24th week of 2012 patent applcation highlights part 38 |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20120148245 | MULTIPLEX CONVERSION FOR A PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK - A passive optical network system having a node that is optically coupled to optical line terminals (OLTs), and that is optically coupled to optical network units (ONUs). The node includes at least one fiber link module (FLM), each FLM including an upstream multiplex conversion device (MCD), and a downstream MCD. The upstream MCD receives an upstream optical signal from the ONUs, converts the upstream optical signal to an upstream electrical signal, and transmits a regenerated upstream optical signal to the OLTs. The downstream MCD receives a downstream optical signal from the OLTs, converts the downstream optical signal to a downstream electrical signal, and transmits a regenerated downstream optical signal to the ONUs. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148246 | PON SYSTEM, SUBSCRIBER-SIDE TERMINAL APPARATUS, STATION-SIDE TERMINAL APPARATUS, AND POWER SAVING METHOD - In a PON system, an ONU includes a receive buffer that stores therein a signal in a downstream direction transmitted from an OLT and a PON control unit that controls transition to a power-saving state and transition to a normal state for the reception buffer. The OLT includes a transmission buffer that stores transmission data to be transmitted to the ONU and the PON control unit that transmits the downstream power-saving-state transition request that requests the ONU to transition to the downstream power-saving state when it is determined that transmission data addressed to the ONU is not present in the transmission buffer. The PON control unit sets the reception buffer to a power-saving state for a predetermined downstream sleep time requested based on the downstream power-saving-state transition request. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148247 | METHOD FOR SOFT BANDWIDTH LIMITING IN DYNAMIC BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION - A method of dynamic bandwidth allocation comprising updating a limit value (B | 2012-06-14 |
20120148248 | TRANSPORT DEVICE AND CLOCK AND TIME SYNCHRONIZATION METHOD THEREOF - A transport device sends data frames to a peer transport device and records sending time of the frame header of each data frame, inserts data slices after slicing a generated message to the data frames, and uses the sending time of the frame header of the data frame that carries the message header as a sending time stamp. The transport device receives data frames from the peer transport device and records the receiving time of the frame header of each data frame, identifies a message header in the data frames, and uses the receiving time of the frame header of a data frame carrying the message header as a receiving time stamp. The transport device performs calculations on a series of paired sending time stamps and receiving time stamps and adjusts its clock frequency and time according to the calculation results to synchronize the clock and time between transport devices. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148249 | CABLE NETWORK USING GIGA BAND FREQUENCY - The present invention relates to a cable network using the frequency of a giga band. The optical signal transmission apparatus includes an optical transmission/reception unit converting received RF signals into RF optical signals and transmitting the RF optical signals, an optical line terminal converting received digital signals into digital optical signals and transmitting the digital optical signals, and a multiplexer receiving the optical signals from the optical transmission/reception unit and the optical line terminal and multiplexing the received optical signals. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148250 | Wavelength Division Multiplexing Filter - The present invention discloses a Wavelength Division Multiplexing Filter which can satisfy coexistence requirements of different PON systems and an optical line detecting system. The Wavelength Division Multiplexing Filter comprises a plurality of filters that are configured: in a downlink direction, to receive a first optical pulse signal output by a first PON system, a second optical pulse signal output by a second PON system or gained by coupling an output signal of the second PON system and a video signal, and a third optical pulse signal sent from an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer, and to couple the first optical pulse signal, the second optical pulse signal and the third optical pulse signal into an Optical Division Network; and in an uplink direction, to split an uplink optical pulse signal according to wavelength bands, to transmit an optical pulse signal in a first uplink wavelength range to the first PON system, to transmit an optical pulse signal in a second uplink wavelength range to the second PON system, and to transmit an optical signal in a third uplink wavelength range to the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148251 | Method and Apparatus for Propagating Optical Signals along with Power Feed to Illuminators and Electrical Appliances - In a method and apparatus for propagating optical signals via optical cables such as plastic optical fiber, known as lightguide joint and mingled with the electrical wiring and home automation system for controlling LED illuminators enclosed in standard screw type bulb bases or plug-in bases, such as used for halogen lamp via optical signal propagated through such standard bases. Same optical signals are propagated through power outlets and via power cable assemblies to electrical appliances for controlling the appliances operation and on-off switching. Full range of control, distribution, signal conversion, keypads and touch screen including video interphones monitors and shopping terminals operate and controls such home automation via the optical cables. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148252 | ENCODING AN OPTICAL SIGNAL USING A RADIO-FREQUENCY SIGNAL - The present invention provides a method for modulating an optical signal in a semiconductor device. A wireless radio frequency modulation signal is used to provide a time-dependent electric field in a semiconductor nanostructure region, which causes a change in the absorption in the semiconductor device. An optical signal propagating in the semiconductor device will be modulated in accordance with the properties of the wireless radio frequency modulation signal, thus providing a method for encoding information from a wireless radio frequency signal onto an optical carrier. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148253 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING DATA EXCHANGE SERVICE - Disclosed is an interface method for exchanging data among information appliances by using optical communications including visible light and information appliances supporting the same. The present invention projects a screen providing a data exchange service through a first information appliance, determines whether at least one second information appliance is positioned on the projected screen, and controls an optical communication direction of a first information appliance to exchange data with the second information appliance when the second information appliance is positioned on the projected screen so as to exchange data between the first information appliance and the second information appliance. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148254 | OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER - To provide an optical transceiver with which a plurality of optical transmitters and receivers constituting the optical transceiver can be detached individually and exchanged/repaired easily, so that waste of components can be avoided. The optical transceiver includes: an optical transceiver main body; a plurality of pairs of optical transmitters and optical receivers housed inside the optical transceiver main body by being disposed in parallel; optical transmitter substrates and optical receiver substrates, which individually hold each of the optical transmitters and the optical receivers; an optical transceiver substrate which holds each of the optical transmitter substrates and the optical receiver substrates; and connectors which connect each of the optical transmitter substrates as well as the optical receiver substrates to the optical transceiver substrate detachably. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148255 | PILOT-ASSISTED DATA TRANSMISSION IN A COHERENT OPTICAL-COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - In one embodiment, an optical transmission system transmits data using a format according to which a data frame has two or more pilot-symbol blocks, each having a guard interval, and two or more payload-symbol blocks that are concatenated without a guard interval between them. The use of guard intervals in the pilot-symbol blocks helps the synchronization and channel-estimation procedures performed at a receiver of the optical transmission system to be robust in the presence of certain transmission impairments. The absence of guard intervals in the payload-symbol blocks helps to minimize the transmission overhead and thus achieve relatively high payload-data throughput. Pilot-symbol blocks have a structure that enables the receiver to determine channel-response characteristics for each data frame and then apply appropriate channel-response-compensation procedures to signals corresponding to the payload-symbol blocks of the frame to recover, with a relatively low bit-error rate, the data encoded in those signals. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148256 | BIDIRECTIONAL OPTICAL SUB ASSEMBLY HAVING STRUCTURE TO REDUCE REFLECTION NOISE - Disclosed herein is a bi-directional optical sub-assembly structured to reduce reflection noise. The bi-directional optical sub-assembly includes an optical fiber; a transmitter transmitting an optical transmit signal having passed through a 45° filter to the outside through the optical fiber, a receiver receiving an optical receive signal which is received from the outside through the optical fiber, is reflected by the 45° filter and passes through a 0° filter; a body encompassing a part of the optical fiber, a part of the transmitter and a part of the receiver; a cap housing encompassing a part of the transmitter and including an opening to provide a passage for the optical transmit signal from the transmitter to the optical fiber, and a filter holder having the 45° filter and the 0° filter attached thereon within the body. The opening of the cap housing is set to have a minimum diameter X | 2012-06-14 |
