Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: an image forming portion to form an image on a sheet; a fixing device to fix the image to the sheet by heating; a conveying path switching member to switch a conveying direction of the sheet, which is provided on downstream of the fixing device in a sheet conveying direction; a first conveying path which has a first curved portion and is provided on downstream of the conveying path switching member; a second conveying path which has a second curved portion and is provided on downstream of the conveying path switching member; a curl applying member which is provided on downstream of the fixing device, and on upstream of the first and second curved portions; and a control unit to control driving of the conveying path switching member and of the curl applying member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image forming section for forming a toner image on a transfer sheet; a fixing section for fixing the toner image on the transfer sheet; a sheet ejection section for ejecting the sheet on which the toner image has been fixed; and a sheet guide section, including a first guide member and a second guide member both of which are paired for guiding the sheet from the fixing section to the sheet ejection section; wherein a heat radiation characteristic of the first guide member is greater than that of the second guide member.

Abstract: A power transmission device includes a driving gear having gears over an entire circumferential surface thereof, a follower gear including an intermittent gear having a toothless portion, and a controller for controlling the follower gear to be engaged with or disengaged from the driving gear. Each of the driving gear and the follower gear is a helical gear.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus having a manual feeding tray on which transfer sheet is placed and an image forming device to form images on the transfer sheet fed from the manual feeding tray, wherein the image forming apparatus has a storage section to store the sheet feeding tray with transfer sheet thereon and the manual feeding tray has a supporting member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: an image forming portion to form an image on a sheet; a fixing device to fix the image to the sheet by heating; a conveying path switching member to switch a conveying direction of the sheet, which is provided on downstream of the fixing device in a sheet conveying direction; a first conveying path which has a first curved portion and is provided on downstream of the conveying path switching member; a second conveying path which has a second curved portion and is provided on downstream of the conveying path switching member; a curl applying member which is provided on downstream of the fixing device, and on upstream of the first and second curved portions; and a control unit to control driving of the conveying path switching member and of the curl applying member.

Abstract: A fixing device utilized in an image forming apparatus for fixing an image on a recording sheet comprises a heating member including a heating device, a pressure roller which presses the recording sheet to the heating member, a temperature sensor for detecting the heating member and an entry preventing member provided in an upstream side of the temperature sensor for preventing recording sheet from entering into a place where the temperature sensor is attached.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus having a manual feeding tray on which transfer sheet is placed and an image forming device to form images on the transfer sheet fed from the manual feeding tray, wherein the image forming apparatus has a storage section to store the sheet feeding tray with transfer sheet thereon and the manual feeding tray has a supporting member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image forming section for forming a toner image on a transfer sheet; a fixing section for fixing the toner image on the transfer sheet; a sheet ejection section for ejecting the sheet on which the toner image has been fixed; and a sheet guide section, including a first guide member and a second guide member both of which are paired for guiding the sheet from the fixing section to the sheet ejection section; wherein a heat radiation characteristic of the first guide member is greater than that of the second guide member.

Abstract: A recording medium feed device includes: a recording medium feed tray installable to and removable from a main body of the recording medium feed device; a send-out member to send out a recording medium loaded in the recording medium feed tray, the send-out member being in contact with a top face of the recording medium while applying pressure thereto at a time of installing the recording medium feed tray; and a withdrawing mechanism to withdraw the send-out member from the top face of the recording medium in the recording medium feed tray at a time of removing the recording medium feed tray.

Abstract: A power transmission device includes a driving gear having gears over an entire circumferential surface thereof, a follower gear including an intermittent gear having a toothless portion, and a controller for controlling the follower gear to be engaged with or disengaged from the driving gear. Each of the driving gear and the follower gear is a helical gear.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of coupling a sheet metal member and a synthetic resin plate member to each other, and a structure coupled by this coupling method. This coupling method includes the steps of forming a plurality of burring holes in the sheet metal member, which is to be coupled to a synthetic resin plate member having a plurality of prepared holes for self tapping screw insertion, by subjecting the sheet metal member to a burring process from the side of its coupling surface, positioning the coupling surface of the sheet metal member on the synthetic resin plate member such that the plurality of burring holes correspond to the plurality of prepared holes, respectively, and screwing self tapping screws in the plurality of burring holes and the plurality of prepared holes from the burring portion side.

