Abstract: An information management device is provided which is capable of performing a flexible search of input information, without the need to attach user-specified keywords or search information and without the need of pre-processing of the input information such as character matching processing, natural language processing, statistical processing and recognition processing.

Abstract: A liquid ink printer, depositing ink to form an image having a first resolution on a recording medium moving in a first direction, including a scanning carriage moving along a carriage rail in a scanning direction substantially transverse to the first direction. The printer includes a liquid ink printhead, coupled to the scanning carriage, including ink ejectors spaced at a second resolution, different from the first resolution, and a moving device, coupled to the printhead, moving the printhead in the first direction. The printhead is moved in the second direction to deposit a first swath of ink on the recording medium. The printhead is then moved in the first direction, and again moved in the second direction to deposit a second swath of ink on the recording medium, the first swath and the second swath overlapping.

Abstract: A flange holding apparatus composed of: (a) a head for engaging a flange; (b) a collar surrounding the head, wherein the collar extends along a portion of the length of the head, wherein the head and the collar define a gap therebetween and the head can move between a centered position and an eccentric position relative to the collar; and (c) a resilient member disposed in the gap, wherein movement of the head from the centered position to the eccentric position compresses a portion of the resilient member, whereby the compressed portion of the resilient member urges the head to return to the centered position.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process which comprises reacting a polyimide precursor with borane. Also disclosed is a thermal ink jet printhead containing a layer comprising the product of this reaction.

Abstract: In a "hi-fi" color printing system, wherein colorants of secondary colors beyond the regular CMYK primary colorants are available, the colorants of the secondary colors are substituted for combinations of the primary colorants in order to obtain a full color gamut. The functions by which colorants of the secondary colors are substituted for primary colorant are non-linear through a path in the color space.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of printing with a liquid ink printhead ejecting ink in swaths on a recording medium to form an image including a plurality of dots deposited at pixel locations of a scanline. The printer deposits a plurality of dots at adjacent pixel locations on the scan line during non-consecutive swaths of the printhead to form the image. Dot interaction between dots is minimized so that no two dots are deposited adjacent to each other in consecutive depositions of the dots of consecutive swaths of the printhead. Reduction of ink bleeding, printhead signatures such as banding, and other defects caused by clogged nozzles of the printhead are reduced.

Abstract: Toners comprised of a cyan toner, a magenta toner, a yellow toner, a violet toner, and a black toner, each of said toners being comprised of resin and pigment; and wherein the pigment for the violet toner is Violet 19 with a C.I. number of 46500, Violet 23 with a C.I. number of 51319, Violet 3 with a C.I. number of 42535, Blue 1, Blue 60, or Blue 61, and wherein said pigment for each toner, excluding black, is prepared by flushing a wet pigment, wherein said cyan, magenta, yellow, and violet pigment water wet cake is mixed with a toner resin, and the water is removed to generate pigmented resin.

Abstract: A transmissive, backlit color twisted-nematic or super-twisted-nematic liquid crystal display employing a front fiber-optic faceplate or optical equivalent as a front retaining element of a liquid crystal cell that increases viewing angle between the display and a viewer while minimizing or eliminating undesirable variations in luminance, contrast ratio and chromaticity is described. The fiber-optic faceplate or optical equivalent includes cylindrical optical features and interstitial cladding material of greater optical index than the cylindrical optical features. The interstitial cladding material may include an opaque mask blocking layer to prevent the interstitial apertures from diffracting off-axis light into an observer's viewing cone.

Abstract: An improved method for estimating toner usage in digital xerographic printers and copiers. The method is characterized by taking into account digital image dot spreading which results in the area of a pixel not being developed fully and some areas outside of the pixel being developed. Thus, the improved method takes into account the departure of a developed image from an ideal shape (i.e. square). To this end, the improved method compensates for departure of a developed image from an ideal shape. In carrying out the method estimated toner usage is based on pixel groupings rather than simple pixel counting.

Abstract: Light is led from a light source to the surface of a detecting area on an intermediate product by way of a route of an optical fiber and a probe. After reaching the detecting area, light successively passes through the layers formed on a conductive substrate of the intermediate product, and is reflected on the surface of the conductive substrate. The reflected light reversely travels through the layers and a reverse route of the probe and the optical fiber, and reaches a spectrophotometer. A spectral absorption ratio calculating unit in a film-thickness calculating section calculates spectral absorption ratios from a spectrum produced by the spectrophotometer. A thickness converting unit substitutes the spectral absorption ratios into a multiple regression equation that is read out of a multiple regression memory, and produces the film thickness or the characteristic value dependent on the film thickness.

