Abstract: Fine silica particles surface-treated with a silane and having primary particles having a particle diameter of from 0.01 to 5 &mgr;m, which fine silica particles fulfill the following conditions (i) and (ii), a process for their production and an organic resin composition containing such particles as a component are provided. (i) When an organic compound which is liquid at room temperature and has a dielectric constant of from 1 to 40 F/m and fine silica particles are mixed in a weight ratio of 5:1 and shaked, the fine silica particles disperse uniformly in the organic compound, and (ii) the quantity of primary particles remaining as primary particles when methanol is evaporated under heating by means of an evaporator from a dispersion prepared by dispersing the fine silica particles in methanol and thereafter the particles are held at a temperature of 100° C. for 2 hours, is in a percentage of at least 20% based on the quantity of primary particles originally present.

Abstract: The invention discloses a flame-retardant thermoplastic resin composition without containing any halogen compounds as a flame-retardant agent but still exhibiting excellent flame retardancy. The resin composition comprises: (a) a thermoplastic resin kneadable or moldable at a temperature lower than 250° C. such as polyethylene; (b) magnesium hydroxide as the principal flame retardant agent; (c) an organopolysiloxane compound of a specified viscosity; and (d) a reactive catalytic compound which is a radical-generating compound having an incipient thermal decomposition temperature higher than 250° C. such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-diphenylbutane. Alternatively, the catalytic compound as the component (d) can be a combination of a noble metal, e.g., platinum, compound and a vinyl group-containing organosiloxane compound.

Abstract: By housing a driver circuit board in a motorized roller having a built-in electric motor, the troublesome external wiring can be dispensed with, thereby facilitating the mounting of the roller on other apparatus. The heat generating inside the roller from a driver circuit board in the roller is dissipated by a heat releaser, thus protecting the devices from damage and avoiding failure of control.

Abstract: A unit 50 comprising a driving portion 3, an output member 8 and a fixed shaft 11 is provided. A rotating force generated in the driving portion 3 is outputted externally. Thus a user can use a motorized roller by inserting the unit 50 in a roller body 13 provided by the user and having a diameter suitable for the situation.

Abstract: An external additive for electrostatically charged image developing toner is provided. The additive includes spherical hydrophobic fine silica particles having primary particles with a particle diameter of from 0.01 to 5 &mgr;m and having been treated with a compound selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium salt compound, a fluoroalkyl-group-containing betaine compound and a silicone oil.

Abstract: An external additive for electrostatically charged latent image developing toner is provied. The additive includes spherical hydrophobic fine silica particles having primary particles having a particle diameter of from 0.01 to 5 &mgr;m, which fine silica particles fulfill the following conditions (i) and (ii): (i) when an organic compound which is liquid at room temperature and has a dielectric constant of from 1 to 40 F/m and fine silica particles are mixed in a weight ratio of 5:1 and shaken, the fine silica particles disperse uniformly in the organic compound; and (ii) the quantity of primary particles remaining as primary particles when methanol is evaporated under heating by means of an evaporator from a dispersion prepared by dispersing the fine silica particles in methanol and thereafter the particles are held at a temperature of 100° C. for 2 hours, represents at least 20% of the quantity of primary particles originally present.

Abstract: A tandem-type image forming apparatus forms a color image by transferring images formed by a plurality of image forming units set along a transfer belt onto a recording sheet transported by the transfer belt. The tandem-type image forming apparatus includes a plurality of detecting units, each detecting a toner image formed by a corresponding image forming unit to obtain the amount of toner in the toner image, a standard pattern formation controlling unit for controlling one of the image forming units to form a standard pattern to be detected by the detecting units, a sensitivity obtaining unit for obtaining a value as an evaluation value that is outputted by each of the detecting units on detecting the standard pattern, and an detection output adjusting unit for adjusting a value outputted by the detecting unit in accordance with the evaluation value.

Abstract: Amorphous spherical silica microparticulates having a specific surface area of 5-50 m2/g and a particle size distribution of 5-1,000 nm are added to toner particles to form an electrostatic image developer which has improved fluidity and cleaning characteristics. On account of the minimized impurity content of the spherical silica microparticulates, the developer is effective for high-quality and high-speed duplication.

Abstract: In a copying machine, a printer control unit calculates .gamma. correction data according to a grid potential Vg and a development bias potential Vb which are image forming parameters, and a calculation coefficient. The printer control unit reads reflectance data of a copied test pattern in a test pattern read out mode to correct the calculation coefficient for the calculation of .gamma. correction data according to the read out data. Thus, .gamma. correction at always the optimum and accurate level can be carried out without usage of a memory of a large capacity.

Abstract: A digital copying machine develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum with toner, and transfers the developed image onto a sheet. In forming images on the photosensitive drum successively, three types of test patterns are formed in order in intro-image areas between image forming areas, and AIDC is made. The first test pattern is a low-density pattern, the second test pattern is an intermediate-density pattern, and the third test pattern is a high-density pattern.

