Abstract: In a multifunction apparatus (image processing apparatus) 1 having an image reader 2 that reads an image of a document and an image processor 13 that performs a processing on the original image read by the image reader 2, an additional image related to a processing condition of the original image being added to the original image read by the image reader 2, the image processor 13 extracts the additional image from an image read by the image reader 2 and performs the processing in accordance with the processing condition based on the extracted image. An image processing system has the image processing apparatus and an image recording apparatus that records an image onto a sheet adds, to the image recorded onto sheet, the additional image related to the processing condition of the image.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds of formula I: wherein R1 is an alkyl, phenyl, heterocyclyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, ester, amino or amide group; R2 is a phenyl, heterocyclyl, alkyl, cycloalkyl or cycloalkylalkyl group; R3 is an alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, amino or heterocyclyl group; R4 and R5 are hydrogen or alkyl or form a cycloalkyl ring; A is O or N; and m is zero or one; as inhibitors of GlyT1 and thus as useful for treating or preventing diseases such as schizophrenia; with the provision of pharmaceutical compositions, first and second medical uses and methods of treatment.

Abstract: A sheet tray (1) includes at least one sheet detecting sensor (10) for detecting a sheet set on a sheet setting surface (2). The sheet detecting sensor (10) includes (i) a movable detecting section having a projecting section which projects from the sheet setting surface (2), and (ii) a detecting section for detecting rotation of the movable detecting section, and the projecting section have a ball-like shape. This makes it possible to provide (i) a sheet tray which is able to prevent breakage of sheet and breakage of the projecting section even when setting the sheet on the sheet setting surface from any direction and any angle; (ii) a sheet transporting apparatus including the sheet tray; and (iii) an image forming apparatus including the sheet tray.

Abstract: A supply passage assembly arranged under a toner bottle for conveying toner supplied from the toner bottle to a developing unit arranged below, includes: a toner passage having a toner input port at top and a toner discharge port at bottom and incorporating rotators for agitating the toner supplied from the toner bottle and is constructed so that the toner passage includes a first swing member for agitating toner near the toner input port and a second swing member for agitating toner near the toner discharge port.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor having an organic photosensitive layer at the surface layer is provided which can improve the wear resistance, durability and operation stability of the surface layer and can form images with no injury and unevenness in the density for a long period of time. The electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate, an undercoat layer, and a photosensitive layer having a charge generating layer and a charge transporting layer. In the photoreceptor, the photosensitive layer has a creep value CI? of 2.70% or more and an elastic ratio ?HU of 47% or more in a case where an indentation maximum load of 5 mN is loaded on the surface under a circumstance at a temperature of 25° C. and at a relatively humidity of 50%.

Abstract: A water treatment apparatus has a turbidity meter, which is a detection part, for detecting a generation state of bubbles in a micro/nano bubble generation state confirmation tank, as a turbidity of treatment water. The water treatment apparatus also has a controller, which is a control part, for receiving an signal representing the turbidity of treatment water detected by the turbidity meter, to control openings of air flow control valves in an interlocked manner in response to the signal, so that the amount of air flowing through the control valves is automatically controlled. The openings of the air flow control valves are controlled in an interlocked manner by the controller in such a way that the signal representing turbidity shows that the treatment water within the confirmation tank is whitely turbid (i.e., the turbidity shows not less than a specified value).

Abstract: A camera module of the present invention includes a plurality of projections 61b on a bottom base of a driving section 61 of an AF/Zoom module. The projections 61b are radially extended from an aperture 63 formed on an optical path. By this, adhesive can be spread over the projections 61b when bonding a lens holder and the AF/Zoom module together. Furthermore, even if the adhesive is excessively applied, excessive adhesive can be retained between the projections 61b. As a result, it is possible to realize a solid-state imaging device which makes it possible to improve adhesive strength between the lens holder and the AF/Zoom module and easily bond the lens holder and the AF/Zoom module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed of employing an information device (20) to transfer one or more data items from a remote holding area (32) to a local device (46) in dependence upon an access identifier representing the location of the one or more data items. The method comprises the steps of presenting an audio/visual representation of the access identifier at the information device (20), capturing the audio/visual representation at the local device (46), determining the location of the one or more data items from the captured audio/visual representation, and transferring the one or more data items to the local device (46) from the determined location. In a preferred embodiment, the information device (20) is a mobile device such as a mobile telephone, the audio/visual representation comprises a graphical representation such as a bar code that is displayed on a display (25) of the information device (20), and the bar code representation is captured at the local device (46) using a bar code scanner (49).

Abstract: The invention provides a method for purifying silicon which comprises a step of blowing a treating gas generated by reacting carbon with an oxidized gas into a molten silicon, as well as silicon produced by the method. Carbon can be held in a container, the oxidized gas can be passed through the container, and the oxidized gas can contain at least one of water vapor and hydrogen.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a crystalline semiconductor film with production of a cavity suppressed and a manufacturing method thereof A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to the invention comprises the steps of forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface, adding a metal element such as Ni for promoting crystallization to the amorphous silicon film, applying heat treatment to crystallize the amorphous silicon film, so that a crystalline silicon film is formed on the substrate, removing a silicon oxide film formed on the surface of the crystalline silicon film due to the heat treatment by a solution containing organic solvent and fluoride, and irradiating laser light or strong light to the crystalline silicon film.

