Abstract: A toner cartridge including a cartridge body for containing toner, an agitating paddle for agitating toner and a toner blocking/setting prevention member operative in cooperation with the agitating paddle for preventing toner in the cartridge body from blocking or setting is provided. The toner blocking/setting prevention member may include a contacting projection provided on an agitating wing of the agitating paddle which contacts with a delivering spiral to oscillate the same. Further, the toner blocking/setting member may include an oscillating plate which is repelled by the rotation of the agitating paddle to assist in agitating toner.

Abstract: A system and method for testing a telecommunication system, such as a voice messaging system (VMS) are provided. The system includes a processor for controlling the execution of test script commands used to direct testing of the telecommunication system, and a storage device is provided in communication with the processor for storing the test script commands. A directory in communication with the processor includes at least one service testing application associated with the telecommunication system and developed as a dynamic linked library (DLL). Contained within the service testing application are executable functions associated with the test script commands. A command engine in communication with the processor, storage device, and directory is operable to read the test script commands, scan the directory for the associated executable functions, and execute the associated executable functions.

Abstract: Based on maximum value of distances between vertexes of polygons in plurality of polygon meshes, size of voxel is determined. Respective potential values for plurality of polygon meshes are obtained on basis of signed respective distances of voxels. Sum of potential values is obtained as added potential value. Polygon mesh made of equivalent face of added potential value is defined as surface mesh. Comparison between surface mesh and plurality of original polygon meshes is performed, to determine respective vertexes of plurality of original meshes corresponding to each vertex of surface mesh. Polygons of surface mesh are divided/synthesized to obtain intermediate surface data. Referring to original polygon meshes, respective vertexes of intermediate surface data are moved.

Abstract: A rain sensor including light emitting means 7 for guiding light into a window glass so as to undergo total internal reflection within the window glass, light receiving means 8 for receiving the light which has undergone total internal reflection within the window glass, and means for detecting the amount of water drops adhered to or present upon the window glass so as to output a driving signal to a wiper driver apparatus 20, a difference signal corresponding to a difference between a preset reference value and an output signal of an amplifier circuit 17 of the light receiving means is fed back to the amplifier 17, and an amplification factor of the amplifier circuit 17 is adjusted so as to maintain the output signal thereof at a constant value irrespective of the operation condition of the wiper, when electrical power is applied to the rain sensor 2.

Abstract: A module for use in automatic test equipment is disclosed. The module is especially useful for performing power measurements on high frequency devices. The module includes a power sensor and a plurality of EEPROM's that store reflection coefficient data for the power sensor. Computerized control circuitry in the automatic test equipment uses the stored data to reduce impedance mismatch uncertainties in the power measurements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for increasing the bias force between a developer half and a cleaner half of a process cartridge are disclosed. One or more springs are interposed between the cleaner half and the developer half of the process cartridge. These springs are of sufficient strength to maintain a constant separation between the developer and the photosensitive member of the process cartridge. Sources of force other than springs, such as weights or elastic members may also be employed to provide and increase the bias force urging the developer and photosensitive member together.

Abstract: An accurate impedance measurement method for a power system transmission line is disclosed for improving various protection functions, i.e., distance protection and/or fault location estimation. The method is less sensitive to harmonics and other transient problems introduced to power systems by series capacitance and the like, and is easily incorporated into existing protective relays. In the method, a number (n) of current and voltage samples (Ik, Vk) representative of values of current and voltage waveforms are measured, respectively, at successive instants of time on a conductor in a power system. The number n is an integer greater than I and the index k takes on values of 1 to n. Resistance (R) and inductance (L) values are computed in accordance with an equation in which R and L are related to sums of differences in values of successive current and voltage samples. A prescribed power system function is then performed based on the computed R and L values.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an electrostatic latent image, a charging device for charging the surface of the image bearing member, an electrostatic latent image forming device for forming the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image bearing member charged by the charging device, a developing device, which includes a developer bearing member for bearing a single component developer, for performing development by bringing the single component developer into contact with the electrostatic latent image to form a visible image, a transfer device for electrostatically transferring the visible image to a transfer member, and a fixing device for fixing the electrostatically transferred visible image on the transfer member. The developer bearing member includes at least a conductive core bar, an electron-conductive layer composed of an elastic body, and an ion-conductive layer.

Abstract: A curve radius of a roadway is determined by measuring the difference in wheel speed of at least two vehicle wheels and the rate of yaw of the vehicle, and hence the curve radius, is determined therefrom. The wheel speeds are determined by measuring the time required for the wheel to rotate by a fixed rotational angle, based on a fixed number of pulses produced by a pulse transmitter which is part of an ABS or ASR system for the vehicle. The method provides considerably improved accuracy using simple, vehicle-contained components and various parameters can be taken into account simultaneously.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image-bearing member, an image forming device for forming an image on the image-bearing member, a side section to substantially support at least one of the image-bearing member and the image forming device and a bottom section to support and position the side section. The bottom section includes an upper surface member, a lower surface member and a side surface member which connects each side of the upper surface member and each side of the lower surface member.

