Abstract: An image heating apparatus which heats an image on a recording material by holding and conveying the image-borne recording material at a nip between heating and pressure members has a sequence to set a heating temperature of the apparatus to be lower than an ordinary set temperature when, after the recording material of a width narrower than a predetermined width was passed, the recording material of a width wider than that width is passed. The set heating temperature when the wide-width recording material is passed after the narrow-width recording material was passed is controlled according to the number of the passed narrow-width recording materials and an elapsed time from the passing of the narrow-width recording material to the passing of the wide-width recording material, whereby hot off-set occurring when the large size recording material is passed after the small size recording material was passed is prevented without deteriorating fixability.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus for an image forming apparatus comprises a heater and a rotary member having plasticity and rotated in contact with the heater. The rotary member in the image heating apparatus has an external shape becoming larger toward the end portions in the longitudinal direction, thereby preventing generation of wrinkles or unevenness in the conveyed recording medium.

Abstract: A heater has a top-surface layer made of an imide-based resin formed on an electrical insulation layer. The heater can generally used for an image heating apparatus incorporated in an image forming apparatus. Since the top-surface layer has preferable sliding and insulating characteristics, the heater provides good heat efficiency and durability.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a game server that can simulate the sensation of competing in a game against an actually existing specific person. The game server of the present invention offers a plurality of options for the actions that gamer A can select in game scenes that change along with the progress of a soccer game. The options include dribble (long), dribble (short), pass in front of the player, pass to the foot of the player, wait, and shoot. The action patterns of gamer A are stored for each game scene by counting the number of times each option is selected. The game server refers to the stored action patterns when playing against another gamer B. This configuration makes it possible for the gamer B to have a virtual experience as if he were competing with the gamer A.

Abstract: An air cleaning system comprising an air cleaner provided on a vehicle and a device which can keep the air cleaner in operation while a vehicle is parked, whereby the quality of air inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle can be improved while the vehicle is parked. Consequently, the quality of the air can be improved in advance before an occupant enters the vehicle, and the quality of the air can further be improved without fully depending upon the function of a catalytic filter of the air cleaning system.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus for heating an image formed on a recording material, including a metallic sleeve, a heater contacting with the inner surface of the sleeve, the heater being controlled so as to maintain a set temperature, a backup member cooperating with the heater through the sleeve to form a nip for nipping and transporting the recording material, and a metallic reinforcing member disposed in the interior of the sleeve, wherein during a heating operation of heating the recording material by the heater, the surface temperature of the reinforcing member is 80% or less of the surface temperature of the sleeve.

Abstract: The image heating apparatus has a heater and a rotary member rotated while contacting with the heater, and the rotary member has a metal layer contacting with the heater. In the image heating apparatus, a surface roughness Rz of a contact surface of the metal layer with the heater is 3 &mgr;m or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes the first image forming section for forming color images, and the second image forming section for forming monochrome images, wherein the first image forming section is slidable through an opening formed on the front face of the main body, while the second image forming section is slidable through an opening formed on the side face of the main body so that the first and second image forming sections slide in mutually orthogonal directions. With this arrangement, various maintenance operations of each unit can be performed while suppressing a reduction in strength of the main body, whereby degradation of image quality with life can be avoided for a long period of time.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with an image heating apparatus for holding and conveying a recording material bearing an image in a nip between a heating member and a pressurizing member to heat the image on the recording material. The image forming apparatus has a bias applying portion for applying a bias to at least one of the heating member and the pressurizing member and a bias setting portion for setting an amount of the applied bias. In the case that a recording material(s) having a first width is fed and thereafter a recording material is to be fed, the bias setting portion sets the amount of the applied bias based on the number of the recording material(s) having the first width that have been fed and the time from the feeding of the recording material(s) having the first width to the feeding of the recording material having the second width.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus which heats an image on a recording material by holding and conveying the image-borne recording material at a nip between heating and pressure members has a sequence to set a heating temperature of the apparatus to be lower than an ordinary set temperature when, after the recording material of a width narrower than a predetermined width was passed, the recording material of a width wider than that width is passed. The set heating temperature when the wide-width recording material is passed after the narrow-width recording material was passed is controlled according to the number of the passed narrow-width recording materials and an elapsed time from the passing of the narrow-width recording material to the passing of the wide-width recording material, whereby hot off-set occurring when the large size recording material is passed after the small size recording material was passed is prevented without deteriorating fixability.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable member contactable to a recording material carrying an image; a regulating member for regulating a movement of rotatable member in the direction of a generating line of rotatable member; wherein the regulating member is fixed so as not to rotate and has a surface opposed to an outer surface of an end portion of the rotatable member.

