Abstract: The present invention provides a character recognition apparatus including: plural dictionary databases that contain terms or characters classified into respective fields; a determination unit that determines which field the contents of a document shown by document image data belong to; a selection unit that selects a dictionary database pertaining to the field determined by the determination unit from among the plural dictionary databases; a recognition unit that recognizes a term or a character written in the document shown by the document image data by using the terms or characters stored in the selected dictionary database as candidates; and an output unit that outputs the result of recognition by the recognition unit.

Abstract: Toner particles are prepared by a process comprising providing an extrusion apparatus; adding resin particles and additive particles to a supply means in the extrusion apparatus; adding the resin particles and the additive particles to a blending chamber in the extrusion apparatus, which blending chamber is maintained at a temperature of from about 50° C. to about 120° C.; blending the resin particles and the additive particles to form a mixture; extruding the resin particles to form extruded material; injecting liquid substances, which have a lower boiling point than the melt temperature of the resin particles, into the blending chamber during extrusion without the application of a vacuum to remove the liquid substances prior to extrusion; and grinding the extruded material to form toner particles.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit having plural functional block circuits that are controlled by a system clock to an operation state in an ordinary mode and to a deactivated state in a power-saving mode, the semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a power-saving mode signal generation unit which generates a power-saving mode signal that instructs to shift from the ordinary mode to the power-saving mode; and a power-saving control unit which controls to make clock enable signals, which make the system clock to the plural functional block circuits valid, inactive individually and sequentially with prescribed time intervals at the time when the power-saving mode signal generated by the power-saving mode signal generation unit becomes active.

Abstract: A method of forming a xerographic image having at least one portion with a gloss different from a gloss of another portion of the xerographic image includes xerographically forming a toner image on a surface of a substrate and forming a finish over the toner image at the at least on portion, the finish being made of a differential gloss finish coating material that has a gloss different from that of the toner image. The differential gloss finish coating material is preferably an emulsion aggregation toner that is substantially free of pigments that adversely affect the transparency of the toner following fusing, the toner having gloss tunability through control of the amount of crosslinked portions included in the toner.

Abstract: A communication apparatus comprises a connection notifying unit that causes a communication destination party to detect a connection; an interface unit that requires startup processing, and controls a communication with the communication destination party after the startup processing is completed; and a connection notification control unit that changes a state of the connection notifying unit to a state of causing the communication destination party to detect the connection before the startup processing of the interface unit is completed.

Abstract: An encoding device to encode data of a motion picture made of a plurality of frame images, the encoding device includes a reference information generating unit, based on image data of a frame image of notice to be encoded, to generate reference information with respect to another frame image different from the frame image of notice, and a code generating unit to generate code data of the reference information generated by the reference information generating unit as code data of at least a portion of the frame image of notice.

Abstract: The present invention provides an intermediate transfer belt, wherein: the intermediate transfer belt is made from a resin material comprising a carbon black in a dispersed state; an absolute value of a difference between a common logarithm value of surface resistivity 10 seconds after voltage application and a common logarithm value of the surface resistivity 30 milliseconds after voltage application is about 0.2 ((Log?/?) or less; and a Young's modulus thereof is about 3,500 MPa or more. The intermediate transfer belt is preferably formed by a process comprising: dispersing the carbon black in a polyamide acid solution to prepare a dispersant; developing the dispersant in a ring-like shape to form a developing layer; drying the developing layer to make a film to mold into a belt shape to form a molded article; and heat-treating the molded article to convert polyamide acid into imide.

Abstract: An imaging system that removes an electrical charge from a sensor. The system includes a generator that generates s-rays, a sensor that stores an electrical charge, a plate positioned above the sensor and a light source. A controller determines whether the electrical charge should be removed from the sensor. If it is determined that the electrical charge should be removed, the controller controls the light source to illuminate the plate to distribute the light on a top surface of the sensor. A method includes arranging a plate above the sensor and a light source next to the plate, generating x-rays towards the sensor, and storing an electrical charge in the sensor. If it is determined that the electrical charge should be removed, the light source is controlled to illuminate the plate so that the light from the light source is distributed on a top surface of the sensor.

Abstract: A printing control device having a consumable product detachably mounted thereon, comprises state storing unit that stores a usage state of the consumable product; detachment detecting unit that detects that the consumable product has been detached; usage state checking unit that checks the usage state of the consumable product whose detachment has been detected by the detachment detecting unit, based on data stored in the state storing unit; determination unit that determines whether the consumable product is still usable or not based on the usage state checked by the usage state checking unit; and notification unit that notifies that the consumable product is still usable if the determination unit determines that the consumable product is still usable.

