Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a belt member stretched across at least two rollers; a protrusion disposed, such that it protrudes along the traveling direction of the belt member, on an inner surface of one edge side of the belt member; an engagement portion that is formed in an end portion of the rollers and with which the protrusion is engageable; and an image carrier that retains a toner image transferred to a recording medium conveyed by the belt member or the surface of the belt member. The end portion at the opposite side, in the width direction of the belt member, of one roller of the rollers is shifted in the direction where it separates from the image carrier and axially supported.

Abstract: Disclosed is a compound comprising three or more moieties of the formula said moieties being bonded to a central atom, monomeric group of atoms, oligomer, or polymer. Also disclosed is a phase change ink composition comprising a phase change ink carrier and a colorant compound comprising three or more moieties of the formula said moieties being bonded to a central atom, monomeric group of atoms, oligomer, or polymer.

Abstract: A system for managing the size of a print job to be processed in a print shop is provided. The print shop includes a plurality of autonomous cells and the job size management system includes a scheduling tool for generating a list including a plurality of jobs. A processor is used to (a) assign a job size related value to each one of the plurality of jobs so that the plurality of jobs are corresponded respectively with a set of job size related values, (b) use the set of job size related values to calculate a control limit, and (c) for each job size related value exceeding the control limit, splitting the job corresponding with the job size related value exceeding the control limit into n number of sub-jobs for processing at the plurality of autonomous cells.

Abstract: A system includes a meta-document, i.e., a document including content information which has a set of document service requests associated with it. A document service is a process which uses a portion of the document content as a starting point to obtain other information pertaining to that content. A scheduler selects a document service request from the set, then initiates and manages managing communication with a service provider to satisfy the selected document service. Any results received from the selected document service are integrated into the document.

Abstract: A vertical sheet compiling apparatus and method compile sheets in a slot that accumulates a plurality of sheets. The slot includes a first baffle and a second baffle that each define generally vertical sides of a sheet path of the slot. The first and second baffles are separated from each other by a space therebetween. An actuator is coupled to at least one of the first and second baffles to move one of the baffles toward or away from the other one of the baffles, thereby adjusting a width of the sheet path as the sheets compile in the slot. A binding mechanism fastens the plurality of sheets together. The apparatus and method may also include a sensing device for determining an amount of available space in the slot during compilation of the sheets in the slot. The determined amount of space can be used to control movement of the baffle(s).

Abstract: An adhesion promoter for a hot melt adhesive or a pressure sensitive adhesive prepared by admixing a hydrolytic silane compound with an aqueous buffer solution. The adhesive is able to bind at very low surface free energy substrates, such as Xerographic prints contaminated by silicone fuser oil. The hot melt adhesive maintains a substantially stable viscosity at temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 200° C.

Abstract: A conveying apparatus includes a conveying unit that includes a conveying passage for conveying a conveyed material, and a positioning and holding unit that holds the conveying unit while positioning the conveying unit. The positioning and holding unit includes a plate-shaped member having at least one protruding portion, the plate-shaped member constitutes a part of the conveying passage, and the at least one protruding portion protrudes towards the conveying passage which the conveyed material passes through.

Abstract: Systems and methods for processing automatically generated recommendations. In various exemplary embodiments, a method of producing a recommendation digest for a user includes (a) generating a recommendation log for the user by storing a plurality of recommendations, one or more of the plurality of recommendations relating to a representation of a context that led to the creation of the one or more recommendations for the user, and (b) determining a subset of recommendations by using one or more statistics obtained from processing the plurality of recommendations stored in the log.

Abstract: An ink stick for a phase change ink jet printer is provided. The ink stick includes a first ink stick body segment having a proximal portion and a distal portion, a second ink stick body segment having a proximal portion and a distal portion, and one or more flexible strand portions. The strand portion is formed integrally with the first ink stick body segment and the second ink stick body segment, and connects the proximal portion of the first ink stick body segment and the proximal portion of the second ink stick body segment. The strand portion flexes to permit variation in the distance between the distal portion of the first ink stick body segment and the distal portion of the second ink stick body segment.

