Canon Among "15 Most Innovative Companies of all Time"

Business Insider has selected Canon as one of the most innovative comapnies of all time. The magazine's Top 15 list judges companies on their historic patent applications and the number of patents actually granted to them. The list includes some of the most iconic names in the history of electrinics and design and Canon, the leading imaging solutions company, ranked 2nd, beating General Electric, Sony and Intel among a roster of other world-beating corporations. Here, we look at Canon's performance on the Business Insider Top 15 and eaxmine further the company's unparallelled history of innovation in imaging technology.

Business Insider's Top 15 Most Innovative Companies of All Time

Business Insider, one of the world's leading online business magazines, has just announced its 15 Most Innovative Companies of All Time. The survey which compares companies from across the globe based on the number of patents filed by as well as those granted to them, to reveal those companies which truly have innovation as a central priority.

Canon, the world-famous imaging company narrowly missed-out on the No1 spot, with IBM filing the most US patents of any company on the list. According to Business Insider, Canon though has filed an impressive 41,268 US patents in its history, with current patent applications also continuing apace - a total of 2,551 patents were granted to Canon in 2010 according to the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Buisness Insider highlighted some of Canon's most famous inventions from over the years, including the IVSB camera, the 10-key electronic calculator, the first automatic exposure SLR and the first ever personal photocopiers.

Bunji Yano from Canon USA commeneted on hearing news of Canon's success,

"For more than 70 years Canon has committed itself to developing new technologies that enhance the lives of our customers and create new opportunities to grow our business... We are honoured to be recognised by Business Insider as one of the most innovative companies of all time and will continue to invest in the key functions of research, development, service and support in the future."

Canon and Innovation

Business Insider revealed Canon's astonishing history of innovation with almost 42,000 patent applications in its history and in a year, Canon will typically file between two and three thousand patents. Undoubtedly, it is the innovational impetus at the heart of the company ethos which has led to such a strong record, an ethos which is reflected in the large levels of investment in research and development. In a typical year 8% of Canon's total annual sales value will be redirected into research and devlopment.

As far as photocopiers are concerned, Canon's investment in innovation has clarly borne fruit. Canon was behind the first all-in-one recyclable ink cartridges, the first automatic duplexing function and more recently, the first photocopiers to be built from bio-plastic Canon's R&D with materials developer Toray, means its leading photocopiers ranges today can be constructed from part plant-derived plastics and still meet the flexibility and heat tolerance thresholds necessary for high performance office equipment. The manufacturer's success in developing more environmentally-conscious materails was undoubtedly part of the reason the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the people behind the Energy Star certification programme, awarded Canon with the Energy Star Award for Excellence in Energy Efficient Product Design.

Falcon commends Canon on its success in the Business Insider "Top 15 Most Innovative Companies of All Time" List and welcomes any enquiries about Canon's award-winning photocopiers and document management solutions.

For the full version of this article, please visit the link below:

http://www.falcon.co.uk/news/general-news/canon-among-q15-most-innovative-companies-of-all-timeq.htmlAbout the Author

Jeremy Samson is an imaging technology expert writing extensively on the latest developments in the document managment industry.

The Photocopier that Helped Topple a President

Amid the recent clamour around the WikiLeaks US Defense Department leaks, the figure of Daniel Ellsberg has re-emerged to greet our screens on various topical news programmes and fill column inches in national newspapers in the US and worldwide. To some, Ellsberg is now a US national hero, to others he will always be seen as one of the most serious threats to US national security in the country's modern history, Henry Kissenger at one time branding him "the most dangerious man in America." It was Daniel Ellsberg who was responsible for what has been described as "the most famous military leak in US history" when in June 1971 he passed on 7000 pages of "Top Secret", "Sensitive" material, concerning America's conduct in the Vietnam War to the New York Times and several other newspapers. The documents which became known as the "Pentagon Papers" revealed that the American public had been continually misled over Vietnam and the firestorm which ensued led to the first ever presidential resignation, when Nixon bowed-out ignimoniously in 1974. But many have put forward the contention that it was in fact the photocopier that was the real hero of this most dramatic episode in American history. It was one of the RAND Corporation's photocopiers afterall which allowed Ellsberg to pass on government files without alerting the immediate attention of colleagues. Here we examine the significance of the Pentagon Papers and how it was a humble photocopier which in fact effectively blew the lid on Vietnam and helped topple the President of the USA.

Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg grew up in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from Harvard with an Honours Degree in Economics he studied for a year at Cambridge in the UK on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. From 1954-7, Daniel Ellsberg served in the US Marine Corps as a Rifle Platoon Leader, an Operations Officer and a Rifle Comapny Commander. Ellsberg returned to Harvard in 1957 where he became a Junior Fellow. He earned a PhD in Economics in 1962 with his thesis on Risk, Ambiguity and Decision.

On the strength of his academic record, Ellsberg was recruited as a strategic analyst at the RAND Corporation and acted as a consultant to the Defense Department and the White House, advising on the problems of command and control of nuclear weapons, nuclear war plans and crisis decision-making.

It was in 1964 that Ellsberg joined the US Defense Deaprtment as Special Assistant Secretary of Defense John McNaughton working on the escalation of the US miltary incvolvement in Vietnam. In 1965, Ellsberg was transferred to the US Embassy in Saigon, assessing the situation in the field.

Ellsberg became significantly more enlightened about US policy in Vietnam when having returned to the RAND Corporation in 1967 he started work on a Top Secret and landmark study under Robert McNamara into US foreign policy decision making in Vietnam between 1945-68, which later came to be known as the Pentagon Papers.

The Most Infamous Leak in History

It was in working on this epic assignment that Ellsberg, already disillusioned at the Vietnam War's progress from his secondment to Saigon, began to realise the full scale of the US folly. He could see from the documents that four US presidents had misled and lied to the Americam public about the Vietnam War and that its continual excalation was an anxiety-driven, unjust and completely unnecessary campaign. In Ellsberg's words,

"It was a crime from the start carried oout by 4 presidents as revealed in the study. And now a fifth president was doing the same, with no end in sight."

It was in 1969 when Ellsberg began to photocopy the documents, of which there were only fifteen original copies, marked "Top Secret - Sensitive". He would take a few hundred pages of the dossier at a time to the photocopier at the RAND Corporation and stay up all night. In those days photocopiers were not the fastest. As Judith Ehrlich, a film-maker who has made a documentary about Ellsberg's exploits remarks,

"It was 1969 when he started photcopying and I remember what it was like making a copy in 1969 - it was a very tedious process."

As Ellsberg himself comments,

"It took a long time, one page at a time, so I'm quite jealous of the current capabilities...I used the most advanced technology I could - Xerox - and I couldn't have done what I did ten years earlier."

Initialy, Ellsberg's instinct had not been to disseminate the papers to a newspaper in fact. He had first requested that the papers be declassified and had asked various members of Congress to release them.

Finally Ellsberg approached Vietnam expert Neil Sheehan at the New York Times. A few months passed with Ellsberg uncertain about the fate of the papers and finally in June 1971 the first excerpts appeared in the New York Times. Two days later the New York Times was injuncted. The documents were sent onto the Washington Post. Again, the paper was injuncted. In the end 13 other papers ran excerpts.

Nixon and the Fallout from the Photocopied Pentagon Papers

It was Kissenger, as noted at the start of this article, who described Ellsberg after the leak as "the most dangerous man in America". The incident had the Nixon administration, one of the most paranoid in US history, absolutely fuming. Nixon's personal phone records reveal the extent of the President's anger,

"I just say we've got to keep our eye on the main ball. The main ball is Ellsberg. We've got to get this son of a bitch."

In late June 1971, Ellsberg was arrested for violating the Federal Espionage Act. In 1973 though, the prosecution collapsed as a result of several procedural abuses. Nixon had secretly raided the offices of Ellsberg's psychiatrist, his team had illegally tapped Ellberg's phone as well as those of several other witnesses and he had attempted to bribe William Byrne, the judge in this case.

David Rudenstein, the US legal historian, has opined that the machinations against Ellsberg in the aftermath of the Pentagon Papers leak had helped to form two of the impeachment charges against Nixon which would lead to his eventual resignation in 1974. Many Pentagon insiders certainly thought that the Pnetagon Papers incident was the first step on the road to Watergate. As Nixon's paranoia became increasingly florid after the Ellsberg leak, the same "plumbers unit" which had broken into his pschiatrist's office would be deployed to take possession of whatever classified documents were suspected by Nixon of being held by "liberals" at the Brookings Institution. Even though the plans to mount an arson attack were eventually put to one side, the gradual slide of the administration into lawlessness would lead to that infamous abortive raid on the Democratic Party headquarters in 1972 and the impeachment and resignation in 1974.