20120148257 | OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER USING SINGLE-WAVELENGTH COMMUNICATION - Disclosed herein is a single wavelength bi-directional optical transceiver for transmitting/receiving optical signals having the same wavelength through an optical communication system. The optical transceiver includes a transmitter including an isolator and converting an external input signal into an optical transmit signal, an optical filter reflecting some of the optical transmit signal and transmitting the other of the optical transmit signal, an optical fiber transmitting the optical transmit signal transmitted by the optical filter to a counterpart optical transceiver, a receiver receiving an optical receive signal from the counterpart optical transceiver via the optical fiber, and a body enclosing a portion of the transmitter, the optical filter, a portion of the optical fiber and a portion of the receiver. An incidence angle (θ | 2012-06-14 |
20120148258 | OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - The present invention relates to an optical communications system that allows improving OSNR while suppressing the power increase of pumping light for distributed Raman amplification. In the optical communications system, an optical fiber is laid in a transmission section between a transmitter station (or repeater station) and a receiver station (or repeater station), and optical signals are transmitted from the transmitter station to the receiver station via the optical fiber. In the optical communications system, pumping light for Raman amplification, outputted by a pumping light source provided in the receiver station, is fed into the optical fiber via an optical coupler, and the optical signals are distributed-Raman-amplified in the optical fiber. The transmission loss and the effective area of the optical fiber satisfy, at the wavelength of 1550 nm, a predetermined relationship. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148259 | Dispersion Management in Optical Networks Including Both Coherent and Direct Detection Receivers - Dispersion may be managed in an optical network by allowing accumulation of dispersion to at least ten thousand ps/nm, and several tens of thousands of ps/nm in some embodiments. The accumulated dispersion may be returned to zero or near zero at a receiver and/or at one or more branch paths coupled to the transmission path. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148260 | OPTICAL TRANSMITTER AND OPTICAL TRANSMISSION METHOD - An optical transmitter includes: a digital signal processor to generate a drive signal from input data; a controller to control an amplitude or power of the drive signal according to information relating to the digital signal processing of the digital signal processor; and an optical modulator to modulate input light with the drive signal controlled by the controller to generate an optical signal. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148261 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTICAL ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLEXING WITH COMPANDING TRANSFORM - A companding transform technique is incorporated into orthogonal frequency division multiplexed signals to reduce the peak-to-average ratio of the signals. Prior to the companding transform, an inverse discrete Fourier transform is performed on the signal. Following the companding transform, the signal is compressed, at which point the compressed signal may be advantageously optically transmitted. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148262 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCING MEMORY REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRICAL DOMAIN COMPENSATION OF INTRA-CHANNEL NONLINEARITY IN AN OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - A digital filter processes an input signal to be conveyed through an optical communications system. The processing generates a predistorted signal using a compensation function that mitigates impairments of the optical communications system. The input signal has a sample period of T, while the predistorted signal has a sample period of T/2. The digital filter has a first branch including a respective first T-spaced filter for processing the input signal using the compensation function to generate a corresponding first output signal comprising nT/2 samples with n odd. A second branch includes a respective second T-spaced filter for processing the input signal with a delay of T relative to the first branch using the compensation function to generate a corresponding second output signal comprising nT/2 samples with n even. A combiner operates to combine the first and second output signals to generate the predistorted signal having a sample period of T/2. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148263 | ARCHITECTURE OF AN OPTICAL REFUELING COMMUNICATION USING GLASS FIBER - A communication interface for communication between a storage tank and a refueling station is described. One embodiment of the communication interface includes a control unit; an optical transmitter comprising an IR-LED, the optical transmitter directly integrated into the control unit or mounted on the control unit; and an optical frontend optically connected to the optical transmitter. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148264 | COHERENT OPTICAL RECEIVER FOR PILOT-ASSISTED DATA TRANSMISSION - A coherent optical receiver for a data-frame format in which a data frame has two or more pilot-symbol blocks, each having a cyclic prefix or suffix, and one or more payload-symbol blocks, each of which is concatenated with at least one adjacent block without a guard interval between them. The receiver uses optical signals corresponding to the pilot-symbol blocks to perform data-frame synchronization, frequency-offset correction, and channel-estimation procedures, which are robust even in the presence of certain transmission impairments. The receiver applies block-overlap processing with a sliding window to recover the payload data in a manner that substantially cancels the adverse effects of inter-block interference caused by the absence of guard intervals in the payload portion of the data frame. In one embodiment, the receiver performs channel-estimation and block-overlap processing for polarization-division-multiplexed signals in a manner that enables a combined, intertwined application of channel-response-compensation and polarization-demultiplexing procedures. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148265 | COHERENT OPTICAL RECEIVING DEVICE CAPABLE OF DIGITAL EQUALIZATION OF OPTICAL INPUT, DIGITAL EQUALIZATION METHOD FOR OPTICAL INPUT AND COHERENT OPTICAL TRANSMITTING/RECEIVING DEVICE - A coherent optical receiving device capable of digital equalization of an optical input, and a method thereof. The coherent optical receiving device includes a chromatic dispersion compensating unit configured to comprise a filter for chromatic dispersion compensation and compensate for chromatic dispersion with respect to a digital signal that corresponds to an optical input using the filter; a decoder configured to generate a bit sequence of the signal which has been compensated for chromatic dispersion; a bit error calculating unit configured to calculate a bit error amount in the bit sequence; and a controller configured to monitor the bit error amount, determine a filter coefficient that makes the bit error amount a minimum, and set the determined filter coefficient in the chromatic dispersion compensating unit. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148266 | DIGITAL COHERENT OPTICAL RECEIVER, ADAPTIVE EQUALIZER, AND DIGITAL COHERENT OPTICAL COMMUNICATION METHOD - A digital coherent optical receiver includes a processor that is operative to separate electric signals obtained by converting an optical signal into a horizontal signal component and a vertical signal component; to generate a histogram of the horizontal signal component and the vertical signal component as outputs of the equalizing filter; and to determine a presence/absence of local convergence based on distribution of the histogram of the horizontal signal component and the histogram of the vertical signal component. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148267 | INVENTORY MANAGEMENT DEVICE AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT METHOD - Provided is an inventory management device, connected over a network to groups of image processing devices, for managing inventory, by device group, of consumable supplies used in the image processing devices. The inventory management device includes an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information by device group and an inventory supplement selection unit that selects supplies to supplement the inventory. The inventory information includes, in association for each supply, an inventory amount, an image processing device identifier, a device group identifier, a maximum inventory amount for the device group, and a projected replacement timing. When a supply is replaced, the inventory supplement selection unit refers to the inventory information for the device group of the image processing device in which the supply was replaced to select supplies to supplement the inventory without exceeding the maximum inventory amount, starting from the supply with the earliest projected replacement timing. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148268 | Image Forming Device - An image forming device includes a main body, a replaceable unit, a determination unit, a first memory, a second memory, a temporary memory, a first control unit, and a second control unit. The determination unit determines whether the replaceable unit is a genuine product or a non-genuine product with respect to the main body. The first memory is configured to store a physical value increasing with a use of the main body mounted with the genuine product. The second memory is configured to store the physical value increasing with the use of the main body mounted with the non-genuine product. The temporary memory is configured to temporarily store the physical value increasing with the use of the main body mounted with the non-genuine product. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148269 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A main control section | 2012-06-14 |
