Abstract: A probe or accessory incorporating the features of the subject invention includes a communications arrangement for communicating topology-related data to a host instrument connected to the probe or accessory. The topology-related data describes the probe or accessory as a network comprising multiple paths from the probe tip to host instrument input connector. Each path is associated with a feature of the probe or accessory, and only one path may be active at any given time. Each feature is described by a unique number, called a “tag”. New tags may be assigned when necessary so long as existing tags are not disturbed. A probe or accessory in accordance with the subject invention transmits a list of “Required Tags” to the host instrument. Each required tag is associated with a pathway within the probe or accessory. The host instrument may only exercise those paths for which all required tags are understood, or those for which no required tag is designated.

Abstract: A charging apparatus charges a moving body to be charged, which has a charging member for coming in contact with the body to be charged to charge the body to be charged, and contacting/separating device for contacting the charging member with and separating the charging member from the body to be charged, wherein the contacting/separating device converts a moving force of the body to be charged into a force for contacting/separating the charging member.

Abstract: An assembling method of a cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus and having a developing device, the method including the steps of: preparing a container unit provided with a developing frame; mounting a toner supplying roller to the developing frame, wherein the toner supply roller is effective to supply the toner to the developing roller, and the developing roller is effective to carry the toner to a developing position; mounting a toner layer thickness regulating member to the developing frame, wherein the toner layer thickness regulating member is effective to regulate a thickness of a layer of the toner applied on the developing roller; supporting a shaft of the developing roller at one longitudinal end thereof and a shaft of the toner supplying roller at the one longitudinal end by a side cover, and mounting the side cover to the container unit, after the step of mounting the supplying roller and after the step of mounting the toner layer thickness regulating mem

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image bearing member for bearing an electrostatic latent image, a charging device for applying a voltage to the surface of said image bearing member to charge the surface thereof, electrostatic latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of said image bearing member charged by said charging device; developing means for adhering the toner carried on a toner carrying member to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing member to form a toner image, a transfer material carrying member for carrying and conveying a transfer material to the surface of said image bearing member, transferring means for electrostatically transferring the toner image formed on the surface of said image bearing member to a transfer material, and cleaning means for cleaning said image bearing member.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling amplifier gain, e.g., as used in ESV of a xerographic copier, has a light source, e.g., an LED, optically coupled to a gain control light dependent resistor (LDR). The LDR can be in a negative feedback loop around an amplifier. There is a voltage sensing probe located near the photoreceptor belt of the copier and coupled to an input of the amplifier.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding a both-sided document having images on both sides thereof is provided with a document stand; a reading section; a feeder having a feeding passage and to feed the both-sided document from the document stand to the reading section along the feeding passage; a pair of reversing rollers provided on a reversing passage to reverse the both-sided document after an image of the both-sided document is read at the reading section and to reefed the reversed both-sided document from the reversing passage to the feeding passage so that an image on another side of the both-sided document is read at the reading section; a pair of ejecting rollers provided on an ejecting passage and to eject the both-sided document to a delivery section after the images on both sides of the both-sided document are read at the reading section; and a switching mechanism to connect an outlet passage of the reading section to one of the reversing passage and the ejecting passage; wherein one of the pair of reversing roll

Abstract: Method for measuring a fluid flow, in particular an air flow (L), flowing in a flow canal to an engine (VM) or from an engine (VM), by means of a fluid mass measuring means (3) connected to an evaluation means (2), wherein in a regularly performed cycle an operational parameter (D1, D2, . . . , Dn) characterizing the operating status of the engine (VM) is recorded, the data (M1, M2, . . . , Mn) supplied by the fluid mass measuring means (3) are recorded, at least one extreme value (Ep, En) is determined from the data (M1, M2, . . . , Mn) recorded since the beginning of a time period (t1, t2, . . . , tn), an average value (Wma) is determined from the recorded data (M1, M2, . . . , Mn), a pulsation amplitude (P1, P2, . . . , Pm) is determined by dividing the extreme value (Ep) by the average value (Wma), and the average value (Wma) is corrected by multiplying it by a correction factor (K11, K12, . . . , Kmn) which is selected in dependence on the operational parameter (D1, D2, . . .

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, it is necessary to improve slide portions of a cleaning blade and an image bearing body which cause chatter vibration phenomenon in order to configure the cleaning blade so as to be durable of long-term use. In order to solve the above issue, an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording material which includes an image bearing member and a cleaning blade for cleaning the image bearing member, and in which a decreasing ratio of a friction coefficient &mgr; between the image bearing member and the cleaning blade relative to common logarithms of driving speeds of the image bearing member is maintained 0.03 or lower for prolonging a service life of the cleaning blade.

Abstract: A measuring system for measuring a transfer function matrix of a system to be controlled by applying sine-wave excitations to a test object simultaneously by multiple number of vibrators. In the measuring system, when sine-wave signals for driving multiple number of vibrators are generated, phases between the sine-wave signals are shifted randomly, first, and then multiple number of vibrators are excited simultaneously under the generated sine-wave signals. Then, an auto-spectrum and a cross-spectrum for one calculation are calculated from spectral data on a vibration frequency obtained from an analysis of excitation signals and response signals acquired during the excitations.

Abstract: A reversible image display medium including two sheets; one or more developer accommodating cells formed between the two sheets, and each having a periphery surrounded by a partition wall; and dry developer contained in each of the cell(s), wherein the dry developer contains at least two kinds of frictionally chargeable dry developer particles having different chargeable polarities and different optical reflection densities. The image is displayed by forming a predetermined electrostatic field for each pixel in accordance with the image to be displayed and thereby moving the developer particles in a frictionally charged state. The image formed on the reversible image display medium can be erased, e.g., by an image erasing device.

