Author: claimsbot

1. An information providing device arranged in a multi-function peripheral system including multiple image formation applications and a platform, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control execution of a requested processing according to a function call from one of the image formation applications, the information providing device comprising:
a provider association unit configured to associate a plurality of information providers, including first and second information providers the plurality of information providers providing respective user information items, the provider association unit comprising:
a first unit causing the first information provider to receive a first user information item, stored in a first information management unit, in response to a user information receiving request;
a second unit causing the second information provider to receive a second user information item, correlated with the first user information item and stored in a second information management unit, in response to a predetermined identification data; and
a third unit configured to generate an authentication merge ticket including data indicating at least one of an authentication provider name, a term of validity of the ticket, an authentication domain name, and user attributes, the authentication merge ticket being a unified information item generated by combining the first user information item and the second user information item based on the predetermined identification data; and

an interface configured to transmit the authentication merge ticket to a computer remote from the information providing device via a network.
2. The information providing device according to claim 1 wherein the user information receiving request contains retrieval conditions specified therein, and the provider association unit causes the first and second information providers to respectively receive the first and second user information items that satisfy the retrieval conditions.
3. The information providing device according to claim 1 wherein the provider association unit is provided to unify the information items received by the first and second information providers for every user.
4. The information providing device according to claim 1 wherein the information providing device further comprises:
the first information provider and
the second information provider.
5. The information providing device according to claim 1 wherein the information providing device further comprises:
a first-information-provider information management unit managing a first-information-provider identification data which identifies the first information provider from among the plurality of information providers; and
a second-information-provider information management unit managing a second-information-provider identification data which identifies the second information provider from among the plurality of information providers.
6. The information providing device according to claim 1 wherein the information providing device further comprises:
a call information management unit in which a plurality of call information items used to call the plurality of information providers respectively are recorded, and
the provider association unit causes the first and second information providers to respectively receive the first and second information items by calling the first and second information providers based on the call information management unit.
7. An information providing method for use in an information providing device which makes a plurality of information providers, including first and second information providers, be associated with each other, the information providing device arranged in a multi-function peripheral system including multiple image formation applications and a platform, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control execution of a requested processing according to a function call from one of the image formation applications, the information providing method comprising:
causing the first information provider to receive a first user information item, stored in a first information management unit, in response to a user information receiving request;
causing the second information provider to receive a second user information item when the user information receiving request exceeds a range of validity associated with the first information provider, the second user information item is correlated with the first user information item and stored in a second information management unit, in response to a predetermined identification data;
generating an authentication merge ticket including data indicating at least one of an authentication provider name, a term of validity of the ticket, an authentication domain name, and user attributes, the authentication merge ticket being a unified information item generated by combining the first user information item and the second user information item based on the predetermined identification data; and
transmitting the authentication merge ticket to a computer remote from the information providing device via a network.
8. The information providing method according to claim 7 wherein the user information receiving request contains retrieval conditions specified therein, and the first and second information providers are caused to respectively receive the first and second user information items that satisfy the retrieval conditions.
9. The information providing method according to claim 7 wherein the information items received by the first and second information providers are unified for every user.
10. A tangible storage medium including computer program instructions for causing an information providing device which makes a plurality of information providers, including first and second information providers, be associated with each other, and which is arranged in a multi-function peripheral system including multiple image formation applications and a platform, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control execution of a requested processing according to a function call from one of the image formation applications, to perform:
causing the first information provider to receive a first user information item, stored in a first information management unit, in response to a user information receiving request;
causing the second information provider to receive a second user information item when the user information receiving request exceeds a range of validity associated with the first information provider, the second user information item is correlated with the first user information item and stored in a second information management unit, in response to a predetermined identification data;
generating an authentication merge ticket including data indicating at least one of an authentication provider name, a term of validity of the ticket, an authentication domain name, and user attributes, the authentication merge ticket being a unified information item generated by combining the first user information item and the second user information item based on the predetermined identification data; and
transmitting the authentication merge ticket to a computer remote from the information providing device via a network.
11. The tangible storage medium including computer program instructions according to claim 10 wherein the user information receiving request contains retrieval conditions specified therein, and the first and second information providers are caused to respectively receive the first and second user information items that satisfy the retrieval conditions.
12. A user authentication device arranged in a multi-function peripheral system including multiple image formation applications and a platform, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control execution of a requested processing according to a function call from one of the image formation applications, the information providing device comprising:
a provider association unit which makes a plurality of authentication providers, including first and second authentication providers, be associated with each other, the provider association unit comprising:
a first unit causing the first authentication provider to perform, in response to a first authentication request, a first user authentication based on a first user identification data that is specified in the first authentication request;
a second unit causing the second authentication provider to perform, in response to a second authentication request related to a user approved by the first user authentication, a second user authentication based on a second user identification data that is correlated with the first user identification data; and
a third unit configured to generate an authentication merge ticket including data indicating at least one of a ticket type, an authentication provider name, a term of validity of the ticket, and an authentication domain name, the authentication merge ticket being a unified information item generated by combining the first user identification data and the second user identification data based on a result of the first and second user authentication; and

an interface configured to transmit the authentication merge ticket to a computer remote from the information providing device via a network.
13. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the user authentication device further comprises:
the first authentication provider and
the second authentication provider.
14. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the user authentication device further comprises:
a user-identification management unit in which the first user identification data and the second user identification data are correlated to each other and recorded, and
the provider association unit is provided to search for the second user identification data in the user-identification management unit based on the first user identification data.
15. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the provider association unit further comprises:
a user-identification management unit in which the first user identification data and the second user identification data are correlated to each other and recorded, and
the provider association unit is provided to search for the second user identification data in the user-identification management unit based on the first user identification data.
16. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the user authentication device further comprises:
a first-authentication-provider information management unit managing a first-authentication-provider identification data which identifies the first authentication provider from among the plurality of authentication providers; and
a second-authentication-provider information management unit managing a second-authentication-provider identification data which identifies the second authentication provider from among the plurality of authentication providers.
17. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the user authentication device further comprises:
a call information management unit in which a plurality of call information items used to call the plurality of authentication providers respectively are recorded, and
the provider association unit causes the first and second authentication providers to perform the first and second user authentications respectively by calling the first and second authentication providers based on the call information management unit.
18. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the first authentication provider creates a first electronic ticket which certifies approval of the user by the first authentication provider, the second authentication provider creates a second electronic ticket which certifies approval of the user by the second authentication provider, and the user authentication device provides information containing the first electronic ticket, in response to the first authentication request and provides information containing the second electronic ticket, in response to the second authentication request.
19. The user authentication device according to claim 18 wherein the provider association unit creates a merge ticket in which the first electronic ticket and the second electronic ticket are unified, and the user authentication device provides a first merge ticket in which the first electronic ticket is unified, in response to the first authentication request, and provides a second merge ticket in which the second electronic ticket is unified further, in response to the second authentication request.
20. The user authentication device according to claim 19 wherein the user authentication device provides the merge ticket which is encoded.
21. The user authentication device according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the merge ticket, the first electronic ticket, and the second electronic ticket contains a term of validity.
22. The user authentication device according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the merge ticket, the first electronic ticket, and the second electronic ticket contains a code for ticket falsification check.
23. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the first authentication provider is a password authentication provider which performs a password authentication based on a password of the user, and the second authentication provider is a fingerprint authentication provider which performs a fingerprint authentication based on a fingerprint of the user.
24. The user authentication device according to claim 19 wherein the provider association unit causes the first authentication provider to decode the first electronic ticket of the first merge ticket in response to a decode request of the first merge ticket, and causes the second authentication provider to decode the second electronic ticket of the second merge ticket in response to a decode request of the second merge ticket.
25. The user authentication device according to claim 12 wherein the provider association unit is provided with a call function using a remote procedure call of SOAP.
26. A user authentication method for use in a user authentication device which makes a plurality of authentication providers, including first and second authentication providers, be associated with each other, the information providing device arranged in a multi-function peripheral system including multiple image formation applications and a platform, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control execution of a requested processing according to a function call from one of the image formation applications, the user authentication method comprising:
causing the first authentication provider to perform, in response to a first authentication request, a first user authentication based on a first user identification data that is specified in the first authentication request;
causing the second authentication provider to perform, in response to a second authentication request related to a user approved by the first user authentication, a second user authentication based on a second user identification data that is correlated with the first user identification data;
generating an authentication merge ticket including data indicating at least one of a ticket type, an authentication provider name, a term of validity of the ticket, and an authentication domain name, the authentication merge ticket being a unified information item generated by combining the first user identification data and the second user identification data based on a result of the first and second user authentication; and
transmitting the authentication merge ticket to a computer remote from the information providing device via a network.
27. The user authentication method according to claim 26 wherein the second user identification data is searched for in a user-identification management unit, based on the first user identification data, and, in the user-identification management unit, the first user identification data and the second user identification data are correlated to each other and recorded.
28. The user authentication method according to claim 26 wherein the first authentication provider is identified from among the plurality of authentication providers based on a first-authentication-provider identification data managed by a first-authentication-provider information management unit, and the second authentication provider is identified from among the plurality of authentication providers based on a second-authentication-provider identification data managed by a second-authentication-provider information management unit.
29. The user authentication method according to claim 26 wherein the first and second authentication providers are caused to perform the first and second user authentications respectively by calling the first and second authentication providers based on a call information management unit in which a plurality of call information items used to call the plurality of authentication providers respectively are recorded.
