible thermosensitive recording medium having a supporting substrate and a reversible thermosensitive recording layer formed on the supporting substrate, having the ratio, of two values of light intensity scattered by the recording layer at large angles and small angles, of more than or equal to two, the ratio of the two numbers of particles of low-molecular-weight organic material with the large size to small size, of more than or equal to 2%, and the ratio of the two numbers of the particles with the small size to the total particles, of more than or equal to 10%, is provided which has improved display quality and excellent durability for repeated recording and erasing cycles over an extended period of time.

Abstract: A character table unit stores as attribute data of each character of an image a character name, a horizontal direction character size, a vertical direction character size, a horizontal display coordinate value and, a vertical display coordinate. A counter outputs count values indicating a horizontal position and a vertical position in a display screen image. A first writing control unit reads from the character table unit the attribute data of an appropriate character based on the count values of the counter and the attribute data, produces basic size attribute data of basic size characters which constitute at least part of the character. The basic size character is determined to be currently displayed based on the count values. The basic size character attribute data is written in a hit buffer. A image data memory stores character image data.

Abstract: In a digital copier which allow the quality of an output image to be adjusted in a plurality of levels, a scanner reads a document image and generates corresponding image data. An analog-to-digital converter transforms the image data to a pixel-by-pixel electric signal. The electric signal is written to an image memory. An image processing section reads a particular portion of the image (e.g. one-fifth in the subscanning direction) out of the memory repeatedly, while changing density each time. The results of such processing are sent to a recording section and printed on a single paper as a combined image. As a result, partial images representative of a particular density each are printed on a single paper. This not only promotes easy evaluation but also saves papers.

Abstract: A reversible thermosensitive coloring composition contains an electron-donating coloring compound and an electron-accepting compound, and is capable of reversibly assuming a color-developed state or a decolorized state depending upon the the temperature of the reversible thermosensitive coloring composition when heated, and/or the cooling rate of the reversible thermosensitive coloring composition when cooled after the heating thereof, with the electron-accepting compound being a compound of formula (I):A-R-X (I)wherein A represents a color-developing moiety; R represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon group comprising as the main chain thereof a straight chain hydrocarbon group having 8 or more carbon atoms, and may comprise a bivalent hetero-atom containing group and/or a bivalent aromatic group; and X represents a hetero-atom containing associative group.

Abstract: A thermosensitive recording material has a support, a thermosensitive recording layer formed thereon, containing an electron-donating coloring compound, an electron-accepting compound a binder resin, and a protective layer formed on the thermosensitive recording layer, which contains an ultraviolet-curing resin and a copolymer resin containing a silicone component as a copolymerizing component.

Abstract: A thermosensitive recording material is provided which includes a substrate, a thermosensitive recording layer formed on the substrate and including a binder resin, a coloring agent and a coloring developer inducing color formation in the coloring agent upon application of heat thereto, and a protective layer formed on the thermosensitive recording layer and including a resin, wherein the protective layer includes a particulate organic filler (A) whose average particle diameter is from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the thickness of the protective layer and a particulate organic filler (B) having an average particle diameter of from about 0.05 to about 0.7 .mu.m. The thermosensitive recording material has good image qualities without undesired white streaks and good ability to be used with thermal printheads without sticking to and wearing out the thermal printheads.

Abstract: A compression and decompression system in which a reversible wavelet filter are used to generates coefficients from input data such as image data. The reversible wavelet filter is an efficient transform implemented with integer arithmetic that has exact reconstruction. The present invention uses the reversible wavelet filter in a lossless system (or lossy system) in which an embedded codestream is generated from the coefficients produced by the filter. An entropy coder performs entropy coding on the embedded codestream to produce the compressed data stream.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus for superimposing images formed on a plurality of photoconductive elements onto a copy sheet includes a sensor for reading a transfer member and a positional deviation detecting pattern formed on the transfer member, a memory for storing information relating to an area having no roughness, such as a scar, on the transfer member, a detector for detecting the area having no roughness on the basis of a signal read by the sensor and for causing the memory to store the information relating to the area, and a color deviation corrector for correcting color deviation on the basis of the signal generated by the sensor reading the positional deviation detecting pattern. The positional deviation detecting pattern is formed at an area of the transfer member having no roughness.

Abstract: An apparatus that lockably connects a connector of a peripheral device to the apparatus. The apparatus includes an apparatus body having a receptacle portion that receives the connector and a locking mechanism that locks the connector in place in response to a main switch of the apparatus being turned ON. The locking mechanism includes latching members that are connected to a connecting arm and at least one of the latching members being connected to the main switch. By moving the main switch, portions of the respective latching members enter the receptacle portion and lock the connector in place. The apparatus optionally includes a control device that controls whether a signal flows to the receptacle portion based on if the connector is detected as being locked in place. Also, the invention optionally includes a compulsory unlocking mechanism and provisions for allowing the connector to be inserted into the receptacle even though the main switch is in the ON position.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor composed of an electroconductive support and a photoconductive layer formed thereon, which contains as a charge generating material an azo pigment subjected to a salt milling process.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for feeding sheets from a tray one by one and an image forming apparatus having the same are disclosed. A tray loaded with a stack of sheets, a separating member for separating a sheet paid out from the tray from the other sheets, and a driven conveyor roller are sequentially arranged around a single pick-up roller. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce to a load to act on the sheet being conveyed by the pick-up roller and conveyor roller, and to prevent accidental continuous feed or simultaneous feed of a plurality of sheets.