Abstract: The present invention provides an optical deflector capable of reducing a rise in heat of integrated circuits and a housing without increasing noises caused by a wind sound of a rotative polygon mirror, and an optical scanner having the optical deflector. Heat in a lower face of an integrated circuit of a printed board can be allowed to escape by providing a through hole in a lower position of the integrated circuit. By bringing a radiating member into direct contact with the integrated circuit through the through hole, heat of the integrated circuit can be conducted to the radiating member and radiated. Therefore, a rise in a temperature of the housing can be reduced. As a result, life of a bearing can be prolonged and reliability of the integrated circuit can be increased.

Abstract: A virtual voice mode facsimile communication unit, comprised of a TCP/UDP/IP control section which controls an IP protocol and a TCP/UDP protocol, a real-time transfer control section which controls a real-time transfer protocol, a voice encoding/decoding section which encodes/decodes a voice signal, a MODEM which modulates/demodulates assuming that a facsimile signal is a voice signal, a T30 control section which controls a T.30 facsimile protocol and a communication image processing section which conducts image processing of communication image data, is provide for real-time facsimile communications with a conventional facsimile apparatus over an IP network in a state kept connected to a LAN via a network I/F.

Abstract: An ink stick for use in a solid ink feed system of a phase change ink printer includes a three dimensional ink stick body that has formed in it guide means. The guide means is formed in a first portion of the ink stick body, for guiding the ink stick along a defined path in the ink stick feed system. An ink stick feed system includes a longitudinal guide rail in a first portion of a feed channel. The width of the longitudinal guide rail is substantially less than the width of the feed channel. the guide means in the ink stick is a longitudinal guide element having a shape that is substantially complementary of the shape of the longitudinal guide rail of the feed channel.

Abstract: System and method for real-time job cell-assignment using soft-computing is provided. The system includes a work-in-progress module, a load estimation module and a fuzzy inference module. Clients send jobs to the system and the system evaluates a plurality of document processing cells' capacity to process the jobs taking into consideration the cells' current workload and the cells' capacity to process the job. Specifically, the work-in-progress module determines a work-in-progress (“WIP”) value for each cell that represents a current workload, and the load estimation module estimates a load value that represents how busy the cell is for jobs of a certain type. The fuzzy inference module applies the WIP and the estimated load values to a set of membership functions to associate the values with fuzzy values. The module determines merit values for the cells using the fuzzy values, and selects the cell having the largest merit value to route the job to.

Abstract: A profile delivery system receives and stores a target profile indicating the color characteristics of a printing device of the print system from a print system. A user system generates a device link profile used for obtaining the same output image as that of the printing device of the print system, in the printer of the user system, by receiving the target profile provided from the profile delivery system and by further using a device profile indicating the color characteristics of the printer. In the user system, the drawing data are developed and printed into bit-mapped data by using the device link profile data.

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: For example, assume that image data is document data of three pages, and correction is added to the second page after a color correction process and the like are executed on the document data. In such an event, when a RIP process and a print process are performed upon the document data again without consideration of the corrected portion, the RIP process has to be performed on all the document data of the three pages. According to an image processing method according to the invention, however, only the corrected page is image-processed again in consideration of the corrected portion. Therefore, the image processing method according to the invention leads to a required minimum of load and a required minimum of expenses for processing.

Abstract: A photoconductive imaging member comprised of an optional supporting substrate, an optional blocking layer, a photogenerating layer, and a charge transport layer, and a SiO3 containing polycarbonate component.

Abstract: An optical micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switch is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment the optical MEMS switch is used as an M×N optical signal switching system. The optical MEMS switch comprises a plurality of optical waveguides formed on a shuttle for switching optical states wherein the state of the optical switch is changed by a system of drive and latch actuators. The optical MEMS switch utilizes a latching mechanism in association with a thermal drive actuator for aligning the waveguide shuttle. In use the optical MEMS switch may be integrated with other optical components to form planar light circuits (PLCs). When switches and PLCs are integrated together on a silicon chip, compact higher functionality devices, such as Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs), may be fabricated.

Abstract: A device for ion charging airborne toner particles for the development of electrophotographic images is proposed. The ion toner-charging device subjects an airborne stream of toner particles to unipolar gas ions in the presence of an applied alternating electric field. The alternating electric field prevents the charged particles from depositing on the electrodes in the charging zone. The device uniformly charges irregular or spherical shaped toner particles to the Pauthenier charging limit. The device is an interface between various methods for supplying toner to the unit and developing an electrostatic image with ion charged toner.