20120148270 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM - An image forming apparatus including a developing device corresponding to a color component, comprises: a conversion unit configured to accumulate, for each color component, values of respective pixels for each color component that fall within a predetermined range of image data, and to convert the accumulated value into a count value of the color component; an addition unit configured to add, to the image data, the count value of each color component that has been converted by the conversion unit; and a control unit configured, when forming an image based on the image data, to supply toner to the developing device of each color component in accordance with the count value of the color component that has been added by the addition unit. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148271 | TONER CONTAINER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner container includes a toner accommodating portion: a rotatable toner stirring member; a sensor for detecting a remaining amount of the toner; wherein the sensor includes a first flexible sheet portion, a second sheet portion, a first opening, a first electroconductive portion, a second electroconductive portion, wherein the first sheet portion flexes by a stirring operation of the stirring member, and the first electroconductive portion is contacted to the second electroconductive portion, by which the remaining toner amount is detectable, and wherein the toner accommodating portion is provided with a second opening for communicating the first opening and an outside of the toner accommodating portion with each other. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148272 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATION OF BANDING FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES IN MARKING PLATFORM - A method for compensation of banding in a marking platform includes: initiating a calibration stage; marking a test pattern over multiple intervals of a lowest fundamental frequency among marking modules; obtaining image data for the test pattern from a sensor; obtaining 1x signals from sensors associated with the marking modules; and processing the image data in relation to the 1x signals to form banding profiles for multiple marking modules. Alternatively, the method may include: processing image data in relation to 1x signals to form banding profiles for multiple marking modules; determining amplitudes in multiple banding profiles exceeds a threshold to identify dominant banding profiles; and processing dominant banding profiles to form dominant banding signatures. Alternatively, the method may include: initiating a correction stage; obtaining 1x signals from sensors associated with dominant marking modules; and periodically processing dominant banding signatures and 1x signals to determine a banding compensation value. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148273 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An apparatus is capable of switching between a mode in which a first resistance heating element and a second resistance heating element are connected in series and a mode in which they are connected in parallel. When a temperature increase rate detected by a temperature detection unit is smaller than a threshold rate although a current detected by a current detection unit is greater than a threshold current, a notification of a failure is issued. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148274 | PROVIDING DESIRED GLOSS TO MIXED MEDIA SHEETS - Method of fixing marking particles to sheets having different basis weights in a continuous stream of receiver sheets, includes: providing two fixing members which engage each other to form a nip, at least one of the members being heated; and adjusting at least one parameter including temperature, speed, or pressure in the fixing nip, which will provide a predetermined gloss upon the sheet(s). The method further includes feeding the sheets of the higher basis weight through the nip so that the higher basis weight sheet(s) is fed more times through the nip than the other sheet(s); and applying marking particles to the prepared heavier basis weight sheets and passing them through the nip so that the gloss formed by the marking particles is substantially the same for heavier basis weight sheets as for lighter basis weight sheets. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148275 | RECORDING MATERIAL DETECTION APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A recording material detection apparatus having a detecting device configured to detect a surface state of a recording material on the basis of reflected light from a surface of the recording material includes a reference surface to be irradiated with light from a light source, the detecting device includes a light-shielding portion configured to control conditions for detecting information relating to the surface state of the recording material on the basis of the reflected surface from the reference surface, and cover a portion of the reference panel other than the reference surface so as to prevent the light from the light source from being reflected from the portion of the reference panel other than the reference surface and being received by the light-receiving unit. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148276 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SAME - When image forming is to be successively performed on recording sheets having different sizes, an image forming apparatus suitably executes adjustment processing on a fixing apparatus or the like used in the image forming, and maintains image quality as well as suppresses a drop in productivity. To accomplish this, the image forming apparatus specifies the size of a printing material onto which an image is to be performed, and with use of the specified printing material size and the size of printing materials on which images have been formed immediately previously, determines whether it is necessary to execute adjustment processing for maintaining image quality. Specifically, adjustment processing is executed only if the size of the printing material on which an image is to be formed is greater than the size of the printing materials on which images were formed immediately previously. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148277 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT FORMS IMAGE BY SCANNING PHOTOSENSITIVE MEMBER WITH MULTIPLE BEAMS - An image forming apparatus that generates a synchronization signal without breaking laser diodes (LDs). The LDs output beams, which in turn are deflected to scan a photosensitive member. The synchronization signal is generated upon detecting the deflected beams. The LDs output the beams so as to generate the synchronization signal, based on which the output timing of the beams from the LDs is controlled. It is possible to select a first mode in which at least two of the LDs output the beams so as to generate the synchronization signal, and a second mode in which one of the LDs output the beams so as to generate the synchronization signal. The value of drive current supplied to at least two of the LDs when the first mode is selected is smaller than the value of drive current supplied to one of the LDs when the second mode is selected. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148278 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a toner supply member which is in contact with the toner carrier and is provided within the container, has a foam layer on its surface, rotates in a predetermined direction for image formation and supplies the toner to the toner carrier and has a contact area with the toner carrier with an uppermost stream position in the predetermined direction of the contact area being higher than a lowermost stream position and has a period when the toner supply member rotates in the opposite direction of the predetermined direction to increase the toner amount contained in the foam layer. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148279 | WET-TYPE IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A wet-type image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developer bearing member for bearing liquid developer containing toner and carrier liquid on the circumferential surface thereof, a bias applying unit for applying a developing bias to the developer bearing member, a first charging unit for charging the toner in the liquid developer to a first polarity before supplying the liquid developer to the image bearing member, and a second charging unit for reversely charging the toner in residual liquid developer remaining on the circumferential surface of the developer bearing member to a second polarity opposite to the first polarity after the development process. When V | 2012-06-14 |
