Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming device to form an ink image on a recording sheet, a discharger to discharge the sheet bearing the ink image in a face-down manner, and a stacker to stack the discharged sheet thereon. The stacker includes a first surface to deform a rear end portion of the sheet, and a second surface which has a surface to press a front end portion of the sheet and is slanting so as to rise in the sheet discharging direction. The first and second surfaces are arranged such that the first surface or an extended surface thereof intersects at an angle with the second surface or an extended surface thereof to form an intersection line and such that when the front edge of the recording sheet reaches the second surface, the rear edge of the recording sheet has not yet been discharged by the discharger.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including a recording head; a cap member capping the nozzle surface of the recording head and including a release port and a suction port; a suction unit in communication with the suction port; a switch unit opening and closing the release port to the air and capable of adjusting the opening amount of the release port to at least a first opening amount and a second opening amount larger than the first opening amount; and a control unit that controls the suction unit and the switch unit so that the release port is opened to the first opening amount to have a predetermined amount of air flow into the cap member after the cap member is suctioned by the suction unit, and the release port is then opened to the second opening amount.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a conveyance belt, a charger, a reverse passage, and an auxiliary conveyance roller. The belt is looped around at least two rollers to adhere a recording medium thereto by electrostatic force and convey the medium. The belt defines a normal conveyance area in which the medium is conveyed in a first direction. The reverse passage delivers the medium turned around in an area downstream from the belt in the first direction and sends the medium back again to a portion of the belt upstream from the head in the first direction. The reverse passage includes an opposite conveyance area of the belt in which the medium is conveyed in a second direction opposite the first direction. The auxiliary conveyance roller is disposed at least one of an entry part and an exit part of the opposite conveyance area.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a conveyance belt, a reverse passage, and a charger. The belt is looped around at least two rollers to adhere a recording medium thereto by electrostatic force and convey the medium. The belt defines a normal conveyance area in which the medium is conveyed in a first direction with the medium facing the head. The reverse passage sends the medium back again to a portion of the belt upstream from the head in the first direction. The reverse passage includes an opposite conveyance area of the belt in which the medium is conveyed in a second direction and a bypass passage to guide the medium separated from the opposite conveyance area toward the normal conveyance area. The charger is disposed between the bypass passage and an outer surface of the belt to charge the outer surface of the belt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a conveyance unit to intermittently convey a recording medium in a conveyance direction, a carriage movable in a main scanning direction and including a recording head, a conveyance path having a curved portion provided downstream from an imaging range of the recording head, a first discharge member provided downstream from the imaging range to discharge the recording medium, and a second discharge member provided downstream from the first discharge member and having a nip to sandwich the recording medium to discharge the recording medium. A length of the conveyance path extending from a downstream edge of the imaging range to the nip is longer than a maximum length of the recording medium usable in the image forming apparatus to prevent a leading edge of the recording medium from being sandwiched by the second discharge member when the carriage performs last scanning movement.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a carriage movable in a main scanning direction and including a recording head having a nozzle surface in which nozzles to eject liquid droplets in a horizontal direction are formed, the nozzle surface being disposed in a vertical direction; a guide shaft to guide the carriage in the main scanning direction; and a bearing provided to the carriage and having two sloped sides slidably contacting an outer circumferential surface of the guide shaft. In a plane perpendicular to an axis of the guide shaft, the two sloped sides are disposed such that a line passing through both the axis of the guide shaft and an intersection of two tangent lines from contact portions in which the two sloped sides contact the outer circumferential surface of the guide shaft diagonally intersects a line extending along a plane of the nozzle surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head configured to have a nozzle face on which nozzles that discharge liquid droplets are formed; a cap configured to cap the nozzle face of the recording head; a discharge path configured to be connected to the cap; a suction pump configured to be provided in the discharge path and be made of a tube pump; and an atmosphere opening part configured to open an airtight space, created when the nozzle face is capped by the cap, to the atmosphere. The atmosphere opening part is configured to communicate with the inside of the cap at a position higher than a surface of liquid discharged into the cap, and a check valve configured to prevent a flow of the liquid toward the cap from the suction pump is provided in the discharge path.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a recording head having a nozzle surface in which nozzles to eject liquid droplets in a horizontal direction or a direction slanted from the horizontal direction are formed, the nozzle surface being disposed in a vertical direction or a direction slanted from the vertical direction; a head tank to supply liquid to the recording head; a suction cap to cap the nozzle surface of the recording head; a suction member connected to the suction cap to suck out liquid from the nozzles by the suction cap; a valve member to open or close a sealed space formed by capping the nozzle surface with the suction cap to atmosphere; a liquid supplier to supply the liquid to the head tank and return the liquid from the head tank; and a control unit to control servicing of the recording head.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device, including: a liquid crystal panel including a display region for displaying an image; a linear illuminator disposed below the display region and extending linearly; and a diffusion plate disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the linear illuminator, in which the diffusion plate includes a thick portion which is formed to be thicker than another portion located below the display region, and the thick portion is formed opposing to the linear illuminator.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an operation unit operated by a user; a setting unit that sets a function for image shooting through an operation of the operating unit; a guidance information storage unit that stores guidance information including at least either of a description about the function that can be set and an operational method for setting the function; a display unit that display the guidance information; a cumulative shot-frame counter that counts a cumulative number of shot frames, as a cumulative value of the number of image frames that have been shot; a proficiency level determining unit that determines the user's level of proficiency to be higher as the cumulative number of shot frames is large; and a display switching unit that switches between display and non-display settings of the guidance information on the display unit depending on determined level of proficiency.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a print head, an endless belt, a pressure roller, and a controller. The print head is configured to eject droplets of ink from multiple nozzles onto a recording sheet. The endless belt is stretched around at least first and second rollers, and is configured to convey the recording sheet placed on an outer surface thereof. The pressure roller is configured to exert pressure against the outer surface of the endless belt. The controller is configured to move the endless belt into a correcting position where the pressure roller meets a given portion of the endless belt. The given portion of the endless belt is previously retained in contact with the first roller and develops deformation due to the previous retention. The pressure exerted by the pressure roller corrects the deformation while the endless belt is in the correcting position.

