Abstract: The developing method includes developing an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member with a two-component developer including a toner and a carrier and born on at least one developer bearing member, whose surface moves at a linear speed of from 300 mm/sec to 2,000 mm/sec. The carrier includes a particulate core material; and a cover layer located on a surface of the core material and including a crosslinked material obtained by crosslinking a resin including a first unit having a specific tris(trialkylsiloxy) silyl group and a second unit having a specific alkoxysilyl group having a crosslinking ability. Each of the first unit and the second unit is included in the resin in a molar ratio of from 0.1 to 0.9 based on all the units included in the resin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a toner which includes at least a binder resin, and a colorant, wherein the toner has a concentration of radioactive carbon isotope C-14 of 10.8 pMC or higher.

Abstract: An encoder system includes: a first single-rotation absolute encoder that outputs a first signal corresponding to an angular position of a first rotatable shaft; a power transmission device that transmits the power of the first shaft to a second rotatable shaft with a predetermined transmission ratio; a second single-rotation absolute encoder that outputs a second signal corresponding to an angular position of the second shaft; and a signal processing section that generates data related to the rotation count of the first shaft based on at least the first signal and the second signal.

Abstract: A two-component developing method, including regulating a two-component developer borne on a developer bearer with a doctor blade; and transferring the regulated two-component developer to the developer bearer to develop a latent image on an image bearer, wherein the two-component developer includes a pulverized toner having a volume-average particle diameter of from 3.0 to 6.0 ?m, including particles having a particle diameter not greater than 4.0 ?m in an amount not less than 30% by number, and including particles having a particle diameter not greater than 2.0 ?m in an amount not greater than 10% by number, and wherein the doctor blade has a surface regulating the developer at an upstream side relative to a rotational direction of the developer bearer, which has a surface roughness Ra not greater than 0.2 ?m.

Abstract: A toner containing at least a binder resin, releasing agent, and colorant, wherein the binder resin contains polyester resin (A), polyester resin (B), and polyester resin (C), which is prepared by condensation-polymerizing (i) an alcohol component containing an alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenol compound and (ii) a carboxylic acid component; at least one of the polyester resin (A) and polyester resin (B) is a polyester resin prepared by condensation-polymerizing (i) the alcohol component substantially composed of only aliphatic alcohol and containing 1,2-propanediol in an amount of 65 mole % or more of a divalent alcohol component and (ii) the carboxylic acid component; and a softening point Tm(A) of the polyester resin (A) is 10 C or more higher than Tm(B) of the polyester resin (B), and the absolute difference between Tm(C) of the polyester resin (C) and the Tm(B) is 5° C. or less.

Abstract: A slave apparatus control portion refers to a priority channel table stored in a use priority channel memory at the time of establishing communications with a host apparatus. The radio channel having the highest priority is allocated as the initial channel, and a connection request signal is transmitted from a communicating portion to the host apparatus in the frequency band of the initial channel. When the initial channel interferes with the radio channels used by other slave apparatuses or the frequency bands used by PCs, the radio channel overlapping those frequency bands is avoided, and the radio channel of the frequency band that is the second highest priority is selected.

Abstract: A home gateway includes a WAN interface portion, a LAN interface portion and an analog interface portion, and a LAN controller, an analog controller and a central controller. The WAN interface portion communicates with an external telephone set. The LAN interface portion communicates with a plurality of telephone sets configuring an IP telephone system. The LAN controller and the analog controller control the LAN interface portion and the analog interface portion such that type information is transmitted to a destination telephone set. The central controller generates the type information in accordance with a type of information to be communicated to the external telephone set, based on the information received by the WAN interface portion. Thus, a user can readily determine which telephone set is to be used to receive a call when a plurality of telephone sets can receive a call from a calling party.

Abstract: A toner, wherein a binder resin contains a polyester resin (A) produced by polycondensing an alcohol component with a carboxylic acid component which contains a rosin compound in an amount of 5% by mass or more of the total amount by mass of the alcohol component and the carboxylic acid component, and a polyester resin (B) produced by polycondensing an alcohol component containing an alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenol A represented by General Formula (1) given below with a carboxylic acid component, and wherein the toner contains abietic acid in an amount of 0.01% by mass to 1% by mass: where R1 and R2 each represent C2-C4 alkylene; R3 and R4 are each any one of a hydrogen atom, C1-C6 straight-chain alkyl, and C1-C6 branched-chain alkyl; and x and y each represent a positive integer and the sum of x and y is 1 to 16.