Abstract: A fusing member rejuvenating method and apparatus for cleaning and rejuvenating an external surface of a fusing member of a toner image producing machine. The fusing member rejuvenating method and apparatus include (a) a cleaning cartridge including a movable cleaning material movable at a first speed for contacting and removing residual toner and dirt from an external surface of the fusing member; (b) a first articulating device connected to the movable cleaning cartridge for selectively moving the movable cleaning cartridge into and out of contact with the external surface of the fusing member; (c) a scouring cartridge including a movable scouring material movable at a second speed for contacting and scouring the external surface of the fusing member; and (d) a second articulating device connected to the movable scouring cartridge for selectively moving the movable scouring cartridge into and out of contact with the external surface of the fusing member.

Abstract: A metal oxide layer is disposed on the lower potential side when an electric field in a predetermined direction is applied to the piezoelectric body which is deformed by an applied electric field, and compensates for the oxygen vacancies which are generated in the piezoelectric body by applying the electric field. A second metal oxide layer is disposed on the higher potential side of the electric field applied to the piezoelectric body, and by applying an electric field in the direction reverse to the electric field, compensates for the oxygen vacancies which are accumulated in the piezoelectric body, thus degradation of the piezoelectric characteristic of a piezoelectric element can be repaired.

Abstract: Toner compositions comprising toner particles including an amorphous resin, a crystalline resin and a charge control agent. The toner compositions having the charge control agent exhibit improved charge performance in the C-zone and the A-zone, and improved RH sensitivity.

Abstract: In a printing system in which the print media sheets are alternately fed from the same stack in the same tray by two sheet feeders at opposite sides into different sheet paths, at least one of the sheet feeders is repositionable towards and away from the other for feeding different size sheets, and the connecting sheet path is repositionable with the repositioning of the sheet feeder. The repositioning of the sheet feeder and its associated sheet path may be automatic in coordination with the normal resetting of a tray stack edge guide with the loading of different size sheets into the tray. The enhanced rate sheet feeding may be for a dual print engine printing system and/or selectably common or reversed sheet facing. Alternating coordinated lifting of a nudger roll of one sheet feeder with operation of the opposing sheet feeder, and retard nips spaced from the stack, may be provided.

Abstract: An optical waveguide film includes: an optical waveguide film main body including an optical waveguide core through which light travels and a cladding portion that surrounds the optical waveguide core and has a lower refractive index than that of the optical waveguide core; an electric wiring portion including silver or a silver alloy and formed on at least a part of a principal surface of the optical waveguide film main body; and a protective layer including a titanium layer or a titanium alloy layer and disposed to cover the electric wiring portion.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for classifying data items such as a document based upon identification of element instances within the data item. A training set of classes is provided where each class is associated with one or more features indicative of accurate identification of an element instance within the data item. Upon the identification of the data item with the training set, a confidence factor is computed that the selected element instance is accurately identified. When a selected element instance has a low confidence factor, the associated features for the predicted class are changed by an annotator/expert so that the changed class definition of the new associated feature provides a higher confidence factor of accurate identification of element instances within the data item.

Abstract: A method is disclosed which monitors a plurality of electronic messages. Two or more electronic messages from the plurality of messages may be identified. Each identified message may contain an attachment. The attachments of the identified messages may be compared to determine a similarity score. The similarity score may be examined to determine if it exceeds a similarity threshold value. If the similarity score exceeds the similarity threshold value, a user may be notified that collaboration may be occurring. The user may also be provided automated support for porting the attachments to a document management system.

Abstract: A discarding apparatus is provided and includes: a discard processing unit that discards a recording medium; an acquiring unit that acquires time information of generating the recording medium, the time information being added to the recording medium; a clock that measures a time; a memory that stores archive information for specifying an archive term of the recording medium; and a controller that controls a discard processing of the discard processing unit so that the discard processing is permitted or prohibited based on the time information, the time and the archive information.

Abstract: A writing information processing device includes a writing acquiring unit that acquires writing information which is an electrified writing onto a medium that a document image is printed on, a link acquiring unit that acquires at least one of link information to a first electronic document that is an original of the document image and link information to a second electronic document generated from the first electronic document, and a file generating unit that generates a file in which the writing information is added to the link information.

Abstract: Generic visual categorization methods complement a general vocabulary with adapted vocabularies that are class specific. Images to be categorized are characterized within different categories through a histogram indicating whether the image is better described by the general vocabulary or the class-specific adapted vocabulary.