Abstract: A cleaning member includes a shaft body and a spiral portion including a contact portion that is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft body, protrudes spirally, and comes into contact with a body to be cleaned with the rotation of the shaft body, steps that are formed on the contact portion and face a rotation direction of the shaft body and an end portion that is positioned on a side where the contact portion comes into contact with the body to be cleaned first in a width direction of the contact portion and of which the height from the shaft body is gradually reduced from the height of the contact portion so that the end portion does not come into contact with the body to be cleaned.

Abstract: To promote mixture of fluids on a plurality of stages, flow channels include a plurality of merging portions which penetrate from a top surface to a back surface of a substrate. An end of each of the sub channels is disposed so as to overlap the main channel at each of positions separated along the direction in which the main channel extends, and each of the merging portions communicates the main channels and the ends of the sub channels with each other, thereby changing a flow direction of the second fluid flowing through the sub channels to the thickness direction of the substrate, and merges the second fluid with the first fluid flowing through the main channels.

Abstract: A cleaning member for an image forming apparatus includes a core member, a foamed elastic layer in which two or more strip-shaped foamed elastic members connected together at one or both of longitudinal end portions are spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the core member from one end of the core member to the other end thereof, and an adhesive layer for bonding the core member and the foamed elastic layer together.

Abstract: Scissors (1) for an endoscope includes a treatment section (5) provided with a pair of scissor elements (10, 11) which are pivotably supported by a pivoting shaft (support pin (13)) and are pivotally displaced between an open position and a closed position; an operation wire (3) connected to the treatment section (5), and an operation section for displacing the scissor elements (10, 11) between the open position and the closed position by advancing and retracting the operation wire (3). A stopper (14) is provided to the treatment section (5). In the open position, the stopper (14) restricts the relative movement between the pair of scissor elements (10, 11) in the opening direction, and in the closed position, the stopper (14) restricts the relative movement between the pair of scissor elements (10, 11) in the closing direction, thereby to restrict excessive opening and closure of the scissor elements.

Abstract: A flow passage structure having a plurality of flow passageways therein includes a first junction portion for joining a first fluid introduced into a first inlet path and a second fluid introduced into a second inlet path, a first joined fluid flow passage through which a fluid made by joining both the fluids flows, a branch portion for dividing the fluid flowing in the first joined fluid flow passage into two fluids, a first branch path through which one of the two divided fluids flows, and a second branch path through which the other flows, wherein a corresponding diameter of the first branch path and a corresponding diameter of the second branch path in each of the passageways are smaller than a corresponding diameter of the first joined fluid flow passage in the passageway.

Abstract: The present invention provides a conjugated fiber suitable for use as a crimped fiber capable of producing an artificial leather having highly dense texture and good quality. The present invention also provides a base body for an artificial leather and an artificial leather produced by using such conjugated fiber. The conjugated fiber of the present invention includes a conjugated fiber comprising a readily soluble polyester component and a less readily soluble component, and the readily soluble polyester component comprises a copolymerized polyester having 5 to 10% by mole of 5-sodium sulfoisophthalate copolymerized therewith and the readily soluble polyester component contains a polyalkylene glycol. The polyalkylene glycol is in the form of streaks extending in longitudinal direction of the fiber in the longitudinal cross section of the conjugated fiber.

Abstract: An image forming system includes plural server devices, a transmission device, and an image forming device. The transmission device includes a first memory, a selection unit, and a transmission unit. The first memory stores priorities assigned to the server devices. The selection unit selects an available server device having the highest priority. The transmission unit transmits user identification information and associated image data to the selected server device. Each server device includes a storage location for storing the transmitted identification information and image data. The image forming device includes a second memory, an acquisition unit, and an image forming unit. The second memory stores server information. Upon receipt of user identification information, the acquisition unit acquires image data associated with the user identification information from the storage location in the server device identified by the server information.

Abstract: An image forming system includes plural image forming devices, a determining unit determining an image forming device in which image data corresponding to user information is stored among the plural image forming devices, a first storage unit storing the user information and device information in a correlated manner, a transmitting device in which the user information is preset, a transmitting unit transmitting image data corresponding to the preset user information to the determined image forming device with respect to the user information, a second storage unit storing the transmitted image data, a receiving unit receiving an input of the user information, a first acquiring unit acquiring image data from an image forming device correlated with the input user information, and an image forming unit forming an image acquired by the first acquiring unit.

Abstract: An image forming system including plural image forming devices, a first storage unit that stores user information and device information, a transmitting device that transmits image data to an image forming device, a second storage unit that stores the image data, a receiving unit that receives an input of the user information, a first acquiring unit that acquires image data from an image forming device, an image forming unit that forms an image corresponding to the image data, a recording unit that records a use history of the image forming device in the second storage unit, a specifying unit that specifies the image forming device and the user information based on the use history when a use frequency satisfies a predetermined condition, and an updating unit that updates the device information so that the specified image forming device and the specified user information are stored in a correlated manner.

Abstract: An image forming system includes a first storage unit that stores identification information and storage information with the identification information mapped to the storage information, the identification information identifying a user, the storage information indicating a storage location where image data corresponding to the identification information is stored, an identifying unit that, in response to the identification information input by the user, identifies the storage location indicated by the storage information stored on the first storage unit with the identification information mapped thereto, a retrieval unit that retrieves, from the storage location identified by the identifying unit, the image data corresponding to the identification information, and an image forming unit that forms an image responsive to the image data retrieved by the retrieval unit.

