Abstract: Two paper trays 11, 12 are disposed in such a manner that they are superimposed on top of each other in the vertical direction, a first paper feed roller 13 for feeding out paper from the upper-side paper tray 11 is disposed backwardly of and obliquely upwardly of a second paper feed roller 14 with respect to a direction in which the paper is fed out, and the upper-side paper tray 11 is disposed backwardly of and adjacently to the second paper feed roller 14. The sheets of paper fed out from the upper- and lower-side paper trays are delivered along the upper or lower surface of the second paper feed roller 14 and a are then fed into a common registration roller 10 without providing a delivery roller on the way. A holder 18 for supporting a handling member 16 to be contacted with the second paper feed roller 14 is supported by the paper tray 12 and can be retreated downwardly when pulling out the paper tray 12.

Abstract: A printing machine comprises a charging device that forms a variable operating voltage. A charging device pre-fault status condition is determined by sampling the charging device operating voltage, forming a slope value based on a charging device operating voltage rate of change per unit time, and determining when the slope value falls in a charging device pre-fault status range of values. When the pre-fault status determination is made, a message is formed based on a current print count value. This message is then sent to a user or operator. When the print count value falls in a charging device replacement range of values, a replacement message is sent to inform that the charging device needs to be replaced. Otherwise, when the print count value does not fall in this range of values, a cleaning message is sent to inform that the charging device needs to be cleaned.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for encoding digital data in a hardcopy rendering of an invisible image of circularly asymmetric dot patterns. The dot patterns are slash-like markings or glyphs tilted to the right and left with respect to the longitudinal axis of the recording medium. The glyphs are written onto a spatially periodic, two dimensional array of cell blocks to encode information without modulating the average reflectances of the cell blocks. In operation the dot patterns are written onto the recording medium in yellow at approximately a 2% pixel density to produce an image that is invisible to the naked eye, but capable of being reliably decoded by conventional machinery.

Abstract: A method and a system for dynamically thresholding an image signal. The system comprises a computing block. The computing block receives the image signal and a minimum and a maximum within each of a set of windows centered on the current pixel in the image signal, and computes, for each of the windows, based on the current pixel and the respective minimum and maximum, a respective indicator representing the distance and direction of the current pixel relative to a respective threshold plane, and outputs a control signal based on the indicators.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a stack of sheets in a direction of movement to a process station, including: a sheet tray for holding the stack of sheets; an air plenum, positioned above the stack of sheets, for picking up a sheet from the stack of sheets when a vacuum force in the air plenum; a paper fluffer for blowing air between individual sheets in the stack.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus, such as a facsimile machine, outputs a received document (image) in the form of a print. The image formation apparatus includes a receive section and an image formation section. The receive section receives an electronic mail and an attached document thereof over a network. The image formation section forms images of a main body of the electronic mail and the attached document. The images of the main body and the attached document are formed on separate sheets respectively.

Abstract: A Gamut Enhance Module (GME) is disclosed for applying 3 independent Tone Reproduction Curves (TRC) to each of the color components of an input image. The implementation is done via three independent and fully programmable 1D lookup tables. The input to the Gamut Enhance Module is the output DSS from a Scaling Module (SCL), representing a scaled and de-screened version of the source image. The output is a gamut-mapped signal GME. The GME unit includes special logic to neutralize (set to gray) or preserve input colors.

Abstract: An image display medium which implements multi-color display with a small number of kinds of particles and avoids a reduction in resolution of images, and an image writing device. The image display medium has a structure with a transparent display substrate, a colored back substrate, a spacer for constantly maintaining inter-substrate space, and white particles and black particles. The image display device is provided with the image display medium, an electrode head and a voltage application section. The electrode head implements monochrome display by moving the white particles and the black particles one to the display substrate side and the other to the back substrate side, by applying dc voltages between the substrates. When multi-color display is to be implemented, the electrode head applies ac voltages between the substrates and moves the particles to peripheries of portions so as to expose the back substrate at those portions.

Abstract: A method and system for de-screening an image signal utilizing a bank of filters to provide several increasingly blurred versions of the original image signal is disclosed. At any given time, only two of these blurred versions are created, on a pixel-by-pixel basis. The outputs from the selected pair of blurred signals are then blended together to create a variable blending output that can vary smoothly from no blurring to maximum blurring in a smooth and continuous manner. In addition, the method provides the capability to enhance text and line art by using a variable un-sharp masking mechanism with independent post-blur sharpening control, and the capability to detect and enhance neutral (no-color) output pixels.

