Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member on which an electrostatic image is formed by imagewise exposure; a rotatable member; a developing device carried on said rotatable member and movable, by rotation of said rotatable member, to a developing position where said developing device is opposed to said image bearing member; a driven gear which is provided in said developing device and which receives a driving force for operating said developing device; and a driving gear, provided in a main assembly of the apparatus, for driving engagement with said driven gear of said developing device which is located at the developing position, wherein said driving gear, when said developing device is moving toward the developing position, is driven such that moving direction thereof is the same as a moving direction of said driven gear at an engagement portion with said driven gear, wherein upon driving engagement between said driven gear and said driving gear, a peripheral speed VA of said driven gear w

Abstract: In a developing apparatus provided with a developer container containing a developer, a rotary member holding the developer container and rotatively moving it relative to a developing position, an opening portion provided in the developer container and through which the developer is supplied or discharged, a valve swingable to open and close the opening portion, and a restricting wall restricting the movement of the valve in an opening direction by contacting with the valve when the valve is in an opened position, an irregularity portion is provided on at least one of the contact surface of the valve with the restricting wall and the contact surface of the restricting wall with the valve.

Abstract: A developing apparatus for developing an electrostatic image on an image bearing member includes a rotary member including a plurality of mounting portions, to which a plurality of developing devices and a plurality of balance weights are detachably mountable. The rotary member selectively shifts a mounted developing device to a developing position opposite to the image bearing member. A developing process is performed in a first mode in which developing devices are attached to all the mounting portions, and in a second mode in which a developing device is mounted to at least one of the mounting portions, and no developing devices are mounted to the remaining mounting portions, and wherein, in the second mode, balance weights are mounted to the remaining mounting portions. An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member and the developing apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided a process for producing an optically active 2-alkylcysteine or a salt thereof, characterized by allowing cells of microorganism or treated products thereof having an activity of stereoselective hydrolysis of the amide bond of a 2-alkyl-L-cysteinamide or a salt thereof to act on a 2-alkylcysteinamide consisting of a mixture of D- and L-isomers or a salt thereof; and allowing the obtained 2-alkyl-L-cysteine and 2-alkyl-D-cysteinamide to react with an aldehyde or a ketone, or an acetal or ketal thereof, so as to derive therefrom a 4-alkylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid or a salt thereof and a 4-alkylthiazolidine-4-carboxamide or a salt thereof, thereby efficiently separating and obtaining a 2-alkyl-L-cysteine or a salt thereof, or a 2-alkyl-D-cysteine or a salt thereof. There is also provided a process for producing a 4-alkylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid or a salt thereof from the 2-alkylcysteine or a salt thereof.

Abstract: A process for producing a 2-alkylcysteinamide, which comprises hydrolysis of a 4-alkylthiazolidine-4-carboxamide represented by the general formula (2) or a salt thereof: wherein R represents a lower alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms; and each of R1 and R2 independently represents hydrogen or a lower alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, or R1 and R2 are linked together to form an alicyclic, structure having 4-7 carbon atoms, excluding the case where both R1 and R2 are hydrogen, to give a 2-alkylcysteinamide represented by the general formula (1) or a salt thereof wherein R represents a lower alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms. Cells of a microorganism or treated products thereof having activity of stereoselective hydrolysis of a 2-alkyl-L-cysteinamide are allowed to act on the compound represented by the general formula (1) to yield a 2-alkyl-L-cysteine.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a developing device, a movable member, a replenishment device, a developer replenishment path, and a conveyance screw so arranged within the developer replenishment path as not to come into contact with the internal wall of the developer replenishment path, wherein X (g) representing the quantity of the developer for replenishment present in the clearance section between the developer replenishment path and the conveyance screw, Y (g) representing the quantity of the developer in the developing device, Q(?C/mg) representing the absolute value of the electric charge per unit weight of the toner in the developing device, and A(?C/mg) representing the absolute value of the electric charge per unit weight of the toner relative to a 1% variation in the toner density satisfy the condition of a relationship of X?(Y×Q)/(500×A).

Abstract: The developing apparatus includes developer containing parts and a replenishment portion. The developer containing parts contains a developer circularly conveyed in the developer containing parts. The replenishment portion includes a replenish aperture and a regulation surface. The replenishment portion merges a replenishment agent passing through the regulation surface with the developer in the developer containing part. In the developing apparatus, a wall surface of the replenishment portion, located on a downstream side in a developer conveyance direction in the developer containing part facing to the replenishment portion, is formed by being inclined with respect to the developer conveyance direction.

Abstract: In case a fixing speed is lower than a transferring speed, the individual conveyor units are controlled such that, while a downstream conveyor unit (61) is conveying a sheet (S1) being fixed at the same speed (V2) as the fixing speed, an upstream conveyor unit (60) may convey the succeeding sheet (S2) at the same speed (V1) as the transferring speed. As a result, the spacing of the two sheets in a fixing unit (9) can be sufficiently narrowed to improve the image forming efficiency. Moreover, the transferring speed need not be decelerated according to the fixing speed. It is, therefore, possible to prevent the deterioration in the image quality and to shorten the image forming time period of the first sheet.

