Patents Issued in January 29, 2008
  • Patent number: 7324745
    Abstract: The device is a seat trim heater. It employs electric infrared lamps to heat the seat trim before the trim is placed over the frame and cushion material of the seat. The device consists of a basic frame on which the trim is placed. The frame is made from a series of adjustable fabricated parts. Within this frame are infrared heaters and reflectors. The reflectors can direct the infrared heat both to the front and back so that the whole seat trim can be heated. Integral to the system is the control box that controls the heating of the seat trim. The seat trim heater uses instant on/off T-3 quartz lamps. The control box consists of a control panel that is NEMA rated, a disconnect switch, appropriate fusing, a SCR and appropriate circuitry. Further, the control panel allows the heat to be infinitely variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Inventor: Thomas D. Taylor
  • Patent number: 7324746
    Abstract: A temperature regulator has two headers connected to both ends of a heat receiving tube in which gas flows. The heat receiving tube has a heating element at the outer periphery thereof and a mixer accommodated therein to cause turbulent flow of gas passing through the heat receiving tube. The headers each have fins radially attached thereto, thereby ensuring strength of the headers and improving heat exchange efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Espec Corp.
    Inventors: Hideki Tanaka, Kimio Yoshizumi, Hitoshi Ando, Akiko Kuse
  • Patent number: 7324747
    Abstract: An aircraft fuselage element (26) with a fuselage body (30) which forms an internal cavity (40) and which includes a viewing window (32, 34). To provide for taking substantially distortion-free high-resolution pictures in the infrared wavelength range and from a large angular range the fuselage body (30) is mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation (36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Hagen Kempas
  • Patent number: 7324748
    Abstract: The size of the opening 1094a of the shutter base plate 1094 is set, considering driving amounts of the image sensor 101 and the low pass filter 108 during shake correction, so that the size of the opening 1094a in X-axis direction (Y-axis direction) is set equal to or larger than the sum of the size of the low pass filter 108 and the maximum moving amount of the low pass filter 108 in the X-axis direction (Y-axis direction).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Wataru Abe, Yoshiharu Tanaka, Toshihiko Hirota
  • Patent number: 7324749
    Abstract: An image correcting personal computer displays on its monitor a correction screen consisting of a main display area, a sub display area and a parameter adjusting area. The main display area is divided into a plural number of split image display sections displaying split images corresponding to the same fragment of an image to correct. The split image display sections may display the split images in conditions corrected differently from each other, by changing the correction parameters on the parameter adjusting area while selecting one of the split image display sections, except a referential display section that displays the split image in default conditions corrected with fixed correction parameter values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Kubo
  • Patent number: 7324750
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for implementing a protection scheme for switched networks, and particularly GMPLS networks are described. One embodiment is a method of reserving communications channels comprising an alternative path through a switched network, the network comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by links, wherein each link comprises at least one communications channel. The method comprises simulating failure of a first link; noting a second link over which traffic on the first link is rerouted in the event of failure of the first link; and transmitting a protection request message (“PRM”) from the first link to the second link to request reservation of a specified number of communication channels on the second link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Sig Harold Badt, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7324751
    Abstract: The invention relates to a reconfigurable optical switching system for selectively coupling one or more frequencies of first and second input wavelength division multiplex signals (WDM1, WDM2) consisting of N channels to first and second output ports (O1, O2). The invention also relates to a variable and reconfigurable optical delay circuit comprising said optical switching system associated with an optical delay loop. The input frequency division multiplex optical spectra (WDM1, WDM2) are therefore divided by a first demultiplexer (Demux) to a plurality of interleaved stages of optical switches (D, C, A and B) which selectively feed a plurality of input ports (Mi) of a multiplexer (Mux), which then uses its routing properties to implement in particular the complex reconfigurable multiple 2×2 frequency switching function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Alcatel
    Inventors: Sabry Khalfallah, Denis Penninckx
  • Patent number: 7324752
