Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus including a control portion is configured to execute: a first mode in which the control portion causes a bundle forming portion to form a bundle of sheets including a sheet supported by a first placement portion and a sheet placed on a second placement portion; and a second mode in which a downstream end portion of a bundle of sheets formed in the second mode is positioned upstream of a downstream end portion of a bundle of sheets to be formed in the first mode, and wherein the control portion sets a maximum number of sheets constituting a bundle of sheets which the control portion causes the bundle forming portion to form in the second mode to be smaller than a maximum number of sheets constituting a bundle of sheets which the control portion causes the bundle forming portion to form in the first mode.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet processing apparatus, including: a placement portion to which a sheet conveyed by a conveyance portion in a conveyance direction is placed; a processing portion configured to perform predetermined processing on a sheet placed on the placement portion, and to be movable in a predetermined moving range; and a control portion configured to control the processing portion to position, at a timing at which a sheet conveyed by the conveyance portion passes through the moving range, from a first position of preventing from interfering with the sheet to a second position of performing the predetermined processing on a preceding sheet having been conveyed by the conveyance portion and placed on the placement portion before the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus, including: a movable stack portion on which sheets are to be stacked; a detection portion configured to detect whether or not a topmost sheet of sheets stacked on the stack portion is positioned at a predetermined position; and a control portion configured to position the topmost sheet at the predetermined position based on a detection result of the detection portion, wherein in a case where the control portion moves the stack portion at a first speed so that a topmost sheet on the stack portion deviates from the predetermined position, the control portion moves the stack portion at a second speed lower than the first speed to position the topmost sheet at the predetermined position.

Abstract: An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a soft capsule that is enteric and excellent in formulation properties. An enteric soft capsule is manufactured by the following steps (a) and (b): (a) preparing an enteric capsule shell liquid comprising gelatin and low methoxyl pectin having a degree of amidation of 5 to 25%, and (b) encapsulating capsule fills using the enteric capsule shell liquid prepared in the step (a) by stamping. Preferably, the jelly strength of the gelatin is 160 to 300 Bloom, the degree of esterification of the low methoxy pectin is 20 to 40%, and the enteric capsule shell liquid comprises 30 to 35 parts by mass of the low methoxy pectin per 100 parts by mass of the gelatin.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes: a blade having plural layers formed with elastic materials having different degrees of hardness from each other, an edge line portion of the blade being brought into contact with a surface of a cleaning target performing surface movement to remove adhering matter from the surface of the cleaning target. A cleaning layer of the plural layers including the edge line portion is impregnated with a resin or is made of an elastic material having a high degree of hardness. A permanent elongation rate of the entire blade is set at 3.0% or lower.

Abstract: An elastic blade includes a contact edge to contact a contact object, an edge region including the contact edge, and a backup region different in at least one of material and physical property from the edge region and adjacent to the edge region on a cross section perpendicular to a direction in which the contact edge extends. The backup region is free of direct contact with the contact object. In the elastic blade, a converted elastic power X is from 57% to 90% and defined as X = S A S A + S B × e A + S B S A + S B × e B , where SA and SB represent cross-sectional areas of the edge region and the backup region on the cross section, eA and eB represent elastic powers of the edge region and the backup region, and t represents a thickness of the edge region in a direction perpendicular to the longer of two sides of the edge region on the cross section.

Abstract: An elastic blade may include an edge layer and at least one backup layer laminated on the edge layer. The edge layer may include a contact edge to contact a contact object and an opposing face to oppose the contact object, and the backup layer may be greater in elastic power than the edge layer.

Abstract: An elastic blade includes a contact edge to contact a contact object, an edge region including the contact edge and having a thickness smaller than or equal to 0.50 mm, and a backup region different in material or property from the edge region. The backup region is adjacent to the edge region on a cross section perpendicular to a direction in which the contact edge extends. The elastic blade has a converted Martens hardness X (N/mm2) in a range of from 0.9 to 2.9. The converted Martens hardness is defined as: X = S A S A + S B × h A + S B S A + S B × h B where SA represents a cross-sectional area (mm2) of the edge region, SB represents a cross-sectional area (mm2) of the backup region, hA represents a Martens hardness (N/mm2) of the edge region, hB represents a Martens hardness (N/mm2) of the backup region, and t represents the thickness (mm) of the edge region including the contact edge.

Abstract: An elastic blade includes an edge layer and at least one backup layer laminated on the edge layer. The edge layer includes a contact edge to contact a contact object and an opposing face to oppose the contact object, and the backup layer is greater in elastic power than the edge layer.

Abstract: A photoconductor cleaning device includes a photoconductor, a cleaner, and a roller. The cleaner is disposed in contact with the photoconductor to remove adhered substances on a surface of the photoconductor. The charger charges the photoconductor. The roller is disposed between the cleaner and the charger to remove adhered substances on the surface of the photoconductor.

