Abstract: Disclosed herein is a storage device including a turntable assembly movable between a raised position and a lowered position, a load plate adapted to move from a first position to a second position in concert with insertion of a carrier into the storage device, and a spring for biasing the load plate to the second position. When the load plate is moved to the second position, the turntable assembly is moved to the raised position. The storage device further includes a base and a timing arm mounted on the base so as to be pivotally movable between a third position for maintaining the load plate in the first position and a fourth position for disengaging the load plate in concert with the insertion of the carrier to allow movement of the load plate to the second position.

Abstract: The present invention provides a silicon nitride ceramic substrate composed of a silicon nitride sintered body in which maximum size of pore existing in grain boundary phase of the sintered body is 0.3 &mgr;m or less, and having a thermal conductivity of 50 W/mK or more and a three point bending strength of 500 MPa or more, wherein a leak current is 1000 nA or less when an alternative voltage of 1.5 kV-100 Hz is applied to a portion between front and back surfaces of the silicon nitride sintered body under conditions of a temperature of 25° C. and a relative humidity of 70%. According to the above structure of the present invention, there can be provided a silicon nitride ceramic substrate capable of effectively suppressing a leak current generation when the above substrate is assembled into various power modules and circuit boards, and capable of greatly improving insulating property and operative reliability of power modules in which output power and capacity are greatly increased.

Abstract: An ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head to which the ink container is detachably mountable, inclues an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; a air vent for fluid communication with ambience; a claw-like projection provided on a first side of the ink container; a latching lever provided on a second side opposite from the ink container, the latching lever being resiliently supported on the ink container and having a latching claw.

Abstract: An exhaust pipe is branched into a right side connecting portion and a connecting portion. The right side connecting portion is connected to a first muffler while the connecting portion is connected to a second muffler through a space under a boundary between a driver's seat and a passenger's seat. It is possible to eliminate the need for reducing the thickness of a portion, corresponding to each of the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, of a cushioning material of the seat and to ensure a sufficient range of vertical movement of a rear wheel. The aforementioned arrangement permits the weight of the exhaust system to be reduced without sacrificing the cushioning characteristic of the seat and the range of vertical movement of the rear wheel.

Abstract: A cartridge holding mechanism for a storage device, including a pair of cartridge pressure springs each extending in a longitudinal direction of a cartridge holder corresponding to a direction of insertion of a cartridge into the storage device. The cartridge pressure springs are pivotably mounted to opposite side portions of the cartridge holder in the vicinity of the opposite sides of the cartridge holder. A pair of projections are formed at opposite end portions of each cartridge pressure spring to make pressure contact with the cartridge inserted in the storage device. Each cartridge pressure spring has a weight balance such that a front portion thereof corresponding to a front end of the storage device from which the cartridge is inserted is lighter in weight than a rear portion thereof with respect to the corresponding pivotal axis.

Abstract: A magnetic field generator includes a top yoke having an opening, a back yoke fixed to the top yoke, a center yoke fixed to the back yoke in such a manner as to face to the opening of the top yoke, and a coil wound around the center yoke. The opening has a straight-line shaped central portion with its gap kept constant, and both end portions with their gaps becoming larger as going outwardly from the vicinities of both end portions of the center yoke.

Abstract: An ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head to which the ink container is detachably mountable, inclues an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; a air vent for fluid communication with ambience; a claw-like projection provided on a first side of the ink container; a latching lever provided on a second side opposite from the ink container, the latching lever being resiliently supported on the ink container and having a latching claw.

Abstract: The present invention provides a silicon nitride ceramic substrate composed of a silicon nitride sintered body in which maximum size of pore existing in grain boundary phase of the sintered body is 0.3 &mgr;m or less, and having a thermal conductivity of 50 W/mK or more and a three point bending strength of 500 MPa or more, wherein a leak current is 1000 nA or less when an alternative voltage of 1.5 kV-100 Hz is applied to a portion between front and back surfaces of the silicon nitride sintered body under conditions of a temperature of 25° C. and a relative humidity of 70%. According to the above structure of the present invention, there can be provided a silicon nitride ceramic substrate capable of effectively suppressing a leak current generation when the above substrate is assembled into various power modules and circuit boards, and capable of greatly improving insulating property and operative reliability of power modules in which output power and capacity are greatly increased.

Abstract: An ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head to which the ink container is detachably mountable, inclues an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; a air vent for fluid communication with ambience; a claw-like projection provided on a first side of the ink container; a latching lever provided on a second side opposite from the ink container, the latching lever being resiliently supported on the ink container and having a latching claw.

