Abstract: A communication apparatus which, in an ad-hoc network, when receiving control packets from a plurality of terminals, can determine whether or not there is a collision among the control packets, and, based on the determination, can be prevented from continuing to be out of the network due to a collision among the control packets transmitted from the plurality of terminals. In the communication terminal, a communication section receives a control packet which periodically comes up on a communication path.

Abstract: There is provided an ultraviolet-curable aqueous ink containing: a continuous phase containing water; and a dispersed phase dispersed in the continuous phase, wherein the dispersed phase contains a water-insoluble ultraviolet polymerizable compound, and a water-insoluble ultraviolet polymerization initiator having an absorption at a wavelength range of 375 nm or more and 450 nm or less.

Abstract: A printing system includes a storage unit for storing permission information indicating that a user permits printing to be executed even if it is determined that there is a lack of a recording material. The printing system executes printing if it is determined that there is the lack of the recording material and the permission information indicating that the user who instructs printing permits printing to be executed, is stored. The printing system does not execute printing in a state where it is determined that there is the lack of the recording material if the permission information indicating that the user who instructs printing permits printing to be executed, is not stored.

Abstract: The present invention is a silver alloy suitable for use in a probe pin made of an Ag-Cu alloy, wherein the silver alloy comprises 30 to 50% by weight of Cu and Ag as balance. This silver alloy further comprises 2 to 10% by weight of Ni to further improve strength. A probe pin made of these materials has stable contact resistance even under low contact pressure. The probe pin has excellent strength and antifouling property to adhesion of a foreign matter from a contact object due to repetitive use. Thereby, the probe pin usable in a stable manner for a long period of time can be obtained.

Abstract: A thruster designed to produce thrust by introducing a propellant to a catalyst layer from a propellant valve via a propellant introduction member and spurting out a gas resulting from decomposition of the propellant occurring on the catalyst layer, wherein the thruster comprises a chamber of an Ni alloy for holding the catalyst layer inside, the propellant introduction member is made of an Ni alloy and connects the propellant valve and the chamber, and a propellant valve flange of a Ti alloy with a plurality of columns of a Ti alloy is arranged between the chamber and the propellant valve to support the chamber by the columns.

Abstract: The droplet ejection head includes: a plurality of droplet ejection units which include ejection ports through which droplets of liquid are ejected, pressure chambers which are connected to the ejection ports through connection channels, drive elements which apply pressure to the liquid in the pressure chambers, supply channels through which the liquid is supplied to the pressure chambers, and return channels through which the liquid is returned from the connection channels; a common supply channel through which the liquid is supplied to the supply channels; and a common return channel through which the liquid is returned from the return channels, the common return channel including a stagnant flow region having a bubble collection section where bubbles are collected, wherein pressure variation occurring in each pressure chamber when ejecting a droplet of the liquid propagates more readily in the common return channel than in the common supply channel.

Abstract: The present printing apparatus comprises a reception unit that receives print job identification information for identifying a print job from an information processing apparatus and print data for executing a print job, and a printing unit that executes printing according to print data received by the reception unit. Also, the printing apparatus manages print job information including the print job identification information and the number of pages already printed in a print job, discards data about pages to be printed when the page number to be printed in executing printing by the printing unit is at or below the number of pages already printed in a managed print job, and causes the printing unit to execute printing when the page number to be printed exceeds the number of pages already printed.

Abstract: Provided is a communication terminal that is capable of securing a route having the finest state while suppressing a bandwidth that is consume by a transmission of a control packet at a low level, when applied in an ad-hoc network which uses an electrical power line. The communication terminal included in the ad-hoc network acquires a plurality of route candidates at the beginning of a data transmission by conducting a broadcast transmission of a route creation packet, and acquires a route having the finest state by conducting an unicast transmission of a route estimation packet to each of the route candidates in each predetermined period.

Abstract: A source apparatus writes, in a route request packet, the number of routes requested by the source apparatus. When a relay apparatus receives a route request packet for the first time, the relay apparatus determines a waiting time period, based on a route evaluation value that indicates a state of a route through which the route request packet has passed, and starts a timer. The relay apparatus selects route request packets having as high route evaluation values as possible, among route request packets that have been received until the timer expires, the number of route request packets to be selected being equal to the number of routes requested by the source apparatus, and then broadcasts the selected route request packets.

Abstract: It enables even by an image forming apparatus which does not have a function to recognize an image other than a leading image included in a multi-image file to print the image other than the leading image. To do so, there is provided a control method which comprises: outputting the image included in the multi-image file of a format in which the leading image can be processed by an image processing apparatus which does not deal with the multi-image file but an image other than the leading image cannot be processed by the image processing apparatus which does not deal with the multi-image file; and replacing, in a case where an output instruction to output, among the plural images included in the multi-image file, the image other than the leading image has been accepted, the image to which the output instruction has been accepted with the leading image.

