Abstract: A control method of a tape printing apparatus the method including performing a blade closing operation using a half cutter in a state in which rotation of a platen roller is stopped and subsequently performing a blade opening operation, causing a discharge feeding section to operate in a period from after the half cutter starts the blade opening operation and until the platen roller starts rotating, and determining presence or absence of a tape in a discharge feeding section based on a detection signal output from a discharge sensor during an operation of the discharge feeding section.

Abstract: A method for designing a printing plate for mounting on a printing cylinder. An optimal lateral seam path is defined between opposite lateral edges of the plate by applying an energy minimization function. Top and bottom edges of the plate are defined based upon the optimal lateral seam path, preferably with a variable gap therebetween, and the bottom edge is unwrapped from the top edge to define a closed cutting path. The area inside the closed cutting path is wrapped with artwork or portions thereof, and an updated digital graphics file stored. The energy minimization function may include a penalty function, overall seam path length, and seam path amplitude, with weighting factors. For artwork including staggered lanes of step and repeat one-up images, the optimal lateral seam path may extend across each lane through one-up images, steps between adjacent one-up images, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a housing including an accommodation portion provided with a guide portion at an end portion in a width direction, a tray accommodated in the accommodation portion so as to be pulled out, and including a placing surface for placing an ejected medium, and an engaging portion provided on a side surface of the tray, to engage the guide portion. The guide portion includes a pair of rails inclined upward and having a predetermined width. The engaging portion includes two protrusions provided so as to slide between the pair of rails and located apart from each other by a predetermined distance. By locating the two protrusions between the pair of rails, the tray is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the housing with a front end portion of a downstream side in the medium ejecting direction located upward.

Abstract: A halftone raster image suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image includes a plurality of spiral dots. The spiral dots include image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. The spiral dots enable a controlled spreading of the ink within the dot, resulting in a higher image quality, ink saving, and faster drying.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a casing and a medium detecting mechanism. A medium entrance is formed on the casing. The medium detecting mechanism includes a detector, a first pivoting component, a second pivoting component and a resilient component. When at least one medium enters into the medium entrance and abuts against the first pivoting component, the at least one medium drives the first pivoting component to pivot in a first pivoting direction, so that the second pivoting component is driven by the resilient component to pivot in the first pivoting direction to actuate the detector for generating a signal. When the second pivoting component is stopped from pivoting in the first pivoting direction, deformation of the resilient component allows the first pivoting component to be driven by the at least one medium to pivot relative to the second pivoting component in the first pivoting direction continuously.

Abstract: A document conveyance device includes a sheet feeding tray, a conveyance mechanism, a discharge tray, a document pressing member and a supporting mechanism. The document pressing member comes into contact with an upper face of the document discharged from a conveyance path and presses the document downward. The supporting mechanism is configured to be provided in the sheet feeding tray, to support the document pressing member, to allow a shifting of the document pressing member according to an operation for shifting the document pressing member in a discharge direction of the document or an opposite direction to the discharge direction and to inhibit the shifting of the document pressing member against a force applied to the document pressing member by the discharged document.

Abstract: Described is a process and system for direct printing of a decorative pattern onto an extruded PVC slat. The process includes providing a hot extruded PVC slat; directly contacting a surface of the hot extruded PVC slat with a direct printing cylinder as the slat is moved in a downstream direction, where the cylinder has a pattern with a cell structure that receives ink and rotates to directly apply the ink in the form of the pattern onto the surface of the hot extruded PVC slat. The process also includes controlling a temperature of the direct printing cylinder to inhibit drying of the ink while present on the direct printing cylinder.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automobile tire burst simulation experiment device, which is fixed on a rim installed with an automobile tire. The automobile tire burst simulation experiment device comprises a pre-tightening triggering device, a retracting device, a storage battery and a controller, the tire burst simulation experiment device according to the present invention uses two drive motors to drive two sets of roller screw slide rails, so as to drive the breakdown device away from and close to the tire to achieve a simulated tire burst and rapid deflation. The experiment device has the characteristics of quick installation, low cost, strong versatility, and adjustable speed; the device can be applied to the tire burst experiment under different vehicle speeds and road conditions of various automobile models. The structure is simple and the simulation control accuracy is high. After the tire burst, the subsequent experiments of the vehicle are not affected.

Abstract: A fixing device includes first and second rotatable members, a moving mechanism, a flag, a sensor, a movable guide, and a stationary guide. The moving mechanism is configured to move the first rotatable member away from the second rotatable member. The flag is provided downstream of the nip with respect to a recording material feeding direction and retractable by passing of the recording material. The sensor is configured to detect whether or not the flag is retracted by contact with the recording material. The movable guide is movable together with the first rotatable member away from the second rotatable member and from the flag by the moving mechanism. The stationary guide is fixed at a position opposing the flag, irrespective of a position of the movable guide member. The stationary guide does not move together with the movable guide.

