Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing filamentous fungal strains having a sexual cycle, wherein an acceptor filamentous fungal strain, having no or one type MAT locus, is subjected to recombination in which one or more mating type locus genes and optionally sex related genes, from other species than the acceptor filamentous fungal strain, is introduced into the acceptor filamentous fungal strain to produce a filamentous fungal strain having a sexual cycle.

Abstract: An inkjet printer having a printhead closely adjacent a platen and a printzone therebetween has first and second juxtaposed counter-rotating feed rolls for transferring recording media from a first location where a media leading edge is located in an entrance nip between the first and second rolls and a second location where a media trailing edge is located in an exit nip between the first and second rolls. Printer control avoids printing to a media free printzone by sensing for the presence of a sheet of recording media within a nip between the primary and secondary feed rolls and selectively enabling and disabling the printer in accordance with the sensed media presence. The transverse dimension of a sheet of recording media may be estimated by multiple sensors and printer carriage travel limited to less than the estimated dimension.

Abstract: A method of controlling a temperature of a print chip of a printhead in an ink jet printer includes providing the printer with a memory device. The print chip is provided with and at least one ink-jetting resistor. The printhead is provided with at least one substrate heater and a heatsink attached to the print chip. Power is applied to the substrate heater and/or the ink-jetting resistor. Temperature data associated with the print chip is recorded during the applying step. A thermal resistance value of the print chip to the heatsink and/or a thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead is calculated dependent upon the recorded temperature data. The thermal resistance value of the print chip to the heatsink and/or the thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead are stored in the memory device.

Abstract: A computer controlled plain paper printer and image production apparatus comprising a monochromatic, laser stimulated electrophotographic printer having an optionally coupled color ink jet printer is described. The paper medium path from the laser printer is gate controlled between a direct exit path from the laser printer and a color print path into and through the ink jet printer. Both print units produce at their respective capacities and deliver recorded text and images on a paper substrate delivered to one or more discharge trays.

Abstract: An interpage gap control, which acts to optimize the throughput of a printer or other device, which utilizes fed pages, monitors the time for a page to be picked and fed to a sensor and the time for the page to pass the sensor. By using these time periods and other constants, the control calculates a delay time from the detection of the leading edge of the page at the sensor. This delay time must expire before the next page may be picked and fed. The control adjusts the delay period by comparing the time periods measured to reference values for the respective periods and if the measured values vary therefrom, adjusts the reference values. The adjustment of the values is made in small increments when the adjustment will tend to narrow the gap width and will replace the reference values with the measured value when the gap must be widened.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic reproduction device, such as a copier or a printer, having a transfer station (17) whereat toner images are sequentially transferred from the surface of a moving photoconductor (10) to the adjacent surface of sheets of moving and spaced transfer material, such as paper, the transfer station is controlled in a manner to produce a substantially similar electrical effect on the photoconductor both when a sheet of transfer material resides in the transfer station intermediate the photoconductor and the transfer station, and when no sheet of transfer material is intermediate the photoconductor and the transfer station.

Abstract: A wear-resistant ribbon guide surface (11 or 25a, 25b) is added to a thermal printhead (1) to lower the ribbon exit angle after printing or to shift the ribbon exit position away from the printing. The angle past that surface remains large enough for visibility of prior printing. The modification of exit conditions makes the printing darker and significantly improves printhead life.

Abstract: Ribbon (22) in thermal printing has an outer layer which adheres to printed characters of intermediate temperatures, lower than printing temperatures. The printhead (7) has a column of electrodes (9) which sweep across the character area. Erase mode selector (16) causes erase of the same character twice, first at a temperature level moderately more than the normal erase level and one at a temperature moderately less than the normal erase level. Erasure in that dual mode is generally effective even for extreme conditions of paper, environment and other influences.

Abstract: Ribbon (22) in thermal printing has an outer layer which adheres to printed characters at intermediate temperatures, lower than printing temperatures. The printhead (7) has a column of electrodes (9) which sweep across the character area. Lift-off is accomplished by the pattern control (40) controlling the current source (38) to provide rapid, square wave pulses displaced in phase 180 degrees at adjoining electrodes (9). The high level of the pulses is about that of the level at printing, and the pulses are sufficiently rapid so that their net effect is to raise the outer layer ribbon (22) to the intermediate temperature. At areas corresponding to underlines of characters, duration of the up period is longer. Good, long term reliability is achieved by the significant erase level being very close to the print level.

Abstract: A ribbon feed failure in a printer can cause serious problems, particularly for a printer that uses heat to cause selective ink transfers. Localized heat buildup may injure the printhead and, if allowed to continue, might injure other printer instrumentalities.According to the invention, it is recognized that for ribbons having a degree of electrical conductivity, a mechanical ribbon failure will almost always result in a detectable change of electrical properties. By monitoring the characteristics of an electrical circuit passing through a section of the ribbon around the print point and, preferably, also the printhead-ribbon interface, abnormal electrical parameter values that indicate ribbon failure may be detected to trigger a cessation of printer operation.

Abstract: An electrode drive configuration for a resistive ribbon thermal printer utilizes as a feedback a monitored signal representative of an internal ribbon voltage at the print point. A monitoring contact is preferably located on the opposite side of the printhead from the drive signal return contact and the feedback signal is used to cancel the effects voltage drop variations in the common return portion of the drive signal path.

Abstract: For an electro-thermal printer of the kind that uses a ribbon having a central conducting layer that is covered on one surface by a resistive layer that receives electrical printing currents and on the other surface by a thermally transferrable ink layer, printing current is collected from the conducting layer by an electrically conducting contactor at the ink layer surface of the ribbon. Such contact through the ink layer occurs on the takeup side of a printhead where the integrity of the ink layer is not of concern and voids in the ink layer occur as a result of ink transfers for printing. To increase the quality of the electrical connection, projecting points or barbs may be included on said contactor to penetrate to the conducting layer through intact portions of ink layer.