Ricoh Company, Ltd.

International Business Machines Corporation

Cpc International, Inc.

Yoshiko Ishii

Tsukuru Kai

Nobuto Yokokawa

Hidetoshi Yano

Masako Suzuki

Yasushi Nakazato

Yukiko Iwasaki

Hisashi Shoji

Nobuo Iwata

Satoshi Muramatsu

Koji Sakamoto

Takayuki Kimura

Shigeru Yoshiki

Masakuni Okada

Osamu Endo

Fumitomo Ohsawa

Naoki Matsuo

Mitsuo Kanno

Masaki Tamuri

In a parallel computing system having a plurality of computing node groups including at least one spare computing node group, a plurality of managing nodes for allocating jobs to the computing node groups and an information management server having respective computing node group status information are associated with the computing node groups, and the respective managing nodes update respective in-use computing node group status information by accessing the information management server. Furthermore, when the managing node detects an occurrence of a failure, the managing node having used then the computing node group disabled due to the failure identifies a spare computing node group by accessing the computing node group status information in the information management server. Then, the managing node having used then the disabled computing node group obtains the computing node group information of the identified spare computing node group. Furthermore, since the managing node having used then the disabled computing node group can continue processing by switching the disabled computing node group to the identified spare computing node group as a computing node group to be used, on the basis of the computing node group information of the identified spare computing node group, the redundancy in the parallel computing system can be secured.

Method, system and program for securing redundancy in parallel computing system

A toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus is provided with a toner stirring member, which is mixed in with the toner in the toner cartridge. Blocking of the toner is prevented and fluidity of the toner is improved by the movement of the toner stirring member in the toner cartridge, and stable toner flow to a developing device of is accomplished. The toner stirring member is provided with toner scratching portions for scratching off the toner from the internal surface of the cartridge, and thereby a quantity of toner remaining in the toner cartridge is reduced.

Toner cartridge having a toner stirring member

A developing unit using a bicomponent developer and capable of collecting only carrier included in the developer and deteriorated due to aging while recycling toner, and a method of collecting the developer from the developing unit. The developing unit separate the developer into toner and carrier before the collection of the developer.

Developing unit for an image forming apparatus and method of collecting

In an image forming apparatus, a toner collection mode is executed when a series of image formation modes ends and when the image formation mode is continuously repeated a preselected number of times. A toner image sensing mode for sensing a reflection density from a reference toner image is executed every time the image formation mode is repeated a preselected number of times. The apparatus is capable of surely and efficiently removing toner left on an image carrier after image transfer, and collecting the reference toner image with a developing unit. The reference toner image is prevented from contaminating an image transferring unit and a cleaning unit.

Image forming apparatus

In an image forming apparatus, during the course of recording, a cleaning roller is rotated together with an image carrier. The roller frictionally charges toner left on the image carrier after image transfer to the same polarity. A cleaning member electrostatically collects the charged toner. At the same time, a voltage is applied to the cleaning member by a voltage applying device in order to cause it to attract the charged toner, thereby cleaning the image carrier. Hence, even when the toner remaining on image carrier is charged partly to the positive polarity and partly to the negative polarity, the toner can be entirely transferred to the cleaning member by a simple construction.

Image forming apparatus and cleaning device therefor

A color image forming apparatus and a cleaning device therefor are disclosed. Toner of different colors left on a photoconductive element image transfer are sequentially collected by respective cleaning units. A recycling mechanism, including conveyor screws, returns the collected toners from the cleaning units to corresponding developing units for reuse.

Color image forming apparatus and cleaning device therefor

Heat and acid-stable alpha-amylase enzymes having the following characteristics: (1) capable of retaining at least about 70% of their initial activity when held at 90.degree. C. and at a pH of 6.0 for 10 minutes in the absence of calcium ion; (2) capable of retaining at least about 50% of their initial activity when held at 90.degree. C. at a pH of 6.0 for 60 minutes in the absence of added calcium ion; and/or (3) capable of retaining at least about 50% of their initial activity at a temperature of 80.degree. C. and at a pH of 4.5 in the presence of 5 mM calcium ion for 10 minutes. The preferred alpha-amylases are prepared by culturing a strain of a Bacillus stearothermophilus microorganism in a suitable culture medium. The novel alpha-amylases are useful in hydrolyzing and/or liquefying starch and due to their stability at low pH values they can be used in conjunction with other acid stable amylases such as gluco-amylase in either a soluble or an immobilized form.

Heat and acid-stable alpha-amylase enzymes and processes for producing

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Tokyo, Japan

Yoshiko Ishii