Abstract: An image forming agent storage container includes a container body and at least two container-side protruding portions. The container body is configured to be detachably attached in an image forming apparatus body. The container body forms a storage chamber in which an image forming agent is stored. At least two container-side protruding portions protrude toward an outside of the container body and have cavities on a storage-chamber side thereof. The cavities are configured to store the image forming agent. The at least two container-side protruding portions are configured so that a body-side protruding portion is formed on the image forming apparatus body is fitted between the at least two container-side protruding portions, which are adjacent to each other.

Abstract: In a solenoid valve control device, a plurality of solenoid valve blocks are connected in series with respect to a solenoid valve control unit. A solenoid valve operating circuit of a given solenoid valve block, to which a block selection signal from a block selection line is supplied, operates plural solenoid valves of the same given block, based on the block selection signal.

Abstract: A powder feed device includes a casing having an opening for receiving a powder from a powder housing portion housing the powder, at least an inner side of the casing having a cylindrical shape; a transport member that is arranged in the casing, extends in a powder transport direction, and rotates and transports the powder to the fed body; and a shutter member that is arranged at a closed position for closing the opening, receives a force from the transport member by its rotation, and moves to an open position for opening the opening. The transport member includes a transport portion that contributes to the powder transport, and a non-transport portion that does not contribute to the powder transport, and handles the movement of the shutter member to the open position. The shutter member moves to the open position when receiving an effect of the non-transport portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a drive source that generates a driving force, an image forming object on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed and that includes a rotatable shaft extending therethrough and rotates with the driving force that is input to one end of the rotatable shaft, and an extracting member that is provided at another end of the rotatable shaft of the image forming object and extracts, from the rotatable shaft, a driving force to be transmitted to a driven member excluding the image forming object.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a holding part that holds a detachable constituent component so that the detachable component is displaced to a detachment operating position and primary and secondary mounting completed positions as a result of link with opening/closing operations of an opening/closing part, and a connection part that is provided on the opening/closing part and in which a guide groove is formed which guides a projecting portion provided on the holding part. The guide groove of the connection part includes a narrow portion through which the projecting portion is caused to pass while the detachable constituent component is being displaced from the detachment operating position to the primary or secondary mounting completed position. The narrow portion has a groove width which is narrower than an outer dimension of the projecting portion.

Abstract: A storage container includes a container body formed with a discharge hole and a filling hole, an opening and closing part opening and closing the discharge hole, a lid member sealing the filling hole, and an operating member having a facing portion facing the filling hole and used to operate the opening and closing part. The operating member moves between a first position where the discharge hole is brought into an opened state, a second position where the discharge hole is brought into a closed state, and where the facing portion is arranged at a position which overlaps the container body, and a third position where the discharge hole is brought into a closed state, and where the facing portion is arranged at a position which does not overlap the container body in the direction of gravity in which the sealing part is attached to the container body.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus comprises: a body having a mount/remove opening; a removable component that can be mounted on or removed from the body via the mount/remove opening, the removable component being operable when mounted on the body; a door attached to the mount/remove opening; a mounting unit, on which the removable component is mounted, attached to the body; a connecting member that connects the door and the mounting unit, a position or attitude of the mounting unit in accordance with an opening/closing operation of the door, causes the removable component to move to a first position in which the removable component is operable when the door is closed, and causes the removable component mounted on the mounting unit to move to a second position, which is more easily accessible when the door is opened.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes: image-forming units arranged along a direction inclined at an acute angle relative to a horizontal direction, each of the image-forming units forming an image with developer; developer-containing units positioned above the image-forming units and arranged along the horizontal direction or along a direction inclined relative to the horizontal direction at an angle smaller than the acute angle; and developer conveyance paths that connect the image-forming units to respective developer-containing units, each developer conveyance path having a tubular passage that defines a space through which the developer contained in the developer-containing unit is conveyed to the image-forming unit, wherein the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to an image-forming unit located at a position higher than that of another image-forming unit has a vertically extending portion shorter than that of the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to the another

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming apparatus main body; and an image forming structure attached to and removed from the image forming apparatus main body. In a state where the image forming structure is attached in the image forming apparatus main body, a concave part is formed in a position opposite to another concave part formed in an adjacent image forming structure.