Abstract: Disclosed is a rectangular battery in which an electrode group formed by winding a first electrode and a second electrode with a separator interposed therebetween is housed in a battery case having an opening sealed by a sealing plate. The first electrode is electrically connected to the sealing plate, and the second electrode is electrically connected to a current collector plate provided between the sealing plate and the electrode group and extending along a longer side direction of the sealing plate. The sealing plate has a lower-strength portion configured to be deformed prior to the other portions of the sealing plate to provide a contact between the sealing plate and the current collector plate when the sealing plate receives an external pressure along the longer side direction of the sealing plate.

Abstract: A multilayered blade made of an elastic material includes an edge layer, having a contact edge to contact an object, and at least one backup layer laminated on the edge layer. The blade has a converted loss tangent tan ? of 0.23 or greater and 0.51 or smaller in a temperature range of from 0° C. to 50° C. The converted loss tangent tan ? is defined as: X = A A + B × L 1 + B A + B × L 2 , where X represents the converted loss tangent tan ?, A represents a thickness in millimeters of the edge layer, B represents a thickness in millimeters of the at least one backup layer, L1 represents a variation of a loss tangent tan ? of the edge layer in the temperature range of from 0° C. to 50° C., and L2 represents a variation of a loss tangent tan ? of the at least one backup layer in the temperature range of from 0° C. to 50° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes an image carrier; a power supply; a charging member, to which the power supply applies a direct current (DC) charging voltage, to charge a surface of the image carrier; and a controller. The controller causes the power supply to apply, to the charging member, the DC charging voltage of a sum of a reference voltage VC and a correction amount ?, so that a charged potential VD of the surface of the image carrier assumes a target value that is substantially equal to the reference voltage VC; and to increase an absolute value of the correction amount ? to be added to the reference voltage VC in inverse proportion to an absolute value of the reference voltage VC, when the absolute value of the reference voltage VC is smaller compared to a case in which the absolute value of the reference voltage VC is greater.

Abstract: Provided are a plant-derived soft capsule shell having a high shell sheet strength, a good adhesive property, and excellent shell performance, and a soft capsule. The soft capsule shell comprises: (A) iota carrageenan; and (B) a starch dispersion obtained by ultrasonically treating a starch paste solution.

Abstract: A charging roller to apply voltage to a target to charge the target has a surface having a color set in one of a range according to CIE L*a*b* color space and a range according to CIE XYZ color space, and the range according to CIE L*a*b* color space is defined as 32.6?L*?50.9, 0.51?a*?1.12, and 6.0?b*?8.4; and the range according to CIE XYZ color space is defined as 8.8?X?21.0, 9.1?Y?21.3, and 5.7?Z?11.8.

Abstract: An elastic blade includes an edge layer and at least one backup layer laminated on the edge layer. The edge layer includes a contact edge to contact a contact object and an opposing face to oppose the contact object, and the backup layer is greater in elastic power than the edge layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearer, a charging member to contact a surface of the image bearer and charge the image bearer, an exposure device to expose the image bearer and form a latent image, a developing device to develop the latent image on the image bearer into a toner image, a transfer device to transfer the toner image from the image bearer onto a transfer medium, and a cleaning blade to contact the surface of the image bearer and remove toner from the image bearer after image transfer. The charging member has surface unevenness created by projections and recesses extending in a direction of rotation of the image bearer. The cleaning blade is configured to abrade projections formed on the surface of the image bearer.

Abstract: A blade includes an elastic member including a tip ridgeline to contact the surface of a member to contact. The tip ridgeline includes an impregnation layer impregnated with a cured compound comprising an acrylate or methacrylate compound having an alicyclic structure including 6 or more carbon atoms in its molecule, and has an elastic power in the range of 50% to 80%.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes an image carrier; a power supply; a charging member, to which the power supply applies a direct current (DC) charging voltage, to charge a surface of the image carrier; and a controller. The controller causes the power supply to apply, to the charging member, the DC charging voltage of a sum of a reference voltage VC and a correction amount ?, so that a charged potential VD of the surface of the image carrier assumes a target value that is substantially equal to the reference voltage VC; and to increase an absolute value of the correction amount ? to be added to the reference voltage VC in inverse proportion to an absolute value of the reference voltage VC, when the absolute value of the reference voltage VC is smaller compared to a case in which the absolute value of the reference voltage VC is greater.

Abstract: Each execution computer measures a load on each execution computer, generates a job request including information about the number of executable divided jobs based on the measured load, and sends the generated job request to a management computer which manages each execution computer. The management computer receives the job request and assigns as many divided jobs as the number of divided jobs designated by the job request to each execution computer.