Abstract: A light guide plate has a light incident surface configured to be arranged facing a point light source for introducing light from the point light source, a light outputting surface that outputs the light to an outside of the light guide plate, a light introducing section for confining the light from the point light source entered from the light incident surface, and a light guide plate main body having a thickness smaller than a maximum thickness of the light introducing section and being arranged to be continuous with the light introducing section, for outputting the confined light to the outside of the light guide plate from the light outputting surface by a light outputting element.

Abstract: A liquid developer is provided. The liquid developer includes a liquid insulator and toner particles. The liquid insulator toner particles include a resin material, a colorant, a substance A, a substance B, and a substance C. The substance A is an acrylic-modified silicone. The substance B is at least one selected from the group consisting a quaternary cationic silicone, an aminophenyl-modified silicone, and a phenyl-modified silicone. The substance C is at least one of a silanol-containing polysiloxane and a fluorine-modified silicone. The average degree of roundness R1 of the toner particles is 0.890 or greater, if the degree of roundness is expressed as L0/L1, where L1 (?m) is a circumference of a profile view of a measured particle and L0 (?m) is the circumference of a perfect circle of a circumference of a profile view corresponding to the profile view of the measured particle.

Abstract: A light guide plate has a light incident surface arranged facing a plurality of point light sources arrayed in a line, a light exit surface orthogonal to the light incident surface, and two side surfaces orthogonal to the light incident surface and the light exit surface. Light from the plurality of point light sources introduced from the light incident surface is diffused by a diffusion unit arranged on the light exit surface or a surface facing the light exit surface. The light diffused by the diffusion unit is exited from the light exit surface. A distance between a point light source positioned at an end of the plurality of point light sources and the light incident surface is different from a distance between a point light source not positioned at the end of the plurality of point light sources and the light incident surface.

Abstract: A liquid developer contains a liquid insulator formed of a liquid hydrocarbon, toner particles formed by chemically modifying surfaces of mother toner particles formed of a material containing a rosin-based resin and a polyester resin with a polyalkyleneimine, and a metal soap dissolved in the liquid insulator.

Abstract: An ink billing system is used between a client company X 200 that prints information and a printer manufacturer that supplies ink cartridges (or toner) to company X 200. Company X 200 has a main server 210, a plurality of in-store servers 220, 230 in communication with the main server, and a plurality of inkjet (or laser) printers 240 each having an ink cartridge 20 (or toner) for printing according to commands from the in-store server 220, 230. When billing company X 200 based on the number of ink shots (or drum charging time) used by the printers 240 and stored on the main server 210, the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer changes the billing rate per unit of ink according to the ink shot count (or drum charging time).

Abstract: An ink billing system is used between a client company X 200 that prints information and a printer manufacturer that supplies ink cartridges (or toner) to the company X 200. The company X 200 has a main server 210, a plurality of in-store servers 220, 230 in communication with the main server, and a plurality of inkjet (or laser) printers 240 each having an ink cartridge 20 (or toner) for printing according to commands from the in-store server 220, 230. When billing the company X 200 based on the number of ink shots (or drum charging time) used by the printers 240 and stored on the main server 210, the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer changes the billing rate per unit of ink according to the ink shot count (or drum charging time).

Abstract: Provided is a time-of-flight mass spectrometer having a reflectron which eliminates energy dependency of the flight time of ions having the same m/z while ensuring a high degree of design freedom. An electric field created by the reflectron is virtually divided into a decelerating region for decelerating ions and a reflecting region for reflecting ions. For an ion having a mass-to-charge ratio which has departed with initial energy higher than Ud, the total flight time required for the ion to travel through a free-flight region and the decelerating region into the reflecting region and return will be equal to the total flight time required for an ion of the same mass-to-charge ratio to make a round trip in which the ion turns around at a point of the reference potential value at the boundary between the decelerating region and the reflecting region or in the decelerating region.

Abstract: An area light source device that is capable of evenly emitting light by reducing leakage in the vicinity of the light source, and enhancing the light emission luminance by exiting light of narrower directional characteristics. A light guide substrate includes a light introducing section and a light guide plate main body. Diffusion patterns are provided at the light exit surface of the light guide plate main body. A low refraction index layer is formed at the lower surface of the light guide plate main body, and a reflection layer is formed at the lower surface of the low refraction index layer. The point light source is positioned facing an end face of the light introducing section. A directivity conversion unit is arranged on the upper surface of the light introducing section. The directivity conversion unit is configured by radially arraying a directivity conversion pattern having a V groove shape.

Abstract: A surface light source device includes a point source of light and a light guide plate causing light from the point source of light introduced from a light incident end face and emitted from a light emission surface to outside. The light guide plate is formed of a light introducing portion provided at an end of a light guide plate body. The point source of light is placed facing the light incident end face positioned at an end face of the light introducing portion. Along a region of the light introducing portion adjacent to the light guide plate body, a directivity converting portion is provided. The directivity converting portion is configured by arranging V-grooved directivity conversion patterns in an arc shape. A region of the light introducing portion has a thickness equal to that of the light guide plate body and has a surface positioned in the same plane.

