Abstract: A low cost, high speed, JPEG Huffman code decoder. The entire gamut of Huffman codes is partitioned into groups, with each group being associated with it's own small look up table to minimize the overall memory requirements. The current Huffman code is stored in a register. For the disclosed embodiment there are N=4 memories with sizes 128, 256, 128 and 256 elements respectively. For the specific typical Huffman code set cited, the partitioning is: The code words in the first group have 7 bits or less and are decoded in the first memory. The next group has from 5 to 7 leading ones, where the first five 1's are masked out and the remaining bits are used to address the second memory. The remaining codes have at least eight leading ones. Here, the first eight ones are masked out and the remaining bits are used to address the last memory. (In this example, one of the memories is not used).

Abstract: An article 1 to be prevented from forgery previously contains an optical semiconductor, the mixing ratio of which is predetermined. Under the condition that a light source 6 is turned off, microwaves are emitted to the article 1 to be prevented from forgery through a feed phone 5. These microwaves are reflected on the article 1 to be prevented from forgery and supplied to a receiving section 8 through a feed phone 7, so that the receiving level of the microwaves can be measured. Next, the light source 6 is turned on, and the receiving level of the microwaves is measured in the same manner. When an optical semiconductor is irradiated with rays of light, it is excited, so that the microwave reflection factor is enhanced. Accordingly, the receiving level in the case where the light source 6 is turned on is higher than the receiving level in the case where the light source 6 is turned off.

Abstract: A hand-held computer having symmetrically placed buttons on one side so that left or right handed operation by the grasping hand is easily achieved. The hand-held computer includes a configuration method so that the functions of buttons and the orientation of images on the display screen can be adjusted for left or right handed use of the computer. Stylus input is modified by button presses thereby allowing more flexibility in inputing information to the computer. The computer includes rounded buttons as an aid to holding and operating the computer so as to improve operator comfort.

Abstract: A code pattern, such as a glyph code pattern, is parameterized in two-dimensional space by encodings of parallel propagating unique numeric sequence which incrementally vary in phase transversely of the code pattern.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording head cleaning method and an ink-jet recording head cleaning cartridge for use in the method are disclosed. The cartridge 3 contains a cleaning liquid comprising water and a surfactant, and an ink cartridge is replaceable therewith. In cleaning a heating head 2 of an ink-jet recording apparatus having a removable ink cartridge, the ink cartridge is replaced with the head cleaning cartridge 3 to clean the head with the cleaning liquid contained in the head cleaning cartridge. The cartridge can be packed with a cleaning liquid holder comprising either a porous material or a nonwoven fabric made of chemical fibers. Tho head cleaning method is low-cost, does not impose any limitation on ink design, is free from the problem of printing density change which occurs during long-term use, and has an advantage that ink changes are easy.

Abstract: The present invention provides a variable-length code decoder for inputting a code data bit string having a predetermined number of code data bits in every decoding cycle and decoding it, which comprises storing means for storing a decoded symbol and a node in a code tree in the next decoding cycle corresponding to each combination of a value of the code data bit string and a node in the code tree, reading means for reading the decoded symbol and the node in the code tree in the next decoding cycle from the storing means in accordance with the code data bit string inputted in a current decoding cycle and the node in the code tree in the current decoding cycle, outputting means for outputting the decoded symbol read by the reading means, and providing means for providing the node in the code tree in the next decoding cycle read by the reading means to the reading means.

Abstract: A gyricon or twisting-ball display in which optically anisotropic particles, such as bichromal balls, are disposed directly in a working fluid, such as a dielectric liquid, without an elastomer substrate or other cavity-containing matrix. The display apparatus has an optically transmissive viewing surface, behind which the working fluid is disposed with the particles in it. The particles are arranged in a closely packed stable arrangement in which neighboring particles tend to keep one another in place. For example, the particles can be arranged in a hexagonally packed monolayer. The working fluid does not substantially constrain the particles to remain in the stable arrangement, notwithstanding the direct contact of the fluid with the particles.

Abstract: A high-volume digital print service has a plurality of independent and simultaneously-operable decomposers which each output decomposed image data to a common buffer. The decomposed data can be compressed for relatively long-term retention in the buffer, by means of a compression element. All of the decomposers and the compression element are operated by a central CPU facility. A control system, sensitive to the amount of data in the buffer at a given time, apportions CPU cycles among the decomposers and compression element for optimization of the entire print service. The control system can also command printing hardware to skip pitches on an imaging surface therein, in order to reduce demand for decomposed data.

Abstract: Font-independent spotting of user-defined keywords in a scanned image. Word identification is based on features of the entire word without the need for segmentation or OCR, and without the need to recognize non-keywords. Font-independent character models are created using hidden Markov models (HMMs) and arbitrary keyword models are built from the character HMM components. Word or text line bounding boxes are extracted from the image, a set of features based on the word shape, (and preferably also the word internal structure) within each bounding box is extracted, this set of features is applied to a network that includes one or more keyword HMMs, and a determination is made. The identification of word bounding boxes for potential keywords includes the steps of reducing the image (say by 2.times.) and subjecting the reduced image to vertical and horizontal morphological closing operations.

Abstract: A system for providing a plurality of process cartridges for developing with marking particles a latent image with common components is provided. The system includes a housing and a member mounted to the housing for advancing the marking particles toward the latent image. The system also includes a first pan securable to the housing and defining a first cavity therebetween. The first cavity defines a first volume. The system also includes a second pan securable to the housing and defining a second cavity therebetween. The second cavity defines a second volume substantially different than the first volume. The housing, the member and the first pan are assemblable to form a first process cartridge including the first volume. The housing, the member and the second pan are assemblable to form a second process cartridge including the second volume.

