Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming means for forming an image on a recording material; a plurality of image heating means for sequentially heating an image on the recording material ; and switching means for switching a number of the image heating means to be used for heating the image; setting means for manually setting an operating condition of at least one of the image heating means.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a coil for generating magnetic flux; an image heating member, comprising an electroconductive layer which generates heat by eddy current generated by the magnetic flux from the coil, for heating an image on a recording material; energization control means for controlling energization of the coil so that a temperature of the image heating member is a target image heating temperature Tf (° C.); and a heat pipe contactable with the image heating member. The electroconductive layer has a Curie temperature Tc satisfying the following relationship: Tf?Tc?Tf+Qmax (W)×Rh (° C./W), wherein Qmax (W) represents a maximum amount of heat transport, and Rh (° C./W) represents a value of heat resistance of the heat pipe immediately after an occurrence of dryout.

Abstract: A controller for an optical disk drive includes a modulator configured to modulate a record data to be recorded on a optical disk based on a record clock that is a reference clock in recording, and to generate a modulation data and an address information of the modulation data. A prepit decoder is configured to generate a prepit clock from a prepit signal detected from the optical disk, and a decision circuit is configured to determine whether or not recording in accordance with a standard is performed, from phase characteristic based on the address information and the prepit clock, and to control a frequency of the record clock.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus comprising first and second belts for forming a nip for heating an image on a recording material; a first pressing pad for pressing the first belt at the nip; a first roller, provided spaced from the first pressing pad with a gap therebetween, for pressing the first belt at the nip; a second pressing pad, provided opposed to the first pressing pad, for pressing the second belt at the nip; a second roller, provided opposed to the first roller and contacted to the second pressing pad, for pressing the second belt at the nip, the second roller having a friction coefficient which is smaller than that of the first roller.

Abstract: The invention provides a fixing device capable of preventing extreme decrease of pressure in a fixing nip. The fixing device includes an endless fixing belt for fixing a toner image on a recording material, a roller for suspending the fixing belt, a pressure pad for pressing the fixing belt provided without contact with the roller, and pressing means provided in press contact with the fixing belt for forming a fixing nip from the pressure pad to the roller, in which the relation of Y?1×108X2+2×106X, and 0<Y<2.6×107 Is satisfied, where y is the product of young's modulus of the base material of the fixing belt and thickness (Mpa·mm), and x is the product of length of gap between the pressure pad and the roller in moving direction of the fixing belt and pressure per unit area at the gap (Mpa·mm).

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable heating member configured to heat an image on a recording medium at a nip, driving means configured to drive the heating member, an endless belt configured to form the nip with the heating member, and a driving roller configured to drive the endless belt. In the image heating apparatus, the following expressions are satisfied: ?2<?1 0.005<?2<0.3 V1<V2 where ?2 is a friction coefficient between the endless belt and the driving roller, ?1 is a friction coefficient between the heating member and the endless belt, V1 is a peripheral speed of the heating member, and V2 is a peripheral speed of the driving roller.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a first belt contactable to an image on a recording material to heat the image; a second belt for forming a nip with the first belt; a first pressing pad for pressing the first belt in the nip; a second pressing pad for pressing the second belt toward the first pressing pad, wherein the first pressing pad has a surface roughness Rz of not more than 20 ?m, and the second pressing pad has a surface roughness Rz of 50-300 ?m.

Abstract: A topology information automatic configuration method for configuring topology information indicating how to connect each equipment, based on configuration information, including IP address and subnet mask, established for every interface of each equipment connected to a network, comprising: a network address calculation step for obtaining network address of a subnetwork to which an interface is connected, as for every interface, based on the IP address and the subnet mask of the interface; and a topology information configuration step for configuring the topology information indicating that each equipment including an interface having the identical network address obtained in said network address calculation step, is connected to the subnetwork of the above identical network address and that the equipment having a plurality of interfaces connect together the subnetworks indicated by the network addresses of the plurality of interfaces obtained in said network address calculation step.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus comprising first and second belts for forming a nip for heating an image on a recording material; a first pressing pad for pressing the first belt at the nip; a first roller, provided spaced from the first pressing pad with a gap therebetween, for pressing the first belt at the nip; a second pressing pad, provided opposed to the first pressing pad, for pressing the second belt at the nip; a second roller, provided opposed to the first roller and contacted to the second pressing pad, for pressing the second belt at the nip, the second roller having a friction coefficient which is smaller than that of the first roller.