Abstract: An A/D converter comprises a ramp voltage generation circuit, a voltage comparison circuit comprising an arithmetic unit comparing an analog voltage to be converted with a reference voltage showing the voltage change of a ramp voltage, and changing an output when the reference voltage equals the analog voltage, a counter counting and outputting a digital value corresponding to the reference voltage, a latch circuit latching and outputting the digital value when the output of the voltage comparison circuit changes, an averaging process circuit to obtain an average noise voltage, a target noise voltage setting circuit setting a target noise voltage, and a control circuit adjusting at least one of a counting start timing of the counter with respect to a control reference timing, or the criterion level of the reference voltage at the counting start timing, based on a difference between the average noise voltage and the target noise voltage.

Abstract: A water feeding apparatus (300) has an ion eluter (100) and a shower emitter (200). The shower emitter (200) receives water via a coupling pipe (250) from the ion eluter (100), and sprays the water, in the form of a shower, onto laundry. Liquid droplets in the form of a shower are small and easy to dry, and thus produce crystals having smaller particles (with large surface areas), having more lattice defects, and easier to dissolve. With these crystals attached to the laundry, when the crystals make contact with moisture next time, the silver ion in the liquid droplets easily dissolves. Even when the laundry is made of water-repellent or hydrophobic cloth, the solution dries up on the surface of the cloth before water is repelled. Thus, even this type of laundry can benefit from the antimicrobial effect of the silver ion.

Abstract: Problems in prior art regarding an n-channel TFT in the source/drain gettering method are solved. In the n-channel TFT, its source/drain regions contain only an n-type impurity. Therefore, compared to a p-channel TFT whose source/drain regions contain an n-type impurity and a higher concentration of p-type impurity, the gettering efficiency is inferior in a channel region of the n-channel transistor. Accordingly, the problem of inferior gettering efficiency in the n-channel TFT can be solved by providing at an end of its source/drain regions a highly efficient gettering region that contains an n-type impurity and a p-type impurity both with the concentration of the p-type impurity set higher than the concentration of the n-type impurity.

Abstract: A silicon (Si)-on-insulator (SOI) high voltage transistor with a body ground is provided with an associated fabrication process. The method provides a SOI substrate with a buried oxide (BOX) layer and a Si top layer having a first thickness and a second thickness, greater than the first thickness. A body ground is formed in the second thickness of Si top layer overlying the BOX layer. A control channel is formed in the first thickness of the Si top layer. A control gate is formed overlying the control channel. An auxiliary channel is formed in the second thickness of Si top layer partially overlying the body ground and extending into the first thickness of the Si top layer. An auxiliary gate is formed overlying the auxiliary channel. A pn junction is formed in the second thickness of Si top layer between the auxiliary channel and the body ground.

Abstract: There is provided an organic photoconductive material that can realize an electrophotographic photoreceptor which is not only excellent in charge transporting ability but also excellent in solubility in a solvent and compatibility with a resin and moreover, which is excellent in both electric properties and durability, and the organic photoconductive material that is useful also as a raw material compound for various types of functional materials. An asymmetric bis-hydroxyenamine compound represented by the following structural formula (1aa) is provided. The compound is allowed to be contained in a charge transporting layer or a surface protective layer of an electrophotographic photoreceptor. This leads realization of the electrophotographic photoreceptor which is excellent in electric properties and durability and can stably form an image of high quality being free of an image defect such as a black spot.

Abstract: A photocoupler for feeding back output voltage information on a secondary side of a switching power supply circuit through a light signal to control a switching operation on a primary side comprises: a light-emitting element for emitting a light signal flashing based on the output voltage information of the switching power supply circuit; a light-receiving control integrated circuit composed by integrating a light-receiving element composed of a photodiode for receiving the light signal, an amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of the light-receiving element, and a switching control circuit for controlling the switching operation of the switching power supply circuit, in one chip, wherein the light-emitting element and the light-receiving control integrated circuit are sealed in one package so that the light signal can be transmitted from the light-emitting element to the light-receiving element.

Abstract: A backlight device includes a main light guide plate, auxiliary light guide portions provided on the side of an opposed surface of the main light guide plate, and light sources arranged to emit light into the auxiliary light guide portions. A reflector is arranged to surround the introduction surface of the main light guide plate and the auxiliary light guide portions. Furthermore, an optical path forming member is provided on the inside of the reflector so as to form a dedicated optical path from the auxiliary light guide plate to the main light guide plate. Thereby, the light emitted from one auxiliary light guide portion is prevented from entering into another auxiliary light guide portion.

Abstract: In one embodiment of a remote USB device usage system, when there is a request to connect to a remote USB device from any one of a plurality of applications, a check is performed of whether or not another application is using the remote USB device. When no application is using the remote USB device, connection to the remote USB device is performed. When there is a request to disconnect from a remote USB device from any one of a plurality of applications, a check is performed of whether or not another application is using the remote USB device, if no application is using the remote USB device, disconnection from the remote USB device is performed.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus including a pair of substrates having electrodes and vertical alignment layers. A liquid crystal having a negative anisotropy of dielectric is inserted between the substrates. Each substrate has linearly arranged alignment control structures for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal. The alignment control structures are formed in the form of projections or slits. Each alignment control structure is formed of a plurality of constituent units. In addition, means for forming a boundary of alignment of liquid crystal (singular point in director field) to control the liquid crystal located on the alignment control structures.

Abstract: In a display device having a plurality of scan signal line driving circuits, its display quality is improved. The display device comprises a plurality of scan signal lines, a plurality of image signal lines, and a plurality of scan signal line driving circuits for generating scan signals for driving the scan signal lines. Each of the scan signal line driving circuit internally generates a driving signal having the waveform of such potential variation that the potential decreases with a slope from a high potential to an intermediate potential between the high potential and a low potential. Each of the scan signal line driving circuits further includes a signal wiring for connecting the scan signal line driving circuits to one another and applying the driving signal.