Abstract: A product purchase system includes a first communication terminal carried by an advertising user, a second communication terminal provided to be movable with a vehicle, and a server. The first communication terminal sends advertisement product information indicating a product worn or held by the advertising user to the server. The second communication terminal sends a product search request including second position information and second time information to the server. The second position information indicates a position of the vehicle when a specific action performed by an occupant in the vehicle is detected while the vehicle is moving. The second time information indicates a clock time when the specific action is detected. The server extracts candidate product information from the advertisement product information, based on the second position information and the second time information. The server then sends the extracted candidate product information to the second communication terminal.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus, configured to control a vehicle, includes an engine that is configured to drive wheels via a power transmission device. The vehicle control apparatus includes a towing state detector and an engine controller. The towing state detector is configured to detect whether the vehicle is in a towing state. The engine controller is configured to stop the engine in a case where a predetermined engine stopping condition is satisfied during traveling of the vehicle. The engine controller is configured to vary, in a case where the towing state detector detects that the vehicle is in the towing state, the predetermined engine stopping condition to reduce an operational range in which the engine is to be stopped compared with an operational range in a case where the towing state detector does not detect that the vehicle is in the towing state.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a transmission shiftable by hydraulic pressure, a main oil passage that delivers operating oil, a first oil passage that delivers the operating oil from the main oil passage to the transmission, a first valve that opens/closes the first oil passage, a controller that controls the first valve, a second oil passage that delivers the operating oil from the main oil passage to the transmission, and a manually drivable second valve that opens/closes a section of the first oil passage that is closer to the main oil passage than the first valve and the second oil passage. The second valve is switchable between the automatic control state in which the first oil passage is opened and the second oil passage is closed and the manual control state in which the first oil passage is closed and the second oil passage is opened.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a transmission shiftable by hydraulic pressure, a main oil passage that delivers operating oil, a first oil passage that delivers the operating oil from the main oil passage to the transmission, a first valve that opens/closes the first oil passage, a controller that controls the first valve, a second oil passage that delivers the operating oil from the main oil passage to the transmission, and a manually drivable second valve that opens/closes a section of the first oil passage that is closer to the main oil passage than the first valve and the second oil passage. The second valve is switchable between the automatic control state in which the first oil passage is opened and the second oil passage is closed and the manual control state in which the first oil passage is closed and the second oil passage is opened.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus, configured to control a vehicle, includes an engine that is configured to drive wheels via a power transmission device. The vehicle control apparatus includes a towing state detector and an engine controller. The towing state detector is configured to detect whether the vehicle is in a towing state. The engine controller is configured to stop the engine in a case where a predetermined engine stopping condition is satisfied during traveling of the vehicle. The engine controller is configured to vary, in a case where the towing state detector detects that the vehicle is in the towing state, the predetermined engine stopping condition to reduce an operational range in which the engine is to be stopped compared with an operational range in a case where the towing state detector does not detect that the vehicle is in the towing state.

Abstract: A toner for forming an electrophotographic image is provided, wherein the toner includes at least four types of binder resins, wherein the binder resins includes at least: a crystalline polyester resin (A); a non-crystalline resin (B); a non-crystalline resin (C); and a composite resin (D) which includes a condensation polymerization resin unit and an addition polymerization resin unit, wherein the non-crystalline resin (B) includes a chloroform insoluble matter, wherein the non-crystalline resin (C) has a softening temperature (T½) lower than that of the non-crystalline resin (B) by 25° C. or more, and wherein the toner has a main peak between 1,000 to 10,000 in a molecular weight distribution obtained by GPC from a tetrahydrofuran soluble matter, and the toner has a half-value width of the molecular weight distribution of 15,000 or less.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin containing at least one polyester resin comprising an inorganic tin (II) compound and an external additive including a particulate inorganic material having a volume average particle diameter greater than 70 nm and less than 300 nm. The binder resin preferably includes a polyester resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 5,000 to 50,000 and another resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 200,000 to 400,000. A developer including the toner; and a developing device, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, which form toner images using the toner are also provided.