30. A tangible storage medium including computer program instructions for causing a user authentication device which makes a plurality of authentication providers, including first and second authentication providers, be associated with each other, and which is arranged in a multi-function peripheral system including multiple image formation applications and a platform, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control execution of a requested processing according to a function call from one of the image formation applications, to perform:
causing the first authentication provider to perform, in response to a first authentication request, a first user authentication based on a first user identification data that is specified in the first authentication request;
causing the second authentication provider to perform, in response to a second authentication request related to a user approved by the first user authentication, a second user authentication based on a second user identification data that is correlated with the first user identification data;
generating an authentication merge ticket including data indicating at least one of a ticket type, an authentication provider name, a term of validity of the ticket, and an authentication domain name, the authentication merge ticket being a unified information item generated by combining the first user identification data and the second user identification data based on a result of the first and second user authentication; and
transmitting the authentication merge ticket to a computer remote from the information providing device via a network.
31. The tangible storage medium including computer program instructions according to claim 30 wherein the second user identification data is searched for in a user-identification management unit, based on the first user identification data, and, in the user-identification management unit, the first user identification data and the second user identification data are correlated to each other and recorded.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A sliding door apparatus for opening and closing an entrance, comprising:
a door rail horizontally attached above the entrance and having a C-shape cross-section with a ceiling,
a sliding door suspended from the door rail for sliding freely therein,
a door roller attached to the sliding door and disposed in the door rail with a first gap between the door roller and the ceiling of the door rail, and
a guide roller attached to the sliding door adjacent to the door roller and having a diameter smaller than that of the door roller, said guide roller being disposed in the door rail, in a same orientation as the door roller, with a second gap between the guide roller and the ceiling of the door rail to be smaller than the first gap.
2. A sliding door apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a gap adjusting mechanism attached to the sliding door for adjusting the second gap.
3. A sliding door apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide roller is situated between two door rollers, said guide roller and two door rollers being arranged vertically.
4. A sliding door apparatus for opening and closing an entrance, comprising:
a door rail horizontally attached above the entrance and having a C-shape cross-section with a ceiling,
a sliding door suspended from the door rail for sliding freely therein,
a door roller attached to the sliding door and disposed in the door rail with a first gap between the door roller and the ceiling of the door rail,
a guide roller attached to the sliding door adjacent to the door roller and having a diameter smaller than that of the door roller, said guide roller being disposed in the door rail with a second gap between the guide roller and the ceiling of the door rail to be smaller than the first gap, and
a gap adjusting mechanism attached to the sliding door for adjusting the second gap, wherein said gap adjusting mechanism includes an eccentric shaft having protruding shafts at two ends eccentric with each other, one of said protruding shafts holding the guide roller and the other of said protruding shafts rotatably engaging the sliding door, and a screw for fastening the eccentric shaft at an arbitrary position.
5. A sliding door apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said guide roller is situated between two door rollers.

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a moving body provided with a liquid ejecting head which ejects liquid from nozzles;
a guide frame which guides the moving body in a moving direction;
an upper facing member arranged to face an upper surface of the guide frame;
a bottom facing member arranged to face a bottom surface of the guide frame;
an urging member which urges the guide frame toward a side opposite to a gravity direction; and
wherein the upper facing member contacts with a part of the upper surface of the guide frame to regulate a displacement of the guide frame in an antigravity direction due to the urging member, and
wherein the guide frame can be displaced toward the gravity direction side with a gap between the bottom facing member and at least a portion of the bottom surface of the guide frame.
2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the guide frame is displaceably supported with respect to the bottom facing member,
wherein a fulcrum is formed between the guide frame and the bottom facing member at least when the guide frame is being displaced.
3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein a second upper facing member that is arranged to face a portion of the upper surface of the guide frame and that supports the guide frame in a direction which crosses the moving direction of the moving body is provided in the bottom facing member.
4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein a gap in a vertical direction is provided between the second upper facing member and the guide frame.
5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a pair of transporting rollers which relatively move a medium with respect to the liquid ejecting head by interposing the medium to which the liquid is ejected therebetween,
wherein the urging member generates a pinching force of the medium in the pair of transporting rollers.
6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the guide frame is supported so as to be moved in a sliding manner toward the gravity direction side with respect to the bottom facing member, in the upper facing member.
7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein, at least one of a plurality of the upper facing members which are provided in the moving direction of the moving body allows that the guide frame can relatively move with respect to the bottom facing member along the moving direction of the moving body.
8. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a supported frame to support a liquid ejecting head which ejects liquid from nozzles;
an upper facing member positioned to face an upper surface of the supported frame;
a bottom facing member positioned to face a bottom surface of the supported frame;
an urging member which urges the supported frame toward a side opposite to a gravity direction; and
wherein the upper facing member contacts with a part of the upper surface of the supported frame to regulate a displacement of the supported frame in an antigravity direction due to the urging member, and
wherein the guide frame can be displaced towards the gravity direction side with a gap between the bottom facing member and at least a portion of the bottom surface of the supported frame.