    Abstract: An optical packet switch switches optical packets according to bit-rates at which the optical packets are provided. For example, optical packets that are received at similar bit-rates may be routed to a destination at separate time slots over a single channel wavelength, and optical packets that are received at different bit-rates may be routed to the destination over separate channel wavelengths. When optical packets are provided at different bit-rates on a plurality of input paths, optical packets provided at low bit-rates may be compacted before switching to the destination. Alternatively or additionally, the bit-rates of the optical packets may be balanced before switching to the destination. Bandwidth contention among optical packets may be resolved by polarizing optical packets originating from separate input paths in different polarization directions, and merging optical packets having different polarization directions onto a single switched channel wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Inventor: Doron Handelman
  • Patent number: 7324753
    Abstract: The present invention is a high-speed and low-cost optical communication network. A preferred embodiment of this optical communication network comprises an accommodation device, optical couplers that are connected to corresponding ports of this accommodation device, and communication terminals that are connected to corresponding optical couplers. Further, data transmitted by the communication terminals to the accommodation device is code-division multiplexed. Because data collision is prevented by means of code division multiplexing, control of the timing with which the communication terminals transmit data is not required. Meanwhile, data transmitted by the accommodation device to the communication terminals is time-division multiplexed because there is no risk of collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Kashima, Kazuhiko Matsuno
  • Patent number: 7324754
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to adjust the operating wavelength of a decoder, in order to coordinate the operating characteristics of an encoder and the decoder. To this end, an optical code division multiplex transmission device of the present invention comprises a second SSFBG in the decoder, and has a mechanism to perform adjustment (phase adjustment step) of the fixation portion interval L which is the interval between a first and second fixation portions fixing in place the second SSFBG, such that the extent of the eye opening of optical pulses output from the second SSFBG is maximum. The extent of the eye opening is measured using a correlation waveform monitor, and the measurement data is sent to the wavelength control portion. A signal is sent from the wavelength control portion to the movement control portion to set the fixation portion interval L, based on data relating to the extent of the eye opening sent from the correlation waveform monitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuko Kobayashi, Akihiko Nishiki, Satoko Kutsuzawa
  • Patent number: 7324755
    Abstract: An optical code division multiple access transmission and reception system is presented. The transmission system comprises an optical comb generator for producing multiple discrete optical signal components comprising a plurality of equally spaced wavelength components. A serial-to-parallel converter is connected with the optical comb generator for receiving receiving the serial signal components and for converting a selected group of the serial signal components into parallel signal components. An optical free-space code mask is connected with the serial-to-parallel converter for receiving the parallel signal components and for selecting two separate groups of optical signal components to generate two subsets of signal components, each for representing an associated binary data value from a data stream. The transmission system may comprise further components to enable transmission via fiber optic cable or into free-space via an antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Hossein Izadpanah
  • Patent number: 7324756
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical transmission system in which multiple optical frequencies can be efficiently used and the change of the system can be easily made, and to provide an optical demultiplexer suitable for such optical transmission system. In an optical demultiplexer according to the present invention, signal light having a plurality of wavelength components arranged on a grid having predetermined frequency intervals is input from an input port thereof to be demultiplexed. The demultiplexed signal lights output from the output ports thereof have a plurality of wavelength components, respectively, and any three wavelength components, fa, fb, and fd, that satisfy the following conditions: fa<fb<fd; and fd?fa?N?f have the following relationship: 2fb?fa+fd where N represents an integer, and ?f represents each of the predetermined frequency intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Tanaka, Toshiaki Okuno, Fumiyoshi Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 7324757
    Abstract: An optical version of USB is provided to enable PDAs and digital cameras to download data and media files to remote network servers. The PDA is plugged into an optical transceiver that communicates with a complementary transceiver located in a network terminal (for example a payphone) that is in communication with the network server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: British Telecommunications public limited company
    Inventors: Richard C Wilson, Michael S Bull
  • Patent number: 7324758
