Abstract: A security management apparatus includes a receiver, a printer, and a notifier. The receiver acquires, at an entrance of a facility, information about a visitor to a visiting destination of the facility. The information includes a stay permitted time at the visiting destination and at least one of an attribute, relation information, or a visiting purpose. The printer generates a portable medium that includes the information and the stay permitted time and records an image allowing distinguishing of content of the information. The notifier is configured to receive the stay permitted time from one or more readers disposed at the facility and is configured to read the stay permitted time from the portable medium in a noncontact manner. The notifier, in response to the stay permitted time being elapsed, warns the visitor who passes a disposition position of the one or more readers.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a reading device includes a communication interface for communication with a commodity registration device. A commodity reader of the reading device reads commodity information from a commodity and the commodity information can be used for identifying the commodity. An output device signals that the commodity reader has read commodity information. A controller causes the communication interface to transmit the commodity information read by commodity reader, initialize the communication interface when it is determined that transmission of the commodity information has failed, and signal a communication failure when transmission of the commodity information has failed.

Abstract: A wireless tag reader includes a casing, an antenna in the casing and through which a radio wave is transmitted to and received from a wireless tag on an article, a control device in the casing and configured to read tag information stored in the wireless tag based on a radio wave received by the antenna, and an elastic member between the casing and the antenna so as to permit the antenna to be movable with respect to the casing.

Abstract: A reading apparatus includes a communication unit, a scanner, and a processor. The communication unit communicates with a wireless tag provided on paper. The scanner scans the paper. The processor acquires data from the wireless tag through the communication unit, acquires an image from the paper by using the scanner, and generates a file in which the data is embedded in the image as hidden characters.

Abstract: A printer in one example includes a thermal printhead with resistive heating elements. A motor is provided in the printer for conveying paper to the thermal printhead. A power supply is provided to supply power to the thermal printhead and the motor. A processor is configured to cause the supply of power to the motor to be paused after the supply of power to the thermal printhead exceeds a power threshold value and then to resume the supply of power to the motor after a predetermined period of time elapses after the pause of the supply of power to the motor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a film-shaped cylindrical body, a heating body unit, a first member, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The cylindrical body has a sheet-passing region coming into contact with the sheet to fix the image to the sheet moving in a first direction. The cylindrical body is broader than the sheet-passing region in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The heating body unit includes a heating body and comes into contact with a first surface inside the cylindrical body. The first member is disposed on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the heating body. The first member has an outer end disposed outside an outer end of the sheet-passing region in the second direction. The control unit allows the heating body to generate heat inside the outer end of the sheet-passing region in the second region.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a commodity pickup apparatus obtains information related to a commodity to be picked up and the number of pieces thereof. The commodity pickup apparatus displays, on the display device, a list of commodities to be put in the plurality of accommodation portions on the basis of the obtained information in an arrangement state equal to an arrangement state of the plurality of accommodation portions when viewed from an operator of the apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a wireless tag communication device configured to communicate with a wireless tag attached to a sheet, a fixing device configured to fix a toner image on the sheet, and a processor configured to: upon receipt of a print job, control the communication device to read from the wireless tag a first fixing temperature that has previously been used to fix a toner image on the sheet, determine a second fixing temperature to be used by the fixing device based on the first fixing temperature, and execute the print job by controlling the fixing device to fix a toner image on the sheet at the second fixing temperature.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus operated by a sales clerk includes a display, a camera configured to capture an image of a code displayed on a screen of a portable registration apparatus operated by a customer in a store, the code corresponding to one or more commodities to be purchased and check data indicating whether each of said one or more commodities needs to be checked by the sales clerk before being checked out, and a processor configured to, when the image of the code is captured by the camera, acquire information indicating said one or more commodities to be purchased and the check data using the code, and control the display to display a screen showing one or more commodities that need to be checked by the sales clerk based on the acquired information.

Abstract: According to one or more embodiments, a liquid ejection head includes an actuator and a driver. The actuator has a piezoelectric element made of a lead-free piezoelectric material. The driver applies a voltage to the actuator to vibrate the piezoelectric element in a first direction with a first electric field in a first polarization direction of the piezoelectric element and a second electric field in a direction opposite to the first polarization direction. The second electric field is controlled to be equal to or less than a coercive electric field of the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: According to one embodiment a shopping cart includes an imaging unit configured to acquire images of a surface at a location of the shopping cart and a controller. The controller is configured to detect a boundary pattern in images acquired by the imaging unit. The boundary pattern is painted or drawn on the surface at a boundary between a first area and a second area. Based on the detected boundary pattern the controller determines whether the shopping cart has been moved from the first area to the second area or from the second area to the first area. The controller then controls mobility of the shopping cart based on whether the shopping cart has been moved from the first area to the second area or from the second area to the first area.

