Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Sony Corporation

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Stanley Electric Co., Ltd

Toshiba Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha

Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

Nippon Oil Company

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Corporation

Starlite Co., Ltd.

Koichi Kato

Daisuke Matsushita

Yasushi Nakasaki

Emi Kita

Yuichiro Mitani

Kiyonori Tsuda

Koichi Muraoka

Nobutoshi Aoki

Yuki Oshikawa

Jun Yura

Kohichi Utsunomiya

Junichi Terai

Keiko Matsumoto

Maiko Koeda

Ichiro Mizushima

Hiroshi Nakai

Kazumi Suzuki

Katsuyuki Sekine

Toshiyuki Kabata

Atsuhiro Kinoshita

Satoru Yoshida

Masahide Yamashita

Yoshinori Tsuchiya

Koichi Sakata

Hideki Kosugi

Ichiro Kadota

Kei Yasutomi

Shigekazu Enoki

Yasushi Koichi

Hirokatsu Suzuki

Takashi Yamauchi

Mugijirou Uno

Junji Koga

Kazuya Ohuchi

Osamu Ariizumi

Kumiko Hatakeyama

Yoshimasa Nagayoshi

Kentaroh Tomita

Izumi Hirano

Shinichi Meguro

Ikuo Maruyama

Hisaji Nakamura

Kenji Mochizuki

Sadamu Oyaide

Koji Suzuki

Hitoshi Ishibashi

Akira Takashima

Kiwamu Sakuma

Seiji Inumiya

Yasufumi Takahashi

Jun Fujita

Tsunehiro Ino

Shinichi Kuramoto

Susumu Tateyama

Takashi Shimizu

Kazuhiro Eguchi

Toshihide Ito

Yoshitaka Fujinuma

Takashi Tanaka

Kimiharu Yamazaki

Hirotaka Nishino

Mariko Takayanagi

Takuzi Yoneda

Takamitsu Ishihara

Kaori Hemmi

Kouichi Muraoka

Misako Morota

Shigeto Fukatsu

Masayasu Miyata

Hiroyuki Okaji

Takashi Ino

Shunsuke Kawasaki

Mayumi Yoshihara

Eriko Maruyama

Riichiro Takaishi

Yoichi Furuichi

Shigeru Furuya

Yoshihiro Konno

Makio Matsuzaki

Yasuo Nakatsuka

Takeshi Asano

Kazuyoshi Fushinobu

Shinya Kikutani

Kentaro Tomita

Klyonori Tsuda

Takaki Yamauchi

Akio Takada

Tatsuya Shimazaki

Koichi Kikuchi

Hiromasa Suzuki

Kanji Atsumi

Hironobu Ohara

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of temperature-influence members, a first-point temperature acquisition unit, a second-point temperature estimation unit, and a controller. The plurality of temperature-influence members have influence on a temperature of a recording medium on which an image is formed. The first-point temperature acquisition unit is configured to detect or estimate a temperature of the recording medium at a first point. The second-point temperature estimation unit is configured to estimate a temperature of the recording medium at a second point, based on a detection result of at least one of a temperature of the recording medium at a point different from the second point and a temperature of a member or atmosphere. The controller is configured to control the plurality of temperature-influence members, based on an acquisition result from the first-point temperature acquisition unit and an estimation result from the second-point temperature estimation unit.

Image forming apparatus

A method may include associating, with a timer-B, a second application in a terminal device; setting the terminal device in a standby mode; and executing the second application when a processor in the terminal device wakes up after the timer-B measures a second amount of elapsed time. The timer-B may not initiate wake-up of the processor. The method may further include determining whether the second application is associated with the timer-B or a timer-A when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode; and when the second application is determined as being associated with the timer-A, unassociating the second application with the timer-A. The timer-A may initiate wake-up of the processor when the timer-A measures another second amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is the standby mode. A timer associated with a first application may initiate wakeup of the processor.

Method for controlling schedule of executing application in terminal device and terminal device implementing the method

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer; a charging member to charge the surface of the image bearer; an irradiating member to irradiate the surface of the image bearer to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image bearer; an developing member to develop the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a visible toner image on the surface of the image bearer; and a transferring member to transfer the toner image onto a transfer material. The image bearer includes a charge generation layer including an asymmetrical disazo pigment and a metal-free phthalocyanine pigment, and a charge transport layer. The irradiating member forms the electrostatic latent image at an irradiation energy greater than a half decay exposure of the image bearer and not greater than 2.5 times of the half decay exposure. The image bearer is not discharged every image forming process.

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a dielectric film provided between the first and the second conductive layers. The dielectric film including a fluorite-type crystal and a positive ion site includes Hf and/or Zr, and a negative ion site includes O. In the dielectric film, parameters a, b, c, p, x, y, z, u, v and w satisfy a predetermined relation. The axis length of the a-axis, b-axis and c-axis of the original unit cell is a, b, and c, respectively. An axis in a direction with no reversal symmetry is c-axis, a stacking direction of atomic planes of two kinds formed by negative ions disposed at different positions is a-axis, the remainder is b-axis. The parameters x, y, z, u, v and w are values represented using the parameter p.