9. The liquid ejecting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the liquid ejecting head comprises a line head that is fixed.
10. The liquid ejecting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the liquid ejecting head is movably disposed on the supported frame.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method of operating an inverter comprising a plurality of input connectors, wherein a plurality of strings of photovoltaic cells are configured to connect respectively to the plurality of input connectors, wherein each of the plurality of input connectors is connected to a common DC voltage link via a respective DCDC converter, and wherein the input connectors are bridgeable, the method comprising:
determining partial powers flowing through the individual DCDC converters; and
at least for some time either operating at least two of the DCDC converters with the aim of balancing partial currents flowing through these at least two DCDC converters, or connecting through the at least two of the DCDC converters between the respective input connectors and the DC voltage link,
wherein, while operating the at least two DCDC converters with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them or connecting through the at least two DCDC converters, the partial powers flowing through the at least two DCDC converters are compared to each other, and
wherein, if a difference between the partial powers of a first and a second of the at least two DCDC converters exceeds a threshold value, the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters are subsequently operated in a way that is adjusted due to a conclusion that different strings are connected to the DC voltage link via the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring input voltages present at the individual input connectors and measuring input currents of the individual DCDC converters to determine the partial powers flowing through the individual DCDC converters.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring output currents of the individual DCDC converters to determine the partial powers flowing through the individual DCDC converters.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the at least two DCDC converters are operated with the aim of balancing their partial currents flowing through them, the input voltages of the individual DCDC converters are measured and compared for comparing the partial powers flowing through the at least two DCDC converters.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the at least two DCDC converters are operated with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them, the actual partial currents flowing through the individual DCDC converters are compared for an initial comparison of the partial powers flowing through the at least two DCDC converters.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein, when operating the first and the second DCDC converter adjusted due to the conclusion that different strings are connected to the DC voltage link via the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters, the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters are no longer operated with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein, when operating the first and the second DCDC converter adjusted due to the conclusion that different strings are connected to the DC voltage link via the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters, the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters are operated to track separate maximum power points (MPPs) of the connected strings.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein initially either all DCDC converters are operated with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them or all DCDC converters are connected through.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to either operating the at least two DCDC converters with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them or connecting through the at least two DCDC converters, measuring the input voltages present at at least some of the input connectors in an unloaded state of the connected strings, wherein subsequently all DCDC converters in which the measured input voltages at the associated input connectors are substantially equal are either operated with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them, or connected through between the input connectors and the DC voltage link.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to either operating the at least two DCDC converters with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them or connecting through the at least two DCDC converters, individually operating at least one DCDC converter in order to selectively load all strings which are connected thereto to the DC voltage link, wherein the input voltages present at all input connectors are monitored, and wherein subsequently all DCDC converters in which the input voltages at the associated input connectors dropped as a consequence of the load are either operated with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them or connected through between the input connectors and the DC voltage link.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising shutting off a sufficient number of DCDC converters of a plurality of DCDC converters via which the very same strings are connected to the DC voltage link so that the remaining DCDC converters of this plurality of DCDC converters forward the current from these strings at a maximum efficiency to the DC voltage link.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information about via which DCDC converters different strings are connected to the DC voltage link.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising using the information about via which DCDC converters different strings are connected to the DC voltage link for operating the DCDC converters of the inverter.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing the information about via which DCDC converters different strings are connected to the DC voltage link to previously determined information, and wherein in case that the information determined at last differs from the previously determined information an alarm signal is generated.
15. An inverter, comprising:
a plurality of input connectors configured to couple to a plurality of strings of photovoltaic cells, wherein the plurality of input connectors are bridgeable;
a plurality of DCDC converters coupled between the plurality of input connectors respectively and a common DC voltage link; and
a controller operably coupled to each of the plurality of DCDC converters, wherein the controller is configured to:
determine partial powers flowing through the individual DCDC converters; and
at least for some time either operate at least two of the DCDC converters with the aim of balancing partial currents flowing through these at least two DCDC converters, or connect through the at least two of the DCDC converters between the respective input connectors and the DC voltage link,
wherein, while operating the at least two DCDC converters with the aim of balancing the partial currents flowing through them or connecting through the at least two DCDC converters, the partial powers flowing through the at least two DCDC converters are compared to each other, and
wherein, if a difference between the partial powers of a first and a second of the at least two DCDC converters exceeds a threshold value, the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters are subsequently operated in a way that is adjusted due to a conclusion that different strings are connected to the DC voltage link via the first and the second of the at least two DCDC converters.