Abstract: In an image processing section, a foam toner signal generator generates a foam toner signal corresponding to a foam toner amount to be transferred to a three-dimensional print designation region discriminated at a three-dimensional print region discriminator, and a foam toner interpolation signal generator generates a foam toner interpolation signal corresponding to a foam toner amount to be transferred to an image region equal to or greater than a constant area in an ordinary print region discriminated at the three-dimensional print region discriminator. Foam toner of a predetermined amount corresponding to the foam toner signal is transferred to the three-dimensional print region, and foam toner of an amount that is less (of a lower height) than the predetermined amount and corresponds to the foam toner interpolation signal is transferred to the ordinary print region.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for processing image information to form an embossed print image by transferring an image with an expandable toner and an image with a nonexpandable toner onto a recording medium and fixing the expandable toner and the nonexpandable toner, which are transferred onto the recording medium, to the recording medium, comprising a total toner amount recognition unit which recognizes the total toner amount of an expandable toner amount and a nonexpandable toner amount used for formation of an image in a unit of prescribed amount, and an image processing unit which performs image processing of image information to reduce the toner amount used for formation of the image when the total toner amount recognized by the recognition unit exceeds a prescribed amount.

Abstract: A plurality of thin-film parts having predetermined patterns are formed on a mold-releasing layer on a donor substrate. Next, a photonic crystal is created by using an acceptor substrate to successively separate, from the mold-releasing layer on the donor substrate, each of the thin-film parts to which a mixture of an adhesive matrix material and a functional material has been supplied, and laminating and transferring the thin-film parts onto the acceptor substrate.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier and a first developing unit for forming an image on the image carrier using at least one type of first developer to which a second developing unit for forming an image using at least one type of second developer which differs from the first developer is installable. The apparatus includes a developing unit determination part for determining the type of developing unit of the image forming apparatus, and an announcement part for announcing to the user that, when the second developing unit is not installed and an image formation instruction for instructing the formation of an image obtained by using the second developer is inputted, the image formation instruction cannot be made to effect a response.

Abstract: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image with the normal toner and forming an image with the special toner, which makes it possible to perform appropriate fixing of a toner to be used according to characteristics of the toner.

Abstract: A process which comprises admixing in the absence of a solvent an amine of the formula R1—NH2 and a first ester of the formula wherein R2 is an electron withdrawing group and R3 is an alkyl group; heating the mixture containing the amine and the first ester to form an intermediate compound of the formula admixing the intermediate compound with a base and a second ester of the formula said second ester being present in a molar excess relative to the intermediate compound, said base being present in a molar excess relative to the intermediate compound, and heating the mixture to form a pyridone compound of the formula or a salt thereof. Also disclosed is a process for preparing diazopyridone colorants which comprises preparing a pyridone compound by the above process and reacting the pyridone compound with a diazonium salt to form a diazopyridone compound.

Abstract: What is disclosed herein is an identification apparatus and method comprising an array of retractable pins in association with a housing attached to a base component through which each pin individually passes. The apparatus is attached to a primary device and in communication therewith. Each retractable pin is in individual physical contact with spring tension means positioned below the pin and located in a containment sleeve within the housing. Each spring continuously exerts pressure on the base of their respective pins so as to push the pin up through the base component. At the base of each spring is a pressure sensitive pad in communication with the primary device.

Abstract: Because an original document is often incorrectly loaded into an image capture device, the resulting captured image is often upside down, rotated 90°, or cut off. This occurs even though image capture devices have markings that indicate how the original documents are to be put into the scanner, markings that are often ignored when the original documents are loaded into the image capture device. Input orientation systems, methods and graphical user interfaces provide graphical document orientation indicators, or “input document mimics”, that provides visual indications to the user of the orientation of the original document to be captured and of the image on the original document, that will result in the desired orientation of the captured image being obtained.

Abstract: An information processing system is disclosed which includes a plurality of information processing modules each for performing information processing; a storage device installed in each of the information processing modules for storing display data; a transmission request acceptance device installed in each of the information processing modules for accepting a display data transmission request; a recognition device for determining whether display data corresponding to the transmission request is stored on the storage device installed in the information processing module including the transmission request acceptance device accepting the transmission request; a transfer device for transferring the transmission request to a different module, if the recognition device determines that the display data corresponding to the transmission request is not stored; a display data getting device for getting the display data from the storage device, if the recognition device determines that the display data is stored; and a

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus which is compact and inexpensive, and which allows cleaning of a final transfer member. The image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; an image forming unit that forms a toner image on the surface of the image bearing member; an intermediate transfer device formed by at least one intermediate transfer member, and which is in contact with the image bearing member; a final transfer member which is in contact with the intermediate transfer member; a cleaning member which is in contact with the intermediate transfer member; and a control unit that controls the potential gradient between the image bearing member, the intermediate transfer member, the final transfer member, and the cleaning member, in which the control unit forms in an image formation mode a potential gradient for image formation which causes reverse-polarity toner on the final transfer member to adhere to the cleaning member by way of the intermediate transfer member.