Abstract: A developing apparatus for developing an electrostatic image on an image bearing member includes a rotary member including a plurality of mounting portions, to which a plurality of developing devices and a plurality of balance weights are detachably mountable. The rotary member selectively shifts a mounted developing device to a developing position opposite to the image bearing member. A developing process is performed in a first mode in which developing devices are attached to all the mounting portions, and in a second mode in which a developing device is mounted to at least one of the mounting portions, and no developing devices are mounted to the remaining mounting parts, and wherein, in the second mode, balance weights are mounted to the remaining mounting portions. An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member and the developing apparatus.

Abstract: In case a fixing speed is lower than a transferring speed, the individual conveyor units are controlled such that, while a downstream conveyor unit (61) is conveying a sheet (S1) being fixed at the same speed (V2) as the fixing speed, an upstream conveyor unit (60) may convey the succeeding sheet (S2) at the same speed (V1) as the transferring speed. As a result, the spacing of the two sheets in a fixing unit (9) can be sufficiently narrowed to improve the image forming efficiency. Moreover, the transferring speed need not be decelerated according to the fixing speed. It is, therefore, possible to prevent the deterioration in the image quality and to shorten the image forming time period of the first sheet.

Abstract: In case a fixing speed is lower than a transferring speed, the individual conveyor units are controlled such that, while a downstream conveyor unit (61) is conveying a sheet (S1) being fixed at the same speed (V2) as the fixing speed, an upstream conveyor unit (60) may convey the succeeding sheet (S2) at the same speed (V1) as the transferring speed. As a result, the spacing of the two sheets in a fixing unit (9) can be sufficiently narrowed to improve the image forming efficiency. Moreover, the transferring speed need not be decelerated according to the fixing speed. It is, therefore, possible to prevent the deterioration in the image quality and to shorten the image forming time period of the first sheet.

Abstract: A printed wiring board for mounting a semiconductor, which printed wiring board has a taper-shaped through hole connecting an upper surface circuit and a lower surface circuit, and/or an internal layer circuit, the taper-shaped through hole being obtained by plating an inner wall surface and a small-diameter side end of a taper-shaped penetration hole with a metal to plate the inner wall surface and seal the small-diameter side end, wherein a ball pad or a bump pad is formed at at least a small-diameter side end of the taper-shaped through hole.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus is equipped with a first photosensitive member, a plurality of first developing devices, a second photosensitive member, and a second developing device. In the image forming apparatus, toner images on the first photosensitive member and the second photosensitive member are transferred onto a transfer medium while one is superimposed on the other, whereby it is possible to form a high quality image using deep-color and light-color toners of the same hue and to prevent a deterioration in gradation property.

Abstract: An optically active epoxypropionate derivative of the following formula (1): wherein symbol * represents optically active carbon. Also disclosed is an optically active epoxypropionate derivative of the following formula (2): wherein symbol * represents optically active carbon.

Abstract: In case a fixing speed is lower than a transferring speed, the individual conveyor units are controlled such that, while a downstream conveyor unit (61) is conveying a sheet (S1) being fixed at the same speed (V2) as the fixing speed, an upstream conveyor unit (60) may convey the succeeding sheet (S2) at the same speed (V1) as the transferring speed. As a result, the spacing of the two sheets in a fixing unit (9) can be sufficiently narrowed to improve the image forming efficiency. Moreover, the transferring speed need not be decelerated according to the fixing speed. It is, therefore, possible to prevent the deterioration in the image quality and to shorten the image forming time period of the first sheet.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus is equipped with a first photosensitive member, a plurality of first developing devices, a second photosensitive member, and a second developing device. In the image forming apparatus, toner images on the first photosensitive member and the second photosensitive member are transferred onto a transfer medium while one is superimposed on the other, whereby it is possible to form a high quality image using deep-color and light-color toners of the same hue and to prevent a deterioration in gradation property.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion for forming an image on a sheet. A separating and feeding portion feeds sheets stacked on a sheet supporting portion one-by-one toward the image forming portion. A sheet conveying portion conveys the sheets fed by the separating and feeding portion. Registration rollers of a variable rotating speed are disposed upstream of the image forming portion with respect to a sheet conveying direction. A sheet conveyance controlling portion causes the registration rollers to effect the conveyance of the sheets at a speed higher than the image forming speed in the image forming portion. Thereafter, the registration rollers are decelerated so as to assume substantially the same speed as the image forming speed at a timing earlier than a latest image forming timing in the image forming portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming portion for forming an image on a sheet, separating and feeding portion for feeding sheets stacked on sheet supporting portion one by one toward the image forming portion, sheet conveying portion for conveying the sheets fed by the separating and feeding portion, registration rollers of a variable rotating speed disposed upstream of the image forming portion with respect to a sheet conveying direction, and sheet conveyance controlling portion for causing the registration rollers to effect the conveyance of the sheets at a speed higher than the image forming speed in the image forming portion, and thereafter decelerating the registration rollers so as to assume substantially the same speed as the image forming speed at timing earlier than the latest image forming timing in the image forming portion.

Abstract: An optically active epoxypropionate derivative of the following formula (1): 1

Abstract: A drying apparatus for washed objects is capable of drying the objects in a reduced period of time, effectively preventing contamination of the objects during drying thereof, and attaining energy saving and a reduction in consumption of chemicals used. Mist of an organic solvent is generated by means of an ultrasonic wave in an organic solvent mist generating tank and the objects are immersed in a pure water tank, the pure water tank and organic solvent mist generating tank are then operated to communicate with each other to discharge pure water and place the objects in an atmosphere of the organic solvent mist, and then nitrogen gas is fed to the pure water tank to purge the organic solvent mist with the nitrogen gas.