Semiconductor device and dielectric film including a fluorite-type crystal

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to an embodiment includes: a semiconductor region; a first insulating film formed on the semiconductor region; a charge storage film formed on the first insulating film; a hydrogen diffusion preventing film formed on the charge storage film; a second insulating film formed on the hydrogen diffusion preventing film; a control gate electrode formed on the second insulating film; a hydrogen discharge film formed on the control gate electrode; and a sidewall formed on a side surface of a multilayer structure including the first insulating film, the charge storage film, the hydrogen diffusion preventing film, the second insulating film, and the control gate electrode, the sidewall containing a material for preventing hydrogen from diffusing.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory

It is made possible to restrain generation of defects at the time of insulating film formation. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes: placing a semiconductor substrate into an atmosphere, thereby forming a nitride film on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the atmosphere containing a first nitriding gas nitriding the surface of the semiconductor substrate and a first diluent gas not actually reacting with the semiconductor substrate, the ratio of the sum of the partial pressure of the first diluent gas and the partial pressure of the first nitriding gas to the partial pressure of the first nitriding gas being 5 or higher, and the total pressure of the atmosphere being 40 Torr or lower.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment, includes: forming a stack structure by alternately stacking control gate electrodes and interlayer insulating films; forming a through-hole that penetrates through the stack structure in a stacking direction of the control gate electrodes and the interlayer insulating films; forming a first insulating film that covers an inner surface of the through-hole; forming a charge storage layer that covers an inner surface of the first insulating film; forming a second insulating film that covers an inner surface of the charge storage layer; forming a semiconductor layer that covers an inner surface of the second insulating film; and oxidizing an interface between the semiconductor layer and the second insulating film by performing a heat treatment in an atmosphere containing Ogas at a temperature of 600&#xb0; C. or lower.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device

A developing device capable of conveying discharged developer to the outside of the device well by preventing developer from firmly adhering within a discharge conveyance path, as well as an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge having this developing device. A developing device, having: a developing roller; a developer conveyance path having a supply screw and a supply conveyance path; a toner replenishment controller for replenishing the developer to the developer conveyance path; a discharge conveyance path for conveying the developer to the outside of the developing device; a discharge screw serving as a discharge conveying member for applying a conveying force to the developer within the discharge conveyance path; and a developer discharge port serving as developer discharge means for discharging the developer to the discharge conveyance path, wherein the conveying force is applied to the discharged developer intermittently by the discharge screw serving as a discharge conveying member, whereby a shock is applied intermittently to the discharged developer within the discharge conveyance path.

Developing device, image forming apparatus and process cartridge in which a shock is applied intermittently to the discharged developer

An apparatus and method for image fixing are disclosed. A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressure member, a heater, and a pressure controller. The fixing member and the pressure member face with each other to form a nip. The heater heats a surface of the fixing member when the fixing member rotates. The pressure controller changes a pressure generated at the nip, according to an operation of the fixing device.

Apparatus and method for fixing an image

A toner supply device includes a toner container, a transport-path forming member, an opening, a shutter member, and a first seal member. The opening is provided at a side wall of the transport-path forming member. The shutter member is movable between a closed position to close the transport path by being inserted in the opening and an open position. The first seal member fills a gap between an inner wall of the opening and the shutter member in a toner transport direction in which the toner is transported through the transport path. When the shutter member is inserted in the opening, the shutter member is elastically deformable in a deformation direction perpendicular to both the toner transport direction and a moving direction of the shutter member, and when the shutter member is not inserted in the opening, the shutter member is wider than the opening in the deformation direction.

Toner supply device and image forming apparatus that prevents toner from being scattered from the device

A developer supply system includes a container, a memory, and a positioning mechanism. The container has a deformable bag formed of flexible material to accommodate developer therein. The memory is attached to a given planar surface of the deformable bag to store information for communication to the image forming apparatus. The positioning mechanism holds the container therein while maintaining the given planar surface in position relative to the image forming apparatus when the deformable bag collapses as it discharges developer. An image forming apparatus employing such a developer supply system is also disclosed.

Developer supply system and image forming apparatus incorporating same

The developer conveyance amount on the upstream side of an agitation conveyance path in a developer conveyance direction becomes larger than the amount of developer to be transported from a recovery conveyance path to the agitation conveyance path, by making the developer conveyance amount on the upstream side of an agitating screw in the developer conveyance direction equal to or larger than the developer conveyance amount on the downstream side of a recovery screw in the developer conveyance direction. Accordingly, the bulk of the developer existing on the downstream side of the recovery conveyance path in the developer conveyance direction can be prevented from reaching the level where the recovered developer re-adheres to a developing roller, and further the developer existing on the downstream side of the recovery conveyance path in the developer conveyance direction can be prevented from re-adhering to the developing roller.

Developing device and image forming apparatus equipped with the same

A developing unit includes a developer bearing member, a developer transporter, a developer conveyance system for directing the developer, including a supply path, a recovery path, and an agitation path, a developer supply opening through which the developer is supplied to the developer conveyance system, a developer supply device for supplying the developer from the developer supply opening to the developer conveyance system, a developer discharge device for discharging the developer outside the developing unit, a developer level rise detector for detecting increase in a level of the developer between the downstream end of the recovery path facing the developer bearing member in the direction of developer transport and a portion of the agitation path where the agitation path receives the collected developer from the recovery path, and a controller for controlling the developer discharge device based on the detection result provided by the developer level rise detector.

Developing unit including developer conveyance system having supply path, recovery path, and agitation path, process cartridge including developing unit, and image forming apparatus including process cartridge

An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member; a developing device forming a toner image; a toner supplying device including a toner container, a toner feeding passage, a pump, in which a first member is moved while rubbing a second member to feed a developer supplement including at least the toner, and a residual toner detector detecting the amount of the developer supplement remaining in the toner container. Even after the toner container achieves a near empty state, image forming operations are continued as long as a predetermined condition is satisfied while changing the pump's condition such that the pump is stopped, the ratio of the pump stopping period to the pump driving period is set to be greater than that before the near-empty detection, or the pump stopping period and the pump driving period are set to be longer than those before the near-empty detection.

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Yokohama, Japan

Koichi Kato