    Abstract: An optical dispersion monitoring apparatus and an optical dispersion monitoring method are capable of monitoring dispersion accurately with a simple construction in an optical transmission system using the same. To this end, the optical dispersion monitoring apparatus includes a light receiving section converting an input optical signal into an electrical signal, a signal transition position detecting section detecting the voltage level of a waveform of the output signal from the light receiving section, at a crossing point of a rising edge and a falling edge, and a cumulative dispersion information extracting section comparing the voltage level at the crossing point with a reference signal to extracts cumulative dispersion information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Masazumi Marutani, Takuji Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7324759
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for transmitting a light signal in an optical transmission system is described. In an example, an optical transmission link includes an input port and an output port. The optical transmission link is configured to propagate optical pulses from the input port to the output port. Information is encoded using phase relationships between adjacent ones of the optical pulses. A phase conjugator is disposed between the input port and the output port. The phase conjugator is positioned to reduce phase variance of the optical pulses at the output port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Colin J. McKinstrie, Stojan Radic, Chongjin Xie
  • Patent number: 7324760
    Abstract: An optical RZ transmitter comprises an optical signal source and a pair of electro-optical modulators in tandem, one arranged to receive a NRZ electrical data signal and the other a clock signal at the data rate of the data signal. The phase difference between the data signal and the clock signal is controlled by adding a first dither signal to a bias signal applied to the modulator receiving the data signal, and a second dither signal, having a different frequency, to the phase difference. The amplitude of variations in the power of the optical output signal corresponding to cross-modulation of the first and second dither signals is detected and the phase difference is controlled in response to the detected amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Siegfried Gronbach, Stefan Weisser
  • Patent number: 7324761
    Abstract: Described are an optical transmitter and a method for generating a single sideband optical signal. The method includes generating a data signal at a first power level and at a second power level with a predetermined ratio being defined between the power levels. The data signal at the first power level is applied to a phase module disposed in a laser cavity of a semiconductor laser to generate a frequency modulated laser signal having a double sideband. The intensity of the frequency modulated laser signal is modulated in response to the data signal at the second power level to yield the single sideband optical signal. Optical transmitters implementing the method have an increased manufacturing yield and reliability, a lower fabrication cost and a decreased size compared to other optical single sideband optical transmitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Peter A. Schulz, Paula J. Donovan, Scott Henion
  • Patent number: 7324762
    Abstract: A cartridge is detachably attached to an image forming device, and an identification information tag that stores identification information for distinguishing the cartridge from other cartridges therein is attached to the cartridge. An identification key is provided on the identification information tag and mechanically engages with the image forming device and distinguishes whether or not the cartridge can be attached. The identification information tag is characterized by the identification key mechanically engaging with the image forming device and distinguishing whether or not the cartridge can be attached. In an image forming device to which the cartridge is attached, when the cartridge is attached the attachment portion, the image forming device mechanically identifies whether or not the cartridge can be attached by using the identification key provided on the identification information tag attached to the cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsumi Harumoto
  • Patent number: 7324763
    Abstract: An apparatus, a system and a method are provided for testing a cartridge. The apparatus and/or the system is attached and/or is connected to the printer containing the cartridge via a port of the printer. The apparatus and/or the system communicates with and/or controls the printer. The apparatus and/or the system transmits a signal to the printer. The printer prints one or more pages of paper to test a quality, an effectiveness, a longevity and/or a durability of the toner cartridge. A user inspects and/or reviews one or more pages of paper printed by the cartridge to determine the quality, the effectiveness, the longevity and/or the durability of the toner cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: T.T.I. International, Inc
    Inventor: Jacek Pytlik
  • Patent number: 7324764
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier with a toner, and a toner cartridge that replenishes the developing device with the toner. Excess toner on the image carrier is collected in the developing device for reuse, and image density is adjusted according to the number of times the toner cartridge is replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 7324765