As Ellsberg himself remarked, the release of the Pentagon Papers to the American press in 1971, up until WikiLeaks, the single biggest unauthorised release of classified official documents in history, would not even have been possible ten years earlier. The advances in reprographic technology, resulting in more widely available, realiable, fully automated photocopiers in the late 1960's, enabled Ellsberg, albeit painstakingly slowly, to copy the 7000 or so documents of the McNamara report and pass them on to the new York Times. That action, to many one of the bravest deceptions of a government official in US history, galvinised the anti-war movement and contributed to the toppling of Nixon, a true despot of US politics. As the commentator James Reston would write of the case, "The real source of the leaks is Chester Carlson [the inventor of photocopiers]."

Falcon is a leading Canon photocopiers supplier in the UK, offering some of the most competitive photocopier leasing packages and document management solutions.

About the Author

Jeremy Samson is an imaging technology expert writing extensively on the latest developments in the document managment industry.

Use Those Photocopiers/Photo Printers Wisely - What Colour Can Reveal About You

While printing to your photocopier or printer in colour would not ordinarily be a worry, a recent Canon commissioned paper into the symbolic power of colour in relation to the way we dress could easily prompt considerate readers to think again aboout their favourite photos of themselves and the way they choose to dress for work in future. This study for Canon, more renowned for its photocopiers and MFPs, provides a fascinating insight into the incredible symbolic power of colour. Here, Falcon, a leading UK Canon photocopiers supplier, provides some of the study's most salient obsevations.

The Power of Colour

Colour effects all of us a great deal but often, without us even being consciously aware of it. Not only is it important to how we define ourselves but it effects our spending habits, our livelihoods and ultimately, our well-being. It is a part of a natural non-verbal signalling system and human beings, like any of nature's creatures, all use colour in our assessments of the world we inhabit. Our appearance and especially our colour coordination, is the first thing by which others judge us. First impressions are typically made within 3-7 seconds.

But colours, when it comes to people, are rarely present in isolation. Typically when we form a first impression of someone, we're looking at colour combinations. If the combinations are discordant, the impression we form of a person is likely to be less positive. If the combinations are harmonious however, we are likely to feel "pleasant feelings", as the colour theorists Judd and Wysesky found.

While the harmony is absolutely crucial, it's the person wearing the clothes who is the really pivotal determinant of how we react to the colours they are wearing. Most people will fit into one of four major personality types and for colour too there are four harmonious colour groups, each associated with one of the four personality types. Each colour group expresses best the positive aspects of the personality type with which it is associated. So to ensure the most positive responses from others, one must choose harmoniois colours from the colour group which fits you. We all respond positively to the harmony and autheticity of teh right colours in association with the right personality type. Whilst none of us fit the archetype of type 1, 2, 3 or 4 personality type, the predominant apsects of each will place us fairly well in accordance with one of the four according colour groups.

Colour and Personality - The Theory

Type one personalities are characterised as being externally motivated and very young-at-heart. They possess a quality of 'lightness' and tend have rounded and quite delicate features. They have great charm and succeed working with large numbers of people. They are often very bright but rarely bookishly academic. Above all, this personality type is characterised by a strong practical streak and boundless energy.

As far as the No 1 colour palette is concerned, they are clear, warm delicate colours containing no black. Scarlet, coral, peach, dafodil yellow, emerald green, sky blue, cobalt and lilac are some examples. The chracteristics expressed with this tonal family, in line with the type one personality are bright, warm, friendly, young, lively, fresh and optimistic.

Archetypal personality type two's are typically fairly cool, calm and collected. They are usually internally motivated but tend to be highly empathetic to what others are feeling. Their features tend to be gently curved and there eyes can have what might be described as a misty quality to them. Type two's tend to dislike vulgarity and their humour may be described as subtle and dry. Great careers for this personality type tend to be creating order out of chaos and keeping the peace. They often have a very acute sense of touch, so artistic careers can be suitable.

