Abstract: A system and method enable toner to be packed more densely in a toner container and the container to be more quickly filled with toner. The system includes a container for storage of toner in an xerographic reproduction machine, the container having a fill opening, and a porous plug in a wall of the container; a filling system for mating to the fill opening of the container to provide toner to the container; and a source of negative pressure coupled to the porous plug to remove air from an internal volume of the container and more densely pack the toner stored in the container.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner contains at least a binder resin and a colorant, and log10{[Cu]/[C]} satisfies the following equation (1): ?5.0?log10{[Cu]/[C]}??3.5 ??(1) in which, [C] represents a carbon content (%) and [Cu] represents a copper content (%), measured with fluorescent X-ray. An electrophotographic developer containing the toner, a method for producing the toner, and a method for forming an image by using the toner are also provided.

Abstract: An information storage unit stores pieces of information that are classified on the basis of their relationships. An information providing unit provides a client terminal with information stored in the information storage unit via a communication network in response to an access request from the client terminal. An access frequency acquiring unit acquires access frequencies, for respective classification items of the pieces of information, of accesses to the pieces of information. An information generating unit generates prescribed information so that pieces of information of plural classification items will be displayed in the client terminal in such a form as to be based on histories of the access frequencies.

Abstract: A sender device 1 stores, in header information about image information, information indicating that attribute information and image data rearranged in sequence, and produces image information by means of storing attribute information and image data in a predetermined sequence. The thus-produced image information is sent to a receiver device 2 by way of a network line 3. When receipt of image information is initiated, the receiver device 2 refers to the header information, thereby determining presence/absence, in the header information, of information indicating that attribute information and image data are stored in a predetermined sequence. When it has been determined that attribute information and image data are arranged in a predetermined sequence, image data included in the received image information are immediately decompressed, and the thus-decompressed image data are output in the form of a record or display.

Abstract: A printing system includes a plurality of marking engines for applying images to print media. An output destination is configured for receiving imaged print media from the plurality of marking engines. A print media transport system conveys print media between the marking engines and the output destination. A control system determines whether the marking engines are printing images of consistent or acceptable gloss and, where the marking engines are determined not to be consistent or providing acceptable gloss, adjusts at least one of the plurality of marking engines to reduce a variation in gloss between images applied by the marking engines.

Abstract: Disclosed are colorant compounds of the formula wherein R, R1, R2, R3, and R4 each, independently of the others, is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or an alkylaryl group, and wherein R, R1, R2, R3, and R4 each can be joined to a phenyl moiety to form a ring, each R?a, R?b, and R?c, independently of the others, is a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a nitrile group, a nitro group, an amide group, or a sulfonamide group, z1, z2, and z3 each, independently of the others, is an integer of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, n is an integer representing the number of carbon atoms in each repeat alkylene oxide unit, x is an integer representing the number of repeat alkylene oxide units, D is an anion, and g is the charge on the anion, wherein said colorant has no more than one —OH, —SH, or primary or secondary amino group per molecule.

Abstract: Set forth is a system and method for administering electronic markets which include encrypted electronic content. The system provides access to a communication network having an electronic server system configured to permit communication among a community of users, where the server system is used to host the electronic markets. A distributed configuration and administration system permits any authorized user of the community of users to have the capability of configuring and administrating electronic markets. A set of access permissions control which users of the community of users have access to electronic markets, and a set of usage permissions control the use of content contained in the electronic markets. A set of management permissions control which users of the community of users can manage the access and usage permissions for markets and content.

Abstract: A surface emitting semiconductor laser includes a substrate, at least one light-emitting element on the substrate, and at least one protection element on the substrate. The light-emitting element includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conduction type electrically connected to a first electrode, and a second semiconductor layer of a second conduction type electrically connected to a second electrode. The protection element includes a third semiconductor layer of the first conduction type electrically connected to a third electrode, and a fourth semiconductor layer of the second conduction type electrically connected to the second electrode. The first semiconductor layer and the first electrode are electrically isolated from the third semiconductor layer and the third electrode by insulation means.

Abstract: A method for reduction of differential gloss as found in halftone image hardcopy prints. The method comprises selecting either a single halftone or employing two halftones: a first halftone having a high apparent gloss characteristic; and a second halftone having a low apparent gloss characteristic. A determination is then made of which areas of the halftone image correspond to potentially high gloss and low gloss regions under normal printing conditions. An overlay of clear toner is applied to the hardcopy print of the halftone image. In one approach a single halftone is employed to control the physical area coverage of the applied clear toner layer so as to adjust the local gloss across for the determined regions and thereby balance the evenness of gloss across the entire hardcopy print of the halftone image. Greater physical area coverage is provided as controlled by the single halftone in low gloss regions, and corresponding less physical area coverage is provided in the low gloss regions.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus provided with an image-forming portion in a casing, including: a casing frame forming a skeleton of the casing; a shield chassis portion formed so as to be partially integrated with the casing frame per se; and at least one board directly attached to the shield chassis portion and mounted with a power supply circuit, a control circuit and an image-processing circuit for permitting the image-forming portion to execute an image-forming process. A frame structure per se of the image-forming apparatus (an embodiment in which the shield chassis portion is formed so as to be integrated with the casing frame per se) or a method for producing the frame structure is also a subject of the invention.