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, an image forming condition is changed depending on whether or not a recording material on which a toner image is formed is ordinary high gloss paper or thermoplastic resin coated paper. More specifically, in the case where a high gloss mode is selected during image formation, judgement whether or not the high gloss paper is the ordinary high gloss paper or the thermoplastic resin coated paper is made. In the former case, a screen line number is set to 150 lpi, and in the latter case, the screen line number is set to 200 lpi. As a result, image failure due to collapse of a toner layer (during fixation) on the ordinary high gloss paper is prevented and high-quality toner image is formed on the thermoplastic resin coated paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichiro Toyohara, Haruhiko Omata
  • Patent number: 7324766
    Abstract: In a xerographic printing apparatus, feedback on surface charge at a plurality of locations across a length of a photoreceptor may be desirable to assess charge uniformity, for example, to ensure color consistency across multiple marking engines in tightly integrated parallel printing architectures. A cross process charge uniformity scanner may include at least one micro-electro-mechanical based electrostatic voltmeter device for measuring surface charge at a plurality of locations along the length of the photoreceptor. The charge uniformity scanner may allow the xerographic printing apparatus to initiate charge device cleaning and/or control the intensity of the charge applied to the surface of the photoreceptor. Exemplary embodiments may include an electrostatic voltmeter moveably mounted along the length of the photoreceptor in the fast scanning direction, or may include a plurality of electrostatic voltmeters disposed at spaced apart locations along the length of the photoreceptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Zona
  • Patent number: 7324767
    Abstract: A diagnostic routine for determining the cause of color non-uniformity in a full color image forming device, by selecting a substation of one print station and using it in combination with a substation from another print station, while functionally omitting the intervening substations. The charge setting on the charge substation is adjusted to compensate for the increased distance between the charge substation, and the developing substation in this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Michael J. Martin, Debbie S. Wickham, Shawn P. Updegraff
  • Patent number: 7324768
    Abstract: Methods and devices for setting an operating point within an image forming device. The operating point for one or more image forming stations may be determined without performing a toner patch sensing procedure. The operating points are determined based on other information, such as the operating points of one or more other image forming stations, information about the device, and information about the image forming stations themselves. The different factors may be weighted to more accurately determine the operating parameter(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Cary Patterson Ravitz, Gary Scott Overall
  • Patent number: 7324769
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus in which an maximum image width for image forming is smaller than the sum of a maximum recording material width of a usable recording material and length of two pattern images for a density correction and a registration deviation correction in a recording material width direction, an area for forming the pattern image is changed between the case where the recording width of a practically usable recording material is not more than a threshold value and the case where the recording width exceeds the threshold value. When the recording width is not more than the threshold value, the pattern image is formed on a non-sheet passing section image area, and when the recording width exceeds the threshold value, the pattern image is formed on a sheet interval between the trailing edge of a proceeding recording material and the leading edge of a subsequent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takahiko Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 7324770
    Abstract: A printing apparatus including a heat roller, a pressure roller, a fusing apparatus, and a method of controlling a fusing temperature of the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a heat roller, a first temperature sensor which senses a temperature of the heat roller, a first heat source which is installed inside the heat roller, a second heat source which is installed inside the heat roller and has a lower heat capacity than the first heat source, a pressure roller, and a control unit which controls the first and second heat source based on the temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor. The printing apparatus further includes a third heat source which is installed inside the pressure roller, wherein the control unit controls the first, second and third heat sources to reduce a warm-up time, power consumption, flicker and overshoot, while providing a stable fusing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Durk-hyun Cho
  • Patent number: 7324771
    Abstract: A method of controlling a fuser assembly within an image forming apparatus having a fuser assembly including a heating member and a backup member cooperating with the heating member to form a nip therebetween for fusing images onto substrates passing through the nip. The method is provided to minimize or avoid a temperature droop condition of the fuser and includes the steps of determining a set point temperature for performing a fusing operation, and determining whether the image forming apparatus has transitioned from a standby mode to a print mode upon receipt of a print job. If a sensed temperature of the fuser is within a temperature range having an upper threshold temperature that is less than the heating temperature and greater than the set point temperature or a lower threshold temperature, a power control for the fuser is switched to operate in a high power region, increasing power to the fuser, to provide heat energy to the heating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: John Lemaster, Calvin D. Murphy
