Abstract: According to an ink replacement method in an ink-jet recording apparatus that includes a recording head having an ink ejection face in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are arranged, a sub-tank that temporarily stores the ink fed from an ink container, and an ink flow passage through which the ink circulates from the sub-tank via the recording head to the sub-tank, gas is inserted between first ink present in the ink flow passage and second ink newly supplied to the recording head via the ink flow passage to form a gas-liquid interface between the first and second ink and gas, and then the first ink is replaced with the second ink.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a pair of conveyance rollers, a conveyance member, and a cleaning unit. The image forming portion forms an image on a sheet. The pair of conveyance rollers conveys the sheet at a predetermined timing to an image formation position at which the image is formed by the image forming portion. The conveyance member conveys the sheet at the image formation position. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning member that is configured to come in contact with a target roller and the conveyance member, the target roller being one of the pair of conveyance rollers that comes in contact with the sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a sheet feed portion, a conveying portion, a control portion, a first sensor having the detection position at a first position in the sheet conveying passage, and a second sensor having the detection position at a second position downstream of the first position in the sheet conveying direction. The control portion performs first sensing to sense whether the sheet's rear end has passed the first position within a first time of the start of the feeding and second sensing to sense whether the sheet's rear end has passed the second position within a second time of the start of the feeding. Even if the control portion is unable to sense passage of the sheet's rear end in the first sensing, when it senses passage of the sheet's rear end in the second sensing, it makes the conveying portion continue feeding the sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a pair of conveyance rollers, a conveyance member, and a cleaning unit. The image forming portion forms an image on a sheet. The pair of conveyance rollers conveys the sheet at a predetermined timing to an image formation position at which the image is formed by the image forming portion. The conveyance member conveys the sheet at the image formation position. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning member that is configured to come in contact with a target roller and the conveyance member, the target roller being one of the pair of conveyance rollers that comes in contact with the sheet.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet conveying device capable of suppressing the recurrence of overlapped feeding in accordance with the detection of overlapped feeding. The sheet conveying device includes a paper-supply roller and a conveying roller. A sheet-detecting unit detects a leading edge position of a sheet. An overlapped-feeding-detecting unit detects overlapped-feeding of sheets. An overlapped-feeding-distance-calculating unit, based on detection results, calculates an overlapped-feeding distance in which sheets are overlapped. A conveyance-control unit causes the paper-supply roller to stop at a timing when a position separated a set length in a sheet-conveyance direction from a sheet trailing edge reaches the paper-supply roller. The conveyance-control unit, in a case where detection of overlapped feeding by the overlapped-feeding-detecting unit occurs a plurality of times, extends the set length based on the overlapped-feeding distance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a wireless communication portion, a transmission processing portion, a decoding processing portion, a change processing portion, and a retransmission processing portion. The wireless communication portion has a storage portion that stores member data regarding a replacement member. The transmission processing portion is configured to transmit a transmission request for transmitting the member data to the wireless communication portion. The decoding processing portion is configured to decode a response signal including the member data and transmitted from the wireless communication portion in response to the transmission request. The change processing portion is configured to change a decoding timing of the response signal when it has been determined that reception of the member data has failed. The retransmission processing portion is configured to retransmit the transmission request to the wireless communication portion after the decoding timing has been changed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a sheet feed portion, a conveying portion, a control portion, a first sensor having the detection position at a first position in the sheet conveying passage, and a second sensor having the detection position at a second position downstream of the first position in the sheet conveying direction. The control portion performs first sensing to sense whether the sheet's rear end has passed the first position within a first time of the start of the feeding and second sensing to sense whether the sheet's rear end has passed the second position within a second time of the start of the feeding, Even if the control portion is unable to sense passage of the sheet's rear end in the first sensing, when it senses passage of the sheet's rear end in the second sensing, it makes the conveying portion continue feeding the sheet.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet conveying device capable of suppressing the recurrence of overlapped feeding in accordance with the detection of overlapped feeding. The sheet conveying device includes a paper-supply roller and a conveying roller. A sheet-detecting unit detects a leading edge position of a sheet. An overlapped-feeding-detecting unit detects overlapped-feeding of sheets. An overlapped-feeding-distance-calculating unit, based on detection results, calculates an overlapped-feeding distance in which sheets are overlapped. A conveyance-control unit causes the paper-supply roller to stop at a timing when a position separated a set length in a sheet-conveyance direction from a sheet trailing edge reaches the paper-supply roller. The conveyance-control unit, in a case where detection of overlapped feeding by the overlapped-feeding-detecting unit occurs a plurality of times, extends the set length based on the overlapped-feeding distance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a wireless communication portion, a transmission processing portion, a decoding processing portion, a change processing portion, and a retransmission processing portion. The wireless communication portion has a storage portion that stores member data regarding a replacement member. The transmission processing portion is configured to transmit a transmission request for transmitting the member data to the wireless communication portion. The decoding processing portion is configured to decode a response signal including the member data and transmitted from the wireless communication portion in response to the transmission request. The change processing portion is configured to change a decoding timing of the response signal when it has been determined that reception of the member data has failed. The retransmission processing portion is configured to retransmit the transmission request to the wireless communication portion after the decoding timing has been changed.

Abstract: Liquefying alkaline amylases, each having residual activity not less than 70% when treated at pH 10 and 45° C. for 30 minutes in the presence of 1 to 100 mM of EDTA or EGTA, are described. Also described are detergents comprising these amylases. In comparison with conventional amylases for detergents, the liquefying alkaline amylases of this invention have a high chelating-agent resisting performance.

Abstract: Liquefying alkaline amylases, each having residual activity not less than 70% when treated at pH 10 and 45° C. for 30 minutes in the presence of 1 to 100 mM of EDTA or EGTA, are described. Also described are detergents comprising these amylases. In comparison with conventional amylases for detergents, the liquefying alkaline amylases of this invention have a high chelating-agent resisting performance.

Abstract: Described are liquefying alkaline amylases each having residual activity not less than 70% when treated at pH 10 and 45° C. for 30 minutes in the presence of 1 to 100 mM of EDTA or EGTA; and a detergent comprising the same. Compared with the conventional amylases for a detergent, they have high chelating-agent resisting performance.