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: 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: A cleaning blade includes a blade member formed of a strip-shaped rubber material and having a leading-edge ridge line portion to contact a moving surface of a cleaning target member and remove adhering matter from the surface of the cleaning target member. The blade member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or more in a vicinity of the leading-edge ridge line portion measured from an opposing surface of the blade member, the opposing surface including the leading-edge ridge line portion and opposing the cleaning target member, or measured from a leading-edge surface of the blade member, the leading-edge surface including the leading-edge ridge line portion and disposed adjacent to the opposing surface of the blade member.

Abstract: A cleaner is provided. The cleaner includes a cleaning blade having an edge to be contacted with a surface of a member to be cleaned while moving relative to the member to clean the surface of the member. The cleaning blade includes the edge, and first and second side surfaces, wherein the edge is disposed between the first and second side surfaces. When the cleaning blade is not contacted with the surface of the member to be cleaned, the first side surface is opposed to the surface of the member, and when the cleaning blade is contacted with the surface of the member, the edge, and the first and second side surfaces of the cleaning blade are contacted with the surface of the member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms a color image, and includes an endless intermediate transfer belt which rotates and carries a toner image and plural image forming units for plural colors arranged in tandem along the intermediate transfer belt. Each of the image forming units includes an image carrier which rotates and carries a latent image, a charging device which charges the image carrier, a development device which develops the latent image into a toner image, and a cleaning device which cleans the image carrier after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt. The charging device of the extreme upstream image forming unit in the belt direction of rotation is a non-contact charging device not in contact with the image carrier. The extreme downstream image forming unit in the belt direction or rotation includes a lubricant application device which applies a lubricant to the image carrier.

Abstract: A connector to electrically connect a rotary body having a shaft, the connector includes a connecting terminal, electrically connected to either a power supply or ground, to contact the shaft of the rotary body either at least two points or along a line; and a posture adjuster to hold the connecting terminal to adjust the posture of one of the connecting terminal and the rotary body to maintain contact between the connecting terminal and the shaft of the rotary body.

Abstract: A mobile communication device is provided in a mobile object, and is capable of providing turn collision prevention support, so as to prevent a collision with another mobile object at a risk of collision when the mobile object turns. The mobile communication device includes: a communication unit for receiving information that includes information indicating a signal indication of a traffic signal; and a control unit for determining a notification mode to provide a predetermined notification to draw an attention via a notification unit when turning. The control unit determines the notification mode regardless of whether or not the another mobile object is present when the signal indication of the traffic signal for the traveling direction of the mobile object is an advance-prohibited signal indication with turning-permitted signal indication. Thus the device achieves smooth traffic and preventing excessive support through turn collision prevention support depending on a signal indication.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a blade member formed of a strip-shaped rubber material and having a leading-edge ridge line portion to contact a moving surface of a cleaning target member and remove adhering matter from the surface of the cleaning target member. The blade member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or more in a vicinity of the leading-edge ridge line portion measured from an opposing surface of the blade member, the opposing surface including the leading-edge ridge line portion and opposing the cleaning target member, or measured from a leading-edge surface of the blade member, the leading-edge surface including the leading-edge ridge line portion and disposed adjacent to the opposing surface of the blade member.

Abstract: A disclosed image forming apparatus forms a toner image on a surface of a surface moving image bearing body and eventually transfers and fixes the toner image onto a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium and removes, by a cleaning apparatus, an adhered matter which is adhered to the surface of the image bearing body after the transferring. In the image forming apparatus, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of a toner is 40-60° C., and the cleaning apparatus causes a tip ridgeline portion of a blade member to be abutted against the surface of the image bearing body to remove the adhered matter from the surface of the image bearing body, and the tip ridgeline portion of the blade member is made of elastic rubber whose 100% modulus value at 23° C. is at least 6 MPa.

