Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Nitto Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Nitto Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Fujifilm Corporation

Yoshiaki Satoh

Satoshi Miyazaki

Katsuya Yamamoto

Ichiro Watanabe

Yoshihiro Ogura

Tetsuo Asakawa

Hiroya Uruta

Akihiro Kakoi

Yasumasa Yamaguchi

Yoshinori Furuichi

Eijiro Inoue

Takanori Fujii

Kazuya Ezura

Atsushi Fujiwara

Kanehiko Enomoto

Atsushi Yokoyama

Yasutaka Nakashima

Yuuichiroh Tsujiguchi

Yasumasa Mihara

Kohichi Sadano

Masaharu Ohtani

Takayuki Takano

Toshiaki Doi

An image forming apparatus includes a computing unit to compute an amount of ink to be used to record raster data if a remaining amount of ink reaches a predetermined amount, and a recording control part to enable the recording if the remaining amount of ink is greater than the amount of ink computed by the computing unit. The recording control part disables the recording if the remaining amount of ink is less than or equal to the amount of ink computed by the computing unit.

Image forming apparatus, image formation enabling or disabling method, and computer-readable storage medium

An image forming apparatus includes a head to eject liquid droplets, a sub-tank having a container to store an amount of liquid supplied to the head, a negative pressure generator unit generating a negative pressure and an air introducing mechanism to introduce air, a main-tank to supply the amount of liquid into the sub-tank, a pressure detector unit to detect a pressure inside the sub-tank, and a controller to control an image forming operation using a remaining amount of liquid in the sub-tank while the main-tank is at an end status, where the controller determines whether the pressure inside the sub-tank is within a normal range, causes, if the detected pressure is not within the normal range, the air introducing mechanism to introduce air to raise the pressure inside the sub-tank, and causes the head to eject non-image forming liquid to cause the pressure to fall within the normal range.

Image forming apparatus and recording medium

An image forming apparatus and a print control method prevents a disadvantageous effect to a user due to print failure, before an image forming operation is started. The image forming apparatus includes an interface for connecting an external storage device to the image forming apparatus. Data stored in the external storage device is read via the interface and printed by the image forming apparatus. A memory usage at the time of printing the data is calculated based on a parameter obtained from various information about the data. The calculated memory usage and a memory capacity that is available in the image forming apparatus during printing are compared. An image forming operation for printing the data is controlled depending on a comparison result.

Image forming apparatus, print control method, and computer-readable recording medium storing print control program

In an image forming apparatus that receives print data from an external device and prints out the print data in response to a print command, a searching unit that searches, when new print data is received from the external device, a storage unit storing therein the print data that includes user information for previous print data that includes user information same as that of the new print data; and a notifying unit that sends, when the searching unit finds the previous print data, a notice to the external device saying that the previous print data is still present in the storage unit.

Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and image forming method

A state control system designed to work in a sequence of processing operations divided into a plurality of states, with jobs specified for performance in each of the states, and to make a transition to the next state on condition that all the jobs have been completed in each state. The state control system comprises a state control section for rewriting a current state on condition that the jobs in the current state have been completed. According to the state control system, the corpulence of only modules which perform control over the jobs and give instructions to the remote units can be prevented. Further, the state control system can make it relatively easy to equalize the sizes of the individual modules, with a reduction in the concentration of the processing operations in some particular modules and also an increase in the independence of the individual modules through establishment of clearly defined roles for the individual modules.

State control system for a distributed processing system

In a process for hydrating a nitrile compound by the action of a microorganism having nitrilase activity to convert the nitrile compound into the corresponding amide compound, the performances such as yield and reaction velocity are markedly enhanced by irradiation of the microorganism with light. The process of the present invention is characterized in that (a) the microorganism having nitrilase activity is a positive gram-staining microorganism, (b) the microbial cells are allowed to accept light energy of at least about 1.times.10.sup.-2 .mu.E/g microbial cells second before termination of the hydration reaction, and (c) the hydration reaction is carried out in a vessel composed at least partly of a non-light transmitting material.

Process for producing amides by use of microoganisms

A process for the continuous production of acrylamide or methacrylamide from acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile by use of a microorganism capable of promoting the hydration of acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile into the corresponding amide. Said process comprising immobilizing the microorganism or enzyme extracted therefrom, continuously bringing the acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile into contact with the immobilized microorganism or enzyme in at least one reactor containing an aqueous medium at a pH pf 6 to 10 to cause the hydration reaction, and recycling a part of the reacted solution to dilute the unreacted acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile and water therewith.

Process for the continuous production of acrylamide or methacrylamide

A process for producing acrylamide from acrylonitrile by utilizing a microorganism or enzyme capable of hydrating acrylonitrile into acrylamide in the form of a highly concentrated aqueous solution of acrylamide which comprises bringing acrylonitrile in contact with the microorganism or enzyme in an aqueous medium at a pH of from 6 to 10, at a temperature of from the freezing point to 50.degree. C., and under such conditions that the concentration of acrylamide in the reaction solution after the completion of the reaction is from 5% by weight to less than 20% by weight, and concentrating the resulting reaction solution; this invention further includes an embodiment wherein the reaction solution is concentrated by cooling the reaction solution after the reaction to from -4.degree. C. to -9.degree. C. to crystallize ice, separating the ice, and using the ice so separated for cooling during the hydration reaction. In addition, this invention includes an embodiment wherein the concentrated solution obtained by the above embodiment is further concentrated by evaporating the water contained in the concentrated solution.

Process for producing a highly concentrated aqueous acrylamide solution

This invention is a process for producing a stable aqueous solution of acrylamide or methacrylamide by subjecting acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile in water to the action of microorganisms having a nitrilasic activity, which is characterized in that said microorganisms are treated with a water-soluble dialdehyde to thereby inhibit polymerization of the acrylamide or methacrylamide produced.

Process for producing stable aqueous solution of acrylamide or

The present invention relates to a process for producing acrylamide or methacrylamide utilizing microorganisms having a nitrilase activity. This process involves (1) utilizing highly active novel bacteria belonging to the genus Corynebacterium or the genus Nocardia, (2) conducting the reaction utilizing microorganisms having a nitrilase activity at temperatures as low as the freezing point of the medium to 15.degree. C. so as to conduct the reaction for a long period of time while maintaining a high concentration of acrylamide or methacrylamide, and (3) conducting the reaction according to a newly devised continuous column process to obtain a highly concentrated acrylamide or methacrylamide aqueous solution with economic advantages.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yoshiaki Satoh