Abstract: Crosslinked fluorocarbon elastomer surfaces comprised of a fluorocarbon elastomer and an amino siloxane and a method for providing a crosslinked fluorocarbon elastomer surface on a fuser member supporting substrate which includes mixing together an acid acceptor, an emulsifier, water, and amino siloxane with a latex fluorocarbon elastomer are provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing within an imaging area of a charged surface and without significant banding, an array of pixel spots forming image scan lines including a start-of-image scan line. The method and apparatus include a ROS for generating an even number of light beams. The ROS includes a rotating polygon assembly having a plural number of facets `F` for each deflecting the even number of light beams onto the imaging area of the charged surface forming scanning beams for simultaneously each producing an image scan line. The method and apparatus also include a controller for controlling the even number of light beams so that a scanning beam spacing "d" is maintained where "d" is equal to `F`-1, and so that at start-of-producing the pixel spots forming the image scan lines, the beams are offset relative to the start-of-image scan line and only one-half the even number of light beams is deflected onto the imaging area of the charged surface to each form an image scan line.

Abstract: An expert system, such as could be used for service of a complicated physical device such as a printer or copier, exploits a knowledge base which is written in a markup language format such as SGML. The knowledge base comprises text which, if desired, can be printed out on paper to yield a traditional service manual. In addition to the typical formatting markup language tags surrounding the text of the knowledge base, hierarchical tags are provided in the electronic version of the knowledge base, to define a set of decision trees which can be accessed and navigated by an expert system. A diagnostic advisor can access specific elements of the knowledge base as needed to synthesize optimized diagnosis and repair procedures depending on an entry given by a tech rep servicing a machine. This arrangement thus supports both a printed service manual and a viewer that provides expert diagnostic advice.

Abstract: A tristate light valve ball for an electrical twisting ball device composed of spheroidal balls rotatably disposed in an elastomer substrate. The ball is composed of segments arrayed substantially parallel to one another, each segment being adjacent to at least one other segment and to no more than two other segments. Adjacent segments are adjoined to one another at substantially planar interfaces. The segments include: a first, interior, nontransparent segment having a first optical modulation characteristic; a second exterior, transparent segment, adjacent to the first segment and having a second optical modulation characteristic; a third, interior, nontransparent segment having a third optical modulation characteristic; and a fourth, exterior, transparent segment adjacent to the third segment. For example, the ball can be made with a black first segment adjacent to a white third segment, surrounded on either side by clear second and fourth exterior segments.

Abstract: An apparatus for developing an electrostatic latent image on an imaging member with a liquid developing material, including a liquid developing material applicator, the housing defining an aperture adapted for transporting liquid developing material into contact with the imaging member, the housing further including a planar surface adjacent the aperture for providing a liquid developing material application region in which the liquid developing material can flow freely with the imaging member; a developing roll situated adjacent the liquid developing material applicator and downstream therefrom relative to a path of travel of the imaging member; and a cleaning system, operatively coupled to the liquid developing material applicator, for cleaning residue liquid developer material from the liquid developing material applicator and the developing roll.

Abstract: A combination of five colored toners containing resin and certain pigments of magenta, yellow, orange, red, and black, and processes for the preparation of these toners by, for example, mixing a cyan, magenta, orange, or red and yellow pigment water wet cake with toner resin, followed by substantially removing the water to generate pigmented resin.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor of the invention comprises a transparent substrate, a transparent conductive layer layered on the transparent substrate, a thin film intermediate layer made of semiconductor material or semiconductor insulating material having a band gap of 2.4 eV or larger, the thin film intermediate layer being formed by a vacuum deposition method and layered on the transparent conductive layer, and an amorphous silicon photoconductive layer layered on the thin film intermediate layer. The electrophotographic photoreceptor is used for an image forming method which comprises an exposure/developing step for carrying out an image exposure process by an exposure means located on the transparent substrate side and substantially at the same time carrying out under a bias voltage applied thereto by a developing means provided on the electrophotographic photoreceptor, and a transferring step for transferring a formed toner image to an image receiving means.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for blending pictorial and graphical look-up tables is provided. The blended look-up table, addressable by image signals from both pictorial and graphical objects, produces printer signals which are a blend of the output of the pictorial and graphical look-up tables. For image signals that are inside the pictorial gamut of the printer, only the output of the pictorial look-up table is used in the blended look-up table. For image signals that are outside the pictorial gamut, a blend of the output of both pictorial and graphical look-up tables is used in the blended look-up table. To blend the tables, graphical and pictorial image signals are selected from the surface of the graphical and pictorial gamut which have the same hue and luminance as the desired image signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for developing a latent image recorded on a surface, including a housing defining a chamber storing a supply of toner. A toner donor member is spaced from the image bearing surface and adapted to transport toner to a region opposed from the surface. A charging device is disposed in the chamber for ion charging the toner. An air injection system fluidizes the toner in the chamber. The injection system and a transport member cooperate with one another to define a region wherein a substantially constant quantity of toner having a substantially constant ion charge is deposited on the transport member. The toner is electrostatically transferred from the transport member to the donor member which contains interdigitated electrodes positioned near the surface of a dielectric core roll. An AC voltage is applied between the interdigitated electrodes to detach toner from the donor member so as to form a toner cloud for developing the latent image in an image on image process.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus for transferring an image of an original document to a copy paper sheet. Original documents are placed in an original document tray and copy paper sheets are stored in a paper tray. The original document tray has a tray sensor for sensing the original document placed on the original document tray. Upon transferring the original documents to an image scanning apparatus, a regi-sensor measures the length of the original document when the original document is transported to the scanning apparatus. A value corresponding to a transport distance is stored until the original document leaves the tray sensor based on the length of the original document. The tray sensor can sense when the original document is transported more than the transport distance corresponding to the value stored. Paper is fed out of the copy paper sheet tray to the image transfer apparatus when the controller senses the original document.