Abstract: A flow channel structure that includes a first inlet path for a first fluid, a second inlet path for a second fluid, a merging portion that merges, in the thickness direction of a substrate, the first fluid and the second fluid, a first merged fluid channel in which both fluids merged in the merging portion flow along a top surface of the substrate, a flow direction altering portion that causes the flow direction of the fluid flowing through the first merged fluid channel to change from the top surface side of the substrate towards the back surface side thereof, and a second merged fluid channel for changing the flow direction of this fluid to flow to the downstream side so that the fluid flowing from the first merged fluid channel through the flow direction altering portion flows along the back surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A linear heater is formed of an enamel wire composed of a heating wire and an enamel layer. The heating wire is made of a copper alloy containing silver, for example. The enamel layer is made of polyester imide (PEI), polyimide (PI) or polyamide imide (PAI), for example. The enamel layer is coated with an insulating coating layer. The insulating coating layer is made of fluororesin such as perfluoroalkoxy mixture (PFA), polyimide (PI), or polyamide imide (PAI). The linear heater is bonded to the lower surface of an upper toilet seat casing such that it is sandwiched between a metal foil and a metal foil made of aluminum, for example.

Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a transmission apparatus, a reception section that is provided in the image forming apparatus and receives a designation of the transmission apparatus, a first transmission section that is provided in the image forming apparatus and transmits apparatus information indicating the own apparatus to a transmission apparatus designated in the reception section, a first storage unit that is provided in the transmission apparatus and stores the apparatus information transmitted from the first transmission section, a second transmission section that is provided in the transmission apparatus and transmits image data to an image forming apparatus indicated by the apparatus information stored in the first storage section, and an image forming unit that is provided in the image forming apparatus and forms an image corresponding to the image data transmitted from the second transmission section.

Abstract: Provided is a method of mixing first and second liquids having mutual solubility inside a mixing flow channel formed by a micro flow channel. This method includes: causing the first and second liquids to be joined to each other inside the mixing flow channel; and forming a slug flow, in which mixing subject cells (60) formed by the joined liquid and insoluble fluid cells (63) formed by an insoluble fluid are alternately arranged, inside a flow channel at the downstream side of an insoluble fluid supply position in a manner such that the insoluble fluid having insolubility with respect to both mixing subject liquids is supplied to the joined liquid flowing through the flow channel in a direction intersecting the flow channel so that the joined liquid is divided with a gap therebetween, thereby mixing the first mixing subject liquid and the second mixing subject liquid contained in each mixing subject cell inside the downstream flow channel.

Abstract: There is provided an optical module in which leaked light or the like from a plurality of optical elements on the same substrate is made less likely to affect adjacent optical elements, and a cross-talk noise can be thereby significantly reduced. The optical module includes an internal waveguide in a first trench of a substrate, a mirror section, and optical elements. A plurality of the first trenches of the substrate are formed independently of each other and substantially in parallel with each other, and lengths of adjacent first trenches from the end surface of the substrate are made different from each other. The optical elements are mounted on the surface of the substrate so as to oppose the minor sections formed at the tip portions of the first trenches having the different lengths.

Abstract: A cleaning member includes a shaft body and a spiral portion including a contact portion that is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft body, protrudes spirally, and comes into contact with a body to be cleaned with the rotation of the shaft body, steps that are formed on the contact portion and face a rotation direction of the shaft body and an end portion that is positioned on a side where the contact portion comes into contact with the body to be cleaned first in a width direction of the contact portion and of which the height from the shaft body is gradually reduced from the height of the contact portion so that the end portion does not come into contact with the body to be cleaned.

Abstract: A separator tube 4 is manufactured by a forming method including three steps: a groove forming step of forming a housing 22 by beading; a pressing step of pressing at least one corner of an opening of the housing 22 to form an impression; and a sizing step of sizing an end 20 of the separator tube 4. Thus, the housing 22 can be formed on the inner periphery 21 of the end 20 of the separator tube 4 with high accuracy without performing cutting.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a cylinder sealingly containing oil, and a piston coupled with a piston rod and inserted in the cylinder. The shock absorber generates a damping force by controlling the oil flow generated according to movement of the piston with the use of a damping force generation mechanism. A separator tube is externally disposed around the cylinder. The oil is transmitted into the damping force generation mechanism via a branch tube integrally formed on a cylindrical sidewall of the separator tube. Both sides of a proximal portion of the branch tube in a circumferential direction of the sidewall of the separator tube are pressed from an inside to concave an inner circumferential surface radially outwardly, thereby forming recesses.

Abstract: A heat sink for LED lighting formed of an aluminum material includes: a mounting face part having an LED element mounted on a surface thereof; a first fin part extending in a direction perpendicular to the mounting face part; and a second fin part extending in a direction perpendicular to the mounting face part and extending in a direction intersecting the first fin part.

Abstract: To provide a photoelectric converter capable of reducing the height of the device. The photoelectric converter includes: a light emitting element or a light receiving element; an IC circuit for transmitting/receiving an electric signal to/from the light emitting element or the light receiving element; a mount substrate adapted to be mounted on one surface from the side on which the light emitting element emits light, or the side on which the light receiving element receives light; an electric connector adapted to be provided on the one surface or the other surface of the mount substrate, and to be attached and detached to and from an external connector; and a waveguide adapted to be provided on the mount substrate along the one surface or the other surface of the mount substrate, and to be optically coupled to the light emitting element or the light receiving element.