Abstract: A printing device includes: a casing; a first accommodating unit accommodating therein a printing medium; an image recording unit; a cutting unit; a supporting unit; a second accommodating unit; a first conveying passage; and a second conveying passage branching from the first conveying passage. The image recording unit is configured to record an image on the printing medium. The cutting unit is configured to divide the printing medium into a first medium and a second medium. The supporting unit is configured to support the printing medium conveyed in a first direction. The printing medium accommodated in the first accommodating unit is conveyed to the supporting unit along the first conveying passage. The second accommodating unit is positioned upstream of the image recording unit in the first direction and configured to accommodate therein the second medium. The second medium is conveyed to the second accommodating unit along the second conveying passage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion to form an image on an image bearing member, and a transfer portion to transfer the image on a first image position on the image bearing member to a sheet. In addition, a controller determines a second image position, on the image bearing member, of an image to be transferred onto a second surface of a sheet re-conveyed to an adjustment portion by a reverse and re-conveyance portion based on a detected side edge position, of a trailing part of the sheet being conveyed with a first end as the leading edge. The trailing part of the sheet is positioned on a trailing edge side further than a center position, in the sheet conveyance direction, of the sheet, and the controller determines a shift amount based on the second image position and detected side edge position of the sheet, which has been re-conveyed, being conveyed with the second end as the leading edge.

Abstract: A drag force sensor on a fountain solution carrier roller surface measures drag force of a fountain solution layer on the fountain solution carrier roller surface in real-time during a printing operation. The measured drag force is used in a feedback loop to actively control the fountain solution layer thickness by adjusting the volumetric feed rate of fountain solution added onto the imaging member surface during a printing operation to reach a desired uniform thickness for the printing. This fountain solution monitoring system may be fully automated.

Abstract: A decorative panel kit for privacy fences has a plurality of panels. Each panel has a portion of an image imprinted on an exterior surface. Upon assembly to a privacy fence section, the assembled plurality of panels has adjacent panels each with the portion of the image aligned to depict a complete image. Each panel is sized with a length (L) extending from a first end to a second end and portions of the length adjacent the ends are configured to fit into a space formed in a privacy fence section between extending members and fence boards. The extending members include a first member and a second member. The first and second members hold a plurality of fence boards to form the privacy fence sections. The end portions of the length of each panel are held in the space between the first and second members and the fence boards.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sealing element for an ink chamber of a rotary printing press, wherein the sealing element has a sealing surface that rests against a roller body during operation of the rotary printing press. In order to reduce wear on the sealing element, the sealing surface has at least one flow outlet opening, at which an overpressure of a fluid may be built up during operation of the rotary printing press, in such a way that the fluid between the sealing surface and roller body forms a sealing flow film.

Abstract: A method is provided for operating a device that is usable for printing the respective lateral surface of hollow objects. The device comprises at least one mandrel wheel for holding the hollow objects on projecting expanding mandrels, and a transfer wheel for transporting the hollow objects, which transfer wheel is arranged downstream of the mandrel wheel in a transport direction of the hollow objects. The mandrel wheel and the transfer wheel are each rotatably arranged in a laterally offset manner, with respect to one another, in two different planes that are parallel to one another. Hollow objects, which are printed during ongoing printing production, are transferred from the work arbors of the mandrel wheel to the transfer wheel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of relief printing plates, where a carrier with a polymeric substrate layer is provided and a relief is formed layer-by-layer on a surface of the substrate layer, where the relief is formed by means of a) single or multiple application of a liquid comprising at least one reactive monomer to the surface of the substrate layer, b) diffusion of the reactive monomer into the polymeric substrate layer for a prescribed exposure time and c) hardening of the relief, where in step a) the liquid is applied in accordance with an image to the surface and where, after the prescribed exposure time of step b), any liquid that remains on the surface, having not diffused into the material, is removed from the surface, and in step c) the relief that is hardened comprises the polymer of the substrate layer and reactive monomer that has diffused into the material.

Abstract: A method for assembling a shoe upper and a bottom unit includes digitally determining a bite line on the shoe upper. The method further includes storing a set of data representing the bite line in a computing device. The method also includes utilizing the set of data to automatically indicate the location of an actual physical bite line on the shoe upper.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a toner image forming portion, a foil transfer unit, a sheet tray, and a discharge portion. The toner image forming portion is provided in the housing and configured to form a toner image on a sheet. The foil transfer unit is configured to superpose a foil with a surface of the sheet. The sheet tray is installable in the housing in an inserting direction and configured to accommodate a sheet to be supplied to the toner image forming portion. The first discharge portion is configured to discharge the sheet from the foil transfer unit to the outside of the housing in a discharging direction opposite to the inserting direction. The second discharge portion is configured to discharge the sheet from the toner image forming portion to the outside of the housing without passing through the foil transfer unit in the discharge direction.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, the sheet conveying device includes a tray, an elevating mechanism, a conveyance roller, and a resistance member. The tray stacks a plurality of sheets. The elevating mechanism lifts and lowers the tray in the stacking direction of a plurality of sheets. The conveyance roller conveys the plurality of sheets in the conveyance direction from the upper side in the stacking direction. The resistance member comes into contact with the leading ends of the plurality of sheets in the conveyance direction. The resistance member imparts a sliding resistance larger than that of the sheet stacking surface of the tray to the leading ends of the plurality of sheets that are lifted and lowered by the elevating mechanism.

Abstract: In an aspect, a system and method for assembling a semiconductor device on a receiving surface of a destination substrate is disclosed. In another aspect, a system and method for assembling a semiconductor device on a destination substrate with topographic features is disclosed. In another aspect, a gravity-assisted separation system and method for printing semiconductor device is disclosed. In another aspect, various features of a transfer device for printing semiconductor devices are disclosed.