Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (50a) includes: an active matrix substrate (20a) having a plurality of gate lines (1a) extending in parallel with each other; a counter substrate (30a) arranged so as to face the active matrix substrate (20a); a liquid crystal layer (25) interposed between the active matrix substrate (20a) and the counter substrate (30a); and spherical spacers (21) disposed between the active matrix substrate (20a) and the counter substrate (30a) so as to overlap each gate line (1a), for defining a thickness of the liquid crystal layer (25). A protruding wall (9a) is provided over each gate line (1a) of the active matrix substrate (20a) so as to surround the spacers (21).

Abstract: A streaming printer that facilitates virtual cloud printing may include a network interface that receives engine-ready data from a cloud computing grid. The streaming printer may also include a raster input storage that temporarily holds the engine-ready data that is received via the network interface. The streaming printer may also include an engine cache storage that persistently holds the engine-ready data. The streaming printer may also include an output engine that outputs the engine-ready data.

Abstract: A virtual coupon service system is provided. The virtual coupon service system includes: an information acquiring unit acquiring member identification information of a member who wants to purchase a product for which the coupon is valid, and coupon information regarding the product; an information registering unit mapping the member identification information to the coupon information, and registering the result of the mapping; a coupon service providing unit acquiring the member identification information and a product code of the product, determining whether the member identification information is registered with the information registering unit, determining whether at least one coupon information mapped to the member identification information is associated with the product code, if the member identification information is registered in the information registering unit, providing a coupon service if the at least one coupon information includes the product code.

Abstract: To improve throughput of the whole system while reducing power consumption. In a mobile communication system comprising a mobile station apparatus and a base station apparatus, the base station apparatus creates an interference information table based on channel quality of an uplink channel, and at the same time, transmitting the interference information indicator table to the mobile station apparatus, and the mobile station apparatus determines a state of interference in an uplink frequency band based on the interference information indicator table, determines a frequency band of a measurement pilot channel, which is a pilot channel used to determine received quality, and make a request to the base station apparatus for a transmission resource. For example, the mobile station apparatus determines a frequency band with lowest interference among the uplink frequency bands as a frequency band of the measurement pilot channel.

Abstract: An optical element according to the present invention includes: an optical surface at a center portion thereof; a spacer section having a predetermined thickness on an outer circumference side of the optical surface; a support plate including one or a plurality of through holes penetrating a portion corresponding to the optical surface, provided inside a transparent resin material, wherein the support plate has light shielding characteristics, an outer circumference portion side of the through hole of the support plate is provided inside the spacer section, and the outer circumference portion side of the through hole is configured to be thicker than a further outer circumference portion side thereof.

Abstract: In a video display apparatus, a backlight for illuminating a liquid crystal panel is segmented into a plurality of areas. A frequency distribution processing unit calculates a dark pixel amount from the frequency distribution of the gradation values of pixels in a video image. A backlight control unit calculates a lower limit of luminance in each area included in the backlight so that the lower limit increases as the dark pixel amount becomes smaller. The backlight control unit adjusts the luminance in each area individually according to the gradation values in each portion of the video image, and adjusts the luminance in an area where the luminance is less than the lower limit to the lower limit. The difference in luminance between the areas illuminating dark portions of the video image is decreased, and the occurrence of luminance blur resulting from the difference in luminance between the areas is reduced.

Abstract: A single-color EL element includes a substrate; a plurality of signal wires arranged over the substrate; a plurality of pixel electrodes electrically coupled with a respective one of the plurality of signal wires via connecting wires to constitute a matrix as a whole, the plurality of pixel electrodes being separate from one another; and a single-color EL layer arranged over the plurality of pixel electrodes.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor element includes processing chambers arranged to accommodate a flexible substrate which is step-transferred by one effective region each time; a first electrode and a second electrode which are provided in the processing chamber; and a mask portion having an opening so as to expose the effective region when each effective region of the flexible substrate is transferred between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: An optical element according to the present invention is provided, which comprises an optical surface at a center portion thereof; and a spacer section having a predetermined thickness on an outer circumference side of the optical surface, in which a surface height of the spacer section is configured to be higher than a surface height of the optical surface.

Abstract: An optical element according to the present invention includes: an optical surface at a center portion thereof; and a spacer section having a predetermined thickness on an outer circumference side of the optical surface, wherein a bottom portion for positioning an adhesive is provided on a further outer circumference side of the spacer section with a tapered portion interposed therebetween.