Abstract: A polyester for a toner, obtainable by polycondensing an alcohol component and a carboxylic acid component containing a fumaric acid-modified rosin; and a toner containing the polyester for a toner. The polyester for a toner of the present invention is usable as a resin binder for a toner usable in, for example, developing electrostatic latent images formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method or the like.

Abstract: An area light source device that is capable of more evenly emitting light and capable of enhancing the light emission luminance by exiting light of narrower directional characteristics. A light guide substrate includes a light introducing section and a light guide plate main body for exiting the light from a light exit surface. A number of diffusion patterns are formed at the light exit surface. A low refraction index layer is formed at the lower surface of the light guide plate main body, and a reflection layer is formed at the lower surface of the low refraction index layer. The point light source is arranged at a position facing the end face of the light introducing section. A tapered portion inclined to gradually increase the thickness of the light introducing section the farther away from the light source is arranged on the upper surface of the light introducing section.

Abstract: A light guide plate (63) includes a light introducing section (65), which is at a position facing a point light source (62), for confining light from the point light source, and a light guide plate main body (64), which has a thickness smaller than a thickness at an end of the light introducing section on the point light source side, for outputting the confined light to an outside from a light outputting surface by light outputting means (70). The light introducing section (65) has an inclined surface (67), which is inclined from a surface of the light introducing section towards a surface of the light guide plate main body (64). The inclined surface (67) has a directivity converting pattern (68) for converting a directivity expansion in a thickness direction of the light guide plate of the light entered to the light introducing section (65) to directivity characteristics tilted towards a direction parallel to a surface direction of the light guide plate.

Abstract: A liquid developer is provided. The liquid developer includes a liquid insulator and toner particles. The liquid insulator toner particles include a resin material, a colorant, a substance A, a substance B, and a substance C. The substance A is an acrylic-modified silicone. The substance B is at least one selected from the group consisting a quaternary cationic silicone, an aminophenyl-modified silicone, and a phenyl-modified silicone. The substance C is at least one of a silanol-containing polysiloxane and a fluorine-modified silicone. The average degree of roundness R1 of the toner particles is 0.890 or greater, if the degree of roundness is expressed as L0/L1, where L1 (?m) is a circumference of a profile view of a measured particle and L0 (?m) is the circumference of a perfect circle of a circumference of a profile view corresponding to the profile view of the measured particle.

Abstract: A polyester for a toner, obtainable by polycondensing an alcohol component and a carboxylic acid component containing a (meth)acrylic acid-modified rosin; and a toner containing the polyester for a toner. The polyester for a toner of the present invention is usable as a resin binder for a toner usable in, for example, developing electrostatic latent images formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method or the like.

Abstract: A black toner includes: toner mother particles containing carbon black as a colorant and a binder resin, the toner mother particles being surface-modified with a polyalkyleneimine.

Abstract: A toner containing a resin binder and a colorant, wherein the resin binder contains a polyester (A) having a softening point Tm(A) of from 100° to 160° C., and a polyester (B) having a softening point Tm(B) of from 80° to 120° C., the softening point of which is lower than that of the polyester (A) by 5° C. or more, each polyester obtained by polycondensing an alcohol component and a carboxylic acid component, wherein the polyester (A) and/or (B) is a polyester obtained by polycondensing an alcohol component consisting essentially of an aliphatic alcohol, wherein the alcohol component contains a dihydric alcohol component containing 1,2-propanediol in an amount of 65% by mol or more, and a carboxylic acid component. The toner of the present invention is usable in the development or the like of a latent image formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method, or the like.

Abstract: A liquid developer includes an insulating liquid and toner particles obtained by surface-modifying toner mother particles made of a material containing a rosin resin with a polyalkyleneimine.

Abstract: A process for producing a liquid developer includes: providing a dispersion liquid containing an aqueous dispersion medium and toner mother particles including a rosin resin; chemically modifying surfaces of the toner mother particles with an amine-based material by mixing the amine-based material with the dispersion liquid to obtain toner particles; and dispersing the toner particles in an insulating liquid.

Abstract: A liquid developer is provided. The liquid developer comprises an insulation liquid, toner particles dispersed in the insulation liquid, a dispersant dissolved in the insulation liquid; and a charge control agent dissolved in the insulation liquid. The charge control agent is represented by the following chemical formula (I): wherein in the chemical formula (I) R1 represents an alkyl group or alkenyl group having a carbon number in the range of 8 to 22, and R2 represents a hydroxyalkyl group. The liquid developer has both superior dispersibility and a charge characteristic of toner particles. Further, an image forming apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: One virtual rod electrode is composed by a plurality of electrode plane plates arranged in the ion optical axis direction, and four virtual rod electrodes are arranged around the ion optical axis to form a virtual quadrupole rod type ion transport optical system (30). In one virtual rod electrode, the interval between the adjacent electrode plane plates is set to be large in the anterior area (30A) and small in the posterior area (30B). As the interval between electrodes becomes larger, high-order multipole field components increase and therefore the ion acceptance is increased, which enables an efficient acceptance of ions coming from the previous stage. On the other hand, if the interval between electrodes is small, the quadrupole field components relatively increase and the ion beam's convergence is improved. Therefore, ions can be effectively introduced into a quadrupole mass filter for example in the subsequent stage, which contributes to the enhancement of the mass analysis' sensitivity and accuracy.