Abstract: An image forming method including forming an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member; developing the electrostatic latent image using a color toner and a transparent toner to form a color toner image and a transparent toner image thereon; transferring the color toner image and the transparent toner image to a recording material; and fixing the color toner image and the transparent toner image on the recording material. The color toner includes a polyester resin and a colorant, and the loss tangent of the color toner has a maximum peak at a temperature of from 80° C. to 160° C., and is not greater than 3 at the maximum peak. The transparent toner includes a crystalline polyester resin, and the loss tangent of the transparent toner has a maximum peak at a temperature of from 80° C. to 160° C., and is not less than 3 at the maximum peak.

Abstract: A toner including a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent is provided. The toner has a peak loss tangent (tan ?) value of 3 or more within a temperature range of 80 to 160° C. Here, the loss tangent (tan ?) is a ratio (G?/G?) of a loss elastic modulus (G?) to a storage elastic modulus (G?). The toner provides a good combination of low-temperature fixability, hot offset resistance, storage stability, coloring power and/or opacifying power, and gloss.

Abstract: A toner, wherein a binder resin contains a polyester resin (A) produced by polycondensing an alcohol component with a carboxylic acid component which contains a rosin compound in an amount of 5% by mass or more of the total amount by mass of the alcohol component and the carboxylic acid component, and a polyester resin (B) produced by polycondensing an alcohol component containing an alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenol A represented by General Formula (1) given below with a carboxylic acid component, and wherein the toner contains abietic acid in an amount of 0.01% by mass to 1% by mass: where R1 and R2 each represent C2-C4 alkylene; R3 and R4 are each any one of a hydrogen atom, C1-C6 straight-chain alkyl, and C1-C6 branched-chain alkyl; and x and y each represent a positive integer and the sum of x and y is 1 to 16.

Abstract: A toner containing at least a binder resin, releasing agent, and colorant, wherein the binder resin contains polyester resin (A), polyester resin (B), and polyester resin (C), which is prepared by condensation-polymerizing (i) an alcohol component containing an alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenol compound and (ii) a carboxylic acid component; at least one of the polyester resin (A) and polyester resin (B) is a polyester resin prepared by condensation-polymerizing (i) the alcohol component substantially composed of only aliphatic alcohol and containing 1,2-propanediol in an amount of 65 mole % or more of a divalent alcohol component and (ii) the carboxylic acid component; and a softening point Tm(A) of the polyester resin (A) is 10 C or more higher than Tm(B) of the polyester resin (B), and the absolute difference between Tm(C) of the polyester resin (C) and the Tm(B) is 5° C. or less.

Abstract: A toner for forming an electrophotographic image is provided, wherein the toner includes at least four types of binder resins, wherein the binder resins includes at least: a crystalline polyester resin (A); a non-crystalline resin (B); a non-crystalline resin (C); and a composite resin (D) which includes a condensation polymerization resin unit and an addition polymerization resin unit, wherein the non-crystalline resin (B) includes a chloroform insoluble matter, wherein the non-crystalline resin (C) has a softening temperature (T½) lower than that of the non-crystalline resin (B) by 25° C. or more, and wherein the toner has a main peak between 1,000 to 10,000 in a molecular weight distribution obtained by GPC from a tetrahydrofuran soluble matter, and the toner has a half-value width of the molecular weight distribution of 15,000 or less.

Abstract: In the image forming method, a color toner image and a transparent toner image are formed using a first developing device containing a first developer including color toner and carrier, and a second developing device containing a second developer including transparent toner and carrier. At least the second developing device includes a developer bearing member bearing the second developer for developing an electrostatic image; a developer supplying passage supplying the developer to the developer bearing member while feeding the developer in a first direction; and a developer feeding passage separated from the developer supplying passage at a central portion thereof and feeding the developer used for development in a direction parallel to the first direction. The transparent toner includes a resin and a lubricant and has viscoelastic property such that loss tangent has a peak with height of not less than 3 at a temperature of from 80° C. to 160° C.