Abstract: The present invention provides a toner which contains at least a binder resin, and a colorant, wherein the binder resin contains a polyester resin (A) obtained by polycondensation of an alcohol component with a carboxylic acid component containing one of a purified rosin and a modified rosin, and a polyester resin (B) obtained by polycondensation of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol component containing a specific alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenol A, and wherein when the carboxylic acid component containing a purified rosin is used in the carboxylic acid component for the polyester resin (A), a mass ratio [(B)/(A)] of the polyester resin (B) to the polyester resin (A) is 2/8 to 6/4.

Abstract: An image forming method including forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor; developing the latent image with a developer including a toner using a center-feed developing device to form a toner image; transferring the toner image onto a receiving material; and fixing the toner image using a fixing member coated with silicone oil. The toner includes at least a binder resin; a colorant; and a quaternary ammonium salt having a specific formula, wherein when the toner is dispersed in ethanol using ultrasonic waves, the dispersion has a turbidity of from 0.4 to 1.0 when the turbidity is determined using a haze meter. An image forming apparatus including a photoreceptor; a center-feed developing device using a developer including the toner; a transferring device; a fixing device using a fixing member coated with silicone oil; and a cleaner for the photoreceptor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a toner which includes at least a binder resin, and a colorant, wherein the toner has a concentration of radioactive carbon isotope C-14 of 10.8 pMC or higher.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles; and external additives including a fatty acid metal salt having an average primary particle diameter of from 0.5 to 1.5 ?m; a positively chargeable particulate inorganic material; and a negatively chargeable particulate inorganic material. An image forming apparatus including a photoreceptor bearing an electrostatic image, and a center feed developing device configured to develop the electrostatic image with a developer including the toner to form a toner image, and a transfer device configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material preferably fed at a speed of from 500 to 1700 mm/s. An image forming method including forming an electrostatic image, developing the electrostatic image with the center feed developing device using the toner to form a toner image, and transferring the toner image onto a receiving material preferably fed at a speed of from 500 to 1700 mm/s.

Abstract: A cogeneration system is provided which is capable of reliably switching a bypass damper even if a supply of electric power is shut off in an abnormal state etc. and which is unlikely to leak exhaust gas and is cost-effective even if it is increased in size. To this end, an exhaust gas path (10) for introducing exhaust gas from a gas turbine (2) into an exhaust-heat-recovery heat exchanger (8) is provided with a bypass path (11) and an inlet of the bypass path (11) is provided with a bypass damper (12) which is controlled so as to be opened and closed by an air cylinder driven by compressed air from the compressor (3).

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an Internet telephone apparatus having a function of an analog telephone that do not require an installation space and are convenient in use. The Internet telephone apparatus (1) transmits/receives an analog signal for an analog telephone and a digital signal for an Internet telephone to/from a telephone line (13) connected to a gateway (12). A controller (7) switches between a digital line controlling portion (2) and an analog line controlling portion (3) so as to switch a function of the Internet telephone and that of the analog telephone. A user can perform telephone communication by the same operation of a handset (11) and an operation panel (8) for the Internet telephone and the analog telephone. When the Internet telephone communication is performed, a pseudo tone indicating a line status is generated from a pseudo-line-signal generating portion (17) and it is notified of the user.

Abstract: A slave apparatus control portion refers to a priority channel table stored in a use priority channel memory at the time of establishing communications with a host apparatus. The radio channel having the highest priority is allocated as the initial channel, and a connection request signal is transmitted from a communicating portion to the host apparatus in the frequency band of the initial channel. When the initial channel interferes with the radio channels used by other slave apparatuses or the frequency bands used by PCs, the radio channel overlapping those frequency bands is avoided, and the radio channel of the frequency band that is the second highest priority is selected.

Abstract: A rotary pump including: a casing having a circular inner circumferential surface, a rotor rotating about a center of the inner circumferential surface of the casing, a partition plate installed so as to be movable in and out of the casing so that a tip end of the partition plate comes into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the rotor, a spring which drives the partition plate so that the partition plate is in constant contact with the rotor, and an intake port and a discharge port formed in the casing so as to be positioned after and before the partition plate with respect to the direction of rotation of the rotor; and the partition plate is formed with a communicating portion that communicates between the intake port side and the discharge port side.

Abstract: A rotary pump including: a casing having a circular inner circumferential surface, a rotor rotating about a center of the inner circumferential surface of the casing, a partition plate installed so as to be movable in and out of the casing so that a tip end of the partition plate comes into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the rotor, a spring which drives the partition plate so that the partition plate is in constant contact with the rotor, and an intake port and a discharge port formed in the casing so as to be positioned after and before the partition plate with respect to the direction of rotation of the rotor; and the partition plate is formed with a communicating portion that communicates between the intake port side and the discharge port side.