Abstract: An ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head to which the ink container is detachably mountable, inclues an ink supply port for supplying the ink to the ink jet head; an air vent for fluid communication with ambience; a claw-like projection provided on a first side of the ink container; a latching lever provided on a second side opposite from the ink container, the latching lever being resiliently supported on the ink container and having a latching claw.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a storage device including a turntable assembly movable between a raised position and a lowered position, a load plate adapted to move from a first position to a second position in concert with insertion of a carrier into the storage device, and a spring for biasing the load plate to the second position. When the load plate is moved to the second position, the turntable assembly is moved to the raised position. The storage device further includes a base and a timing arm mounted on the base so as to be pivotally movable between a third position for maintaining the load plate in the first position and a fourth position for disengaging the load plate in concert with the insertion of the carrier to allow movement of the load plate to the second position.

Abstract: A compact inexpensive optical disk drive adaptable to high-density optical disks is provided by improving a loading mechanism for an optical disk. A mechanism for loading an optical disk, in or from which information is optically recorded or reproduced, into the body of an optical disk drive is mounted on a chassis. The loading mechanism consists of a spindle motor, a lift plate, and a sheet loader. The spindle motor rotates an optical disk. The spindle motor is placed on the lift plate. The sheet loader moves the lift plate vertically to the chassis so as to attach or detach the spindle motor to or from the optical disk. In the storage device, the tilt of the lift plate relative to the chassis is adjusted at three points on the lift plate. Blade springs for constraining the lift plate to move towards the optical disk are interposed between the chassis and lift plate.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a movable carriage capable of moving as designed while carrying, hereon, a plurality of different recording heads for discharging ink to record characters and/or images and a plurality of different ink tanks for storing ink to be supplied to the recording heads, the recording heads and the ink tanks being changeable; a restoring unit capable of restoring the recording heads; a detection unit for determining the type of the recording head or the ink tank; and a control unit for causing the restoring unit to restore the recording head in a case where the detection unit has detected change of the recording head or the ink tank to the recording head or the ink tank of the same type, and inhibiting the restoring unit from restoring the recording head in a case where the detection unit has detected change to the recording head or the ink tank of a different type.

Abstract: An ink cartridge, removably mountable on a fixed mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying discharged ink to a recording head carried on a movable carriage of the apparatus, comprises a flag member mounted for protrusion and retraction, an arrangement for protruding the flag member toward a path along which the carriage is moved when the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion, and a photosensor mounted on the carriage in a position where it will be shielded from light by the protruding flag member.

Abstract: A recording apparatus comprises a first gear, a second gear meshable with the first gear, a third gear meshable with the first gear and the second gear. The third gear has a peripheral surface on which a toothed portion meshable with the first gear and an untoothed portion not meshable with a toothed portion of the first gear are disposed opposable to the first gear, and a peripheral surface on which a toothed portion meshable with the second gear is disposed opposable to said second gear, a gear drive switching control unit controls switching such that when the toothed portion adjacent the untoothed portion of the third gear comes into contact with the first gear, the second gear and the third gear are meshed to rotate the third gear to oppose the untoothed portion of the third gear to the first gear, thereby releasing the contact between the first gear and the third gear.

Abstract: A magnetic field generator includes a top yoke having an opening, a back yoke fixed to the top yoke, a center yoke fixed to the back yoke in such a manner as to face to the opening of the top yoke, and a coil wound around the center yoke. The opening has a straight-line shaped central portion with its gap kept constant, and both end portions with their gaps becoming larger as going outwardly from the vicinities of both end portions of the center yoke.

Abstract: A motion compensation device which detects vibration of an optical system and can discriminate between undesired movement or vibration of photographic equipment and intentional movement of the photographic equipment and compensate for the undesired movement while not compensating for the intentional movement. The motion compensation device contains a decision unit which calculates a variance value based on an angular velocity signal supplied by am angular velocity sensor. The decision unit then compares this variance value with a predetermined decision level value and determines if a large movement has occurred due to a photographic composition change, panning photography or the operator following of a randomly moving subject. A target value calculation unit, based on the decision result of the decision unit, calculates a target value of vibration motion compensation control to be executed.

Abstract: A container including a lid contains an ink jet cartridge, with the lid permitting removal of the cartridge when opened. The cartridge has a head portion with a discharge opening therein. The container includes an ink absorbing member spaced apart from and facing the discharge opening.

Abstract: A system using an ink jet recording head for scanning between a recording area and a non-recording area and for discharging ink to record an image on a recording medium at the recording area. The system includes wiping a discharge surface of the ink jet recording head, preliminarily discharging ink from the recording head after wiping, and performing normal recording in response to a recording signal without wiping the discharge surface of the ink jet recording head after the preliminary discharge.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus has a sheet supporting unit for supporting a plurality of sheets, a sheet supply device for feeding out the sheets supported by the sheet supporting unit, and a separator which can be elastically flexed to change an inclination angle thereof when the separator is urged by a sheet fed out by the sheet supply device for separating the sheet which rides over the separator from the other sheets. The separator is disposed in an inclined condition so that a tip end of an abutment surface, against which the sheets are to be urged and over which the sheet rides, of the separator before flexed is inclined with respect to a normal plane perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction by a predetermined angle toward the sheet supporting unit.