  • Patent number: 7324772
    Abstract: An electrophotographic document production device having a transformerless high voltage power supply located distal to its load and a transformer at the point of load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: William Ross Harris, Jerry Floyd Adams
  • Patent number: 7324773
    Abstract: A sheet counter counts points corresponding to the number of sheets subjected to a fixing process performed by a fixing unit during the image forming operation (during the copy state). A heater actuation time counter counts points corresponding to the heater actuation time (ON time) when a fixing operation is performed by a fixing unit during the image forming operation (during the copy state). When power consumption is high, a fixing control temperature can be set so as to reduce the power consumption during the non-image forming operating time (standby state and preheat state) by determining the power consumption (of the fixing unit) during the image forming operation based on the points counted by a sheet counter during one week, or points counted by a heater actuation time counter during one week.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Tsukasa Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 7324774
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an apparatus body having a document table portion on which a document is placed, a scanning unit provided inside the apparatus body to optically scan an image of the document placed on the document table portion, an image forming unit for forming a developer image on a photosensitive drum in accordance with the image information scanned by the scanning unit, a transfer charger for transferring the developer image formed by the image forming unit on a sheet, a fixing unit for fixing the developer image transferred by the transfer charger on the sheet, an ejecting roller for ejecting the sheet on which the developer image is fixed by the fixing unit to the outside, a sheet receiving unit provided below the scanning unit inside the apparatus body to receive the sheet ejected from the ejecting roller, and a blowing unit for blowing cool air to the sheet receiving unit along a lower surface part of the scanning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignees: Kabushiki Tec Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Kaiho
  • Patent number: 7324775
    Abstract: A developing device for developing a latent image borne on an image bearing body using a developer borne on a developer bearing roller, is provided with: a housing that is for containing the developer and that has an opening; the developer bearing roller that is for bearing the developer and that is provided facing the opening; a sealing member that abuts against the developer bearing roller to prevent the developer from spilling; a supporting member that is attached to the housing and that is for supporting the developer bearing roller and the sealing member; and an urging member that is for urging the sealing member toward the developer bearing roller and that is provided between the supporting member and a surface of the sealing member on an opposite side from an abutting surface of the sealing member with which the sealing member abuts against the developer bearing roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Katsumi Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7324776
    Abstract: A color printer including, a conductive brush roller to contact a photosensitive drum at a position downstream of a transferring apparatus and upstream of a charging apparatus, wherein at least part of residual toner is collected after temporarily transferring on the photosensitive drum, and the collected toner is expelled onto the photosensitive drum, a charge electrode facing the brush roller at a position other than the contact position of the photosensitive drum and the brush roller, and a power source to apply voltage to the charge electrode, wherein the polarity of the voltage applied from the power source to the charge electrode with respect to the average voltage of the surface of the photosensitive drum after transferring is the same as a charging polarity of the toner at developing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Hirota, Hiroaki Umemoto, Noritoshi Hagimoto, Kuniya Matsuura, Naotoshi Kawai, Kentaro Katori
  • Patent number: 7324777
    Abstract: A sealing member for sealing a toner discharge opening of a toner accommodating container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, the sealing member includes a locking portion for being locked with a portion to be locked provided in the image forming apparatus, the locking portion being adapted to displace with a relative closing movement relative to the portion to be locked, wherein the toner discharging opening is brought into an open state from a closed state by relative to movement of the sealing member relative to the toner accommodating container with the locking portion being in engagement with the portion to be locked; and a releasing force receiving portion for receiving from the image forming apparatus a releasing force for releasing engagement between the locking portion and the portion to be locked by displacing the locking portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Yamada, Yutaka Ban, Katsuya Murakami, Fumio Tazawa, Hironori Minagawa
