Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Furuya Metal Co., Ltd.

Nobuo Kikuchi

Tadashi Hayakawa

Sadao Takahashi

Hideo Fushimoto

Kazuyoshi Odagawa

Yoshiaki Miyashita

Takeshi Tabuchi

Kentaro Matsumoto

Kouichi Yamazaki

Tamao Ikuta

Satoshi Hatori

Masaaki Kusano

Toshiyuki Kuze

Takeshi Saito

Toshio Koike

Takeshi Shintani

Satoshi Takano

Kunihiro Ohyama

Kaoru Yoshino

Takaaki Tawada

Shinichi Kawahara

Nobuyuki Kobayashi

Hiroshi Ono

Akio Sunouchi

Akira Fujimori

Dan Ozasa

Kohei Shimbo

Shoji Saito

Manabu Kanazawa

Shunji Kato

Tomohiro Maruko

Yu Suzuki

Yoko Nakamura

Toyokazu Mizogui

Masasumi Yahata

Hiroshi Sano

Naomi Misago

Hirohisa Otsuka

Hirohisa Ohtsuka

Yuji Kitajima

Amiko Ito

Yusuke Takaishi

Daishi Kaneko

Ryo Tanoue

Eiji Matsumoto

A spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus and a method of obtaining spectral characteristics. The spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus includes a conveyor including a first conveyance roller pair disposed in a conveyance direction in which an object is conveyed and a second conveyance roller pair disposed downstream from the first conveyance roller pair in the conveyance direction, a sensor to detect that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair, circuitry to control the second conveyance roller pair to drive by a predetermined amount with a driving force greater than a driving force of the first conveyance roller pair upon detecting that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair by the sensor and to stop driving, and a color data obtainer to obtain color data from the object at a position where the object stops moving. In the spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus, the circuitry estimates a spectral characteristic of the object.

Spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus and method of obtaining spectral characteristics

Method of producing a target having a small average crystal grain size of gold or platinum and having a uniform crystal grain size in an in-plane direction of a target surface and a thickness direction of the target in order to further stabilize film deposition characteristics during sputtering. The method for producing a gold or platinum target includes an ingot production step for casting molten gold or platinum to obtain an ingot; a primary forging step for forging the ingot in a first temperature range; a step for cooling the primary forged ingot to a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range; a secondary forging step for determining six directions for the cooled primary forged ingot and further forging the cooled primary forged ingot from the six directions in the second temperature range; a cross-rolling processing step for adjusting the temperature of the secondary forged ingot to a third temperature range and subjecting the secondary forged ingot to cross-rolling processing to form the secondary forged ingot into a target shape; and a heat treatment step for heat-treating the target-shaped ingot in a fourth temperature range.

Gold or platinum target, and production method for same

Toner having spindle-shaped particles is used to form images in an image forming apparatus. Each spindle-shaped particle has a ratio of a length in a minor axis to a length in a major axis in a range from 0.5 to 0.8 and a ratio of a thickness to the length in the minor axis in a range from 0.7 to 1.0. A charging device applies an electric charge onto an electrostatic latent-image carrier of the image forming apparatus. The charging device includes a charging roller, a surface roughness of which is equal to or smaller than 10 micrometers.

Charging device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably attached to an image forming apparatus includes a first body member, a second body member including an engaging part, in which the second body member is engaged with the first body member by the engaging part and pivotably moves between an open position and a closed position, an image bearing member detachably disposed in the first body member and configured to bear an image on a surface thereof, and a facing mechanism detachably disposed in one of the first body member or the second body member, and arranged around the image bearing member to face the image bearing member.

Method and apparatus for image forming capable of effectively replacing a facing mechanism used in the image forming

A process cartridge configured to be detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus. A second body member is mounted on a first body member so that at least one of the first and second body members moves between an opened position and a closed position. An auxiliary device is configured to be mounted on at least one of the first and second body members via an opened space formed after at least one of the first and second body members is moved to the opened position.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A mobile unit comprises a surrounding level measuring unit which measures the surrounding level, a reported information acquisition unit which acquires the reported information, a control unit which controls the surrounding level measurement unit, and a zone transfer unit which transfers the zone to the one of highest level among those monitored. The control unit provides a control so as to omit the measurement of the surrounding level of the zones not adapted for packet communication based on the result of measurement by the surrounding level measurement unit or the reported information acquired by the reported information acquisition unit.

