Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a detachable unit having a memory configured to store information. The image forming apparatus further includes a first acquiring unit, a second acquiring unit, and a control unit. The first acquiring unit acquires first information on a used amount of the memory. The second acquiring unit acquires second information on a used amount of the detachable unit. The control unit controls an interval between accesses to the memory based on the first information on the used amount of the memory and the second information on the used amount of the detachable unit.

Abstract: An active material with a sufficient cycle characteristic and a process for its production are provided. According to the process for production of an active material of this invention, an aqueous solution containing a metal fluorocomplex is contacted with a metal oxide to form a surface-modified layer on the surface of the metal oxide. The active material of the invention comprises a core section made of a metal oxide and a surface-modified layer covering the core section, wherein the surface-modified layer is an oxide containing a metal present in the core section and a metal not present in the core section.

Abstract: Occurrence of improper sheet-feeding of sheets is reduced. A sheet stacking section is lifted by an amount that is larger when a sheet-feed retry is performed than when an ordinary lifting operation is performed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a detachable unit having a memory configured to store information. The image forming apparatus further includes a first acquiring unit, a second acquiring unit, and a control unit. The first acquiring unit acquires first information on a used amount of the memory. The second acquiring unit acquires second information on a used amount of the detachable unit. The control unit controls an interval between accesses to the memory based on the first information on the used amount of the memory and the second information on the used amount of the detachable unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a detachable consumable part having a storage unit configured to store information. The image forming apparatus includes a counting unit configured to count the number of times of access to the storage unit, a measurement unit configured to measure a used amount of the consumable part, and an access control unit configured to control an access frequency to the storage unit based on the counted number of times of access and the used amount of the consumable part.

Abstract: Occurrence of improper sheet-feeding of sheets is reduced. A sheet stacking section is lifted by an amount that is larger when a sheet-feed retry is performed than when an ordinary lifting operation is performed.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a transparent conductor exhibiting a small increase in resistance value even when used under high-humidity conditions over long periods of time. A transparent conductor in a preferred embodiment comprises indium tin oxide, an additive component having zinc oxide as a main component thereof, and a resin cured product, the content of the additive component being 0.1 to 50 wt % relative to the total amount of indium tin oxide and the additive component.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a transparent conductor exhibiting a small increase in resistance value even when used under high-humidity conditions over long periods of time. A transparent conductor in a preferred embodiment comprises indium tin oxide, an additive component having zinc oxide as a main component thereof, and a resin cured product, the content of the additive component being 0.1 to 50 wt % relative to the total amount of indium tin oxide and the additive component.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a detachable consumable part having a storage unit configured to store information. The image forming apparatus includes a counting unit configured to count the number of times of access to the storage unit, a measurement unit configured to measure a used amount of the consumable part, and an access control unit configured to control an access frequency to the storage unit based on the counted number of times of access and the used amount of the consumable part.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes an information layer having a recording film. The recording film contains Sb of 79 atomic % to 95 atomic % and Ge of 5 atomic % to 21 atomic % as main components, and is formed of a phase change material which does not contain the elements in the sixteenth group of the periodic table.

Abstract: An active material with a sufficient cycle characteristic and a process for its production are provided. According to the process for production of an active material of this invention, an aqueous solution containing a metal fluorocomplex is contacted with a metal oxide to form a surface-modified layer on the surface of the metal oxide. The active material of the invention comprises a core section made of a metal oxide and a surface-modified layer covering the core section, wherein the surface-modified layer is an oxide containing a metal present in the core section and a metal not present in the core section.

Abstract: A period of a first edge, a voltage change in a first direction of a first pulse signal fed from a zero-crossing detecting circuit, is detected. A second edge, a voltage change in a second direction opposite to the first direction, is generated when a time period equal to half the period of the first edge has elapsed from the next first edge. In response to a second pulse signal generated from the first and second edges, phase control of power to be supplied to heating elements is performed by using triacs. In this manner, during power control using a signal from the zero-crossing detecting circuit as a trigger signal, is achieved stable power control which enables tracking even though the power supply frequency fluctuates, and which is impervious to the effect of the positive or negative polarity of an input power supply.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a memory has a first storage area for storing information related to image formation as predetermined unit data and a second storage area (back-up memory) for storing the information as bit-unit data. A printer control unit, which controls writing/reading of the information related to image formation to/from the memory, stores the information related to image formation, stored in the first storage area as the predetermined unit data as the bit-unit data, into said second storage area.

Abstract: A period of a first edge, a voltage change in a first direction of a first pulse signal fed from a zero-crossing detecting circuit, is detected. A second edge, a voltage change in a second direction opposite to the first direction, is generated when a time period equal to half the period of the first edge has elapsed from the next first edge. In response to a second pulse signal generated from the first and second edges, phase control of power to be supplied to heating elements is performed by using triacs. In this manner, during power control using a signal from the zero-crossing detecting circuit as a trigger signal, is achieved stable power control which enables tracking even though the power supply frequency fluctuates, and which is impervious to the effect of the positive or negative polarity of an input power supply.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a memory has a first storage area for storing information related to image formation as predetermined unit data and a second storage area for storing the information as bit-unit data. A printer control unit, which controls writing/reading of the information related to image formation to/from the memory, stores the information related to image formation, stored in the first storage area as the predetermined unit data as the bit-unit data, into said second storage area.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a memory has a first storage area for storing information related to image formation as predetermined unit data and a second storage area for storing the information as bit-unit data. A printer control unit, which controls writing/reading of the information related to image formation to/from the memory, stores the information related to image formation, stored in the first storage area as the predetermined unit data as the bit-unit data, into said second storage area.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes an information layer having a recording film. The recording film contains Sb of 79 atomic % to 95 atomic % and Ge of 5 atomic % to 21 atomic % as main components, and is formed of a phase change material which does not contain the elements in the sixteenth group of the periodic table.

Abstract: In an optical recording medium including at least one information layer having a recording film formed of a phase change material mainly containing a binary alloy, the binary alloy is an alloy in which a compound phase or an ordered alloy phase does not appear in a thermal equilibrium phase diagram thereof

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a phase-change recording layer where reversible phase changes between a crystal phase and an amorphous phase are used. The recording layer includes at least Sb, Tb, and Te. When indexing as a hexagonal lattice has been performed in a state corresponding to the crystal phase, the recording layer has a structure where an axial ratio c/a of a c-axis length to an a-axis length in the hexagonal lattice is between 2.590 and 2.702 inclusive.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a guide unit for guiding sheets fed by a sheet feed unit to an image forming unit, a discharge guide unit for discharging the sheets onto which images are formed, by the image forming unit, a re-transportation guide unit for branching the sheets from the discharge guide unit and guiding them through the image forming apparatus again, and a plurality of sheet sensors disposed in the re-transportation guide unit at intervals in a sheet transportation direction for determining positions at which the sheets are placed in a standby state, wherein the number of sheets, which are placed in the standby state is selected based on sheet size information so that more sheets are placed in the standby state when a sheet size is short than when it is long. Accordingly, the throughput of short sheets can be increased when images are recorded on both sides thereof.