Abstract: An oil suppressing structure in an air drying device for removing oil which rises in an interior of the air drying device used in a vehicle compressed air brake system includes an outer case 21, a drying case 22 in an interior of the outer case 21, a base plate 23 fixed to a lower end portion 21a of the outer case 21, and an outer cover 24 fixed to a lower end portion 21a of the base plate 23. The drying case 22 has a large-diameter long cylindrical body portion 22A and a small-diameter long cylindrical body portion 22B. A particulate desiccating agent 25 is filled in an interior of the large-diameter cylindrical body portion 22A. An oil adsorbing material 27 is inserted in a space S3 between an inner wall of the outer case 21 and the small-diameter long cylindrical body portion 22B of the drying case 22.

Abstract: A toner including a binder resin including a polyester resin and a vinyl resin; a wax; and a colorant, wherein the vinyl resin includes a unit obtained from a radically polymerizable monomer having an alkyloxysilyl group. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic image thereon; a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic image with a developer including the toner to form a toner image on the image bearing member; and a transfer device configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material. A process cartridge including an image bearing member; and a developing device configured to develop an electrostatic image on the image bearing member with a developer including the toner, wherein the process cartridge is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus as a unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, wherein a surface resistivity Rse[?] of a charger and a volume resistivity Rsw [?·cm] of the composition having a low softening point satisfy the following relationship: 0.8×10?1Rse<Rvw<1.5×10Rse is provided. The image forming apparatus contains a photoreceptor; a charger configured to charge the photoreceptor with a charger contacting thereto; an irradiator configured to irradiate the photoreceptor to form an electrostatic latent image thereon; an image developer configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a toner image on the photoreceptor; a transferer configured to transfer the toner image onto a recording material directly or through an intermediate transferer; and a fixer configured to fix the toner image on the recording material, wherein the toner comprises: a binder resin; a colorant; a composition having a low softening point; and an external additive.

Abstract: An image forming method, including charging a photoreceptor with a charger contacting thereto; irradiating the photoreceptor to form an electrostatic latent image thereon; developing the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a toner image on the photoreceptor; transferring the toner image onto a recording material directly or through an intermediate transferer; and fixing the toner image on the recording material, wherein the toner includes a binder resin; a colorant; a composition having a low softening point; and an external additive, and wherein a surface resistivity Rse [?] of the charger and a volume resistivity Rsw [?·cm] of the composition having a low softening point satisfy the following relationship: 0.8×10?1Rse<Rvw<1.5×10Rse.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin, a colorant and a release agent, and an external additive including a first particulate inorganic material having a formula of MgxSiyOx+2y where each of x and y is an integer, and a number average secondary particle diameter of from 0.02 ?m to 2 ?m, wherein the first atomic ratio (Mg/Si)s in a surface portion of the first particulate inorganic material is not greater than (preferably less than) the second atomic ratio (Mg/Si)e in the entire first particulate inorganic material. Alternatively, a toner including toner particles including a binder resin and a colorant, and an external additive which includes a particulate inorganic material having a formula of MgxSiyOx+2y where each of x and y is an integer and which has a surface treated with a fatty acid.

Abstract: The present invention provides a developing device that allows for maintaining the conveyance amount of a toner within a certain definite range. A developing device 12 of the present invention is provided with a toner conveying unit 13 configured to convey a first toner and a controlling member 15 configured to control the thickness of a toner layer formed with the first toner conveyed by the toner conveying unit 13, wherein a second toner provided with a charged amount per unit mass that differs from a charged amount per unit mass of the first toner is applied over the surface of the controlling member 15.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin, and a colorant, and an external additive present on a surface of the toner particles, wherein the external additive includes a silica having an average primary particle diameter of from 100 to 500 nm and a BET specific surface area of from 800 to 1000 m2/g. An image forming method including forming an electrostatic image on an image bearing member; developing the electrostatic image with the toner to form a toner image; and transferring the toner image on to a receiving material. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member bearing an electrostatic image; a developing device developing an electrostatic image with the toner to form a toner image on the image bearing member; a transfer device transferring the toner image to a receiving material; and a fixing device fixing the toner image on the receiving material.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic supporter, a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer on which magnetic paints made of different ferromagnetic materials are applied in order of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer on the non-magnetic supporter. Both the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer include polyester polyol having an alicyclic framework and a polyurethane resin composed of diisocyanate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a toner having: a toner mother particle; a first external additive including a first inorganic fine particle having a primary particle size distribution of 200 to 750 nm and a work function approximately equivalent to that of the toner mother particle; a second external additive including a second inorganic fine particle having an mean particle size smaller than that of the first inorganic fine particle and a work function smaller than that of the toner particle, a stirring member of a developing device and/or an inner wall of the developing device; and 0.01% to 0.3% by weight of a metal soap having a work function approximately equivalent to that of the toner mother particle.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a nonmagnetic one-component toner containing a colorant, and a binder resin, wherein metal oxide fine particles are fixed on a toner surface with an adhesion strength of 95% to 99%, the toner has a direct current resistance of 1E7 ?·cm to 1E9 ?·cm, and an electrostatic capacity of 1.0E-12F to 1.5E-11F.

