Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided and includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on an image carrier with a transparent material and a coloring material; a controller that controls an order of an image forming with the transparent material and an image forming with the coloring material to be different between in an image portion and in a non-image portion in an image forming region on the image carrier; and a transferring unit that transfers the image formed on the image carrier onto a recording medium.

Abstract: An audio apparatus according to an embodiment includes an audio signal receiving unit, a music gap signal receiving unit, a playback unit, and a determining unit. The audio signal receiving unit receives an audio signal in which successive multiple music data are contained in a single block of data. The determining unit determines a boundary of the music data on the basis of the time at which the music gap signal that indicates the boundary of the music data by the music gap signal receiving unit and the duration of a silent period in the audio signal that is played back by the playback unit.

Abstract: Sound equipment is configured to average an average value of a signal level at each predetermined frequency band of a sound signal at a different averaging time, to weight the average value calculated at a different averaging time by using an individual weighting value, to obtain a representative value based on a weighted average value, to determine a gain of a sound signal based on an obtained representative value, to correct a volume based on the corresponding gain, and to correct a volume based on the gain. The representative value is obtained by selecting the average value at which a gain becomes minimum within each weighted average value. The averaging performs at least a first averaging using the averaging time corresponding to the sound signal that the signal level changes rapidly, and a second averaging using the averaging time longer than the averaging time of the first averaging.

Abstract: A DSP performs a sound volume adjustment processing that adjusts a playback sound volume in accordance with a signal level of acoustic data in acoustic contents. Further, when the DSP detects that the acoustic data is switched, the DSP initializes the adjustment to perform a reset processing that performs adjustment in accordance with the acoustic data which is a new playback target. When the changing instruction of the playback position of the acoustic data is accepted, an audio microcomputer instructs the DSP to perform the reset processing.

Abstract: An image gloss control apparatus that includes a first control component and a second control component is provided. The first control component controls an image forming/fixing component, which forms an image on a recording medium using a colored image formation material and fixes the image, so that a first image is formed in a high gloss area having a high gloss level on the recording medium or an area including the high gloss area on the recording medium and is fixed. The second control component that controls the image forming/fixing component, so that a second image having a density lower than a density of the first image is formed in a low gloss area having a gloss level lower than the gloss level of the high gloss area on the recording medium where the first image is formed or the low gloss area on the first image and is fixed.

Abstract: An image processing device that outputs a raster image to an image forming unit that forms an image at a first resolution based on the raster image, generates a raster image at a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution; inspects pixels of the generated raster image having the second resolution, and if there is a pixel group including a pixel and pixels surrounding the pixel that has a layout pattern identical to a predetermined layout pattern, replaces the pixel with a predetermined raster image having the first resolution; inspects pixels of the raster image having the first resolution, and if there is a pixel group including a pixel and pixels surrounding the pixel that satisfies a predetermined condition, replaces the pixel with a pixel of a different color; and outputs the raster image having the first resolution subjected to line-thinning to the image forming unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a setting unit and a correcting unit. The setting unit sets a gloss level of an image to be formed by forming plural toner images using a transparent toner and plural color toners having different colors and by fixing the plural toner images onto a recording medium in such a manner that the plural toner images are placed on top of one another on the recording medium. The correcting unit corrects image data defining density values per pixel of the toner images formed using the plural color toners of the respective colors so that a total density value that is a sum of a density value per pixel of the toner image formed using the transparent toner and density values per pixel of the toner images formed using the plural color toners of the respective colors may not exceed a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An image processing device includes a first output unit that performs predetermined image processing for image data, and outputs image data having m bits per pixel; a second output unit that performs pseudo gradation-increase processing by a dither method or a multilevel error diffusion method for the output image data, and outputs image data having n bits per pixel, where n<m; and a compression unit that compresses the output image data. When a dither matrix for the dither method or a filter for the multilevel error diffusion method used by the second output unit for the pseudo gradation-increase processing is divided into plural pixel groups each including plural adjacent pixels and when each pixel group serves as a unit, processing parameters respectively set for pixels in the same pixel group are similar as compared with processing parameters respectively set for pixels in different pixel groups.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a setting unit, a generating unit, and a converting unit. The setting unit sets a gloss level of each of plural areas into which an image is divided. The image is formed by forming plural toner images having different colors using plural first toners and at least one second toner having at least one same color as the first toners and by fixing the plural toner images onto a recording medium so as to be superimposed on one another. The generating unit generates multi-level image data for each of the first toners and the at least one second toner in accordance with the gloss levels set by the setting unit. The converting unit converts multi-level image data of toners having the same color into binary image data. The converting unit also converts multi-level image data of toners having different colors into binary image data.