Mobile unit adapted for packet communication, zone transfer method, and computer readable recording medium for recording program executed by computer

An image forming apparatus uses a developer that includes toner with volume average particle size between 5 &mgr;m and 10 &mgr;m and 60 to 80 number percentage particles having a particle size less than or equal to 5 &mgr;m. A charging unit charges a latent image carrier. The charging unit and the latent image carrier are arranged in such a manner that they do no make a physical contact.

Image forming apparatus and charging device

In a sequence for setting a communication channel via a communication network with a communication counter party, a plural communication connection setting method is comprised of: a plural ID requesting step at which a terminal and a relay switch which initiate a communication transmit a connection setting request based upon a single message on which a set of identification numbers (ID) for previously establishing a plurality of connections and a communication parameter is described in response to a predetermined request and a response answer; a rewriting step at which when one message for describing the plural IDs set is received, if the request is available, then the corresponding portions of the corresponding management (routing) table are sequentially rewritten to be managed; and a plural ID response step at which when the rewriting operations corresponding to the plural ID sets are accomplished, a setting response is returned by way of one message on which the plural IDs are written to the setting request source.

Plural communication connection setting method

An image forming apparatus includes a toner bank that is configured to hold a large-volume of toner that is ultimately used to develop a latent image formed on a latent image carrier. A developing apparatus develops the latent image into a visible image. The toner is supplied to the toner bank, which need not be located adjacent to the developing apparatus, using a mechanism that prevents the toner from becoming clogged while being transported to the developing apparatus from the toner bank. In the toner bank, more than one toner bottles are vertically set. The toner bottles are individually opened and closed at respective opening portions thereon with an opening/closing mechanism and are rotated so as to discharge toner therefrom. Toner discharged from the toner bottles is dropped into the toner bank and is supplied to a developing apparatus by a flexible toner delivering mechanism having a powder pump unit and a flexible toner supplying pipe.

Image forming apparatus with provisions for supplying toner therein

In an image forming apparatus, a charging member, image transfer member or similar contact member contacts an image carrier implemented as a photoconductive element. Even when a voltage is applied to the contact member in a relatively low temperature environment, the contact member is provided with an adequate charge potential or an image transfer potential.

Image forming apparatus with a contact member contacting an image carrier

A system for cleaning a charge inducing member comprising a cleaning element for establishing relative lineal as well as rotary movement between the cleaning element and charge inducing member. Embodiments include various mechanisms for imparting axial reciprocal motion to the cleaning element and for disabling reciprocation of the cleaning element or separating the cleaning element and charging member from each other during sensitive portions of a photoduplication cycle.

Method of and system for cleaning a charge inducing member

In an image forming apparatus having a charging member for charging a photoconductive element in the form of a drum or a belt in contact therewith, a cleaning member cleans the surface of a charge roller contacting the photoconductive element. The cleaning member is usually spaced apart from the surface of the charge roller, but the former is caused to contact the latter only for a predetermined period of time at predetermined intervals. This frees the charge roller from excessive cleaning due to the cleaning member and, therefore, obviates defective images. The time for causing the cleaning member to contact the charge roller may be changed on the basis of the degree of contamination of the charge roller in order to cope with accidental smears brought about on the charge roller.

Cleaning system for charging drum of an image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive body. A charge member is held in contact with the photosensitive body and charges the photosensitive body by applying a voltage thereto. An exposure device exposes a surface of the photosensitive body charged by the charge member and forms an electrostatic latent image. A developing device attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive body and visualizes the electrostatic latent image. Further, a particle diameter of fine powder which is the toner used in the developing device is equal to or less than 3 .mu.m, and a containing rate of the fine powder is equal to or less than 5%. Further, an angle of spatula of the toner used in the developing device may be at least 25 degrees. A cohesiveness of the toner may also be at least 9%.

Toner used in an image forming apparatus

Toner bottle

Telephone

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Tokyo, Japan

Nobuo Kikuchi