Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear an electrostatic latent image on the surface thereof, a transfer-fixing member disposed adjacent to the image baring member, including a transfer surface onto which the toner image is transferred from the image bearing member, a first pressure member to meet and press against the transfer-fixing member to form a nip therebetween, a heating member to heat a recording medium, provided upstream of the nip in a direction of transport of the recording medium, and a transport guide member to change a contact area of the recording medium and the heating member in accordance with a thickness or a resilience of the recording medium. When the recording medium passes the nip, the toner image is pressed and fixed on the recording medium.

Abstract: A transfer fixing device includes a transfer fixing member, a pressure member, and a primary heater. The transfer fixing member defines a moving surface on which a toner image travels. The pressure member is pressed against the transfer fixing member to define a transfer fixing nip where the toner image traveling along the moving surface meets a surface of a recording medium traveling along the media conveyance path. The primary heater is located upstream of the transfer fixing nip along the media conveyance path to heat the surface of the recording medium before entering the transfer fixing nip. The heated surface of the recording medium fuses toner for transfer and fixing into place at the transfer fixing nip. The pressure member is at least partially electrically biased to generate an electrostatic field to promote transfer of toner at the transfer fixing nip.

Abstract: In a transfer-fixing device for transferring and fixing a toner image on a transfer-fixing side of a recording medium, a transfer-fixing member carries the toner image. A pressing member presses against the transfer-fixing member to form a nip between the transfer-fixing member and the pressing member through which the recording medium passes. A heat transmission member is provided upstream from the nip in a recording medium conveyance direction to heat the transfer-fixing side of the recording medium while guiding the recording medium to the nip. A heating member is connected to the heat transmission member to heat the heat transmission member. A biasing member biases the recording medium guided by the heat transmission member against the heat transmission member.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotary fuser member, a rotary pressure member, and a cleaning system. The rotary fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotary pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member. The cleaning system includes a cleaning web, a feeding mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and a controller. The cleaning web is disposed adjacent to the pressure member to wipe the pressure member. The feeding mechanism is operatively connected to the cleaning web to feed a new, unused portion of the cleaning web toward the pressure member. The positioning mechanism is operatively connected to at least one of the cleaning web and the pressure member to position the cleaning web and the pressure member with respect to each other. The controller is operatively connected with the feeding mechanism and the positioning mechanism to control feeding and positioning of the cleaning web.

Abstract: An airbag apparatus includes an airbag. The airbag includes a gas releasing valve having first and second valve body portions each have a flexible portion. The flexible portions are flexible toward a released gas downstream side of inflation gas. An auxiliary joint portion joins the first and second valve body portions to each other and extending, from a position in the vicinity of and on a released gas upstream side of the flexible portion, further toward the released gas upstream side. A flex-resistant portion that extends in the gas releasing direction and is less flexible than the flexible portion is arranged on the auxiliary joint portion of the gas releasing valve or in the vicinity of the auxiliary joint portion.

Abstract: The profile grinding machine includes: a base; a work unit disposed on one side on the base and including a work table for gripping a work; and a stone unit disposed on the other side on the base and including a stone rotating mechanism for holding and rotating a grinding stone on its axis. The work unit includes first to third moving device for supporting and moving the work table in an X-direction and a Y-direction perpendicular to each other in a horizontal plane, and in a Z-direction normal to the horizontal plane, respectively. The stone unit includes turning mechanism for turning the grinding stone about a vertical axis substantially coinciding with the leading end portion of the grinding stone.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an imaging unit, a fixing unit, a first thermometer, and a controller. The imaging unit forms a toner image on a recording medium conveyed along a media conveyance path. The fixing device is disposed downstream from the imaging unit along the media conveyance path to fix the toner image in place on the recording medium. The fixing device includes a fuser roller, a heat roller, an endless, fuser belt, and a pressure roller. The fuser roller has a cylindrical core of metal. The pressure roller presses against the fuser roller via the fuser belt to form a fixing nip therebetween. The first thermometer detects a first temperature at the cylindrical core of the fuser roller. The controller controls conveyance of the recording medium through the fixing nip according to the first temperature.

Abstract: A medium management method is disclosed. A removable medium is conveyed to a drive section when the removable medium is inserted into a medium accommodation section. The drive section reproduces and reads information from the medium and determines whether the medium is a first medium or a second medium on which data externally or internally created have been recorded according to the information read by the drive section. A partial reproduction operation is performed according to an edit list recorded on the first medium and the reproduced data are transferred to a pre-designated host system when the inserted medium is the first medium. The second medium is registered to a database when the determined result denotes that the inserted medium is the second medium. The medium is returned to the medium accommodation section after one of the partial reproduction operation and the database registration process has been completed.

Abstract: A transfer fixing member containing a base, and an outermost surface layer composed of an elastic material in which a conductive material is dispersed, wherein when a pressure applied to a surface of the transfer fixing member by making a toner image bearing member in contact with the transfer fixing member upon transferring of a toner image on the toner image bearing member onto the transfer fixing member is 0.2 kg/cm2 to 2.0 kg/cm2, the transfer fixing member has a volume resistance of 106 ?·cm or more to less than 1012 ?·cm, and when a pressure applied to the surface of the transfer fixing member by making the transfer fixing member in contact with the recording medium located between the transfer fixing member and a pressurizing member upon transfer-fixing of the toner image onto the recording medium is 3.0 kg/cm2 to 20 kg/cm2, the transfer fixing is member has a volume resistance of less than 106 ?·cm.

