Abstract: A sheet member feeder device includes: a sheet member housing section that houses a sheet member for feeding; a guide member, provided so as to be movable in approach-separation directions that approach towards, or separate away from, an edge of the sheet member housed in the sheet member housing section, the guide member guiding the edge of the sheet member; a restricting member that is provided to the guide member, the restricting member engaging with an engaged portion provided to the sheet member housing section and restricting movement of the guide member in the approach-separation directions; and a pressing member that, when the restricting member is engaged with the engaged portion, presses the guide member towards the sheet member by the pressing member inserting further into a gap between the restricting member and the guide member.

Abstract: A medium conveying device includes an alignment member, a skew conveying member, and a removal member. The alignment member faces one end of a medium and aligns the medium while contacting with the medium when the medium is conveyed in a first direction. The skew conveying member conveys the medium in a second direction crossing to the first direction so that the one end comes in contact with the alignment member and that includes a drive member and a driven member opposed to the drive member and driven by the drive member. The removal member has a tip end coming in contact with a face of the drive member to remove a deposit on the face. The removal member is placed along a rotation direction of the drive member so that the tip end faces downstream of the rotational direction.

Abstract: A method and system is provided providing a variable data guilloché pattern comprised of variable data differential line pattern fonts comprising decodable template symbols which are capable of being selectively assembled into a predetermined variable data code. The differential line pattern fonts are further spatially modulated for imposition of a second data channel on a printed document. The representation can be decoded with a digital scanner capable of identifying the embedded patterns and spatially modulated transform function and communicate it to a user for verifying a document containing the code.

Abstract: The present teachings include a coating composition which includes a liquid, fluoropolymer particles, carbon nanotubes, and a dispersant. The dispersant has a thermal degradation temperature below the melting temperature of the fluoropolymer particles.

Abstract: Applications, systems and methods for identifying and monitoring critical colors in a print job and using an embedded color sensing device to measure critical color test patterns inserted in the print job are disclosed. The applications permits the user to interact with a print job and select of one or more critical colors from within the print job. In one embodiment, an application is configured to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate the user in selecting critical colors. A printing system and method are disclosed for automatically monitoring critical colors in a print job and using an embedded color sensing device to measure critical color test patterns inserted in the print job. In one embodiment, printed critical color test patterns are separated from the printed customer documents and direct to a color sensing device for measurement.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image acquisition section, a combination detection section and an angle detection section. The image acquisition section acquires a code pattern image from a surface of a recording medium on which the code pattern is formed. In the code pattern, N unit images are selectively placed in M reference positions that are arranged at predetermined intervals in two directions orthogonal to each other where M?4 and 2?N<M. The combination detection section detects pairs of the unit images based on the predetermined intervals and respective positions of the unit images contained in the code pattern image acquired. The angle detection section detects a rotation angle of the code pattern image with respect to a predetermined reference axis based on an inclination of a line, with respect to the predetermined reference axis, connecting the unit images of each pair detected.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: a holding unit that holds a medium on which an image is formed by irradiation of image-bearing light, the medium having a liquid crystal layer, a photoconductor layer that changes a resistance in response to irradiation of light, and a pair of electrode layers provided in an opposing relation so as to sandwich the liquid crystal layer and photoconductor layer, with at least one of the pair of electrode layers being divided into stripe-shaped sub-electrode layers; an irradiating unit that irradiates the medium with image-bearing light linearly along a longitudinal direction of the sub-electrode layers; a transporting unit that transports the irradiating unit along the surface of the medium in a first or second direction; a power supply unit that applies a voltage between the sub-electrode layer and the electrode layer; and an optical shielding unit that shields the photoconductor layer.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a cleaner. The cleaner includes: a support member; a toner scraping member; and a toner storing mechanism. The toner storing mechanism includes: a toner catching member provided in a vicinity of a leading end of the toner scraping member so as to catch the toner scraped off; and a swingably supporting mechanism which supports swingably the toner catching member with a middle portion of the toner catching member as a swing fulcrum. A free end portion of the toner catching member protruding from the toner scraping member in the moving direction is a storage moving portion which moves based on an amount of the stored toner, and a portion opposite to the free end portion with respect to the swing fulcrum is a press portion which presses the toner scraping member toward the cleaned member based on a moving amount of the storage moving portion.

Abstract: There is provided a computer readable medium storing a subprogram causing a computer to execute a subprocess that includes a predetermined process performed in response to a call from a caller program and a return process to return the result of the predetermined process to the caller program. The subprocess includes: an address acquisition process that acquires an access destination address to be accessed by the subprogram before executing the return process, the access destination address being assigned to the memory area of the caller program; a determination process that determines whether or not the caller program is a legitimate caller program based on the acquired access destination address; and a termination process that, if it is determined that the caller program is not a legitimate caller program as a result of the determination, terminates execution of the subprocess before executing the return process.

