Abstract: A uniaxially or biaxially oriented film which is made from a specific polycarbonate having a fluorene ring and a glass transition temperature of 165° C. or higher and which has a heat shrinkage factor when it is heated at 90° C. for 500 hours of 0.1% or less, and a ratio of retardation R(450) within the film plane at a wavelength of 450 nm to retardation R(550) within the film plane at a wavelength of 550 nm of 1 to 1.06. This film can be used in a high-quality liquid crystal display device such as a vertical alignment liquid crystal display device and is useful as a retardation film which almost solves a frame problem.

Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an image forming apparatus which can form a stable dot pattern to be used with a digital pen. The dot pattern used by a digital pen can be formed by changing an image forming condition, which is read by the digital pen. The image forming condition can be set based on a reading of an experimental test dot pattern.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to eliminate graininess caused by superposition of noise on an image reproduced as a hard copy. To achieve this object, this invention provides an image forming apparatus which forms an image corresponding to bitmap image data, including a determination unit which determines from the bitmap image data an image data area where a noise component is superposed, and an image processing unit which performs halftone processing for the bitmap image data so as to decrease the resolution in at least a predetermined direction for the image data area where the noise component is superposed, in comparison with an image data area where no noise component is superposed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device of VA mode having decreased leakage of light over a wide range and giving a clear and almost achromatic black display by using a retardation film A having smaller retardation with shorter wavelength in combination with a retardation film C having larger retardation with shorter wavelength. Accordingly, a high-quality liquid crystal display device having excellent picture quality can be produced by the present invention.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a first sequence group operates after input of a print signal and a second sequence group is started up at timing when a temperature T of a fixing device has reached a certain temperature T1 after the input of the print signal or timing for which a temperature rising curve is calculated from a time for the temperature T to reach a certain temperature T2 from the temperature T1 during temperature rising of the fixing device. With this image forming apparatus, it becomes possible to reduce unnecessary operations of a developing device and a photosensitive drum and extend a usable life of the developing device even if image formation and temperature rising of the fixing device are performed in parallel.

Abstract: A uniaxially or biaxially oriented film which is made from a specific polycarbonate having a fluorene ring and a glass transition temperature of 165° C. or higher and which has a heat shrinkage factor when it is heated at 90° C. for 500 hours of 0.1% or less, and a ratio of retardation R(450) within the film plane at a wavelength of 450 nm to retardation R(550) within the film plane at a wavelength of 550 nm of 1 to 1.06. This film can be used in a high-quality liquid crystal display device such as a vertical alignment liquid crystal display device and is useful as a retardation film which almost solves a frame problem.

Abstract: A film which is a single polymer film and has a smaller phase difference as the wavelength becomes shorter. This film is made from an olefin-based polymer which has an alicyclic group in the side chain, such as hydrogenated polystyrene, the amount of the alicyclic group in the side chain being 60 to 90 wt % based on the whole polymer, and satisfies the following expression: R(450)/R(550)<1 wherein R(450) and R(550) are phase differences on the film plane at a wavelength of 450 nm and a wavelength of 550 nm, respectively.

Abstract: An optical recording medium protecting film which is a protecting film comprising a single transparent film made of a thermoplastic resin, having a retardation of no greater than 15 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm and a K value of no greater than 40 nm at 550 nm, having a glass transition temperature of 120° C. or higher and a water absorption of no greater than 1 wt %. |R(550)|?15 nm??(1) |K(550)|?40 nm??(2) (the K value being calculated by K=[nz?(nx+ny)/2]×d {where nx, ny and nz are the three-dimensional refractive indexes of the transparent film in the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively, and d is the thickness of the transparent film}). Also, an optical recording medium having a data recording layer and the above-mentioned protecting film on a substrate, wherein light is incident from the protecting film side.

Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device of VA mode having decreased leakage of light over a wide range and giving a clear and almost achromatic black display by using a retardation film A having smaller retardation with shorter wavelength in combination with a retardation film C having larger retardation with shorter wavelength. Accordingly, a high-quality liquid crystal display device having excellent picture quality can be produced by the present invention.

Abstract: In the present invention, a retardation film is produced by adjusting the mixing ratio of at least two kinds of mutually compatible polymers A and B and by forming the resulting mixture into the film. The polymers A and B are copolymers comprising respective two common repeating units and different in copolymerization composition. According to the present invention, the retardation film having the desired wavelength dispersion can industrially and simply be produced. Furthermore, there can be provided the high-quality retardation film capable of controlling the wavelength dispersion of the retardation at a high level.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to eliminate graininess caused by superposition of noise on an image reproduced as a hard copy. To achieve this object, this invention provides an image forming apparatus which forms an image corresponding to bitmap image data, including a determination unit which determines from the bitmap image data an image data area where a noise component is superposed, and an image processing unit which performs halftone processing for the bitmap image data so as to decrease the resolution in at least a predetermined direction for the image data area where the noise component is superposed, in comparison with an image data area where no noise component is superposed.