Abstract: A charge transporting polymer represented by formula ##STR1## wherein R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an acyl group or --CONH--R, wherein R' represents an alkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group; R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, which may be the same or different, each represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a substituted amino group, a halogen atom, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group; X represents a substituted or unsubstituted divalent aromatic group; y represents 0 or 1; m represents 0 or 1; n represents an integer of 1 to 5; and p represents an integer of 5 to 5000,a process for producing the same, and an organic electron device containing the same, such as an electrophotographic photoreceptor are disclosed. The charge transporting polymer is excellent in solubility, film-forming properties, mechanical strength, positive hole mobility, and stability to repeated use.

Abstract: An apparatus for developing a latent image recorded on a surface, including a housing defining a chamber storing a supply of developer material including toner; a toner donor member spaced from the surface and being adapted to transport toner to a region opposed from the surface, the donor member having an electrode member associated therewith; developer material is conveyed in the chamber of the housing onto the donor member; a first AC source for AC biasing the electrode member; and a second AC source for AC biasing the electrode member with an AC rectified waveform, said first and second AC source coacting to detach toner from said donor member as to form a toner cloud for developing the latent image.

Abstract: A method for generating watermarks in a digitally reproducible document which are substantially invisible when viewed including the steps of: (1) producing a first stochastic screen pattern suitable for reproducing a gray image on a document; (2) deriving at least one stochastic screen description that is related to said first pattern; (3) producing a document containing the first stochastic screen; (4) producing a second document containing one or more of the stochastic screens in combination, whereby upon placing the first and second document in superposition relationship to allow viewing of both documents together, correlation between the first stochastic pattern on each document occurs everywhere within the documents where the first screen is used, and correlation does not occur where the area where the derived stochastic screens occur and the image placed therein using the derived stochastic screens becomes visible.

Abstract: In a sheet handling machine having a frame, and a cut sheet handling system including a sheet path, a stalled sheet pulling and crushing apparatus for reducing a sheet, stalled across an interface between a withdrawable and a fixed component of a cut sheet handling system into a shape and size suitably enabling reliable removal of the stalled sheet through a relatively narrow gap between the withdrawable and fixed components of the sheet handling system.

Abstract: When a control part is restarted, an average of a stored standard operation quantity and a stored operation quantity immediately before a stop of the control part is calculated. The average operation quantity (for instance, laser power) is applied to an image output part, and a resulting control quantity (for instance, a development density) is measured. A control rule retrieval unit calculates adaptabilities of respective control rules with respect to the measured control quantity, thereby synthesizing an application control rule. A new operation quantity is determined based on the application control rule and an error of the measured control quantity from a target value.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic transfer film which can provide improvements in the color development at the half tone (dot) area of a projected image and the anti-offset properties. A novel electrophotographic transfer film is disclosed which comprises an image receiving layer provided on at least one side of a transparent support is provided, wherein the image receiving layer comprises a polyester including (i) a repeating unit of a dibasic acid component containing at least one dicarboxylic acid unit selected from the group consisting of a telephthalic acid unit and a 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid unit, and a sulfobenzenedicarboxylic acid unit; and (ii) a repeating unit of a divalent alcohol component containing an ethylene glycol unit, a triethylene glycol unit and a bisphenol A-ethylene oxide adduct unit. A color image formation process is also provided which comprises forming a color image on the electrophotographic transfer film.

Abstract: An amorphous silicon thin film transistor (a-Si TFT) or other a-Si device is produced by depositing and lithographically patterning a layer of doped semiconductor material such as microcrystalline or polycrystalline silicon to produce a conductive lead. The semiconductor material is deposited over an insulating region and over an exposed part of an amorphous silicon layer. The insulating region has an edge that is over and approximately aligned with an edge of a gate region. The doped semiconductor layer therefore forms a junction to the amorphous silicon layer at the edge of the insulating region, approximately aligned with the edge of the gate region. Self-aligned lithographic patterning is performed in such a way that the conductive lead overlaps the insulating region by a distance that is no more than a maximum overlap distance. The maximum overlap distance can, for example, be no more than 1.0 .mu.m, and can be 0.5 .mu.m.

Abstract: The invention provides a buffered substrate that includes a substrate, a buffer layer and a silicon layer. The buffer layer is disposed between the substrate and the silicon layer. The buffer layer has a melting point higher than a melting point of the substrate. A polycrystalline silicon layer is formed by crystallizing the silicon layer using a laser beam.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for editing a scanned image. The present invention provides for editing of a scanned image in terms of interpretations of graphical objects contained therein. A graphical object can represent a letter, word, line of text, graphic or any other portion of the document image selected by the user. An interpretation embodies a predetermined relationship between graphical objects as well as editing operations that can be performed on the graphical objects. Interpretations belong to one of two classes. A first class, set interpretation, treats graphical objects as an unordered set lying within a document plane. Editing operations in a set interpretation allow a graphical object to be manipulated within in the document plane without disturbing the spatial orientation of other graphical objects. A second class, sequence interpretation, is like a set interpretation except that the set of graphical objects are ordered.

Abstract: An apparatus for developing a latent image recorded on a surface, including a housing defining a chamber storing a supply of developer material including toner and carrier beads. A toner donor member is spaced from the surface and is adapted to transport toner to a region opposed from the surface. A magnetic roller conveys the toner material in the chamber of the housing onto the donor member. An electrode member is spaced near the surface of a donor roll, the electrode member electrically biased by a power supply to detach toner from the donor member as to form a toner cloud for developing the latent image. A power supply controller, in communication with the power supply, is adapted to adjust the electrode member electrical biasing to avoid air breakdown induced contamination of the electrode member with toner.