Abstract: A method and system feeds a sheet through a media path in a process direction. When the sheet is within a sheet registration carriage of the media path, the method and system align the sheet to a predetermined lateral position within the media path. The aligning process comprises unevenly activating nips within the sheet registration carriage and moving the sheet registration carriage in a lateral direction perpendicular to the process direction. If the lateral movement distance exceeds a predetermined distance, the method and system move the sheet registration carriage toward the starting position after the nips have released the sheet, but before the sheet has passed by the nips.

Abstract: A photoconductor that includes, for example, a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and at least one charge transport layer comprised of at least one charge transport component, and wherein at least one of the photogenerating layer and charge transport layer contains a phenazine.

Abstract: A chassis houses a marking engine, a scanner, and various input and output ports allowing devices to connect to the hub for data transfer, sharing, and collaboration. The preferred configuration includes two towers with a display and a work surface supported therebeteween. The display can have another display on its rear face, and both can have cameras and microphones mounted thereon, as well as speakers. The scanner is preferably embedded in the work surface. The towers house various components of the hub. A base can be included that supports both towers and any users using the hub. Preferably, the base includes pressure sensors to let the hub know when users are present.

Abstract: A fixing device of the present invention is equipped with a heated body whose fixing temperature applied to toner is changed and which is heated in accordance with a type of toner that has been discriminated by a toner type discriminating unit that discriminates types of toner classified at least as a result of their melting points differing. When toner with a relatively high melting point has been used, the fixing device is rotated on the basis of a limiting control unit that limits a number of sheets of recording paper that can be continuously fixed.

Abstract: A print head has an array of jets to transfer ink from the print head to a printing substrate, at least one ink supply rail to provide ink, and at least one injector to deliver ink from the ink supply rail to the print head. A printer has at least one supply to provide ink, at least one print head to transfer ink onto a printing substrate, an ink supply rail to provide ink to the print head, and an injector to deliver ink from the ink supply rail to the print head. A printing system has an array of print heads, each having at least one injector, at least one ink supply rail to deliver ink to the print heads, at least one supply to supply ink to the ink supply rail, and a transport system to transport a web substrate past the array of print heads.

Abstract: This is a shim cleaning blade for use in a novel cleaning station of an electrophotographic marking system having an a-Si photoconductive surface. The cleaning blade is preferably made from stainless steel but other metals can be used if suitable. The blade has a thickness of about 0.05-0.2 mm, but best results are obtained when using a thickness of about 005-0.1 mm. The cleaning blade contacts the photoconductive surface it is cleaning at an angle of from about 2 to about 40 degrees.

Abstract: A printed image can be redundantly encoded by printing a visible image using a colorant with a luminance that contrasts with that of the output sheet and printing a redundant image using a colorant with a luminance that varies only slightly from that of the output sheet. Accordingly, the visible image can be easily read by a user while the redundant image is substantially invisible to the human eye at normal reading distances, yet capable of being captured by a conventional digital scanner. In one aspect, redundantly encoded images may be printed on a white background, with visible images printed in black text and redundant images printed in blue in content regions of the visible image and in yellow in its background regions.

Abstract: An integrated device enables a customer replaceable unit within an ink jet printer to be enclosed within an enclosing structure as the unit is removed from the printer. The enclosing structure traps debris that may disburse from the customer replaceable unit as it is removed from the printer.

Abstract: An automated print prepress workflow, including a memory; a processor communicating with the memory; and a job ticket stored in the memory, is provided. The job ticket includes a plurality of print job related parameters and a set of print job related information. The workflow further includes a conditional branching arrangement defining a plurality of print job prepress development paths, each one of these plurality of paths including one or more print job prepress development operations. Prepress development of the print job may include automatically branching to one of the plurality of print job prepress development paths responsive to the processor reading one or both of the (1) the one or more of the plurality of print job related parameters and (2) at least part of the print job related information set. One or more of the print job prepress development operations may be automatically adaptively processed.

Abstract: A method is provided for supplying marking material. A package containing the marking material and having an information-bearing tag is fed into a housing of a printing machine along a path including a package inlet. The tag is read to verify the marking material contained in the package. The package is then opened at least partially within the housing to expel the marking material from the package. Objects being marked move relative to the printing machine along a different path not including the package inlet. A method also is provided for verifying the contents of a collapsible marking material package. The package is fed into the housing of the printing machine, and an information-bearing tag on the package is read. If incorrect material has been inserted, the package then is rejected and ejected from the housing before it has been collapsed.

Abstract: A photoconductor that includes, for example, a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and a charge transport layer, and wherein at least one of the charge transport layer and the photogenerating layer contains an oxadiazole.