Abstract: There is provided a material having an excellent conductivity and oxidation resistance as well as a sufficient hardness for probe pins. The present invention provides a probe pin material including Au, Ag, Pd and Cu, wherein the concentration of Au is 40 to 55% by weight, the concentration of Ag is 15 to 30% by weight and the total concentration of Pd and Cu is 15 to 40% by weight. This material can further include 0.6 to 5% by weight of any one element from among Ni, Zn and Co. Furthermore, this alloy can be precipitation-hardened by being heated at 300 to 500° C., enabling provision of a material having a higher hardness.

Abstract: Provided is a hose clamp which is capable of reliably fastening and fixing a hose to a pipe without being affected by a layout of the hose to be fastened. The hose clamp (10) has an annular plate spring body (11), a slit (15) and a first tab (18) are formed at one end of the plate spring body (11), and an insertion section (23) and a second tab (25) are formed at another end. An engagement section (21) engaged with an opposite surface of the second tab (25) is formed at the first tab (18), and an operation section (29) extending in a width direction to be situated above the engagement section (21) is formed at the second tab (25). The engagement between the engagement section (21) and a groove (31) can be released by vertically moving the engagement section (21) and the operation section (29) away from each other by a flat head screwdriver (D) or by bringing the operation section (29) and the first tab (18) close to each other in the width direction by a plier (T).

Abstract: A printing system capable of properly selecting a printer driver without putting load on the user, and generating print data using the selected printer driver even when the operating apparatus cannot communicate directly with an information processing apparatus having a print data-generating function. The printing apparatus generates a list of printer drives notified from information processing apparatuses, and sends the list to the operating apparatus when requested. The operating system selects a printer driver from the list and sends information of the selection and image data to the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus sends the image data to an information processing apparatus provided with the selected printer driver. The information processing apparatus generates print data from the image data and sends the print data to the printing apparatus.

Abstract: A source apparatus writes, in a route request packet, the number of routes requested by the source apparatus. When a relay apparatus receives a route request packet for the first time, the relay apparatus determines a waiting time period, based on a route evaluation value that indicates a state of a route through which the route request packet has passed, and starts a timer. The relay apparatus selects route request packets having as high route evaluation values as possible, among route request packets that have been received until the timer expires, the number of route request packets to be selected being equal to the number of routes requested by the source apparatus, and then broadcasts the selected route request packets.

Abstract: It enables even by an image forming apparatus which does not have a function to recognize an image other than a leading image included in a multi-image file to print the image other than the leading image. To do so, there is provided a control method which comprises: outputting the image included in the multi-image file of a format in which the leading image can be processed by an image processing apparatus which does not deal with the multi-image file but an image other than the leading image cannot be processed by the image processing apparatus which does not deal with the multi-image file; and replacing, in a case where an output instruction to output, among the plural images included in the multi-image file, the image other than the leading image has been accepted, the image to which the output instruction has been accepted with the leading image.

Abstract: The present invention is a silver alloy suitable for use in a probe pin made of an Ag—Cu alloy, wherein the silver alloy comprises 30 to 50% by weight of Cu and Ag as balance. This silver alloy further comprises 2 to 10% by weight of Ni to further improve strength. A probe pin made of these materials has stable contact resistance even under low contact pressure. The probe pin has excellent strength and antifouling property to adhesion of a foreign matter from a contact object due to repetitive use. Thereby, the probe pin usable in a stable manner for a long period of time can be obtained.

Abstract: The electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention includes a cylindrical support; a charge-generating layer and a charge-transporting layer that are layered onto the cylindrical support in this sequence from the cylindrical support side. The charge-transporting layer includes a charge transport material, and resins including a curable resin and a thermoplastic resin. The proportion of the content of the curable resin with respect to the total amount of the resins in the charge-transporting layer increases in the layer thickness direction with distance from the charge-generating layer side.

Abstract: The droplet ejection head includes: a plurality of droplet ejection units which include ejection ports through which droplets of liquid are ejected, pressure chambers which are connected to the ejection ports through connection channels, drive elements which apply pressure to the liquid in the pressure chambers, supply channels through which the liquid is supplied to the pressure chambers, and return channels through which the liquid is returned from the connection channels; a common supply channel through which the liquid is supplied to the supply channels; and a common return channel through which the liquid is returned from the return channels, the common return channel including a stagnant flow region having a bubble collection section where bubbles are collected, wherein pressure variation occurring in each pressure chamber when ejecting a droplet of the liquid propagates more readily in the common return channel than in the common supply channel.

Abstract: The electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention includes a cylindrical support, a photosensitive layer and an outermost surface layer that are layered onto the cylindrical support in this sequence from the cylindrical support side. The outermost surface layer includes a charge transport material and a curable resin. The proportion of the content of the curable resin in the outermost surface layer increases in the layer thickness direction with distance from the photosensitive layer side. The process cartridge and electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention are provided with the electrophotographic photoreceptor.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus which is capable of extracting embedded information from the back side of a printed document without causing degradation of reading efficiency. A scanner unit reads an image on a first side of a sheet. An encoded information processing section extracts embedded information embedded in the image read by the scanner unit. When embedded information indicating that embedded information is embedded in an image on a second side of the sheet is extracted by the encoded information processing section, an automatic second-side reading section reads the image on the second side of the sheet, and the encoded information processing section extracts the embedded information embedded in the image read by the automatic second-side reading section.