Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kanae Amemiya

Masaaki Kabumoto

Goro Katsuyama

Osamu Miki

Kurt W Piersol

Hideo Aoki

Akiyoshi Tanaka

Bradley J Rhodes

Ryota Yano

Kohji Hikawa

Shuuji Nagano

Edward L Schwartz

Junichi Matsumoto

Hiroshi Ishii

Satoshi Muramatsu

Yoshio Hattori

Masumi Sato

Tomotoshi Nakahara

Sergey Chemishkian

Masahiro Yonekawa

Masahiro Kurita

Takaaki Yanagisawa

Toshihiro Shimada

Kouta Fujimori

Kenneth F Gudan

Satoshi Oda

Shuuichi Takeda

Shohji Asanuma

A user interface for a portable computing device provides two modes of operation. In a first mode, an inbox of all documents accessible by the portable computing device are presented. Each of the items in the inbox is selectable, and if selected, the user interface transitions to a second document presentation mode. In the document presentation mode, the user may annotate the document and upon providing a single input (selecting a submit button), the system automatically forwards the document (including the annotations) to the next state in the workflow. If the user transitions back to the inbox mode from the document presentation mode, no action is taken on the document but the strokes are stored with the document on the portable computing device.

User interface with inbox mode and document mode for single input work flow routing

A portable computing device for automatic attachment of a captured image to a document being displayed triggered by the act of capturing the image is disclosed. A new page is added to the current document being reviewed and displayed on the portable computing device, and then the image and metadata are attached in that new page. In other variations, the document includes metadata having a location at which images may be stored and upon capture the image, the captured image is stored at the metadata location.

Automatic attachment of a captured image to a document based on context

Power usage of a portable computing device is modified to more efficiently use a power supply included in the portable computing device. Power usage by different components of the portable computing device is modified based on use of the portable computing device to allow dynamic modification of power consumption. The portable computing device includes data describing various power management states and the portable computing device transitions between different power management states as it is used, modifying the power consumption of various components in different power management states. Various communication device operating states are also defined to modify power usage by communication devices included in the portable computing device based on device usage.

Power management based on combined user interface and sensor inputs

An operating device included in an control panel for an image forming apparatus, the operating device that includes multiple input keys to operate independently from each other, disposed on the control panel, surrounding a center portion; and at least one indicator comprising at least one of letters and marks representing a function of one at least of the multiple input keys, located in the center portion adjacent to the one of the multiple input keys.

Operating device, control panel, and image forming apparatus including same

A maintenance management side manages machine information and the installed number of machines such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, a digital multi-functional apparatus, and a scanner, and exchanges the usage number for each machine for a point value, based on the machine information and the installed number of machines. A service is provided to the user based on the point value. In addition, the service to the user can be utilized through each machine provided at the user side.

Point bank system

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a top cover a top surface of the apparatus body, a container-installation section in which a replaceable container is removably installable, a first holder, and a second holder. The container includes a container body to contain consumables, having a transparent portion that makes the color of the consumables contained in the container body is viewed from outside thereof, and a connecting portion connectable to the container-installation section, to supply the consumables from the container to the apparatus body. The first holder holds the connecting portion and cover the connecting portion so that the connecting portion is not visible when the top cover is opened; and the second holder holds the container body, such that the color of the consumables in the container body are visible through the transparent portion of the container body when the top cover is opened.

Image forming apparatus having an apparatus body with openable and fixed covers

A power switch structure for an apparatus, including a recess provided in a side surface of the apparatus and having a distal sloped face facing a front side of the apparatus and a proximal sloped face surface, and a power switch, inclined with respect to the side surface of the apparatus, positioned on the distal sloped face surface to face the front side of the apparatus.

Power switch structure and image forming apparatus including same

A graphic user interface combines a position bar for moving between pages in a document and with a page bookmarking or referencing function. The position bar includes a selectable box that can be used to set a reference mark on a particular page of a document. The user interface also interprets input near the position bar to change the page to the page of the reference mark when the input is within a predefined range of the reference mark.

Bookmark function for navigating electronic document pages

An image forming apparatus is disclosed that includes a substantially flat top face and a slanted front face, the bottom side of which recedes backward. The image forming apparatus may includes a paper discharge tray disposed at a lower portion of the slanted front face, the paper discharge tray protruding forward. The paper discharge tray may be tiltable upward and downward. Because the bottom side of the slanted front face recedes backward, the flat top face can be provided, and simultaneously, enough space for the feeding and discharging of paper can be secured.

Compact front-operable image forming apparatus

An ink cartridge used in a color printer, comprises at the surface, a convexity or convexities (identifying section) that correspond to a color of an ink, and that can be identified by tactile sense. A cartridge setting section of the color printer comprises at the surface, a convexity or convexities (identifying section) that correspond to the color of the ink of the ink cartridge that is to be set, and that can be identified by tactile sense. The user can identify the color of the ink of the ink cartridge, by touching the ink cartridge with his/her hand, and obtain information of the position where that ink cartridge should be set, by touching the cartridge setting section with his/her hand.

Electronics device, replacement part thereof, package of replacement part, and method for arranging identifying section

Printer

A receiving unit receives a device icon of an input/output device and device layout data including positional information of the device icon from a device-layout managing apparatus. A viewing unit displays a device layout diagram including a device list area and a map area, based on the received device icon and device layout data. An editing unit edits the device layout diagram based on a shift operation received by an input unit from a use, and generates the device layout data including the positional information of the device icon after a shift. A transmitting unit transmits the generated device layout data to the device-layout managing apparatus.

Method and apparatus for editing and viewing device layout, and computer program product

In an expendable part installation structure and an imaging apparatus implementing such a structure, both disclosed herein, identification features for identifying an expendable part and its corresponding setting part are improved and a replacement procedure for replacing an expendable part is facilitated. A carriage in an ink jet printer includes plural setting parts that are provided with solid portions. Ink cartridges that are arranged to be set to the setting parts are also provided with solid portions. The number of protrusions provided at the solid portion of a setting part is arranged to equal the number of protrusions provided at the solid portion of a corresponding ink cartridge to facilitate identification of a match between the parts. For example, it may be easily determined that an ink cartridge with one protrusion is arranged to be set to a setting part with one protrusion. The solid portions may be easily recognized through touch, and thereby, setting positions of the ink cartridges may be easily determined.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kanae Amemiya