Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an image encoding method and an image apparatus which do not request change on a decoder and can give effects on many applications by having an encoder carry processing for reducing occurrence of noise. A pixel whose tone value is 255 and corresponds to white is changed to a value outside of an extent of the tone value in the inverse direction for black, in other words to a value more than the whitest tone value 255. When an image for which this tone shifting processing is performed is encoded and decoded, a ripple 31 having a larger tone value than 255 occurs in a white portion of the image. Abnormal condition of the image in a shape of ripple on the decoded image existing prior to clipping is centered in a tone value larger than 255. Accordingly, mosquito noise occurs in a portion with a tone value larger than 255 and outside of an extent of the tone value. When this image is clipped by the tone value 255, the mosquito noise can be reduced.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus has a heater that includes a magnetic shunt alloy whose Curie temperature is set higher than a fixing temperature; an induction heater that generates an alternating magnetic field applied to the magnetic shunt alloy and performs electromagnetic-induction heating on the heater; and a body controller that controls the induction heater so as to adjust the fixing temperature in each fixing job. The body controller controls the induction heater so as to perform electromagnetic-induction heating on the heater, during a period between fixing jobs. The body controller thereby reduces a temperature difference generated on the heater between portions corresponding to paper feeding and non-paper feeding areas in a previously executed fixing job.

Abstract: A method is provided which may download and reproduce contents depending on the performance of an information communication device such as a mobile phone or a PDA. A method for downloading contents from a server containing contents in an information communication device with camera includes: at the information communication device, imaging an image including additional information with said camera, and transmitting the imaged image data to a server; and at the server, extracting additional information from the imaged image data being received, determining the performance of the information communication device based on the imaged image data, selecting contents corresponding to the extracted additional information and depending on said performance of the information communication device, and transmitting the contents to the information communication device.

Abstract: A field-sequential-type image forming device which includes: a light valve element which divides one field of a color image to sectors corresponding to primary colors different from each other and forms images corresponding to the primary colors during periods of the respective sectors; a light emission control unit which controls light emission quantities of the light sources; and an image control signal outputting unit which outputs control signals to the light valve element. In such an image forming device, the image control signal outputting unit outputs signals for forming the image by controlling light quantities of lights emitted from the primary color sources during the primary color light emission period and light quantity correction signals for controlling light quantity of the image corresponding to the positions of the pixels which form the image during the high-brightness light emission period.

Abstract: A coated paper for printing having a bulk density of 1.05 g/cm3 or less and two or more coating layers mainly composed of white pigments and adhesives formed on at least one side of a base paper which has a bulk density of 0.75 g/cm3 or less, wherein pigments of an undercoat in contact with an outermost coating layer comprises satin white of 1-30 mass % whose average particle diameter is within a range of 0.1-1.3 ?m measured pursuant to radiolucent particle size distribution measurement and other white pigments of 70-99 mass %, wherein an amount of the adhesives of the undercoat is within a range of 10-20 mass % based on 100 mass parts of pigment components.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus that enables the calorific value of a heat-producing rotating element to be stabilized and the heat production efficiency of that heat-producing rotating element to be improved. A fixing apparatus (200) is equipped with a heat-producing sleeve (210), an induction heating apparatus (230), a magnetic field absorption member (233) that absorbs a magnetic field generated by the induction heating apparatus (230), and a fixing roller (240) and pressure roller (250) that grip and rotate the heat-producing sleeve (210). The magnetic field absorption member (233) is located in an area opposite an exciting coil (231) with the heat-producing sleeve (210) between, and absorbs a magnetic field generated by the induction heating apparatus (230). The heat-producing sleeve (210) is composed of a nonmagnetic metallic material of thickness in the range from 10 ?m to 500 ?m and specific resistance of 80×10?6 ?cm or less.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus can prevent an excessive rise in temperature of a paper non-passage area due to diverted flow of magnetic flux from a paper passage area of a heat-producing element to a paper non-passage area thereof has a small configuration. A center core is rotated by a rotation section, bringing cutaway parts to a magnetic path masking position, and the degree of magnetic coupling between the center core and a heat-producing roller is weakened, suppressing an excessive rise in temperature of paper non-passage areas of the heat-producing roller. With this fixing apparatus, switching of the intensity of magnetic coupling between the center core and heat-producing roller can be performed simply by rotating the center core. Also, with this fixing apparatus, it is not necessary for magnetism suppressing elements to be provided as separate members, enabling the configuration to be made simpler and less expensive.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus has a heater that includes a magnetic shunt alloy whose Curie temperature is set higher than a fixing temperature; an induction heater that generates an alternating magnetic field applied to the magnetic shunt alloy and performs electromagnetic-induction heating on the heater; and a body controller that controls the induction heater so as to adjust the fixing temperature in each fixing job. The body controller controls the induction heater so as to perform electromagnetic-induction heating on the heater, during a period between fixing jobs. The body controller thereby reduces a temperature difference generated on the heater between portions corresponding to paper feeding and non-paper feeding areas in a previously executed fixing job.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to enable appropriate interpolation even in a halftone image binarized by error diffusion or the like. While image reading signals from a hand scanner are inputted to an A/D conversion section and converted to multivalued digital signals, the presence or absence of a skip is detected by a skip acknowledgement section, and when a skip is detected, a selector is switched toward a multivalued image line buffer. Multivalued image data of one line is stored in the multivalued image line buffer, and interpolation processing is carried out in a binarization processing section by the use of the stored multivalued image data of one line. When a skip is not detected, the multivalued image data from the A/D conversion section is passed by the selector to the binarization processing section and binarized.

