Abstract: There is provided an image forming device capable of preventing smudges on the background of an image due to excess toner replenishment caused by a failure in stirring developer and toner enough to charge the toner or scattering of replenished toner without being charged. A toner conveying member for conveying replenished toner from a toner replenishing portion through a toner replenishing port to a developer stirring and conveying member is constructed by a screw member unitarily formed with the developer stirring and conveying member. The screw member has a spiral conveying fin capable of conveying the replenished toner at relatively high speed. The replenished toner is delivered to a toner replenishing portion provided in the upstream of a developer receiving portion of the screw member.

Abstract: A non-aqueous secondary lithium battery includes a positive electrode; a negative electrode which including at least one component selected from the group consisting of lithium, a lithium alloy, and a host compound which forms an intercalation compound or complex in combination with lithium; and an electrolytic solution or solid electrolyte containing a silicone compound.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which uses rolled paper pulls the paper around a decurling roller in order to straighten the paper to allow the paper to remain flat. One or more torque limiting devices which provides a constant angular force against the unrolling of the paper is utilized to provide a force which straightens out or decurls the rolled paper which increases as the radius of the roll of paper decreases. The torque limiting device can be implemented using a spring which grips a rotating cylindrical surface as the surface rotates, a viscous-elastic fluid which provides a resistance against rotation, frictional surfaces, or magnets. The torque limiting device may also be implemented using two springs which provide different resistance against rotation in order to provide different rotational resistance, depending on the direction the roll of paper is rotating.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus reduces the number of steps performed by a processor so as to achieve a high-speed operation. A data memory, which stores data to be calculated by the processor, includes a first memory part and a second memory part each of which is connected to the same data bus and address bus. An address structure of the second memory part is identical to an address structure of the first memory part. One of first address data output from the processor and second address data provided from an external device is selectively provided to the first and the second memory parts so that the first address data is provided to the first memory part when the second address data is provided to the second memory part, and vice versa. A sort circuit rearranges the data output from the processor in a predetermined order so that the rearranged data is provided to the processor in the order of use by the processor.

Abstract: A dry toner useful for one component developer developing method is provided which has good image qualities and durability without contamination of developing apparatus. The toner includes a metal oxide in an amount of from about 10 to about 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the toner and a metal-containing azo dye.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a substrate, and a light absorption layer formed thereon which includes a phthalocyanine compound (I) having a thermal decomposition temperature in a range of 250.degree. C. to 350.degree. C., measured by thermogravimetry with a temperature elevation rate of 10.degree. C. and a phthalocyanine compound (II) having a thermal decomposition temperature in a range of 350.degree. C. to 450.degree. C., measured by thermogravimetry with a temperature elevation rate of 10.degree. C. This optical information recording medium can be produced by providing the light absorption layer, directly or via an intermediate layer, on a substrate with information pits and/or guide grooves being on the surface thereof by film formation coating, providing a light reflection layer, directly or via an intermediate layer, on the light absorption layer by vacuum film formation, and providing a protective layer on the light reflection layer.

Abstract: A recording ink composition contains a colorant which is soluble or dispersible in water and includes at least one phthalocyanine compound of formula (1) which may have a halogen atom as a substituent and at least one of phthalocyanine compounds of formulas (2) and (3); a dispersant which includes at least one polymeric compound having a hydrophilic moiety and a hydrophobic moiety, and/or at least one surfactant having an alkyl group having 5 or more carbon atoms; water; and a humectant. In addition, images with a resolution of 10 dots/mm.times.10 dots/mm or more can be recorded on an image receiving medium by ejecting the above-mentioned recording ink composition in the form of droplets by the application of thermal or mechanical energy thereto onto an image receiving medium with a Stockigt size degree of 3 seconds or more, with the recording ink composition being deposited in an amount of 20 pl/mm.sup.2 to 200 pl/mm.sup.2 on the image receiving medium.

Abstract: A connection structure for producing both an electrical and a mechanical connection between an electrode pad on a semiconductor device and a printed circuit pattern on a printed circuit board includes a metal bump or a plating layer formed on the printed circuit pattern on the printed circuit board and/or on the electrode pad on the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device is connected to the printed circuit board using cold welding, compression bonding, or a combination of both in conjunction with sandwich materials. The semiconductor device can be separated from the printed circuit board without destroying the semiconductor device or the printed circuit board by releasing the pressure applied to the sandwich materials. Therefore, the semiconductor device can be removed from the printed circuit board to make necessary repairs and/or exchange parts, and then reconnected to the printed circuit board.

Abstract: A sputtering target, for forming a recording layer of an optical recording medium in which information is written and erased through a transition between two phases by utilizing electromagnetic wave energy, consists of a heat-treated and sintered composition represented by the formula:Ag.sub..alpha. In.sub..beta. Te.sub..gamma. Sb.sub..delta.wherein2.ltoreq..alpha..ltoreq.303.ltoreq..beta..ltoreq.3010.ltoreq..gamma..ltoreq.5015.ltoreq..delta..ltoreq.83.alpha.+.beta.+.gamma.+.delta.=100A method of producing the sputtering target, an optical recording medium having a recording layer formed through sputtering by use of the sputtering target, and a method of forming the recording layer are also disclosed.