Abstract: A developer system, including: a developer housing having a sump containing developer material including toner particles; a developer member rotatably mounted in the housing for transferring toner particles to a latent image on the photoreceptive member in a development zone; a pickup auger, positioned in an auger channel, for transporting and delivering developer material to the developer member, along a path adjacent to the developer member, the pickup auger having a first end portion and a second end portion, and the pickup auger includes a plurality of blades extending along the length of thereof, the plurality of blades being adapted and arranged in the auger channel to maintain a constant developer material distance from the developer member along the length the auger channel.

Abstract: A printing system includes a marking engine which applies colorants to a print medium to render an image. The marking engine has a single pass color gamut which the marking engine is capable of rendering in a single pass of the print medium through the marking engine. The marking engine is capable of rendering an extended color gamut in a plurality of passes of the print medium through the marking engine. A control system is associated with the marking engine. The control system identifies an image which falls outside the single pass color gamut of the marking engine and schedules a plurality of passes for rendering the image.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming method for an electrophotographic photoreceptor. The method provides for detecting a first streak in a first image; identifying the first streak location; shifting a charge device and marking a second image; identifying a second streak location; comparing the first streak location with the second streak location and determining a distance therebetween. The method further provides that on a first pass, charging a photoreceptor with the charge device; shifting the charge device from a first position to a second position along the photoreceptor corresponding to the distance; and, on a second pass, charging the photoreceptor with the charge device.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus which has multiple paper feed units and performs plural types of processing including at least facsimile processing, comprising a paper feeding subject setting unit which sets availability of paper feeding of each of the paper feed units when at least the facsimile processing is performed; and a warning unit which issues a warning when all the paper feed units are excluded from paper feeding at the time of the facsimile processing as a result of setting by the paper feeding subject setting unit.

Abstract: A high-performance queueing method to implement a shared queue for collaborative clusters of servers, where each cluster of servers maintains a local queue, and those queues are networked to form a unified (or shared) queue for all those servers in clusters. Requests in an overcrowded queue are forwarded to some other queues, with a randomized algorithm and a message-exchange algorithm between the networked queues. Requests may be forwarded between clusters multiple times. A request is to be accepted with a higher probability by a cluster if the cluster is visited earlier in the order and if the cluster itself has a higher probability to accept the received request. This technique ensures that the requests are forwarded to a queue that has a shorter length (thus a shorter waiting time for first-in-first-out queues) and is closer to the original cluster with a higher probability.

Abstract: A color reproduction system with drift correction that includes a storage module, an image processing module, a printer, a scanner, and a calibration module. The storage module stores one or more current linear response halftones and a set of device independent color signals representative of a calibration target. The image processing module receives the stored device independent color signals and generates binary print data based on the one or more current linear response halftones. The printer prints a copy of the calibration target in accordance with the binary print data. The scanner scans the copy of the calibration target printed by the printer to generate scanned image data that corresponds to the copy of the calibration target.

Abstract: A toner container which is mountable and removable at a main body of an image forming apparatus, the toner container comprising: at least one toner filling port provided in a casing body of the toner container; and a sealing member which covers the toner filling port and a predetermined range of surroundings of the toner filling port, from an outer side of the casing body, for sealing toner inside the casing body, is provided.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an acceptance section; an edge detection section; and a screen processing section, wherein the edge detection section includes: a first edge determination section that subjects a pixel of interest to edge determination by reference to information about a density of the pixel of interest and information about densities of pixels around the pixel of interest determined by an edge detection window; and a second edge determination section that compares minimum density information among the information about densities of pixels determined by the edge detection window with a predetermined background threshold value, and that redetermines the pixel of interest, which is determined to belong to an edge portion by the first edge determination section, as belonging to anon-edge portion in cases where the minimum density is equal to or greater than the background threshold value.

Abstract: An image formation device is provided with an image formation section, an image acquisition section, a paper supply cassette and a support body. The image formation section forms images at a recording medium and is supported at a base surface. The image acquisition section is disposed at an upper side of the image formation section. The paper supply cassette is disposed at a lower side of the image formation section and can be drawn out to a near side. The support body supports the image acquisition section at the base surface and forms a cassette cavity which is capable of accommodating a far side of the paper supply cassette.

Abstract: A computer readable recording medium storing a printing program for causing a computer included in a printing apparatus having a printing out section to execute a process, the process which includes storing apparatus information about the printing apparatus; generating a job execution ticket including the stored apparatus information on receiving a printing request from an external apparatus; sending the generated job execution ticket to the external apparatus; receiving from the external apparatus printing job in which a job execution ticket is embedded; determining whether apparatus information about printing apparatus included in the job execution ticket embedded in the received printing job is identical to the stored apparatus information; and sending to the printing out section, when the apparatus information are determined to be identical, the printing job in which the job execution ticket is embedded.