Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode includes composite particles and a binder. Each of the composite particles includes: a negative electrode active material including an element capable of being alloyed with lithium; carbon nanofibers that are grown from a surface of the negative electrode active material; and a catalyst element for promoting the growth of the carbon nanofibers. The binder comprises at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide imide, polyamide, aramid, polyarylate, polyether ether ketone, polyether imide, polyether sulfone, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, and polytetrafluoroethylene.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The positive and negative electrodes are wound together with the separator. The negative electrode includes composite particles and a binder. Each of the composite particles includes: a negative electrode active material including an element capable of being alloyed with lithium; carbon nanofibers that are grown from a surface of the negative electrode active material; and a catalyst element for promoting the growth of the carbon nanofibers. The binder comprises a polymer having at least one selected from the group consisting of an acrylic acid unit, an acrylic acid salt unit, an acrylic acid ester unit, a mathacrylic acid unit, a methacrylic acid salt unit, and a mathacrylic acid ester unit.

Abstract: A mobile unit with fingerprint sensor, includes a fingerprint sensor; a circuit board on which a plurality of circuit components are mounted, one of the circuit components processes an output signal output from the fingerprint sensor; a key case on which a plurality of key switches, used as operation keys of the mobile unit, are arranged, the key case being fixed to the circuit board; and a sensor-specific board that is provided separately from the circuit board and includes the fingerprint sensor thereon, and that is detachably attached to the key case and the fingerprint sensor is arranged adjacent to the operation keys.

Abstract: A carrier for an image developer for electrophotography, including core particles, and a coating layer covering each of the core particles, wherein the core particles have a weight average particle diameter of Dv which is 25–45 ?m and a number average particle diameter of Dp which meets with the following condition: 1?Dv/Dp?1.3, wherein the core particles have such a particle size distribution that particles having a particle diameter of less than 44 ?m is at least 70% by weight and particles having a particle diameter of less than 22 ?m is not more than 7% by weight.

Abstract: A carrier for an image developer for electrophotography, including core particles, and a coating layer covering each of the core particles, wherein the core particles have a weight average particle diameter of Dv which is 25–45 ?m and a number average particle diameter of Dp which meets with the following condition: 1?Dv/Dp?1.3, wherein the core particles have such a particle size distribution that particles having a particle diameter of less than 44 ?m is at least 70% by weight and particles having a particle diameter of less than 22 ?m is not more than 7% by weight.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin and a colorant, wherein particles of the toner have such a rolling property as to relatively easily roll in one direction compared to other directions. It is preferable that the toner particles preferably have a spindle form and satisfies the following relationships: 0.5?(r2/r1)?0.8, 0.7?(r3/r2)?1.0, and r3?r2?r1, wherein r1, r2 and r3 represent an average major axis particle diameter, an average minor axis particle diameter and an average thickness of the toner particles. An image forming apparatus including at least an image bearing member; a developing device configured to develop an electrostatic latent image with a developer including the above-mentioned toner; a transferring device configured to transfer a toner image onto a receiving material; and a cleaning device configured to clean a surface of the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image formation method includes the steps of charging the surface of an electrophotographic photoconductor, exposing the charged photoconductor to a light image to form a latent electrostatic image on the photoconductor, developing the latent electrostatic image using a two-component developer containing a toner and a carrier to obtain a toner image, and transferring the toner image to an image receiving material directly or via an intermediate transfer member, with the photoconductor showing a surface friction coefficient of 0.40 or less, and the toner having toner particles with an average circularity of 0.930 or more.

Abstract: A carrier for an image developer for electrophotography, including core particles, and a coating layer covering each of the core particles, wherein the core particles have a weight average particle diameter of Dv which is 25-45 ?m and a number average particle diameter of Dp which meets with the following condition: 1?Dv/Dp?1.3, wherein the core particles have such a particle size distribution that particles having a particle diameter of less than 44 ?m is at least 70% by weight and particles having a particle diameter of less than 22 ?m is not more than 7% by weight.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin and a release agent, wherein when the toner is molded into a plate upon application of a pressure of 478 kg/cm2, the toner plate has a surface having a coefficient of static friction of from 0.20 to 0.40. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, an image developer to form a toner image on the image bearing member, an image transferer configured to transfer the toner image on a receiving material and a fixer configured to fix the toner image thereon, wherein the apparatus has a waiting time not longer than 15 seconds, and a maximum power consumption not greater than 1.5 KW and 30 W in an image forming state and in a standby state, respectively, wherein the toner is the toner mentioned above.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus develops an electrostatic latent image with a two-component developer consisting of magnetic carriers and toners by using a development apparatus and a latent image supporter including a filler in an outermost layer thereof, the development apparatus having a developer supporter, which has an internally fixed magnetic body and rotates while supporting a developer on a surface thereof, and a developer quantity controller controlling a quantity of the developer which is supported by the developer supporter facing the magnetic body and controlling a height of magnetic brushes and consisting of materials having rigidity or rigidity and magnetic properties, wherein a ratio (Gp/Gd) of a development gap to a doctor gap between the developer supporter and the controller is from 0.7 to 1.0, and a weight-averaged particle diameter of a developer carrier is from 20 to 60 ?m.