Abstract: An image forming device of an embodiment includes an image forming unit, a first toner cartridge, an accommodating unit, and a transfer belt. The image forming unit is configured to form a toner image having at least one color. The first toner cartridge is configured to accommodate a toner having a first color to be supplied to the image forming unit. The accommodating unit is provided in a space where at least one toner cartridge accommodating a toner having a color different from the first color to be supplied to the image forming unit is disposable side by side with the first toner cartridge. The transfer belt is disposed to be travelable through the image forming unit, disposed to face the first toner cartridge and the accommodating unit, and is configured to transfer the toner image formed by the image forming unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image sensor configured to capture image data and a controller operatively coupled to the image sensor. The controller is configured to receive, from the image sensor, a requesting user image of a requesting user who requests authentication to use the image forming apparatus. The controller is configured to transmit the requesting user image to a terminal associated with an authenticating user that is authorized to authenticate the requesting user. The controller is configured to acquire, from the terminal, an authentication result indicating whether the authenticating user authenticates the requesting user to use the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A system and method for printer language emulation includes a microcomputer as an intermediary between devices using incompatible printer languages. The microcomputer intercepts an incoming job in a first printer language. The first printer language leads to a library call, and the returned library is used to emulate the first printer language to a printer language compatible with a target device. If source device and target device use compatible printer languages, the print job may bypass the microcomputer or pass through the microcomputer to the target device.

Abstract: A maintenance support system includes a network interface, a memory, and a processor configured to, upon receipt of first information indicating a status of a first apparatus via the network interface, store the first information in the memory, upon receipt of second information indicating a status of a second apparatus via the network interface, store the second information in the memory, and determine a priority of on-site maintenance between the first and second apparatuses based on the first and second information stored in the memory.

Abstract: A sheet storage device includes a body, a tray, a rotating member, an angle sensor, and a controller. The tray is vertically repositionable relative to the body and supports a sheet placed on the tray. The rotating member rotates in conjunction with a vertical movement of the tray. The angle sensor detects a rotation angle of the rotating member. The controller is operatively coupled to the angle sensor and determines a remaining number of sheets placed on the tray based on a detection result of the angle sensor.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus including a binding mechanism, a tray, a shift mechanism, and a control unit is provided. The binding mechanism is configured to apply binding to a sheet. The sheet applied with the binding is stacked on the tray. The shift mechanism is configured to perform a shift operation in which a side surface of the sheet is pushed and the sheet is deviated in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a discharge direction during discharge of the sheet to the tray. The control unit is configured to cause the shift operation to be performed by dividing the number of times for the shift operation into a plurality of times.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a display device and a processor. The processor is configured to generate a first screen for display on the display device and on which one of a plurality of malfunctioning part candidates of the image processing apparatus and one of a plurality of timings at which a particular sound was output by the image processing apparatus that malfunctioned, are selectable, when a first malfunctioning part candidate and a first timing are selected on the first screen, generate a second screen for display on the display device and on which one or more reference sounds corresponding to the particular sound are selectable, and when one of the reference sounds is selected on the second screen, generate error information indicating the first malfunctioning part candidate and the selected reference sound.

Abstract: A seating detection device includes a sensor, a coupler, a power supply, a switch, and a controller. The sensor forms an electric field to detect a change in an electrostatic capacitance. The coupler couples the sensor to a chair. The power supply supplies power for forming the electric field to the sensor. The switch controls transmission of power from the power supply to the sensor. After the switch is turned on, the controller sets a seating threshold based on the change in electrostatic capacitance detected by the sensor. The seating threshold represents a threshold amount of electrostatic capacitance. The controller determines whether an occupant is seated on the chair based on the seating threshold.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet and a sensor with a light emitting part having a light emission intensity that changes according to an input voltage level and a light receiving part that outputs an output value that changes according to the amount of incident light. The sensor is configured to detect a toner density of the image formed by the image forming unit. A power supply unit is provided to supply power to the light emitting part and change the input voltage level of the power supplied to light emitting part in a predetermined sequence until an end condition is satisfied during an inspection operation. A controller is configured to make an abnormality determination based on a state of the sensor when the end condition is satisfied during the inspection operation.