Type 2 colours tend to be cool, contain rather more grey and while delicate, would not usually be decibed as light. They are usually soft and subtle - maroon, rose pink, grapefruit, dove grey, veridian, delphium and laveneder. Again, in line with the personality type, the characteristics of these colours are understated elegance, cool, calm, graceful, upmarket, timeless, expensive, soothing and aspirational.

Like personality type one, type three is externally motivated. But type three's are intense and strong and tend to be quite fiery, to a greater or lesser extent. They possess a strong sense of justice and are fascinated by how things work. Physichal comfort and solidity are important to them and they usually have an aversion to anything flimsy, be that ideas or physical objects. Good careers are jobs that involve getting under the surface of things.

Much like the personality, this third colour palette is about intensity and fire. They usually contain black in their mixing and are charcterised by warm, friendly, traditional, solid, substantial, reliable and earthy qualities. Examples include tomato red, burnt orange, rust, leaf green, teal blue and aubergine.

Type four personalities automatically command respect. Physically, their features are usually well-defined and their eyes tend to appear quite compelling. They are usually internally motivated and have a gift for seeing the broader picture and for delegation. Colour pallette 4 is about clarity and strength, Black, white, crimson, magenta, lemon, jade green, ice blue and violet are tpical colours. They communicate uncompromising excellence, material aspiration, efficiency and drive.

General, Non-type Colour Psychology

While individuals should always choose the right combination of colours from their colour type, they'll always be a way that different character types can wear a variation of the same colour. For instance a red, blue green or yellow could be worn by all personality types - it's a question of which tone suits the personality in question. So as all can wear a nuance of quite a number of difference colours, each base colour itself has certain communicative powers which may be used to suit a given context for any personality type. For example, a manager may choose to wear a dark blue for a meeting in which a colleague needs to be disciplined or reprimanded, to create a focused but also trustworthy and logical atmosphere. Green would be more appropriate to convey harmony, reassurance and balance, if a colleague wished to discuss a personal matter for instance. Red has a warm, friendly and energetic connotations and can boost energy levels and aid assertiveness. Yellow conveys optimism, confidence, creativity and can lift spirits and boost self-esteem.

Canon, better known for its industry-leading photocopiers than its advocacy of 'colour pschology' has commissioned a truly interesting study. As well as finding some genuinely useful advice, readers may also find themselves re-assessing the way they dress and which photos of themslevs tehy choose to print out on their photocopier/MFP.

Falcon is a leading supplier of Canon photocopiers and offers the latest Canon imageRUNNER and Canon imageRUNNER Advance photocopiers and MFP's to purchase or on photocopier leasing packages and supplies award-winning document management solutions.

About the Author

Jeremy Samson is an imaging technology expert writing extensively on the latest developments in the document managment industry.

Photocopiers and MFP's - What's the Difference?

The simple answer is that to many people today the terms 'photocopier' and 'MFP' have become inter-changeable. But the equation in terminology, while a useful short-hand, particularly from the technologically unaware user's point of view, masks a world of difference in technology and functionality. Over the past decade or so, the MFP has really been at the leading-edge of reprographics developments, the bearer of the latest innovations and the most significant technological advancements. While many today continue to regard photocopiers and MFP's as one and the same thing, there should be no confusion that the technology involved has come a very long way, to the extent that very few devices today would offer solely conventional photocopying functionality alone. MFP's have been quietly redefining what is possible through what was once a fairly cumbersome, single-function device. Here, we'll explore just how much photocopiers have evolved over the years and what today's organisations can expect from when buying or leasing a photocopier/MFP.

The MFP - From Conventional Analogue Photocopier to Digital Multifunctional Device

When photocopiers bagan to be more widely available during the 1960's, they were huge trundling leviathans of machines, with just the one single function - photocopying. They were often slow, would usually only handle very limited media sizes and weights and would struggle with any larger workloads.

