Abstract: An image processing method and system compensates for artifacts in scaling operations of mixed raster content data representations. In such data representations, a document is segmented into data portions generally segregated by data types. At least one of the segments is dilated so that upon scaling reconstruction, there are additional pixels available for interpolation operations, thereby avoiding artifacts caused by discontinuity.

Abstract: An image coding apparatus includes an approximating element having plural different prediction techniques to approximate, a value of a target pixel to be coded with reference to values of peripheral pixels surrounding the target pixel; a holding element which holds information about ranks of the prediction techniques, the ranks obtained upon processing of the pixel preceding the target pixel; a determining element computing an error between each of approximate values obtained by the prediction techniques and that of the target pixel, selecting one of the prediction techniques for the target pixel based on the computer error, and performing the selection by preferentially referencing the rank information if the error is within a predetermined tolerance; and a coding element which codes the value of the target pixel using the approximate value obtained by the selected prediction technique.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element driving circuit for driving a plurality of piezoelectric elements disposed in a plurality of head units is disclosed, that comprises a plurality of power amplifiers for driving the plurality of head units, a plurality of flexible flat cables for connecting the plurality of head units and the plurality of power amplifiers, and a drive waveform signal generating circuit for supplying a drive waveform signal to the plurality of head units, wherein each of the plurality of head units has a switch device for supplying a piezoelectric element current to the plurality of piezoelectric elements, wherein the plurality of power amplifiers are disposed corresponding to the plurality of head units, the plurality of power amplifiers supplying a drive waveform signal that is input from the drive waveform signal generating circuit to the plurality of power amplifiers so as to drive the plurality of head units.

Abstract: A toner comprised of a branched amorphous resin, a crystalline resin, and a colorant.

Abstract: A fuser member having a substrate, an outer fluoroelastomer layer having one of i) copolymers of two of vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene and tetrafluoroethylene; ii) terpolymers of vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene and tetrafluoroethylene; and iii) tetrapolymers of vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene, tetrafluoroethylene, and a cure site monomer; and a fluorinated silicone release agent.

Abstract: In a scanner for recording hard-copy images, the image moves relative to a sensor bar including three linear arrays of photosensors. For each small area in the image, the photosensor in one linear array records reflected light with a short exposure time, while each photosensor in the other linear arrays records reflected light with a longer exposure time. The “center of gravity” of the short exposure time is substantially aligned with a combined center of gravity of the two long exposure times.

Abstract: An automatic pre-printed sheets insertion system integratable into an otherwise conventional printer, without requiring any additional space, yet enabling the feeding of selected pre-printed sheets into the printer output path, bypassing the print engine and fuser, yet integrating collated with the output of regular sheets being regularly fed and printed within the printer. It includes a separate insert sheets feeding system and feeding path for feeding insert sheets from a bi-directional sheet feed tray which can be mounted in the same location as a normal sheet feed tray. The separate path can be through an existing inverter. The special tray can be a dual-mode tray and/or a repositionable tray for feeding blank or other normal sheets in one direction for printing and for feeding insert sheets in the opposite direction to be integrated into the printer output.

Abstract: A method for producing a polymer optical waveguide including: (1) preparing a template that is made of a template forming curable resin and has a concave portion, (2) applying an ozone treatment or irradiating light having a wavelength of 300 nm or less to at least one of a surface of the template having the concave portion and a core formation surface of a cladding film substrate, (3) bringing the cladding film substrate into close contact with the template, (4) filling a core forming curable resin into the concave portion of the template with which the cladding film substrate is in close contact, (5) curing the filled core forming curable resin to form a core, (6) removing the template from the cladding film substrate, and (7) forming a cladding layer on the cladding film substrate on which the core has been formed.

Abstract: Pattern projection apparatuses are placed on each other in a stack manner in a stripe pattern direction for projecting the same patterns. An image pickup apparatus (camera 1) is placed between the pattern projection apparatuses. The optical axes of the pattern projection apparatuses and the image pickup apparatus are aligned on the same plane parallel with the stripe pattern direction. On the plane, the principal points also become the same. An image of a stripe pattern is picked up directly by the image pickup apparatus without the intervention of a half mirror, etc., and is recoded. An image of the recoded stripe pattern is picked up by an image pickup apparatus (camera 2) and is decoded and the range of an object is measured by triangulation based on image correspondence points.

Abstract: An accounting apparatus including a processor that performs a color correction process and a printing process, a judgment unit that makes a judgment as to whether print data instructed to be printed has already been printed or not, and an accounting unit that accounts for the color correction process of the print data based on a result of the judgment. Preferably, the color correction accounting process accounts for the color correction process, and the print accounting process accounts for a print process of the print data subjected to the color correction process.