Abstract: An optical element according to the present invention includes: an optical surface at a center portion thereof; a spacer section having a predetermined thickness on an outer circumference side of the optical surface; a support plate including one or a plurality of through holes penetrating the optical surface, inside a transparent resin material; and a penetrating portion and/or a concave portion for releasing the resin material when forming resin, in a further outer peripheral portion of the support plate.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for crystallizing a semiconductor film using a digital light valve. The method comprises: enabling pixel elements from an array of selectable pixel elements; in response to enabling the pixel elements, gating a light; sequentially exposing adjacent areas of a semiconductor film, such as Si, to the gated light; annealing the light-exposed areas of semiconductor film; and, in response to the annealing, laterally growing crystal grains in the semiconductor film. For example, the method may sequentially expose adjacent areas of semiconductor film to gated light in a first direction; and, simultaneously exposing adjacent areas of semiconductor film to gated light in a second direction, different than the first direction. For example, the second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction. As a result, crystal grains can be laterally grown simultaneously in the first and second directions.

Abstract: A touch-panel-integrated liquid crystal display device (display system) includes a liquid crystal display device, and a touch panel input device, provided on a liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display device, which has upper and lower electrodes (conductive thin plates) for detecting a position via which information is inputted from the outside. The display system includes a liquid crystal display device driving section for driving the liquid crystal display device and a noise canceling signal generator (signal application section) for applying, to the touch panel input device, a noise canceling signal having an amplitude and a phase that are equal to an amplitude and a phase of a driving signal applied from the liquid crystal display device driving section to the liquid crystal panel.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which an original reading portion is disposed in an upper portion of the apparatus main body, a feed portion is disposed in a lower portion of the apparatus main body, and a printing portion is disposed between the original reading portion and the feed portion as an image forming system, is configured as follows. A paper post-processing portion that can perform a plurality of types of paper post-processing for recording paper transported from the apparatus main body after printing by the printing portion is finished, and a discharge portion to which recording paper is discharged after paper post-processing by the paper post-processing portion is finished, are disposed in a space of the apparatus main body formed by the original reading portion, the printing portion, and the feed portion. The paper post-processing portion is provided such that it can slide relative to the apparatus main body.

Abstract: Support rollers suspending an endless belt are arranged so that a distance between each support roller and a fixing roller is smaller than a height of a belt regulating member provided on each side of the support roller in moving the support rollers to the second position which allows the endless belt to be in contact with the fixing roller so that a contact area therebetween is smaller than in the first position. As a result, in a fixing apparatus which includes the regulating member for regulating a position of an external heating belt in a rotational axis direction so that a contact area size between the external heating belt and the fixing member is variable, it is possible to appropriately vary the contact area between the belt and the fixing material.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including a toner image forming section, a transfer section, a recording medium supplying section, and a control unit, an image forming unit that forms, for example, a yellow toner image causes liquid-repellent particles to be adhered onto a part of a photoreceptor drum other than an electrostatic latent image, causes fixing fluid to be adhered onto a part of the electrostatic latent image such that only the fixing fluid is transferred onto an image forming roller, and causes the fixing fluid to be supplied on the image forming roller.

Abstract: A bump structure includes a squashed ball provided on an electrode pad, and a wire provided on the squashed ball. The wire is a wire loop that is loop-shaped and is formed so as to protrude from an end part of the squashed ball. This provides high bonding reliability between a bonding pad and the bump structure.

Abstract: A ramp voltage generation circuit suitable for an A/D converter preventing a variation in a digital value obtained by an A/D conversion operation. The circuit comprises a stabilization voltage source Vref, an operation amplifier AMP1 having a non-inversion input terminal receiving a voltage VREF from the Vref and an inversion input terminal connected to a switched capacitor equivalent resistance Req, and a transistor MNSF for conducting a current Ick to the Req based on an output voltage of the AMP1. Both ends of a conductive load Cint charged and discharged based on a current Iint2 generated by a current mirror of the Ick are connected to an output terminal and an inversion input terminal of an operation amplifier AMPint, a voltage of a stabilization voltage source Vc is applied to a non-inversion input terminal, and an output voltage of the AMPint is outputted to the outside as a ramp voltage.

Abstract: A photocurrent sensing circuit includes a logarithmic compression circuit; a cancellation circuit logarithmically compressing a current substantially equal in temperature coefficient of the photocurrent to convert the same into a voltage, and performing an addition or a subtraction on the converted voltage and a voltage converted from a photocurrent by logarithmically compression; a logarithmic operation circuit logarithmically compressing the voltage received from the cancellation circuit to produce a first voltage, logarithmically compressing a voltage proportional to a thermal voltage of the photocurrent to produce a second voltage, logarithmically compressing a current having thermal dependence of nearly zero to produce a third voltage and performing an addition or a subtraction of each of the second and third voltages with respect to the first voltage to produce a fourth voltage; and an inverse logarithmic transformation circuit performing inverse logarithmic transformation on the fourth voltage to outpu

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems, methods and devices for digital image contrast enhancement.