Abstract: An intraocular tension measuring method comprising vibrating an eyeball to be examined by a sound wave, measuring vibration of the eyeball to be examined by a noninvasive means to determine a Q value of resonance of the eyeball to be examined, and calculating intraocular tension from the Q value, and an intraocular tension measuring device comprising a vibrating means for vibrating an eyeball to be examined by a sound wave, a measuring means for noninvasively measuring vibration of the eyeball to be examined, a Q value calculating means for calculating a Q value of resonance of the eyeball to be examined from the vibration measured by the measuring means, and an intraocular tension calculating means for calculating intraocular tension from the Q value.

Abstract: A retardation film that can compensate for the optical properties of the liquid crystal cells of a liquid crystal display device and thereby enhance image quality. The retardation film consists of a single polymer film, which has a wavelength range in which the retardation value is positive and a wavelength range in which it is negative in a wavelength range of 400-800 nm, and which satisfies the following inequality (1) and/or (2) and has a water absorption of no greater than 1% by mass.

Abstract: A film which is a single polymer film and has a smaller phase difference as the wavelength becomes shorter.

Abstract: A retardation film comprised of a single oriented polymer film, characterized in that the retardation at wavelengths of 450 nm and 550 nm satisfies the following formulae (1) and/or (2), and the water absorption is no greater than 1%. R(450)/R(550)<1  (1) K(450)/K(550)<1  (2) where R(450) and R(550) represent the in-plane retardation of the oriented polymer film at wavelengths of 450 nm and 550 nm, respectively, and K(450) and K(550) are the values calculated by K=[nz−(nx+ny)/2]×d (where nx, ny and nz represent the three-dimensional refractive indexes of the oriented polymer film as the refractive indexes in the direction of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis, respectively, and d represents the thickness of the film) for the oriented polymer film at a wavelength of 450 nm and 550 nm, respectively. There are provided laminated retardation films and liquid crystal display devices employing the retardation film.

Abstract: In the present invention, a retardation film is produced by adjusting the mixing ratio of at least two kinds of mutually compatible polymers A and B and by forming the resulting mixture into the film. The polymers A and B are copolymers comprising respective two common repeating units and different in copolymerization composition. According to the present invention, the retardation film having the desired wavelength dispersion can industrially and simply be produced. Furthermore, there can be provided the high-quality retardation film capable of controlling the wavelength dispersion of the retardation at a high level.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display element having improved utilization efficiency of light and a light source device constituting the liquid crystal display element, and said liquid crystal display element includes (I) a light source device comprising the following (i) to (iii): (i) a light guide body comprising a transparent medium, and having an end face through which the light emitted from a light source is introduced, a pair of opposing faces one of which works as a light emission face and a haze anisotropic layer, (ii) a light source placed at the end face of said light guide body, and (iii) a reflecting body placed at the opposite side to the light emission face side of said light guide body, and mainly emitting linearly polarized light of one vibration direction, and (II) a polarizing plate placed at the emission face side of the above-mentioned light guide body in such a manner that the polarization axis is parallel to the direction having the largest haze value in the abov

Abstract: An optical recording medium protecting film which is a protecting film comprising a single transparent film made of a thermoplastic resin, having a retardation of no greater than 15 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm and a K value of no greater than 40 nm at 550 nm, having a glass transition temperature of 120° C. or higher and a water absorption of no greater than 1 wt %.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a first sequence group operates after input of a print signal and a second sequence group is started up at timing when a temperature T of a fixing device has reached a certain temperature T1 after the input of the print signal or timing for which a temperature rising curve is calculated from a time for the temperature T to reach a certain temperature T2 from the temperature T1 during temperature rising of the fixing device. With this image forming apparatus, it becomes possible to reduce unnecessary operations of a developing device and a photosensitive drum and extend a usable life of the developing device even if image formation and temperature rising of the fixing device are performed in parallel.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a unit detachably mountable on the image forming apparatus, the unit having a developing device for developing a latent image formed on an image bearing member, a developing bias setter for setting a developing bias so that an image developed by the developing device maintains a predetermined density, and a life determiner for determining a life of the unit in accordance with a developing bias set by the developing bias setter and a reference bias. The reference bias is set in accordance with data relating to a used amount of the unit.