Abstract: A liquid crystal display element includes a first substrate having a first electrode on one surface thereof, a transparent second substrate having a transparent second electrode on one surface thereof, a first liquid crystal layer containing a liquid crystal composition, a color filter, and a second liquid crystal layer containing a liquid crystal composition, and at least one of the first and second liquid crystal layers includes an additive having dielectric properties, and the dielectric constant of the first liquid crystal layer is different from that of the second liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A method adjusts operation of a printer in accordance with an analysis of image content used to generate printed images. The method includes measuring image content of a first print image, comparing the measured image content to a predetermined threshold, and altering a print process parameter to adjust operation of a printer component in response to the measured image content exceeding the threshold.

Abstract: An image-processing apparatus includes: a memory that stores a red color range occurring within a color space; an acquiring unit that acquires image data representing an image containing text; and a generating unit that generates, based on the image data acquired by the acquiring unit, image data in which a pattern image is disposed in a region containing text whose color is within the red color range, the pattern image having a first transmittance in a case that a size of the region is greater than or equal to a threshold, the pattern image having a second transmittance that is smaller than the first transmittance in a case that the size of the region is smaller than the threshold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a particle dispersion liquid including (meth)acrylic resin-containing hydrophobic particles, an acetylene glycol surfactant adsorbed to the hydrophobic particles, and water; the particle size, in a state of being swollen due to absorbing water until saturation, of the hydrophobic particles to which the acetylene glycol surfactant has been adsorbed being 1.1 to 2 times as large as the particle size of the hydrophobic particles in a dried state.

Abstract: A classifying device having two or more classifying passages is provided, the classifying device including a first classifying passage to which particle dispersion liquid is fed; plural discharge ports provided in the first classifying passage, the plural discharge ports including a discharge port of coarse particle dispersion liquid and a discharge port of fine particle dispersion liquid; a second classifying passage; and a connecting passage that transports the coarse particle dispersion liquid to the second classifying passage, wherein the discharge port of the coarse particle dispersion liquid is provided in more upstream part of the first classifying passage than the discharge port of the fine particle dispersion liquid.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a recording medium stacking unit including a stacking member having a stacking surface on which the recording medium having the image formed by the image forming unit is stacked, an outside member that is located at the outside of the stacking surface so as to extend in a substantially vertical direction to the stacking surface and detachably mounted in the recording medium stacking unit, and a support member having a support portion that supports the stacking member; an outside member recognizing unit that recognizes whether the outside member is mounted on the recording medium stacking unit, or not; and a controller that controls one of a maximum number of recording media to be stacked and a maximum height of stack of recording media in the recording medium stacking unit according to whether the outside member recognizing unit recognizes that the outside member is mounted, or not.

Abstract: Methods are provided for creating a fluorescent watermark within an image on a substrate, such as paper. The method involves creating a halftone image using two different halftone strategies. The halftone method is combined with a binary watermark mask to form two color patterns (e.g., one in a background region of the image and one in a watermark region of the image) and two successive-filling halftone algorithms, such that the ink droplets deposited by one color pattern cover more of the substrate than the ink droplets deposited by the other color pattern, with the two color patterns having approximately the same reflectance under normal light. However, under UV illumination, a visible difference (e.g., the watermark) is seen in the two patterns.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade member that has a tip abutting a surface of an image carrier so as to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the image carrier; an attaching member that includes a first attachment piece to which a base end of the cleaning blade member is attached, and a second attachment piece which is provided so as to intersect the first attachment piece at a predetermined angle; a housing member to which one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece is fixed at both ends along a longitudinal direction thereof; and an external force exerting member that exerts an external force in a direction which intersects a surface of the other one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece, which is not fixed to the housing member.

Abstract: A tubular body includes: a substrate including concave portions on a surface thereof; a surface layer formed on the surface of the concave portion-including side of the substrate; and a particle positioned at an interface between the substrate and the surface layer in each of the concave portions.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer member, such as a belt, where the surface of the belt contains as a coating a mixture of a glycoluril resin and a polyol resin.