Abstract: An energy-saving, downsized gas supply apparatus equipped with a vaporizer is provided, wherein the gas supply apparatus is capable of stably and easily performing highly accurate gas flow rate control without requiring rigorous temperature control on the vaporizer side. The present invention pertains to a gas supply apparatus equipped with a vaporizer that includes (a) a liquid receiving tank; (b) a vaporizer that vaporizes liquid; (c) a high-temperature type pressure type flow rate control device that adjusts a flow rate of a vaporized gas; and (d) heating devices that heat the vaporizer, the high-temperature type pressure type flow rate control device, and desired portions of pipe passages connected to the vaporizer and the high-temperature type pressure type flow rate control device.

Abstract: A side impact protection airbag system includes an inflator, a retainer and an airbag. An interior space of the airbag is divided into a pelvis portion protecting chamber and a chest portion protecting chamber by a dividing part. A gas ejecting part of the inflator and an opening in the retainer are provided between a fixing end portion of the airbag and an end portion (a connecting portion) of the dividing part which lies a side facing the fixing end portion. A circumferential portion on a wall part which is separate from the opening is made to constitute an interruption wall which interrupts the passage of an inflation gas to the dividing part side, and the interruption wall is provided between the gas ejecting part and the connecting portion.

Abstract: A dust collector includes turbofans with inducers fixed to the shafts of electric motors. The electric motors are fixed to the rectangular body with mounting legs. The dust collector further includes a single dust collecting filter under the turbofans. The turbofans have a diameter ranging from 40% to 50% of the length of the short side of the body.

Abstract: For establishing a VPN connection in the call-back type, a VPN server establishes an always-on connection through a unique protocol different from the electronic mail delivery system. A client generates a client authentication data used for the client authentication implemented by the VPN server, and establishes the relay server through the unique protocol to transmit the client authentication data. The relay server device relays the client authentication data to the VPN server through the unique protocol. The VPN server implements the client authentication based on the relayed data. The VPN server establishes the VPN connection with the client based on the result of the authentication.

Abstract: A cleaning device including a cleaning member that moves in a predetermined direction and is in contact with a cleaning target that moves in a predetermined direction and which is directly or indirectly heated by a heater, to remove toner particles on a surface of the cleaning target. A contact surface of the cleaning member with the cleaning target includes a plurality of regions of different toner-releasing ability.

Abstract: A transfer fixation apparatus includes: a fixing member that carries the toner image; a pressurizing member that becomes in contact with the fixing member with pressure to form a nip through which the recording target medium is transported; and a plurality of heating members that are provided at relatively upstream positions when viewed from the relatively downstream nip and apply heat to the surface of the recording target medium that is transported toward the nip, wherein the number of heating members that apply heat to the surface of the recording target medium is changed depending on whether the transfer of the toner image is performed only on the front side of the recording target medium or the transfer of the toner image is performed also on the reverse side of the recording target medium after the transfer of the toner image on the front side of the recording target medium.

Abstract: A check valve 60 is formed by a pair of the valve body portions 61. Ends of the valve body portions 61 that are close to an upper inflation portion EU are joined to a communication passage wall 51 by an outflow-side joint portion 41. Each valve body portion 61 includes a flexible portion 64 that is located in the vicinity of the outflow-side joint portion 41 and between the outflow-side joint portion 41 and a lower inflation portion EL. The front edges of the valve body portions 61 are joined to the communication passage wall 51 by a first edge joint portion 67. The first edge joint portion 67 also functions as a wall joint portion 63 that joins the communication passage walls 51 to each other. The rear ends of the valve body portions 61 are joined to each other by a second edge joint portion 68, which extends along the flowing direction of inflation gas.

Abstract: A floor-polish leveling agent containing an ester compound obtained by reacting a hydroxycarboxylic acid with at least one glycol ether so that substantially all of the carboxyl groups are esterified. The ester compound may be an acetylated ester compound in which one or more hydroxyl groups are acetylated. An aqueous floor-polish composition containing this ester compound and/or acetylated ester compound, and a water-insoluble polymer.

Abstract: A gas releasing valve 50 is formed by a first valve body portion 51 and a second valve body portion 52. The end of the first valve body portion 51 and the end of the second valve body portion 52 both located at a released gas downstream side are joined to a gas releasing wall 41 and a gas releasing wall 42, respectively, with a corresponding one of a first downstream end joint portion 53 and a second downstream end joint portion 54. A flexible portion 58 is formed in a part of each one of the valve body portions 51, 52 in the vicinity of and on a released gas upstream side of the corresponding one of the downstream end joint portions 53, 54. A front portion of the first valve body portion 51 and a front portion of the second valve body portion 52 are joined to at least the gas releasing wall 41 and the gas releasing wall 42, respectively, with a first edge joint portion 55.

Abstract: In a transfer-fixing device for transferring and fixing a toner image on a transfer-fixing side of a recording medium, a transfer-fixing member carries the toner image. A pressing member presses against the transfer-fixing member to form a nip between the transfer-fixing member and the pressing member through which the recording medium passes. A heat transmission member is provided upstream from the nip in a recording medium conveyance direction to heat the transfer-fixing side of the recording medium while guiding the recording medium to the nip. A heating member is connected to the heat transmission member to heat the heat transmission member. A biasing member biases the recording medium guided by the heat transmission member against the heat transmission member.

Abstract: A transfer fixing device includes a transfer fixing member, a pressure member, and a primary heater. The transfer fixing member defines a moving surface on which a toner image travels. The pressure member is pressed against the transfer fixing member to define a transfer fixing nip where the toner image traveling along the moving surface meets a surface of a recording medium traveling along the media conveyance path. The primary heater is located upstream of the transfer fixing nip along the media conveyance path to heat the surface of the recording medium before entering the transfer fixing nip. The heated surface of the recording medium fuses toner for transfer and fixing into place at the transfer fixing nip. The pressure member is at least partially electrically biased to generate an electrostatic field to promote transfer of toner at the transfer fixing nip.