Abstract: A cleaning device cleaning a moving surface of a cleaning target includes a laminate-structured blade member including multiple layers made of materials different in permanent set value, a holding member to hold a proximal end of the laminate-structured blade member, and a plurality of slits. An edge layer of the multiple layers is formed of a material higher in permanent set value than any other one of the materials of the multiple layers and includes a distal-end edge portion corresponding to a leading end ridgeline portion contacting the cleaning target. The plurality of slits are formed over an area of a surface of the edge layer ranging from the proximal end of the blade member where the holding member holds the blade member toward the distal-end edge portion and extend in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the surface of the cleaning target.

Abstract: A cleaner is provided. The cleaner includes a cleaning blade having an edge to be contacted with a surface of a member to be cleaned while moving relative to the member to clean the surface of the member. The cleaning blade includes the edge, and first and second side surfaces, wherein the edge is disposed between the first and second side surfaces. When the cleaning blade is not contacted with the surface of the member to be cleaned, the first side surface is opposed to the surface of the member, and when the cleaning blade is contacted with the surface of the member, the edge, and the first and second side surfaces of the cleaning blade are contacted with the surface of the member.

Abstract: Specifically, a service menu is set for each user ID to determine an information distribution range/distribution amount according to the service menu. Finally, “vendor lock-in” of an infrastructure (hardware, software) is a typical alternative to be adopted to provide high-quality service at low cost. Pieces of information obtained for each product are temporarily collected, are categorized at the same level into pieces of information for respective purposes (screens), and then are provided for users. This achieves proper capacity planning.

Abstract: In an image forming device, an image formation unit operated in a monochrome mode includes a lubricant applying unit and a charging device to supply a DC voltage superimposed with an AC voltage to an image carrier, and each of image formation units operated only in a color mode includes a charging device to supply a DC voltage to an image carrier, and one of the image formation units arranged on a downstream side of the image formation unit operated in the monochrome mode in a moving direction of an intermediate transfer member includes a cleaning device having a blade member in which a proximal edge portion contacts the image carrier to remove residual toner from the image carrier, and the proximal edge portion is made of an elastic rubber having a 100% modulus value of 6 MPa or greater at 23° C.

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: 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 cleaning device includes a laminated blade member including multiple layers made of materials different in permanent set value and a holding member to hold the blade member. The multiple layers include an edge layer formed of a material higher in permanent set value among the materials and a backing layer disposed against a distal surface of the edge layer. The laminated blade member includes a leading edge where an edge portion of the edge layer contacting a cleaning target is located and a trailing edge where the holding member supports the blade member. A ratio of a thickness of the edge layer to a thickness of the backing layer at the trailing end of the blade member is smaller than a ratio thereof at the leading edge of the blade member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms a color image, and includes an endless intermediate transfer belt which rotates and carries a toner image and plural image forming units for plural colors arranged in tandem along the intermediate transfer belt. Each of the image forming units includes an image carrier which rotates and carries a latent image, a charging device which charges the image carrier, a development device which develops the latent image into a toner image, and a cleaning device which cleans the image carrier after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt. The charging device of the extreme upstream image forming unit in the belt direction of rotation is a non-contact charging device not in contact with the image carrier. The extreme downstream image forming unit in the belt direction or rotation includes a lubricant application device which applies a lubricant to the image carrier.

Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning a moving surface of a cleaning target includes a laminated blade member including multiple layers including a proximal edge layer, each of the multiple layers made of materials different in permanent set value and a holding member to hold a distal end of the blade member. A proximal edge portion of the blade member at a free, leading end opposite the distal end of the blade member held by the holding member brought into contact with the surface of the cleaning target to clean the surface undergoes a linear pressure reduction rate of approximately 90% or higher.

Abstract: A computer system and method which stores path definition information including a storage ID, a volume ID, and validities of paths between a host computer and a first or second storage system identified by the storage ID for accessing a volume identified by the volume ID in one of the storage systems, sends an I/O request via the paths, based on the path definition information, receives information indicating the storage and volume IDs, and updates the path definition information. During initial copying from the second to the first volume, validity corresponding to a first path is set to “Invalid” and validity corresponding to a second path is set to “Valid”. After completion of initial copying, the validity corresponding to the first path included in the path definition information is changed to “Valid.