Abstract: Environmentally friendly toner particles are provided which may, in embodiments, include a bio-based amorphous polyester resin, optionally in combination with another amorphous resin and/or a crystalline resin. Toner particles may, in embodiments, have a core-shell configuration, with the shell formed of the bio-based amorphous polyester resin, the amorphous polyester resin, the crystalline polyester resin, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: An object detecting apparatus that detects an object including a magnetic body including: a detection signal acquiring unit that acquires a detection signal based on a magnetic signal; a disturbance source detection signal storage unit that stores a detection signal of a disturbance source that generates a disturbance component with respect to the detection signal; a determining unit that determines whether the detection signal acquired by the detection signal acquiring unit contains the disturbance component; an amplitude correction unit that corrects an amplitude of the disturbance source detection signal and generates an amplitude-corrected disturbance source detection signal; a disturbance component suppression unit that generates a determination signal by suppressing the disturbance component contained in the detection signal; and an object determination unit that determines whether the object is the object to be detected based on the determination signal.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided and includes: a memory that stores discrimination information and a setting value group associated with the discrimination information, the setting value group including a plurality of first setting values for carrying out processing and; a setting unit that sets second setting values needed for image processing, in which a portion of the first setting values in the setting value group associated with the discrimination information is set as at least a portion of the second setting values; and a processing unit that carries out image processing according to the second setting values.

Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner includes toner mother particles that contain a binder resin, a coloring agent, and a release agent; and an external additive that contains a zinc-containing particles, wherein the number of free zinc-containing particles in all toner particles is from about by number to about 1.0% by number, and the free zinc-containing particles have a number average particle size of from about 1.0 ?m to about 3.0 ?m and an average circularity of from about 0.2 to about 0.6.

Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner includes a toner mother particle that contains a binder resin and a releasing agent; and an external additive that contains a zinc compound particle and a silica particle, wherein the zinc compound particle has a number average particle diameter of from about 2.0 ?m to about 10.0 ?m, the silica particle has a number average particle diameter of from about 60 nm to about 250 nm, the number of free zinc compound particles in all toner particles is from about 0.2% by number to about 1.0% by number, and the free zinc compound particle has an average circularity of about 0.6 or less.

Abstract: An automatic gray balance control system to produce TRCs for all primary colors in a reproduction device and for each pitch of a photoreceptor system by printing target patches for each pitch, measuring the output colors, and automatically readjusting the tone reproduction curves until a satisfactory level of accuracy is obtained as compared to the theoretical desired output. The system produces pitch-based gray balanced TRCs that are updated frequently for each pitch, with different TRCs for different pitches, to ensure consistency in output from pitch to pitch as well as from page to page on a given pitch.

Abstract: A measurement module for a printer generally includes a page diverter mechanism configured to selectively divert a sheet of media from a main media path to a module media path; a rotating drum configured to receive the media from the module media path and to affix the media on an outer surface of the drum; a measuring device spaced adjacent to the drum and configured to measure as aspect of the media affixed to the surface of the drum; and a sheet transport configured to remove the media from the drum. According to one embodiment, the module may include a drum with an electrostatic hold-down mechanism that captures a sheet and an axially translating measuring device that is configured to read the entire surface as the drum rotates. The measurement module also allows the printed media to cool to eliminate problems with color measurements due to thermo chromaticity.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrophotographic photoreceptor including: an electroconductive substrate; a photosensitive layer arranged on or above the electroconductive substrate; and a surface layer arranged on or above the photosensitive layer, and containing about 90% or more by atom of gallium (Ga), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H), and having an atomic number density of about 7.8×1022 cm?3 or more.

Abstract: A computer performed method models a spatial index having n spatial regions defined in a multidimensional space using a tree-based model representing an infinite number of arrangements of n spatial regions in the multidimensional space allowable by the spatial index using a finite number of tree representations, computes an average retrieval complexity measure for content retrieval using the spatial index based on the tree based model, and provides a spatial index recommendation based on the average retrieval complexity measure. In some embodiments a spatial index selection module selects the spatial index based on average retrieval complexity measures for candidate spatial indices that are functionally dependent upon a number of spatial regions to be defined by the spatial index.