Canon was the first photocopiers manufacturer to introduce electrostatic colour photocopiers, launching the first mass-produced colour model in 1973. The 1970's and 80's saw gradual improvements in the productivity and well as the reprographic quality of photocopiers and accompanying reductions in the actual size of devices themselves. But it was really in the mid to late ninetees that photocopiers technology really began to take-off. As the world was finding its feet with PC's and the internet, personal computer technology was beginning to filter through to photocopiers, so that more advanced user interfaces and operating systems could give photocopiers users access to a greater range of photocopying and printing options. For the first time, photocopiers could be networked to users' workstations, so that as well as photocopying at the device itself, users could send print jobs to the print servers or to the devices themselves, effectively doubling the photocopier's functionality. Attending these developments were improvements to media handling, so that devices could accomodate various paper weights and a variety of paper sizes. And at the close of the last millenium photocopiers also began to include an extended range of finsihing options so that the conventional copier could not only print as well as copy but could print a variety of documents, providing stapling, hole-punching and various kinds of folding finishing options. Scanning also came to be a more regular feature on photcoopiers, initially just black and white or monochrome but increasingly, colour scanning has become prevalent among many more high-end devices.

MFP's and Photocopiers Today

In the last decade, the rate of technological change in photocopier/MFP technology has been astonishing. With more sophisticated on-board embedded platforms, users have been given a much greater level of control over device output and have been empowered to create dynamic document workflows between users and devices. With the greater levels of integration between photocopiers and back-end systems, using PDL's and   ">MEAP connectors for example, and integration with commomly-used desktop software, using WYSIWYG print publishing and previews for example, photocopers and MFP's have effectively broken-down the boundaries between desktop and printer, so for example, documents may be previewed on devices before they progress further down the document workflow. What is known as Universal Send provides limitless possibilities for documents once they have been scanned in. It's now possible to scan directly to an   ">FTP site, to SMB or to users' email accounts. Canon's CloudConnect feature connects Canon MFP's with leading cloud-based services, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Sharepoint, so that documents may be printed off at an MFP/photocopier from a mobile device and conversely scanned in at an MFP/photocopier to a mobile device, a technology which further expands the parameters of document workflows.

But a major difference between a modern day photocopier/MFP and predecessors 15/20 years ago is energy consumption. Th latest Canon imageRUNNER Advance photocopiers today consume up to 65% less energy than their equivalents only 10/15 years ago. Very few modern devices will not have had to met some energy consumption standards, be that TEC energy consumption, Energy Star accreditation or RoHS and some photocopiers, again taking Canon's imageRUNNER Advance series as an example, are made using recylcled materials and bio platics, to save on energy consumption and CO2 emissions during manufacturer. So even though photocopiers today do so much more by way of performance, they typically cost much less to run, especially now that service access is given increasing consideration in photocopiers design.

To refer to a modern-day multifunction printer (MFP) as a photocopier is entirely acceptable. It is afterall from the photocopier which the MFP originates and for many, though certainly not all, the primary function of an MFP remains photocopying. However, if anyone thought for a second that what they understood to be a photocopier 10/15/20 years ago bears really anything but a notional resemblance with photocopiers/MFP's today they'd be much mistaken. Photocopiers or MFP's, as they're more often known within the industry today, provide a huge wealth of features and functionality, so that for many companies today they have effectively become an organsiational hub for all their document management needs. Providing for a multitude of document output requirements and offering scanning, printing, faxing and i-send functionality, today's MFP/photocopier can make the conventional photocopier look veritably antique.

Falcon is one of the UK's leading Canon photocopiers suppliers and a leader in document management solutions. For further information about photocopier leasing, the latest Canon photocopiers or for any other enquiries, please contact Falcon.

About the Author

Jeremy Samson is an imaging technology expert writing extensively on the latest developments in the document managment industry.

Photocopier Leasing

Earlier this year Falcon reported on the record levels of customers choosing photocopier leasing as opposed to outright purchase of devices. Falcon could reveal that since 2008 and the dawn of the present recession, there had been a steady growth in photocopier leasing levels, starting from an almost even spread in 2007/2008 to 60% photocopier leasing in 2009 and an astonishing 70% plus by the start of 2011. Well, more-or-less half way through 2011 and Falcon can reveal another rather staggering increase in leasing levels - by June this year they'd reached an all time high of 82%. Now more than ever, it seems, customers are realising the many benefits which photocopier leasing can bring. For many, the structure of photocopier leases has changed significantly since they last considered the option, so that entering a photocopier leasing agreement today is much simpler and the costs associated much lower. For others, the relatively short term financial commitment of photocopier leasing has become very much more attractive in the more straightened economic times we're experiencing. Here we explore how photocopier leasing levels have shot up so dramatically in the past few years and what seems to be driving the change in customer preference.