  • Patent number: 7324778
    Abstract: A fixing device wherein supposing that the total load given to a heating roller and a pressure roller is W (kgf) and the area of the pressure contact portion of the heating roller with respect to the pressure roller (nip area) is S (cm2), the nip pressure (=W/S) is 2.7 kgf/cm2 or more and the length of the pressure contact portion in the direction parallel to the direction of conveyance of a recording material is defined to be 14 mm or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Teruaki Mitsuya, Keisuke Kubota, Masato Miwa, Yoshitaka Fujinuma, Tsutomu Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 7324779
    Abstract: A printing system includes first and second marking devices for applying images to print media. A first primary fusing device is associated with the first marking device for applying a primary fusing treatment to the images applied to print media by the first marking device. A second primary fusing device is associated with the second marking device for applying a primary fusing treatment to the images applied to print media by the second marking device. At least one secondary fusing device receives printed media from the first and second marking devices. The secondary fusing device selectively applies a further fusing treatment to at least a portion of the images applied to the printed media to increase a uniformity of an appearance characteristic between printed images generated by the first marking device and the second marking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: David G. Anderson, Steven R. Moore, Gerald M. Fletcher, Bryan J. Roof, Eric S. Hamby, Robert M. Lofthus
  • Patent number: 7324780
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a waste toner collecting unit, a moving device, a sheet conveying roller, a driving unit, and a drive force transmitting unit. The waste toner collecting unit receives waste toner. The moving device moves the waste toner in the waste toner collecting unit. The sheet conveying roller transports a transfer sheet. The driving unit drives the sheet conveying roller. The drive force transmitting unit interlinks the moving device to the sheet conveying roller, and transmits a drive force of the driving unit to the moving device via a shaft of the sheet conveying roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuru Yamada, Yutaka Fukuchi, Arai Yuji
  • Patent number: 7324781
    Abstract: An automatic document transportation device includes a document tray, a document discharge tray, a transportation path, a document feed roller, a separating pad, transportation rollers, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) scanning unit, a Contact Image Sensor (CIS) scanning unit and document discharge rollers. The document tray and the document discharge tray are provided vertically in two stages. The transportation path is formed in the sideways letter-U shape from the document tray to the document discharge tray. The document feed roller and the separating pad are provided in proximity to an inlet of the transportation path, and separate original documents by nipping the original documents in a thickness direction. The transportation rollers nip and transport the original document. The CCD scanning unit is provided directly downstream of a U-turn part of the transportation path and scans a first side of the transported original document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Nose, Naritoshi Takamatsu, Kenji Koyama
  • Patent number: 7324782
    Abstract: A system is provided for adapting and customizing a reverse link beam and a forward link beam that couple a particular mobile unit with a base station for transmitting/receiving data. The forward and reverse links may be dynamically customized for changing data rate requirements, changing position of the mobile unit relative to the base station, and changing SNR. According to one aspect of the invention, a plurality of adaptive antenna elements for the forward and reverse links are located at the base station. In addition to conventional beam forming hardware, the beam forming circuitry of each antenna are coupled to a mobile location detector for detecting the location of a mobile unit with which the base station is communicating. Once the location of the mobile unit has been determined, the beamformer steers a customized narrow, high gain beam toward that mobile unit to form the desired link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Ashok N. Rudrapatna
  • Patent number: 7324783
    Abstract: A method, arrangement (512) and communication receiver (500) for SNIR estimation of a received signal, by: deriving (512A) an estimation {circumflex over (Z)} of SNIR of the received signal in accordance with the relation Z ^ = [ E ? { ? r ? ( t ) ? } ] 2 E ? { r 2 ? ( t ) } - [ E ? { ? r ? ( t ) ? } ] 2 , where E represents mean value and r(t) represents the level of the received signal; and correcting (512B, 512C) the estimation {circumflex over (Z)} to produce a corrected estimation Z based on the relation Z=?({circumflex over (Z)})×{circumflex over (Z)}, where ?({circumflex over (Z)}) represents a correction factor. The estimation may be corrected by calculating the correction factor, retrieving the correction factor from a predetermined table (512B) or retrieving the corrected estimation from a predetermined table. The correction may be effected by adding to a logarithmic estimation a logarithmic correction factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: IPWireless, Inc.
