Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

Toyoda Godei Co., Ltd.

Takayuki Ito

Shoichi Yoshikawa

Fuminori Moro

Noboru Oomoto

Kuniya Matsuura

Masayuki Satou

Toshihiko Asaya

Masafumi Kurokawa

Takashi Fujiwara

Hiroaki Umemoto

Hiroshi Mizuno

Shigeru Tashiro

Atsuhiko Shimoyama

Junji Koizumi

Hideo Mae

Toshiyuki Sakai

Naotoshi Kawai

Masahiro Yamaguchi

Masashi Kawai

Syuichi Katogi

Tsugunori Sugiura

Hiroshi Ibaraki

Motoshi Matsuura

Michiya Takeda

Katsumi Takahashi

Kenichiro Yasui

Kazuya Watakabe

Kimio Jogan

A method for manufacturing a spark plug including a center electrode that extends in an axial direction, a metal shell that is provided around an outer periphery of the center electrode, and a rod-shaped ground electrode whose base end is joined to the metal shell and whose distal end is bent towards an axial-line side. The method comprises a bending step of bending an unbent ground electrode, which is the ground electrode that is not yet bent, by pressing against it a predetermined curved surface of a bend spacer, wherein the bend spacer is formed so as to be divisible into two or more members including a first member and a second member. The first member includes a mounting portion for mounting the bend spacer on a fixing tool and the second member includes the predetermined curved surface that comes into contact with the unbent ground electrode.

Method for manufacturing spark plug

A decoration article having a clear layer includes a rod-shaped core material, a cylindrical decorative cover having a shape retaining property, configured to cover the core material over an entire circumference in a sectional circumferential direction of the core material, including a plurality of split members split along the sectional circumferential direction of the core material and having a base part and a decoration layer provided on a surface of the base part, and a transparent clear layer formed by a mold forming so as to cover an outer surface of the decoration layer over an entire circumference in a sectional circumferential direction of the decoration cover covering the core material.

Decoration article having clear layer and method of forming the same

An image forming apparatus has a clock supply circuit supplying a signal at a first clock frequency or a second clock frequency lower than the first frequency, a first CPU performing image data processing based on the signal, and a second CPU measuring time based on the signal to determine execution timing of each process performed in control processing. The image forming apparatus includes a load determination unit determining whether a load of the image data processing is higher than a reference level, and a control unit that switches the frequency to the first frequency when the load is higher than the reference level, and to the second frequency when the load is not higher. When the frequency switching occurs, the second CPU changes a method for measuring time. The second CPU completes one process before the switching and starts the next one after the switching.

Image forming apparatus wherein clock frequency is determined by processing load

An image forming apparatus, having: a supply unit that forwards a sheet material; a rotor that feeds the sheet material; a memory unit that has stored therein a masking sound for noise; a derivation unit that derives a current position of the sheet material being fed; a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the current position derived by the derivation unit, whether or not the sheet material being fed has reached a second specified location at a predetermined distance upstream from the first specified location; a decision unit that decides output timing and/or output duration for the masking sound in the memory unit upon an affirmative determination by the determination unit; and a sound output unit that outputs the masking sound in the memory unit in accordance with the output timing and/or the output duration.

Image forming apparatus

A sound output device for masking an operation sound generated by equipment, having: an operation determining unit that determines an operation mode to be executed by the equipment; and a sound output unit that outputs a masking sound on the basis of the operation mode determined by the operation determining unit, the masking sound changing at least in sound pressure level over time.

Sound output device

A fixing device for fixing a toner image onto a recording paper includes a heating member for heating the recording paper, a pressing member for pressing the heating member by pressure-applying contact, a casing accommodating the heating member and the pressing member, and being provided with an exit port for discharging the recording paper, and a closing unit added to the exit port for keeping a temperature of the casing. The closing unit has a rotation member, and an opposed member forming a nip region together with the rotation member.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus capable of effectively suppressing thermal energy released externally from device due to thermal convection and hot air flow

Provided is an image forming device that has a duplex printing function, and suspends execution of a printing operation to allow internal temperature to decrease when the internal temperature increases and reaches predetermined limit temperature at which toner in a developing unit is fusible, the image forming device storing, each time a print job is received, the received print job therein as a waiting print job; selecting, from among a plurality of waiting print jobs, a print job that is estimated to cause the smallest increase in the internal temperature as a print job to be executed preferentially, based on printing conditions set on the respective waiting print jobs; and controlling execution order of the waiting print jobs so that the selected print job is executed preferentially.