20120148280 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member; a pressing member; a first temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature of the fixing member; a second temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature of the pressing member; and a rotational speed control unit for controlling a rotational speed of the fixing member according to the temperature detected with the first temperature detection unit and the temperature detected with the second temperature detection unit. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148281 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING FIXING UNIT FOR FIXING UNFIXED TONER IMAGE FORMED ON RECORDING MATERIAL ONTO RECORDING MATERIAL BY HEAT - Corrected power for compensating for a reduction in the temperature of an endless belt that accompanies the entry of a recording material into a fixing nip portion is adjusted by correcting the power supplied to a fixing unit when the recording material enters the fixing unit with a correction power based on a difference between the update time of a power updating period and the time of the entry of the recording material. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148282 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CONTROLLING POWER SUPPLIED TO FIXING UNIT - Adjusting the start timing for conveying a printing material from a printing material conveying unit based on a power supply update period for power supplied to a heater allows proper power correction timing to be attained for compensating for a drop in temperature of the endless belt following the printing material entering a fixing nip portion. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148283 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In an image forming apparatus, a fixing condition such as a target control temperature of a heater is changed depending on whether a first resistance heating element and a second resistance heating element of the heater are connected in series or in parallel such that a similar fixing performance is achieved regardless of whether the first resistance heating element and the second resistance heating element are connected in series or in parallel. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148284 | CLEANING ROTATABLE MEMBER IN ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER - A method of cleaning a rotatable member in an electrophotographic (EP) printer includes depositing toner in a selected area on the member. A processor automatically determines whether some or all of the deposited toner should be removed from the member. If so, a blade is engaged with the member, the member is rotated so that toner is removed from the selected area of the member by the blade and, after the selected area passes the engaged blade, the blade is disengaged from the member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148285 | ROTATABLE MEMBER CLEANER FOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER - In an electrophotographic (EP) printer, a rotatable member includes a deposition area and a non-deposition area. A toner supply supplies toner to the member, and a moving receiving member receives from the deposition area of the rotatable member while the rotatable member rotates. The rotatable member is cleaned with a selectively-retractable blade in mechanical contact with the member so that toner is removed from the deposition area while the rotatable member rotates. An artifact sensor automatically detects a toner image artifact on the receiver. A controller responsive to the artifact sensor causes the blade to retract when an artifact is detected, and a blade cleaner cleans the blade while the blade is not in mechanical contact with the member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148286 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In an image forming apparatus, a control unit is capable of carrying out a cleaning mode with a first step of allowing an image forming unit to form, on an image bearing member, a cleaning toner image with a length according to a length of a feeding member or conveying member in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording material, a second step of moving the cleaning toner image from the image bearing member to a transfer member, and a third step of moving the cleaning toner image from the transfer member to the image bearing member. This allows the transfer member to be efficiently cleaned, providing appropriate images prevented from suffering a transfer failure. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148287 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A fixing device includes a first alternating electric current power supply that outputs a first alternating electric current having a first frequency that causes a magnetic flux generated by an exciting coil to reach a first heat generation layer of a fixing rotary body; a second alternating electric current power supply that outputs a second alternating electric current having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency and causes the magnetic flux to reach the first heat generation layer of the fixing rotary body and a second heat generation layer of a heat generator; and a switch circuit connected to the exciting coil, the first alternating electric current power supply, and the second alternating electric current power supply to selectively connect the first alternating electric current power supply or the second alternating electric current power supply to the exciting coil. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148288 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - An image forming device includes a main body, a grounding member, and a supporting member. The supporting member is slidably movable between a mounting position and a drawn-out position with respect to the main body. The supporting member includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, a pair of side plates, a contact portion, and a connecting portion. The pair of side plates supports each photosensitive drum. At least one side plate is electrically connected to the grounding member when the supporting member is disposed at the mounting position. A user contacts to the contact portion when the user draws the supporting member to move from the mounting position. The contact portion and the at least one side plate are electrically connected with each other via the connecting portion. Each of the pair of side plates, contact portion, and connecting portion is made of an electrically conductive material. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148289 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH DEVELOPING UNIT DRAWER - An image forming apparatus includes installation/separation of a high-voltage connector to apply high-voltage current to a developing unit, a connector to transmit developing information, and a coupling connector to connect or disconnect a coupling to transmit power to rollers of the developing unit is performed as a drawer is pushed into or pulled out of a main body. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148290 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The present invention prevents condensation on a pressure roller and excessive temperature rise of a non-paper-passage portion of a fixing unit by switching a blower unit that cools the fixing unit between a blowing mode in which the blower unit sends air to the non-paper-passage portion and an exhausting mode in which a fan of the blower unit is rotated reversely and the air in the fixing unit is exhausted out of the apparatus. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148291 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A wet type image forming apparatus has a primary transfer unit that transfers to an intermediate transfer body a coloring particle image formed on the surface of an image bearing member by using liquid developer. A secondary transfer unit transfers onto a recording medium the coloring particle image transferred to the intermediate transfer body. A cleaning unit recovers liquid developer remaining on the intermediate transfer body after transfer by the second transfer unit. An aggregation promoting agent addition unit is disposed on a downstream side of the secondary transfer unit in a direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer body and on an upstream side of the cleaning unit in a direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer body and adds to the surface of the intermediate transfer body an aggregation promoting agent that promotes aggregation of resin contained in the liquid developer. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148292 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, OPTICAL PRINT HEAD, AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE - An image forming apparatus having an image bearing member, an optical print head to irradiate the image bearing member with light to form a latent image thereon, a developing device to develop the latent image with a developing agent to obtain a visual image, and front and rear plates that sandwich at least the image bearing member and the developing device from opposite directions to position at least the image bearing member and the developing device thereof, the plates having focus direction position determining reference surfaces and sub-scanning direction position determining reference surfaces the optical print head contacts to position the optical print head. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148293 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Provided is a configuration in which a scanner is mounted to a cartridge door via an elastic member, and the scanner is positioned relative to a frame that can be mounted to and demounted from an apparatus main body and that supports an intermediate transfer member and a photosensitive member using an urging force of the elastic member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148294 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A guide surface of an attachment guide for a cartridge attached to a position nearest to a scanner has, in the vicinity of an inlet of the attachment guide, a portion oriented so as to be away from a guide surface of a guide unit for another cartridge from the upstream toward the downstream side in the direction in which the cartridges are attached. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148295 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus has a tray, which is able to be drawn out of the apparatus and on which a plurality of cartridges of different sizes can be mounted. A cartridge, being the largest in size among a plurality of process cartridges, is detachably arranged at a location at which it is first exposed to outside when a cartridge tray is drawn out. A developer storage portion of the largest cartridge has the largest capacity and stores a developer of a black color. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148296 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes process units arranged in a predetermined direction to form a process-unit row, each having a photosensitive body and a developer container; a casing accommodating the process units and having a cover opening and closing an opening formed at one side in the predetermined direction, and an exposure member exposing the photosensitive body, and having a laser source, a deflector, and an optical element, and the exposure member is arranged facing the developer container of each process unit in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. The process units are detachable from the casing, through the opening of the casing, and the developer container of one process unit arranged at one end of the process-unit row has a protruding portion protruding toward the exposure member to overlap with the exposure member in the orthogonal direction. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148297 | DEVELOPER CARTRIDGE WITH COUNTING MECHANISM - The invention provides a developer cartridge with a counting mechanism. The developer cartridge comprises a developer and the counting mechanism, wherein the counting mechanism is provided with protrusions which come in contact with a contact lever on an electronic photographing device so as to count the developer cartridge; and each protrusion has a first position and a second position in the direction perpendicular to a side wall of the developer cartridge, and is, in the first position, in contact with the contact lever, but is not, in the second position, in contact with the contact lever. The working principle of the developer cartridge adopting the counting mechanism is greatly different from the prior art. Therefore, the structure of the counting mechanism of the developer cartridge is simpler and more convenient and reliable; the production precision and the production cost are reduced; and the market competitiveness of the developer cartridge is improved. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148298 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a main body, a developing unit, a drawer movably installed at the main body and including a tray and a cover. The cover includes a first operation section and a second operation section, an interlocking member to be moved along with the drawer in the first operation section of the cover, and a lift member to be vertically moved according to movement of the interlocking member, wherein the developing unit is provided with a first connection terminal. The lift member is arranged with a second connection terminal, and the tray is arranged with a third connection terminal connected to the second connection terminal according to the position of the second connection terminal so that the second and third connection terminals are disconnected prior to extraction of the tray from the main body. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148299 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a belt member; a first drum for bearing a toner image to be transferred onto the belt member; a second drum, provided downstream of the first drum with respect to a rotational direction of the belt member, for bearing a toner image to be transferred onto the belt member; a first steering portion, provided upstream of the first drum with respect to the rotational direction of the belt member, for controlling a widthwise position of the belt member; and a second steering portion, provided downstream of the second drum with respect to the rotational direction of the belt member, for controlling the widthwise position of the belt member with a delay of a movement time of the belt member from the first drum to the second drum. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148300 | BELT UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS EMPLOYING SAME - A belt unit is detachably attached to a housing. A holder changes a state of an endless belt by moving a transfer roller between a first state as an endless belt movement state and a second state as a detachment state. The first state allows the endless belt to circulate for image formation, and the second state allows the belt unit to be detached from the housing. The holder moves the transfer roller adjacent supporter independently of the transfer roller and lifts the opening in the endless belt to a prescribed position to expose it to the front side plate. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148301 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A charge elimination needle is set at a predetermined position (first position) when a recording material is separated by utilizing the curvature of a separation stretching roller without using a separation assist roller, and at a position (second position) higher than the first position when the recording material is separated by using the separation assist roller. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148302 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Disclosed is an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a body frame, a support roller placed at one side of a movement path of a printing medium, a transfer roller assembly placed at the other side of the movement path of the printing medium at a position adjacent to the support roller, and a door to open or close the body frame so as to expose the movement path of the printing medium. The transfer roller assembly has a rotating axis kept at a fixed position of the body frame, and is moved away from the support roller in linkage with an opening operation of the door. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148303 | BELT ASSEMBLY, FIXING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A fixing device includes a frame, a tubular belt holder, a rotatable, flexible fuser belt, a heater, a fuser pad, a pressure member, and a mounting attachment. The tubular belt holder extends in an axial direction thereof. The fuser belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration around the belt holder to rotate in a circumferential direction of the belt holder. The heater is disposed adjacent to the belt holder to heat the belt holder. The fuser pad is accommodated in the belt holder inside the loop of the fuser belt, and extends in the axial direction. The pressure member is disposed opposite the belt holder with the fuser belt interposed between the fuser pad and the pressure member. The mounting attachment is provided to a longitudinal end of the tubular belt holder to allow retention and detachable attachment of the belt holder end to the frame. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148304 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus includes a heating unit including a rotatable image heating member; an induction heating unit for externally induction heating the image heating member; a nip forming member press-contacting an outer surface of the image heating member to form a nip therewith; a pressing member for pressing the heating unit to the nip forming member; a press releasing member for releasing a pressure of the pressing member to the heating unit; fastening means for fastening the heating unit and the induction heating unit together; and a force receiving portion, provided on the induction heating unit, for contacting the pressing member to move the heating unit away from the nip forming member when the press releasing member releases the heating unit from the pressure of the pressing member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148305 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that rotates by power generated by a driving source. A power transmission system transmits the power from the driving source to the image carrier. The power transmission system includes a coupling member to attenuate oscillation. The coupling member includes a viscous fluid, male and female fittings, and a rotating resistor. The viscous fluid provides a resistance against rotation of the image carrier. The male and female fittings are mutually fitted and rotatably supported on a rotary shaft of the image carrier penetrating through the male and female fittings in a direction in which they are mutually fitted. The rotating resistor is accommodated together with the viscous fluid in an accommodation space defined by a recess of the male fitting and a bottom inner surface of the female fitting. The rotating resistor integrally rotates with the rotary shaft. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148306 | CHARGING MEMBER AND PROCESS FOR ITS PRODUCTION - To provide a charging member to the surface of which any toners and so forth can be kept from adhering and which can exhibit a stable charging performance. The charging member has a substrate, an elastic layer and a surface layer; the surface layer containing a high-molecular compound having an Si—O—B linkage and having a constitutional unit represented by the following formula (1) and a constitutional unit represented by the following formula (2). | 2012-06-14 |