Abstract: The brightness of the image of a character displayed on a screen is consistently kept optimum even if the view point of a camera is changed, and the image of the character is appropriately shaded and three-dimensional since such shading is characteristic of a game program. The position of a virtual light source is changed with a change of the position of the view point of the camera. The image processing device includes a feature which changes the position of the view point of the camera, a feature which changes the position of the virtual light source with a change of the position of the view point of the camera, and a feature which subjects the image data of when an object is viewed from the view point of the camera to shading of when the virtual light from the light source is projected to the object.

Abstract: An air cleaning system comprising an air cleaner provided on a vehicle and a device which can keep the air cleaner in operation while a vehicle is parked, whereby the quality of air inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle can be improved while the vehicle is parked. Consequently, the quality of the air can be improved in advance before an occupant enters the vehicle, and the quality of the air can further be improved without fully depending upon the function of a catalytic filter of the air cleaning system.

Abstract: A sheet slitter winder that uses a sheet slitter to slit a wide sheet into a plurality of sheets of predetermined width, and winders to wind the slit sheets onto winding cores. Touch rollers contact the winding rolls. Temporary sheet-holding means have a sheet-retaining plate that can be contacted with and separated from the touch rollers and can temporarily hold a slit sheet against an outside peripheral surface of a touch roller at a point upstream of a point of contact between a touch roller and a roll. Cutting means are used to cut widthwise across the slit sheets thus held in place.

Abstract: A heater has a top-surface layer made of an imide-based resin formed on an electrical insulation layer. The heater can generally used for an image heating apparatus incorporated in an image forming apparatus. Since the top-surface layer has preferable sliding and insulating characteristics, the heater provides good heat efficiency and durability.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus for an image forming apparatus comprises a heater and a rotary member having plasticity and rotated in contact with the heater. The rotary member in the image heating apparatus has an external shape becoming larger toward the end portions in the longitudinal direction, thereby preventing generation of wrinkles or unevenness in the conveyed recording medium.

Abstract: The image heating apparatus has a heater and a rotary member rotated while contacting with the heater, and the rotary member has a metal layer contacting with the heater.

Abstract: A gas concentration detector for detecting a concentration of pollutant gas such as NOx or SOx contained in ambient air is composed of an oxide-semiconductor gas sensor heated by a heater and a controller for determining the gas concentration by comparing a concentration level detected by the gas sensor with a calculated comparison level. The comparison level is calculated so that it follows the detected level with a certain delay. The degree of the delay is set shorter in an unstable region- of the gas sensor than in a stable region, thereby to effectively determine the gas concentration even in the unstable region.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable member contactable to a recording material carrying an image; a regulating member for regulating a movement of rotatable member in the direction of a generating line of rotatable member; wherein the regulating member is fixed so as not to rotate and has a surface opposed to an outer surface of an end portion of the rotatable member.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus has a first rotating member, a first heating device for heating the first rotating member, a second rotating member forming a nip together with the first rotating member, and a second heating device for heating the second rotating member wherein a recording material bearing an unfixed image thereon is nipped and conveyed at the nip in such a manner that the unfixed image is in contact with the first rotating member and is fixed by heating on the recording material. A voltage applying device applies voltage to create potential difference between the first rotating member and the second rotating member, and the second rotating member has a conductive parting layer with a surface resistance of 106 &OHgr; or less on a surface thereof.