When a sheet is transported as passed through a first roller pair equipped with a torque limiter and through a second roller pair, a loop formed in the sheet between the first roller pair and the second roller pair is cleared by a method wherein the amount of sheet loop is decreased by driving the second roller pair and disabling the first roller pair and wherein at the time when the sheet loop is decreased to a predetermined amount, a velocity of clearing the loop is lowered by rotating the first roller pair at a lower peripheral velocity than that of the second roller pair.

Sheet conveyor, image forming apparatus and image scanning apparatus

A fixing device for fixing a toner image onto a recording paper sheet includes a heating member for heating the recording paper sheet, a pressing member for applying a pressure by forming contact with the heating member, a casing accommodating the heating member and the pressing member, and provided with an exit port for discharging the recording paper sheet, and a closing portion arranged at the exit port for keeping a temperature of the casing. The closing portion has a rotation member, and an opposed member forming a nip region together with the rotation member. A separating unit for changing at least a part of the closing portion from a closed state to an open state.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device fixes a toner image on a recording medium. In the fixing device, a heating unit heats a recording medium. A pressing unit presses a recording medium in pressure contact with the heating unit. The heating unit and the pressing unit are accommodated in a casing. A heat reflecting unit is provided between the heating unit and the casing. An intermediate member is provided between the heating unit and the heat reflecting unit.

Fixing device for fixing toner image on recording medium and image forming apparatus including the same

A fusing apparatus allows a recording member to pass through between a heat member and a pressure member, to transport and heat the recording member, and thereby fuses a toner image on the recording member. The fusing apparatus includes a temperature detector for detecting a surface temperature of the heat member in a non-contact manner. A surface of the heat member is configured such that a region of the surface all around a cylindrical configuration that faces a temperature detection area of the temperature detector has a higher emissivity than other regions.

Fusing apparatus used to fuse toner image and image forming apparatus

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which can achieve reduction in printing time, suppression of developer consumption, and implementation of silence. An image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image on an image carrier with use of developers of a plurality of different developing colors, including a plurality of developing devices respectively housing the developers of different colors, and a control section for controlling operation of the developing devices based on inputted image data, wherein the control section includes a concentration ratio recognition section for recognizing a concentration ratio of the respective colors for image data of every sheet from the image data, and controls so as to spare at least one color developer among the developers in response to the concentration ratio of respective colors recognized by the concentration ratio recognition section.

Image forming apparatus utilizing a concenteration ratio of colors

In a beltless tandem-type image forming apparatus, a plurality of pairs of transfer rollers are placed side by side at intervals along a conveying direction of sheets. A control section independently conveys sheets in sequence through nip sections of respective pairs of transfer rollers driven by a driving section while sequentially transferring images formed by an imaging section onto the sheets. Conveying speeds of the respective pairs of transfer rollers controlled by the driving section are gradually decreased for every pair of transfer rollers from an upstream side toward a downstream side along a conveying direction of the sheets, and consequently, a driving period for driving the respective pairs of transfer rollers to convey each sheet is gradually increased for every pair of transfer rollers from the upstream side toward the downstream side along the conveying direction of the sheets.

Beltless tandem-type image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carrier rollers placed on an inner circumferential side of an annular conveying path so as to face the annular conveying path and so as to be juxtaposed in a sheet conveying direction along the annular conveying path. Opposed rollers are provided on the outer circumferential side of the annular conveying path. Imaging sections for forming intrinsic color images on surfaces of the respective image carrier rollers are provided. A sheet is introduced to the annular conveying path and is conveyed along the sheet conveying direction sequentially through nip sections of the rollers, while the images formed on the surfaces of the respective image carrier rollers by the imaging sections are transferred one by one onto the sheet. The sheet with the images transferred thereon is released from the annular conveying path.

There is provided a cleaning device capable of maintaining a sufficient cleaning effect by preventing creep deformation of a cleaning member. The cleaning device of the present invention for cleaning a transfer body in an image forming apparatus includes a first cleaning member whose top end is brought into pressure contact with the transfer body, and a second cleaning member which is placed downstream from the first cleaning member with respect to a moving direction of the transfer body and whose top end is brought into pressure contact with the transfer body, wherein the second cleaning member is provided rotatably with respect to the first cleaning member.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Takayuki Ito