20120148307 | CHARGING MEMBER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A blade-like charging member for charging a surface of an image bearing member by contacting thereto and by being supplied with a voltage. The charging member includes a charging portion for effecting electric discharge to the surface of the image bearing member, and a non-charging portion not effecting the electric discharge to the surface of the image bearing member. The non-charging portion is capable of contacting the image bearing member while maintaining an electrically dischargeable gap between the charging portion and the image bearing member. At least a part of the non-charging portion is made of a material having a higher resistance than that of the charging portion so as to prevent electric discharge between the non-charging portion and the surface of the image bearing member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148308 | CHARGING MEMBER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A blade-like charging member for charging a surface of an image bearing member by contacting thereto includes a charging portion for effecting electric discharge to the surface of the image bearing member. The non-charging portion is made of a material having a higher resistance than that of the charging portion so as to prevent electric discharge between the non-charging portion and the surface of the image bearing member. The non-charging portion is capable of sliding contact with the surface of the image bearing member over the entirety of an image forming region width of the surface of the image bearing member, the charge non-charging portions are bonded to each other by adhesive material at a connection interface. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148309 | CHARGING MEMBER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A charging blade for charging a surface of an image bearing drum by contacting thereto includes a charging portion for effecting electric discharge to the surface of the drum; a non-charging portion not effecting the electric discharge to the surface of the drum, wherein the non-charging portion can contact the drum to provide a dischargeable gap between the charge portion and the drum, and at least a part the non-charging portion is made of a substance having a resistance higher than that of the charge portion to prevent no discharge occurs from the non-charging portion to the surface of the drum; and a support for the non-charging portion and the charge portion, wherein the non-charging portion and the charge portion are separation members and are not contacted to each other. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148310 | LIQUID MARKING AGENT DEVELOPMENT ASSEMBLIES, HARD IMAGING DEVICES, AND LIQUID MARKING AGENT HARD IMAGING METHODS - Liquid marking agent development assemblies, hard imaging devices, and liquid marking agent hard imaging methods are described. According to one aspect, a liquid marking agent development assembly includes a developer member comprising an outer surface, a marking agent delivery system configured to supply a liquid marking agent comprising a plurality of ink particles to a first location of the outer surface of the developer member, and a development system configured to adhere a plurality of the ink particles to the outer surface of the developer member, and wherein the development system is configured to adhere at least a majority of the adhered ink particles at a second location of the outer surface of the developer member which is upstream from the first location with respect to a direction of movement of the outer surface of the developer member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148311 | LIQUID MARKING AGENT DEVELOPMENT ASSEMBLIES AND LIQUID MARKING AGENT HARD IMAGING METHODS - Liquid marking agent development assemblies and liquid marking agent hard imaging methods are described. According to one aspect, a liquid marking agent development assembly includes a developer member comprising an outer surface and a charging assembly adjacent to the outer surface of the developer member, and wherein the charging assembly comprises at least one roller member configured to provide substantially an entirety of an electrical field relative to the developer member which electrical field is used to direct a plurality of ink particles of a liquid marking agent to the outer surface of the developer member and which ink particles upon the outer surface of the developer member are used to develop latent images upon an imaging member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148312 | TONER SUPPLY DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner supply device includes a toner storage section including plural toner containing sections and a dividing part, the plural toner containing sections being arranged from an upstream side to a downstream side in a toner feeding direction and including respective rotating members configured to rotate to feed the toner, the dividing part being formed between the toner containing sections adjacent to each other and including an upper end part. Further, a position of the upper end part of the dividing part is higher than a position of a rotational center of the rotating member included in the toner containing section on the upstream side in the toner feeding direction of the toner containing sections adjacent to each other. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148313 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The specification discloses a developing device comprises a first developer bearing member configured to bear a developer including a toner and a carrier, and to convey the developer to a first developing region facing an image bearing member, so as to develop an electrostatic latent image formed onto the image bearing member and a second developer bearing member configured to bear a developer transferred from the first developer bearing member, and to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, by conveying a developer to a second developing region facing the image bearing member and a cover unit configured to shield a route toward the image bearing member from a mutual gap position between the first developer bearing member and the second developer bearing member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148314 | Developing unit and image forming apparatus employing the same - A developing unit includes a toner storage portion containing toner and a toner supply member, and a development portion disposed above the toner storage portion. A partition wall divides the toner storage portion from the development portion. The partition wall includes a supply opening that defines a toner supply path from the toner storage portion to the development portion, and a discharge opening that defines a toner discharge path from the development portion to the toner storage portion. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148315 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - An image forming apparatus of this invention transfers pattern images for color deviation detection of the respective colors for color deviation detection on an endless belt for the formation of images, and corrects color deviation occurring when each image forming unit forms an image on a recording material, in accordance with the amount of color deviation detected by a registration detection sensor. The image forming apparatus forms pattern images of the respective colors on the endless belt at the intervals determined based on the total variation obtained by totalizing each variation of the transfer and detection positions of a pattern image of each color on the endless belt from an ideal position. This enables to reduce color deviation detection errors by using pattern images for color deviation detection and improve the accuracy of color deviation correction. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148316 | SILANE-CONTAINING POLYAMIDEIMIDE INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER MEMBERS - An intermediate transfer member including a first supporting substrate layer, and a second layer of a silane-containing polyamideimide, and a filler component. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148317 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A fixing device includes a switch circuit that selectively connects an alternating electric current power supply to a first exciting coil and a second exciting coil. When the switch circuit connects the alternating electric current power supply to both the first exciting coil and the second exciting coil, the first exciting coil and the second exciting coil together generate a first magnetic flux having a first density that reaches only a first heat generation layer of a fixing rotary body. When the switch circuit connects the alternating electric current power supply to the first exciting coil only, the first exciting coil generates a second magnetic flux having a second density greater than the first density that reaches both the first heat generation layer of the fixing rotary body and a second heat generation layer of a heat generator. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148318 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus includes an excitation coil; an image heating member for generating heat using a magnetic flux from the excitation coil to heat an image on a recording material; a magnetic core; image heating member; a core supporting member; magnetic core; a back-up member; a pressing member forming a nip between the back-up member and itself with the image heating member therebetween; a stay member; an apparatus side plate; a first positioning portion for determining a position of the stay member relative to one of the apparatus side plates; a second positioning portion, provided at a central portion of the stay member, for determining a position of the core supporting member relative to the stay member. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148319 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS - A fixing device forms a fixing nip by pressing a first roller, which is inside a rotation path of a rotating belt, with a second roller via the belt, and thermally fixes an unfixed image formed on a sheet S by passing the sheet S through the fixing nip while heating the belt by electromagnetic induction. The fixing device includes an excitation coil positioned outside said path, and a fixed plate that (i) is inside the path, substantially facing the excitation coil via the belt, (ii) contacts an inner surface of the belt, and (iii) keeps the belt on the path. A base member of the belt is a conductive heat generation layer containing no magnetic shunt alloy. The fixed plate includes a conductive layer and a magnetic shunt alloy layer that is closer to the belt than the conductive layer. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148320 | FUSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A fusing apparatus including a heating roller supplying heat onto a printing medium; a first pressure roller forming a first fusing nip by contacting a heating roller; a second pressure roller forming a second fixing nip by contacting the heating roller; a frame on which the heating roller, the first pressure roller and the second pressure roller are installed; and at least one bending reducing roller that reduces the bending of the second pressure roller by supporting a part of the second pressure roller in the lengthwise direction is provided. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148321 | CLEANING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning member is supported by a cleaning container by fastening screws with lubricant interposed between support surfaces of the cleaning container and a supporting member of the cleaning member. Accordingly, the difference in the amount of thermal expansion between the cleaning container and the supporting member generated by a change in temperature can be absorbed by sliding of the support surfaces and the supporting member relative to each other. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148322 | ANGLED ARRAY SENSOR METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING MEDIA CURL - A method and system for accurately measuring a lead edge and a trail edge media curl utilizing an angled array sensor. One or more curled media sheets can be propelled in a process direction via a set of rollers/nips associated with a curler from a leading edge and/or trailing edge towards the angled array sensor. The angled array sensor having a rotation vector in the cross-process direction can be placed upstream or downstream of a media-propelling device and at an angle relative to the media sheet exiting the curler in order to calculate a function of sheet curl. The function of sheet curl can be obtained by measuring a point at which the propelled media sheet touches an array associated with the angled array sensor. Such a curl measurement approach enhances accuracy and robustness to environmental induced errors. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148323 | PRINTING APPARATUS, PRINT CONTROL SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PRINT CONTROL SYSTEM - A host computer transmits a plurality of print data pieces to which an identical password is added to a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a unit configured to receive and store one of the transmitted plurality of print data pieces, an operation unit configured to accept input of a password from a user, an image formation unit configured to perform, when the password input from the user and the password added to the stored print data match each other, image formation based on the print data to which the identical password to the input password is added, and a control unit configured to cause, when it receives the remaining one of the transmitted plurality of print data pieces after the image formation has been performed, the image formation unit to perform the image formation based on the remaining print data without making the user input the password again. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148324 | DEVICE FOR SAMPLING A WEB MOVEMENT, PRINTING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A PROCESSING OPERATION - In a method or device to sample a web movement, an incremental encoder translates the web movement into two phase-offset output signals. A quadrature decoder generates first and second digital output signals with two respective signal levels. The first output signal is designated as a forward signal and the second output signal is designated as a backward signal. An evaluation circuit outputs a control signal and has a first counter that counts a signal change of the forward signal and subtracts from the count a signal change of the backward signal. A second counter counts a signal change of the control signal. A comparator compares values of the first and the second counters. A disabling device enables the forward signal if values of both the first and second counters are the same so that the forward signal is output, and disables the forward signal if values of the two counters are different. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148325 | CONVEYANCE CONTROLLER, PRINTING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONVEYING PRINTING MEDIUM, AND PRINTING MEDIUM CONVEYANCE APPARATUS - This invention includes an input operation unit which accepts the operation of selecting a first or a second printing medium and outputs information indicating the selected printing medium, a conveyance path, a conveyance mechanism which conveys the selected printing medium in the conveyance direction, and a control unit. The conveyance mechanism includes a main roller, a driven roller which presses the main roller through the selected printing medium, a rotation member having a cam shape, and an elastic member which deforms to change a pressing force in accordance with the rotational position of the rotation member. The control unit rotates the rotation member to the first rotational position when the first printing medium is selected, and rotates the rotation member to the second rotational position where the pressing force becomes smaller than that at the first rotational position when the second printing medium is selected. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148326 | CUTTING DEVICE AND CUTTING METHOD THEREOF - A cutting device includes a guide rail opposing a platen, a printer head that prints an image and Trim marks on a sheet member, a cutter blade that performs a cutting process on the sheet member, a medium feeding mechanism that feeds the sheet member from front and back, a Trim mark detection portion that detects positions of the reference marks, and a controller that sets a cutting process position to correspond to a printing position of the image, prints the image and Trim marks while feeding the sheet member forward, detects the positions of the Trim marks with the Trim mark detection portion, and performs the cutting process with the cutter blade in the cutting process position set by the controller. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148327 | ERASING APPARATUS AND CONVEYANCE CONTROL METHOD FOR RECORDING MEDIUM - According to one embodiment, a erasing apparatus includes: a paper feeding section configured to feed a recording medium on which a erasable image is recorded to a conveying path; a conveying section configured to convey the recording medium along the conveying path; a erasing section configured to erase a color of the image on the recording medium; a sensor configured to detect the recording medium conveyed through the erasing section by the conveying section; and a control section configured to perform, if the sensor detects occurrence of a jam of the recording medium, control to convey the recording medium present in the conveying path. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148328 | APPLICATOR HAVING A TWISTED CORE THAT GIVES OFF HEAT - The present application relates to a device ( | 2012-06-14 |
20120148329 | PENHOLDER - A penholder includes primarily an inner sleeve, at least one outer sleeve and a dismountable fixing cap. An outer wall of the inner sleeve is formed with a step at a place close to a bottom end of the inner sleeve. The at least one outer sleeve is sheathed on an outer layer of the inner sleeve, and a bottom end of the outer sleeve is abutted at the step of the inner sleeve. The dismountable fixing cap is provided on a top end of the inner sleeve and forms a limiting function to prevent the outer sleeve from dropping. Therefore, a penholder is provided, wherein by simply replacing the outer sleeve, a pattern, color or even model of the penholder can be changed. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148330 | DOUBLE-ENDED MAKEUP BRUSH TOOL HAVING AUTOMATIC SEALING STRUCTURE - A double-ended makeup brush tool having an automatic sealing structure, in which respective brushes provided in opposite ends of a barrel can be selectively and alternately used, so that, when one brush is used, the other brush can be disinfected by a disinfectant inside the barrel, thereby being kept clean. When a user presses the rear end of the cartridge with the finger, the locking protrusion of the cartridge is removed from a rear locking hole of the barrel and is caught by a front locking hole and, in the above state, the brush hole of the barrel is opened by an anti-drying unit and a first brush can be ejected from the barrel through the open brush hole. When the locking protrusion is removed from the front locking hole and is caught by the rear locking hole, the first brush can be retracted into the barrel and the anti-drying unit closes the brush hole. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148331 | Mechanical Carpenter's pencil - The instant invention is a mechanical pencil. The pencil consists of a body having a cavity and an engagement element. An engagement element is attached to the body and movable relative to the body from a first position to a second position, wherein when the engagement element is located at the first position the lead is able to move relative to the body and when the engagement element is located at the second position the lead is unable to move relative to the body. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148332 | RECTANGULAR WIPER FOR FLAT BRUSHES - The invention relates to a wiper for wiping off a cosmetics applicator during the withdrawal from its storage container, wherein the wiper forms a substantially rectangular passage, which in the non-stressed state is closed off by two mutually opposing wiper lips that are respectively divided into several bending elements which are elastically deformed when the cosmetics applicator is pushed through and thus clear the way for the applicator to pass through the passage. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148333 | WRITING UTENSIL - An improved nib for writing with ink on media that comprises a tube having a proximal opening, a slanted distal opening, an interior wall and an exterior wall, an exposed writing tip at a distal end of the nib, wherein the tip has a groove extending from the tip along at least a portion of the interior wall, and a slit extending from the tip along a part of the nib, wherein the tip is made of a ceramic material. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148334 | Locker Binder Kit Arrangement and System - The present invention provides in combination a binder locker arrangement having; a case comprised of a pair of binder locker covers pivotable about a spine into an opposed orientation; each of the pair of binder locker covers attached to the spine such that the binder locker covers may close into an opposed orientation, further including at least one set of binder rings, a plurality of binders adapted to be received into the binder locker a plurality of accessory hold down pages adapted to be received into the binder locker. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148335 | Rail-Mountable Control Console For A Medical Apparatus - A control console for an electronic medical apparatus, such as a radiography apparatus, being designed to be mounted slidably on a transverse rail. The console includes a sealed housing with a transverse groove designed to be attached to the first rail, a jaw mounted movably on the housing between a position in which the first rail is clamped between the jaw and a rear face of the housing, in order to immobilize the housing with respect to the first rail, and a position of release of the housing, in which position the housing is able to be withdrawn from the first rail. Additionally, the jaw may be mounted movably on a deck, which is fixed on an outer face of the sealed housing. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148336 | BALL JOINT - A ball joint capable of maintaining a good sealing characteristic even when a film part of a dust cover is strained and capable of improving the assembly characteristic of the dust cover is provided at low cost. In a ball joint having a ball stud having a spherical head part, a socket turnably housing the spherical head part and having an opening in one side, and a dust cover; the ball stud is provided with a first flange part, an intermediate shaft part, and a second flange part; and the dust cover is provided with an inner peripheral part sandwiched between the first flange part and the second flange part and fitting the intermediate shaft part, a lip part being in close contact with the second flange part, and a protruding part having a gap at least at one location and abutting the second flange part. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148337 | ROTATING ADAPTOR FOR A SIGN - Embodiments of a rotating adaptor for a sign are disclosed. In one embodiment, a rotator adaptor rotationally attaches a secondary sign to a primary sign having a rigid frame. The rotator adaptor has a main body defining a notch therein bounded by three contiguous walls. A fastener is configured to couple the main body to the rigid frame of the primary sign. A bearing is coupled to a top surface of the main body. A shaft is coupled to the bearing and configured to rotate within the bearing and with respect to the primary sign, and to receive and couple with a secondary sign. The rotation of the shaft causes the secondary sign to rotate with respect to the primary sign. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148338 | Position Arrangement Device And Joint Module Thereof - According to an example embodiment, a position arrangement device includes at least one joint module between a first base and a second base. The at least one joint module is configured to adjust a position of the second base relative to the first base based on elastic flexion in the joint module. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148339 | QUICK ASSEMBLY APPARATUS - A quick assembly apparatus includes a fastening unit, a control unit and an elasticity unit. The fastening unit includes a head section and a fastening section, a through channel connecting the head section and the fastening section, and a notch at the fastening section to form a plurality of elastic fastening elements. The control unit is movably inserted in the through channel, includes a supporting section supporting the elastic fastening elements, a control shaft connected with the supporting section and extending out from the fastening section, and an extension shaft connected with the supporting section and extending towards the head section. The elasticity unit is fitted around the extension shaft of the control unit, and has its one end pushed against the control unit and its another end pushed against the fastening unit. Accordingly, the quick assembly apparatus is capable of quickly and steadily assembling two plates. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148340 | BICYCLE FOLDER WITH SELF-LOCKING DEVICE - The present invention relates to a bicycle folder with a self-locking device, which can lock the handle of the folder, consists of front and rear folding leaves of the folder and a quick release handle. The quick release handle is mounted on the front folding leaf of the folder, and tightly locked on the front and rear folding leaves of the folded folder after they are folded. A locking buckle is provided on said quick release handle, and a locking tongue is provided on a bicycle tube. The locking tongue is locked in the locking buckle of the quick release handle which can tightly lock the folder. Said locking tongue is composed of a position limit handle and a handle shaft, and has a certain clearance from the bicycle tube. The present invention can reduce structure precision requirements of a four-link adjustment mechanism or other adjustment means in the quick release handle, avoid the unexpected trigger of the handle, and prevent the accidents of the releasing of the handle and the loosening of the folder. By the cooperation between the inclined surface and the weight block of the position limit handle, a self-locking function is easy to realize. A locking force is then increased under the torsion action of a torsion spring, thus enabling the self-locking structure to be safer. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148341 | DETACHABLE FASTENING DEVICE FOR SLIDING MODULE IN SLIDING-TYPE PORTABLE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL - A detachable fastening device of a sliding module in a sliding-type portable terminal includes: a guide member having one or more guide rails; a sliding member movable within a predetermined distance on the guide member in a state in which the sliding member is restrained to face the guide rails; and one or more swing dampers rotatably mounted at an entrance area of the guide member, the swing dampers allowing the sliding member in an assembled state to be readily disassembled, or the sliding member in a disassembled state to be readily assembled depending on whether it is swung or not. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148342 | HEADREST SOCKET FOR ACCOMMODATING A HEADREST ROD - A headrest socket for accommodating a headrest rod, including a socket body of polymeric material that has an inner space for accommodating a headrest rod. A spring tongue is provided as part of the socket body, or is monolithically formed on the socket body, and is displaceable toward the inner space for exerting a clamping effect. A spring device is disposed on the socket body for applying a tensioning or pressure action upon the spring tongue. The spring device is configured from a sheet steel strip. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148343 | LOW FRICTION SAFETY SYSTEM FOR A PERSONAL VEHICLE GUIDEWAY - In a vehicle guideway having a vehicle track, a guidance system is provided comprising one or more guide curbs installed along a length of the guideway, and a low-friction coating or coatings presented by the curbs, a vehicle's tires, or both, the coating or coatings reducing friction and wear in the event of contact between the tires and the one or more guide curbs. | 2012-06-14 |
20120148344 | Safety Fish Way - A safe fish guide path structure includes a horizontal tube having an intake and exhaust valve for controlling levels of air having lower viscosity than water. The horizontal tube is equipped with a transparent window at both sides about the intake and exhaust valve. The horizontal tube is installed at a weir or a bank. An inclined tube extends horizontally from both sides of the horizontal tube. An extended tube extends horizontally from an end portion of the inclined tube. An inlet tube extends from an end portion of the extended tube toward an upper side, while communicating with the extended tube, with water flowing through the inlet tube. A cover has an insertion groove at one side into which the extended tube is inserted, and a cut-away groove at the other side for water to flow through the cutaway groove. | 2012-06-14 |