Abstract: A sliding member composed of a molded resin composition containing at least synthetic resin, polyolefin resin, and oil. This composition allows a sliding resistance to be small and a small torque to be applied to a sliding bearing unit.

Abstract: The printer includes a moving image-carrying belt, and a plurality of toner image producing stations for sequentially depositing a plurality of toner images in register with each other on the surface of said image-carrying belt to form a composite toner image thereon. The image-carrying belt is formed of an electrically non-conductive material having a mean volume resistivity of from 108 to 1011 ohm m.

Abstract: Image forming unit has a photosensitive drum unit and a developing unit. The photosensitive drum unit has drum shafts extending outward from opposite sides thereof. The developing unit has a through-hole and a drum shaft mounting groove for receiving the drum shafts, and developing unit rotary shafts extending outward from opposite sides thereof. An engagement lever and a toner returning cylinder are provided in the photosensitive drum unit, and a shutter is provided in the developing unit. The toner returning cylinder and the shutter are disposed between the waste toner tank of the photosensitive drum unit and the toner returning pipe of the developing unit so that they are detachable and separable from each other. Further, a mechanism is provided for pressing the developing roller onto the photosensitive drum when the photosensitive drum unit is mounted to the developing unit or when the photosensitive roller is driven.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, there is provided a reproduction method including forming a toner image on a moving primary image-forming member (PIFM) which is a first double-sleeved roller including a rigid cylindrical core member, a replaceable removable compliant inner sleeve member (ISM) in nonadhesive intimate contact with and surrounding the core member, and a replaceable removable photoconductive outer sleeve member (OSM) in nonadhesive intimate contact with and surrounding the ISM; electrostatically transferring the toner image, from the PIFM to a counter-rotating intermediate transfer member (ITM) which is a second double-sleeved roller, in a first transfer nip width produced by a pressure contact between the PIFM and the ITM, an electric field urging the toner image from the PIFM to the ITM, wherein the ITM includes a rigid cylindrical core member, a compliant ISM in nonadhesive intimate contact with and surrounding the core member, and a compliant resistive OSM in nonadhesive intimate contact wi

Abstract: An underground storage tank monitoring system and method uses special micropower impulse radar probes, with one such probe being inserted into each storage tank. The micropower impulse radar probes use flexible waveguides which extend downward to the tank bottom such that micropower radar impulses travel to and from the liquid surface via a wave guide, with the lapse between emission and reception of the impulse indicating a distance from the probe, and thus a liquid level. Each micropower impulse radar probe is connected to a dedicated spread spectrum transmitter which collects level and status information from the probe, encodes and transmits it to a matching spread spectrum receiver nearby. The receiver converts the coded signals into electrical signals and forwards them to a processor, a modem and a back-up battery are located. The processor stores the liquid level information for later transmission, along with liquid dispensed and liquid replaced information, to a central monitoring site via the modem.

Abstract: An image forming machine comprising image bearing means, charging means, exposure means, reversal development means, transfer means, and cleaning means. The transfer means includes a rotationally driven transfer belt, and transfer voltage applicator means for applying a transfer voltage to the back side of the transfer belt. The transfer voltage applicator means applies the transfer voltage to the transfer belt over a predetermined effective transfer width. The face side of the transfer belt is brought into contact with the image bearing means via an image receiving member and directly over a predetermined effective contact width. The effective contact width is larger than an effective charging width and larger than the effective transfer width.

Abstract: A consumable management device, an image forming system, and a method of managing an imaging consumable of an image forming device are described. According to an aspect of the present invention, a consumable management device includes an interface adapted to communicate with an image forming device configured to use an imaging consumable to form a hard image, the interface being adapted to receive a status message from the image forming device corresponding to the status of the imaging consumable within the image forming device; storage circuitry configured to store a current inventory status of the imaging consumable within an inventory for the image forming device; and processing circuitry coupled with the interface and configured to update the current inventory status responsive to the status message providing an updated inventory status.

Abstract: A cylindrical toner storing container that engages with a rotation transmitting member of a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus to rotate around the rotation axis integrally with the rotation transmitting member and thereby supplies or replenishes toner to the developing device. The toner storing container has a cylindrical base body that has a toner outlet opening in the vicinity of the rotation axis on one end, the cylindrical base body has on the inner surface thereof a protruded spiral ridge, and the number of the spiral ridge on a cross section of the cylindrical base body is increased as the cross section nears the toner outlet opening.

Abstract: A method for developing an electrostatic latent image including the step of developing an electrostatic latent image with a two component developer including a particulate carrier and a negatively charged toner and held on the surface of a developing roller to form a toner image, wherein the developing roller surface includes a material including one or more carbon atoms and one or more nitrogen atoms, and wherein a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the number of nitrogen atoms is not greater than 100/1.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for the automated diagnosis of monitored objects, especially of drive strings, with a stationary, fully automatically operating data collecting unit positioned on the monitored object and a monitoring terminal spatially separated therefrom, whereby the quantitative description of the damage condition and therefore the activation of data transfer and subsequent reporting of diagnosis statements at the monitoring terminal is triggered by the significance of a damage property correspondingly weighted by the damage type, or a combination of different damage properties, which are specified by the amplitude of the physical variable corresponding to the kinetic occurrences which are formed for the harmonic excitation within the spectrum of the wide band signal detected by way of sensors at the machine surface, or for the impact impulse type excitation of the high pass filtered envelope curve spectrum of the same signal, or for the discontinuously appearing determinant impulse excitation from t