Abstract: In order to obtain a desired print result, a color correction process may be performed on image data based on the characteristics of a printing device. Data called target profile (TP data) showing the characteristics of the printing device is used for the color correction process. When a user makes a request to an image processing device for image processing, it is judged whether TP data is required for the image processing or not. When TP data is required, image processing using the TP data is executed. Further, the fee for use of the TP data and the fee for the image processing are charged on the user of the requester.

Abstract: A polythiophene comprising, for example, a repeating segment of the formula 1

Abstract: Methods for applying electrical stimuli to optical micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices are disclosed. Electrical stimuli may be applied to one or more released current carrying elements mounted above a supporting substrate biased to minimize electrostatic force between the one or more current released current carrying elements and the supporting substrate. Additionally, the electrical stimuli bias minimizes electrical potential difference between the one or more released current carrying elements and one or more non-current carrying elements mounted above the supporting substrate that come in contact or close proximity during operation of the one or more released current carrying elements.

Abstract: An optical micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switch is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment the optical MEMS switch is used as an M×N optical signal switching system. The optical MEMS switch comprises a plurality of optical waveguides formed on a cantilever beam platform for switching optical states wherein the state of the optical switch is changed by a system of drive and latch actuators. The optical MEMS device utilizes a latching mechanism in association with a thermal drive actuator for aligning the cantilever beam platform. In use the optical MEMS device may be integrated with other optical components to form planar light circuits (PLCs). When switches and PLCs are integrated together on a silicon chip, compact higher functionality devices, such as Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs), may be fabricated.

Abstract: First, a user who will try a service of a print system registers trial from a user system in the print system. When the trial of the print system from the user system is permitted and registered, the print system provides an RIP processing or a printing processing to a user in response to a processing request from the registered user system within a range set for the trial without charge or with a discount accounting.

Abstract: A surface emitting semiconductor laser includes a laminate of semiconductor layers emitting multimode laser light, and a block member blocking light of a specific mode among the multimode laser light emitted from the laminate.

Abstract: A client PC transmits a print job and drawing data. An image processing server transmits processing content information indicating the print job to a charging server. The charging server calculates a fee for a case where the process is completed normally, and then registers this calculated fee as a provisional accounting amount. The image processing server processes the drawing data to cause a printer to print the processed drawing data. When the printing fails, the image processing server outputs status information indicating this failure of the printing to the charging server. Upon receipt of this status information, the charging server discounts the provisional accounting amount stored in the accounting DB and determines this discounted accounting amount. Then, the charging server charges this discounted accounting amount to a user.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus achieves miniaturization thereof and improvement of image quality. The shape of an optical scanning device mount frame mounting an optical scanning device is trapezoidal, and asymmetrical with respect to a center line thereof, and a short side part and a long side part are attached to a first and second frames of the apparatus, respectively. A space for attaching parts is available on the side of the first frame, and a driving device is placed inside the first frame so that the apparatus can be miniaturized. Since the optical scanning device mount frame is asymmetrical with respect to the center line thereof, as compared with one having a symmetrical shape, an eigenvalue of vibration can be shifted to a high frequency, and the mount frame is resistant to vibrate. Thus, the fluctuation of a light beam is suppressed, and the image quality can be improved.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising at least: an electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising at least a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer provided on the conductive substrate; a charging device; an exposure device; a developing device; and a transfer device, wherein the exposure device is of a multi beam exposure system which has a surface emitting laser array having two or more light-emitting elements as an exposure light source and which scan the electrophotographic photoreceptor with plural light beams thereby forming electrostatic latent image, and wherein the outermost layer in the electrophotographic photoreceptor, positioned most distant from the conductive substrate, contains a silicon-containing resin containing at least a charge transporting compound or a characteristic group derived from a charge transporting compound, and having a structure in which bonds formed by crosslinking of an O atom with neighboring Si atoms are formed three dimensionally.

Abstract: When a new paper sheet is supplied onto a compiling tray, a sub-paddle holds down paper sheets having already been stacked on the compiling tray until a leading edge of the new paper sheet S touches the stacked paper sheets. Thereafter, the sub-paddle gets apart from the sheets stacked on the compiling tray with timing, with which the rear edge of the new paper sheet falls on the compiling tray.