Abstract: A free-form surface generating method. There is a generating of a continuity condition by detecting a continuity on a common boundary of two free-form surfaces based on tangent vectors on a NURBS common boundary curve and tangent vectors on boundary curves continuous to end points of the NURBS common boundary curve. Next, one of a plurality of predetermined joining processes is selected in accordance with the continuity condition. Then, internal control points of each of the two free-form surfaces are generated based on the selected joined with continuity on the common boundary are generated.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus of the type including a movable belt and a cleaning blade for cleaning the belt, a toner image in the form of an exclusive line is formed on an image carrier between sheets and then transferred to the belt so as to feed toner to the edge of the cleaning blade. The toner prevents the edge of the cleaning blade from being turned over by the belt. The toner is fed to the cleaning blade in amounts different in the widthwise direction of the belt and can therefore be controlled in amount in the above direction.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the type using single-ingredient type high resistance toner, a developing roller or similar toner conveyor roller is covered with a dielectric layer which is comparatively thick at opposite end portions than at an intermediate portion. A conductive or semiconductive elastic layer underlies the dielectric layer. With the above configuration, the dielectric layer is prevented from coming off the roller. This, coupled with the fact that the elastic layer does not contact a photoconductive element, eliminates current leaks and thereby extends the life of the roller and photoconductive element.

Abstract: A charging apparatus for charging a rechargeable battery, such as a Lithium-ion type battery. The charging apparatus is provided with a first current stabilized unit and a second current stabilized unit for stabilizing two different levels of electric current. The first current stabilized unit provides a relatively large electric current for charging the battery package. The second current stabilized unit provides a relatively small electric current for charging the battery package. A switching unit is provided for switching a connection of the first and second current stabilized units to provide current to the rechargeable battery. A detection unit is provided for detecting an electric voltage at terminals of the rechargeable battery. The detection unit controls the switching unit so as to switch connection of the first and second current stabilized units to provide current to the rechargeable battery based on the detected voltage.

Abstract: A novel flow sensor which includes a wall in a fluid path, a substrate installed on the wall, a flow sensor constructed with at least one electric resistor formed on the substrate, and a construction for reducing turbulence caused by an existence of the flow sensor. The construction for reducing turbulence may be that an upstream side edge of the substrate is formed into a slope shape, a stair shape or a streamline. The construction for reducing turbulence may also be that the substrate is embedded into the wall. In a case that the substrate of the sensor is installed on a support board set in the fluid path, at least an upstream side edge of the support board may be formed into an acute angle or a streamline. Using the apparatus, the turbulence caused by the existence of a vertical wall is reduced because a size of vertical wall portions is small.

Abstract: A recording ink composition includes a colorant comprising a pigment which is soluble or dispersible in water, and a polymeric dye having a weight average molecular weight in a range of 5,000 to 15,000, a dispersant including at least one dispersant component selected from the group consisting of at least one polymeric compound having a hydrophilic moiety and a hydrophobic moiety, and/or at least one surfactant having an alkyl group having 5 or more carbon atoms, water, and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a method of recording images on an image receiving medium is performed, using the recording ink composition.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a charge roller for uniformly charging the surface of a photoconductive element, or image carrier, during image formation, and a charging device having the charge roller. The charging efficiency is enhanced, and a uniform charge distribution is set up by the application of a DC voltage only. This suppresses the increase in the cost of an apparatus, the increase in power source cost, and the generation of a great amount of ozone. As a result, a charging member and a photoconductive element are prevented from being deteriorated while environmental pollution is eliminated.

Abstract: A developing device using one component developer for developing an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductive drum. The one component developer includes particles of parents of toner, resin beads and silica. The silica adhere to a surface of each resin bead. The resin beads and the silica further adhere to a surface of the parents of toner. A volume average diameter of the resin beads is more than that of the silica and is less than that of the parents of toner.

Abstract: A device encodes a multi-level image by coding bit planes obtained from the multi-level image. The device includes a gray-code-conversion unit converting the multi-level image into a gray-code representation, a bit-plane generating unit generating the bit planes from the gray-code representation, a data-reference unit extracting a current pixel and fixed reference pixels from a first one of the bit planes and extracting a floating reference pixel from a second one of the bit planes including the first one, and a coding unit coding a sequence of pixels extracted sequentially from the bit planes by using an entropy coding method. The entropy coding method uses as a coding parameter a probability of data occurrence of the current pixel, the probability of data occurrence being obtained based on the fixed reference pixels and the floating reference pixel.

Abstract: A compression and decompression system in which a reversible wavelet filter are used to generates coefficients from input data, such as image data. The reversible wavelet filter is an efficient transform implemented with integer arithmetic that has exact reconstruction. The present invention uses the reversible wavelet filter in a lossless system (or lossy system) in which an embedded codestream is generated from the coefficients produced by the filter. An entropy coder performs entropy coding on the embedded codestream to produce the compressed data stream.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging station, an exposure station forming an electrostatic latent image on the charged image bearing member, and a developing station for developing the latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing member. A stop control device is provided for immediately stopping a charging operation by the charging device when the image forming apparatus must stop due to the detection of an irregular state during an image forming process. The image bearing member continues moving by at least the distance along that member from the charging to the developing station before the stop control device stops the developing operation and the moving of the image bearing member.