Abstract: A method for loaning a digital work having one or more rights associated therewith within a system having repositories configured to enforce use of the digital work in accordance with the rights. A loan right is associated with a digital work and specifies how the digital work can be loaned. If a request for the digital work is valid, use of the digital work is transferred during a loan period from a repository to the requester in accordance with the loan. Loan right data for the digital work is then updated and use of the digital work by the requestor is deactivated upon exhaustion of the loan period.

Abstract: The present invention relates to utilizing memory provided in a machine replaceable sub-assembly to be one medium of distribution for software code updates to that machine relating as to how that machine should use that replaceable sub-assembly. In one embodiment, there is provided a replaceable sub-assembly for use in a machine at various setpoints comprising a memory and further comprising upgraded executable instruction suitable for directing the machine to use the replaceable sub-assembly with different setpoints, where the upgraded executable instruction is stored in the memory. In this way, the replaceable sub-assembly becomes the medium for it's own or another's software updates.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of toner comprising generating a latex emulsion of resin, water, and an ionic surfactant, and a colorant dispersion of a surface modified colorant and water, and wherein the latex emulsion is blended with the surface modified colorant dispersion; heating the resulting mixture below or equal to about the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the latex resin to form aggregates; optionally adding a second latex comprised of submicron resin particles suspended in an aqueous phase resulting in a shell or coating wherein the shell is optionally of from about 0.1 to about 1 micron in thickness, and wherein optionally the shell coating is contained on 100 percent of the aggregates; heating the resulting aggregate suspension above about the Tg of the latex resin; and optionally isolating the toner.

Abstract: The present invention relates to utilizing memory provided in a machine replaceable sub-assembly to be one medium of distribution for software code updates to that machine relating to the machine how that machine is to use some other replaceable-sub-assembly residing within the machine. In this way, the replaceable sub-assembly becomes the medium for another replaceable sub-assembly's software updates.

Abstract: A photoconductive imaging member comprised of a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer and a charge transport layer, and wherein said charge transport layer contains a component that substantially prevents light of a wavelength of about equal to or about less than 700 nanometers from interaction with said photogenerating layer.

Abstract: A system and method for the analysis of hierarchical and non-hierarchical relationships between a set of related nodes and for the creation of a cone graph structure based on the hierarchical and non-hierarchical relationships. The cone graph structure is a three-dimensional or pseudo-three-dimensional object which can be altered and manipulated by the actions of a user. The cone graph structure is an interface for providing a user with a structural understanding of the relationships between different nodes such as files in a file structure of web pages within a web site.

Abstract: The present invention relates to utilizing memory provided in a machine replaceable sub-assembly to be a medium of distribution for software code updates to that machine relating as to how that machine should operate. In one alternative, there is provided a method for operating a machine comprising the steps of providing a replaceable sub-assembly separable from the machine, the replaceable sub-assembly further comprising a memory in which is stored software code of executable instructions. The method provides placing the replaceable sub-assembly into the machine, reading the memory, placing the stored software code of executable instructions into the machine as new machine software code, and then operating the machine in accordance with the new software code. In this way, the replaceable sub-assembly becomes the medium for the machine's software updates.

Abstract: A printed-matter issuing client takes out contents from a contents management server, and prints the contents on a printing recording part, while at the same time records ID information indicative of a storage location of the contents into an IC chip integrated into the printing recording part. A printed-matter verifying client reads out an image to be verified on a printing surface of a printing recording part, by an information acquiring part, and acquires ID information from the IC chip. The printed-matter verifying client takes out contents from the contents management server according to the ID information, and verifies it with the image on the print surface, and it judges whether the printing recording part is true or false on the basis of the verifying result.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for implementing a streaming two-dimensional digital image segmentation is provided. The image segmentation method is compatible with architectures for scan-line processing and streaming image data. More particularly, the method is accomplished by detecting horizontal runs of non-background image elements potentially having a particular property, calculating an average strength value of the property for the run and comparing the value to a threshold. A separate strength value for the property and run start position are maintained for each vertical column of image elements. Thus, an average strength value of a vertical run is calculated for each image element in the horizontal run and compared with the average strength value for the horizontal run. If the results agree, the image elements are tagged accordingly (i.e. whether the property is present). However, a strategy for resolving the results is implemented when the horizontal and vertical analyses do not agree.