Abstract: Considering the differential pressure .DELTA.P between pressures applied to both faces of a meniscus formation member, the differential pressure .DELTA.P becomes the maximum when an ink supply unit is left standing with the meniscus formation member placed upward. At this time, water head PH of ink attempting to fall due to gravity is applied to the inner face of the meniscus formation member in the same direction as negative pressure PR of a capillary member. Thus, the differential pressure .DELTA.P becomes .DELTA.P=PR+PH. The bubble point pressure PB of the meniscus formation member is set greater than the maximum value of the differential pressure, .DELTA.P=PR+PH, whereby air does not enter an ink tank through the meniscus formation member.

Abstract: An acoustic ink printhead includes a substrate having an inlet side, an outlet side, and a plurality of acoustic lenses acoustically coupled to a substrate. Each acoustic lens has an identical focal length for focusing acoustic energy at an associated position adjacent to the substrate. A top plate is attached to the substrate to define a channel that permits ink flow between the inlet side and the outlet side. The top plate has a plurality of variable size openings to permit ejection of acoustically impelled droplets of ink flowing in the channel. Because of the varying size of the openings in the top plate, the ink menisci in the plurality of openings is maintained at a substantially constant distance with respect to the substrate, improving uniformity of droplets ejected.

Abstract: A transparent substrate as formed on its front side a layer of amorphous silicon. A laser beam is used to irradiate through the backside of the transparent substrate in order to form buried nucleation sites within the amorphous silicon. The buried nucleation sites which are used as nucleation seeds are then used during a front side crystallization process in order to form large single silicon crystals over the substrate surface.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing vibration of a transfer film caused from the operation of a separating device to prevent irregular density distribution and change in the hue. The image forming apparatus according to the present invention and having: a transfer-medium holding member having a transfer film for adsorbing and carrying a transfer medium and arranged such that an image is formed on the transfer medium; an internally and upwardly pushing member movably disposed on the surface of the transfer film opposite to the surface to which the transfer medium is adsorbed; a moving device for moving the internally and upwardly pushing member by a predetermined quantity so that the internally and upwardly pushing member upwardly pushes the transfer film to deform the transfer film to separate the transfer medium from the transfer film; and a preventing device for preventing vibration of the internally and upwardly pushing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs a stable developing characteristic for an electrostatic latent image including a halftone image expressed by a binary manner. The apparatus includes a photoreceptor having a surface and an electrostatic image forming device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor, the electrostatic latent image including a digitally-reproduced binary latent image. The apparatus further includes a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image. The developing device includes a two-component developer including magnetic carrier particles and toner particles. The apparatus also includes a bias applying device for applying a bias voltage between the developing device and the photoreceptor for defining a relatively high contrast potential of the digitally-reproduced binary latent image to be developed.

Abstract: A target density accomplishment line is a line at which a control case plane and a target density plane intersect each other. If present control contents are plotted on the target density accomplishment line, it means that a target density is accomplished. It is not correct to say that any point on the target density accomplishment line can be employed. A point on the target density accomplishment line which should be employed needs to also satisfy optimization rules for respective manipulated variables. By applying bias and laser power optimization rules are applied to the points on the target density accomplishment line, a combination of bias and laser power set values that maximizes the product of bias and laser power optimization rule satisfaction levels is selected.

Abstract: A network resource supervising system for supervising the resources in a network in a centralized manner, comprising resource data control table means for storing data on the resources in a given format, resource data retrieving means which picks up desired data on the resources stored in the table means and retrieves data base (not shown) containing the data on the resources distributed in the network, and alters the contents of the table means according to the result of the pick-up and retrieval operations, resource data supervising means for searching generation and changes of the resource data stored in the table means, and display control means having a display section for visually presenting the resource data of the table means.

Abstract: A method adjusting toner concentration in a printing machine by first reading a first clean imaging surface reflectance value from a segment of the imaging surface with the developer in an off mode and storing the reflectance value as a reference. A second clean imaging surface reflectance value from the same segment of the imaging surface is then read with the developer in an on mode. The first clean imaging surface reflectance value is compared to the second clean imaging surface reflectance value and the toner dispenser is controlled in response to the difference.

Abstract: A carrier for developing an electrostatic latent image comprising a core material coated with a resin layer, wherein the F/N ratio of the surface of the resin layer ranges from 1 to 20. It is desirable that the resin layer include resin particles containing a nitrogen atom, that the average particle diameter of the nitrogen-atom-containing resin be in a range from 0.1 to 2 .mu.m, that the thickness of the resin layer be in a range from 0.1 to 10 .mu.m, that the resin layer include an electroconductive material which is in a condition to be dispersed in the resin layer, that the electroconductive material be made of carbon black, and that the average particle diameter of the carrier for developing an electrostatic latent image be in a range from 30 to 150 .mu.m. The carrier for developing an electrostatic latent image, which is long-lived, provided with a charging capability unchanged over time, and is capable of effectively preventing fogging are provided.

Abstract: An image transforming section subjects image data to compression processing. A quantizing section quantizes the transformed data using a quantization width. A variable-length coding section subjects the quantized data to variable-length coding. A code-amount computing section determines a total code amount by accumulating partial code amounts. A control section performs control based on the code amount. An estimating method selecting section adaptively selects a quantization width estimating method. A coded result storage section stores data of a code amount corresponding to the quantization width. First and second quantization width estimating sections have different quantization width estimating methods.