Abstract: The transporting of flimsy print media sheets having curled sheet edges being fed from a fuser or other input onto a vacuum sheet transport belt system is provided with improved acquisition by simultaneously blowing the upper surface of the sheet's curled lead edge area down towards the vacuum belt transport with a positive pressure airflow while the vacuum sheet transport is attracting the sheet with its an underlying vacuum manifold airflow. Both the vacuum manifold airflow and the positive pressure airflow may be respectively provided solely by the air intake and the air exhaust from a single blower. The positive pressure airflow may be provided from a manifold extending transversely over at least the upstream end of the vacuum belt transport, spaced therefrom, and feeding air to one or more air jets.

Abstract: A fuser for an electrophotographic printer or copier has a fuser roll and pressure roll that form a nip through which a recording paper having a toner image is passed to fuse the toner image thereon. The fuser includes a cleaning web system to clean the fuser roll having a web supply roll, a tension roll to press the web against the fuser roll, and a web take up roll. To prevent spooling of the web from the supply roll during a paper jam clearance while the pressure roll is in contact with the fuser roll, a torsion spring is mounted on the tension roll shaft. The torsion spring provides enough torsional force on the tension roll to prevent rotation thereof during a jam clearance, thus preventing web spooling. During normal operation, the take up roll intermittently overcomes the torsion spring to step the web thereon.

Abstract: A fluid reservoir sensing system includes a pair of optical prisms that reflect light when a fluid level is below one of the pair of prisms. The pair of optical prisms includes a low prism usable to sense a low liquid level in the fluid reservoir, and a high prism usable to sense a high liquid level in the fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir sensing system optionally includes an emitter and a photosensor. The emitter projects light through at least one of the low prism to the low incident surface and the high prism to the high incident surface. The photosensor senses light reflected from the low prism while the liquid is below the low prism. The photosensor also senses light from the high prism while the liquid level is below the high prism.

Abstract: Compounds of the formulae 1 2

Abstract: A transport belt has a belt base which is made of an elastic material, and a covering layer that covers a surface of the belt base. The covering layer contains an adherence repression filler to repress adherence to a contact member being in contact with a surface of the transport belt, which is dispersed at not less than 5 weight %.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink set for ink jet recording using at least two kinds of liquids. The first liquid contains at least a colorant, a water soluble solvent and water, and the second liquid contains at least a compound represented by the following general formula (1), a water soluble solvent and water. The present invention also provides an ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head from which the ink set for ink jet recording is ejected, and an ink jet recording method by which an image is formed by applying the first and second liquids on a recording medium so as to contact each other.

Abstract: An electro-conductive roll is provided that makes contact with a body to be charged in a state in which a voltage is applied thereto, and charges the body to be charged, a surface of the electro-conductive roll satisfying the following conditions (a) and (b):

Abstract: A flexible media integration system (10) includes a multifunction flexible media interface system (12). The interface system includes a plurality of flexible media input areas (22, 24, 26) for receiving flexible media (14), such as sheets of paper, from a plurality of associated input processors (16, 18, 20), such as printers or paper feeders. A plurality of flexible media output areas (32, 34) provide outputs to different associated flexible media output processors (36, 38), such as printers or finishers. The interface system also includes a sheet position sensing system (52) and a sheet transporting system (42). The transporting system provides selectable flexible media translation for selectably transporting flexible media from selected ones of the plurality of flexible media input areas to selected ones of the plurality of flexible media output areas so as to provide selectable flexible media feeding from selected flexible media input processors to selected flexible media output processors.

Abstract: A user of a meta-search engine submits a query formulated with operators defining relationships between keywords. Information sources are selected for interrogation by the user or by the meta-search engine. If necessary, the query is translated for each selected source to adapt the operators of the query to a form accepted by that source. The query is submitted to each selected source and answers are retrieved from each source as a summary of each document found that satisfies the query. The answers are post-filtered from each source to determine if the answers satisfy the originally formulated query. Answers that satisfy the query are displayed as a list of selectable document summaries. The analysis includes computing a subsumption ratio of filtered answers to answers received that satisfy a translated query. The subsumption ratio is used to improve the accuracy of subsequent queries submitted by the user to the meta-search engine.

Abstract: A silicon structure is at least partially thermally isolated from a substrate by a gap formed in an insulation layer disposed between the substrate and a silicon layer in which the silicon structure is formed. In embodiments, the substrate is made of silicon and the silicon layer is made of single crystal silicon. In embodiments, the gap is formed such that a surface of the substrate under the gap is maintained substantially unetched. In other embodiments, the gap is formed without affecting the surface of the substrate underlying the gap. In particular, the gap may be formed by removing a portion of the insulation layer with an etch that does not affect the surface of the substrate underlying the gap. In embodiments the etch is highly selective between the material of the insulation layer and the material of the substrate. The etch selectivity may be about 20:1 or greater.