Abstract: A method is provided for quantitatively evaluating fiber tear associated with removal of a cover that was adhered to a spine of bound pages of at least one book. The method includes optically imaging the spine of each book from which the cover was removed and generating a corresponding at least one digital image, and processing the images using a tangible processor executing image processing software. The processing includes selecting regions of the images that have a color which corresponds to a range of colors associated with a selected level of fiber tear, assigning a selected color to the selected regions which is contrasting relative to the colors of non-selected regions of the at least one image, selecting at least a portion of the images to analyze, and determining a percentage of the selected portion that is assigned the selected color.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an endless belt member is provided, the method including: applying a film forming resin solution onto a surface of a cylindrical core body; drying the film forming resin solution applied on the core body while rotating the core body around an axial direction of the core body; providing a shielding member to one end side of the core body in the axial direction, the shielding member shielding a wind fed from the one end side; and manufacturing an endless belt member on which the film forming resin is solidified, by putting the core body to which the shielding member is provided into a heating furnace equipped with a blowing part that blows a hot air from the one end side, and heating the core body.

Abstract: Toners are provided which include a resin including at least one baroplastic polymer. The baroplastic polymer, in embodiments, may be a block copolymer with discrete low glass transition temperature (Tg) domains and high Tg domains that plasticize one another at ambient temperature when subjected to pressures of from about 500 psi (about 3.45 MPa) to about 10,000 psi (about 69 MPa), enabling them to be extruded and molded without heat. The resulting polymers, in turn, may then be utilized to form toners.

Abstract: A printing system for creating multi-color images on print media. The printing system includes a plurality of marking modules, wherein each marking module creates a single color separation of a multi-color image. The printing system also includes a first image collection member that collects superimposed color separations produced by a first set of marking modules and a second image collection member that collects superimposed color separations produced by a second set of marking modules. The printing system further includes a media transport that conveys print media along a defined direction. A first set of color separations is simultaneously transferred from the first image collection member to a print media at a first location on the transport and a second set of color separations is simultaneously transferred from the second image collection member to the media at a second location on the transport. Further, at least one of the sets of color separations consists of at least two color separations.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a novel system and method for text vectorization for bitmap images with reduced artificial discontinuities. Dominant points are identified in a bitmap character image. An initial curve is fitted to edge points of the character image in a vicinity of a selected dominant point. A set of boundary parameters in a vicinity of the selected dominant point are estimated based upon the initial curve. The selected dominant point is then classified as one of a sharp dominant point and a smooth dominant point based upon the boundary parameters or alternatively upon predefined classifications produced by an optical character recognition process. Curves are fitted between the selected dominant point and adjacent dominant points. The fitted curves maintain the estimated boundary parameters in the vicinity of smooth dominant points. A vectorized representation of the text character image based upon the fitted curves is produced as output.

Abstract: A system and a method of providing a time-out for a device, such as a printer are provided. The time-out determines when the device is shifted from a higher energy to a lower energy mode, absent the arrival of another job to be processed by the device. The method includes acquiring data comprising a set of inter-arrival times for at least one device over a period of time, such as a week and, for each of a set of candidate time-outs, deriving a probability from the data that an inter-arrival time from the set of inter-arrival times is greater than the candidate time-out. A cost function is computed, based on the derived probability and a robustness term which allows adversarial action not predicted by the histogram to be taken into account. A time-out for the at least one device can then be identified for which the cost function is a minimum.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an information converting unit and an output unit. The information converting unit converts information into an information expression image formed by a dot arrangement pattern in which information is expressed by arranging a given number or less of dots in a unit display area which is an information unit. The output unit arranges the converted information expression image. The output unit superimposes the converted information expression image on image information. The output unit outputs the superimposed information expression image. In the dot arrangement pattern, the arrangement of the dots is determined so that the number of the dots denoting 1 or 0 of a bit sequence of a given error correction code word is a subset equal to or smaller than the given number, and the dot arrangement pattern is readable by a machine.

Abstract: A method is implemented by a printer to move a transfix roller selectively to clean the transfix roller. The transfix roller is moved from a transfix nip with the print drum to a position where the transfix roller remains in rolling contact with the print drum, but exerts a pressure on the print drum that is less than the transfix pressure. The transfix roller is later moved out of rolling contact with the print drum in response to the transfix roller rotating a predetermined distance.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a novel system and method for configuring a client print queue in a networked printing environment. In one embodiment, a client print queue corresponding to a server print queue is initialized on a client device. The server print queue is configured with a default location of a configuration file that contains at least one print queue configuration parameter. In response to a command at the client device to utilize the client print queue, the client device receives the default location of the configuration file and retrieves at least one print queue configuration parameter from the configuration file. The client print queue is then configured, also in response to the command at the client device to utilize the client print queue, according to the retrieved at least one print queue configuration parameter.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, an information processing apparatus includes a control unit. The control unit changes a power supply state of the information processing apparatus from a first power supply state where a communication function of the apparatus is activated to a second power supply state where the communication function is inactivated based on a given period and a restoration cause, the control unit keeping the power supply state in the second power supply state in the given period, the control unit keeping the power supply state in the second power supply state after the given period when the restoration cause is detected in the given period.

