Abstract: A method and apparatus of image forming includes an optical writing device and an image carrier. The optical writing device includes a housing, a dustproof member, a light source, and a shield. The housing is provided with an opening. The dustproof member is light permeable and closes the opening. The light source is installed in the housing and irradiates the image carrier with a light beam through the dustproof member. The shield is movable between a first position to cover the dustproof member and a second position to uncover the dustproof member. The optical writing device also includes a cleaner attached to the shield and contact the dustproof member. The optical writing device also includes a driver for moving the shield. The optical writing device further includes a positioning mechanism for positioning the shield to the first position by using the driver.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes at least one image carrier. An endless transfer belt directly or indirectly receives toner images and pattern toner images from the image carrier and is spanned around and surrounds a drive roller and driven rollers. A position shift detector detects positions of pattern toner images formed on the image carrier. Pattern toner images are formed on the image carrier at an interval of 1/N of a circumferential length of the image carrier, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The pattern toner images are transferred from the image carrier onto the transfer belt over one cycle length of the transfer belt. The position shift detector detects positions of the pattern toner images to obtain position shift data. Moving average values of N number of the position shift data are calculated.

Abstract: A plurality of bar-code candidate areas are calculated from scan data that is acquired by scanning a bar code. Feature data, which represents a specific feature, is calculated for each of the bar-code candidate areas. The bar-code candidate areas are evaluated based on their feature data to thereby determine a bar-code candidate area that has the highest probability of being a bar code. The specific feature includes any one or more of length of a differential waveform, average energy, and number of peaks in the differential waveform.

Abstract: Management information, which is information about hardware in or software installed in the bar-code reader, is stored in a storage unit is the bar-code reader. The management information may be acquired from an external unit or read from a bar code.

Abstract: A time for replacement of a laser diode is decided based on a value of operating current of the laser diode and a value of intensity of laser light output from the laser diode.

Abstract: An extractor extracts a part that is apparently a bar-code signal from a signal that is subjected to opto-electric conversion. A narrow-band differential processor forms a waveform of an edge by differentiating by using a module frequency. The module point extractor extracts the module point from the waveform. The maximum likelihood judgment processor 5f performs ternarizing based on a maximum likelihood method by using broader information.

Abstract: In an optical bar-code reader, an optical scanner optically scans a bar code to obtain optical power of light reflected from white bars and black bars of the bar code, a differentiation unit calculates a differential of the optical power to obtain a differential waveform, a dividing unit divides the differential waveform into a positive waveform and a negative waveform, a bar-code correcting unit calculates correct widths of black bars in the bar code from the positive waveform and the negative waveform to create corrected bar-code data, and a converter converts the corrected bar-code data into character data that is an array of numerals and alphabets.

Abstract: A signal obtained by optically scanning a bar code is subjected to differentiation to obtain differential data. Peak-to-peak distances are calculated from the differential data. When a peak-to-peak &Dgr;Tx distance is y times of a basic width, frequency f(x,y) will be, f(x,y)=y/&Dgr;Tx. A frequency map is prepared from the frequencies calculated. Transition routes in which one frequency each is selected from each of the peak-to-peak distances, are formed. A transition route for which an error in frequencies is the least is taken as the most suitable transition route. An average of the frequencies included in the transition route is taken as a frequency f0 of the basic width.

Abstract: In an optical scanner, an optical scanner optically scans a bar code to obtain signal strength of light reflected from black bars and white bars of the bar code, an extracting unit extracts edge data, which includes a plurality of edges and the signal strength of which changes corresponding to a change from a black bar to a white bar and vice versa, an edge-emphasizing unit that emphasizes edge data of an edge that satisfies a predetermined condition, a ternary judgment unit that makes a ternary judgment of each edge based on the edge emphasized to obtain a ternarizing result, and a decoder that decodes bar-code characters from the ternarizing result.

Abstract: A bar code reader includes a first circuit board on which a photodiode, which receives light reflected from a bar code, is installed and a second circuit board on which a processing unit that processes a signal output from the photodiode. The position at which the first circuit board is placed can be decided irrespective of the position at which the second circuit board is placed. The first circuit board is placed at a position that is most suitable for receiving light reflected from the bar code.

Abstract: There is provided a method of reading information which makes it possible to suppress the size of hardware and a price thereof and to improve an S/N ratio of a reading signal and reading resolution, wherein even if depth of field for reading is enlarged or a concave/convex portion or a blurred portion is left on the reading face, reading precision can be improved. The method includes steps of acquiring from a medium 1, a signal containing binary digit information having a predetermined information length and a one-dimensional arrangement, extracting information concerning an elemental unit length of the information length of the binary digit information from the acquired signal, and reading a ratio of the binary digit information to the information length based on the extracted elemental unit length information.

