Abstract: A toner having high mechanical strength and being capable of exhibiting a sufficient fixing property in a wide temperature range is provided. Further, a fixing device and an image forming apparatus in which such a toner can be suitably used are also provided. The toner is composed of a material containing a resin as a main component and rutile-anatase type titanium oxide. The resin is mainly composed of polyester-based resin. The polyester-based resin includes block polyester mainly composed of a block copolymer, and amorphous polyester having crystallinity lower than that of the block polyester. The block polyester has a crystalline block obtained by the condensation of a diol component with a dicarboxylic acid component, and an amorphous block having crystallinity lower than that of the crystalline block. The compounding ratio between the block polyester and the amorphous polyester is in the range of 5:95 to 45:55 in weight ratio.

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: In a ring network, a sending host and a receiving node performing multi-cast communication share entry information indicating the node related to the he multi-cast communication. Moreover, the sending node and the receiving node broadcast the entry information on the ring network and share topology information related to a positional relationship on the ring network. Moreover, the sending node references the entry information and the topology information so as to determine the sending direction of the information to be multicast and transmits the information by multicast in the transmission direction. Furthermore, the aforementioned receiving node discards the information when no other receiving node receiving the information in present in the transmission direction.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed including a backbone network, a moving vehicle further including a vehicle selection unit, an array of base stations connected to the backbone network, and a station selection unit provided to the array of base stations. The moving vehicle transmits upstream data to the array of base stations using an upstream signal frequency uniquely allocated to the moving vehicle, the upstream data being addressed to the backbone network. The station selection unit, if the upstream data is received redundantly, discards the redundantly-received upstream data, and transfers the upstream data to the backbone network. The array of base stations transmits downstream data received from the backbone network to the moving vehicle using a downstream signal frequency common to the array of base stations. The vehicle selection unit selects the downstream data addressed to the moving vehicle.

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 toner having high mechanical strength and being capable of exhibiting a sufficient fixing property in a wide temperature range is provided. Further, a fixing device and an image forming apparatus in which such a toner can be suitably used are also provided. The toner is composed of a material containing a resin as a main component and rutile-anatase type titanium oxide. The resin is mainly composed of polyester-based resin. The polyester-based resin includes block polyester mainly composed of a block copolymer, and amorphous polyester having crystallinity lower than that of the block polyester. The block polyester has a crystalline block obtained by the condensation of a diol component with a dicarboxylic acid component, and an amorphous block having crystallinity lower than that of the crystalline block. The compounding ratio between the block polyester and the amorphous polyester is in the range of 5:95 to 45:55 in weight ratio.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a friction drive conveyor including carriers 1, which can be propelled along a track by frictional wheels 30 fitted along the track. Each frictional wheel 30 can be driven by a brakeless motor 29. A sensor 32 senses whether each frictional wheel 30 is in contact with any one frictional surface 15 of the carriers 1. The track includes a section along which the frictional wheels 30 are supported at regular intervals equal to or slightly shorter than the total length L of the frictional surfaces 15 on each side of each carrier 1. On the basis of a signal output from each sensor 32, a controller 24 so controls the associated brakeless motor 29 as to start rotating the associated frictional wheel 30 in contact with any one frictional surface 15 when the forward next wheel 30 gets free of the frictional surfaces 15, and as to stop driving the frictional wheel 30 having got free of the frictional surfaces 15.

Abstract: A toner having high mechanical strength and being capable of exhibiting a sufficient fixing property in a wide temperature range is provided. Further, a fixing device and an image forming apparatus in which such a toner can be suitably used are provided. The toner contains polyester-based resin as a main resin component, and the acid value of the toner is 8.0 KOHmg/g or less. The polyester-based resin includes block polyester mainly composed of a block copolymer, and amorphous polyester having crystallinity lower than that of the block polyester. The block polyester has a crystalline block obtained by the condensation of a diol component with a dicarboxylic acid component and an amorphous block having crystallinity lower than that of the crystalline block.

Abstract: A toner having high mechanical strength and being capable of exhibiting a sufficient fixing property in a wide temperature range is provided. Further, a fixing device and an image forming apparatus in which such a toner can be suitably used are also provided. The toner contains polyester-based resin as a main resin component. The polyester-based resin includes block polyester mainly composed of a block copolymer, and amorphous polyester having crystallinity lower than that of the block polyester. The block polyester has a crystalline block obtained by the condensation of a diol component with a dicarboxylic acid component, and an amorphous block having crystallinity lower than that of the crystalline block. The compounding ratio between the block polyester and the amorphous polyester is in the range of 5:95 to 45:55 in weight ratio.

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: An internetworking system and method enabling efficient communication between networks that use different protocols. A network management station comprises a first connection setting unit, a downstream frame generator, and a frame communication unit. The first connection setting unit establishes a first connection over a network A to reach a gateway network element. The downstream frame generator produces a downstream frame containing identifiers of remote network elements. The frame communication unit sends out the downstream frame through the established first connection, and/or processes an upstream frame received through the same. The gateway network element serves as a mediation device, comprising a second connection setting unit and a frame mediation unit. The second connection setting unit establishes a second connection reaching the network elements, over networks B and C whose protocols are different from that of the network A.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing a toner comprising: a step of preparing a powder for production of the toner from a raw material containing a resin as a main component, a coloring agent, and a crystalline polyester having higher crystallinity than the resin as an accessory component, and a thermal conglobation step of conglobating the powder for production of the toner with heat. The invention also provides a method for producing a toner from a kneaded material obtained by kneading a raw material containing a resin and a coloring agent, wherein the resin comprises at least a first polyester resin and a second polyester resin different from the first polyester resin, and wherein when the coefficient of static friction of the first polyester resin is taken as &mgr;1, the coefficient of static friction of the second polyester resin as &mgr;2, the softening point of the first polyester resin as Ts1 (° C.) and the softening point of the second polyester resin as Ts2 (° C.

Abstract: In a wireless communications system, a base station unit covers a plurality of communications station units and downlink communication from the base station unit to the communications station unit and uplink communication from the communications station unit to the base station unit are performed wirelessly. In this system, each of the communications station units covered by the base station unit is assigned to one of a plurality of groups that perform receiving or sending in the same time band. Each group's communication time band is made different for downlink communication and for uplink communication. The downlink communication and uplink communication between the base station unit and plurality of communications station units is performed in time-division multiplexing regarding each of the plurality of groups to achieve a good assignment of groups.

Abstract: A current sharing control system of a power supply, wherein a plurality of switching power supplies are connected in parallel to feed DC power to an external load. Each switching power supply comprises an output current sensing circuit for obtaining a signal corresponding to the output current of the power supply; an ideal diode circuit comprising an anode coupled to receive a signal corresponding to the output current and a cathode coupled to receive a signal corresponding to the maximum output current of the plurality of parallel connected switching power supplies; an error amplifier for outputting an error signal representing difference between the anode and cathode potentials of the ideal diode circuit; and an output voltage regulator for adjusting the output voltage thereof to cancel the error signal.