Abstract: A color processing device includes a converter that converts a combination of values of N?1 colors obtained by eliminating a specific color included in N colors from an input color signal expressing a color by a combination of values of the N colors, into a corresponding combination of values of M?1 colors, N being 4 or larger, M being larger than N; and an output unit that, if a total value of the values of the M?1 colors after the conversion by the converter and a value of the specific color included in the input color signal exceeds a predetermined limit value, changes a value of at least one of M colors obtained by adding the specific color to the M?1 colors such that the total value becomes the limit value or smaller, and outputs values of the M colors as an output color signal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a battery 10 including: an electrode group including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator; an electrolyte; and a battery container accommodating the electrode group and the electrolyte. The battery container includes an accommodating portion 16 having an opening, and a lid sealing the opening of the accommodating portion 16. The battery container includes a liquid-retaining portion 16a retaining the electrolyte therein below the liquid surface of the electrolyte, and a gas-retaining portion 16b retaining gas therein above the liquid surface of the electrolyte. The liquid-retaining portion 16a of the side portion of the battery container is thinner than the gas-retaining portion 16b of the battery container. This suppresses scattering of fragments etc. in the event of rupture of a secondary battery due to an increase in the internal pressure. The safety of the secondary battery is thus increased.

Abstract: A toner in which even a toner containing crystalline polyester exhibits excellent fixing property, chargeability, color reproducibility, and long-term stability, as well as a two-component developer, a developing device, and an image forming apparatus are provided. The toner includes toner base particles which contain a colorant and a binder resin containing at least crystalline polyester and an amorphous resin; and a mixed oxide of aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide externally added to the toner base particles, and the toner is so adjusted that the binder resin contains 20% by weight to 50% by weight of the crystalline polyester and that a compositional proportion of aluminum oxide in the mixed oxide of aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide falls within a range of 35% by weight or more and less than 50% by weight.

Abstract: A color toner, a developer, a developing device for performing development by using the developer and an image forming apparatus having the developing device are provided. A developer, which contains a color toner formed by adding zinc oxide particles externally to the surfaces of toner base particles containing binder resin and colorant, in which the average primary particle size of zinc oxide particles falls in a range of 10 nm or more and 50 nm or less, the average particle size of primary-particle aggregates of zinc oxide particles is 0.3 ?m or less and the zinc oxide particle is made of zinc oxide doped with aluminum, is charged in a developer tank of a developing device of an image forming apparatus for image formation.

Abstract: A light fixable toner which is not containing an infrared absorbent and fixed by light irradiation, and a two-component developer containing the light fixable toner are provided. The light fixable toner contains a binder resin, a colorant and an internal additive having an average particle size of 0.50 ?m or more and 1.40 ?m or less, and a shape factor SF-2 is 105 or more and 120 or less, a relative refractive index nb/na which is a ratio of an absolute refractive index nb of the internal additive to an absolute refractive index na of the binder resin is 0.90 or more and 0.97 or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic toner comprising a polyester resin as binder resin and a colorant, said polyester resin being the condensation product of at least one polyhydric alcohol with at least one polybasic acid, wherein said at least one polyhydric alcohol comprises cyclohexanedimethanol, said toner having a loss modulus of from 2×103 Pa to 3×104 Pa at 110° C. and being irradiated with only laser light for fixing. According to toner of the invention, high quality toner images can be fixed with desired fastness and without white spots.

Abstract: An image gloss control apparatus that includes a first control component and a second control component is provided. The first control component controls an image forming/fixing component, which forms an image on a recording medium using a colored image formation material and fixes the image, so that a first image is formed in a high gloss area having a high gloss level on the recording medium or an area including the high gloss area on the recording medium and is fixed. The second control component that controls the image forming/fixing component, so that a second image having a density lower than a density of the first image is formed in a low gloss area having a gloss level lower than the gloss level of the high gloss area on the recording medium where the first image is formed or the low gloss area on the first image and is fixed.

Abstract: A light fixing toner fixed by light irradiation without containing an infrared absorber, a one-component and a two-component developer containing the light fixing toner are provided. An infrared absorber-free light fixing toner is constituted of toner base particles containing a binder resin and a colorant, and having a shape factor SF-2 of from 105 to 115, and external additives, wherein a relative refractive index n2/n1 is from 0.85 to 1.10.

Abstract: A color processor includes: an acquisition unit that acquires first and second multi-valued color signals respectively indicating in a multi-valued manner quantities of first and second color materials used for reproducing color with a specific hue, the second color material having a different density from the first color material; a generation unit that generates first and second binary color signals by performing dither processing, respectively with first and second dither matrices, for the first and second multi-valued color signals acquired by the acquisition unit, the second dither matrix having the same angle and the same number of lines as the first dither matrix and being used for forming halftone dots at positions different from positions of halftone dots formed by use of the first dither matrix; and an output unit that outputs to a print mechanism the first and second binary color signals generated by the generation unit.

Abstract: A color image processing method, which is adapted to convert a first color signal including a solid color signal to a second color signal including a solid color signal, includes: determining a device independent color signal on a color coordinate in a color system from the first color signal; determining a solid color signal of the second color signal having the minimum or substantially minimum color difference from the solid color signal of the first color signal; and determining a color signal other than the solid color signal of the second color signal to be calorimetrically equal to the device independent color signal from the device independent color signal and the solid color signal of the second color signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided and includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on an image carrier with a transparent material and a coloring material; a controller that controls an order of an image forming with the transparent material and an image forming with the coloring material to be different between in an image portion and in a non-image portion in an image forming region on the image carrier; and a transferring unit that transfers the image formed on the image carrier onto a recording medium