Abstract: A pedaling aid is combined with an acoustic piano, and assists a physically handicapped person in performing a piece of music on the acoustic piano; the pedaling aid includes a human interface, a pedal actuator and a controller, and the pedal actuator is equipped with a locator and a coupling device; a user moves the pedal actuator in the vicinity of the acoustic piano, and couples the pedal actuator to the acoustic piano at a proper position with the assistance of the locator and coupling device; while the physically handicapped person is fingering on the acoustic piano, the human interface is kept around the head so that the physically handicapped person manipulates the human interface with the chin, mouth, teeth or tongue; since the human interface produces a signal representative of a target position, the controller makes the pedal actuator to move the pedal to the target position.

Abstract: A toner for developing a latent electrostatic image produced by suspension polymerizing a polymerizable monomer composition in an aqueous dispersion medium, wherein the polymerizable monomer composition contains a polymerizable monomer, a colorant, and a layered inorganic mineral in which at least a part of an interlayer ion is replaced with an organic ion, and a process cartridge and an image forming method using the toner.

Abstract: A toner including particles including a toner composition including a binder resin and a coloring material, wherein the toner composition includes a laminate compound A in which a cation between layers is modified by an organic cation, and a laminate compound B in which an anion between layers is modified by an organic anion, the laminate compound A is of negative charging property upon particulation of the laminate compound A by dispersion or internal addition in the binder resin and the laminate compound B is of positive charging property upon particulation of the laminate compound B by dispersion or internal addition in the binder resin, and the toner is of a positive charging property.

Abstract: An image forming method, including recharging untransferred toner remaining on a latent electrostatic image bearing member by using a recharging member to remove the untransferred toner from the latent electrostatic image bearing member, wherein the recharging member is a conductive member a surface of which has a contact angle of 108° or more with pure water and a Shore D hardness of 50 to 65; the coverage of the surface of the toner by an external additive is 150% or less; and a releasing agent peak ratio obtained by ATR method is 0.02 to 0.1.

Abstract: A toner including a fluorine-containing compound partially comprising a quaternary ammonium group at the surface thereof, which is prepared by a method, including dispersing or emulsifying an oil phase including toner constituents including a pigment, and at least one member selected from the group consisting of modified layered inorganic minerals partially including a quaternary alkylammonium group and toner constituent precursors in an aqueous medium, wherein the toner constituents includes the modified layered inorganic mineral in an amount of from 0.05 to 2% by weight and the toner includes a fluorine atom in an amount of from 0.02 to 0.075 K cps when measured with a fluorescent X-ray.

Abstract: A latent electrostatic image developing toner of the present invention is mainly composed of two or more binder resins, a colorant, a releasing agent and a layered compound. A first binder resin of the binder resins is a polyester resin with an acid value of 15 KOHmg/g or less. The layered compound is a compound in which at least some interlayer ions are modified by organic ions. Toner particles are prepared by granulation in an aqueous medium, and the layered compounds are localized in the surface of the particles by the pelletization in the granulation. The average circularity of the particles is 0.970 or more.

Abstract: A toner including a binder resin including a polyester resin and a vinyl resin; a wax; and a colorant, wherein the vinyl resin includes a unit obtained from a radically polymerizable monomer having an alkyloxysilyl group. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic image thereon; a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic image with a developer including the toner to form a toner image on the image bearing member; and a transfer device configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material. A process cartridge including an image bearing member; and a developing device configured to develop an electrostatic image on the image bearing member with a developer including the toner, wherein the process cartridge is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus as a unit.

Abstract: A toner including a coloring material, a binder resin and an external additive, wherein a tensile strength A of a toner agglomeration body compressed at a compression force of 1.1 kgf/cm2 is from 10 to 25 gf/cm2 and a tensile strength B of a toner agglomeration body compressed at a compression force of 8 kgf/cm2 is from 25 to 45 gf/cm2 and the tensile strength A and the tensile strength B satisfy the following relationship: (Tensile strength B)?(Tensile strength A)?25 gf/m2.

Abstract: The present invention provides a toner having: a toner mother particle; a first external additive including a first inorganic fine particle having a primary particle size distribution of 200 to 750 nm and a work function approximately equivalent to that of the toner mother particle; a second external additive including a second inorganic fine particle having an mean particle size smaller than that of the first inorganic fine particle and a work function smaller than that of the toner particle, a stirring member of a developing device and/or an inner wall of the developing device; and 0.01% to 0.3% by weight of a metal soap having a work function approximately equivalent to that of the toner mother particle.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic supporter, a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer on which magnetic paints made of different ferromagnetic materials are applied in order of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer on the non-magnetic supporter. Both the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer include polyester polyol having an alicyclic framework and a polyurethane resin composed of diisocyanate.