Abstract: A semi-automatic system for scanning a document includes an image capture device, such as a digital or video camera, which records a sequence of images while a user waves a document in front of the device. The user can present multiple pages of a document to the image capture device, after which the total sequence of images are processed to identify a clear image of each page from the sequence of images. The system further includes image processing techniques to correct for motion blurring, acceleration and perspective errors. The system is capable of processing any size or shape of document without destroying the organization or format of the original.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided and includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on an image carrier with a transparent material and a coloring material; a controller that controls an order of an image forming with the transparent material and an image forming with the coloring material to be different between in an image portion and in a non-image portion in an image forming region on the image carrier; and a transferring unit that transfers the image formed on the image carrier onto a recording medium

Abstract: The invention provides an electrophotographic toner containing at least a binder resin and an infrared absorber, the infrared absorber comprising a perimidine-squarylium dye represented by the following Formula (1). The invention further provides an invisible electrophotographic toner containing at least a binder resin and an infrared absorber, the infrared absorber containing at least a perimidine-squarylium dye represented by Formula (1). The invention further provides an electrophotographic developer containing at least the invisible electrophotographic toner The invention further provides a toner cartridge containing at least the invisible electrophotographic toner. The invention further provides a process cartridge equipped with at least a developer holder and having at least the electrophotographic developer.

Abstract: A lubricant applying device, includes: an image carrier; a lubricant; a lubricant applying member that contacts the image carrier and the lubricant, and maintains a portion of the lubricant on an outer periphery of the lubricant applying member due to rotating so as to apply the lubricant to the image carrier; and a solid material that is adjacently provided with the lubricant on an upstream side in a rotation direction of the lubricant applying member, wherein the solid material has a higher level of hardness than the lubricant and is worn out due to contact with the lubricant applying member.

Abstract: A drop emitting device that includes a drop generator, a drive signal including a plurality of fire intervals applied to the drop generator, wherein the drive signal includes in each fire interval a bi-polar drop firing waveform or a non-firing waveform.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming mechanism including: an image carrier containing a lubricant in a photosensitive layer that is formed on a surface of the image carrier, and on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing section developing the electrostatic latent image into a visible image by a developer that contains the lubricant; and a cleaning member formed with a first layer that contacts the photosensitive layer, and a second layer that is formed of a material having a lower modulus of repulsion elasticity than the first layer and that is layered with the first layer and that does not contact the surface of the image carrier.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing unit that irradiates light to a color material transferred to a medium at a position specified by image data, to fix the color material on the medium; and a control unit that controls irradiation of light of the fixing unit so that an energy of light irradiated to an image-forming area on the medium including an area in which the color material has been transferred at the position specified by the image data is lower than an energy of light irradiated to a non image-forming area on the medium other than the image-forming area.

Abstract: A reservoir assembly for use in an imaging device, the reservoir assembly includes an ink input port configured to receive liquid ink from an ink source and an ink tank configured to receive ink from the input port. A filter is positioned between the input port and the ink tank configured to filter ink received via the input port prior to reaching the ink tank. The reservoir assembly includes a foam reducing path configured to guide ink that passes through the filter to the ink tank, the foam reducing path having a varying cross-sectional size and/or shape configured to collapse, compress, stretch, and/or shear air bubbles in foam that passes through the filter prior to reaching the ink tank.

Abstract: A computer retrieval system includes memory which stores instructions for (1) receiving a user query in a natural language, (2) identifying text strings from an associated knowledge base, each containing at least one expression (word or multi-word expression) which is matched with at least one expression of the user query, (3) refining the user query by representing at least a group of the text strings as a navigation tree in which each of a plurality of selectable nodes comprises an expression representative of at least one syntactic unit in at least one of the identified text strings and wherein relationships between syntactic units are used in structuring the nodes of the navigation tree, and (4) retrieving text from the knowledge base related to the refined query. A processor executes the instructions.

Abstract: The ink-jet recording apparatus includes: a conveyer that conveys a recording medium; a recording head that ejects an ink and a processing solution; an ejection controller that controls ejection of the ink and the processing solution from the recording head; and a double side printer that prints on both surfaces of the recording medium to forming an image on each surfaces. Respective ejection of the ink and the processing solution is controlled so that respective amounts of the ink and the processing solution applied per unit area is less under a double-sided printing mode than the respective amount of the ink and the processing solution applied per unit area under a single-sided printing mode, and so that a reduction ratio of the amount of the ink applied per unit area is larger than one of the processing solution per unit area.