Abstract: The present invention provides a moving picture re-encoding apparatus, which can generate correct reproducible encoded data by a light-load simple process when encoded moving picture data are converted or edited. It is provided with: a decoding means 12 that decodes frames of a moving picture from an encoded bit stream; a frame selecting means 15 that selects a frame to be re-encoded from the decoded frames; an encoding means 14 that re-encodes only the selected frame; and an interval notifying means 13 that calculates a frame interval, after the re-encoding of a frame, between the frame and a next frame to be re-encoded to notify the decoding means of the calculated frame interval. The decoding means 12 decodes the bit stream for time based on the notified frame interval after the notification from the interval notifying means 13. The frame selecting means 15 selects the last frame as the next frame to be re-encoded among the frames until the time passes.

Abstract: A surface treatment method for a tape which treats a surface of a tape continuously traveling, comprising: rubbing surfaces of the traveling tape each other to surface-treat the tape.

Abstract: A radio frequency identification system is provided having a data communication device and a contactless identification tag. The data communication device has an antenna coil, a first data receiving unit, a first data transmitting unit, a first data control unit, and a first data storing unit. Further, the contactless identification tag has an antenna coil, a second data receiving unit, a second data transmitting unit, a second data control unit, a second data storing unit, and a driving power generating unit. The first data control unit generates negative logic digital signals of transmission data. The first data transmitting unit modulates the digital signals and transmits the modulated signals.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus that enables the calorific value of a heat-producing rotating element to be stabilized and the heat production efficiency of that heat-producing rotating element to be improved. A fixing apparatus (200) is equipped with a heat-producing sleeve (210), an induction heating apparatus (230), a magnetic field absorption member (233) that absorbs a magnetic field generated by the induction heating apparatus (230), and a fixing roller (240) and pressure roller (250) that grip and rotate the heat-producing sleeve (210). The magnetic field absorption member (233) is located in an area opposite an exciting coil (231) with the heat-producing sleeve (210) between, and absorbs a magnetic field generated by the induction heating apparatus (230). The heat-producing sleeve (210) is composed of a nonmagnetic metallic material of thickness in the range from 10 ?m to 500 ?m and specific resistance of 80×10?6 ?cm or less.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an image coding device and an image decoding device enabling a transmitting color function through irreversible coding by performing the processing to reduce the occurrence of noises at the encoder's end without using a mask image. A grayscale shift unit shifts the grayscale of a transmitting color of an original image, after which a coding unit performs irreversible coding on the image. A transmitting color judging unit judges the transmitting color of a decoded image based on luminance information alone, and an up-sampling unit restores an outline of an object faithfully without being accompanied by deterioration in resolution resulted from the sub-sampling. It is thus possible to obtain a high-quality image with fewer noises.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a tape for manufacturing a curved tape curving in the width direction along the longitudinal direction of the tape, wherein, in a cutting process which cuts an original tape with a wide width into a plurality of tapes with a predetermined width by continuously passing the original tape between a rotary blade and a rotary bed knife having a receiving portion for receiving the rotary blade, an edge which has a shorter edge length between both edges in the width direction of the tape is to become a cut side by being pushed into the receiving portion of the rotary bed knife.

Abstract: By using a data combining portion, the predetermined data is combined with the original image data on a pixel position with an upper limit gray scale value in a direction of increase of the gray scale value and a combined image data is generated. Since the predetermined data is combined outside an extent of the gray scale of the original image data, there is no deterioration of the quality of the original data and a user never perceives the predetermined data combined outside the extent of the gray scale of the original image data. In addition, since the predetermined data is embedded in combined image data in itself encoded by an encoding portion, the predetermined data cannot be separated from the original image data before the encoded combined image data is decoded.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus can prevent an excessive rise in temperature of a paper non-passage area due to diverted flow of magnetic flux from a paper passage area of a heat-producing element to a paper non-passage area thereof has a small configuration, A center core is rotated by a rotation section, bringing cutaway parts to a magnetic path masking position, and the degree of magnetic coupling between the center core and a heat-producing roller is weakened, suppressing an excessive rise in temperature of paper non-passage areas of the heat-producing roller. With this fixing apparatus, switching of the intensity of magnetic coupling between the center core and heat-producing roller can be performed simply by rotating the center core. Also, with this fixing apparatus, it is not necessary for magnetism suppressing elements to be provided as separate members, enabling the configuration to be made simpler and less expensive.

Abstract: A phase modulation apparatus includes a pattern-generating part that generates a phase-modulated pattern of a carrier wave, the carrier wave being phase-modulated by send data, and a phase-transition controlling part that transitions the phase of the pattern generated in the pattern-generating part, the phase being transitioned in such a way that a piece of send data is allocated to a portion of wave consisting of two or more cycles of the carrier wave.

Abstract: By using a data combining portion, the predetermined data is combined with the original image data on a pixel position with an upper limit gray scale value in a direction of increase of the gray scale value and a combined image data is generated. Since the predetermined data is combined outside an extent of the gray scale of the original image data, there is no deterioration of the quality of the original data and a user never perceives the predetermined data combined outside the extent of the gray scale of the original image data. In addition, since the predetermined data is embedded in combined image data in itself encoded by an encoding portion, the predetermined data cannot be separated from the original image data before the encoded combined image data is decoded.

Abstract: When an input image and a sender information image independent from each other are combined into one transmission image in which the sender information image which has a lower line count (smaller area) is laid out in the upper portion while the input image having a greater area than the sender information image is laid out in the lower portion, both the input image and sender information image are individually rotated by 180 degrees before encoding, then the transmission image is encoded by JPEG from the input image side having a greater area.