Abstract: In a fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a transfer material by applying heat and pressure to the transfer material, the fixing apparatus includes: a roll-shaped rotary member for applying heat, including a ray radiating device for radiating a ray generated by a ray generating source provided inside the ray radiating device; a cylindrical ray-transmitting base member through which the ray generated by the ray generating source is transmitted, being arranged around the ray radiating device; a resilient layer; and a ray absorbing layer provided outside the resilient layer for absorbing the ray generated by the ray generating source. The following condition is satisfied, K1>K2 where K1 (J/cm·s·K) represents thermal conductivity of the ray-transmitting base member and K2 (J/cm·s·K) represents thermal conductivity of the resilient layer.

Abstract: A noise measurement test system is provided for making phase noise measurements of a unit under test (UUT). The noise measurement test system comprises a variable amplifier, a variable low noise source, a variable phase shifter, a mixer, a variable low noise matching amplifier, analog-to-digital converter, a processor and a spectrum analyzer. A first low noise signal, created by the low noise source, is routed through the unit under test and variable amplifier to the mixer. A second low noise signal, also created by the low noise source, is routed through the variable phase shifter to the mixer. The mixer places the received signals in phase quadrature and outputs a measurement test signal which is routed through an analog-to-digital convertor to the processor and spectrum analyzer. The processor includes control links for adjusting the amplifier, low noise source and phase shifter to ensure that the signals received by the mixer are in phase quadrature.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an LED array for performing exposure according to an input image signal, a photoconductive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposure with the LED array, a developing device for making the electrostatic image visible, a transfer charger for transferring the visible image onto a transfer material, and a fixing device for fixing the image on the transfer material. When the operating speed in an image forming process equals the image forming speed, and the image forming speed can be switched among a plurality of levels, the image forming condition is changed in accordance with the image forming speed.

Abstract: A low load fuser member for heating and fusing high quality toner images onto an image carrying substrate is provided. The low load fuser member includes a soft, low durometer and thermally non-conductive first elastomeric material member for forming a relatively large fusing nip at a relatively low load; a second and thermally conductive elastomeric material forming an intermediate layer over the first elastomeric material member; and a toner image release layer formed over the intermediate layer for facilitating release of fused toner images.

Abstract: Disclosed is a color image forming apparatus in which a color image is formed by accumulating a visible image on an image transfer medium. The color image forming apparatus includes a plurality of forming means for forming the visible image on an image forming medium with a toner; and a plurality of transferring means for transfer the visible image onto the image transfer medium while bringing the visible image into contact with the image transfer medium.

Abstract: A printer controller receives a printer job from external equipment and carries out the printer job using a printer. A user IF task accepts a reservation input for the use of a copying function using a scanner and the printer from a user while the printer job is being executed by the printer controller. Responsive to the copy reservation input, a job management task reserves the right of use of the scanner and the printer after the completion of the printer job in execution. If the printer is in operation when the user desires to use the copy function, the user is allowed to make a reservation for copying and then copy after the termination of the current printer job even if another printer job has been spooled.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, the rise and fall of a short magnet brush are realized and allow a nip for development to be reduced. This, coupled with the fact that the short magnet brush uniformly rises and falls in the axial direction of a developing sleeve, frees the trailing edge of an image from local omission or jaggedness while reducing defective images including a thinned dot image.

Abstract: A method for calibration of an IR spectrometry apparatus for providing and evaluating IR spectra in order to determine very low contents of specific components in a fluid, such as milk, and especially low contents of acetone, in a measuring range above 0, such as from 0.5 mM to 2.0 mM acetone in milk, using at least 50, such as from 50-300 known samples including at least 10 samples representing the fluid without any substantial content of the specific component for the calibration. Preferably, a good calibration for acetone shall be based on spectral information including the spectral ranges 1712-1697, 1419-1396, 1378-1353 and 1249-1226 cm−1, or at least a substantial portion/part of said ranges. By use of the new calibration of a FT-IR-spectrometry apparatus it will be possible to determine the acetone content during the sane IR measurement process used for determining other milk parameters such as fat and protein.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an image, a recording material bearing member for bearing a recording material electrostatically, and a transfer member for transferring the image on the image bearing member electrostatically to the recording material borne by the recording material bearing member by being put into contact with the recording material bearing member, wherein a length of a contact area between the recording material bearing member and the transfer member is less than that of a contact area between the image bearing member and the recording material borne by the recording material bearing member in a conveyance direction of the recording material bearing member, wherein the recording material bearing member has a first layer for bearing the recording material and a second layer in contact with the transfer member in an image transfer, and wherein a surface resistivity of the first layer is lower than a surface resistivity of the second layer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (12-20, 32) for automatically locating faults in a network of signal carriers (cables) utilises an interrogation waveform which is pulse-like in form and receives composite reflected signals from the carriers which are a time distributed collection of individual reflections. These are sampled and compared using the function of an adaptive filter (52) to minimise the difference signal. The difference signals are analysed to determine significant points of departure which identify the fault location which is then represented as a distance value.