Abstract: A backlight structural body of a liquid crystal display device includes, between a back plate and a frame-like mold frame, a plurality of external electrode fluorescent lamps which is arranged in parallel to each other and a pair of side frames which includes electricity supply terminals which electrically connect electrode portions of the plurality of external electrode fluorescent lamps in parallel to each other. The side frame is constituted of a lower side frame which fixes the electricity supply terminals and an upper side frame which is assembled to the lower side frame while covering the electrode portions of the external electrode fluorescent lamps which are connected to the electricity supply terminals. The upper side frame includes eaves which project in the longitudinal direction of the external electrode fluorescent lamps in a state that the eaves individually cover the respective electrode portions of the external electrode fluorescent lamps.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet amount detector to detect an amount of sheets accommodated in the sheet feeding tray, an ejected sheet amount detector to detect an amount of sheets ejected onto the sheet ejection tray, and a vibration damper to damp vibration of the image forming apparatus caused by movement of the carriage. A controller is provided to control the vibration damper to damp vibration of the image forming apparatus in accordance with respective amounts of sheets and ejected sheets detected by the sheet amount detector and the ejected sheet amount detector in prescribed acceleration and deceleration regions of the carriage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head that discharges an electrically substantially neutral droplet of ink onto a recording medium; a transport unit that transports the recording medium such that a recording surface of the recording medium is substantially orthogonal with respect to an ink discharge direction of the recording head; and an electric field generating unit that generates an electric field when the recording head discharges the droplet of ink. The electric field is substantially parallel to the ink discharge direction in terms of intensity.

Abstract: An information input apparatus which displays a plurality of buttons on a display unit, detects an indicated position by a positional coordinate detection unit arranged on the display unit and inputs information corresponding to an indicated button includes: an incorrect input judgment unit for judging whether or not input information which is input when a to-be-selected button selected from the plurality of buttons is indicated is incorrect input; a pattern selection unit which makes a user select one button arrangement pattern from a plurality of button arrangement patterns including the to-be-selected button at a predetermined position when the incorrect input judgment unit judges that the input information is incorrect input.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a development portion holder that is mounted with a plurality of development portions having a memory storing information on the corresponding development portion and that selectively positions the development portions at development positions by holding and moving the mounted development portions; a controller that controls the development portion holder and that performs an image forming process of forming an image using the development portion positions at the development position; and an access unit that access the memory of the development portion positioned at an access position, which is a position at which one of the other development portions mounted on the development portion holder is located, to read and record the information when one of the development portions mounted on the development portion holder is positioned at the development position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a carriage, and a damping mechanism. The carriage includes an image forming mechanism and moves back and forth in a main scan direction. The damping mechanism generates an impact to suppress vibration caused by movement of the carriage. The damping mechanism suppresses vibration during at least one of acceleration and deceleration of the carriage, and is inactive during movement of the carriage at a constant speed. The damping mechanism suppresses vibration when acceleration of the carriage equals or exceeds a predetermined threshold acceleration. The damping mechanism includes a suppression member and a mass member that strikes the suppression member. The suppression member is at least one of a shock absorber and an elastic member. Shock absorbing characteristics of the shock absorber and elasticity of the elastic member are variable.

Abstract: A pattern of a reaction gas flow passage in a separator plate of a fuel cell is formed by screen printing with high accuracy. The invention relates to a method of producing a separator plate for fuel cell, the method including forming a partition wall 11 having a predetermined pattern which is to be a reaction gas flow passage on a base plate 10a, wherein two or more coats of an ink composition containing a conductive material are laminated on the base plate by screen printing to form conductive ink layers 11a to 11c having a predetermined thickness as the partition wall 11.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reciprocally movable carriage, an image forming unit, a first drive source, a vibration suppressor, and a vibration-suppression controller. The reciprocally movable carriage moves in a main scan direction. The image forming unit is mounted on the carriage. The first drive source moves the carriage. The vibration suppressor suppresses vibration caused by movement of the carriage, and includes a vibration suppression member having a mass smaller than a mass of the carriage and a second drive source independent of the first drive source to move the vibration suppression member. The vibration-suppression controller drives the second drive source to cause the vibration suppressor to perform vibration suppression operation during at least one of an acceleration period and a deceleration period of the carriage, and stops movement of the vibration suppression member during a constant-speed period of the carriage.

Abstract: In a main body of a camera, a recording unit is disposed which is capable of recording specific information of a photographing lens or an accessory. When the specific information of the presently attached photographing lens or accessory has been already registered in the recording unit, the main body of the camera does not acquire all the specific information from the attached photographing lens or accessory by data communication. In a case where the specific information of the attached photographing lens or accessory has been registered in the recording unit, the only identification information of the interchangeable lens or accessory can be enough, even if the data communication is necessary. In consequence, a communication time with respect to the interchangeable lenses or various types of accessories can be reduced as a whole.