    Inventor: Nicholas Anderson
  • Patent number: 7324784
    Abstract: Changes in instructions for increasing/decreasing transmission power that have been decoded from TPC bits are monitored, and when the increase/decrease instructions in a prescribed time interval are biased toward instructions for increasing the transmission power, the peak direction or main lobe width of the transmission beam is changed by regulating the transmission power or transmission antenna weights that correspond to each of a plurality of antenna devices. These processes are repeated until the bias toward instructions for increasing the transmission power in the instructions for increasing/decreasing transmission power is eliminated or until the number of changes of the transmission beam reaches a maximum value that has been set in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hironori Mizuguchi
  • Patent number: 7324785
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling transmit power of a wireless communication device includes processing that begins when a transmitting wireless communication device transmits a packet to a targeted wireless device via a wireless channel of a communication system at a 1st power level. The processing continues by having the targeted wireless device determining signal strength of the packet received via the wireless channel. The processing then continues when the targeted and/or transmitting device determines the adequacy of the 1st power level based on the determined signal strength. If the 1st power level is adequate, the transmitting wireless device continues to transmit information at the 1st power level. If, however, the 1st power level is not adequate, the transmitting communication device adjusts its transmit power up or down to provide an adequate power level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher J. Hansen, Joonsuk Kim, Matthew Fischer, Rajugopal Gubbi
  • Patent number: 7324786
    Abstract: The invention provides a system for implementing a high capacity MIMO system with high throughput which will ensure an eigenmode rich channel largely irrespective of the environment. In conventional MIMO systems, the environment can substantially reduce the theoretically achievable throughput if there is little angular diversity. The system includes a scattering structure for scattering beams emitted by an antenna array to provide good angular diversity at the receiver and hence good throughput in all environments. In addition, the scattering structure is controllable to allow its properties and hence the eigenmodes generated to be varied to maximise the efficiency of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Steve Carl Jamieson Parker
  • Patent number: 7324787
    Abstract: In a radio communication system having a phase control loop for phase modulation and an amplitude control loop for amplitude modulation and being capable of time divisional transmission and reception under a predetermined time management, when transmission in a first mode is switched to transmission in a second mode or when transmission in the second mode is switched to transmission in the first mode, the output level of the power amplifier is lowered once to a predetermined level higher than the level when transmission related circuits are activated, and thereafter the output level of the power amplifier is again ramped after the settings have been changed but without starting of a transmission oscillator, establishing of the phase control loop and the amplitude control loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignees: Renesas Technology Corporation, TTPCOM Limited
    Inventors: Noriyuki Kurakami, Kazuhiko Hikasa, Ryoichi Takano, Patrick Wurm
  • Patent number: 7324788
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an RF integrated circuit comprising a frequency synthesizer and a QAM modulator for modulating a baseband signal of frequency FBB, the frequency synthesizer supplying to the QAM modulator an output signal of frequency F1 adjustable with a frequency step ?F1, for forming a carrier signal of the QAM modulator. According to the present invention, the frequency synthesizer is a Vernier effect frequency synthesizer comprising an auxiliary frequency synthesizer supplying an auxiliary signal of frequency F2 adjustable with a frequency step ?F2 and a main frequency synthesizer having a phase-locked loop bandwidth at least two times higher than the frequency step ?F2 of the auxiliary signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Serge Ramet, Pascal Triaire, Philippe Jouen
  • Patent number: 7324789
    Abstract: A frequency synthesizer for use in a transceiver generates a relatively high reference frequency with fine frequency resolution and low in-band phase noise by using a digital processor to generate a digital reference signal at a finely-tuned reference frequency. A Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) converts the digital reference signal to an analog reference signal, and a low pass filter filters the analog reference signal to produce a filtered analog reference signal. The frequency synthesizer further includes a phase locked loop for up-converting the filtered analog reference signal from an IF signal to an RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Henrik T. Jensen