Abstract: A toner composition comprised of a polyester resin with hydrophobic end groups, colorant, optional wax, optional charge additive, and optional surface additives.

Abstract: The present invention is a novel pixel structure, and method for making the same, that reduces wasteful voltage drop associated with other pixel structures that cover their pixel elements with a final passivation layer. The presently claimed pixel structure is a combination of a thin film transistor (TFT), an associated pixel element, and a passivation layer. The TFT is first deposited atop a suitable substrate and patterned. Then, the passivation layer is deposited on top of the thin film transistor. Contact cuts are made into the passivation layer where the pixel element is to contact the TFT. Finally, the pixel element is deposited--lying atop the passivation layer and contacting with the underlying TFT where the contact cuts were made in the passivation layer.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for the processing of images that have been compressed using a discrete cosine transform operation, and particularly JPEG compressed images. In a preferred embodiment, the rotation of image blocks is accomplished by sign inversion and transposition operations to accomplish intrablock operations. Subsequently, one of a number of alternative methods is employed to accomplish the same image processing on an interblock level, thereby enabling the rotation or mirroring of compressed images. The two stage process allows the use of either a standardized JPEG system with enhancements or a hybrid processing method, thereby accomplishing the image processing in conjunction with compression or decompression operations and minimizing the need for large memory buffers to accomplish the image processing.

Abstract: A dry etch apparatus for micromachining a substrate having a first and a second layer of dissimilar materials joined together at a heterojunction includes a chuck for holding the substrate. The chuck has a first electrical contact positionable to contact the first layer, and second electrical contact positionable to contact the second layer, with the first and second electrical contacts being electrically isolated from each other. A voltage source is connected to the first electrical contact of the chuck to apply a voltage potential across the heterojunction of the substrate. When a plasma containing chemically reactive ions is directed against the second layer, etching of non-masked regions continues unless it is substantially stopped at the voltage biased substrate heterojunction. The substrate can be cooled or periodically recoated with erodable protective material to limit sidewall damage to the substrate while still allowing downward etching into the substrate.

Abstract: In an ink-jet printhead, channels in which liquid ink is nucleated by a heating element defines five sides in cross-section. One of the sides is created by the main surface of a heater chip which includes the heating element, while the other four sides, forming a truncated parallelogram or diamond-shape, are defined in a channel plate abutting the heater chip. The four-sided channel in the channel plate is created by a combined process of plasma etching and wet etching.

Abstract: A noise masking device for a low-cost laser beam printer, a copier or the like for performing a noise masking with respect to a noise of a drive motor of an image forming apparatus while affording no psychological unpleasant feeling due to a frequency fluctuation thereof. The noise masking device of the image forming apparatus having the drive motor which becomes a source of the noise upon operation thereof includes signal generating means for generating a correlation signal which correlates with the noise, a speaker for generating a masking sound which masks the noise and masking sound control means for controlling the speaker to vary the masking sound corresponding to the variation in the correlation signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing enhanced quality full color prints in an electrophotographic printing machine. In a electrophotographic printing machine in which multiple color separations are imaged and developed on a photoconductive member, a user selectable enhanced print mode is provided. In the enhanced print mode, each color separation is imaged and developed on the same imaging panel of the photoconductive member. This avoids a degradation in image quality due to physical variations and defects in the photoconductive member. The enhanced mode decreases machine productivity somewhat and is user selectable in situations when very high quality prints are desired.

Abstract: A positively charged liquid developer comprised of a nonpolar liquid, thermoplastic resin particles, pigment, a charge director, and a charge control agent comprised of a PEO:PPO, preferably in a solid form.

Abstract: In a sheet handling system with an array of multiple individual sheet stacking bins and a sheet feeding system for feeding sheets from a sheet feeding output nip thereof into selected bins, for stacking of the sheets into the selected the bins, with relative movement between the sheet feeding system and the multiple individual sheet stacking bins; an automatic nip extending system is provided for automatically moving the sheet feeding output nip out into an individual bin for improved sheet control for the feeding of sheets into the bin, and an automatic nip retracting system for automatically moving the sheet feeding output nip out of the bins for unobstructed relative movement between the sheet feeding system and the sheet stacking bins, in coordination with the relative movement between the sheet feeding system and the multiple individual sheet stacking bins. The nip extending system preferably includes a repositionable extended loop sheet feeding belt.