Abstract: A method of processing a job, with compound segments, in a printing system is provided. The method includes the steps of (a) generating a dialog, having a set of attributes designating a manner in which compound segments of the job are to be processed by the printing system, and (b) programming the dialog so that values are provided for selected ones of the set of attributes. The method further includes the steps of (c) capturing the attribute values, programmed in step (b), to obtain a job ticket for a first one of the compound segments and (d) repeating steps (a) -(c) for one or more other compound segments to create a composite job ticket. The compound segments are then processed, in accordance with the composite job ticket, so that one or more copies of the job are delivered to one or more output/storage destinations.

Abstract: Two lowermost heating members and one intermediate heating member are provided for a plurality of paper feeding trays disposed in the paper feeding portion of an image forming apparatus and the temperature in the whole paper feeding portion is controlled by supplying power to each of the heating members. The heating member is provided with a heat reflective plate and a heat insulating plate side by side to insulate the heat of a heating element. The heating member is placed close to the tray and the temperature in the whole paper feeding portion is controlled under a convection current of the heat emanated from the heating element in the paper feed. Moreover, a humidity sensor may be installed on the side or within the image forming apparatus to control the power supplied to each heating member.

Abstract: An apparatus for tensioning wires in a wire module assembly is disclosed. Prior to placing the wire module in an operable position, the wires are attached to the wire module and the tension is adjusted to obtain the proper operating tension. This is accomplished by having a fixed and an adjustable wire anchor support. The adjustable anchor support is positioned between two fixed cross members and an adjusting mechanism passes through a cross member, the adjustable anchor support and the other cross member. When the adjusting mechanism is turned, the adjustable anchor support translates between the two cross members.

Abstract: Disclosed is a roll nip tool for making nip width measurements within a high temperature roll nip. The tool includes a first thin section for inserting into the high temperature roll nip. The first thin section includes a first surface that has a first portion of an electrical circuit formed thereon. The first thin section also includes a second thin member that has a second surface and a second portion of the electrical circuit formed thereon. The first thin member and the second thin member are attached together to form a pocket, and are arranged together such that the first and the second portions of the electrical circuit can be brought together into circuit closing contact within the pocket. The first thin section of the tool further includes a mechanism or suitable means such as pressurized air within the pocket for normally keeping the electrical circuit open by controllably separating the first and the second portions of the electrical circuit.

Abstract: In a multi-color imaging apparatus utilizing a recharge step between two image creation steps for recharging a charge retentive surface to a predetermined potential pursuant to forming the second of the two images, a first corona generating device recharges the charge retentive surface to a higher absolute potential than a predetermined potential, and then a second corona generating device recharges the charge retentive surface to the predetermined potential. An electrical charge associated with the first image is substantially neutralized after being recharged by the first and second corona generating device.

Abstract: A hollow cylinder supporting end flange is disclosed comprising a disk shaped member, a supporting hub extending axially from the disk shaped member and an annular ring supported on the hub, the ring comprising a plurality of sharp protrusions or barbs extending from the ring in a direction away from the hub for engagement with the hollow cylindrical member upon insertion of the annular ring into the hollow cylindrical member.

Abstract: There is disclosed an electrical component for making electrical contact with another component comprising a composite member including a plurality of electrically conductive, nonmetallic fibers in an electrically conductive metallic matrix wherein said composite member has an axial direction and a DC volume resistivity of less than about 100 micro ohm cm, said plurality of conductive fibers being oriented in said matrix in a direction substantially parallel to each other and to the axial direction of said member and said fibers being continuous from one end of said member to the other end to provide a plurality of electrical contact points at each end of said member, at least one end of said member having a brush-like structure of said plurality of fibers wherein said brush-like structure is at least substantially free of the metallic matrix, thereby providing a distributed filament contact wherein the terminating ends of the fibers in the brush-like structure define an electrically contacting surface.

Abstract: A thermal ink jet printer that prints onto thermal adhesive binding tape includes a tape feeding adapter that enables the feeding of tape into and out of the printer. The adapter includes a base support member for supporting a plurality of tapes in a substantially horizontal position for feeding into the printer and two tape guide members positioned orthogonally and centrally of the base support member for guiding the tapes into and out of the printer. Two support and guide members are connected to and extends orthogonally with respect to the two tape guides members for receiving and supporting the tapes between the two tape guides members and above the base support member after the tapes have exited the printer.

Abstract: The present invention presents an apparatus and method for efficiently and automatically monitoring and adjusting the power output of laser diodes used to provide the scanning beams in a ROS system. Light radiated from the back facet of the laser diode is directed onto at least a pair of back facet photodiodes. The photodiode outputs are proportional to the power output of the laser diode associated with the photodiode. The polarization of the laser diode back facet output is controlled so as to ensure that the only outputs from an associated laser diode is sensed by an associated photodiode. In one embodiment, a half wave plate is used to rotate the polarization of one of the laser diodes and in another embodiment optical fibers efficiently transmit light emitted from the back facets to the photodiode.