Abstract: A color shift correcting method for correcting a color shift due to misregistration of images in different colors, where a multi-color image is formed by developing latent one-color images written onto respective image carriers by an optical writing device, and directly or indirectly transferring developed one-color images onto a movable element, said method comprising the step of:

Abstract: A bar code reader has an arrangement to communicate with a host apparatus. The bar code reader includes a read unit that reads a bar code attached to an article, and outputs bar code information corresponding to the read bar code; a term information acquisition unit that acquires term information included in the bar code information; and a term expiration check unit that checks whether the term of the article has expired based on the term information. A notification unit notifies that the term of the article has expired upon determination by the term expiration check unit that the term of the article has expired.

Abstract: A bar code reader having two reading windows, i.e., a bottom window and a side window. An increased number of scanning lines are used for constituting scanning patterns for scanning bar codes, and the arrangement of the optical system is contrived to decrease the whole size of the bar code reader and, particularly, to decrease the depth of the bar code reader. A source of laser light, a splitter for splitting the laser beam emitted from the laser light source into two, a reflection mirror for transmitting one beam from the splitter to a polygon mirror, the polygon mirror which rotates to scan the incident laser beam, a mirror system for emitting the beam reflected by the polygon mirror through the reading window, and a focusing member for focusing the beam reflected by the bar code onto a detector that detects the beam reflected by the bar code, are arranged on the same line in the bar code reader. By using a concave mirror, furthermore, the beam reflected by the bar code is folded back to one detector.

Abstract: A commodity information management system including a deactivator for deactivating a security tag activated and attached to a commodity after a barcode is read by a reader, a magnetic detector for detecting magnetism of the security tag having been deactivated by the deactivator, and a control section for sending the result of detection by the magnetic detector to an operator with an LED and a speaker. The operator recognizes whether the security of the security tag is released or not according to the light through the LED and sound by the speaker.

Abstract: A multi-head optical scanning device used for a bar code reader having a reduced thickness and realizing more complete 360° bar code reading. The scanning device includes a bottom part, a side part which is nearly vertical to the bottom part, a light source, a polygon mirror and a light detector contained inside the body of the side part. Light beams are emitted from the light source so that they are nearly vertical to the surface of the bottom part, and the polygon mirror has a rotation axis at a position which is nearly parallel to the surface of the bottom part. The optical scanning device eliminates the need for a mechanism which performs scanning inside the bottom part and the degree of freedom with which each of the pattern mirrors is disposed is increased, and provides a scanning pattern whose reading capacity can be upgraded by using a scanning pattern which is emitted from the bottom part.

Abstract: A bar code reader having two reading windows, i.e., a bottom window and a side window. An increased number of scanning lines are used for constituting scanning patterns for scanning bar codes, and the arrangement of the optical system is contrived to decrease the whole size of the bar code reader and, particularly, to decrease the depth of the bar code reader. A source of laser light, a splitter for splitting the laser beam emitted from the laser light source into two, a reflection mirror for transmitting one beam from the splitter to a polygon mirror, the polygon mirror which rotates to scan the incident laser beam, a mirror system for emitting the beam reflected by the polygon mirror through the reading window, and a focusing member for focusing the beam reflected by the bar code onto a detector that detects the beam reflected by the bar code, are arranged on the same line in the bar code reader. By using a concave mirror, furthermore, the beam reflected by the bar code is folded back to one detector.

Abstract: An arragement for mounting a housing to a table. A mounting member includes a first wall adapted to be inserted into a housing and a second wall connected to the first wall and adapted to be secured to the table. The housing includes a guide for guiding the first wall into the housing. A positioning tab is provided on the second wall parallel to the first wall.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus, such as a bar code scanner, for reading 360 degrees of, e.g., tray commodities. A first scanning pattern is emitted almost in the horizontal direction to an installation surface of the apparatus, and a second scanning is pattern emitted from an upper portion to a lower portion of the apparatus, toward the installation surface, via a window provided vertical to the installation surface.

Abstract: A bar code reader includes bar code processing units (10, 11) for generating a bright/dark pattern forming a bar code (40) by optically scanning a bar code forming surface of an object (4), converting into plural categories of module values indicating widths of the respective areas, and demodulating the bar code into character data, a scaling unit for creating scale data by scaling a weight of the object to be sold by weight, a adjustment control unit (11) to perform zero-setting in response to a request for initializing the scaling unit, and a weight change detecting unit (11) for judging at least one of an increment change and a decrement change from zero in weight, and making a corresponding piece of scale data visibly displayed when in the increment change and making an absolute value of a corresponding piece of scale data visibly displayed when in the decrement change.