Abstract: An antibacterial/antifungal inorganic matter is composited with wood by impregnating wood with a solution containing a silicon alkoxide and an antibacterial/antifungal organic silicon compound having a hydrolyzable alkoxysilyl group, and subjecting the silicon compounds within the cell walls (inter- and intracellular) spaces to hydrolysis at various temperatures and polycondensation. The same is prepared by treating wood with a siloxane oligomer and curing the oligomer. The antibacterial/antifungal component is prevented from being leached out.

Abstract: Using an image forming apparatus, toner images are respectively formed on photosensitive drums of image forming units set along a transport belt, and the toner images are transferred onto the transport belt or a recording sheet transported on the transport belt to form a color image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, such as an electrophotographic copier, forms a test image on a photosensitive member, under constant image forming conditions, and the amount of toner adhering to the photosensitive member is detected. The detected amount of toner is converted into a developer toner concentration, based on a conversion standard. The toner concentration is used to control the operation of a toner replenishment device. The conversion standard is periodically corrected by forming a test image using a developer having a known toner concentration, detecting the amount of adhered toner, comparing the detected result to a standard value, and selecting one conversion standard table from among a number of different conversion tables.

Abstract: A polycarbonate polymer and resin composition having excellent transparency and abrasion resistance, comprising a mixture of (i) a polycarbonate polymer having a repeating unit having a specific grafted polysiloxane structure, and (ii) from 0 to 20 wt % of a diorganopolysiloxane. The polycarbonate polymer is obtained by reacting (a) a specific polysiloxane compound and (b) a specific bisphenol compound with (c) a carbonate ester forming compound.

Abstract: A device for measuring toner concentration of developer housed in a developing system, which developer comprising toner and carrier. The device has a transparent detection window facing the interior of the developing system, which transparent detection window comprising a first transparent plate member and a second transparent plate member being in contact with the first transparent plate member. The first transparent plate member is made of a material which becomes charged, through its contact with the second transparent plate member, with the opposite polarity from the charge polarity of the toner and the second transparent plate member is made of a material which becomes charged, through its contact with the carrier, with the same polarity from the charge polarity of the toner, so that the second transparent plate member strongly repels the toner having the same polarity charge and adherence of the toner to the second transparent plate member is reliably prevented.

Abstract: A process for producing an epoxidized block copolymer, which comprises the steps of: (1) mixing a block copolymer (C) comprising a polymer block (A) composed mainly of a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon compound and a polymer block (B) composed mainly of a conjugated diene compound, or a hydrogenation product (D) of the block copolymer (C), with an organic solvent so as to obtain an organic solvent solution or organic solvent slurry having a polymer concentration of 5 to 50% by weight; (2) epoxidizing unsaturated carbon bonds contained in a polymer block (B) composed mainly of a conjugated diene compound with an epoxidizing agent that is an acetic ester solution of peracetic acid, not containing water; and (3) evaporating off the organic solvent from the reaction mixture to thereby obtain an epoxidized block copolymer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for copiers, printers and the like. In the image forming apparatus, a standard pattern image, the density of which is detected by a sensor for controlling conditions of image forming operations, is formed on a photosensitive member. Density values are sampled at a plurality of sampling points on a standard pattern image by operating the sensor with a timing at which said sensor confronts said standard pattern image, and are mutually compared with each other. If the comparison result indicates that the timing of the sampling operation lags the standard pattern image, the sampling timing is corrected by eliminating the timing lag. The sampling operation of a subsequent sampling cycle is thereby conducted based on a corrected timing.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a correction coefficient corresponding to each density level of toner consumption of a developing device is determined in accordance with a selected tone correction method, and/or the ratio of the emission period to the non-emission period of a light source. A toner consumption calculator multiplies the correction coefficients by the number of pixels of each density level of document image data, and determines the amount of toner consumed by the developing device from the sum total value of the multiplication results determined for each density level. A toner replenishment device resupplies toner to the developing device based on the determined amount of consumed toner. As a result, a constant toner concentration Tc normally can be maintained because toner is resupplied based on the calculated amount of toner consumption.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus for forming a full color image in the four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black has a optical ATDC sensor attached in a cyan developing device to control the toner density under optical ATDC. A black developing device has the toner density controlled by AIDC. A standard develop efficiency .eta.STD of the cyan developing device obtained as a result of the AIDC is compared with a develop efficiency .eta. of black toner. The toner supply amount of the black developing device is determined according to the comparison result to supply the toner. Thus, an image formation apparatus is provided that can detect at favorable accuracy the toner density of a developing device incorporating a developer of which the toner density cannot be detected using optical ATDC to supply a required amount of toner.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus is provided with a detecting means for detecting transfer efficiency when transferring a toner image from a photosensitive member to a transfer sheet, and a developing efficiency changing means for changing developing efficiency based on the transfer efficiency detected by the detecting means, and corrects the toner consumption predicted by the predicting means based on the transfer efficiency as detected by the detecting means, so as to determine the amount of toner to be replenished. When the developing efficiency is changed based on the transfer efficiency, toner consumption also changes, and does not match the predicted toner consumption. According to the present invention, toner concentration in a developer can be even more accurately controlled by correcting the predicted toner consumption by the change in transfer efficiency.