Abstract: A lifting hook device includes a fixed hook for lifting disposed at a head section of a hollow body having an inside maintained airtight, and a rotatable hook for suspending a load, the rotatable hook has a shaft section rotatably supported in the body and vertically suspended from a bottom section, a motor for rotating the shaft section of the rotatable book about the axis of the shaft section through a rotating mechanism, an azimuth sensor mounted to the rotatable hook and detecting the rotational azimuth of the rotatable hook, and a control section for controlling rotation of the motor to restrict the orientation of the rotatable hook to a predetermined direction.

Abstract: A two-component developing method, including regulating a two-component developer borne on a developer bearer with a doctor blade; and transferring the regulated two-component developer to the developer bearer to develop a latent image on an image bearer, wherein the two-component developer includes a pulverized toner having a volume-average particle diameter of from 3.0 to 6.0 ?m, including particles having a particle diameter not greater than 4.0 ?m in an amount not less than 30% by number, and including particles having a particle diameter not greater than 2.0 ?m in an amount not greater than 10% by number, and wherein the doctor blade has a surface regulating the developer at an upstream side relative to a rotational direction of the developer bearer, which has a surface roughness Ra not greater than 0.2 ?m.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming method, including fixing one or more chromatic toner images on a recording medium; and fixing a transparent toner image on the chromatic toner image to partially or wholly increase glossiness of the recording medium, wherein the chromatic toner image has an average length (Sm) of concavities and convexities of from 50 to 350 ?m.

Abstract: An image forming method including forming an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member; developing the electrostatic latent image using a color toner and a transparent toner to form a color toner image and a transparent toner image thereon; transferring the color toner image and the transparent toner image to a recording material; and fixing the color toner image and the transparent toner image on the recording material. The color toner includes a polyester resin and a colorant, and the loss tangent of the color toner has a maximum peak at a temperature of from 80° C. to 160° C., and is not greater than 3 at the maximum peak. The transparent toner includes a crystalline polyester resin, and the loss tangent of the transparent toner has a maximum peak at a temperature of from 80° C. to 160° C., and is not less than 3 at the maximum peak.

Abstract: A toner including a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent is provided. The toner has a peak loss tangent (tan ?) value of 3 or more within a temperature range of 80 to 160° C. Here, the loss tangent (tan ?) is a ratio (G?/G?) of a loss elastic modulus (G?) to a storage elastic modulus (G?). The toner provides a good combination of low-temperature fixability, hot offset resistance, storage stability, coloring power and/or opacifying power, and gloss.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing toner including the steps of preparing a preliminary mixture by mixing a colorant and a release agent; preparing a raw material mixture by mixing the preliminary mixture with a binder resin and other raw materials; melt-kneading the raw material mixture using an open system roll type kneader; pulverizing the melt-kneaded raw material mixture into fine particles; and classifying the fine particles to prepare a toner.

Abstract: A lifting hook device which can, irrespective of the height of lifting, stably and quickly lift up a load with the load constantly oriented to a certain direction. A lifting hook device comprises a fixed hook (3) for lifting provided to a head section (2a) of a hollow body (2) having an inside maintained airtight, a rotatable hook (5) for suspending a load, the rotatable hook (5) having a shaft section (5a) rotatably supported supported in the body and vertically suspended from a bottom section (2c), a motor (8) for rotating the shaft section (5a) of the rotatable book about the axis of the shaft section through a rotating mechanism (7), an azimuth sensor (10) mounted to the rotatable hook and detecting the rotational azimuth of the rotatable hook, and a control section (11) for controlling rotation of the motor to restrict the orientation of the rotatable hook to a predetermined direction.