Abstract: The invention provides an image processing apparatus having a device for inputting image data, a color distribution recognition device for recognizing a color distribution in a color space and position information in an image space of the image data input through the input device, and a device for determining one or more color reproduction parameters of the image data based on the color distribution and position information recognized by the color distribution recognition device and a color reproduction range of an output device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a multiprocessor system having plural processors and an optical bus shared by the plural processors, and intends to simplify the cache control, reduce the volume of hardware, and shorten the memory access processing time. For this purpose, the multiprocessor system of the invention includes a shared memory, a cache memory connected to the shared memory, an optical bus connected to the cache memory, and plural processors connected to the optical bus, which access to the cache memory through the optical bus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for prioritizing the use of multifunctional printing system's basic processing resources to allow a high priority job to gain immediate access to a shared resource. The printing system employs a controller with an improved job contention manager (JCM). A plurality of basic resources of the printing system are provided with a queue. One or more job services, at desired times, provides a first signal to the JCM to carry out a sub-job of a given job. The signal for each of the sub-jobs includes information about the respective sub-job and its priority. Responsive to the signal from the job service the JCM adds a corresponding basic resource sub-job to the queues of each basic resource which the added sub-job will require to perform the sub-job. The resources are reassigned by the JCM according to the priority of the added sub-job in the queues.

Abstract: An electronic driver circuitry for an RF switch diode used in Acoustic Ink Jet Printing (AIP) systems is disclosed The electronic driver circuitry consists of a PMOS transistor and a poly resistor used to control the on/off states of the RF switch diode wherein the drive current for the RF switch diode is the same as the current in the PMOS transistor. To compensate for undesirable variations in the RF switch diode, the driver circuitry is designed such that the current in the PMOS transistor is adjusted in an opposite direction to cancel the unwanted variations.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an image carrying part, a developing part and an image transferring part. The image carrying part has a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed. The developing part develops the electrostatic image into a toner image by selectively applying toner to the surface of the image carrying part. The image transferring part transfers the toner image onto a recording sheet or an intermediate image transferring part. Fine particles are uniformly formed on the surface of the image carrying part, and a portion of the fine particles is transferred from the image carrying part with the toner image. The fine particles are smaller in diameter than the toner particles.

Abstract: A system and method for method of cleaning segmentation tags is disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises receiving a plurality of segmentation tags; generating block level tags in response to the received segmentation tags wherein each block level tag is a representative tag for a block of received segmentation tags; and cleaning selected ones of the received segmentation tags using a window of neighboring block level tags.

Abstract: A container is provided for delivering a supply of particles for use in a developer unit of an electrophotographic apparatus. A resistor member, is permanently associated with the container. When the container is associated with the electrophotographic apparatus, the resistance of the resistor member is identified and a fault signal is communicated to a display when the incorrect configuration of the container is identified as being used in the electrophotographic apparatus. Also provided is a method of determining the configuration of a container in a printing or copying apparatus.

Abstract: A method and a system for authentication whereby authentication characteristic information is not disclosed to a third party when a verifier uses a verification device of a limited scale to authenticate a user's rights or qualifications. A ticket issuing device interacts with the user's interactive device having a secret function f to calculate document secret information &mgr; based on a document m (data) to be transmitted to the interactive device, whereby the user is issued a ticket t generated from authentication characteristic information x and the document secret information &pgr;. Upon receipt of the document m, the interactive device generates the document secret information using its unique secret function f to perform an interaction based on the generated information. The interaction involves output of a commitment r, input of a challenge c, and an output of a response &sgr;.

Abstract: A color spectrophotometer incorporating a low cost commercial imaging chip, which normally forms part of a document imaging bar used for imaging documents in scanners, etc., having multiple photo-sites with three different rows of color filters. Each chip is mounted on the optical axis of an imaging lens system, in the image plane of that lens system, to image the reflected illumination from an illuminated color test target area on the chip. The optical axis of the imaging lens system is oriented at 45° to the illuminated color test patches, and the photodetector chip is physically mounted perpendicular to the plane of the illuminated color test patches. Respective photo-sensor chips and associated 1:1 optics may be mounted on opposing sides of the spectrophotometer physically oriented at 90° to the test target area plane receiving the reflected light from the test target optically oriented at 45° to the illuminated test target.