Abstract: Specific pattern images are transferred from respective photoreceptors onto the circumferential surface of a transfer belt. By detecting the specific pattern images with sensors, misregistration amounts on a transfer belt are calculated by a misregistration correction control section. Averages of the misregistration amounts for respective colors are calculated for each region that corresponds to a single recording medium placed on the transfer belt. The scanning timings of image writing units are controlled by an image signal output control section based on the calculated averages. As a result, toner images formed on the respective photoreceptors are transferred to proper positions of any recording medium being placed on the transfer belt.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead includes a mounting frame, an ink supply reservoir secured to the mounting frame and a valve housing secured to the mounting frame, the valve housing including an ink chamber. An ink supply fitting is supported in the mounting frame and includes a bore having a first end communicating with the ink supply reservoir and a second end communicating with the valve housing for feeding ink from the ink supply reservoir to the ink chamber. The fitting includes a valve seat in the bore. A valve member located in the valve housing is mounted for reciprocation in the ink supply fitting bore for selectively sealing against the valve seat in the fitting. A support member supports the valve member so that the valve member can reciprocate in relation to the valve seat to selectively allow a flow of ink into the ink chamber.

Abstract: A method for forming a plurality of halftone density patterns in an image processing system. Each density pattern is formed using a halftone cell that is incrementally grown according to a pixel growth pattern that is defined by the position of each threshold value in the halftone cell. The plurality of halftone density patterns are formed in accordance with at least two tests, one for an upper gray density boundary U(d) and one for a lower gray density boundary L(d). The two gray density boundary tests enables different density patterns having the same number of pixels but different densities to be formed by altering the growth pattern of the halftone cell. The two boundaries U(d) and L(d) define a valid range for each gray density threshold in a halftone cell. The defined range insures that pixels are added or removed along the pixel growth pattern of the halftone cell, thereby altering the perceived density of halftone density patterns having an equal number of pixels.

Abstract: Apparatus for encoding an image signal which is capable of improving the quality of a reproduced image with respect to not only a general image in which electric power is concentrated in low-frequency region coefficients but also an image where the electric power is concentrated in a high-frequency region. The apparatus comprises a blocking device in which a rectangular area in an image is detected from a digital image signal as a pixel block, and is subjected to an orthogonal transform by a converter to obtain a transformed coefficient. In addition, an activity calculator calculates the variance of the image within the block, and electric power to be preserved during encoding is determined by a power-preservation-rate determining device on the basis of the variance determined.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for moving a cleaning brush, periodically or continuously, to avoid flat spots or voids in the cleaning brush fibers when the printing machine is in standby or off. Periodic movement of the cleaning brush or slow rotation of the cleaning brush when the machine is in a non-operational mode prevent brush "set" from occurring thus, preventing motion quality errors in the printing operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a text editing support apparatus in which constituents of text and connective relationships among the constituents are received as inputs. The constituents and the connective relationships among the constituents are held within the apparatus, along with rules on the connective relationships among the constituents. The connection rules are applied to the held constituents to form text. The result of text formation obtained by applying the connection rules is displayed.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a printhead having a plurality of segments each having ink ejecting nozzles, each segment supplied with ink of a different characteristic. Means are provided for moving the printhead in a direction transverse to the advancing movement of a recording medium. Means are further provided for moving the printhead between two or more positions along the recording medium advance direction. Thus, the printhead can print a swath of ink of a first characteristic from one segment and then be moved to print a second swath from a second segment with ink of a second characteristic. In one embodiment, a printhead has two segments, one printing in black, and the other in color. A shift mechanism is enabled to move the printhead between a black print position and a color print position. The invention contemplates alternate color printing swaths at alternate printing positions along the same printing swath, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: A printing system for producing a print job, the printing system including a print engine for imaging regular substrates, fed to the print engine from a regular substrate feeding apparatus and delivering the imaged regular substrates to an output; and a duplexer operatively coupled to the print engine having a first path for feeding imaged regular substrates to the print engine for duplex printing, the duplexer having a second, sheet insertion, path for feeding special sheets to the output of imaged regular substrates.

Abstract: A method for rotating an image clockwise or counter clockwise by ninety degrees in place in an image buffer with a small auxiliary buffer is disclosed. The image, defined by a rectangular pattern of H lines with each line having W pixels, is segmented into square blocks of N pixels per row and N lines per column. The image is stored in an image buffer, and each square block of pixels in the image buffer is rotated by ninety degrees. A starting memory location in the image buffer is selected from a set of starting memory locations, and a memory word at the selected starting memory location is copied into a memory word of a temporary storage buffer. A replacement memory location in the image buffer is determined for the memory word in the temporary storage buffer, which is swapped with a memory word at the replacement memory location.

Abstract: A release agent management system including a metering roll supported for contact with release agent material contained in a sump. The metering roll also contacts a donor brush structure which, in turn, contacts a heated fuser roll member.The ends of the brush structure are provided with a pair of friction devices which contact the surface of the heated fuser roll member and do not contact the metering roll. Thus, the donor brush structure and the heated fuser roll member are frictionally coupled so that positive rotation of the heated fuser roll member imparts rotation to the donor brush structure.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer includes a printhead disposed on a reciprocating carriage. The printhead includes two sets of ejectors spaced by a predetermined pitch, in collinear linear arrays. The two sets of ejectors are offset by a partial pitch to enable interleaving of print swaths by the two sets of ejectors, in order to print at a higher resolution than the predetermined pitch would allow.