  • Patent number: 7324790
    Abstract: A transceiver 400 is provided in an ultrawide bandwidth device, which includes an antenna 110, a transmitter circuit 145, and a receiver circuit 165. A transmitter amplifier 440 is provided between the antenna 110 and the transmitter circuit 145, and is configured to have an operational transmitter output impedance when the transceiver 400 is in a transmit mode and an isolation transmitter output impedance when the transceiver 400 is in a receive mode. A receiver amplifier 460 is provided between the antenna 110 and the receiver circuit 165, and is configured to have an operational receiver input impedance when the transceiver 400 is in a receive mode and an isolation receiver input impedance when the transceiver 400 is in a transmit mode. The isolation transmitter output impedance is greater than the operational receiver input impedance, and the isolation receiver input impedance is greater than the operational transmitter output impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Phuong T. Hyunh, John W. McCorkle, Fernando N. Hidalgo
  • Patent number: 7324791
    Abstract: A low-noise differential bias circuit is provided which obtains excellent noise characteristics while ensuring excellent distortion characteristics. A collector of a transistor Q11 is connected to a voltage supply point (Vcc) via a resistor R15. A base of the transistor Q11 is connected to a base of a transistor Q1 via resistors R13, R11 connected in series. A connection point between the resistors R11, R13 is connected to the collector of the transistor Q11. A collector of a transistor Q12 is connected to the voltage supply point at connection point A via a resistor R16. A base of the transistor Q12 is connected to a base of a transistor Q2 via resistors R14, R12 connected in series. A connection point between the resistors R12, R14 is connected to the collector of the transistor Q12. By this configuration, a high frequency ground is performed at the connection point A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshifumi Nakatani, Shinichi Osako, Jyunji Itoh
  • Patent number: 7324792
    Abstract: A method for transmitting signal in a mobile communication system allocates symbols which will be transmitted to transmitting antennas appropriately as considering detection efficiencies of symbols on a higher order modulation constellation and correlation between antennas, and thereby independent symbol transmission can be made and independence between antennas can be improved to improve accuracy of symbol detection on a receiving end and signal transmitting function of the system can be improved. Therefore, a pair of symbols having the longest distance between symbols is arranged to a pair of antennas having higher correlation and a pair of symbols having the shortest distance between symbols is arranged to a pair of antennas having lower correlation. Also, symbols having higher detection efficiency are allocated to antennas having higher correlation and symbols having lower detection efficiency are allocated to antennas having lower correlation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Dong Hi Sim, Bong Hoe Kim
  • Patent number: 7324793
    Abstract: A wireless transmission device capable of transmitting media from different channels concurrently. The transmitter of the device places the inputted TV signals and an audio/video signal on different segments of a frequency spectrum, combines the signals of all segments into one combined signal, and transmits the combined signal as a radio frequency signal so as to transmit signals from different channels at the same time. Meanwhile, a controller in the receiver of the device selects a needed channel signal from the received radio frequency signal according to a selection signal. Therefore with one A/V transmitter and multiple A/V receivers, multiple-channel media transmission and multiple-channel media reception is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Wistron NeWeb Corporation
    Inventors: Cheng-Nan Lee, Chen-Chia Huang
  • Patent number: 7324794
    Abstract: Embodiments of methods of receiving transmitted signals are disclosed. The methods include a first antenna receiving a second signal, a second antenna receiving a second signal, adjusting a phase relationship between the first signal and the second signal, combining the phase adjusted first signal and second signal, and processing the phase adjusted first signal and second signal to determine the phase adjustment for optimizing at least one of signal to noise ratio and signal to interference ratio of the combined signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Tzero Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sujai Chari, Rajeev Krishnomoorthy