Abstract: An actual tone reproduction curve of an electrophotographic system is controlled at several points to coincide with a target tone reproduction curve. The several points are referred to as level 2 control points. The level 2 control points are dynamically selected to, for example, minimize an aspect of error between the actual tone reproduction curve and the target tone reproduction curve. Test patches are generated in association with target test patch densities. Actual test patch densities are measured. An approximation of the actual tone reproduction curve is fit to the measured data. New level 2 control points are selected to minimize an aspect of deviation or error between the actual tone reproduction curve and the target tone reproduction curve. A system operative to dynamically select the level 2 control points includes means for selecting optimum level 2 control points.

Abstract: Selective replacement methods and systems based on a stochastic process use a redundancy inherent, for example, in a four-plus color printing system that has full-width colors. Since the absorption spectra of the four or more colors usually overlap to some extent, there is a redundancy that can be used to reduce artifacts, such as streaks. Since the human visual system is much less sensitive to chrominance changes, than to luminance changes, matching the luminance of a pixel where a color is missing, to the luminance of the original color or to the luminance of the pixels that neighbor that pixel can adequately to reduce the severity of the artifact caused by the missing color while reducing the chance that the replacing process itself introduces any additional artifacts.

Abstract: An image stripping apparatus includes: a stripping roller which strips an image forming material from an image recording medium by contacting the image forming material on the image recording medium; a cleaning roller for removing, from the stripping roller, the image forming material which has been transferred to the stripping roller; and a cleaning blade stripping the image forming material from the cleaning roller. The stripping roller has a surface layer made of a material having affinity and releasability with respect to the image forming material and the image recording medium. Thus, the stripping roller exhibits peelability required for stripping of the image forming material from the image recording medium and releasability required for removal of a transferred image forming material from the stripping roller.

Abstract: An inkjet recording head includes a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of pressure chambers in communication with the respective nozzles, a diaphragm forming a part of the walls of the pressure chambers, and a plurality of piezoelectric actuators each coupled with a part of the diaphragm to form a vibrating member. The vibrating member deforms to generate a pressure wave in the ink filled within the pressure chamber, the acoustic capacitance of the vibrating member being set at 2.0×10−20 m5/N or higher.

Abstract: High quality images are provided without the occurrence of image quality defects due to reciprocity law failures, even when scanning a multi-beam. When interlaced scanning is employed, it is possible to select combinations such that, taking any freely selected neighboring scanning lines, respective scan numbers of the neighboring scanning lines are always different. Thus, a duration of scanning spacing can be made to be at least the duration of a single main scan. As a result, image defects such as banding due to reciprocity law failures can be greatly alleviated, and images can be provided in which image defects are to unlikely to be noticed in practice.

Abstract: A printer displays selectable printing formats in accordance with attributes of data files acquired from an external device. When one or more data files are specified among the data files stored in a file server, the printer displays color printing and black-and-white printing as a selectable printing format if the color printing is permitted when the specified data file is registered, and the printer displays the black-and-white printing only as the selectable printing format if the color printing is not permitted.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus in which an increase in the service life of the intermediate transfer member is compatible with a reduction in apparatus size and cost and which provides high productivity in image formation.

Abstract: Most model-based diagnostic approaches are at least partially centralized. Routing information to or through a centralized processing unit is vulnerable to failure of the central processing unit and/or of the communication system connecting the central processing unit to the sensor or the local diagnostic subsystems. Centralized schemes also limit the amount of processing to that provided by the single centralized processing unit. The systems and methods according to this invention use local diagnostic subsystems that include finite state automata to model the possible states of local components given local sensor readings and potential inputs from other local diagnostic subsystems. Potential states are found during diagnosis of a local component, give one or more observations of that component. This state information is then distributed to other local diagnostic subsystems.

Abstract: A finite-state network that supports substring-number mapping is compiled from a grammar that includes a plurality of classes of substrings. Each of the plurality of classes of substrings has a finite number of substrings. In applying the network to an input string, substrings are identified in the input string. Some or all of the substrings identified in the input string are mapped to a unique index within their class. This unique index is labeled with an identifier that identifies its class to define a labeled index. The string is encoded by forming a set of labeled indices using the labeled index of each substring of the input string.

Abstract: An solid state scanning system having a single crystal silicon deflection mirror and scanning mirror is integrated with a light source. Separation of the micro-electro-mechanical systems and light emitters on separate substrates allows the use of flip-chip and solder bump bonding techniques for mounting of the light sources. The separate substrates are subsequently full wafer bonded together to create an integrated solid state scanning system.