Abstract: A maintenance assembly for cleaning a plurality of printheads in a printing machine comprises two or more cleaning members, each of the cleaning members sized and positioned to clean at least one but less than all of the plurality of printheads when in a cleaning position. A drive mechanism associated with each of the two or more cleaning members is configured to selectively move an associated cleaning member to and from the cleaning position and a retracted position. The cleaning members are supported on a frame with a mechanism provided for translating the frame into position juxtaposed with the plurality of printheads and a further mechanism to swipe the cleaning members across the printheads. The maintenance assembly is operable to clean only selected printheads in a single operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image holder; a charging unit that charges the image holder; a latent image forming unit; a developing unit that forms a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holder onto a recording medium; a toner-particle removal unit that removes toner particles remaining on the surface of the image holder after the transfer of the toner image by the transfer unit; and an external-additive removal unit that includes a conductive blade disposed to contact the surface of the image holder and removes, after the transfer of the toner image by the transfer unit, external additive remaining on the surface of the image holder using the conductive blade while applying a voltage to the surface of the image holder via the conductive blade.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing a cylindrical member comprising a cylindrical core body having an outer peripheral surface with a releasing property, the apparatus comprising: a film-forming device that forms a resin film in a region at a central portion from both ends in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface of the core body; a judging device that judges the deterioration of the releasing property of regions continuous from the region where the resin film is to be formed in the region at the inner side from both ends in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface of the core body, before the resin film is formed by the film-forming device; and a control device that controls the film-forming device such that the resin film is formed by exposing regions with an undeteriorated releasing property on both ends in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface of the core body, in accordance with the results of judgment by the judging device.

Abstract: The invention provides a toner for electrostatic image development, containing a toner particle and external additive particles adhered to the surface of the toner particle, each of the external additive particles being constituted of plural irreversibly coalesced primary particles.

Abstract: Particles for display including a colorant, a first polymer gel having a charging group and a second polymer compound having a hydrophilic group, the first polymer gel and the second polymer compound forming an IPN structure or a semi-IPN structure.

Abstract: Disclosed are a multi-sheet buffer module and a modular printing system incorporating the buffer module. The buffer module includes a primary sheet transport path that extends horizontally across a frame. Vertical buffer paths extend downward and upward from the primary sheet transport path. Each buffer path connects to a secondary sheet transport path, which provides a loop back connection to the primary sheet transport path. As a stream of sheets moves along the primary sheet transport path, sheets printed out of order will be selectively diverted into the sheet buffer paths. Then, at the proper moment, the sheet buffer paths will feed the buffered sheets into the secondary sheet transport path(s), which will transport them to the primary sheet transport path, such that they are inserted at the proper locations back into the stream of sheets.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: an acquiring unit that acquires image data representing a document image that includes characters; an extracting unit that extracts, from the document image represented by the image data acquired by the acquiring unit, a character that has undergone a modification for distinguishing from another character; a processing unit that processes the image data by reducing a density of the character other than the extracted character below a density indicated by the acquired image data; and an output unit that outputs the image data processed by the processing unit to an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carrier for replenishment including an associated particle in which single particles each having a core material and a resin layer covering the core material, are bound via the resin layer, the carrier being used in a developer for replenishment of a trickle development system, and the system including performing development while the developer for replenishment is replenished, upon development of a latent image on a latent image holding member using a development unit.

Abstract: An organic semiconductor transistor has plural electrodes and an organic semiconductor layer containing at least one compound represented by the following Formula (I). In Formula (I), each R1 independently represents a straight-chain alkyl group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms, a straight-chain alkoxy group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms, or a branched alkoxy group having from 3 to 20 carbon atom, and each R2 independently represents a hydrogen atom, a straight-chain alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a straight-chain alkoxy group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms, or a branched alkoxy group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet buffering and inverting device having a sheet transport path and multiple sheet inverter paths extending upward and/or downward there from. Sheets being transported through the sheet transport path are selectively diverted into the sheet inverter paths, held, and subsequently fed back into the sheet transport path such that they are inverted. Optionally, an additional sheet transport path can branch off the sheet transport path upstream of the sheet inverter paths and can connect to the distal end of each of the sheet inverter paths to allow sheets to be buffered without being inverted. This device can be incorporated into a discrete module of a modular printing system to ensure sheets are properly merged and oriented after processing by multiple printing engines. Alternatively, it can be incorporated into a standalone printing system to ensure sheets are properly buffered and/or inverted prior to processing by a single printing engine.