Abstract: A temperature measuring element (2a) for detecting a temperature, a display panel (9) for displaying the temperature measured by the temperature measuring element (2a), an operation switch (11) for predetermined operation, and a vibration generator (12) for notifying that an electronic clinical thermometer is in a predetermined state are arranged in the order named in the longitudinal direction of the electronic clinical thermometer. The display panel, the vibration generator, and a circuit board are held in one inside frame (13), and are fitted together with the inside frame (13) into a sheath case (1) and assembled.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt for heating an image on a recording material; a plurality of supporting members on which the belt is trained; magnetic flux generating means, disposed outside of the belt, for generating heat in the belt by a magnetic flux, the magnetic flux generating means being effective to cause induction heating both in a region of the belt between the supporting members and in at least one of the regions of the belt trained on the supporting members; a temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the belt in the region between the supporting members at a position across the belt from the magnetic flux generating means; and electric power supply shut-off means for shutting off electric power supply to the magnetic flux generating means on the basis of an output of the temperature detecting element.

Abstract: Disclosed is a track-search control circuit for performing track-search of an optical disc stably even at the time of multi-speed reproduction of the optical disc.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mutant ?-amylase obtained by making replacement or deletion of at least one of amino acid residues such as the 167th Gln, 169th Tyr and 178th Ala in the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 in an ?-amylase having said amino acid sequence, or an ?-amylase having a homology of at least 70% to said amino acid sequence, a gene encoding the mutant ?-amylase, a vector, transformed cells, a process for producing a mutant ?-amylase, comprising culturing the transformed cells, and a detergent composition comprising the mutant ?-amylase. The mutant ?-amylase of the invention has excellent properties of high resistance to chelating agents, high specific activity in an alkaline region and excellent stability to heat, and is hence useful for detergents for automatic dish washer, laundry detergents and the like.

Abstract: To provide the compounds inhibiting PDE 7 selectively, and therefore, enhance cellular cAMP level. Consequently, the compound is useful for treating various kinds of disease such as allergic disease, inflammatory disease or immunologic disease. The compound is pyridinylpyrazolopyrimidinone compound represented by the following formula (IA) or (IB): especially, R1 is cyclohexyl or cycloheptyl group, R2 is methyl; R3 is a group: —NR5R6 or —S(O)0-2R8; hydrogen atom; nitro group; cyano group; a halogen atom; heteroaryl group; and R4 is methoxy or ethoxy group.

Abstract: The present invention provides the compounds inhibiting PDE 7 selectively, and therefore, enhances cellular cAMP level. Consequently, the compound is useful for treating various kinds of disease such as allergic disease, inflammatory disease or immunologic disease. The compound is imidazotirazinone compound represented by the following formula (IA) or (IB): especially, R1 is cyclohexyl group, R2 is methyl group; R3 is a hydrogen atom; nitro group; cyano group; a halogen atom; heteroaryl group; substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl group; substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl group; saturated or unsaturated heterocycloalkyl group which is substituted or unsubstituted; a group: —NR5R6, —C(O)R7, —SO2R7, —OR8, —NR8COR7, —NR8S02R7; A is CR4; and B is CH.

Abstract: A rotation control circuit comprising, a pickup controller configured to amplify an error signal detected by a pickup from an optical disk, and to generate both a low-frequency component in the error signal and a pickup control signal so as to control the pickup, a memory controller configured to generate a memory address control signal in synchronization with a frequency generator signal provided by a disk motor, a memory circuit configured to store the low-frequency component by using the memory address control signal at a specified timing, a compensation signal adder configured to add the low-frequency component to the pickup control signal at another specified timing, and a system controller configured to control operational timing of the memory controller and the compensation signal adder.

Abstract: A pickup control device includes: a servo system which processes a first signal for error control read from an optical disk to generate a servo control signal; a clock signal generator which generates a clock signal synchronized with the rotation of the optical disk; a first memory and a second memory each of which stores one of a frequency component at or lower than a predetermined frequency contained in the first signal and a rotational frequency component contained in the first signal; a first adder which reads out data from the first memory to add the read data to the first signal; a second adder which, in synchronization with the clock signal, retrieves data from the first memory and the second memory and adds those data to generate a second signal; and a correction unit which, in a first period, writes into the second memory the frequency component at or lower than the predetermined frequency or the rotational frequency component in synchronization with the clock signal, and at the same time reads out d

Abstract: An image heating apparatus having a first fixing device for heating an image on a recording material, and a second fixing device for heating the image on the recording material heated by the first fixing device, wherein at the start of an image heating process, the preparatory operation of the first fixing device is started earlier than the preparatory operation of the second fixing device.

Abstract: A label position where a label is to be recorded is determined. Information of digital contents is recorded by a normal method at a position other than the label position on the information recording surface of a disc. On the other hand, information of the label is recorded at the label position on the information recording surface of the disc by modulating that information such that its visual pattern is different from that at a position other than the label position. Also, the information of the digital contents is recorded together in this label position.

Abstract: A document delivery server is connected to a user terminal through a network. The document delivery server includes a transmission/reception portion, memory portions that store original document information and public additional information respectively, storage control portions that store and read out the original document information and public additional information together with the memory portions, and a browse information separation/composition portion that transmits the original document information and public additional information to the user terminal through the transmission/reception portion.