Abstract: An image density control device includes a first detecting unit that detects a light amount of first specular reflected light which is reflected from a surface of an image carrier, a second detecting unit that detects a light amount of first diffuse reflected light which is reflected from an image on the surface of the image carrier, a surface change information acquiring unit that acquires a surface change information which shows changes with time, and a control unit that corrects the light amount of the first specular reflected light by using the surface change information to a light amount of second specular reflected light, and controls the density of the image by using the light amount of the first diffuse reflected light and the light amount of the second specular reflected light.

Abstract: A manual tracking apparatus including a manually moveable wand for reading and writing media is provided comprising a wand body partially enclosing at least one wheel, an axle, and a printing member. The printing member is supported by the wand body for printing on a media surface, the printing member having a maximum print area for a predetermined position of the wand body relative to a target object substantially less than the entire area of an image to be printed. A reference ruler is provided for aligning and indexing the position of the wand body relative to the target object. A wand tracking system can be provided including the at least one wheel rigidly coupled to the axle for guiding the wand in a straight line direction.

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 a nitrogen heterocyclic component such as a triazine.

Abstract: Methods and systems are presented for calibrating or characterizing a color printer or determining the color response of a color printer to combat spatial non-uniformity, in which color patches are printed on a test page according to an input matrix of input color in a printer-dependent-color space and the test page is measured to provide a corresponding output matrix of output color in a printer-independent-color space. Initial forward and inverse color transforms between the input and the output colors are generated based on the input and the output matrices. The output values are mapped to the input color space based on the initial inverse transform to form a feedback matrix, and spatial non-uniformities present in the printed test page are estimated according to noise values derived from the input matrix and the feedback matrix.

Abstract: A developer container includes: a container chamber that has a container space for containing a developer; and an conveyance member having a rotation shaft and a spiral member and which rotates inside the container space about the rotation shaft, the spiral member being spirally extended to hold a first angle to an axial direction of the rotation shaft, and the spiral member being provided with a plurality of low-angle portions, wherein at least one of the low-angle portions is provided in each unit segment which is equivalent to one turn of the spiral member about the rotation shaft, and an amount of a developer contained in the container space is enough to constantly bury any of the plurality of low-angle portions in the developer under a condition that the axial direction of the rotation shaft is held to be horizontal inside the container space.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides an electrostatic image developing toner including a binder resin containing amorphous polyester resin containing a tin-containing catalyst and crystalline polyester resin containing a titanium-containing catalyst, and a colorant and a releasing agent, an electrostatic image developer using the same, a toner cartridge, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A variable data pantograph is formed by receiving a variable data string and retrieving at least one character representation from a vocabulary of character representations stored in memory. The retrieved at least one character representation corresponds to the variable data string. Each of the character representations in the vocabulary is associated with a foreground region including a character shape and a background region suitably sized and arranged for encompassing the foreground region. The background region incorporates a first pattern of elements and is controlled to render a target color using a first set of color separation control data and the foreground region incorporates a second pattern of elements and is controlled to render the target color using a second set of color separation control data.

Abstract: Provided is an imaging member such as photoreceptor comprising a substrate, a charge generation layer, a first charge transport layer, a second charge transport layer, and an optional overcoat layer. The first charge transport layer is formed from a first CTL formulation comprising an aromatic monoamine and a first polymeric film forming binder material. The second charge transport layer is formed from a second CTL formulation comprising aromatic diamine and a second polymeric film forming binder material. The imaging member has gained improved properties such as removal of anti-curl layer, desirable structural flatness, electrical properties, mechanical robustness, flexibility, longevity, and copy image qualities over extended use, among others.

Abstract: A toner dam maintenance process and system model the amount of toner mass at a toner cleaner blade, and apply a corrective procedure, such as insertion of a paperless copy into the print job mid-job or immediately prior to cycle out, to replenish the toner mass at the cleaner blade to maintain lubrication and reduce cleaning failure. The modeling includes contributing factors toward toner dam input and output, including untransferred toner, cycle-in/cycle-out bands, untransferred background, and leakage of toner from the cleaner blade. One or several threshold can be reached to cause one or more different corrective actions to take place. The action may be adding or skipping a pitch to insert a corrective maintenance pattern without transfer.

Abstract: An image printing system includes a print engine and a sensing system. The print engine is configured to print a marking material image on a image bearing surface. The sensing system includes a plurality of illuminators, a modulator, a sensor, and a demodulator. Each illuminator is configured to simultaneously emit a light beam at the marking material image on the image bearing surface, thereby producing reflectance from the marking material image at least in a first direction. The modulator is configured to modulate an intensity characteristic of each of the light beams emitted by the illuminators such that each light beam has a different modulated waveform characteristic, where the waveform characteristic includes at least frequency. The sensor is configured to detect the reflectance from the plurality of light beams in the first direction and output a reflectance signal.