Abstract: The present invention provides monoclonal antibodies suitable for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by an immunoasay, hybridoma cell lines producing said antibodies, and an immunoassay for analyzing PAHs in a sample using said monoclonal antibodies. In addition, the present invention provides PAH conjugates useful as an immunogen in preparing said antibodies and as a standard substance in a competitive assay.

Abstract: Monoclonal antibodies having a high affinity for human calcitonin, particularly monoclonal antibodies suitable for a sandwich immunoassay are disclosed. Also disclosed are hybridomas producing said monoclonal antibodies and a sandwich immunoassay utilizing said antibodies for determining human calcitonin in blood.

Abstract: A universal sheet cassette includes a sheet stacking body, plural stopping sections predetermined at different positions in the sheet stacking body in accordance with plural different sheet sizes, a trailing end stopper adapted to be detachably attached to one of the plural stopping sections in accordance with the sheet size to be accommodated, and a sheet size detecting member having a projecting section. When the universal cassette is dismounted from a predetermined position of an apparatus body, the projecting section is spaced far from the trailing end stopper, and when the universal cassette is mounted at the predetermined position of the apparatus body, the projecting section is adapted to come in contact with or in non-contact with the trailing end stopper in accordance with the attached position of the trailing end stopper.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance device for conveying a recording sheet in use with a coping machine. The sheet conveyance device includes a photoreceptor, having a moving surface, for holding a toner image; a photoreceptor driver for driving the moving surface of the photoreceptor at a first linear speed; an image forming device, including a latent image writer and a developer of the latent image with toner, for forming the toner image on the moving surface; a transferor for transferring the toner image from the moving surface onto the recording sheet at a transfer processing section; an intermediate conveyance device for conveying the recording sheet from the transfer processing section to a conveyance unit; and the conveyance unit, having a unit body, for conveying the recording sheet from the intermediate conveyance device to outside of the coping machine.

Abstract: A method for preparing aminoacyl- and misaminoacyl-tRNAs utilizing a specific aminoacyl-tRNA hydrolase is provided. According to the present method, aminoacyl-tRNAs consisting of a tRNA and a corresponding amino acid, or misaminoacyl-tRNAs consisting of a tRNA and a non-corresponding amino acid or an amino acid derivative, can be prepared. In a specific embodiment, L-tyrosyl-tRNA.sup.Tyr is prepared using aminoacyl-tRNA hydrolase from Fusarium culmorum or Artemia salina. In another embodiment a misacylated tRNA, L-phenylalanyl-tRNA.sup.Tyr, is prepared using the aminoacyl-tRNA hydrolase.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer for forming an image of a document on a recording paper. The image forming apparatus includes a paper feed tray for holding the recording paper; a conveyance unit for conveying the recording paper from the paper feed tray; a image forming section for forming a toner image of the document onto the recording paper; a fixing unit for fixing the toner image on the recording paper; a detector for detecting a paper jam between the units, and for generating a detection signal; a locking member with a solenoid for locking one of the units in another; a controller for controlling the locking member according to the detection signal so that both of the units are resisted from being removed separately when the paper jam occurs between the units.

Abstract: A sorter provided with a stapler for use with an image forming apparatus, in which there are provided a plurality of bins each for accommodating various widths of recording sheets delivered from the image forming apparatus, the center of the sheets being positioned in the center of the bins. An aligner aligns the accommodated sheets by pushing the sides of the sheets toward a reference stop wall on each of the bins, and a casing to house the bins is integrated into a unit. The casing is movable in a direction at right angles to a feeding direction of the sheets, and is moved to correspond with the width of the sheets. The home position of the casing is set to a position where the minimum width of sheets are accommodated.

Abstract: The invention provides a sorting apparatus equipped with a stapler in which a plurality of plate-shaped bins for stacking sheets thereon are attached in tandem at regular intervals to a fixed shaft so that each of said bins rotates around the shaft between a sorting position to stack sheets and a stapling position to provide the stacked sheet to the stapler.

Abstract: A sheet sorting machine for sorting plural sheets to plural groups and stapling the sheets by the group. The sheet sorting machine has a sorting assembly to convey the sheets to the plural bins by the group; a positioning member to true up the sheets to a setting position in each of the bins; a member to fix the sheets in the bins; oscillator to move the bins, holding the sheets at the setting position in the bins, to a stapling position; and stapler to staple the sheets at the stapling position; in which the fixing member fixes the sheets before the oscillator sets the sheets to the stapling position.