A Consistent Increase in Photocopier Leasing Levels

Since the UK entered the present economic downturn in 2008, there has been a consistent growth in the number of organisations choosing to lease photocopiers rather than buy. 2009 saw photocopier leasing levels increase to over 60%, from an almost even split between leasing and purchase in 2008. Falcon had reported at the time of the news that as well as the natural tendency towards leasing as a consequence of the uncertain economic times, photocopier leasing companies had been doing much more to make themselves more attractive to potential customers. Since then, as the economic fortunes of the country haven't improved and photocopier leasing companies have been working hard to promote leasing as the most cost-effective solution, the proportion of customers choosing to lease photocopiers has increased further still. At the time of the last leasing figures in January, Falcon could reveal that up to 75% of new business came from photocopier leasing customers. Now, half way through 2011 and that previous record high for leasing has been smashed. The average perecentage of customers leasing photocopiers in the first five months of 2011 was an astonishing 82%.

What is Driving the Increase in Photocopier Leasing?

The major advantage of leasing a photocopier as opposed to purchasing outright is avoiding the significant financial outlay which buying any modern device will usually entail. While small/medium-sized Canon photocopiers for instance are now the best value they have ever been, the imageRUNNER Advance C2020L Canon photocopiers for instance costing around £2000, for many businesses that's still not something they can afford, especially in the uncertain economic times we're experiencing at the moment. Photocopier leasing allows customers to pay for any devices, including all the latest Canon photocopiers, at manageable monthly amounts and only for the time they require. As has been noted, photocopier leasing companies have been going the extra mile to encourage organisations not to hang-on to ineffective reprographics systems or hold-off from buying new devices out of fear of costs. Unlike the earlier days of photocopier leasing, with much greater competetion among photocopier leasing companies, they now typically make much lower margins and are also far more flexible about minimum monthly leasing terms. For this reason, not only do photocopier leasing customers benefit from low monthly costs but they're also able to limit their financial commitment over time.

With many businesses currently operating very close to their bottom-line, staff time is also more valuable than ever. For many, the fact that photocopier leasing comapnies now offer all-inclusive packages covering all toner, parts maintenance as well as all servicing and installation, really takes the stress out of owning a photocopier, where often a non-technical member of staff would find themselves saddled with the task of topping up the toner or attempting to resolve technical issues. Together with the more flexible leasing terms, lower costs and all-inclusive packages, photocopier leasing companies are also working closely with potential customers to maximise the chances of securing lease financing. In a climate in which banks are increasingly unlikely to lend to businesses, photocopier leasing companies are effectively bucking the trend in providing finance for the vast majority of their customers.

But a major reason why many organisations are opting for photocopier leasing rather than outright purchase is to keep up with the latest developments in technology. As more and more innovations are built into the latest photocopiers, Canon photocopiers for instance now connecting directly with 'cloud' services such as Google Docs, leasing allows businesses to regularly renew equipment, as technological developments occur. With typically shorter leasing terms, businesses don't have to wait very long to replace devices and take advantage of the latest equipment, meaning they're always able to enjoy the best productivity and efficiency savings possible.

The ongoing recession means there's very little optimism in the economy at the moment, with many businesses remaining uncertain about their prosepcts for the future. With banks reluctant to lend in such precarious times, it has become difficult for many small and medium-sized businesses to secure funding for their larger outlays. Leasing photocopiers has thus become a much more attractive option. Not only do regular monthly payments over a fixed, agreed term make financial planning much simpler, but the greater flexibility, the ability to keep up with advancements in technology and that great efforts that photocopier leasing companies have made to reduce costs and also to help customers secure lease finance, now mean that for many orgnaisations, photocopier leasing has become the preferred option.

Falcon is a leading supplier of Canon photocopiers and document management solutions. All the latest Canon photocopiers and MFPs, including the award-winning imageRUNNER and Canon imageRUNNER Advance ranges are available from Falcon, either to purchase or lease.

About the Author

Jeremy Samson is an imaging technology expert writing extensively on the latest developments in the document managment industry.