Abstract: A method for forming an electrophotographic image and a device for forming an image on a transfer material by the steps for charging, exposing, developing and transferring, and recovering the toner remained untransferred in the step for cleaning by recovering, wherein the toner used in the step for developing has a total surface area ratio Z of additive, which is calculated by Z=(Ht·Wt)/(H·W), satisfies 0.5?Z?1.5, the electrophotographic photoconductor used comprises at least a photosensitive layer and a filler-containing protective layer provided on a conductive support in that order, and the angle of repose of the toner to the protective layer surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor is 30° or less.

Abstract: A toner for a two-component developer comprising the toner and carrier particles, the developer being used for an oilless fixing-type image forming apparatus comprising a developer carrier rotatable at a linear speed of 360-1,680 mm/sec, and a developer adjusting member extending in a lateral direction parallel to the rotational axis of the developer carrier and disposed adjacent to the developer carrier to define a gap therebetween of 0.3-1.0 mm, said image forming apparatus being operated so that the amount of the developer conveyed by the developer carrier and passing through the gap per 1 second is 5.0-25.0 g per 1 cm of the lateral width of the gap, the toner comprising a wax dispersed therein and the toner having a coefficient of dynamic friction in the range of 0.18-0.45.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a photoconductor, and a developing unit having a developing sleeve for carrying a developer and a developer regulating plate for regulating the amount of the developer carried on the sleeve, wherein the developer is composed of a carrier and a toner, wherein that portion of the toner which has a particle diameter of 2.0-4.0 ?m accounts for 30-70% of a total number thereof, and wherein the developer regulating plate is grounded so that when the developing sleeve is applied with a bias voltage, an electric field is formed between the developer regulating plate and the developing sleeve, whereby toner deposits on the developing sleeve are transferred to the developer regulating plate.

Abstract: An aromatic vinyl-conjugated diene block copolymer rubber comprising 50 to 75% by weight of conjugated diene monomer units and 25 to 50% by weight of aromatic vinyl monomer units, wherein the content of vinyl bond in the conjugated diene monomer units is at least 50% by weight, the ratio of blocked aromatic vinyl in the aromatic vinyl monomer units is at least 70% and the number average molecular weight of the copolymer rubber is in the range of 280,000 to 1,000,000. An aromatic vinyl resin having incorporated therein the aromatic vinyl-conjugated dione block copolymer rubber gives a shaped article having good impact resistance and luster, and characterized in that the luster is thermally stable and the luster varies only to a minimized extent within the shaped article.

Abstract: An image formation method includes the steps of charging the surface of an electrophotographic photoconductor, exposing the charged photoconductor to a light image to form a latent electrostatic image on the photoconductor, developing the latent electrostatic image using a two-component developer containing a toner and a carrier to obtain a toner image, and transferring the toner image to an image receiving material directly or via an intermediate transfer member, with the photoconductor showing a surface friction coefficient of 0.40 or less, and the toner having toner particles with an average circularity of 0.930 or more.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin and a release agent, wherein when the toner is molded into a plate upon application of a pressure of 478 kg/cm2, the toner plate has a surface having a coefficient of static friction of from 0.20 to 0.40. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, an image developer to form a toner image on the image bearing member, an image transferer configured to transfer the toner image on a receiving material and a fixer configured to fix the toner image thereon, wherein the apparatus has a waiting time not longer than 15 seconds, and a maximum power consumption not greater than 1.5 KW and 30 W in an image forming state and in a standby state, respectively, wherein the toner is the toner mentioned above.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin and a release agent, wherein when the toner is molded into a plate upon application of a pressure of 478 kg/cm2, the toner plate has a surface having a coefficient of static friction of from 0.20 to 0.40. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, an image developer to form a toner image on the image bearing member, an image transferer configured to transfer the toner image on a receiving material and a fixer configured to fix the toner image thereon, wherein the apparatus has a waiting time not longer than 15 seconds, and a maximum power consumption not greater than 1.5 KW and 30 W in an image forming state and in a standby state, respectively, wherein the toner is the toner mentioned above.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus develops an electrostatic latent image with a two-component developer consisting of magnetic carriers and toners by using a development apparatus and a latent image supporter including a filler in an outermost layer thereof, the development apparatus having a developer supporter, which has an internally fixed magnetic body and rotates while supporting a developer on a surface thereof, and a developer quantity controller controlling a quantity of the developer which is supported by the developer supporter facing the magnetic body and controlling a height of magnetic brushes and consisting of materials having rigidity or rigidity and magnetic properties, wherein a ratio (Gp/Gd) of a development gap to a doctor gap between the developer supporter and the controller is from 0.7 to 1.0, and a weight-averaged particle diameter of a developer carrier is from 20 to 60 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A two component developer comprising a magnetic toner containing a binder resin and a magnetic particle, and a magnetic carrier containing a magnetic particle, wherein the magnetic toner has an average particle diameter of 4.0 to 10.0 &mgr;m, and contains 5 to 80 No. % of toner particles having particle diameter of 5 &mgr;m or less, and exhibits magnetization of 10 to 25 emu/g under magnetic field of 5 kiloersteds.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin and a release agent, wherein when the toner is molded into a plate upon application of a pressure of 478 kg/cm2, the toner plate has a surface having a coefficient of static friction of from 0.20 to 0.40. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, an image developer to form a toner image on the image bearing member, an image transferer configured to transfer the toner image on a receiving material and a fixer configured to fix the toner image thereon, wherein the apparatus has a waiting time not longer than 15 seconds, and a maximum power consumption not greater than 1.5 KW and 30 W in an image forming state and in a standby state, respectively, wherein the toner is the toner mentioned above.