Abstract: There is provided a belt unit including: a fixed frame at which a transfer roller is provided; plural fixed side supporting rollers provided at the fixed frame; a movable frame that is swingably mounted to the fixed frame, and at which plural transfer rollers are provided; a movable side supporting roller provided at the movable frame; and an endless belt stretched around the fixed side supporting rollers and the movable side supporting roller, and contacting the transfer roller provided at the fixed frame and the transfer rollers supported at the movable frame, and contacting plural photoreceptor drums, wherein a swinging center of the movable frame is a center of belt portions at both sides of the swinging center, and in a monochrome mode, the movable frame is swung and moves the belt away from the photoreceptor drums other than the photoreceptor drum that is used in the monochrome mode.

Abstract: An active matrix substrate includes base substrate, gate lines, data lines, thin-film transistors and pixel electrodes. The gate lines are formed on the base substrate. The data lines are formed over the gate lines. Each of the data lines crosses all of the gate lines with an insulating film interposed therebetween. The thin-film transistors are formed over the base substrate. Each of the thin-film transistors is associated with one of the gate lines and operates responsive to a signal on the associated gate line. Each of the pixel electrodes is associated with one of the data lines and one of the thin-film transistors and is electrically connectable to the associated data line by way of the associated thin-film transistor. Each of the pixel electrodes and the associated thin-film transistor are connected together by way of a conductive member.

Abstract: An image forming agent storage container includes a container body formed with a discharge hole, a rotary shaft, a stirring part, and a conveying member. The conveying member includes a first end portion, a second end portion and a slit. The first end portion comes into contact with a lower inner face of the container body. The second end portion comes into contact with an inner face of the container body which intersects the lower inner face. The slit is formed between the first end portion and the second end portion. A corner of the conveying member located between the first and second end portions is removed. The slit extends from a portion from which the corner is removed toward an inside of the conveying member.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus comprises: a body having a mount/remove opening; a removable component that can be mounted on or removed from the body via the mount/remove opening, the removable component being operable when mounted on the body; a door attached to the mount/remove opening; a mounting unit, on which the removable component is mounted, attached to the body; a connecting member that connects the door and the mounting unit, a position or attitude of the mounting unit in accordance with an opening/closing operation of the door, causes the removable component to move to a first position in which the removable component is operable when the door is closed, and causes the removable component mounted on the mounting unit to move to a second position, which is more easily accessible when the door is opened.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a holding part that holds a detachable constituent component so that the detachable component is displaced to a detachment operating position and primary and secondary mounting completed positions as a result of link with opening/closing operations of an opening/closing part, and a connection part that is provided on the opening/closing part and in which a guide groove is formed which guides a projecting portion provided on the holding part. The guide groove of the connection part includes a narrow portion through which the projecting portion is caused to pass while the detachable constituent component is being displaced from the detachment operating position to the primary or secondary mounting completed position. The narrow portion has a groove width which is narrower than an outer dimension of the projecting portion.

Abstract: A process for producing a carbonic ester, characterized in that an aromatic monohydroxy compound or an aliphatic monohydroxy compound is subjected to oxidative carbonylation with carbon monoxide and oxygen in the presence of a palladium catalyst using a compound having a carbonate bond as a reaction solvent. A process for producing a polycarbonate, characterized in that an aromatic dihydroxy compound or an aliphatic dihydroxy compound is subjected to oxidative carbonylation with carbon monoxide and oxygen in the presence of a palladium catalyst using a compound having a carbonate bond as a reaction solvent is also described. The carbonic ester can be produced with a higher yield and at a higher reaction rate and, also, a polycarbonate having a higher molecular weight as compared with the conventional method can be produced with a higher yield and at a higher reaction rate.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes: image-forming units arranged along a direction inclined at an acute angle relative to a horizontal direction, each of the image-forming units forming an image with developer; developer-containing units positioned above the image-forming units and arranged along the horizontal direction or along a direction inclined relative to the horizontal direction at an angle smaller than the acute angle; and developer conveyance paths that connect the image-forming units to respective developer-containing units, each developer conveyance path having a tubular passage that defines a space through which the developer contained in the developer-containing unit is conveyed to the image-forming unit, wherein the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to an image-forming unit located at a position higher than that of another image-forming unit has a vertically extending portion shorter than that of the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to the another