Abstract: A sheet supply cassette includes a main frame body and an auxiliary frame body slidable with respect to the main frame body. In the main frame body, there is disposed a sheet placement plate which moves up and down according to the residual quantity of sheets placed, and there is disposed a sheet residual quantity display mechanism which displays the sheet residual quantity according to the upward and downward movements of the sheet placement plate. The display mechanism includes a sheet residual quantity detect portion for detecting the residual quantity of sheets, a sheet residual quantity display portion disposed on the front surface cover portion of the auxiliary frame body, and a connecting portion for connecting together the sheet residual quantity detect portion and sheet residual quantity display portion, while the connecting portion can be expanded and contracted according to the expansion and contraction of the sheet supply cassette.

Abstract: A received document sorting control method for an image processing device that has a facsimile communication unit for communications via Internet, and receives documents by means of the facsimile communication unit, comprising: previously setting prescribed condition information for judging whether or not a received document is subject to automatic sorting, and for judging a prescribed sorting method in a case that automatic sorting is to be implemented; and checking contents of transmission identification information transmitted by a sender on the basis of the prescribed condition information, and controlling automatic sorting processing for a document received in a communication, in accordance with the corresponding prescribed sorting method, if the document received in the communication is judged to be subject to the automatic sorting.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a printer icon generating system for performing a printing operation with a predetermined printing attribute only by a simple operation. A CPU acquires the driver attribute of a printer or a device attribute, and then determines whether or not the printer can perform a double-sided printing operation. As a result, when the double-sided printing operation can be performed, the CPU generates a printer icon of “<printer name>_double sided_2up” with respect to the printer by the use of a copied printer icon. Further, the CPU sets a printing attribute with respect to the printer icon.

Abstract: A multi-function document machine, such as a combined printer-copier-scanner-facsimile, accepts image data from one or more remote image input devices. Each image input device includes recording means, such as a digital camera or hand-held scanner, and sending means, such as a wireless transmitter. Image data recorded by the image input device is sent to the machine along with an instruction, such as to print or retain the image data. Image data received into the machine is merged into the regular job queue of the machine, alongside conventional print, copy, and scan jobs.

Abstract: Authentication information is generated for a group where members within a group are able to communicate with each other, but a non-members is not able to participate in that communication. The authentication information provides the determination of whether the member belongs to the group.

Abstract: An automatic printing restriction and control method for an image processing device that comprises a facsimile communication unit capable of handling plural communication methods including facsimile communications via Internet, and prints out documents received by the facsimile communication unit, comprising: presetting whether or not automatic printing of received documents is to be implemented, separately with respect to each of the plural communication methods; and restricting and controlling implementation of automatic printing of received documents in accordance with the settings.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes a developing unit for developing latent image, and a reserve tank that temporarily stores developer ejected from a first cartridge and a second cartridge and that discharges the developer to the developing unit. The reserve tank is provided with a storage amount sensor for sensing storage amount of the developer in the first reserve tank. The image formation apparatus further includes a controller for controlling ejection of developer from at least the first cartridge and the second cartridge into the first reserve tank in accordance with output from the storage amount sensor.

Abstract: An image defect inspecting apparatus of the present invention includes a template image producing section for producing a template image from reference image data, a corresponding image extracting section for extracting a predetermined image located at a position corresponding to a template image from digital data of a scanned image for inspection, data embedding sections for embedding desired same pattern data into the template image and the image extracted by the corresponding image extracting section, a normalized correlation value calculation processing unit for acquiring a normalized correlation coefficient from the template image and the extracted image, into which the pattern data is embedded, and a defect judging section for judging as to whether a defect is present by comparing the normalized correlation coefficient acquired by the normalized correlation value calculation processing unit with a predetermined threshold value so as to acquire a large/small relationship thereof.

Abstract: An efficient method and system for eliminating halftone screens from scanned documents while preserving the quality and sharpness of text and line-art is disclosed. The method and system utilizes one or more independent channels with different sensitivities (e.g., Max, High, and Low) to provide high quality frequency and magnitude estimation. The most sensitive channel (Max) derives the frequency estimate, and the remaining channels (e.g., High and Low) are combined to create the screen magnitude. The Max channel is the most sensitive and will usually report the existence of frequencies even when the screen is very weak. Therefore, the screen frequency must be additionally qualified by the screen magnitude. The screen magnitude can be interpreted as the level of confidence that the local neighborhood represents half-toned data.

Abstract: Disclosed are compounds of the formulae 1

Abstract: A position measurement system optically measures a position of an object in a simple manner at low cost. The position measurement system includes: a light source; an optical lens with a large spherical aberration which transmits light from the light source and forms a light ring due to its spherical aberration; a light receiving device (CCD sensor) which detects the light ring as formed by the optical lens; and a calculator which measures a position of the light source according to detected information on the light ring as detected by the CCD sensor. An optical mirror with a large spherical aberration may be used instead of the optical lens.