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: A xerographic marking device includes a source of pixels representative of digitized image information. A rendering image processor analyzes the pixels for an image characteristic, and based on the analysis assigns one of at least three values to each pixel. The three values are selected from a set of values representing positive, negative or neutral relative to a predetermined exposure bias. The device also includes an imaging output device which converts the values assigned to the pixels into areas of selective exposure on a charge retentive surface. A charge on the charge retentive surface such as a photoreceptor accordingly, includes an area of positive charge determined to electrostatically react with a charged monochrome marking agent or toner in a first manner, for example by attraction. The charge also includes a negative charge area which is determined to electrostatically react with the toner in an opposite manner, for example to repel toner.

Abstract: A display device is described which includes a fluid exchange device mated to the display housing. The fluid exchange device makes a fluid tight seal with the display housing and includes a sealing member which may be perforated by a conduit. The conduit provides for the flow of fluids into and away from a cavity within the display device that is used to contain a display medium. The fluid exchange device provides a fluid tight seal with the housing, and the sealing member reseals itself upon withdrawal of the conduit from the sealing member.

Abstract: An imaging member having a charge transport layer with multiple regions is provided. The charge transport layer includes a plurality of charge transport layers coated from solutions of similar or different compositions or concentrations, wherein at least the top or uppermost transport layer comprises a lower concentration of charge transport compound than the first (bottom) charge transport layer. The charge transport compound included in the first (bottom) charge transport layer may either be of the same or different compounds from that included in the top or additional charge transport layer(s). The charge transport compound present in each layer may be dissolved or molecularly dispersed in an electrically inactive polymer material to form a solid solution. In such a construction, the resulting charge transport layer exhibits enhanced cracking suppression, improves wear resistance, provides excellent imaging member electrical performance, and delivers improved print quality.

Abstract: A toner-filling device that transports a toner mass from a hopper to a cartridge. A porous tube is used during the filling operation to remove air from or supply air to the toner. This porous tube will operate at various depths of toner to more completely remove air from or supply air to the toner. An auger is used to transport the toner, and the porous tube extends through the auger beyond the lowest end of the auger.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating communication about a document between two users creates autonomous, animated computer characters, or avatars, which are then attached to the document under discussion. The avatar is created by one user, who need not be the author of the document, and is attached to the document to represent a point of view. The avatar represents the physical likeness of its creator. The avatar is animated, using an avatar scripting language, to perform specified behaviors including pointing, walking and changing facial expressions. The avatar includes audio files that are synchronized with movement of the avatar's mouth to provide an audio message.

Abstract: A method for enabling privacy and trust in electronic communities is disclosed. A major impediment to using recommendation systems and collective knowledge for electronic commerce is the reluctance of individuals to reveal preferences in order to find groups of people that share them. An equally important barrier to fluid electronic commerce is the lack of agreed upon trusted third parties. We propose new non-third party mechanisms to overcome these barriers. Our solutions facilitate finding shared preferences, discovering communities with shared values, removing disincentives posed by liabilities, and negotiating on behalf of a group. We adapt known techniques from the cryptographic literature to enable these new capabilities.

Abstract: A method for automatically determining query language operators of a Web information source, includes providing a set of known query operators, each known query operator in the set operating according to at least one syntax, wherein for a test query comprising a query operator and a test key word, each syntax of the operator produces a different number of document matches for the test query at a known Web information source; performing the test query on the Web information source, wherein the test query produces a number of document matches on the Web information source; comparing the number of document matches produced by the Web information source with the number of document matches produced by the known operator's different syntaxes; and using an established criteria for determining if comparing results indicate the Web information source supports the known query operator according its matching syntax.

Abstract: A thin film transistor including: an insulating layer; a gate electrode; a semiconductor layer including coalesced structurally ordered polymer aggregates of a self-organizable polymer, wherein the self-organizable polymer is of a type capable of gelling; a source electrode; and a drain electrode, wherein the insulating layer, the gate electrode, the semiconductor layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are in any sequence as long as the gate electrode and the semiconductor layer both contact the insulating layer, and the source electrode and the drain electrode both contact the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A subject name of a personal certificate is used to easily perform access control. An authentication unit implements an authentication procedure between a client terminal and a web server. The authentication unit receives a certificate from the client terminal for executing the authentication procedure, and its subject name is supplied to an element extracting unit. The element extracting unit follows a hierarchy structure of the subject name to extract a predetermined element. A right determining unit determines an access right for accessing a document based on a type and a value of the element extracted, and allocates this to a session number. A right registering unit registers a relation between the session number and the access right. Thereafter, while the session continues, an access right is allowed based on the session number.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing accumulation of toner from the surface of an electrode member in a development unit of an electrostatographic printing apparatus by providing a coating having a polymer with a partly fluorinated polymer on at least a portion of the electrode member.